Focke-Wulf F 19 Ente

Focke-Wulf · Germany · first flew 1927 · light aircraft

The Focke-Wulf F 19 Ente (Duck) was a canard monoplane designed by Heinrich Focke and Georg Wulf in 1927, featuring a foreplane in place of a conventional tail. It was a bold aerodynamic experiment by the young Focke-Wulf company.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Twin tractor engines mounted in tandem on the forward fuselage
T — Tail	No tailplane

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

Spot it by:

Canard monoplane — foreplane ahead of main wing, no conventional tail
Twin tractor engines mounted in tandem on the forward fuselage
Distinctive duck (Ente) layout with pusher/tractor arrangement

The canard layout is unmistakable — a foreplane sits well ahead of the main mid-mounted wing with no conventional tail surfaces, and twin engines are mounted in the nose area.

Specifications

The Focke-Wulf F 19 Ente has a length of 10.53 m (35 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10 m (33 ft).
Its maximum speed is 142 km/h (88 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

Flown in 1927, the Ente was one of the most unconventional aircraft of its era, with a canard layout placing the horizontal stabiliser ahead of the main wing. Georg Wulf was killed during early test flights when the aircraft stalled and crashed in 1927. Despite this tragedy, the F 19 demonstrated the viability of the canard configuration and influenced later German design thinking.

Variants

Only a single prototype was built; the accident that killed Wulf ended further development of this specific design.

Where you'll see it

The F 19 served only as a research and development aircraft; it never entered production or regular service.

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