Udet U 12 “Flamingo”

Scale: 1:24
Length: 31 cm
Width: 44 cm
Height: 12 cm
Degree of difficulty: 2 (moderately difficult)
Number of sheets: 3.5

Udet U 12 “Flamingo”
Ernst Udet, Germany’s biggest aviation idol, first presented the double-decker Udet U 12 “Flamingo” on Easter of 1925 in Schleissheim near Munich. Back in those days, it was the best German aircraft for training purposes which also became increasingly popular for aerobatics.
The Flamingo was a braced double-decker constructed out of plywood, definitely a lightweight aircraft with a wingspan of 10 m and a length of 7.5 m. The type U 12a with 70 to 96 HP primarily served as a training aircraft for beginners whereas the type U 12b with 125 HP and a maximum cruising speed of 160 km/h was more suitable to be used for more advanced pilots and aerobatics as well as a sports aircraft and towing aircraft. A total of approximately 200 Flamingos were built and most of them were flown until the mid thirties, the last ones however until the forties. The Circus Krone owned one of these elegant Flamingos and used it as a courier aircraft and for aerial advertisements.
The Flamingo reached international fame on account of Udet’s aerobatic performances. Ernst Udet had made himself a name as a fighter pilot during the First World War. He shifted his expertise to aerobatics between the two World Wars. He showed risky aerial acrobatics very close to the ground. His most famous aerobatic trick is the one where he picks up a handkerchief off the ground with a spike attached to the ends of the wings. He also caused a sensation with flights underneath bridges, through hangars and glacier crevasses, landings in high-altitude snow-covered regions as well as some impressive movies.
The cardboard model is based upon the popular two-seater standard edition of the Flamingo with a brown fuselage. The red Flamingo on the other hand, as frequently seen in pictures with the model identification “D-822”, was a one-seater edition that was specially constructed for Udet’s aerobatic performances.