The He 70 Blitz design was a timeless blend of elegant form, versatile function, and blazing fast speed.
A masterpiece of the Golden Age of Flight
At the height of the Golden Age of Flight in the early 1930s, German flag airline Deutsche Luft Hansa sought to offer the fastest passenger and mail service on routes throughout Europe. The carrier approached German aircraft company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke (Heinkel Aircraft Works) to develop an aircraft that would set a new standard for airliners. Led by famed aviation pioneer Ernst Heinkel, Heinkel developed the He 70, a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with a distinctive elliptical wing. It flew so fast that it earned the name “Blitz,” the German term for lightning.
The He 70 took its maiden flight on December 1, 1932, and Heinkel introduced it in 1933. Developed into several variants that served civil and military users, the He 70 operated for more than two decades. Renowned for its record-setting speed, versatility, and beautiful lines, it served as the base for the well-known Heinkel He 111, a model used as both an airliner and as a World War II bomber. Heinkel built a total of 324 He 70s across more than a dozen variants.
Developed for Lightning-Fast Speed
When Deutsche Luft Hansa approached Heinkel in 1931 (the company would later stylize its name to Deutsche Lufthansa), the fastest commercial aircraft flying European routes was Swissair’s Lockheed Model 9. Initially designated the He 65 in February of 1932, Heinkel’s project evolved in the following months into an elegant and rarefied form that the company re-designated the He 70.
Heinkel created a low-wing cantilever (unbraced) monoplane design with an elliptical wing featuring trailing-edge flaps for optimized aerodynamic efficiency. Engineers created a monocoque fuselage built of duralumin and steel, and used stressed metal skin with countersunk rivets to minimize drag. The design incorporated a retractable standard undercarriage (a first for German commercial aviation) and a standard tail unit. Crewed by one or two, the aircraft could accommodate a total of six, including pilot(s). The design used a powerful V-12 engine cooled by a retractable radiator using ethylene glycol, a more efficient coolant than water.
The He 70a V1 prototype proved an exceptional performer during its initial flight tests, clocking an incredible 234 miles per hour. Together with the second prototype, the He 70a V2, the design set eight world speed records, earning the aircraft the nickname “Blitz” (Lightning). Deutsche Lufthansa began using the He 70 on several domestic routes beginning in 1933, connecting Berlin with Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Cologne. The airline also used it for their Stuttgart to Seville, Spain international route. Germany’s Luftwaffe used the He 70 beginning in 1935, militarily developing it primarily for aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) collections, and also for light bombing. Germany sent several militarized variants to Spain, where they served in the Spanish Civil War, operated primarily as ISR platforms.
The He 70 measured 38 feet, 5 inches in length, stood 10 feet, 2 inches tall, and had a wingspan of 48 feet, 7 inches. It was powered by a single BMW VI V-12 piston engine that generated up to 740 horsepower and turned a 2-blade metal propeller. The aircraft had a range of 1,130 miles, a service ceiling of 20,000 feet above sea level, and a maximum climb rate of 1,320 feet per minute. It cruised at 183 miles per hour and had a top speed of 220 mph.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Heinkel He 70 Blitz
There are no remaining Heinkel aircraft today; most were destroyed during World War II and the Spanish Air Force scrapped the last remaining airframes in 1954. The Microsoft Flight Simulator team and its partners conducted extensive research to produce the highest fidelity virtual rendition of this classic, including contacting the U.S. National Archives to digitize original plans of the aircraft.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Heinkel He 70 Blitz is now ready for simmers to explore the world. The aircraft ships with several historically precise liveries, including those officially licensed by Lufthansa. It is available today in the Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in-sim marketplaces for USD $14.99. The sky is calling!
Microsoft Flight Simulator is available for Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, PC, PlayStation 5, PS VR2, Steam, and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter or visit flightsimulator.com.