The Pützer Elster was a German single-engined light

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. ...

, manufactured by Alfons Pützer KG (later Sportavia) in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

. It served with the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

and

Marineflieger The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' (Naval Aviation Command) is the naval air arm of the German Navy. History During the First World War, naval aviators were part of the . After the war Germany was no longer allowed to maintain a military aviation ca ...

and was used solely for recreational sport flying. Some continue to fly in 2020 in private ownership.

Development history

The Pützer Elster "Magpie" was developed from the Motorraab

motor glider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing Aircraft#Heavier-than-air – aerodynes, aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (Mo ...

which had itself been developed from the Doppelraab glider. The Elster was the first aircraft produced in Germany after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in any significant numbers. The design shared the wing of the ''Doppelraab'', braced by metal struts, but was given a new

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

constructed of plywood with seats for two occupants arranged side by side. The tricycle

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Marti ...

unusually featured a steerable nosewheel controlled by a hand grip. Production ceased in 1967, by which time 45 examples had been built.

Variants

Elster

:Prototype aircraft fitted with a 52 hp Porsche 678/3 engine, first flight 10 January 1959.

Elster B

:Main production version fitted with a 95 hp

Continental C-90 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).'' Federal Aviation Admin ...

engine. 25 aircraft were operated by the

and

sport flying groups. These aircraft were initially operated with civilian registrations but were allocated military serials in 1971.Jackson p.134. 1976 In 1978 the maintenance contract with Pützer expired and the aircraft were placed on the civil market.

Elster C

:The Elster C was fitted with the more powerful 150 hp

Lycoming O-320 The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. They are commonly used on light aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. Different variants ...

engine and other modifications for use as a glider tug.

Operators

Military operators

; *

Specifications (Pützer Elster B)

References

External links

Photo of Elster B in Luftwaffe markings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Putzer Elster

Elster Elster may refer to: Places * Black Elster (''Schwarze Elster''), a river in Germany * White Elster (''Weiße Elster''), a river in Germany and the Czech Republic ** Elster Viaduct, a railway bridge over the White Elster ** Elster Viaduct (Pirk ...

1950s German civil utility aircraft 1950s German military utility aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Glider tugs Aircraft first flown in 1959