Whats your favorite aircraft from WWI??
- Thread starter DaveB.inVa
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SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
I'm not sure if it was specifically mentioned in the armistice treaty but in a later codicil.
Military Aviation History channel on YouTube has a video on this very subject.
Hardlydank
Airman 1st Class
Can't believe nobody mentioned it specifically yet, but my favorite is definitely the Nieuport 11, the French saved them up and deployed them en masse. It was the plane mostly responsible for ending the Fokker Scourge. I love its compact construction and sesquiplane layout
The Nieuports (especially the 11 and 17) get a bad rap for the fabric coming off the upper wing during steep dive. From what I've read, that was true of several other planes of the era also (although a quick search didn't come up with any examples). Any idea why the Nieuports were blamed so much more for this problem? Was it really that much worse, or were there just more of them produced before they fixed the problem, so it happened more often to Nieuports?
I also read about the wing coming apart thing for the Nieuports and other airplanes of the era. I think some German airplanes were prone to come apart but offhand don't remember any specifically.
Thumpalumpacus
Captain
This. Both the Nieuport 11 and 17 as well as the Albatros DIII has issues with partial or even catastrophic structural failure of the wings. I'm sure there are other airplanes which shared this issue, but would have to reread to dig up the models.
ETA: Another one which I just remembered was the Sopwith Triplane.
Greg Boeser
1st Sergeant
My vote is the Zeppelins.
Just like me. Big and fat, full of hot air, and likely to crash and burn at any moment.
Just like me. Big and fat, full of hot air, and likely to crash and burn at any moment.
Actually full of gas - and no, I'm not pulling your finger.
Kyushuj7w
Airman 1st Class
Always liked this one though can't find much on its record other than on wikipedia. which is hit and miss at best. I have the old eduard DIII kit but I hear the new one is superior. This reproduction is at Rhinebeck but another is in a museum out west in the USA another repro in Germany and one in New Zealand. The fuselage of an original may exist in the Krakow museum in Poland.
Although the short landing gear and limited prop clearance led to tricky landing, the plane was otherwise easy to fly. It had a very short take-off run and at heights above 4,000 m (13,000 ft) was faster and more manoeuvrable than the Mercedes-powered Fokker D.VII. Its most notable feature was its phenomenal rate of climb and extremely high service ceiling—it could reach 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in under 141⁄2 minutes. In 36 minutes it could reach 8,100 m (26,600 ft), about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) higher than the ceiling of the Fokker. Production of the D.IV continued after the cease-fire into 1919 being used by the Swiss. Aircraft started reaching operational units in August but of the 280 ordered only 123 were completed by the end of the war, about half of those reaching operational units.
Although the short landing gear and limited prop clearance led to tricky landing, the plane was otherwise easy to fly. It had a very short take-off run and at heights above 4,000 m (13,000 ft) was faster and more manoeuvrable than the Mercedes-powered Fokker D.VII. Its most notable feature was its phenomenal rate of climb and extremely high service ceiling—it could reach 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in under 141⁄2 minutes. In 36 minutes it could reach 8,100 m (26,600 ft), about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) higher than the ceiling of the Fokker. Production of the D.IV continued after the cease-fire into 1919 being used by the Swiss. Aircraft started reaching operational units in August but of the 280 ordered only 123 were completed by the end of the war, about half of those reaching operational units.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Interesting paint scheme on that aircraft.
It appears to be Georg Von Hantelmann's, but he only ever flew the D.VII with Jasta 15.
It appears to be Georg Von Hantelmann's, but he only ever flew the D.VII with Jasta 15.
Kyushuj7w
Airman 1st Class
That's what I found as well. Samples of the aircraft were initially sent to multilple squadrons for testing and supposedly sent back to the factories for modifications or repairs not able to be performed at the squadron or rear area depots. So while it is possible he flew one in field for testing, he scored no victories in it. I wonder if his grave survived WW2 as his birth place is just north and west of Poznan. The church sponsored by the family has a cemetery of the family members that seems to have survived WW2 and is in a town of reasonable size, while the area he was murdered in supposedly by poachers, is still farm land and forrested with a few along the roadside hamlets that probably did not exist in the early 20's.
Siemens Schuckert DIV. I've read that MvR happened to test fly a Siemens Schukert ( maybe a DIII, I don't remember exactly) and presumably said he liked the way it climbed but that it needed to be lubricated better. Perhaps the engine was running hotter than it should have been. I remember this story being credited to an aircraft designer named Alexander Lippisch.
There's two in New Zealand. There's this one in Blenheim...
And a flyable reproduction in Auckland, registered ZK-SSW, as you do.
The best info on the Siemens Schuckert types can be found in good ole' books.
Siemens-Schuckert Aircraft of WWI by Jack Herris | Book
www.scalemates.com
I have a copy of this, it is very detailed.
Yup, the fuselage and Siemes Halske engine are from a D IV but the aircraft was modified by the Albatros concern for a high altitude flight and a new set of wings was fitted. Unfortunately the wings fell off before they got to fly it. I have a photo of it somewhere. It had real stalky undercarriage.
Albatros H 1 - Wikipedia
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Still curious as to why that Siemens is painted in Hantelemann's scheme, as his Fokker D.VII was painted like that when he was with Jasta 15.
His initial fighter was an Albatros with Jasta 18 and he didn't have it personalized.
His initial fighter was an Albatros with Jasta 18 and he didn't have it personalized.
Kyushuj7w
Airman 1st Class
Maybe they were looking for an eye catchnig theme compared to other in their hangers.. It only taxis and never flew. If i get up there again I'll have to ask one of the docents ...
In the case of the Nieuport 11 the issue was the design, essentially Delage the designer was going for a monoplane wing to lower drag, so the thing was essentially (as described in a book I read once) a parasol monoplane with a sesquiplane wing added for strength. When the Nie.11s pulled hard manoeuvres they couldn't withstand the forces on them and suffered structural failure. Delage did strengthen the Nie.17 and it certainly happened less, but it was regarded as a fine fighter by those that flew it, despite its reputation.
Albatros D Vs and D Vas suffered structural weakness, so they added a supplementary strut to the foremost of the V interplane struts. Here's a D Va without the strut.
Here's one with the strut.
Thumpalumpacus
Captain
Thanks for the correction. My understanding was that in a sesquiplane layout, the single lower-spar/single attachment-point was the weak spot in both airplanes.
'Tis why I come here, to learn schtuff.
'Tis why I come here, to learn schtuff.
