Dornier Merkur

The Dornier Merkur was a single‑engine, low‑wing monoplane produced by the German aircraft builder Dornier in the early 1930s. First flown in 1930, the Merkur was conceived as a fast, comfortable transport for business and regional airline use, reflecting Dornier’s shift from military to civil aviation after World War I. Powered by a 300 hp Hispano‑Suiza 9Qd radial engine, the aircraft featured an all‑metal stressed‑skin construction, retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit, innovations that set it apart from many contemporaries that still relied on wood and fixed gear. Its 12‑seat cabin offered relatively spacious accommodation and large windows, making it popular with European charter operators and a few state airlines. Although only a limited production run of about 20 airframes was completed, the Merkur demonstrated the viability of all‑metal transport designs and influenced later Dornier models such as the Do 17 and the successful Do 23 bomber. During the 1930s the Merkur was employed on routes linking Berlin, Warsaw and Prague, and examples were impressed into Luftwaffe service, proving the type’s adaptability and reinforcing Dornier’s reputation for building aircraft.