any fw-187 experts ?

A short list of engine variants:

Fw 187 V1, V2 and V3 : Jumo 210D

Fw 187 V4 and A-0 series : Jumo 210G

Fw 187 V5, V7, 3x B-0 series and perhaps a B-1 : DB 601E (& perhaps H)

Fw 187 C-0 series/ high-altitude fighter/ kampfzerstorer/ night-fighter
(projected aircraft only, no prototypes or production) : DB 605A

Fw 187 Kampfzerstorer project also considered with BMW 801 radials (projected aircraft only, drawing shows 1000-kg bomb on centreline but no ventral window).

This is a quick summary of notes from the Schiffer book: “Fw 187 – An Illustrated History” by Hermann & Petrick.

Thanks for that, it’s amazing what you can learn on here. It never ceases to amaze me just how much information is available from the memebers of this forum, either from memory or from their reference works.

Speaking personally, were I flying a combat aircraft I’d much prefer if the panel directly beneath my nether regions was made of sturdy armour plate rather than perspex 😮

Moggy

I would have to concur with that sentiment 🙂

many thanks

Hi geoff,
Many thanks for the sneak peek, should be OK with the mods as a bit of advertising for the publisher , as I will be getting a copy of the book.
Cheers
Jerry

I hope the MODs will allow a couple of low-res partial scans, properly credited, to illustrate a point.

JDK,
Is the Me210-recce, what you mean? It’s has glazing in the front of the bomb bay for recce cameras. (From Sqn/Signal Me 210/410 in action.)

Jerry,
Sneak-peek at the Fw187 with BMWs. The Fw187 book (Focke-Wulf Fw187 – An Illustrated History, by Dietmar Hermann & Peter Petrick, Schiffer Military History 2003) is one of the better Schiffer publications (in my oppinion) with lots of photos, comparison data and historical content, and no model-kit photos within the main text to serve as illustrations of types. Well presented, and easy to quickly find a section for reference. The Schiffers tend to retail at the upper end of the price scale in Australia. I was lucky enough to pick up my copy half-price at a booksale last week. Haven’t read much yet, just the photo captions. Great book.

All in Perth, West Aus….
booksale was at Boffins on Hay Street, been on since about 17th July…about half price on a big selection of military and aviation books. May still be on for another week or so.

…geoff

“The Messerschmitt Me210 / 410, before they were fitted with cannon, did’nt they have something similar?”

I think most if not all the Me210/410 family had some glazing in the nose between the pilot’s feet,see the pic in the link below. I’m not sure there would’ve been any transparent panels under the cockpit itself as this is where the bomb-bay was located. While we’re on the sibject of the 410′ cockpit,the thigh supports you can see in the pic below moved up or down in unison with the rudder pedals so that they didn’t impede on the pilot’s leg movements.

http://www.studenten.net/customasp/axl/picture.asp?cat_id=10&ple_id=223&page=0&pte_id=7311

If I recall correctly, as BOW has said, the Brewster F2A had ventral windows, and so did the first Wildcats?

The Messerschmitt Me210 / 410, before they were fitted with cannon, did’nt they have something similar?

Vague rememberings…

many thanks

A short list of engine variants:

Fw 187 V1, V2 and V3 : Jumo 210D

Fw 187 V4 and A-0 series : Jumo 210G

Fw 187 V5, V7, 3x B-0 series and perhaps a B-1 : DB 601E (& perhaps H)

Fw 187 C-0 series/ high-altitude fighter/ kampfzerstorer/ night-fighter
(projected aircraft only, no prototypes or production) : DB 605A

Fw 187 Kampfzerstorer project also considered with BMW 801 radials (projected aircraft only, drawing shows 1000-kg bomb on centreline but no ventral window).

This is a quick summary of notes from the Schiffer book: “Fw 187 – An Illustrated History” by Hermann & Petrick.

Hi
Many thanks , looks like I will have to add a new book to my library, that BMW version sounds nice.
Cheers
jerry

Speaking personally, were I flying a combat aircraft I’d much prefer if the panel directly beneath my nether regions was made of sturdy armour plate rather than perspex 😮

Moggy

A short list of engine variants:

Fw 187 V1, V2 and V3 : Jumo 210D

Fw 187 V4 and A-0 series : Jumo 210G

Fw 187 V5, V7, 3x B-0 series and perhaps a B-1 : DB 601E (& perhaps H)

Fw 187 C-0 series/ high-altitude fighter/ kampfzerstorer/ night-fighter
(projected aircraft only, no prototypes or production) : DB 605A

Fw 187 Kampfzerstorer project also considered with BMW 801 radials (projected aircraft only, drawing shows 1000-kg bomb on centreline but no ventral window).

