Hopfner HV.12

The Hopfner HV.12, conceived in the late 1920s by Hungarian engineer Árpád Lampich, represents a pivotal step in Central European aviation. Lampich’s workshop in Budapest produced the aircraft as a two‑seat, high‑wing monoplane intended for sport and pilot training. Construction combined a wooden fuselage with a fabric‑covered wing, while the streamlined steel tube frame gave the HV.12 a robust yet lightweight structure. Powered by a 75‑horsepower Siemens‑Halske Sh 14 radial engine, the plane achieved a maximum speed of 150 km/h and a service ceiling of 3,500 meters, making it competitive with contemporary trainers. Only fifteen examples were built before the factory shifted to military contracts in the early 1930s, but the HV.12 earned a reputation for gentle handling and short‑field performance, influencing subsequent Hungarian designs such as the Varga R‑1. Its modest production run nonetheless demonstrated the capability of independent manufacturers to produce reliable aircraft outside the major European firms, and it helped lay the foundation for Hungary’s later contributions to aircraft engineering during the interwar period. A restored HV.12 now flies in the Hungarian Aviation Museum at Budapest, where it serves as a living example of early interwar innovation and continues to inspire new generations of aviators.

Árpád Lampich

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