Austria - 1917 Lohner D.I 10.20 series 111

Some Times Life Just Gets Strange

Things have been hectic around the studio. I am supposedly officially retired and getting on with the work I choose. Unfortunately others I know seem to think since I am retired I have empty hours that I should fill with projects they want me to do for them. Add a internet connection issue and I have not had much chance to post or read the blogs of my friends. Hopefully things will settle down and I can get back to a normal (as normal as it gets in this madhouse) routine.

The Ill Fated Lohner D.I 10.20

I have previously posted one of the earlier prototypes of this type. I finally finished up the profile of the last incarnation of this design. Austria seemed to have a difficult time creating original designs which could compete with the aircraft of their enemies. They invested so much time and resources into inferior designs.

Lohner DI - 10.20 Type AA sn. 111.01

Lohner DI - 10.20 Type AA sn. 111.01 - 1917

This is the original prototype, known as the type AA. Despite its sleek lines The performance left much to be desired. It was rebuilt with conventional wing struts and wires. This did yield any real advantage.

Lohner DI 10.20B sn. 111.02 - 1917

Lohner DI 10.20B sn. 111.02 - 1917

I had originally posted this profile a while ago. I include it here to show the evolution of the design. This nw build was the second attempt to solve the problems with the design. Once again the "I" struts have returned and the lines are still rather sleek. Unfortunately there was not much improvement in performance. As with the Type AA, the type B was retired.

Lohner DI 10.20 sn.111.03 - 1917

Lohner DI 10.20 sn.111.03 - 1917

This is the final version of the Lohner D.I. Gone were the "I" struts and the fuselage was simplified. The rudder was smaller that the previous prototypes.

The Lohner Series 111 aircraft company was an Austria-Hungarian prototype single seat biplane built in 1917 by Lohnerwerke GmbH. The fuselage was a laminated wood construction. The wing struts were an "I" requiring no wires tor structural stability. Power was provided by an Austro-Daimler engine generating 185 hp (138 kW) The design went through several changes during the development process. Three prototypes were built. The performance of the aircraft was not an improvement on existing models already in production. Lackluster flight results led to Flars not approving the D.I for production.

References

1. Grosz, Peter, the Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One, Flying Machines Press, 2002, ISBN 1-891268-05-8

Austria - 1917 Aviatik-Berg D-I part 2

More Aviatik D-I Scouts

Once again I am back to my obsessive self. the Albatros Project is on hold while I work on several different types of Aviatik aircraft and camouflage sheets for the camouflage corner page. These are the latest profiles in the series. I am still working on a new master file for the Aviatik C-I. I have started work on profiles for the Aviatik 30.24 triplane and the Aviatik 30.40 monoplane. Today's selection has an Aviatik built series 138 and two Lohner built series 115 aircraft.

Aviatik-Berg (Aviatik) D-I Ba 138 - 1918

This example has louvers along the engine compartment and a modified cockpit combing. The unpainted forward section is longer, extending close to the midpoint of the cockpit.The rudder has a mix of stripes and hexagonal camouflage.

Aviatik-Berg (Lohner) D-I Ba 115 Ltn. Otto Stelli Flik 60J sn. 115.38 - 1917

Aviatik aircraft produced by Lohner left the factory with a distinctive camouflage scheme. The black stripe on the fuselage was a common element on aircraft serving in Flik 60J. The stylized S is the personal marking of Lt. Otto Stelli. One notable feature is the lack of wheel covers.

Aviatik-Berg (Lohner) D-I Ba 115 Flik 60J sn. 115.20- 1917

This is another example of a Lohner built D-I serving in Flik 60J. Basically the paint scheme is very similar to the previous example. The pilot for this plane is unknown.

Austria - 1915 Lohner B.VII

The Battle for the Site From Hell

I got sidetracked away from the Albatros project and started work on some Austria-Hungarian profiles. I have needed to get some original content finished as I slowly replace the last of the material I have not drawn. I am down to less than a dozen aircraft to complete and it will be 100% original profile art. After that I can start adding more articles on rare birds which I have previously roughed out and laid out the profiles.

