Rohrbach Roland
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The Rohrbach Ro VIII Roland was an semi-
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
trimotor A trimotor is a propeller-driven aircraft powered by three internal combustion engines, characteristically one on the nose and one on each wing. A compromise between complexity and safety, such a configuration was typically a result of the limit ...
airliner An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...
designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer
Rohrbach Rohrbach or Röhrbach may refer to: Places Municipalities in Switzerland *Rohrbach, Switzerland, in the canton of Bern Municipalities in Germany *Rohrbach, Bavaria, in the district of Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria *Rohrbach, Birkenfeld, in the district o ...
.Taylor 1989, p. 768. It was capable of unrivalled performance in some categories; during its early years, the type held no less than 22 world records. The Roland, which performed its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
in 1926, was promptly adopted by the German airline
Deutsche Luft Hansa ''Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G.'' (from 1933 styled as ''Deutsche Lufthansa'' and also known as ''Luft Hansa'', ''Lufthansa'', or DLH) was a German airline. It served as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and t ...
later that same year, using it on its route between
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
via
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. During 1928, Luft Hansa replaced three of its Rolands with a new variant, the ''Ro VIIIa'', which had a stretched fuselage and were powered by the more powerful
BMW V __NOTOC__ The BMW V was a six-cylinder, water-cooled inline aircraft engine built in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...
engines; the three withdrawn aircraft were quickly acquired by the Spanish airline,
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
and used on its inaugural service between
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
and
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. In 1929, Rohrbach produced nine examples of a substantially updated Roland for Luft Hansa, which featured a major redesign of the flight deck, and a new wing design. Referred to as the ''Roland II'', these aircraft continued in service with the airline until 1936 on its
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
routes. Luft Hansa's Rowlands were sold onto numerous other operations, including
Deruluft Deruluft (, or Deruluft) was a joint German-Soviet airline, established on 11 November 1921.Allaz, Camille. ''History of Air Cargo and Airmail from the 18th Century''.Christopher Foyle Publishing, 2005. p. 139. Deruluft opened its first permanen ...
and the
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
, the latter opting to arm the type and operated it from its clandestine school at
Lipetsk Lipetsk (, ), also Romanization of Russian, romanized as Lipeck, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh (river), Voronezh River in the Do ...
to train bomber crews. During his 1932 election campaign,
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
hired a Ro VIII airliner from Deutsche Luft Hansa to conduct his two first series of campaign flights in March and July; this aircraft was named ''Immelmann I'' after 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 ...
-era pilot
Max Immelmann Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 – 18 June 1916) ''Pour le Mérite, PLM'' was the first German Lists of World War I flying aces, World War I flying ace.Shores, 1983, p. 10. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credi ...
.