This is a quick summary of notes from the Schiffer book: “Fw 187 – An Illustrated History” by Hermann & Petrick.

any comments ?

Hi,
Just got hold of an old flugzueg article , my german is ropey, but it seems to imply , at the end the engines were DB605, then DB628 , then BMW 801, ( could be my poor translation), or is this the proposal for the B/C versions ?
Thanks to all who have so far replied to my thread,
All comments much appreciated.
Cheers
Jerry

Improved view

My 2c worth….
I summize that the ventral window was to generally improve the downward view that was only possible because of the narrow construction of the cockpit and forward fuselage. You wouldn’t do it in a single-engine aircraft because of the engine and deeper fuselage forward of the cockpit; also not possible in a P-51 or Hurricane because of the radiator, though a window was positioned directly below the cockpit in the early Brewster F2As. It wasn’t a landing device because you’d generally be looking at the end of the runway just before flaring, not under the nose. It might be of some use during a forced landing to check for obstructions, but I’d personally prefer a solid metal bulkhead for protection. The early prototypes V1, V2 and V3 and the A-0 series production aircraft were all intended as fighters, single-seat or two-seat, with no planned bombing capacity. These were the versions with the ventral window. A later version B or C (?) was to be redesigned as a heavy fighter, with increased cannon armament (?) and the window area may have been intended to be covered over by cannon-ports (my conjecture here).

There is a Schiffer publication on the Fw187.

…geoff

windows

Hi,
I personally prefer the bombing theory,
Not sure about the landing theory, can’t see the advantage during landing , the view it seems to give the pilot from the thread photo (an ‘after the event’) to have missed the runway ..
& the FW doesn’t look any worse to land than the DH 88 comet, but you never know .
cheers
Jerry

The FW187 was covered in the late-lamented Wings of Fame, Volume 3 (the one that had the Vulcan as the focus aircraft. This noted that the panels were there to improve the pilot’s view for landing the beast. IIRC, one of the later prototypes was fitted with a blown windshield, since the forward view was nothing special – and it would’ve been rather worse without the panels.

I’m sure that the panels would have been of great use in the bombing role as Skyraider suggests, but as far as I’m aware, the aircraft was not (perhaps oddly) considered for multi-role ops, starting out as a single-seat fighter (perhaps akin to the Westland Whirlwind as a loose comparison?) before the RLM ordered Kurt Tank to add a second seat for the Zerstorer role.

engines

So that’s what it looks like. Quite a sleek beastie, what powerplants did it have?

Hi
initially two 635hp ( increasing to 670hp ), Jumo 210G, later two 1,00hp DB600a in the V6.
cheers
Jerry

And what on earth happened to the props in that photo (or are we seeing wide-angle lens distortion)?

Almost certainly taken with a shutter that works like an aperture iris (you need to look through a camera lens and play with an aperture to really see what happens). Because the shutter opens outwards as a series of petals, then closes again likewise, the spinning props have moved while it opens, so the blades are recorded on film at very slightly different times for different bits of the prop – hence the illusion of distortion.

Think those very early photos of cars with the wheels leaning forwards – that’s a similiar artefact of a focal plane shutter that works like a sliding door.

Adruian

Jumos?

A few more pics showing the windows…
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/APS/2098L.jpg
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/images/fw187-6.jpg
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/images/fw187-5.jpg

So that’s what it looks like. Quite a sleek beastie, what powerplants did it have?

Hi
Many thanks for the links, the head on view shows the window excellently.
Cheers
Jerry

Huh … that triangular fuselage cross-section looks very HS129’ish. And what on earth happened to the props in that photo (or are we seeing wide-angle lens distortion)?

What was/were the FW187’s role/s?

nose photo

Hi
Many thanks for the links, the head on view shows the window excellently.
Cheers
Jerry

A few more pics showing the windows…
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/APS/2098L.jpg
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/images/fw187-6.jpg
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/images/fw187-5.jpg