Engineering:LFG V 13

Short description: 1920s German seaplane airliner

V 13 Strela
Role	Floatplane airliner
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	LFG
First flight	ca. 1921

The LFG V 13 Strela (named for the Strelasund off Rügen) was a seaplane airliner produced in small quantities in Germany in the early 1920s. It was a conventional, three-bay biplane with an enclosed cabin for four passengers. The original design featured twin pontoons, but a landplane version was developed as the V 130.

The V 13s were operated by Luft-Fahrzeug on its Hamburg-Stettin-Danzig and Stettin-Swinemünde-Stralsund routes. These services were later shared by V 13s operated by Luftverkehr Pommern and later were absorbed into Deutsche Luft Hansa. In Norway, Norske Luftruter operated two second-hand V 13s until the late 1920s.

LFG V 130 of Deutsche Luft Hansa

Specifications (V 13)

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Capacity: 4 passengers
• Length: 10.90 m (35 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 17.50 m (57 ft 5 in)
• Height: 3.88 m (12 ft 9 in)
• Wing area: 70.0 m² (753 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 1,460 kg (3,210 lb)
• Gross weight: 2,120 kg (4,660 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.IIIa , 134 kW (180 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 135 km/h (84 mph, 73 kn)
• Stall speed: 120 km/h (75 mph, 65 kn)
• Range: 720 km (450 mi, 390 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 3,500 m (11,500 ft)
• Rate of climb: 1.7 m/s (330 ft/min)

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. 
• German aviation between 1939-1945