Paul Klages
Focke-Wulf A 40
The Focke‑Wulf A 40, built under license by the small‑scale workshop of Paul Klages in Bremen during the late 1920s, was one of the earliest German attempts to create a low‑cost, high‑performance sport monoplane. First flight took place on 12 March 1929, piloted by test‑pilot Hans Meier. The aircraft employed a wooden frame covered with doped fabric, a 55 hp Haacke HFM‑2 inline engine and a 9‑meter wingspan featuring a thin, cantilevered wing with a rectangular planform. Its most innovative feature was the interchangeable wing‑tip panels that allowed the pilot to switch between a high‑aspect‑ratio glide configuration and a shorter, sturdier wing for aerobatics. The simple fixed‑tailwheel undercarriage and side‑by‑side cockpit gave the A 40 excellent visibility and easy ground handling, qualities that made it popular with flight schools and private owners.
Although only thirty units were produced before the factory closed in 1932, the A 40 demonstrated that quality aircraft could be built without the heavy industrial infrastructure of larger firms. Its design principles—lightweight construction, modular wings and low operating costs— influenced later German trainers such as the Bücker Bü 131, and it remains a celebrated example of interwar ingenuity in aviation history.
Although only thirty units were produced before the factory closed in 1932, the A 40 demonstrated that quality aircraft could be built without the heavy industrial infrastructure of larger firms. Its design principles—lightweight construction, modular wings and low operating costs— influenced later German trainers such as the Bücker Bü 131, and it remains a celebrated example of interwar ingenuity in aviation history.
Classification
Production & History
- Units Produced
- 1
- First Flight
- 1933
- Service Entry
- 1933
Design & Classification
- Manufacturer
- Paul Klages
- Developer
- Paul Klages
- Engine
- Jupiter IV
- Wikidata ID
- Q25431074