Heinkel He 114

The Heinkel He 114 was a biplane reconnaissance seaplane produced for the Kriegsmarine in the 1930s for use from warships. It replaced the company's He 60 but did not remain in service long before being replaced in turn by the Arado Ar 196 as Germany's standard spotter aircraft.

While the fuselage and flotation gear of the He 114 were completely conventional, its wing arrangement was highly unusual. The upper set of wings was attached to the fuselage with a set of cabane struts, as in a parasol wing monoplane, whereas the lower set was of much lesser span while having approximately the same chord.

The He 114 was never a great success, was not built in large numbers, and served with the Luftwaffe for only a short time. While the He 60 had handled very well on the water but been sluggish in the air, the He 114's handling while afloat was poor and its performance in the air scarcely better than the aircraft it replaced.

Twelve aircraft were exported to Sweden (where they were designated S-12) and twenty-four to Romania, where the last one remained in service until May 1960.

Specifications (He 114A-2)

General Characteristics

• Crew: two, pilot and observer
• Length: 11.64 m (38 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 13.60 m (44 ft 8 in)
• Height: 5.15 m (16 ft 11 in)
• Wing Area: m&sup2 ( ft&sup2)
• Empty: 2,315 kg (5,104 lb)
• Loaded: kg ( lb)
• Maximum takeoff: 3,670 kg (8,090 lb)
• Powerplant: 1x BMW 132K, 656 kW (880 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 335 km/h (208 mph)
• Range: 920 km (571 miles)
• Service ceiling: m ( ft)
• Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
• Power/Mass: kW/kg ( hp/lb)

Armament

• 1x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun in flexible mount for observer
• 2x 50 kg (110 lb) bombs

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Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: He 111 – He 112 – He 113 – He 114 - He 115 – He 116 – Hs 117