Kl 35 | |
---|---|
Klemm Kl.35D | |
Role | Two-seat sports and training aircraft |
Manufacturer | Klemm Leightflugzeugbau Gmbh |
Designer | Friedrich Fecher |
First flight | 1935 |
Introduction | 1935 |
Status | out of service |
Primary users |
Luftwaffe Czechoslovakia Hungary Romania Sweden |
Produced | 1937-1944 |
Number built | c.2,000? |
Unit cost |
RM17,500
|
The Klemm Kl 35 is a German sporting and training aeroplane developed as a successor to the Kl 25. A product of Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau Gmbh it shared the same single-engine, cantilever low-wing configuration as the earlier machine, the major difference being the introduction of an inverted gull wing.
Probably Klemm's most important type, the fully aerobatic aeroplane was shown for the first time publicly in October 1935 at the international Air Show in Milan and soon found many private buyers. Powered initially by an 80 hp (60 kW) Hirth HM60R inline, it had fixed undercarriage, mixed wood and fabric covering, and the choice of open or closed cockpit. Powered by the Hirth 60R, it became the Kl 35A (with floats, Kl 35AW), while with the 105 hp (78 kW) Hirth, it was the Kl 35A (with floats, Kl 35AW).
An improved Kl 35D, designed as a Luftwaffe trainer, with 105 hp (78 kW) Hirth HM 504A-2 engine and the option of ski or float landing gear, appeared in 1938. It was the most numerous, with over three thousand built.
A number of air forces purchased copies, including the Romanian, Hungarian, and Slovak. The Swedish Air Force bought several, designated Sk 15, for training use (at least five of those were seaplanes) and in 1941 began licence production, building about 74 more, with some remaining in service until 1951. The Lithuanian air force flew three.
The Kl 35 was designed in 1934 under the auspices of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM). Dipl. Ing. Friedrich Fecher had overall responsibility for the construction. The so-called Gemischtbauweise construction was used: steel for fuselage, wood for wings and tail units and only small quantities of light alloy for linings were used. This became a preferred building method with the RLM around this time, because from considerations of strategic material availability.