The DFW C.I

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...

built by the (DFW) during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

for the

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's ()

Imperial German Air Service Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Impe ...

(). First flown in 1915, the aircraft was built in small numbers. The C.II differed from the C.I by switching the positions of the pilot and

observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

, placing the former in the front cockpit. Surviving aircraft were withdrawn from front-line units and assigned to training units.

Development

Derived from the company's B.II design of 1914, the C.I kept the same basic fuselage design with the pilot located behind the observer. The latter was provided with a

Parabellum MG 14 The Parabellum MG 14 was a 7.92 mm caliber World War I machine gun built by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken. It was a redesign of the Maschinengewehr 08 machine gun (itself an adaptation of the Maxim gun) system intended for use on aircr ...

machine gun on a ring mount. Curved steel tubes prevented him from firing into the

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

. The engine was upgraded to a water-cooled Benz Bz.III

straight-six A straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balanc ...

engine. The fuel tank was moved to the underside of the upper wing and the side-mounted

radiators A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

were replaced by one installed below the leading edge of the upper wing in most of the C.Is.Herris, pp. 72–74 The C.II was almost identical, except that it reversed the seating arrangements for the pilot and observer, placing the observer in the rear cockpit and eliminating the unnecessary tubing around the forward cockpit.

Operational history

A total of 40 C.Is are known to have been built with aircraft noted on the strength reports of front-line units beginning in the last months of 1915. The aircraft was withdrawn from those units beginning in January 1916 because weak

wing spar In a fixed-wing aircraft, the spar is often the main structural member of the wing, running spanwise at right angles (or thereabouts depending on wing sweep) to the fuselage. The spar carries flight loads and the weight of the wings while on ...

s. The wings were rebuilt and the C.I began appearing in the strength reports in June with the last mention on 31 August 1917. The following month it began showing up in training units and was known to have served in them at least through February 1918. Only a dozen C.IIs are known to have been built and photographic evidence shows that a few of them were used operationally, but none appear on the bimonthly strength reports, suggesting that they were soon withdrawn.Herris, p. 80

Specifications (C.II)

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Idflieg C-class designations 1910s German military reconnaissance aircraft

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Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1915