Koolhoven F.K.45

Koolhoven · Netherlands · first flew 1932 · light aircraft

The Koolhoven F.K.45 was an aerobatic biplane built to the requirements of one pilot, who flew it at airshows in the mid-1930s.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	5.57 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Single-bay equal-span biplane with unswept constant-chord wings and strong stagger
N-form interplane struts and cabane struts, with ailerons on both wings
Cockpit under the wing trailing edge with a rectangular cut-out, and a quadrant-shaped fin

A small strongly staggered biplane with N-form struts and a fixed conventional undercarriage with mainwheels on an inverted V axle.

Specifications

The Koolhoven F.K.45 has a length of 5.57 m (18 ft).
It has a wingspan of 7.04 m (23 ft).
Its maximum speed is 210 km/h (130 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

It followed a 1931 order from René Paulhan, a French test pilot with Nieuport-Delage, for a light aerobatic aircraft. It first flew in February 1932, powered by a 115 hp Cirrus-Hermes IIB inline engine.

Variants

There were no variants: only one was built.

Where you'll see it

It flew with the test registration Z1 and then PH-AIF, and was handed to Paulhan on 24 April 1934 as F-AMXT. He displayed it at airshows for two years and then sold it.

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