L 82

The Albatros L 82 was a late‑1920s German light transport aircraft developed by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke, a company best known for its World War I fighters. Designed to replace older biplane couriers, the L 82 first flew in the spring of 1927 and entered limited service with regional airlines and the Reichswehr’s aerial liaison units. Its construction combined a welded steel‑tube fuselage with wooden wings covered in fabric, giving a balance of strength and low weight. Powered by a single 230 hp Argus As 10 air‑cooled inline engine, the L 82 could reach a maximum speed of 165 km/h (103 mph), cruise at 130 km/h, and carry up to 750 kg of payload, including four passengers or a small cargo load. The aircraft featured a fixed, split‑axle undercarriage with a modest tail‑wheel, and a spacious cabin accessible through side doors, which was considered comfortable for its era. Though only a few dozen were built before Albatros merged into Focke‑Wulf, the L 82 demonstrated the transition from military biplanes to economical monoplanes, influencing subsequent German transport designs and underscoring the importance of reliable short‑range aircraft in inter‑war civil aviation.