Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser

The Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser (German : goshawk) was a single-engine parasol wing monoplane advanced trainer designed and built by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was the company's first aircraft to be designed from the onset by the aeronautical engineer Kurt Tank, who also named the type.

The Fw 56 was a parasol-wing monoplane aircraft with a fuselage of steel tube construction, which was clad in metal towards the front and canvas elsewhere. The wing was made of wood and covered mostly in plywood, while the trailing edge was fabric-covered. The fixed conventional undercarriage consisted of two cantilever main legs and a tailskid. The aircraft was powered by an air-cooled Argus As 10C V-8 inline engine and intended as a single-seat advanced trainer for the fledgling pilot trainee to transition to from the Bucher primary trainer. For its secondary role as an emergency fighter as well as aiding aspiring fighter pilot trainees in conversion, it was fitted with a pair of fixed cowl-mounted 7.9mm MG17 machine guns as well as a removable ventral rack for up to three 10kg bombs (inert practice bombs or, in the event, light antipersonnel fragmentation bombs).

Developed to meet a request by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), the first prototype performed its maiden flight during November 1933. Two years later, several Fw 56 participated in a competitive flyoff, during which they proved to be superior to both the Arado Ar 76 and the Heinkel He 74 and accordingly secured a production contract from the RLM. The type would be procured in quantity by the Luftwaffe, various flying clubs, and even private individuals across Germany; a number were also sold on the export market to various European and South American nations. In Germany, the Fw 56 was used to demonstrate and evaluate the dive-bombing technique, which was more effective than conventional bombing at that time and contributed to the procurement of dedicated dive-bombers such as the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.