M 17

Messerschmitt M 17

Sport and training aircraft

The M 17 was the first motorised aircraft built by Willy Messerschmitt in Bamberg in 1925. The twoseater, which is made almost entirely out of wood, weighs just 198 kilograms.

The singleengine M 17 light aircraft marked Willy Messerschmitt’s first major success as a designer and aircraft manufacturer in the autumn of 1924. A masterpiece of lightweight engineering, the design laid the technical and conceptual foundations for Messerschmitt’s first successful generation of motorised aircraft, such as his M 18 and M 20 passenger aircraft and his sport and touring aircraft designs, the ultimate highlight of which was the Bf (Me) 108.

There’s no denying that the wooden two-seater M 17, with its long cantilever wings, had its roots in Messerschmitt’s many years of experience developing gliders. Its combination of flight characteristics and economical engine performance was also remarkable. It was incredibly manoeuvrable, but in all other respects offered very similar handling to a glider, especially on landing. The M 17 was well ahead of its time in terms of its static design and concept. It was the first example of what was to become Messerschmitt’s characteristic design style. What’s more, although it is rarely credited as such, this combination of uncompromising lightweight construction and advanced aerodynamics represented a major step forward in aircraft construction.

Although only six of these aircraft were ever built and the engines were not always the same in each, the M 17 became hugely popular thanks to its many successes in competitions. The aircraft was meant to take part in its first competition in January 1925, but it didn’t make it. However, in early May, this aircraft – now named ‘Ello’ – achieved a spectacular win in another contest, namely the Upper Franconia flying competition. “This aircraft’s successes have shown that a glider fitted with an auxiliary engine will be the aircraft of the future,” was the assessment given in the ‘Flugsport’ periodical.

Although it didn’t quite happen like that at the time, over the course of the year, an M 17 won two further significant prizes at an international flying competition in Oberschleissheim near Munich. However, this light aircraft’s biggest achievement was its sensational flight in September 1926 from Bamberg to Rome, which it completed in stages. It was this event that established Willy Messerschmitt’s legendary reputation as a pioneer in lightweight construction.