Blohm & Voss Ha 142 facts for kids

Ha 142
Blohm & Voss Ha 142 V1
Role	Long-range maritime patrol / transportation aircraft
Manufacturer	Blohm & Voss
First flight	11 October 1938
Introduction	Autumn 1940
Retired	1942
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	4

The Blohm & Voss Ha 142 was a large German airplane. It had four engines and was designed for long flights. It was first made for Luft Hansa, a German airline. They wanted it for carrying mail across the Atlantic Ocean.

The first Ha 142 flew on October 11, 1938. Later, during World War II, these planes were used for other jobs.

About the Ha 142

The Ha 142 was based on an earlier seaplane called the Blohm & Voss Ha 139. A seaplane can land on water. But the Ha 142 had landing gear, which means it could land on runways.

Like the seaplane, it had four engines. These engines were on a special wing shape called an inverted gull wing. It also had a high tail and a double tail fin.

The middle part of the wing was very strong. It had a large pipe inside that also held fuel. The center wing was made of metal. The outer parts of the wings were covered in fabric. The plane also had six flaps that moved using hydraulic power. The main body of the plane, called the fuselage, was made of metal and was round.

Each main landing gear had two wheels. They could fold up into the plane after takeoff. The tail wheel also folded up. This made the plane more aerodynamic.

Four test planes, called V1 to V4, were built. Lufthansa tried them out for a short time in the postal service. But when World War II started, the plans for civilian use stopped.

How it was Used

After World War II began, people thought about changing the Ha 142 planes. They wanted to use them for long-range maritime patrol. This means flying over the ocean to look for ships or submarines.

One plane, V2, was changed first. It got a longer nose with lots of windows. It also had guns for defense. These included a machine gun in the nose and other guns in different parts of the plane. It also had a place inside to carry bombs. This changed plane was called the BV 142 V2/U1. The V1 plane was also changed in a similar way.

Both V1 and V2 were used by the Luftwaffe (German air force) from late 1940. They flew missions from France. However, they did not perform very well. So, they were taken out of service in 1942.

The other two planes, V3 and V4, were used to carry soldiers. They helped transport 30 soldiers over long distances. They were used during the occupation of Denmark and in the Norway campaign. We do not know what happened to V3 and V4 in the end. There were also plans to use V1 and V2 to carry special guided torpedoes, but this plan was cancelled.

Specifications (BV 142 V2/U1)

General characteristics

• Crew: six
• Length: 20.48 m (67 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 29.53 m (96 ft 11 in)
• Height: 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 130 m² (1,400 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 11,080 kg (24,427 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 16,560 kg (36,509 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 × BMW 132H-1 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines, 647 kW (868 hp) each for take-off
• Propellers: 3-bladed bladed variable-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 373 km/h (232 mph; 201 kn) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 325 km/h (202 mph; 175 kn) at 2,000 m (6,562 ft)
• Range: 3,900 km (2,423 mi; 2,106 nmi) maximum with no bombload
• Service ceiling: 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 6.67 m/s (1,313 ft/min)

Armament

• Guns: 5 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 machine guns
• Bombs: 4 × 100 kg (220.462 lb) bombs or 8 × 50 kg (110.231 lb) bombs

See also

In Spanish: Blohm & Voss BV 142 para niños

Lists related to this aircraft

• List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
• List of military aircraft of Germany