The Albatros B.I, (post-war company designation L.1) was a German military reconnaissance aircraft designed in 1913 and which saw service during World War I.[1]
| B.I | |
|---|---|
 Albatros B.I | |
| General information | |
| Type | Reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Albatros Flugzeugwerke |
| Primary user | Luftstreitkräfte |
Design and development
editThe B.I was a two-seat biplane of conventional configuration that seated the observer and the pilot in separate cockpits in tandem. The wings were originally of three-bay design, but were later changed to a two-bay, unstaggered configuration; featuring a typical aileron control cable system for German aircraft of the time, that allowed for a horizontal control horn that fitted into a structural pocket in the wing structure at neutral. A floatplane version was developed as the Albatros W.I.
Variants
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- B.I
- German production aircraft for the Luftstreitkräfte
- Phönix 20.01
- First prototype for Austrian production.[2]
- Phönix 20.02
- second prototype for Austrian production.
- B.I(Ph) series 21
- Production by Phönix Flugzeug-Werke AG at Vienna for the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops.
- B.I(Ph) series 24
- Production by Phönix Flugzeug-Werke AG at Vienna for the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops.
- B.I(Ph) series 25
- Production by Phönix Flugzeug-Werke AG at Vienna, with the KNV (Knoller Verspannung) for the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops; 48 ordered, reduced to 16 due to delays and persistent problems.
Operational history
editThe B.Is were withdrawn from front line service in 1915 but some examples served as trainers for the remainder of the war.
Operators
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- The Polish Air Force operated this type postwar.
- Romanian Air Corps – One Albatros purchased from Germany in 1913[3]
Surviving aircraft
editThe Phönix 20.01, prototype for Austrian production of the Albatros B.I(Ph), is preserved at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna.
Specifications (B.I)
edit
Data from German aircraft of the First World War [4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 8.57 m (28 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 14.48 m (47 ft 6 in)
- Height: 3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
- Empty weight: 747 kg (1,647 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,080 kg (2,381 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.I 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 75 kW (100 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph, 57 kn)
- Range: 650 km (400 mi, 350 nmi)
- Endurance: ca 4 hours
- Time to altitude: 800 m (2,600 ft) in 10 minutes
See also
editRelated development
Related lists
References
edit- ^ Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 51.
- ^ Treadwell, Terry C. (2010). German & Austro-Hungarian aircraft manufacturers 1908–1918. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. pp. 236–244. ISBN 978-1-4456-0102-1.
- ^ Valeriu Avram (2013). "Din Istoria Aripilor Românești 1910–1916" (PDF). Buletinul Arhivelor Militare Române (in Romanian). No. 61/2013. pp. 2–17. ISSN 1454-0924.
- ^ Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1970). German aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. p. 252. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.
Bibliography
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- Herris, Jack (2016). Albatros Aircraft of WWI: Volume 1: Early Two-Seaters: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 24. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-47-6.
- 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.