Paul Klages
Focke-Wulf S 24
The Focke‑Wulf S 24 was a low‑wing, single‑engine sport monoplane conceived in the early 1930s and built in limited numbers by the small workshop of Paul Klages in Bremen. Klages, a former apprentice at the Focke‑Wulf design office, secured a license to use the company’s aerodynamic data and adapted it for a civilian trainer and touring aircraft. First flown on 12 April 1932, the S 24 featured a wooden frame with plywood skin, a 120‑hp Argus As 10 air‑cooled inverted‑V engine, and a fixed, spatted undercarriage. Its tapered wings incorporated a NACA‑type airfoil that gave the aircraft a modest 150 km/h top speed and a gentle stall characteristic, making it popular with flying clubs. Only fifteen examples were completed before production ceased in 1935, when larger manufacturers absorbed Klages’ operation. Although the S 24 never achieved commercial success, it demonstrated the viability of small‑scale aircraft production in Germany and contributed valuable data on lightweight construction that later influenced the design of the ubiquitous Focke‑Wulf Fw 56 trainer. The aircraft’s sleek canopy offered excellent forward visibility, and the side‑by‑side seating arrangement facilitated instruction and leisurely touring. Today, a restored S 24 resides in the Deutsches Museum, symbolising an inventive but fleeting chapter in interwar aviation.