Miloch
August 19th 19, 02:52 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_D.V
The Albatros D.V was a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and
used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I.
The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last
Albatros fighter to see operational service. Despite its well-known shortcomings
and general obsolescence, approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft were
built before production halted in April 1918. The D.Va continued in operational
service until the end of the war.
In April 1917, Albatros received an order from Inspektion der Fliegertruppen
(Idflieg) for an improved version of the D.III. The resulting D.V prototype flew
later that month. The D.V closely resembled the D.III and used the same 127 kW
(170 hp) Mercedes D.IIIa engine. The most notable difference was a new, fully
elliptical cross-section fuselage which was 32 kg (71 lb) lighter than the
partially flat-sided fuselage of the earlier D.I through D.III designs. The new
elliptical cross-section required an additional longeron on each side of the
fuselage and the fin, rudder and tailplane initially remained unchanged from the
D.III. The prototype D.V retained the standard rudder of the Johannisthal-built
D.III but production examples used the enlarged rudder featured on D.IIIs built
by the Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW). The D.V also featured a larger spinner
and ventral fin.
Compared to the D.III, the upper wing of the D.V was 121 mm (4.75 in) closer to
the fuselage, while the lower wings attached to the fuselage without a fairing.
The D.V wings were almost identical to those of the standard D.III, which had
adopted a sesquiplane wing arrangement broadly similar to the French Nieuport
11. The only significant difference between wings of the D.III and D.V was a
revised routing of the aileron cables that placed them entirely within the upper
wing. Idflieg conducted structural tests on the fuselage but not the wings of
the D.V.
Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest, usually removed in service,
because it interfered with the pilot's field of view. The headrest was deleted
from the second production batch. Aircraft deployed in Palestine used two wing
radiators, to cope with the warmer climate.
Idflieg issued production contracts for 200 D.V aircraft in April 1917, followed
by additional orders of 400 in May and 300 in July. Initial production of the
D.V was exclusively undertaken by the Johannisthal factory, while the
Schneidemühl factory produced the D.III through the remainder of 1917.
Role
Fighter
Manufacturer
Albatros-Flugzeugwerke
Designer
Robert Thelen
First flight
April 1917
Primary user
Luftstreitkräfte
Number built
c.?2,500
Developed from
Albatros D.III
The D.V entered service in May 1917 and structural failures of the lower wing
immediately occurred. In 2009, Guttman wrote that "Within the month Idflieg was
doing belated stress testing and concluding, to its dismay, that the D.V’s
sesquiplane wing layout was even more vulnerable than that of its predecessor".
The outboard sections of the D.V upper wing also suffered failures, requiring
additional wire bracing and the fuselage sometimes cracked during rough
landings.
Against these problems, the D.V offered very little improvement in performance.
Front line pilots were considerably dismayed and many preferred the older D.III;
Manfred von Richthofen was critical of the new aircraft. In a July 1917 letter,
he described the D.V as "so obsolete and so ridiculously inferior to the English
that one can't do anything with this aircraft". British tests of a captured D.V
revealed that the aircraft was slow to manoeuvre, heavy on the controls and
tiring to fly.
Albatros responded with the D.Va, which featured stronger wing spars, heavier
wing ribs and a reinforced fuselage. The modified D.Va was 23 kg (51 lb) heavier
than the D.III but the structural problems were not entirely cured. Use of the
high-compression 130 kW (180 hp) Mercedes D.IIIaü engine offset the increased
weight of the D.Va. The D.Va also reverted to the D.III aileron cable linkage,
running outwards through the lower wing, then upwards to the ailerons to provide
a more positive control response. The wings of the D.III and D.Va were
interchangeable. To further strengthen the wing, the D.Va added a small diagonal
brace connecting the forward interplane strut to the leading edge of the lower
wing; the brace was also retrofitted to some D.Vs.
Idflieg placed orders for 262 D.Va aircraft in August 1917, followed by orders
for another 250 in September and 550 in October. Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke,
which had been engaged in production of the D.III, received orders for 600 D.Va
aircraft in October. Deliveries of the D.Va commenced in October 1917. The
structural problems of the Fokker Dr.I and the mediocre performance of the Pfalz
D.III left the Luftstreitkräfte with no alternative to the D.Va until the Fokker
D.VII entered service in mid-1918. Production of the D.Va ceased in April 1918.
In May 1918, 131 D.V and 928 D.Va aircraft were in service on the Western Front;
the numbers declined as the Fokker D.VII and other types replaced the Albatros
in the final months of the war. By 31 August, fewer than 400 Albatros fighters
of all types remained at the front but they continued in service until the
Armistice.
Specifications (D.V)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 7.33 m (24 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 9.05 m (29 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 21.2 m2 (228 sq ft)
Empty weight: 687 kg (1,515 lb)
Gross weight: 937 kg (2,066 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.IIIaü piston engine, 150 kW (200 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed wooden propeller
Performance
Maximum speed: 186 km/h (116 mph; 100 kn)
Endurance: 350 km
Service ceiling: 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.17 m/s (821 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in 4 minutes
Armament
Guns: 2 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine guns
*
The Albatros D.V was a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and
used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I.