For approximately 16 months I have been working on a serious remodeling of what I call the site from hell. The project is an over 1000 page monster I had started it in 1999. The site was definitely showing its age. The best way to handle it was complete demolition and start from the ground up using standard friendly code. Hopefully I can soon push ahead on some of the sections that need fleshed out for so long. I am not sure it will ever be complete, but it won't be from lack of trying.

Austria-Hungarian Reconnaissance Aircraft on the Italian Front

Lohner B.VII - 1915

The unarmed Lohner B.VII and its armed derivative the C.I were military reconnaissance aircraft produced in Austria-Hungary during World War I. They were the ultimate developments in a family of aircraft that had begun with the B.I prior to the outbreak of war, and were the first members of that family that proved suitable for front-line service during the conflict. Like their predecessors, the B.VII and C.I were conventional biplanes with characteristic swept-back wings.

The B.VII appeared in August 1915 and finally provided a machine suitable for service use. These were used to conduct long-range reconnaissance missions over the Italian Front, as well as occasional bombing raids, carrying 180 lb (80 kg) of bombs internally. Many B.VIIs in operational service were equipped with machine guns on flexible mounts for the observer, and this led to the armed C.I version being produced at both the Lohner and Ufag factories.

Lohner B.VII - 1915

Aside from its factory-installed armament, the C.I also sported a streamlined cowling around the engine, whereas the B-types had their cylinders exposed to the airstream. Notable missions carried out by these aircraft included the raid on the Porta Volta power station in Milan on 14 February 1916 (a 378 km/276 mi round trip for 12 B.VIIs) and Julius Arigi sinking an Italian steamer at Valona in a B.VII in 1916.

Production of all versions ceased in 1917, and all were withdrawn from service soon afterwards.

Thanks to EastwoodDC at Giant Battling Robots for the shout out.

References

1. Lohner B.VII. (2009, August 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:29, July 2, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lohner_B.VII&oldid=310220492
2. Chant, Christopher (2002). "Austro-Hungarian Aces of World War 1". Oxford: Osprey.
3. Grosz, Peter M. (2002). "Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One". Colorado: Flying Machine Press.
4. Gunston, Bill (1993). "World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers". Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
5. Murphy, Justin D. (2005). "Military Aircraft: Origins to 1918". Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio.
6. Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). "Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation". London: Studio Editions.

Austria - 1917 Lohner DI

Hunting Odd Birds Take One

Lohner DI - 1917

The Lohner Series 111 was an Austria-Hungarian prototype single seat biplane built in 1917 by Lohnerwerke GmbH. The fuselage was a laminated wood construction. The wing struts were an "I" requiring no wires tor structural stability. Power was provided by an Austro-Daimler engine generating 185 hp (138 kW) The design went through several changes during the development process. Three prototypes were built. The performance of the aircraft was not an improvement on existing models already in production. Lackluster flight results led to Flars not approving the D.I for production.

I have been obsessing on early Austrian aircraft lately. Their designs are quirky and generally impractical, but oddly appealing. Finding research material is the most difficult art of the whole process. My first step is to find the back story and any specifications for the project. Next I hunt up drawings, blueprints, and color examples to base my drawing on. In this case it took a while to gather all the elements I needed before firing up my graphic suite.

I keep a library of parts, insignias, wood and camouflage patterns and lettering to speed up the process of rendering a profile. I start with a line drawing or photograph to get the right proportions. Slowly I isolate elements and create a stack of image layers. At this stage I am working in a monochromatic palette. The shapes are still rough. I slowly break each part down and build them with geometric shapes until the element is a clean collection ready for setting lightness levels, shading, colorization/skinning and reassembly. Once the elements have been fleshed out I add the final shadows and highlights. When finished I optimize the file weight

References

1. Grosz, Peter, The Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One, Flying Machines Press, 2002, ISBN 1-891268-05-8