Dittmar HD 153 Motor-Möwe

The Dittmar HD 153 Motor-Möwe was a West German light aircraft that was first flown in November 1953.

Design and development
The Motor-Möwe, designed by Heini Dittmar who had designed the Dittmar HD 53 Möwe sailplane, was a motorized development of this sailplane and was initially designed to be powered by engines of 65 - 85 hp. The HD 153 prototype was a two-seat side-by-side high wing monoplane powered by a 65 hp Continental A65 engine and was of wooden construction with detachable wing and tail assemblies to facilitate road transportation when needed. A second prototype aircraft was fitted with a 60 hp Hirth engine.

Operational history
The aircraft was designed for private and club use and served as a trainer and glider tug. Heini Dittmar, the aircraft’s designer, was killed in 1960 when his Motor-Möwe crashed near Essen/Mulheim airport. Small numbers of the type were completed by the end of 1960 and on 1 January 1961 four HD 153 and four HD 156 Motor–Möwen appeared in the West German civil aircraft register. I 1965 four HD 153 and five HD 156 Motor-Möwen were registered in West Germany. By 2007, no examples were known to be active.

Variants

 * HD 153 : two-seat aircraft
 * HD 153A-1:production two-seaters


 * HD 156 : three-seat aircraft fitted with additional side windows