Heinkel He 42
Heinkel · Germany · first flew 1929 · light aircraft
A twin-float biplane trainer developed by Heinkel from its He 5 reconnaissance floatplane to teach seaplane flying.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 10.6 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- twin-float biplane trainer with staggered straight wings
- open tandem cockpits
- single water-cooled inline six in a long, narrow nose
The twin floats, staggered equal-span biplane wings and open tandem cockpits mark it as an interwar trainer rather than a combat type.
Specifications
- The Heinkel He 42 has a length of 10.6 m (35 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14 m (46 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 192 km/h (119 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 (instructor and pupil).
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Heinkel adapted the He 5 airframe into the He 42 primary/advanced seaplane trainer at the end of the 1920s, and it became a mainstay of German naval and, later, clandestine Luftwaffe pilot training through the early 1930s.
Variants
Built in He 42A and He 42B sub-variants differing mainly in engine fit, flown with both civil and military markings.
Where you'll see it
It trained generations of German seaplane pilots at Baltic and North Sea stations before being superseded by newer floatplane trainers ahead of the Second World War.
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