Hugo Junkers Museum, Dessau.
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Hugo Junkers Museum, Dessau.
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Dessau a town situated roughly half way between Berlin and Leipzig.
While I was there, I had the opportunity of visiting the 'Hugo Junkers Musee'. This is a small museum situated on part of the site of the old Junkers aerodrome, close to where their research buildings would once have stood.
I certainly would not recommend that anybody but a confirmed geek should make a special visit to Germany, just to see the museum. But if you happen to be visiting the area for some other purpose, and you happen to speak German (as the exhibits are as yet labelled only in German,) then it is worth a visit, specially to see 'Tante Ju' the gorgeous restored Ju52.
The beautifully restored Ju 52 is in a modern, purpose-built building, which also contains a large number of exhibits dealing with the development of Junkers from a company that manufactured domestic gas heaters to a company at the cutting edge of German airframe and engine development.
Of particular interest to me was the display of piston engines for use in boats or to drive generators with two, pistons per cylinder, one at either end of the cylinder, and moving in opposition to one another, but both turning the same crankshaft. Also, there was a jet engine of the sort I suppose must have been used in the Me262. This had an axial flow compressor and looked like a much more modern engine.
Outside, there is also the ruined remains of the wind tunnel in which Junkers used to test their aerodynamic concepts.
Apart from that, they have little more than a collection of soviet airframes dating back to the days of the DDR gently corroding in the open.
Broomstick.
While I was there, I had the opportunity of visiting the 'Hugo Junkers Musee'. This is a small museum situated on part of the site of the old Junkers aerodrome, close to where their research buildings would once have stood.
I certainly would not recommend that anybody but a confirmed geek should make a special visit to Germany, just to see the museum. But if you happen to be visiting the area for some other purpose, and you happen to speak German (as the exhibits are as yet labelled only in German,) then it is worth a visit, specially to see 'Tante Ju' the gorgeous restored Ju52.
The beautifully restored Ju 52 is in a modern, purpose-built building, which also contains a large number of exhibits dealing with the development of Junkers from a company that manufactured domestic gas heaters to a company at the cutting edge of German airframe and engine development.
Of particular interest to me was the display of piston engines for use in boats or to drive generators with two, pistons per cylinder, one at either end of the cylinder, and moving in opposition to one another, but both turning the same crankshaft. Also, there was a jet engine of the sort I suppose must have been used in the Me262. This had an axial flow compressor and looked like a much more modern engine.
Outside, there is also the ruined remains of the wind tunnel in which Junkers used to test their aerodynamic concepts.
Apart from that, they have little more than a collection of soviet airframes dating back to the days of the DDR gently corroding in the open.
Broomstick.
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It's a fairly small museum and certainly more for the junkers lovers. Outside is an east german built Il-14 (bit shabby last time) and you can see the old red brick junkers administration building.
When in Dessau make sure to see the Bauhaus Museum too and -if the weather is nice- wörlitzer park gardens with little lakes and pavillions is worth a visit too. Dessau is still an active aerodrome so just grab your chipmunk and check yourself. Easy to continue to Tempelhof VFR along the autobahn for a final visit there.
When in Dessau make sure to see the Bauhaus Museum too and -if the weather is nice- wörlitzer park gardens with little lakes and pavillions is worth a visit too. Dessau is still an active aerodrome so just grab your chipmunk and check yourself. Easy to continue to Tempelhof VFR along the autobahn for a final visit there.
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The Jumo Diesel engines drove two crankshafts, one at each end (actually top and bottom as installed) with two pistons in each cylinder. How would you have two pistons in a cylinder and only one crankshaft?
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Never had an idea that was hidden under those hideous Commer thingies.
Looked it up on Wiki. Big marine engines had one crankshaft in the standard place and long connecting rods outside the cylinder to the top piston.
I Understand the reasons and the construction but they were not, IMHO terribly elegant. Maybe the Jumo was not terribly elegant either but it did produce enough power to be a viable aircraft deisel back in the 1940's. Seems we can't do that efficiently today.
Looked it up on Wiki. Big marine engines had one crankshaft in the standard place and long connecting rods outside the cylinder to the top piston.
I Understand the reasons and the construction but they were not, IMHO terribly elegant. Maybe the Jumo was not terribly elegant either but it did produce enough power to be a viable aircraft deisel back in the 1940's. Seems we can't do that efficiently today.
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The design is not dead. A British company has been flying test engines for several years on their own aircraft and an airship.
Still needs to be placed in to series production for a world market, but the interest in the power unit is definitely out there. It can be flown on Jet A-1, off-road diesel, rapeseed oil etc.
Still needs to be placed in to series production for a world market, but the interest in the power unit is definitely out there. It can be flown on Jet A-1, off-road diesel, rapeseed oil etc.
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"not, IMHO terribly elegant"
I completely agree. Two-stokes should benefit from simplicity and light weight. Extra crankshafts and/or bell-cranks add neither.
OT, the knocker was a great motor to drive. Had one in an 18' aluminium runabout too. That got up and went. The Commer itself was a dog, great noise though.
I completely agree. Two-stokes should benefit from simplicity and light weight. Extra crankshafts and/or bell-cranks add neither.
OT, the knocker was a great motor to drive. Had one in an 18' aluminium runabout too. That got up and went. The Commer itself was a dog, great noise though.