Country of origin:

Germany

Description:

Three-seat light cabin touring monoplane

Power Plant:

One 179 kw (240 hp) Argus AS-10C eight-cylinder VEE air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun (Typhoon) was designed by Professor Willi Messerschmitt and built by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in Regensburg, Germany in 1934 for the Challenge de Tourism Internationale Race to be held in Warsaw in Poland.  Erhard Milch, the Secretary of State of Aviation in Germany gave an order in 1933 to build six aircraft to compete. Ten months later the prototype Bf 108 (D-IBUM) was completed with a 186 kw (250 hp) Hirth HM.8U engine driving a three-blade propeller. This was a two-seat touring and sport aircraft with a retractable undercarriage, a tailskid and a two-piece cantilever single-spar all-metal wing with Handley Page automatic slots. It was the first Messerschmitt aircraft of all-metal construction. The wings had single-spar construction, trailing edge flaps, and automatic Fowler leading edge slats.

Originally known as the Model M37, and later as the 8-108, the second prototype (D-ILIT), became known as the Bf 108A, making its first flight in June 1934 powered by a 168 kw (225 hp) Hirth HM.8U engine. Of the first seven built, six had the Hirth engine and one (D-IGAK) had the 164 kw (220 hp) Argus As.17B.  In 1935 one (D-IZAN) was fitted with a 119 kw (160 hp) Siemens Sh14A radial. In the same year the well known German aviatrix, Elly Beinhorn (who flew to Australia in 1932 in a Klemm Swallow, and again visited in June 1967) flew Bf 108A (D-IJES) from Berlin to Constantinople, Turkey and return in one day.

The other aircraft completed were D-IBUM, D-IMUT, D-IGAK and D-IJES. D-IBUM was destroyed in a crash on 27 July 1934 during training; D-ILIT had propeller problems and was withdrawn; and D-IZAN was damaged during landing trials. The only outright win by the aircraft was in the racing section, achieving 291 km/h (181 mph).

The Siemens AS.17 engine was not found to be suitable and D-IELE had its engine changed to the 179 kw (240 hp) Argus As 10C. This was fitted to subsequent aircraft. The pre-series batch became known as the Bf 108B-0 and these were built at Augsburg, Germany before production was moved to Regensburg in 1938.

These had a tailwheel in lieu of the skid, a redesigned fin and rudder, and balancing of the rear control surfaces. A Bf 108 was used to ferry movie films taken at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin to Sweden. In 1937 Elly Beinhorn flew one (D-IJES) from Berlin to Capetown, South Africa and return. Another (D-IOSA) was flown by Flugkapitan Hans Seidemann in 1938 in the Isle of Man Race, and was runner up in the Manx Air Derby in June 1937. The type achieved fame in a number of international competitions during the pre-war years. The main civil variant became known as the Bf 108B-1.

A contract for 32 examples was awarded in December 1935 and these were four-seaters, the wings, which could be folded back parallel to the fuselage, having attachment to the fuselage at three points. One example (D-IONO) was carried across the south Atlantic Ocean in 1936 on board the airship Hindenburg; and another (D-IBFW) was shipped to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1937 for a promotional tour of South and North America, being exhibited in Brazil at the Salon Internazionale Aeronautico before completing a tour of 43,999 km (27,340 miles) in New York on 5 July 1938. One (D-IXAC) flown by Hermann Ilg was fitted with a Hirth HM 508C engine and established an unofficial light aircraft height record of 9,075 m (29,773 ft).

The aircraft’s success lead to mass production for the Luftwaffe as a communications aircraft, and as a light fast transport. Many fighter and bomber operational units had at least one attached for this purpose. Engine fitted at this stage was the 179 kw (240 hp) Argus AS-10c eight-cylinder unit. Fifty Bf 108s were exported to Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan. Romania, Switzerland, Russia and Yugoslavia. Two, which were operated by the German Embassy in England at the beginning of World War II, were impressed into RAF service in 1939. Another 15 captured examples were also placed in RAF service. A total of 885 Messerschmitt Bf 108s was built but it is not known if this figure included French production.

Following the invasion of France, a decision was made by the German RLM (State Ministry of Aviation) to transfer production to the SNCA de Nord facility at Les Mureaux and this continued through the war, 50 being built in 1942, 108 in 1943, and 12 in 1944 before France was liberated. After the Armistice production continued for the French Air Force as the Nord 1002 Pingouin, these being fitted with a 179 kw (240 hp) Renault 6Q-10 or 6Q-11 in-line engine, some 285 being completed. Further variants were the Nord 1003 with a 179 kw (240 hp) Potez 6D engine, and the Nord 1004 with a 228 kw (305 hp) engine.

In May 1937 a Bf 108B (c/n 992) was obtained by Guinea Airways of Adelaide, SA, being issued with Certificate of Registration 645 on 24 May 1937. It was powered by a 183 kw (245 hp) Argus 10C engine. It saw service with that company as VH-UZI until it was exported to the Netherlands East Indies on 18 March 1940. It was shipped to Surabaya, but was destroyed when it crashed into a mountain in the NEI in 1942.

In 1990 a Nord 1002 fitted with a Renault engine was imported to Sydney. Painted in World War II Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109 markings it required some restoration. Registration VH-HUN (c/n 285) was reserved but later it became VH-OFS. Soon after restoration it was damaged in a forced landing and had to undergo further repairs. It was later conveyed to the Historic Aircraft Restoration facility at Albion Park, NSW where work proceeded to restore it to airworthiness.  In mid-2019 it was sold and shipped to Omaka, New Zealand where it has been restored and placed on the NZ Civil Aircraft Register.

In 1996 another Nord 1002 was imported for Fighter Trainers of Auckland, NZ and this aircraft (c/n 103) became ZK-WFI. This machine had an interesting history: originally built in Germany in 1943 as a Bf 108 Taifun, it was shot down and crashed twice during its early life, being rebuilt by Nord in 1945.   At some stage it was fitted with a Lycoming engine.

Only a few examples of the original German Bf 108 with the Argus engine survive. One genuine Bf 108B-1 survives with the Lufthansa Historic Foundation in Germany as D-EBEI. This aircraft, formerly operated with the Luftwaffe (Werk nr 2246 – code NF + MP), was captured in Tunisia and was conveyed to the United States on board the “USS Savannah”. It was restored and became NX54208, later becoming N108HP. It was purchased in 1990 by Lufthansa and conveyed by Boeing 747 to Frankfurt, Germany and is kept airworthy.