Gotha LD 5

The Gotha LD 5 (for Land Doppeldecker - "Land Biplane") was a military aircraft produced in Germany during the early part of World War I.

LD 5
Role	Military utility aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Gotha
First flight	1914
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Number built	6

Development

Developed to the Kavallerie Flugzeug requirement for light fast scouting aircraft, the LD 5 was used for training and reconnaissance, it was a conventional design with two-bay unstaggered wings, tailskid landing gear, and a single open cockpit. Flight tests showed it to be unable to live up to intended reconnaissance duties and so the LD 5 was relegated to being a trainer. The LD 5's short wings also rendered it confined to long runways, but the LD 5 was ordered into modest production despite deficiencies.

Operators

Germany

• Luftstreitkrafte

Specifications (LD 5)

rear side view showing the single cockpit

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 5.8 m (19 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in)
• Empty weight: 385 kg (849 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Oberursel U.I 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 75 kW (100 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 115 km/h (71 mph, 62 kn)
• Cruise speed: 105 km/h (65 mph, 57 kn)

See also

Related development

• Gotha LD.1

Further reading

• Gray, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. p. 394. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.
• Herris, Jack (2013). Gotha Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 6. Charleston, South Carolina: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-14-8.
• Metzmacher, Andreas (2021). Gotha Aircraft 1913-1954: From the London Bomber to the Flying Wing Jet Fighter. Brimscombe, Stroud: Fonthill. ISBN 978-1-78155-706-8.