Produced shortly after the end of the First World War, it was a cantilever-wing monoplane with enclosed accommodation for four passengers and a two seat open cockpit.

These efforts were responsible for producing multiple new ideas pertaining not only to aerodynamics but also the employment and working of lightweight metal construction in aviation.

[citation needed] The F 13 first flew on 25 June 1919,[4] powered by a 127 kW (170 hp) Mercedes D.IIIa inline upright water-cooled engine.

The first production machines had a wing of greater span and area and was furnished with the more powerful 140 kW (185 hp) BMW IIIa upright inline water-cooled motor.

[2] Instead of exposing the supporting elements to the external air currents, all of the bracing was located within the wing itself, thus providing a neater solution from an aerodynamic perspective.

It also dispensed with various other concerns, as it was perceived as more difficult to maintain the calibrated dimensions of wood due to warping, the same factor also hindered interchangeability; metal posed less of a fire hazard as well.

[9] Unlike Junker's early metal aircraft, which was composed of steel and thus quite heavy, the F 13 was made of duralumin, a light-weight alloy that would find widespread use in aeronautical circles.

[10] Somewhat offsetting the difficulties of developing a new arrangement to permit the installation of all supporting framework internally, the use of metal enabled a substantial number of new construction features to be adopted.

[13] In comparison to its wooden contemporaries, the F 13's all-metal approach was slower to fatigue; it was also less expensive to protect against humidity and most other atmospheric conditions.

[14] The external metal covering, which was corrugated for increased strength, helped to withstand the stress of torsion while the overall structure was fairly resistant to dynamic overloading.

[14] The flight controls were fairly conventional, both the elevator and ailerons were actuated by the pilot via a column with a wheel while the rudder was operated using pedals.

The aircraft could be similarly equipped for taking off or landing upon snow or ice via the removal of the wheels and substituting them for duralumin runners while a shoe would be attached to the tail skid.

The frontal radiator was specially designed by Junkers to possess a high level of efficiency as well as being relatively lightweight; the pilot was able to regulate the engine temperature via the adjustable shutters.

Considerable attention was paid to the development of propellers, which was shaped by extensive research into aspects such as the pitch, blade section and diameter.

The initial propellers used were composed of laminated wood that was protected by metal along their leading edges and achieved a mechanical efficiency at least equal to that of wooden ones.

[20] Junkers also worked on metal propellers of its own make, the hollow sections of which diminishes in line with the laws of bodies of uniform resistance.

[21] Any manufacturer of civil aircraft immediately after World War I was faced with competition from the very large numbers of surplus warplanes that might be cheaply converted – for example, the DH.9C.

German manufacturers had further problems with the restrictions imposed by the Inter-Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control, which banned the production of warplanes and of any aircraft in the period of 1921-22.

Junkers[22] picked up orders abroad in 1919 in Austria, Poland and the USA and, in the following years with SCADTA (Colombia) and the United States Post Office Department.

The Republic of China flew F 13s converted into scout bombers until the January 28 Incident in 1932, when they were destroyed by the Japanese along with the Shanghai Aircraft Factory.

During the formative years of commercial aviation, bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, seas and oceans were more abundant than landing strips and civil airports in many parts of the world, so seaplanes were commonplace and even, in some places, more useful than regular aircraft.

[25] The replica was created from original blueprints and also a laser scan of the type at the Museum of Air and Space at Le Bourget, Paris.