The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last
Albatros fighter to see operational service. Despite its well-known shortcomings
and general obsolescence, approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft were
built before production halted in April 1918. The D.Va continued in operational
service until the end of the war.
In April 1917, Albatros received an order from Inspektion der Fliegertruppen
(Idflieg) for an improved version of the D.III. The resulting D.V prototype flew
later that month. The D.V closely resembled the D.III and used the same 127 kW
(170 hp) Mercedes D.IIIa engine. The most notable difference was a new, fully
elliptical cross-section fuselage which was 32 kg (71 lb) lighter than the
partially flat-sided fuselage of the earlier D.I through D.III designs. The new
elliptical cross-section required an additional longeron on each side of the
fuselage and the fin, rudder and tailplane initially remained unchanged from the
D.III. The prototype D.V retained the standard rudder of the Johannisthal-built
D.III but production examples used the enlarged rudder featured on D.IIIs built
by the Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW). The D.V also featured a larger spinner
and ventral fin.
Compared to the D.III, the upper wing of the D.V was 121 mm (4.75 in) closer to
the fuselage, while the lower wings attached to the fuselage without a fairing.
The D.V wings were almost identical to those of the standard D.III, which had
adopted a sesquiplane wing arrangement broadly similar to the French Nieuport
11. The only significant difference between wings of the D.III and D.V was a
revised routing of the aileron cables that placed them entirely within the upper
wing. Idflieg conducted structural tests on the fuselage but not the wings of
the D.V.
Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest, usually removed in service,
because it interfered with the pilot's field of view. The headrest was deleted
from the second production batch. Aircraft deployed in Palestine used two wing
radiators, to cope with the warmer climate.
Idflieg issued production contracts for 200 D.V aircraft in April 1917, followed
by additional orders of 400 in May and 300 in July. Initial production of the
D.V was exclusively undertaken by the Johannisthal factory, while the
Schneidemühl factory produced the D.III through the remainder of 1917.
Role
Fighter
Manufacturer
Albatros-Flugzeugwerke
Designer
Robert Thelen
First flight
April 1917
Primary user
Luftstreitkräfte
Number built
c.?2,500
Developed from
Albatros D.III
The D.V entered service in May 1917 and structural failures of the lower wing
immediately occurred. In 2009, Guttman wrote that "Within the month Idflieg was
doing belated stress testing and concluding, to its dismay, that the D.V’s
sesquiplane wing layout was even more vulnerable than that of its predecessor".
The outboard sections of the D.V upper wing also suffered failures, requiring
additional wire bracing and the fuselage sometimes cracked during rough
landings.
Against these problems, the D.V offered very little improvement in performance.
Front line pilots were considerably dismayed and many preferred the older D.III;
Manfred von Richthofen was critical of the new aircraft. In a July 1917 letter,
he described the D.V as "so obsolete and so ridiculously inferior to the English
that one can't do anything with this aircraft". British tests of a captured D.V
revealed that the aircraft was slow to manoeuvre, heavy on the controls and
tiring to fly.
Albatros responded with the D.Va, which featured stronger wing spars, heavier
wing ribs and a reinforced fuselage. The modified D.Va was 23 kg (51 lb) heavier
than the D.III but the structural problems were not entirely cured. Use of the
high-compression 130 kW (180 hp) Mercedes D.IIIaü engine offset the increased
weight of the D.Va. The D.Va also reverted to the D.III aileron cable linkage,
running outwards through the lower wing, then upwards to the ailerons to provide
a more positive control response. The wings of the D.III and D.Va were
interchangeable. To further strengthen the wing, the D.Va added a small diagonal
brace connecting the forward interplane strut to the leading edge of the lower
wing; the brace was also retrofitted to some D.Vs.
Idflieg placed orders for 262 D.Va aircraft in August 1917, followed by orders
for another 250 in September and 550 in October. Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke,
which had been engaged in production of the D.III, received orders for 600 D.Va
aircraft in October. Deliveries of the D.Va commenced in October 1917. The
structural problems of the Fokker Dr.I and the mediocre performance of the Pfalz
D.III left the Luftstreitkräfte with no alternative to the D.Va until the Fokker
D.VII entered service in mid-1918. Production of the D.Va ceased in April 1918.
In May 1918, 131 D.V and 928 D.Va aircraft were in service on the Western Front;
the numbers declined as the Fokker D.VII and other types replaced the Albatros
in the final months of the war. By 31 August, fewer than 400 Albatros fighters
of all types remained at the front but they continued in service until the
Armistice.
Specifications (D.V)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 7.33 m (24 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 9.05 m (29 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 21.2 m2 (228 sq ft)
Empty weight: 687 kg (1,515 lb)
Gross weight: 937 kg (2,066 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.IIIaü piston engine, 150 kW (200 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed wooden propeller
Performance
Maximum speed: 186 km/h (116 mph; 100 kn)
Endurance: 350 km
Service ceiling: 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.17 m/s (821 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in 4 minutes
Armament
Guns: 2 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine guns
*