The Dittmar HD 153 Motor-Möwe was a West German light aircraft that was first flown in November 1953.
Design and development The Motor-Möwe, designed by Heini Dittmar who had designed the Dittmar HD 53 Möwe sailplane, was a motorized development of this sailplane and was initially designed to be powered by engines of . The HD 153 prototype was a two-seat side-by-side high wing monoplane powered by a Continental A65 engine and was of wooden construction with detachable wing and tail assemblies to facilitate road transportation when needed. A second prototype aircraft was fitted with a Hirth engine.
Operational history The aircraft was designed for private and club use and served as a trainer and glider tug. Heini Dittmar, the aircraft’s designer, was killed in 1960 when his Motor-Möwe crashed near Essen/Mulheim airport. Small numbers of the type were completed by the end of 1960 and on 1 January 1961 four HD 153 and four HD 156 Motor–Möwen appeared in the West German civil aircraft register. In 1965 four HD 153 and five HD 156 Motor-Möwen were registered in West Germany. By 2007, no examples were known to be active.
Variants
HD 153 two-seat aircraft HD 153A-1production two-seaters HD 156 three-seat aircraft fitted with additional side windows
Specifications (HD 153 with C90 engine)
References
External links
28-APR-1960 Heini Dittmars fatal test flight 11-APR-1959 wing separated during descent after glider towing