what is it?
The Heinkel HD 42 50, later designated the Heinkel He 42 was a German two-seat biplane seaplane originally designed for the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule, and later built for the German Luftwaffe. The aircraft was used until the end of World War II as a trainer for maritime pilots.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 14 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 97 years ago, in 1929.
- Wingspan of 14 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1929
- retired
- 1942
- status
- retired
- number built
- 213
- role
- maritime trainer
- makers
- Heinkel
- engines
- 1× Junkers L5Ga
- crew
- 2
- length
- 10.6 m
- wingspan
- 14 m
- height
- 4.3 m
- max take-off weight
- 2,420 kg
- top speed
- 192 km/h
- cruise speed
- 185 km/h
- range
- 800 km
- ceiling
- 4,200 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q468768, Wikipedia: Heinkel He 42 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.