Schoettler I.
| Schoettler I. | |
|---|---|
 Schoettler I - 1923 |
|
| Type: | |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
Buchheister & Co. |
| First flight: |
no later than July 19, 1923 |
| Commissioning: |
1923 |
| Production time: |
1922 to 1924 |
| Number of pieces: |
approx. 20 |
The Schoettler I (also known as Schoettler BI ) was a single-engine, two-seater double - decker . The aircraft is considered to be one of the first to be developed and mass-produced in China.
designation
The aircraft was named Schoettler I in analogy to its designer Leopold Schoettler . In some publications, Schoettler BI or Fuetterer-Schoettler I are also used as names . The latter designation refers to Schoettler's construction assistant Ernst O. Fuetterer.
construction
The Schoettler I was designed and built by Leopold Schoettler from 1922 at the Buchheister & Co. company on the site of what would later become the Shanghai airport in Longhua (also Lunghua).
The aircraft was a conventional European single-engine biplane design that could accommodate two crew members. The design was similar to the aviation B.II and the Albatros B. II . The wings were of the same length and had a 2 ° V-position and an offset of 597 mm from one another. The distance between the upper and lower wing was 1,676 mm with parallel spars and cross bracing. Both wings were equipped with ailerons . The tail unit was also conventional.
Behind the cockpit, the fuselage was a rectangular fabric-covered wooden structure. In the area of the cockpit for the pilot and the observer, who sat under the trailing edge of the wing, the fuselage had wooden cladding and in the area of the engine a cladding with a rectangular cross-section made of metal.
As engine was a water-cooled 160- hp -Motor Mercedes D III is used in which the upper cylinder by design were exposed, and a two-blade propeller . On both sides of the engine were the radiators with regulating flaps. The landing gear was a conventional fixed landing gear with V-shaped struts.
Prototype and production
According to Flight Magazine , production started in 1922. Schoettler imported some of the main components such as the motor, the instruments, the wheels and the fabric for the covering from Europe. It can be assumed that the parts of aircraft previously imported to China from Germany, allegedly sixteen Albatros , LVG and Pfalz two-seater, were also used, as these aircraft could no longer be found after the import. All other parts were made by local workers on site in China, which is remarkable as the workers had no experience in manufacturing aerospace components and no machines were available for production.
The exact date of the first flight is not known. The flight magazines but mentioned at least one test flight, conducted by the former major of the RAF Web E. Holland, on 19 July 1923 at which the aircraft apparently satisfactory flight characteristics and good visibility for the observer showed.
Production history
In the civil war that broke out after the collapse of the Beiyang government and the end of World War I , various local warlords fought for supremacy in China. The resulting enormous need for weapons and military equipment apparently prompted Schoettler to realize his design for this aircraft, which can be used as a reconnaissance and light bomber. A small series of the Schoettler I was produced in Longhua for a local ruler in the following period. There are no reports on the exact number of units, operations and operational experience. Furthermore, the Schoettler I was apparently also produced in small numbers for the Manchurian warlord Zhang Zuolin for military use in Mukden .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data of the Schoettler I |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 8.35 m |
| span | 12.04 m |
| Wing area | 16.2 m² |
| height | 3.15 m |
| Top speed | 176 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 140 km / h |
| Takeoff mass | 1160 kg |
| Engine | Mercedes D III engine (water-cooled) with a maximum starting power of 160 hp |
| Armament | unknown |
One of the first aircraft produced in China
In the article in Flight Magazine , the Schoettler I is referred to as one of the first aircraft produced in China. Later publications, the call Xianyi Rosamonde (also Dashatou Rosamonde ) with a Erstflugdatum on July 12, 1923, probably only shortly before Schoettler I . There was also apparently another aircraft that was manufactured during this period. In addition to the temporal correspondence, the Xianyi Rosamonde is structurally very similar to the Schoettler I , so that it can be assumed that both types influenced each other.
Further developments
In 1924 Schoettler moved to Shanxi , where he designed a training aircraft for the military governor of Yan Xishan Province (Yen Hsi-shan). The aircraft known as the Schoettler III (or Schoettler BIII or B3 ) was very similar to the Schoettler I , but was 50 cm longer and was powered by a Beardmore engine with 160 hp. The first flight took place on September 21, 1925.
From the summer of 1926 the Schoettler B4 (also known as Schoettler S4 ) was built, apparently without any changes to the Schoettler III .
literature
- Werner von Langsdorf (ed.): Advances in Aviation (Number 14) - Yearbook 1927–28 . Frankfurt am Main. 1927. Bechhold Verlag. Page 209.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e The "Schoettler I" biplane (in English). In: Flight Magazine . Issue No. 44 from November 1, 1923. Volume 15. Pages 675-676 ( online ).
- ↑ a b Stefan Berleb: Doctoral Dissertation: "... for China's Benefit ...": The Evolution and Devolution of German Influence on Chinese Military Affairs, 1919-1938 (in English). Queensland University of Technology. Brisbane. 2005. page 90. ( online )
- ↑ Lennart Andersson: The first German aircraft in China. Published in: The Propeller Blade. Bulletin of the Aviation Interest Group 1900–1920. Number 25, summer 2009. Pages III / 921 to III / 923.
- ↑ a b c Schoettler I (B3). In: Corner of the Sky - non-commercial webpage on aviation history. Retrieved November 3, 2017 .
- ↑ Xianyi Rosamonde. In: Scramble's Aviation Wiki - Non-commercial webpage on the aviation history of the Dutch Aviation Society (in English). Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
- ↑ Dulux No.1 (in Chinese). In: Chinese aviation site. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .