This aircraft first caught my attention when I was visiting the local museum. Aalborg used to have three airports during the war, and this aircraft was used as an ambulance plane at Aalborg See.

The Heinkel He-59 was build just after WWI, and was considered obsolete at the start of WWII. However, it proved to be very versatile and was used for mining, ground attach, rescue, transport, electronic warfare and spy-missions.

Specifications:

Wing span: 23.70 m (77 ft. 9.5 in.)
Length: 17.40 m (57 ft. 1.75 in.)
Height: 7.10 m (23 ft. 3.75in.)
Empty Weight: 6,215 kg (13,702 lbs.)
Max Weight: 9,000 kg (19,842 lbs.)
Engines: 2 x BMW IV, 660 hp each.
Maximum Speed: 215km/h (134 mph)
Range: 1,750 km (1087 miles)
Armament: 3 or 4 x 7.92mm MG 15 (later MG 81).

I got this Russian 3-view online. I will be using it for the model.

I will model the white ambulance aircraft, i.e. the one without armament. I will draw this aircraft to scale 1:10, giving a size of:

Wing span: 2.37 m
Length: 1.74 m
Height: 0.71 m

I first had to scale the 3-views so that the length and height and wingspan etc. line up on all the three views. After that I started drawing the top and side views. Then, on to the fuselage formers. As always, the fuselage formers do not fit properly. However, they are a starting point.

The formers for this aircraft are now more or less done – I think. There is a potential problem with the turtle-deck, which stretches all the way from the cockpit to the tail. I will have to check it out. It seems to start at a longeron 37.25 mm from the top, go over the top and down on the other side. This will be the next thing to do on this aircraft. Otherwise the fuselage formers are done.

The turtle-deck has now been cleaned up. It was a “stray line” on the 3-view. By looking at some photos, this was cleared up. I also drew the fuselage crutch and started to complete the fuselage formers. The formers on this aircraft is pretty far apart, but the aircraft has a LOT of stringers (it’s a WWII aircraft made using WWI construction methods), which should keep it all together in the end.

I ordered the book “Rettung zwischen den Fronten – Seenotdienst der deutschen Luftwaffe 1939-1945”. This book was written by Karl Born – The father of search and rescue at sea, and the aircraft that he used. The first one was the He-59-C 2, the one I am modelling here.

The book comes with some amazing close-up photos of this aircraft.

Just one picture from the awesome book that I discussed in the entry earlier.

1. Turtle deck
2. Crutch
3. Longerons
4. Cockpit shell
5. Nose
6. Lower wings
7. Fuse cut-out for lower wings
8. Elevators
9. Rudder
10. Engine pods
11. Engine boxes
12. Struts
13. Floats
14. Landing gear
15. R/C equipment