HFB 320 Hansa Jet
| HFB 320 Hansa Jet | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Hamburger Flugzeugbau HFB 320 Hansa Jet of the Luftwaffe at Basle Airport | |
| Role | Business jet |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Hamburger Flugzeugbau |
| First flight | 21 April 1964 |
| Retired | 24 June 1994 |
| Primary user | West German Air Force |
| Number built | 47 |
The HFB 320 Hansa Jet is a twin-engine, ten-seat business jet that was built by German aircraft manufacturer Hamburger Flugzeugbau between 1964 and 1973.
The most notable feature of the aircraft is its forward-swept wing.
The HFB 320 is a mid-wing monoplane of conventional layout, with rear-mounted twin jet engines beneath a T-tail. Constructed entirely of metal, it has a 10-seat passenger cabin and retractable tricycle undercarriage.
An unusual feature of the aircraft is its forward-swept wing, which is mid-mounted in the fuselage. This arrangement allows the main wing spar to pass through the fuselage behind the passenger cabin, allowing a longer cabin with more seats while maintaining adequate headroom in the small-diameter fuselage. Hans Wocke, head of the engineering team, had previously designed the Junkers Ju 287 forward-swept experimental jet bomber of World War II. As of 2017[update], the HFB 320 remains the only civilian jet ever to have a forward-swept wing.
The prototype first flew on 21 April 1964 and was exhibited at the May 1964 Hanover Air Show. A second prototype was flown on 19 October 1964. After a year of certification flight testing, the first prototype crashed on 12 May 1965, due to a design fault with the T-tail. Hamburger Flugzeugbau's chief test pilot perished in the crash. As a result of the accident, modifications were made to improve the aircraft's stall performance, including a stick pusher.
Assembly of the first ten production aircraft began in May 1965, with the first flying on 2 February 1966. German type certification was achieved on 23 February 1967, with American certification following on 7 April 1967. Italcementi of Italy took first customer delivery on 26 September 1967. Other corporate purchasers of the HFB 320 included the Argentinian state-owned Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales oil company.
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