LVG B.I

LVG B.I
Role	Two-seat reconnaissance biplan
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte

The LVG B.I was a 1910s German two-seat reconnaissance biplane designed by Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft for the Luftstreitkräfte.

Development

LVG had been involved in the operation of dirigibles before it started design, in 1912, of the company's first original design, the B.I. The B.I was an unequal-span two-seat biplane with a fixed tailskid landing gear. It was powered by a nose-mounted 80 kW (100 hp) Mercedes D.I engine. After entering service an improved variant, the B.II was developed with a cut-out in the upper wing to improve visibility for the pilot in the rear cockpit to help spot ground infantry and fitted with a 90 kW (120 hp) Mercedes D.II engine. The B.II entered service in 1915 and although mainly used as a trainer it was also used for unarmed reconnaissance and scouting duties. A further variant was the B.III which had structural strengthening to allow it to be used as a trainer.

The Euler company built the B.I and B.II under license as the Euler B.I and Euler B.II respectively. The B.III was likewise built under license by Euler as the Euler B.III.^[1]^[2]

Variants

German pilots in front of an LVG B.I on the western front

B.I - Production variant powered by an 80 kW (100 hp) Mercedes D.I engine.
- Otto B.I/LVG B.I(Ot) - Otto-built B.I.^[3]
B.II - Improved variant powered by a 90 kW (120 hp) Mercedes D.II engine.
- Lebedev IX - Captured B.II rebuilt by Lebed and supplied to the Imperial Russian Air Force
B.III - Training variant with strengthened structures.

Operators

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Air Force

Denmark

Royal Danish Air Force

German Empire

Luftstreitkrafte

Turkey

Ottoman Air Force

Specifications (B.I)

Data from ^[4]

General characteristics

Crew: 2 (pilot, observer)
Length: 8.30 m (27 ft 2.75 in)
Wingspan: 12.12 m (39 ft 9.25 in)
Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8.25 in)
Wing area: 35.40 m² (381.05 sq ft)
Empty weight: 726 kg (1,600 lb)
Gross weight: 1,075 kg (2,370 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.I inline piston engine , 75 kW (100 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph, 56 kn)
Endurance: 4 hours 0 minutes

References

Notes

^ "LVG B.i".
^ "LVG B.III".
^ Herris, Jack, 2019. Otto, AGO, and BFW Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes (Great War Aviation Centennial Series). Aeronaut Books.
^ Orbis 1985, page 2277

Bibliography

Anderson, Lennart (November–December 2019). "La renaissance de l'aviation militair bulgare dans les années vingt" [The Rebirth of Bulgarian Military Aviation in the Twenties]. Avions (in French) (232): 52–66. ISSN 1243-8650.
Klaauw, Bart van der (March–April 1999). "Unexpected Windfalls: Accidentally or Deliberately, More than 100 Aircraft 'arrived' in Dutch Territory During the Great War". Air Enthusiast (80): 54–59. ISSN 0143-5450.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.

[1] "LVG B.i".

[2] "LVG B.III".

[3] Herris, Jack, 2019. Otto, AGO, and BFW Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes (Great War Aviation Centennial Series). Aeronaut Books.

[4] Orbis 1985, page 2277

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