Focke-Wulf W 7

The Focke‑Wulf W 7 was a prototype German flying‑boat developed in the early 1930s by the fledgling aircraft company founded by Heinrich Focke and Georg Wulf. Designed as a twin‑engine, high‑wing monoplane, the W 7 featured an all‑metal hull with a stepped underside to improve water take‑off, and a steel‑tube fuselage frame covered by duralumin skin. Power was provided by two 300 hp Mercedes‑B‑III inline engines mounted on the wing leading edge, driving two‑bladed wooden propellers. The aircraft incorporated automatic wing‑tip floats that retracted into the hull, a novel feature intended to reduce drag during flight. First flown in 1932 at Bremen's aerodrome, the W 7 demonstrated respectable sea‑handling but fell short of the speed and range targets set by the Reichswehr’s maritime reconnaissance program. Consequently only a single prototype was built, and the type never entered series production. Nevertheless, the W 7’s structural concepts and hydrodynamic testing informed later Focke‑Wulf seaplanes, most notably the successful Fw 200 Condor and the early helicopter Fw 61, cementing its place as a transitional step in German aviation history during the inter‑war period. Although the W 7 never saw operational service, its experimental data helped shape aerodynamic standards for future amphibious designs.

Focke-Wulf

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