The Friedrichshafen FF.48 was a German two-seat floatplane fighter of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
| FF.48 | |
|---|---|
 A FF.48 with axles positioned underneath its floats | |
| General information | |
| Type | Floatplane fighter |
| Manufacturer | Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen |
| Number built | 3 |
| History | |
| First flight | 22 August 1917 |
Development and design
editThe FF.48, along with the smaller single-seat FF.43, was designed for defence of the floatplane bases, it was a biplane powered by a Maybach Mb.IV inline piston engine. The pilot and observer each had control of one 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun. Only three aircraft were built.
Specifications (FF.48)
editData from Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 11.2 m (36 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 16.25 m (53 ft 4 in)
- Height: 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 68 m2 (730 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,591 kg (3,508 lb)
- Gross weight: 2,216 kg (4,885 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Maybach Mb.IV 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 180 kW (240 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 153 km/h (95 mph, 83 kn)
- Cruise speed: 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn)
- Range: 740 km (460 mi, 400 nmi)
- Time to altitude:
- 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 6 minutes 24 seconds
- 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 14minutes 6 seconds
- 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 23 minutes 6 seconds
Armament
- Guns: * 1 × fixed, forward firing 7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine gun ; 1 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun on pivoted mount in rear cockpit.
See also
editRelated lists
References
edit- ^ Kober, Theodor von; Borzutzki, Siegfried. Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH (in German) (1. Aufl ed.). Burbach. p. 145. ISBN 978-3927513600.
Bibliography
edit- Borzutzki, Siegfried (1993). Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH: Diplom-Ingenieur Theodor Kober [Friedrichshafen Aircraft Company: Diploma-Engineer Theodore Kober] (in German). Berlin: Burbach. ISBN 3-927513-60-1.
- Herris, Jack (2016). Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 21. Charleston, South Carolina: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-35-3.
Further reading
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Friedrichshafen FF.48.
- Herris, Jack (2012). German Seaplane Fighters of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Seaplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 2. Charleston (S.C.): Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-09-4.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.