BFW M.35

BFW M.35

Company type	Aircraft model
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1933
Founder	Willy Messerschmitt
Products	Sports aircraft
Parent	Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW)

The BFW M.35, occasionally referred to as the Messerschmitt M 35, was a German sports aircraft developed in the early 1930s. It represented the final model in a sequence of designs by Willy Messerschmitt.

Development

Between 1927 and 1933, Messerschmitt created a series of six sports aircraft, including the single-seat M.17 and M.19, as well as the two-seat M.23, M.27, M.31, culminating with the M.35. Except for the M.23, these models did not achieve significant production volumes. All were single-engine, low-wing cantilever monoplanes featuring open cockpits and fixed landing gear. The M.35 incorporated the elongated fuselage design from the M.27 and adopted a streamlined, single-leg spatted undercarriage.

Two engine variants were available: the M.35a was powered by a 112 kW (150 hp) seven-cylinder radial Siemens Sh 14a engine, while the M.35b utilized a 100 kW (135 hp) four-cylinder inverted inline air-cooled Argus As 8b engine. The M.35a was shorter in length and had superior speed compared to the M.35b. The aircraft’s maiden flight took place in 1933.

Operational history

The M.35 made its public debut at the 1934 Aerosalon in Geneva, attracting attention from prospective buyers. That same year, Rudolf Hess secured victory in the Zugspitz trophy flying an M.35. Between 1934 and 1935, Wilhelm Stör claimed the German Aerobatic Championship piloting an M.35b, while in 1935, Vera von Bissing earned the women's prize flying a comparable model. Stör’s aerobatic skills with an M.35 are featured in daring sequences within the 1935 German film Wunder des Fliegens (Miracle of Flight).

Despite notable achievements and strong showings at various events throughout the late 1930s, production totaled only fifteen units: thirteen registered in Germany, one in Spain, and reportedly one in Romania. While the faster M.35a variant existed, the majority produced were the M.35b; only two examples of the former have been positively identified.

Operators

Spain

• Spanish Republican Air Force