The WNF Wn 16, designed by Erich Meindl in 1937-1938, originally built as the Meindl-van Nes A.XV (aka Meindl M.15), was an Austrian experimental aircraft built in the late 1930s for tricycle undercarriage research. It was a swept wing tandem two-seater, with a pusher configuration engine and twin-boom fuselage. Its cantilever low wing had straight edges and 18.33° of sweep at quarter chord. The wing was in three parts, with a twin spar, steel tube framed centre section welded to the central fuselage which supported the tailbooms on its upper surfaces at their outer ends. The ribs were also formed from steel tube. The forward part of the centre section was plywood covered, with fabric aft. The outer wing panels were ply covered, each with a single wooden single spar. There was a split flap over the whole centre section trailing edge and slotted ailerons which filled the trailing edges of the outer panels.
The short fuselage was also a welded steel tube structure, alloy skinned front and rear but with a fabric covered central section that contained the tandem seats under a continuous, multi-framed canopy which merged into the rear fuselage. The Wn 16’s pusher configuration, 37 kW (50 hp) Salmson 9Ad nine cylinder radial engine was installed within a Townend ring cowling at the rear of the fuselage beyond the wing, driving a two blade propeller. The Wn 16 was later re-engined with a 45 kW (60 hp) Walter Mikron.
The Wn 16’s tail-booms were wooden monocoques. The rectangular tail-plane and elevator was on top of them, with oval vertical tails acting as end-plates; the fins had ply covered wooden frames and the rudders had fabric covered steel frames.
Its tricycle gear was fixed, all units with bungee cord shock absorbers. Both legs and wheels were enclosed in streamlined fairings. The nosewheel was steerable via the rudder pedals.
After the Anschluss of Austria, it was further developed by Wiener Neustadt Flugzeugwerke (WNF). The Wn 16 flew for the first time on 23 September 1939, carrying on board the German registration code D-ECAB. Development continued into World War II and the first flight with the Walter engine was on 7 August 1942.
The aircraft was tested in Germany, where it was later re-equipped with the Walter Micron engine (60 hp). The WN-16 successfully flew until the autumn of 1942, and then it was transferred to the Technical School in Stuttgart for further tests. There it remained until September 1944, until it was destroyed during an air-raid.
Engine: 1 × Salmson 9Ad, 37 kW (50 hp)
Propeller: 2-bladed
Length: 7.27 m (23 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 9.84 m (32 ft 3 in)
Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 13.50 m2 (145.3 sq ft)
Empty weight: 350 kg (772 lb)
Gross weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
Fuel capacity: 38 l (8.4 imp gal; 10 US gal)
Maximum speed: 160 km/h (99 mph; 86 kn) at sea level
Cruise speed: 145 km/h (90 mph; 78 kn)
Range: 400 km (249 mi; 216 nmi)
Service ceiling: 2,800 m (9,200 ft)
Rate of climb: 2.2 m/s (430 ft/min)
Landing speed: 65 km/h (40 mph)
Crew: Two
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