Weserflug

Weserflug P 1003/1

It was in the time before 1933 that the renowned German aircraft designer Dr. Adolf Rohrbach was concerned with the vision of a drive-wing aircraft implementing first ideas on short take-off and landing. The design ended in a model and was never realised. In 1935, Dr. Rohrbach became technical director of the new Weser Flugzeugbau factory at Lemwerder, near Bremen. It was Dipl.-Ing. Simon who, in 1938, developed the project of a winged helicopter with swivelling airscrews with a diameter of 4 m, which were designed to work vertically during take-off and landing and horizontally after reaching the flight level. The flight weight of this machine was calculated to be approx. 2,000 kg. The powerplant was an in-line engine with a power of 900 hp (Daimler-Benz 600?) that was placed behind the cabin. The trunk for the air duct was accommodated in the fuselage nose. The maximum speed was calculated to be approx. 650 km/h. Presumably, Dr. Rohrbach had at least some supporting influence on this design, given the fact that the Ju-87, which had been adopted by Weserflug for further development, was based on patents of Rohrbach, as seen from publications of the Reichspatentamt (Reich Patent Office) from that time. Doubtless to say that this Weserflug project was the first design of a winged helicopter or VTOL aircraft, yet it was never advanced in Germany, whereas in later years it found its further development in the United States and the USSR.

Type designation:	P 1003/1
Usage:	Project
Year of construction:
Manufacturer:
Country:
First flight:
Length:	8,30 m
Width:	Fuselage: 1.15 m Wing span without airscrews 7.00 m Wing span with airscrews 11.00 m
Height:	3,10 m
Rotor diameter:	4,00 m
Number of rotor blades:
Powerplant:	Daimler-Benz DB 600?
Power:	900 PS
Max. speed:	theor. 650 km/h
Service ceiling:	-
Empty weight:	-
Max. take-off weight:	-
Range:	-
Crew:
Passengers:
Armament:	none
Manufactured:	Never produced