BFW M.20

Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW)

Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Founder	Willy Messerschmitt
Headquarters	Germany
Products	Aircraft, including the BFW M.20

Template:Infobox aircraft

The BFW M.20—also referred to as the Messerschmitt M.20 after its creator—was a German ten-seat, single-engine, high-wing monoplane designed for passenger transport during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Throughout the 1930s, it was operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa on multiple air routes.

Design and development

Conceived by Willy Messerschmitt at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, the M 20 was primarily intended for Luft Hansa, which had placed an order for two units before the initial flight. This model evolved from the BFW M.18d, an eight-passenger aircraft, and featured a single 375 kW (500 hp) upright water-cooled inline BMW VIa engine. Its wing was a high-mounted cantilever design, constructed around a sturdy D-section box spar made from duralumin and covered with dural skin extending to the leading edge. The fuselage consisted entirely of metal, mainly duralumin framing sheathed in metal panels, forming a rectangular cross-section cabin with four square windows on each side to accommodate eight passengers. The main landing gear comprised a single-axle undercarriage supported vertically by struts attached to the wing.

The aircraft's first flight occurred on 26 February 1928; however, it was lost when pilot Hans Hackmack parachuted out at low altitude and died after part of the wing’s surface detached. A subsequent M.20 took flight on 3 August 1928 and became one of two M.20a variants operated by Luft Hansa.

Impressed by their capabilities, Luft Hansa commissioned an additional twelve enlarged M.20b models. These variants offered seating for ten passengers within a fuselage featuring five windows per side, incorporated wing dihedral, and sported a more rounded vertical stabilizer.

Operational history

File:BFW M-20 (1934).jpg

M.20b (1934)

Luft Hansa introduced the M.20 series into service in 1929 on routes connecting Switzerland through Germany to the Netherlands, as well as from Stuttgart via Marseille to Barcelona. By the mid-1930s, these aircraft were deployed on domestic German flights and holiday destinations. Two units remained active on such routes as late as 1942.

One former Luft Hansa aircraft was transferred to Brazil in 1937 where it operated under Varig with registration PP-VAK. It continued service until it crashed on 7 March 1948, marking it as the sole M.20 to survive through World War II.

The Messerschmitt-Milch Connection

Hans Hackmack, who tragically lost his life during the initial flight of the M 20, maintained a close friendship with Erhard Milch, the leader of Luft Hansa and the German civil aviation regulatory body. Milch grew frustrated by Messerschmitt's lack of engagement, which sparked a deep-seated animosity that lasted throughout their lives. As a result, Milch terminated all agreements with Messerschmitt and compelled BFW into insolvency in 1931. Nonetheless, the resurgence of German rearmament efforts combined with Messerschmitt's association with Hugo Junkers allowed both him and BFW to recover their professional standing when activities resumed in 1933. Despite this, Milch continued to obstruct Messerschmitt's acquisition of BFW until 1938, explaining why early Messerschmitt models bear the "Bf" designation.Template:Fix/category

Variants

M.20a

The initial two aircraft configured for eight passengers, produced for Luft Hansa.

M.20b

A series of twelve aircraft designed to carry ten passengers each for Luft Hansa.

M.20b-2

Enhanced version equipped with a 480 kW (640 hp) BMW VIu engine.

Operators

Germany

• Luft Hansa

Template:Country data Brazil

• Varig

Specifications (M.20b)

File:BFW M 20 3-view Aero Digest February 1929.png

BFW M 20 three-view illustration from Aero Digest, February 1929