Germany - 1918 - Zeppelin-Lindau CS.I

With a Little Help From my Friends!

One of the joys of illustrating the past is when friends set me down a new path to help bring rare birds to life. As stated previously I have been working on a project with a friend and fellow blogger, Gary C. Warne. He asked me if I had a profile for another plane flown in his new book, Bloodied Red Star. I checked and found I had started a master file for the plane. Rare was not good enough, Gary wanted an even rarer version of the prototype with the front mounted radiator. Luckily he had photos which made life easier. Once again we brought to life another rare bird.

If you have not read Gary's blog it is worth a visit. Follow his blog and read all about the latest developments and solid articles on Aviation.

The Shape of Things to Come: Zeppelin-Lindau CS.I

As the final months of World War One rolled on aviation development reached a new height. The last gasp race for military supremacy would establish a new vocabulary for aircraft design. The echos of this period influence the world of aviation design for decades to come.

Zeppelin-Lindau (Dornier) CS.I s/n 8502 - 1918

This is the prototype of the Zeppelin-Lindau CS.I. The drawing shows the fuselage mounted "ear-style" radiators. and bulbous engine fairing. The camouflage is a three color marine hexagonal scheme. The rudder shows the structure of the wooden framing used to provide rigidity.

Zeppelin-Lindau CS.I Front mounted radiator

This example shows the front mounted radiator version. The rounded engine fairing is gone and the radiator is similar to the type used on the Zeppelin-Lindau Dornier D.I The finishing scheme is the same as used on the prototype.

Short Overview of the Zeppelin-Lindau CS.I

This experimental two-seat seaplane was designed By Claude Dornier at Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH. Construction began in 1918. It was of all-metal construction except for the fabric-covered wing and cruciform tail surfaces. Ailerons were fitted with Flettner-type servos.

Armament consisted of 2 × forward-firing 0.312 in (7.92 mm) "Spandau" LMG 08/15 machine guns controlled by the pilot, and 1 × 0.312 in (7.92 mm) trainable Parabellum MG14 machine gun for observer. The machine was fitted with an Benz Bz IIIbo 8 cylinder liquid cooled V engine, 195 hp (145 kW). . The top speed of the Zeppelin-Lindau CS.I was 93.75 mph (150 kmh). Both nose and side radiator installations were tested.

References

1. Zeppelin-Lindau (Dornier) CS.I(2012, August 10). In Myflyingmachines. Retrieved 22:34, August 11, 2012, from http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft30303.htm
2. Gray, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1962). German Aircraft of the First World War (First edition ed.). London: Putnam.

Germany - 1918 - LVG C.VI

Out With the Old and In With the New!

I am still busy working on a new series of existing profiles based on newly made master files. I have been alternating between German two seat and British pusher aircraft. Today I will continue with German aircraft, constructed by LVG.

The Long Lived LVG C.VI

As the war entered it's last days aviation design was becoming more science than art. Well tested designs which were meant for combat in the Great War fought for newly formed fledgling air corps over the skies of Eastern Europe. Many of these designs slowly made their way into the world of civil aviation and served well into the next decade.

Germany 1918

German LVG C.VI s/n 1510 - 1918

This example features a varnished wood fuselage and metal forward section. The wings and tail plane are covered in 5 color camouflage fabric. Dark on the top surfaces and light on the bottom surfaces. Balkan crosses are on the fuselage, rudder , the right and left sides of top upper wing surface and crosses on the bottom lower wing surface.A white stylized six-sided shooting star and the number 4 are located below the cockpit and observer position. The exhaust pipe is the curved split flow type.

Poland 1919

LVG CVI, Polish Air Force, 8 Squadron s/n 22 - 1919

This Polish LVG C.VI has been painted in a common two color pattern. The wings and tailplane is varnished linen on the lower surfaces. I am not sure about the upper wing surfaces. I assume the wings are the same brown used on the fuselage. The Polish are the bordered variety. They are positioned in the standard 2+2 pattern. There are several notable details. The observer's gun is is a ring mounted Lewis gun. The chimney-like exhaust pipe gives it a distinct look.

Lithuania 1919

LVG C.VI Oro Laivynas (Lithuanian Air Fleet) s/n 9092/18 Kaunas -1919.

Eight new C.VI's were supplied by Germans on 27th February 1919. This aircraft took part in combat along at Polish front in March of 1919. The aircraft was piloted by German mercenary.

A Short Overview of the LVG C.VI

LVG C.VI. (2012, July 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

LVG C.VI was a German two-seat reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft used during World War I.

The aircraft was designed by Willy Sabersky-Müssigbrodt and developed by Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (LVG) in 1917. The C.VI was a further development of the C.V, which Sabersky-Müssigbrodt had made for his former employer DFW. It was lighter, smaller and aerodynamically refined, although its fuselage seemed more bulky. It was a biplane of mixed, mostly wooden construction. It featured a semi-monocoque fuselage, plywood covered. Rectangular wings of wooden and metal construction, canvas covered. Upper wing of slightly greater span, shifted some 10 in (25 cm) towards front. Vertical fin plywood covered, rudder and elevators of metal frame canvas covered, stabilizers (tail planes) of wooden frame canvas covered. Straight uncovered engine in the fuselage nose, with a chimney-like exhaust pipe. Two-blade Benz wooden propeller, 9.45 ft (2.88 m) diameter. Flat water radiator in central section of upper wing. Fixed conventional landing gear, with a straight common axle and a rear skid. Aircraft were equipped with a radio (Morse send only); transmissions were by means of an antenna which could be lowered below the aircraft when needed. The crew had parachutes and heated flying suits. A total of 1,100 aircraft of the type were manufactured.

Most LVG C.VIs were used by the German military aviation in last operations of World War I, mostly on Western Front, for close reconnaissance and observation.

After the war, Deutsche Luft-Reederei (DLR) used several C.VIs to provide mail and passenger transport service. The Polish Air Force used several aircraft during Polish-Soviet war (the first was left by the Germans, another was completed from parts in 1920, and several were bought abroad). Suomen ilmailuliikenne Oy purchased two C.VIs from a Swedish airline in 1923. The company went bankrupt in 1922, but would be a predecessor to Aero O/Y, in turn a predecessor of Finnair. The Finnish Air Force purchased two aircraft. One was destroyed in a spin in Santahamina in 1923. The other was used until the end of 1924. Several (at least eight) were used by Lithuania, two last ones survived until 1940. Three were used in Czechoslovakia, two in Switzerland (1920-1929), several in the USSR.

Today, there are three surviving C.VIs. One is on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon, one at the Brussels Air Museum in Belgium and the one at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris

References

1. LVG C.VI. (2012, July 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:20, July 16, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LVG_C.VI&oldid=500140488
2. Heinonen, Timo: Thulinista Hornetiin - Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseon julkaisuja 3, Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo, 1992, ISBN 951-95688-2-4
3. Krzysztof Choloniewski, Wieslaw Baczkowski: Samoloty wojskowe obcych konstrukcji 1918-1939. Tomik 2 (Barwa w lotnictwie polskim no.7), WKiL, Warsaw 1987, ISBN 83-206-0728-0 (Polish language)
4. Lewis, Michael: 1914-18 Connections website. Restoration of Brussels Air Museum LVG CVI