The pilot and instructor sat in tandem, open cockpits, and the undercarriage consisted of twin pontoons, although this could be readily exchanged for wheels or skis.

Heinkel entered two HD 24s (alongside two HD.5) in the German Seeflugwettbewerb seaplane competition in 1926.

One HD 24 was exported to China,[3] and another was bought by German explorer Gunther Plüschow who named it Tsingtau and took it on an expedition in 1927–28 to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

The journey was recorded in his book and documentary film Silberkondor über Feuerland.

A full size replica of the Tsingtau D1313 is being assembled for static display as of April 17, 2009, in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina.