Dornier Do C

Dornier Do C
This photo most likely shows the Do C flying into Dübendorf in 1924
Type:	Multipurpose aircraft
Design country:	German Empire
Manufacturer:	Dornier
First flight:	September 25, 1924
Commissioning:	-
Production time:	1924/1925
Number of pieces:	2

The Dornier Do C is in the 1920s by the Dornier works in Manzell am Bodensee designed and built military utility aircraft in all-metal construction .

development

As part of a planned license production of Dornier types at the Japanese company Kawasaki Dockyard Ltd. During the negotiations around 1923/1924, a multi-purpose military aircraft was also considered that could be used as a reconnaissance aircraft, bomber and transporter. In response, Claude Dornier developed the Do C, which was closely based on the Do B Komet III , the successor to the Do C III Komet airliner . In order to save time, the same fuselage and wing structure were used for both types and the Do D , which was designed at the same time for the Japan order . The aircraft should be armed with two rigid machine guns in the wings and a movable twin stand on the back of the fuselage. When used as a bomber , the Do C should be able to carry 1000 kg. Construction of the prototype with serial number 56 began around March / April 1924 and was completed in September of that year. It was originally supposed to have an engine with an output of 400 to 600 hp, but in the end only received a British Eagle IX with 340 hp. As a military aircraft, the development and operation of which was not permitted in Germany under the provisions of the Versailles Treaty, the Do C received the Swiss license plate CH 126 on September 24 and was approved for the Swiss airline Ad Astra Aero . It is obvious that the first flight , which was carried out one day later, and the subsequent tests were also carried out on the territory of Switzerland in Dübendorf for this reason . The in-house Dornier pilot Georg Zinsmaier acted as pilot. The tests, in which the sample is said to have reached a summit height of 3920 meters, also produced overall satisfactory results, so that it was handed over to the Japanese representatives on October 3rd. It was then dismantled and shipped to Japan, but it was not deleted from the Swiss register until December 31, 1924.

At Dornier in Manzell, a second copy was produced on their own, the construction of which was completed as work number 62 on June 5, 1925. When Dornier expanded its designation system in 1926 , it was given the abbreviation Do C Nil . It received the more powerful, also British Lion engine with a front cooler and was tested by the Army Weapons Office in autumn 1925 for its use as a night bomber, but received an extremely negative assessment. Around the same time, Chile expressed an increased interest in Dornier aircraft and it was therefore decided in September to send the Do C together with the Do E and Do H types to South America in order to demonstrate them to the Chilean side on site. Probably for this reason, the bow section of the Wnr. 62 aerodynamically redesigned: The front cooler was omitted and was replaced by a smaller front cooler below the engine, the propeller was given a spinner and the bow was given a streamlined shape. Around April of the following year, Dornier received a few copies of the new BMW VI engine and installed one of them in the Do C. Shipped in the course of the year as Do C Bil , she was tested in Chile from October 1926 and bought by the Chilean Navy on June 15, 1927. It was not decommissioned until October 1938, but no further aircraft were ordered.

construction

The Do C is a stripped high- wing aircraft in all-metal construction . The hull consists of a bearing outer paneling of Duraluminiumblechen with reinforcements by frame joists and steel fittings and outwardly extending in the direction of flight riveted profile stiffeners . There are two reserve fuel tanks under the open pilot's cabin, which is equipped with double steering. A transport of drop ammunition inside the fuselage was not provided for in the bomber role, bombs should be carried at outstations under the fuselage. In contrast to its initial pattern Comet III , which had three to four square windows on each side , the Do C only had one round porthole; of the Do C Bil, on the other hand, there are photos in Chile with one square window on each side.

The three-part wing consists of the middle section with the integrated double fuel tank attached to short struts above the fuselage and the two outer wings, each connected to the middle section with two self-locking pins and each supported by two struts on the longitudinal spar of the fuselage . It is made up of two bars made of sheet steel profiles and box bars made of duralumin. The planking consists of smooth duralumin sheets. The wings are supported by two struts on each side towards the fuselage.

The tail unit consists of steel spars and duraluminium ribs with smooth dural sheet planking. The horizontal stabilizer with the rudder that can be adjusted on the ground is firmly connected to the fuselage, all rudders including the ailerons with mass compensation attached to the wing tips are aerodynamically balanced by auxiliary rudders and covered with fabric. The axes of rotation form duralumin tubes.

The rubber-sprung stub chassis has a two-part axle and is supported on each main wheel with three struts towards the fuselage. In the case of the first Do C, these struts were encased in aerodynamic panels with a wing-like profile. The grinding spur at the rear is sprung and made of steel.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Dates (Thu C)	Dates (Do C Nile)	Dates (Do C Bil)
crew	3
span	19.60 m
length	12.65 m
height	4.3 m
Wing area	62.00 m²
Empty mass	2070 kg
Preparation mass	2725 kg
payload	675 kg
Takeoff mass	3400 kg
drive	a water-cooled twelve-cylinder - V-engine	a water-cooled twelve-cylinder W engine	a water-cooled twelve-cylinder V-engine
Type	Rolls-Royce Eagle IX	Napier Lion IV	BMW VI 5.5
Starting power, climbing power, continuous power	340 PS (250 kW) 340 PS (250 kW) 280 PS (206 kW)	500 PS (368 kW) 450 PS (331 kW) 438 PS (322 kW)	630 PS (463 kW) 630 PS (463 kW) 500 PS (368 kW)
Top speed	168 km / h near the ground	176 km / h near the ground	193 km / h near the ground 190 km / h at 1000 m altitude 185 km / h at 2000 m altitude
Marching speed	145 km / h	150 km / h	160 km / h
Landing speed	95 km / h		95 km / h
Rise time	7.30 min at 1000 m altitude 55.33 min at 3000 m altitude		5 min at 1000 m altitude 11 min at 2000 m altitude 19 min at 3000 m altitude 30 min at 4000 m altitude 61.30 min at 5000 m altitude
Range	650 km		700 km
Service ceiling	3500 m		5600 m
Take-off run	100 m

literature

• Günter Frost, Karl Kössler , Volker Koos: Dornier - From the beginning to 1945 . Heel, Königswinter 2010, ISBN 978-3-86852-049-1 , p. 74-76 .
• Dornier GmbH Friedrichshafen (Ed.): Dornier . The chronicle of the oldest German aircraft factory. 3. Edition. Aviatic, Oberhaching 1996, ISBN 3-925505-01-6 , pp. 91 .
• Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1919–1934 . E. S. Mittler & Sohn, Herford 1984, ISBN 3-8132-0184-8 , p. 32, 119, 179 and 184 .

Web links

• Günter Frost: The multi-purpose aircraft Dornier Do C. Accessed on December 28, 2018 (contribution from the German Aviation History Association (ADL)).