Gotha GI

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gotha GI
Gotha GI
Type: bomber
Design country:

German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire

Manufacturer:

Gothaer Waggonfabrik

First flight:

Early 1915

Production time:

1914-1916

Number of pieces:

18th

The Gotha GI was a bomber of the German air force in the First World War . As "large combat aircraft No. 1 Gotha Coach Factory " it established a series, nor the types to the g.ii to G.VI included.

construction

It was a biplane of unusual construction: In contrast to normal biplanes, in which the lower wing is attached to the fuselage, the upper wing of the GI was attached to the fuselage; the lower wing went straight through under the fuselage. The developer Carl Oskar Ursinus had this arrangement patented. The field of fire of the machine gunner seated in front was not restricted by the upper wing as in conventional designs. Furthermore, the two motors could be mounted close to each other on the lower wing, so that if one motor failed, the remaining tractive force would generate a lower torque around the yaw axis than with the usual arrangement. A disadvantage of this construction, however, was that the shooter was more at risk if a headstand occurred during a crash landing.

Ursinus originally designed the bomber as a seaplane . The first prototype flew in early 1915 and was equipped with two Benz Bz II engines, each with an output of 74 kW (100 hp).

After testing by Idflieg ( inspection of the air force ), the Gothaer Waggonfabrik was entrusted with the production in March 1915. The original Ursinus construction was revised by its chief engineer Hans Burkhard and the company built the machines as land planes. The first copy was completed on July 27, 1915, and a total of eighteen had been produced by 1916. This version was equipped with two 110 kW (150 hp) Benz Bz III engines and was known as the "GUH" (Gotha-Ursinus-Heeresflugzeug). The bomber was equipped with a machine gun, the maximum bomb load was about 150 kg.

In April 1915, the Imperial Navy commissioned the manufacture of a seaplane based on the original Ursinus concept under the designation "UWD" (Ursinus water double decker). In January 1916 the only copy was completed.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 3
span 22.0 or 19.7 m
length 12.9 m
height 3.9 m
Wing area 82.0 m²
Wing extension
payload
Takeoff mass 2810 kg
Cruising speed 130 km / h
Top speed 130 km / h
Service ceiling 2700 m
Range 540 km
Engines 2 × Benz Bz III , each 110 kW (150 PS)

See also

Web links

Commons : Gotha GI  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Copenhagen / Beek: The large aircraft type book 2005 ISBN 3-613-02522-1 : the book gives the maximum bomb load of 150 kg.
  2. Aviation Museum ( Memento of December 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (queried on May 22, 2008) indicates the following armament: "2 * MG 7.9 mm, 200 kg bomb."