Designed by a 33-year-old Kurt Tank, the tandem-seat, tailwheel Fw 44 Stieglitz ('Goldfinch') earned an outstanding reputation as one of the pre-war era's most successful trainers, renowned for its exquisite flying qualities and full aerobatic capability. While the Bücker Jungmann saw widespread service across central and southern Europe, the Luftwaffe relied on the Stieglitz in northern sectors where sub-zero temperatures made hand-propping near impossible. To solve this, its 160hp Siemens-Halske Sh 14 radial engine features a dedicated high-pressure air bottle connected to each cylinder for reliable pneumatic self-starting.

Of approximately 3,000 examples constructed across Germany, Sweden, and Argentina, just 62 are known to survive worldwide. VH-FBU represents the only example in Australasia.

Provenance & Condition

• Finnish Air Force Service: Log books for VH-FBU date back to 1940 during its operational period in Finland.
• Museum Preservation: Following military decommissioning, the airframe was preserved in the Svedino collection before being imported to Australia in 2002.
• Pristine Airworthiness: Restored in Western Australia, it is maintained precisely as intended: keeping pilots current in the fine art of loops, barrel rolls, and pure biplane flying. Reputedly, it remains the only Stieglitz maintaining current authorization for full aerobatics.

A superb machine of true historical significance and unmatched rarity in the southern hemisphere.

For further technical details, inspection arrangements, or purchase inquiries, please get in touch.

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