Junkers F13 Production Short Report

They revolutionised aviation - the world-famous “Aunt Ju” and the forgotten F13, the mother of all commercial aeroplanes. In 1919, the first fully metal plane with a striking chequer plate established the concept of modern passenger aviation. The F13 connected people and continents until the 1960s.
At the beginning of 2013, the employees at Kaelin Aero Technologies, in the Black Forest region of Germany, brought the icon of aviation back to life. Aircraft structural engineer Dominik Kälin reconstructed the F13 using the material which Hugo Junkers used to build his aeroplanes and Paul Morszeck used to make his famous grooved suitcases. Dominik Kälin: “Essentially, it’s a basic principle of physics that Mr Junkers decided to exploit back then, and Dieter Morszeck’s father did the same. They were smart men. Smarter than the rest.”
F13 project director Bernd Huckenbeck trawled through archives around the world to research the use of the particularly strong, yet very light, duralumin material by aviation pioneer Hugo Junkers. Bernd Huckenbeck: “I had the idea for this F13 project back in 2009. I started my research in 2010, and then it turned into something of an addiction.”
Of the 330 F13 models built by Hugo Junkers, there are now just seven remaining in museums, none of which are capable of flying. Functional original parts are also rare. However, there are still original blueprints in existence at the world’s largest Hugo Junkers archive at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. The engineers at AeroFem construct a completely new, original F13 using 3D simulations. Kälin’s team compose the replica made up of 2,600 individual parts over 10,000 hours of labour. After painting, the F13 sets off for its home hangar in Dübendorf at Swiss Ju-Air. In the middle of 2015, the finishing work begins, such as
adding leather upholstery to the cockpit and cabin. The 450-hp Pratt & Whitney engine is installed. Along with the name plate reading
“Annelise 2”. The newly built F13 is then subjected to an array of stress tests, including tests relating to pilot and passenger seatbelts as well as steering and rudder systems. Dominik Kälin: “Now we can see if everything holds together. I’m certain actually that it’s going to work. We built it like the original or even better. So it really should work. But it’s exciting.”
The aircraft structural engineer did his work and is proud of what he achieved. Everything turns out well. Now the electronics and avionics can be put into operation. Historical instruments are combined with cutting-edge technology in the cockpit to guarantee flight safety standards. August 2016: fuelling up for the final test programme. The engine is started for the first time, getting the F13 moving for the taxi test. Flight test engineer Oliver Bachmann checks that all the instruments are working properly and how the steering operates. Oliver Bachmann: “Sensational, it’s really exciting.”
Good foundations for the subsequent flight test programme. After a construction time of two years and many months of intensive technical work, the Junkers F13 is finally ready to take off. Almost 100 years after its maiden flight, the mother of all commercial aeroplanes is back in the skies.

[@ricardovillanova3944]

Mr. Osvaldo Shwartz and myself have been trying to contact Mr. Morszeck - RIMOWA's CEO and project supporter - to let him know of two surviving pilots that actually flew the original Junkers F13 back in the 1940s with brazilian airline VARIG. If anyone can make this information reach him, it's much appreciated.