WHEELS U P
Programme
update
THE FIRST ALL-METAL COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT,
THE JUNKERS F 13, IS CELEBRATING ITS CENTENARY
IN 2019 – AND A COMPANY IN SWITZERLAND IS
NOW RECREATING THE DESIGN
PASSENGER CABIN
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
010 JULY 2019
PERFORMANCE
A few performance improvements were made to the
original design, for safety’s sake. Today, the aircraft
is powered by a nine-cylinder radial engine, the R-985
Wasp Junior by Pratt & Whitney, with 450hp. “This is
used today in many newer commercial aircraft and
is characterised by reliability, longevity and the
availability of both engine parts and units,” says
Christian Gartmann of Junkers Flugzeugwerke.
The landing gear, brakes and tailwheel are all new,
and the cockpit has modern instruments. The aircraft
has a maximum cruise speed of 226km/h (140mph)
and a range of 700km (378 nautical miles).
Many cabin designs were created for the historic
Junkers F 13 – even a business cabin with typewriter
and filing cabinets. The aircraft had capacity for four
passengers in its heated and upholstered cabin, and
two pilots in the open cockpit.
The goal for the new Junkers F 13 interior was
to recreate the feeling of the roaring twenties, with
high-end materials and craftsmanship. “We
collaborated with experts from different industries
for the design and materials,” explains Christian
Gartmann of Junkers Flugzeugwerke. “We brought
all these inputs together and took care of the
completion, apart from the leatherwork, which was
done by external specialists.”
Aside from the leather work, the completion
involved shaping the flame-retardant foam, handling
composite material, engraving brushed and printed
aluminium, and installing headphones.
PHOTO: JUNKERS FLUGZEUGWERKE DESSAU
HISTORY
The original Junkers F 13 made its maiden flight
in 1919, and was in production until 1932, resulting
in a fleet of more than 300 aircraft. The first was
deployed by the North American airmail postal
service, and the type flew worldwide as a passenger
aircraft. Junkers Flugzeugwerke set out to resurrect
the design in 2013, and certified it in 2018.
/businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
