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The Focke-Achgelis Fa 225 was the prototype of a rotary wing glider, combining the rotor from a Fa 223 with the fuselage of a DFS 230 freight glider.
The glider had proved to be a very successful surprise weapon early in the Second World War, but it did need quite a large open area to land. By 1942 the Germans knew that a helicopter in autorotation mode (with the engine disengaged) could land accurately in a small area. The Fa 225 was developed in an attempt to produce a glider that could land in a very small area.
The prototype Fa 225 had the fuselage of a DFS 230 freight glider, with the wings removed, and one rotor from a Fa 223 twin-rotor transport helicopter installed. It was successfully tested in 1943, and was towed behind both the Heinkel He 45 and the Junkers Ju 52/3m. The Fa 225 could land within 60ft of its target, but it was slower than a normal DFS 230 and would have suffered heavy losses in the increasingly hostile skies over Europe. Although it was a technical success it wasn't accepted for operational service. Some of the development work may have contributed to the success of the simple Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 autogyro.
Engine: None
Power: None
Rotor Span: 39ft 4.5in
Length: 36ft 10in
Loaded weight: 4,410lb
Maximum towed speed: 118mph
Aircraft of the Luftwaffe 1935-1945, Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage.
Combines a good background history of the Luftwaffe with a comprehensive examination of its aircraft, from the biplanes of the mid 1930s to the main wartime aircraft and on to the seemingly unending range of experimental designs that wasted so much effort towards the end of the war. A useful general guide that provides an impressively wide range of information on almost every element of the Luftwaffe
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