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Schutte-Lanz D.I


Single-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype


Imperial Germany | 1915



"The Schutte-Lanz D.I arrived at a time when multi-winged fighter aircraft were not yet en vogue - leaving just one flyable prototype completed."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Schutte-Lanz D.I Single-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype.
1 x Oberursel U.0 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine developing 80 horsepower and driving a two-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion
84 mph
135 kph | 73 kts
Max Speed
9,843 ft
3,000 m | 2 miles
Service Ceiling
280 miles
450 km | 243 nm
Operational Range
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Schutte-Lanz D.I Single-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype.
1
(MANNED)
Crew
17.7 ft
5.40 m
O/A Length
24.6 ft
(7.50 m)
O/A Width
1,433 lb
(650 kg)
Empty Weight
1,852 lb
(840 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Schutte-Lanz D.I Single-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype .
ASSUMED:
2 x 7.92mm machine guns mounted over the nose and synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Schutte-Lanz D.I family line.
D.I - Base Series Designation; single example completed.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Air power would play a crucial role in World War 1 (1914-1918) and all major global players invested heavily in the newfound instrument-of-war. For the German Empire, there seemed no shortage of available types and this stock went on to include classic designs, "one-offs" and dedicated models to serve specific over-battlefield roles. One of the lesser-known contributors to the German cause was Schutte-Lanz, a concern better remembered for its commitment to rigid airships. Founded in 1909, the company also went on to design, develop and produce a series of fighting aircraft.

The line was begun by the Schutte-Lanz D.I designed by W. Hillmann and Walter Stein. It was of conventional arrangement and construction, the latter featuring a wooden substructure with fabric skinning. The biplane wings incorporated a staggered approach with single bays formed by the parallel struts in play. A single-seat, open-air cockpit was seated aft of the nose-mounted engine. The tail unit showcased a small-area vertical fin with low-set horizontal planes. As with other aircraft of the period, a tail-dragger undercarriage was used that was wheeled at the main legs and fixed in place during flight. In several respects, the design was influenced by the popular British-originated Sopwith Tabloid.

Power was derived from an Oberursel U.0 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine of 80 horsepower driving a two bladed propeller at the nose. This engine was a local copy of the French-made Gnome Rhone 7 rotary engine. Maximum speed reached 84 miles per hour.

Structurally the aircraft exhibited a length of 17.8 feet and a wingspan of 24.6 feet.

It is said that the D.I represented Germany's first true biplane fighter when it was flown for the first time in 1915. Prior to this, the monoplane was the king of the skies for authorities were not sold on the concept of a multi-winged platform just yet - mainly due to the fact that vision out-of-the-cockpit suffered mightily with the double-layer wings. Interestingly, all this would soon change during the course of the war where two-, three- and even four-winged aircraft began to gain more favor and popularity than the earlier monoplane.

Nevertheless, the D.I was tested during 1915 but failed to impress the proper authorities. The aircraft was modified some to become the D.II but this design appears to have had an even lesser impact. Only a single D.I was ever completed and flown.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Schutte-Lanz D.I. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units

Contractor(s): Schutte-Lanz - German Empire
National flag of the German Empire

[ German Empire (cancelled) ]
1 / 1
Image of the Schutte-Lanz D.I
Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The Schutte-Lanz D.I Single-Seat Biplane Fighter Prototype appears in the following collections:
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