The Udet U 12 Flamingo was an aerobatic sports plane and trainer aircraft developed in Germany in the mid-1920s.
The U 12 was a conventional, single-bay biplane of wooden construction with the wings braced by large I-struts.
The pilot and instructor or passenger sat in tandem, open cockpits.
The U 12 proved extremely popular and sold well, due in no small part to Ernst Udet’s spectacular aerobatics routines while flying the aircraft. One particularly acclaimed part of his act included swooping down towards the airfield and picking up a handkerchief with the tip of one wing.
The popularity of this aircraft was insufficient to rescue Udet Flugzeugbau from its dire financial position, but when the company’s assets were taken over by the state of Bavaria to form BFW, production of the U 12 soon resumed in earnest.
BFW-built U 12s were exported to Austria, Hungary and Latvia, and later built under licence in these countries as well.
Variants
Germany
U 12a
Main production version with Siemens-Halske Sh 11 engine
U 12W
Float-equipped U 12a
U 12b
Version strengthened for aerobatics and with improved wing design
U 12c
Advanced trainer with reduced wing area
U 12d
U 12b with Siemens-Halske Sh 12 engine
U 12e
U 12c with Siemens-Halske Sh 12 engine
Austria
20 aircraft produced by Fliegerwerft Thalerhof
U 12H
Standard U 12a
U 12S
U 12a with redesigned fuselage of fabric-covered steel tube construction.
U 12Ö
Alternative designation for U 12S
Hungary
Forty aircraft produced by KRG and another 40 by Manfred Weiss Works.
Some examples armed and used for fighter or bomber training
Hungária I
Similar to U 12a with N-type interplane struts
Hungária II
Similar to U 12a with N-type interplane struts
Hungária III
Similar to U 12a with N-type interplane struts, propeller spinner and Townend ring
Hungária IV
Similar to U 12a. Only Hungarian-built version with I-type interplane struts
