German 1916 retractable seaplane fighter prototype question (1 Viewer)

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chris ballance

Airman 1st Class
126
114
Jul 21, 2022
Was the 1916 Oskar Ursinus retractable float seaplane fighter prototype based on the wings and fuselage of an existing aircraft or was it totally new? Was the crash that destroyed it due to a fault in the design?

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Ursinus was a designer for Gotha, the WD.10 prototype was a "clean sheet" design.
It is unfortunate that the prototype was damaged during testing, causing the project to be abandoned but it was not because of the machine's design.
During taxiing trials, a wave caused the floats to "dig in" and the aircraft nosed over, causing it to sink.
 
Thanks GrauGeist for posting the name of the aircraft, a description of the mishap with the prototype, and the fact it was a "clean sheet" design. The only sources I have on German WW1 aircrafts are a few Osprey titles and the Smithsonian book on their Albatross restoration.
 
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You're most welcome.

The WD.10 had a great deal of potential and may have caused alot of grief for the Allies, but as was the case for many prospective aircraft projects conceived during wartime, it was being developed at a time when Germany was feeling pressure and needed to stay focused on manufacturing proven types.

The WD.10 was built in 1916 but wrecked in 1917.
 
It's odd, though, that flyingmachines.run states that the WD-10 never flew, but the OP has what is presumably a photo of it in flight.

lol, also ... wait for it ... it was mid-engined with an extension shaft turning the prop.

I'm getting the hell outta this thread before it hits 3197 pages!
 

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