Messerschmitt Bf 108 gallery

The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun was a single-engined sports and touring aircraft developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke.

Design and development

The A version first flew in 1934, followed by the B version in 1935. The B version used the Argus As 10 inverted Vee, air cooled engine. The nickname Taifun (German for "typhoon") was given to the aircraft by German aviatrix Elly Beinhorn, the second woman to fly solo around the world.
Production of the Bf 108 was transferred to occupied France during World War II and production continued after the war as the Nord 1000 Pingouin.

World War 2 Role

The Bf 108 was adopted into Luftwaffe service during World War II, where it was primarily used as a personnel transport and liaison aircraft.

General characteristics

Crew: one
Length: 8.3 m (27 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.3 m (7 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 16 m² (172 ft²)
Empty weight: 860 kg (1,887 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,400 kg (3,087 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V-8, 177 kW (240 HP)

Performance

Maximum speed: 315 km/h at 1000 m (196 mph at 1,000 ft)
Range: 1000 km (620 mi)
Service ceiling: 6,200 m (20,300 ft)
Wing loading: 87.5 kg/m² (17.9 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.143 kW/kg (0.087 hp/lb)