Pfalz D.VII
| D.VII | |
|---|---|
| Role | Single seat fighter aircraft |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Pfalz Flugzeugwerke |
| First flight | Late 1917 |
The Pfalz D.VII was a German biplane fighter aircraft from World War I. It was not put into production.
Design and development[edit]
The D.VII was a single-bay biplane with staggered, parallel-chord wings. It had simple parallel interplane struts; the upper centre section was supported on each side by a three-sided rectangular frame, open at the bottom where it was mounted on the upper fuselage. There were externally connected ailerons on both upper and lower planes.[1]
Behind the D.VII's rotary engine its fuselage was of rounded cross-section, with the single-seat, open cockpit just below the upper wing's trailing edge, where there was a small cut-out for better upward vision. The horizontal tail was mounted at mid-fuselage; the fin was straight-edged and carried a full, rounded and horn balanced rudder. The D.VII had a simple fixed conventional undercarriage, with mainwheels on a single axle supported at each end by a thin V-form pair of struts. There was a generous tailskid. The D.VII had a pair of fixed LMG 08/15 machine guns, the standard German single-seat fighter armament of the time.[1]
Beginning its flying programme near the end of 1917, the Pfalz was fitted with three types of rotary engines in testing: the 108 kW (145 hp) Oberursel U.III, the Goebel Goe.III and the Siemens-Halske Sh.III, the last two both producing 119 kW (160 hp). These drove both two and four blade propellers. Both balanced and unbalanced ailerons were tried.[1]
The D.VII was one of three Pfalz aircraft which competed at the first D-Type contest held at Adlershof in January and February 1918, the others being the D.VI and the D.VIII. It gained its Type Certificate in February 1918 but did not receive a production order.[1]
Specifications[edit]
Data from Green & Swanborough[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 5.65 m (18 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 7.52 m (24 ft 8 in)
- Height: 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in)
- Wing area: 17.20 m2 (185.1 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 520 kg (1,146 lb)
- Gross weight: 715 kg (1,576 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Siemens-Halske Sh.III 11-cylinder rotary engine, 120 kW (160 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 190 km/h (120 mph, 100 kn) at 4,000 m (13,215 ft)
- Endurance: 1.5 hr
- Time to altitude: 25.25 min to 6,000 m (18,290 ft)
Armament
- 2× LMG 08/15 7.9 mm (0.311 in) machine guns
References[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- Herris, Jack (2012). Pfalz Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 5. Charleston, SC: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-12-4.