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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 1267.PDF
DECEMBER 16, 1920 SOME DORNIER "MILESTONES THE question of metal construction is now generally ad- mitted to be one of great importance to the development of commercial aviation. Not only does it appear that for the same weight greater strength can be provided in metal aircraft structures, but also the question of durability, which is of far greater importance in commercial aircraft than in war machines which do not as a rule in any case have a very long Jife, seems to point to metal as a more satisfactory solution. In Germany a great deal of work has been done in the way of lines, his work being regarded as more or less experimental and not expected to result in machines for use during the War. This probably explains the reason for the comparatively scant knowledge of the Dornier-Zeppelins while the Baumann- Zeppelins (Staakens) are well known. As the Dornier machines are of very unorthodox design and appear to promise well for commercial work, we have thought that a few notes and illustrations dealing wth some of his productions built at the Lindau works may not be without interest. Si Si Si Si Si Si The Do. Rs. I : This machine is the first of the Dornier series of Zeppelin flying boats, and has biplane wings. All his subse- quent flying boRtsJwere mono- planes. Si Si S metal construction, most of which is already fairly well known in this country. Thus the various Junkers machines, A.E.G.'s, Zeppelin-Staakens, etc., have been examined and described from time to time. There is, however, one German designer whose work, although it extends over a period of about six years, is not so well known in this country as it deserves to be. We refer to that of Herr Dormer, who is one of the chief designers of the Zeppelin firm. We under- stand that already early in the War, Herr Dornier was engaged upon the design of all-metal machines of large size, but it was realised by those in charge of the Zeppelin concern that the work was of such a nature that immediate results could not be expected. Consequently, another of the firm's designers. Professor Baumann, was entrusted with the task of designing war machines of more or less orthodox type, while Herr Dornier was allowed to go on along his special The Do. Rs. I—1914-15 The first machine, which was turned out during the years 1914 and 1915, was a biplane flying boat with the lower plane considerably smaller than the top, or as the Germans call it a one-and-a-half plane. The inter-plane bracing took the form of a series of vee steel struts forming a Warren truss as viewed from in front. The hull was of orthodox design vee- bottom front portion and a single step, with the aft portion cocked up at an angle and carrying the tail. Wing tip floats were fitted, but in the next and all subsequent models these were discarded in favour of short wing stumps projecting from the sides of the boat and providing lateral stability without the use of wing tip floats. The power plant consisted of three 240 h.p. Maybach engines. The machine had a span of 143 ft. 6 ins., a length of 96 ft., and a total wing area of 3.540 sq. ft. The machine was thus a very large one, Si Si Si Si Si \ ^ The Do. Rs. II: Si Side view, show- ^ ing open tail *: fiirder. Si !S Si Si Si Si Si I269
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