Junkers G 31
| G 31 | |
|---|---|
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| Junkers G31 | |
| Role | Airliner |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Junkers |
| First flight | 1926 |
| Primary user | Deutsche Luft Hansa |
| Number built | 13 |
The Junkers G 31 was an advanced tri-motor airliner produced in small numbers in Germany in the 1920s. Like other Junkers types, it was an all-metal, low-wing cantilever monoplane. Compared to modern aircraft, only the corrugated duralumin metal skin, so typical for Junkers aircraft, seems unusual. However in the mid-1920s all-metal construction and an aerodynamically 'clean' configuration were remarkable.
Professor Junkers wanted to follow up on the commercial success of the tri-motor G 24 with a new design that would be larger, more comfortable for passengers, and simpler to operate and maintain.
The G 31 was the first Luft Hansa airliner to feature a flight attendant (Wagner p. 264), who served food and drinks (which were not complimentary). This earned the G 31 the nickname 'flying dining car' ('fliegender Speisewagen' in German). Because of its large fuselage it was also called the flying moving van ('fliegender Möbelwagen' in German). Behind the cockpit were compartments for a radio operator, baggage and an APU that provided compressed air for main engine starting and drove a generator for electric power. The cabin was divided into three compartments that held eleven regular passenger seats, four jumpseats for passengers, a jumpseat for the steward, and an enclosed lavatory. Instead of the passenger seats, ten beds could be made up for night flying. There was a baggage and freight hold under the cabin. The wings had trailing edge flaps that reduced the landing speed by ten percent (Wagner p. 267).
Professor Junkers originally requested the G 31 have landing gear that would retract into the wings. After extensive wind tunnel experiments Ernst Zindel, the leader of the design team, persuaded Professor Junkers that the gain in speed provided by reduced air resistance, would not outweigh the increased weight, cost and complexity of either retractable landing gear or simple wheel fairings. The tailskid incorporated a roller, to avoid damage to grass airfields(Wagner p. 262-263).
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