Blohm & Voss BV 141

Blohm & Voss · Germany · first flew 1938 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Blohm & Voss BV 141 was a German asymmetric single-engine tactical reconnaissance aircraft that placed the crew in a heavily glazed pod offset to starboard while the engine and tail boom occupied the port-centreline position. It remains one of the most unusual aircraft ever to fly.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	13.95 m fuselage
T — Tail	Twin fin

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Radically asymmetric design — crew gondola offset to starboard, engine pod to port
Single BMW 801 radial in a streamlined boom separate from the glazed crew gondola
Unique among all aircraft — the only asymmetric reconnaissance aircraft to fly

Completely unmistakable — the large offset glazed crew gondola on the starboard side and the engine-and-boom arrangement on the port side mean no other aircraft in history can be confused with it.

Specifications

The Blohm & Voss BV 141 has a length of 13.95 m (46 ft).
It has a wingspan of 17.46 m (57 ft).
Its maximum speed is 438 km/h (272 mph).
Typical crew: 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed by Richard Vogt and first flown in February 1938, the BV 141 demonstrated acceptable flying qualities despite its radical asymmetry. The Luftwaffe ultimately chose the Focke-Wulf Fw 189 for the reconnaissance role it competed for, and only 13 examples of various BV 141 versions were completed.

Variants

The BV 141A (three built) used the BMW 132 engine; the BV 141B (five built) used the more powerful BMW 801 and featured a revised tail arrangement.

Where you'll see it

Never entered operational service; all examples were used for evaluation and development flying only.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.