Germany - 19117 Rumpler D.I

Arriving Late for the Party

I like the funky look of this plane. All the reference art had the somewhat retro green and mauve paint scheme. If it had entered battle I suspect we would be seeing an entirely different paint job using standard Jasta marking schemes.

Rumpler D.I - 1917

The Rumpler D.I (factory designation 8D1) was a fighter-reconnaissance aircraft produced in Germany at the end of World War I. It was a conventional single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span braced by I-struts. It featured an open cockpit and a fixed, tail skid undercarriage. The upper wing was fitted with aerodynamically balanced ailerons and fuselage had an oval cross-section.

The D.I had a protracted development through the course of 1917, with at least six different development prototypes built before Rumpler settled on a final design in 1918 in time for the Idflieg's D-type competition at Adlershof. Two 8D1s participated, powered by Mercedes D.III engines. Another one participated in the follow-on competition in autumn, this time with a BMW engine.

The Idflieg approved the type for production and issued the designation D.I, but only a small number were produced; the war was practically over and none saw operational service.

References

1. "Rumpler D.I", From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpler_D.I
2. Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. "German Aircraft of the First World War". London: Putnam, 1962.
3. "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft". London: Aerospace Publishing.
4. Kroschel, Günter and Helmut Stützer. "Die Deutschen Militärflugzeuge 1910-1918" (in German). Wilhelmshaven: Herford Verlag, E.S. Mittler & Sohn, 1994. ISBN 3-920602-18-8.
5. Murphy, Justin D. "Military Aircraft: Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of their Impact". Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 2005. ISBN 1-85109-488-1.
6. Taylor, Michael J. H. "Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation". London: Studio Editions, 1989. ISBN 0-51710-316-8.