| Albatros D.IV | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Albatros Flugzeugwerke |
| Primary user | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Number built | 1[1] |
The Albatros D.IV was an experimental German fighter aircraft built and tested during World War I. It was designed to test a geared version of the 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III engine. Unlike the ungeared version, the geared engine was completely enclosed within the fuselage. The airframe basically combined the D.II wing cellule with the D.Va fuselage along with minor alterations to the rudder balance and the horizontal stabilizer.[1]
Three examples were ordered in November 1916, but only one was flown, which was tested with several types of propeller, but excessive vibration problems and limited performance increase precluded further development.[1][2]
Variants[]
Albatros H.1 at the Polish Aviation Museum
Though two D.IVs were destroyed after the Armistice, one was retained by the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt fur Luftfahrt (German Aeronautical Experimental Institute) and in 1926 was modified for high altitude flight research. Changes included longer span, reinforced wings, revised empennage and a propeller specifically design for operation at height, driven by a 119 kW (160 hp) Siemens-Halske Sh.IIIa rotary engine. This aircraft, now designated the Albatros H.1, was never flown as its was judged to be structurally vulnerable. Its wingless fuselage and engine are on display at the Polish Aviation Museum at Crakow.[3]
Specifications[]
Test pilot on an Albatros D.IV
Data from German Aircraft of the First World War[1] & The Complete Book of Fighters[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 7.33 m (24 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 9.05 m (29 ft 8 in)
- Height: 2.59 m (8 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 20.50 m2 (220.7 sq ft)
- Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.III geared water-cooled in-line piston engine, 120 kW (160 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed wooden propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 165 km/h (103 mph; 89 kn)
- Range: 350 km (217 mi; 189 nmi)
- Endurance: 2 hours 12 minutes
- Rate of climb: 2.6 m/s (510 ft/min)
- Time to altitude: 5,000 m (16,404 ft) in 32 minutes
See also[]
- Nieuport 17
- List of aircraft (0-A)
- List of military aircraft of Germany
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd.. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Green, William; Gordon Swanborough (September 1995). The Complete Book of Fighters (1st ed.). Smithmark. ISBN 978-0-8317-3939-3.
- ↑ Albatros H.1 at Crakow
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albatros Flugzeugwerke. |
- Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd.. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.
- Green, William; Gordon Swanborough (September 1995). The Complete Book of Fighters (1st ed.). Smithmark. ISBN 978-0-8317-3939-3.
- "Albatros H.1 at Crakow". http://www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl/zbiory_sz.php?ido=10&w=a. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
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The original article can be found at Albatros D.IV and the edit history here.