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Junkers G38

Junkers G38 History

At the beginning of his flying career, the Junkers G.38 was the largest land-based aircraft in the world. Also, this huge aircraft was developed under the Treaty of Versailles, which hampered German industry after the First World War (1914-1918), but was fitting in a "golden age of aviation" when aircraft were significantly developed played a role.

The aircraft proved to be a great study of hybrid fuselage wing designs at the time, with two examples primarily used in passenger roles.

Like other Junkers before it, the G.38 is finished with a corrugated duralumin stressed metal shell. The large cantilevered wings were designed intentionally low, at about 5.7 feet, to accommodate the passenger cabin and a pair of engine nacelles. The fuselage of the cockpit (stepped arrangement) tapers towards the stern towards the nose. The stern itself is covered by a three-rudder configuration sandwiched between two horizontal planes.

The landing gear rolls, albeit fixed in flight, and spit for some aerodynamic efficiency. Promoted the operation team of seven people.

The first flight of the G.38 (aka "D-2000") took place on 6 November 1929 to the German airline Lufthansa, with flights from Berlin to London beginning on 1 July 1931. Work on modifications to the aircraft began in October to increase passenger capacity (addition of a second deck). The work also included the installation of four L88 series engines, each producing 800 horsepower.

The D-2000 prototype eventually crashed in 1936 after some maintenance, and the damage proved so extensive that the plane was never repaired and returned to service.

The second prototype ("D-2500") was completed and had the same double-deck interior design, with a slightly increased passenger capacity to thirty-four passengers.

Flights to various parts of Europe and London resumed shortly. In 1934, the engine fitting was replaced by a Junkers 4-series engine (Junkers Jumo 204), which increased total power output by nearly 1,000 horses.

After the D-2000 crashed in 1936, the D-2500 continued to operate independently until Germany was once again drawn into world war against Europe. The D-2500 was requisitioned as a military transport and remained that way until it was bombed by RAF raiders while stationed in Axis-controlled Athens, Greece, in May 1941.

The large aircraft design was licensed to Mitsubishi in the 1930s, enabling the company to produce a military-focused bomber transport version. The product was designated "Ki-20" and six were completed between 1931 and 1935.

These 10-man bombers served with the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and made their first recorded flight in 1932.