Pfalz Flugzeugwerke G.m.b.H.

[AchimEngels]

Hi there,

I wonder if anybody ever has found original factory blueprints of their designs.

If so, where are they.

I have seen plenty of Fokker factory blueprints and others, but although looking for I never came across some of any Pfalz aircraft.

Any ideas?

Achim

[Marco_Sommerau]

Achim, Why don't you ask directly Pfalz Flugzeugwerke? Ther are still there in Speyer (today they build sub-assemblies for Airbus, etc)
I know they are actually building a reproduction DIII, and have in storage the rear fuselage/tail unit from a D XII. I think they have still 'some' material.
(I can send you a contact address, if interested.)
Regards,
Marco

[Craig]

I know they are actually building a reproduction DIII,
Regards,
Marco

Marco, that is SPLENDID news! I wonder if they are doing it the correct way - wickelrumpf and all.

Is there anything on the web about the project?

If the firm is still alive today, what did they do 1933-45?

[Cigogne]

The company wasn't continuously in business for the whole time since 1918... it is more a recent "resurrection" of the company. The website explains it.

Cigogne

[Cigogne]

To "bone up" on your Pfalz Flugzeugwerke history go here:

http://www.pfw.de/alt/Englisch/fhistorie.htm

The new PFW (as they are referred to) was founded in 1996.

They have an interesting history. They were affiliated with Ernst Heinkel at one time and after WWII produced the Heinkel "bubble car" there.

Check it out.

Cigogne

[Rick]

That web site is really thin on WWI information. They more-or-less skip from 1913 to 1932. R.

[AchimEngels]

Hi Marco, Hi all,

Thank you for that info. I knew about them and have been in contact several years ago with a man called Manfred Hager there.

At that time they had very little information about the time of 1917-18.

I have contacted them now once more to see if this changed.

I am asking because I am seriously considering starting a Pfalz D.III project after the D.VII project is completed in 2005.

I have collected quite a bit of information that would alow me to do a set of drawings that would be fairly accurate, but that won´t satisfy me. The wickelrumpf and all other features should not be problem to do and it for sure would be a D.III up to the detail, but if you can not track down the very details like how wide that bracket was or how this and that was done it is not a satisfying thing. So I keep on searching. Maybe they can provide some help.

I know there is a Pfalz D.XII still in existance in France and I will for sure go and meassure this one, but what about the D.III? No survivors? No parts to examine?

Maybe Peter Grosz has some information on it, unfortunately we two are no longer friends *:-X.

Anyway maybe I can dig out some contemporary sources that would enable the realisation of such a great, great project.

Achim

[Marco_Sommerau]

The site is really thin on WWI information. Unfortunately, still today, anything regarding “militarismus” is still taboo in Germany…

After WWI the French confiscated or destroyed all a/c, tools and machinery and occupied the installations for several years. During WWII Pfalz (under another name) made overhaul and maintenance for Ju 87, Ju 88 and He 111 bombers.

The aerodrome, in spite of its importance, would be little damaged during WWII. The company is still located there, but they only retain a fraction of their original installations. Most of the WWI hangars are still there, but are today part of the Speyer’s ‘Technikmuseum’ (more an attraction park that a real museum, not to be confused with the serious MVT in Berlin)

The denominations of the company changed many times, depending on the different associations with other companies: with Potez, Heinkel, Fokker, Focke-Wulf (building Bell helicopters under license), Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm & Voss, etc. In the 90s they took back their original name.

PFW is actually building a DIII, with a mock-up Mercedes engine. They DO HAVE (some?) original drawings, but probably they will not give copies away, I don’t know. I think the best would be to contact Peter Seelinger, he works at PFW, is involved in the reconstruction, and knows a lot about the site history (he is also author of an interesting book –in German- about the history of the Speyer aerodrome).

M.

[Craig]

There are some drawings. Even I have seen them. The Windsock Datafile has some, as do the instructions for the Blueprint Models Pfalz D.III (1/24 vac).

I am not sure how much detail, but there it is.

[AchimEngels]

Hi!

Does Mr Seelinger hav an e-mail address?

The Windsock Datafile, as much as I know does just show some pages of the manual for the D.III. I have a copy of it, but I was looking for factory construction drawings with dimensions.

Achim