Time Period: World War II
Country of Origin: Germany
Type: Biplane, Fighter Aircraft, Bomber Aircraft
Manufacturer: Heinkel Flugzeugwerke
Heinkel He 51 Aircraft Overview
The Heinkel He 51 was a biplane fighter aircraft developed by the German company Heinkel in the early 1930s. It was designed as an open-cockpit fighter and was one of the first modern aircraft to be used by the newly-formed Luftwaffe.
The He 51 was a small, compact aircraft with a wingspan of just over 10 meters. It was powered by a single radial engine and had a maximum speed of around 225 mph (362 km/h). It was armed with two 7.92 mm machine guns mounted in the fuselage, and it could also carry bombs or rockets.
The He 51 entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1935 and was used extensively in the Spanish Civil War, where it proved to be a capable fighter against older biplane designs. However, by the time World War II began, the He 51 was obsolete and was mainly used for training and ground-attack missions. It was eventually phased out of service in 1942, as newer and more advanced aircraft became available.
Heinkel He 51 B-1 Specifications
- Crew: One
- Length: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 27.2 m2 (293 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,460 kg (3,219 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,900 kg (4,189 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × BMW VI 7.3 Z V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 559 kW (750 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed variable-pitch propeller
Heinkel He 51 B-1 Performance
- Maximum speed: 330 km/h (210 mph, 180 kn)
- Cruise speed: 280 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn)
- Range: 570 km (350 mi, 310 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,700 m (25,300 ft)
- Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 1 minute 24 seconds. 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in 16 minute 30 seconds
- Wing loading: 69.9 kg/m2 (14.3 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.29 kW/kg (0.18 hp/lb)
Heinkel He 51 B-1 Armament
- Guns: 2 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns in nose; 500 rpg
- Bombs: 6 × 10 kg (22 lb) bombs (on C-1/C-2 ground attack variants only)
