NO, IT´S NOT A NAVION
(Excerpt)

BY JACK MORRISEY
EAA WARBIRDS MAGAZIN, JULY 1997
(information on number of produced airplanes changed by Bernhard Rouschal)

With no disrespect to the Navion or it´s owner, when you are at the next air show, stop by a Focke-Wulf 149D and, if the owner is present, ask him, „Is this a Navion?". It´s a guaranteed way to send the Focke-Wulf owner into orbit. He will usually walk to the rear of the aircraft and quietly go ballistic. To the uninitiated, both planes do have a similar appearance. But that´s where the similarity ends. Hopefully after reading this, you will saunter up to an Fw 149D owner and ask him, „What year was your Fw 149D manufactured?". At that point you won´t be able to stop him  from going on for the next few hours about what a great airplane it is.

For whatever unknown reason, on first glance the planes seem very much alike.It´s only when you start getting down to the nuts and bolts that you start to notice the differences. And there are very substantial differences!

The german plane is bigger and much beefier. Notice the augmentor tubes and look at the riveting - it´s much more concentrated. The Focke-Wulf has a totally different tail. There is more glass in the canopy, plus it has a split windshield. There is no access step in front of the wing, as there is in the Navion. And one of the largest single differences is in the retraction system of the landing gear. In the Navion it folds inward-in the Focke-Wulf the gear fold outward.

In flight, both planes look similar. But the performance level is much different. The Focke-Wulf 149D is powered by a 270hp Lycoming GO-480, driving a constant speed, three bladed prop. As it is heavier than the Navion (4,000lbs gross versus 2,905 for the L17B), it also sports a much more comfortable ride. The unique cockpit of the Focke-Wulf consists of dual control sticks, dual control quadrants and side by side seating. Fully capable of aerobatic maneuvers, the plane is rated for 6 positive and 3 negative Gs. While the normal seating is for four people, some are licensed for five.

The history of the airplane is fascinating. The Fw 149D is, in reality, a license-built version of the Italian Piaggio P.149. That´s why most of the Germans still call their Focke-Wulfs „Piggi". The prototype P.149 first flew in July 1953; two years later it was chosen by the German Air Force, which was in the market for a more spacious and comfortable trainer and liasion aircraft, but which was still able to pull fairly high G loads for aerobatic training. Piaggio collaborated with Focke-Wulf to build the 149D under license at their Bremen, West Germany facility. The „D" designation following the numerals 149 indicates „Deutschland" (Germany). Yet, if you look this airplanes up in any recognition book, chances are, that you´ll find them listed as the „Piaggio P.149", even though those planes manufactured in Germany by Focke-Wulf are known as „the Focke-Wulf planes". 265 of these aircraft were ordered by the Luftwaffe - 190 of these airplanes were manufacured by Focke Wulf, the other 75 were Italian made kits, also assembled at Bremen.
Then the Swiss, followed by Uganda, ordered the aircraft. The Swiss designation was 149CH; the Uganda designationis 149U. Total aircraft manufactured was 290. The Swiss purchased their Fw 149s to be used primarily for training - they are still used for that purpose today. The Ugandan aircraft were different in that they were equipped with air conditioning. Makes sense to me.

This airplane is fully aerobatic and is an ideal plane for IFR work. A little research indicates, that the bulk of the manufacturing was accomplished between 1957 and 1961. Now that the aircraft is being phased out of the Luftwaffe service, we are seeing more and more of them in civilian hands. One of the better aspects of owning a Fw 149D is the opportunity to mix with German nationals - on their turf - who own and fly the „Piggi´s". Most of the owners that I talked to at Lakeland during Sun n Fun stated that this was probably one of the highlights of their association with other owners. It seems the Germans have figured out how too party whenever their american counterparts come over for a visit....

...With a cruise speed of 140 knots, the fuel burn is around 15 gallons per hour. The maximum speed at sealevel is around 170 knots. Climb rate is a respectable 980 fpm and the service ceiling is 19,850 feet. The range, with a 30 minute reserve, is 680 mile. All these figures translate to an all around respectable airplane.

To say this is a versatile airplane is  an understatement. You can fulfill your fantasies with whatever aerobatics you do to make you a fighter pilot, or you can load up the plane with family and luggage for that trip to a fly-in. If you listen to those that own a Focke-Wulf, all call it „a joy to fly".

The U.S. population of this bird is currently around twenty; of these about nineteen are flying at the moment. Of these close to threehundred originally built, there are some 60 to 65 still licensed. They are scattered throughout Europe and a few reside in third world countries as well....

.....I, along with countless others, had always noticed the similarity between the Focke-Wulf and the Navion, but it was not until this year´s Sun n Fun (1997) that my curiosity got to the best of me. I hope after reading this article, you will recognize the major differences between the two aircraft and be a more knowledgeable person for it in the future.