Eurasia Ju 52/3m 1/144

The Ju-52 first flew in 1930 as a single engine civil aircraft. Before long it was given two more engines and designated Ju-52/3m (German - drei motoren - "three engines"). The 3-engine aircraft was originally designed as a 17 passenger airliner. The principal user was Lufthansa that flew in Europe, Asia and South America. In the mid 1930’s a military version was produced and the Ju-52 became one of the most reliable transport aircraft. The Ju-52 saw service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s. Together Lufthansa Airlines and the Chinese Government formed Eurasia Aviation Corporation in February 1930. In 1934 Eurasia received their first of 9 Ju-52’s. Ju-52 EU- XVII c/n 5104 originally was Lufthansa D-AGES named 'Otto Kissenberth'. On May 6, 1939 Japanese aircraft attacked Hanchung (Hanzhong) airfield strafing all the aircraft on the ground. EU-XVII was one of them and as a result burst into flames and was completely destroyed. In 1940 when Japan, Germany and Italy signed the Tripartite Pact the Chinese Government stopped operations of Eurasia and forced Germans out of the country. Specifications for Junkers & Co Ju-52/3m Role - Airliner, Transport Aircraft Crew – 3 / 2 x pilots, radio operator Payload - 17 passengers Nicknames – German / Tante Ju ("Auntie Ju"), Allies / Iron Annie, Corrugated Coffin, Jupiter was BEA Airlines designation of war-reparation Ju 52/3ms in 1947 Number Built by Junkers – 4,845 Dimensions Length - 62 ft 18.9 m Height - 20 ft 6.1 m Wingspan - 95.9 ft 29.25 m Wing area - 1189.4 sq/ft 110.5 sq/m Max take-off weight – 23,152 lbs 10,500 kg Weight empty – 14,531 lbs 6,590 kg Performance data Maximum speed - 143 kts 264 km/h Initial climb rate - 787.4 ft/min 4.00 m/s Service ceiling – 16,732 ft 5,100 m Range - 648 nm 1,200 km Endurance - 7 hours + Powerplant – 3 x BMW 132 A/3 9 cylinder radial air-cooled turbo-charged (high- altitudes) engines with carburetors Power rating (max.) - 819 hp per engine Maximum Total power rating – 2,456 hp