Junkers W4

BY: Bill Coffman

  No it's not a Messerschmitt 109 in the RCAF, but one of 9 Junkers W-34s that served with various outfits in the West and Far North of Canada. These are some of the airplanes that opened up large areas of Canada for
development and exploitation. This example is the last remaining Canadian W-34 as it is displayed in the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa.

There are three 1/72 Kits of the W-34, now, but none of them are close to this aircraft in a number of details, especially around the cockpit area, and of course the P&W R 1350 Wasp. The floats are also flat topped Edos and not the European version.
 

  This aircraft is depicted in a full size diorama featuring the Ford Model T truck. It is intended to show the aircraft during conversion from Floats to skis, as the deep rudder and ventral fin of the floatplane have already been
replaced by the tail ski. It would make a great diorama in 1/72. Good luck with the corrugated skin!

  The big difference between the Junkers J-33 and the J-34 was the radial engine of many assorted brands that replaced the Junkers Bramo inline powerplant of the J-33. There were several Canadian J-33s that had been
modified to  J-34s with engine changes. Many of the J-33 had an open cockpit with a similar configuration at the side to this Canadian example, and I have found one photo of an early Luftwaffe J-34 with this layout. The Canadian mechanics were good at modifying these "Metal Planes" to the requirements of flying in the far north, so many of the revisions to this J-34 may have been done in the field. There weren't as many regulations in
those days, and one of the small Junkers 13s that had belonged to Imperial Oil, was noted to have made appearances at a number of places several years after its licence had been cancelled. 

  The pilots and management liked the all metal Junkers for many reasons. They fought many battles with the  bureaucracy in Ottawa who thought that they should be buying "Empire" or at least American products. Canadian airways even approached Junkers with the concept of starting a Canadian production line. (The original W-33s & W-34s were actually built in Sweden) Eventually the cost of spares and heavy duties on imported parts and aircraft meant that Canadian Airways last Junkers was CF-Arm, a Junkers Ju52-1m. The original aircraft was destroyed, but several years ago, the people at the Western Aviation Museum in Winnipeg bought a Ju52-3m and converted it back into a replica of the single engined ARM. The photos of CF-ARM in Winnipeg were taken by Martin Myers.
                  

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