Klemm Kl 151

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Klemm Kl 151 was a German prototype light passenger aircraft built during World War II. It was designed by Dr. Hanns Klemm and Carl Bucher, and only one aircraft was ever made. Because metal was scarce, Klemm used a wooden airframe but kept the basic Bf 108 Taifun design. To speed things up, the wings and fuselage came from the Kl 107; the fuselage was lengthened with a steel frame and sheet metal, which also carried the tail gear. The wings were widened to add fuel tanks, replacing the two rear seats. The prototype, Kl 151 V1, coded TB+QK, first flew on 10 September 1942 at Böblingen, powered by a 240 PS Argus As 10P engine. A planned Kl 151-B with a stronger engine was not built. In February 1943 V1 went to the German Experimental Institute for Aviation at Adlershof for testing, which ended in March 1943. The Luftwaffe wanted retractable landing gear instead of the fixed gear, so V1 was fitted with a Y-shaped retractable system. Klemm used the aircraft as a personal transport until July 1944, when it was destroyed in an Allied air raid. The incomplete V2 was given to the Czech company Zlin for further work, but it never reached production. After the war, revival talks occurred, but Klemm chose the Kl 107A instead.