DFW R.I

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R.I
Type	Bomber
Manufacturer	DFW
Maiden flight	1916
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Number built	1

The DFW R.I was a prototype German bomber aircraft of World War I. Developed as a private venture by DFW, it was a large biplane of conventional configuration with four engines mounted inside the fuselage, powering propellers on the wings via transmission shafts - two mounted tractor-fashion on the leading edge of the upper wing, and two mounted pusher-fashion on the trailing edge of the lower wing. After factory tests proved promising, military acceptance trials commenced on 19 October 1916 and led to the aircraft being purchased for the Luftstreitkräfte. Soon thereafter trouble set in, with crankshafts repeatedly failing. This was attributed mostly to the engine design, but new engine mountings and universal joints for each end of the driveshafts were fitted to mitigate the problem. Following these modifications, the R.I was deployed on the Eastern front, where it raided Riga from Alt-Auz during the summer of 1917. On its second combat mission, the R.I crashed due to the failure of two engines, and was destroyed.

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

• Length: 17.6 m (57 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 30.5 m (100 ft 0 in)
• Empty weight: 6800 kg (15,000 lb)
• Gross weight: 9400 kg (20,700 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 × Mercedes D.IV inline piston engine, 164 kW (220 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 130 km/h (81 mph)
• Rate of climb: 1.7 m/s (330 ft/min)

[edit] References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 325. 
• The German Giants, The Story of the R-planes 1914-1919, G.W. Haddow & Peter M. Grosz, Putnam & Company Limited, 42 Great Russell Street, London, First Published July 1962
• "The German D.F.W. Four-Engined Commercial Biplane" Flight 25 September 1919, pp. 1274-78

v • d • e Idflieg R- and Rs-class aircraft designations AEG: R.I DFW: R.I  • R.II • R.III Linke-Hofmann: R.I  • R.II Siemens-Schuckert: R.I  • R.II  • R.III  • R.IV • R.V  • R.VI  • R.VII  • R.VIII Zeppelin-Staaken: R.IV • R.V • R.VI • R.VII • R.XIV • R.XV • R.XVI Zeppelin-Lindau: Rs.I  • Rs.II  • Rs.III  • Rs.IV

v • d • e Aircraft produced by Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke B.I • B.II • C.I • C.II • C.III • C.IV • C.V • C.VI • D.I • D.II • Dr.I • Floh • Mars • P.1 • Pfiel • R.I • R.II • R.III

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