Aviation / Aerospace

Pfalz E.I

Single-Seat Monoplane Fighter [ 1915 ]

A few E.I monoplane fighters were available to the Germans by the end of 1915 and total strength eventually reached twenty-seven in early 1916.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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Pfalz Flugzeugwerke (PFW) was arranged to manufacture aircraft for the Bavarian Flying Service in 1913. In 1914, the German Empire found itself in a World War across Europe and relied on such companies to stock its air service's inventory. Some of the more notable contributions by the concern during the conflict became the Pfalz D.III and D.XII models, both completed as fighting biplanes in 1917 and 1918 respectively.

Prior to the war in 1914, the company had secured local license production of the French Morane-Saulnier Type H and Type L monoplanes, the latter a variant of the former. In time, the company committed to the E.I, E.II, E.V, and E.VI monoplane products all their own which were influenced by the French design but fitted with progressively powerful, local engines. The E.I was the beginning of the line and broadly based on the original French offering - the German offshoot served in World War 1 (1914-1918) from late October 1915 on and this became the company's first to field a machine gun armament.

The new aircraft was powered by an Oberursel U0 rotary piston engine of 80 horsepower, this also based on the French Gnome rotary series. The engine was mounted at the nose of the aircraft in the traditional way with the pilot's open-air cockpit seated directly aft. The monoplane wings were shoulder-mounted along the slab-sided fuselage. The fixed, wheeled undercarriage resided under the frontal mass of the aircraft with a skid bringing up the rear. The tail unit utilized a single vertical fin and low-mounted horizontal planes. A network of cables connected the wing mainplanes to the dorsal and ventral regions of the aircraft's fuselage. Construction was largely of wood save for sections of the engine compartment which also held a rounded cowling affixed over the engine's face.

Armed as potential fighters, the E.I carried a single 7.92mm LMG 08/15 machine gun. This weapon was synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades (by way of "interrupter" gear). Some forms, required to conduct high-speed reconnaissance runs, had their weapons stripped as a weight-savings measure.

Type certification for the E.I occurred during September of 1915 and a pair of these aircraft were formed in the German ranks the month following. By the end of April 1916, fleet strength reached some twenty-seven examples and these were active participants in the armed escort role, partnered with slower moving observation platforms used to help gain the advantage against enemy movements on the ground. Beyond their service over European battlefields, the E.I also saw combat exposure in the Middle East during the Sinai Campaign (1916).©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1915

Origin

Imperial Germany

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

30
UNITS

Pfalz Flugzeugwerke - Imperial Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

German Empire

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

Length

20.7 ft
(6.30 m)

Width/Span

30.3 ft
(9.25 m)

Height

8.4 ft
(2.55 m)

Empty Wgt

761 lb
(345 kg)

MTOW

1,179 lb
(535 kg)

Wgt Diff

+419 lb
(+190 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Pfalz E.I production variant)

Installed: 1 x Oberursel U0 rotary piston engine developing 80 horsepower and driving a two-bladed propeller at the nose.

Max Speed

87 mph
(140 kph | 76 kts)

Ceiling

11,483 ft
(3,500 m | 2 mi)

Range

124 mi
(200 km | 370 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

875 ft/min
(267 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Pfalz E.I production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

OPTIONAL:
1 x 7.92mm LMG 08/15 machine gun synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades (by way of interrupter gear).

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

E.I - Base Series Designation

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