German biplane

"Fly, yes. Land, no"

- Indiana Jones

The German biplane was a German military airplane designed for reconnaissance and defense. It had an open air cockpit, with two seats, one for the pilot, and one for a tail gunner. Attached to a zeppelin, it was meant to be launched from mid-air. While biplanes were frequently used in World War I, by the 1930s, they had started to become outclassed by newer and faster planes. In 1938, Indiana Jones and his father, Henry Jones, Sr. used one with the designation D-EKVY to escape from a zeppelin, and crash landed it after an air battle.

Adventures with the German biplane
In 1938, Indiana Jones and his father, Henry Jones, Sr., were aboard LZ-138, a zeppelin bound from Berlin to Athens, when the airship began turning around after Jones had disabled its radio. Unwilling to return to Germany, the two searched the airship and discovered that it carried a biplane, and climbed aboard.

After they had detached from the zeppelin and began flying to freedom, the younger Jones realized that they were being pursued by two Nazi fighter planes. Giving his father a quick lesson in aerial combat lingo, Indiana concentrated on flying while his father began using the biplane's machine guns. As one of the faster fighters swung around the tail of the plane, Henry continued to track its motion and ended up shooting tail fin of their plane. Unwilling to admit his mistake, he apologized to his son that they'd been shot by the enemy. With the rear stabilizer damaged, the plane could not stay aloft, and Indiana Jones looked for a place to ditch the plane. Nearing the ground, Jones managed to land on a hillside, crashing the plane into a farmhouse. The two escapees climbed out of the ruined plane and searched for a vehicle - eventually stealing a Citroën automobile.

Behind the scenes
The actual plane used in the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was either a British De Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth or a Belgian Stampe SV.4 biplane.

From Star Wars To Indiana Jones - The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives identifies the model used by the ILM team as "German biplane". Note that the model uses a different set of call letters: D-EAQV. Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide refers to the plane as a modified Buecher biplane, possibly meant to be a modified German Bücker Bü 131.

The German biplane was re-created as a collectible in the Titanium Series diecast collectibles series as the "Last Crusade Biplane". Facts about the plane on the Hasbro packaging include that the biplane was part of the Luftwaffe as a light fighter/bomber with a maximum altitude of 8,000 feet and was armed with 2 50mm machine guns, although its role with the zeppelin would be for defense and reconnaissance Last Crusade Biplane at ParryGamePreserve.com.

Appearances

 * Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
 * Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (novel)
 * Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (comic)