Junkers J 15

Junkers Flugzeug-Werke · Germany · first flew 1921 · airliner

The Junkers J 15 was a small all-metal single-engined monoplane built in Germany in 1920 to explore the design of light passenger transports. Only one was built.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsHigh-mounted, tapered
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — FuselageDeep, tubby fuselage with a windowed cabin for two passengers above the wing and an open pilot cockpit well behind
T — TailConventional

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It is described here in its final high-wing form: a tubby corrugated-metal monoplane with the passenger cabin ahead of the wing and the pilot behind it, on a fixed undercarriage with V-shaped main legs.

Specifications

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

History

It was built to test whether a small two-passenger aircraft with a 158 hp Mercedes D.IIIa engine should have a high or low wing. It was completed in autumn 1920 and moved to the Netherlands for its first flight in early 1921, to avoid the restrictions on German aircraft production.

Variants

It flew first with a low-set wing and was then reconfigured with the wing mounted high on short struts. The high-wing layout was judged better and adopted for the production Junkers J 16.

Where you'll see it

It was an experimental type that led to the J 16 light airliner.

Related aircraft

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