A Central Powers Float Plane
I seem to have put the cart before the horse. I should have posted this article first. As I stated in the previous article Hansa-Brandenburg produced a line of excellent float planes. The first of the line designed by Ernst Heinkel was the Hansa-Brandenburg KDW. The aircraft had clean lines. The notable feature is the gun pod mounted on the upper wing. It is an Austrian invention containing one or two Schwarzlose MG M.07/12 machine guns and the ammunition.
The Hansa-Brandenburg KDW was a German single seat fighter floatplane of World War I. The KDW - Kampf Doppeldecker, Wasser ("Fighter Biplane, Water") - was an adaptation of the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I landplane and was designed to provide coastal defense over the North Sea and Adriatic.
The Hansa-Brandenburg KDW was manufactured by Hansa und Brandenburgische Flugzeug-Werke, from a designed Ernst Heinkel. The KDW was introduced in 1916 and approximately 60 were built.
The wingspan was 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m). The length was 26 ft 3 in (8 m) with a height of 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m). The KDW's loaded weight was 2,293 lb (1,040 kg). The armament for the KDW was 1 or 2 Schwarzlose MG M.07/12 fixed forward-firing 0.312 in (7.92 mm) machine guns
Powered by a single Benz Bz.III water-cooled inline engine, producing 150 hp (112 kW), with a maximum speed was 93 kn, 107 mph (172 km/h) at sea level. It had a service ceiling of 13,123 ft (4,000 m) and an endurance of 2 hrs 30 mins
It was produced under license by the Austrian manufacturer Phönix from 1916 in five batches, each with different engines, around 60 aircraft in total being produced.
References
- Hansa-Brandenburg KDW. (2009, November 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:39, August 22, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hansa-Brandenburg_KDW&oldid=324698708
- Jackson, Robert, "The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft
", Parragon, 2002. ISBN 0-75258-130-9
3 comments:
I really like the colour and lines of this, really good work sir.
It looks very clean. I wonder how if the gun pack can be cleared on a jam.
Thanks all, I have not read much about the gun pods jamming, but it might be safe to assume the procedure for clearing a jam might be this:
1 Break off combat and head towards your airfield.
2 Evade any gun fire.
3 Land at airfield.
4 Swear loudly and profusely.
5 Have a mechanic bash the pod with a heavy spanner.
6 Test gun.
7 If jam is not cleared repeat steps 4 and 5.
8 If fuel is not low take off and start over.
9 If fuel is low, get out, and have a schnaps.
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