Junkers F13: Reviving a Legend

Rimowa, which makes the luggage with the grooves, unveiled its prototype reproduction of the equally groovy Junkers F13 at Oshkosh. The four-passenger, two-pilot airplane will make its first flight next March. German designer Hugo Junkers was famous for designing all-metal aircraft with corrugated duralumin skins.

The Rimowa F13 took three years to reverse engineer from the five museum aircraft still in existence, none of which will fly. Now Rimowa will produce them to order from next year for $2.2 million each.

The F13 features open cockpits for the two pilots. Flyers in 1919 resisted being enclosed, believing they flew best when exposed to the elements of flight.

Posing in front of Rimowa’s equally groovy chalet at Oshkosh, the F13 shows off its corrugated skin. The aircraft will be shipped back to in Cologne, Germany, after the show.

The engine is a 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 AN14B, and was sourced from Aero Recip of Winnipeg, Canada. Some versions of the F13 for export to North America from 1930 onwards were equipped with this engine. 

Another view of the engine and open cockpits. Rimowa President and CEO Dieter Morszeck explained that the aircraft was unveiled at Oshkosh as there is nowhere more appropriate than the world’s largest aviation event. The Rimowa F13 isn’t an exact reproduction of any specific model, but incorporates the best features from several versions introduced over the years.

The Rimowa F13 was actually constructed by NAEF Flugmotoren, who also rebuilt Rimowa’s BMW-powered CASA 352 L (a Spanish-built Junkers Ju-52 trimotor) that starred here at Oshkosh a couple of years ago. New F13s will be built by Rimowa Flugzeugwerke in Dübendorf, Switzerland.

Rimowa luggage was made of aluminum to protect contents from termites and excessive heat, especially in the Far East. Today’s grooved luggage is also available in ultralight polycarbonate. Don’t expect change from a $1,000 bill for the smallest of them.

The F13 under construction. Note the monocoque fuselage, where duralumin skins are stretched over vertical frames and attached without the need for longerons.

The way it will be when Rimowa’s Junkers F13 joins the Ju-52 in its fleet, paying tribute to Germany’s role in the development of air transport between the wars.