Design

The Rohrbach Ro VIII Roland was a semi-
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
trimotor A trimotor is a propeller-driven aircraft powered by three internal combustion engines, characteristically one on the nose and one on each wing. A compromise between complexity and safety, such a configuration was typically a result of the limit ...
aircraft. It was loosely based on the
Zeppelin-Staaken E-4/20 The Zeppelin-Staaken E-4/20 was a revolutionary four-engine all-metal passenger monoplane designed in 1917 by Adolf Rohrbach and completed in 1919 at the Zeppelin-Staaken works outside Berlin, Germany. The E-4/20 was the first four-engine, all- ...
, an earlier aircraft that had also been designed by Adolf Rohrbach. It had a fully enclosed flight deck and passenger cabin along with fixed conventional undercarriage. Power was supplied by three engines, one in the nose, and two mounted in nacelles on the wings. Metal construction was present throughout.Munson 1982, pp. 137–138. The aircraft conformed with the Rohrbach system of construction, which included extensive use of
duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age hardening, age-hardenable aluminium–copper alloys. The term is a combination of ''Düren'' and ''aluminium'' ...
, accommodation for easy inspection and replacement of all components, and a relatively strength-to-weight ratio. The aircraft had a rectangular-shaped fuselage with rounded upper edges; the wing was also rectangular in shape, except for its rounded wingtips. The aircraft was capable of flying for up to five hours while carrying its maximum capacity of ten passengers.NACA 1930, p. 1. The
undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...
arrangement consisted of hinged axles that attached to the lower fuselage's
longeron In engineering, a longeron or stringer is a load-bearing component of a framework. The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural fram ...
, which was held in place by a single horizontal strut that was also hinged to the same longeron in a slightly more forward position. It was also connected with the wing via a vertical spring strut. Spiral springs were present on the vertical struts that functioned as
shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulics, hydraulic device designed to absorb and Damping ratio, damp shock (mechanics), shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typic ...
s. The wheels consisted of
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...
tyres,
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
rims, and wire spokes. The cockpit was located in the forward portion of the fuselage. Each of the two pilots were provided with adjustable seats, complete with armrests and straps, positioned in a side-by-side arrangement. Dual flight controls were provisioned, which consisted of wheels and
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
bars. Certain controls, such as the throttle, were arranged so that they could be manipulated either jointly or individually. Separate fuel gauges were installed to indicate the levels of each tank. Exterior visibility was favourable in all directions, even to the rear, both above and below the wing. Electricity was supplied by a
windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
-driven generator and several 12v storage batteries. Standard instrumentation included three revolution counters (one for each engine), six thermometers (for both oil and coolant), an
altimeter An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. Ty ...
, air-speed meter, three chronometers, and a single compass. Special apparatus, such as a specialised
altimeter An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. Ty ...
for night flights, a
gyroscopic A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rot ...
inclinometer An inclinometer or clinometer is an measuring instrument, instrument used for measuring angles of slope, elevation, or depression (geology), depression of an object with respect to gravity's direction. It is also known as a ''tilt indicator'', ' ...
, and an onboard
search light Searching may refer to: Music * " Searchin", a 1957 song originally performed by The Coasters * "Searching" (China Black song), a 1991 song by China Black * "Searchin" (CeCe Peniston song), a 1993 song by CeCe Peniston * " Searchin' (I Gott ...
, were available for installation at customer request.NACA 1930, p. 5. Illuminated instrumentation was provided, along with landing and position lights. The cockpit was typically accessed via an exterior walkway that ran along the top of the fuselage to the tail; it could also be accessed via an interior door to the passenger cabin.NACA 1930, pp. 3-5. The passenger cabin featured numerous luxurious fittings for the era; these included
leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
upholstering around the window sills and cloth set above, openable windows (controlled via hand cranks),
plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...
flooring, racks for hand baggage, overhead ventilation, cabin heating (drawn from the engines), electric lighting, emergency exits via openings in the ceiling, and an
toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting p ...
aft of the cabin.NACA 1930, pp. 1-2. The forward portion of the passenger cabin could be used to carry a spare engine. A baggage compartment was present in the rear of the fuselage, which was also accessible from the passenger cabin as well as via an exterior hatch.NACA 1930, p. 2. The aircraft was typically powered by three
BMW Va __NOTOC__ The BMW V was a six-cylinder, water-cooled inline aircraft engine built in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...
in-line engines; two of these were positioned on steel girders suspended from the wings while the third engine was installed within the aircraft's nose. Engine start-up was typically achieved via the use of three large cylinders containing
compressed air Compressed air is air kept under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. Compressed air in vehicle tires and shock absorbers are commonly used for improved traction and reduced vibration. Compressed air is an important medium for t ...
; exterior air cylinders could also be plugged directly into the starting lines of the aircraft via a connection point on the fuselage. The engines were relatively accessible for the era. Several
radiator 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 ...
s were used to cool the engines; the nose-mounted engine made use of a radiator positioned underneath the fuselage while units orientated laterally beneath the wings. The engines were regulated using push rods.NACA 1930, pp. 2-3. Fuel pumps were used to supply fuel from the tanks to the engines; numerous fire cocks were present along the fuel lines as well as
fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which ha ...
s as protective measures.NACA 1930, pp. 2, 5. All of the fuel piping was run externally while the various pipes used for water, oil, gas, and air were colour coded in accordance with Germany industrial best practice of the era. An above-average oil supply was provided for along with a dedicated oil cooler. Piping ran within the wings, along with the rest of the interior wing structure, could be easily inspected as the
trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...
of the wing, which was hinged, could be readily swung open. The control rods for the
aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...
s ran just aft of the forward spar while the rods to actuate the
elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...
s and rudder ran within the fuselage and had joints at several intervals.NACA 1930, p. 3. The aircraft's wing has a visible dihedral and a single cable than ran between each half of the wing to the underside of the fuselage. The meeting point between the fuselage and the wings incorporated a
patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...
ed design produced by Dr Rohrback; specially, beyond the standard two attachment points, it used a third point that was intentionally angled differently to the other two.NACA 1930, pp. 3-4. The aircraft was fitted with an adjustable stabiliser, although such adjustments could only be performed on the ground; the vertical
fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...
was not adjustable. The tailplanes and the wings shared similar construction, being built in longitudinal sections with a hollow middle section. All sections of the wing provided spare internal volume for the fitting of fuel tanks, which enabled the aircraft to achieve an impressive range when configured appropriately. The exterior covering was duralumin sheeting.NACA 1930, p. 4.


Operational history

In 1926,
Deutsche Luft Hansa ''Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G.'' (from 1933 styled as ''Deutsche Lufthansa'' and also known as ''Luft Hansa'', ''Lufthansa'', or DLH) was a German airline. It served as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and t ...
purchased the prototype Roland, followed by five production examples over that year and the next.Munson 1982, p. 138. The production machines were built with open flight decks, although they were later enclosed, as on the prototype. These were put to work servicing a route between
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
via
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. In July 1927, the Roland held the world endurance record for a payload of 1,000 kg, having flown for 14 hours and 23 minutes, and the world distance record for a payload of 2,000 kg of . At different times, the Roland held no less than 22 world records. During 1928, Luft Hansa replaced three of its Rolands with new machines of slightly different design. Designated ''Ro VIIIa'', these had a fuselage that was stretched by 30 cm (1 ft) and were powered by the more powerful
BMW V __NOTOC__ The BMW V was a six-cylinder, water-cooled inline aircraft engine built in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...
engines in place of the
BMW IV The BMW IV was a six-cylinder, water-cooled inline aircraft engine built in Germany in the 1920s. Power was in the 180 kW (250 hp) range. World record On 17 June 1919 Franz Zeno Diemer flew a DFW F37, powered by a BMW IV engine ...
s fitted to the prototype and first production batch. A new Spanish airline,
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
, purchased the three Rolands that Luft Hansa retired, and put them into service on its inaugural service between
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
and
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. In 1929, Rohrbach produced nine examples of a substantially updated Roland for Luft Hansa. These featured a major redesign of the flight deck, and a new wing design. Dubbed the ''Roland II'', these aircraft continued in service with the airline until 1936 on its
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
routes. Luft Hansa sold at least three of these aircraft to
Deruluft Deruluft (, or Deruluft) was a joint German-Soviet airline, established on 11 November 1921.Allaz, Camille. ''History of Air Cargo and Airmail from the 18th Century''.Christopher Foyle Publishing, 2005. p. 139. Deruluft opened its first permanen ...
upon retirement. The
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
acquired another one, armed it and operated it at the clandestine school at
Lipetsk Lipetsk (, ), also Romanization of Russian, romanized as Lipeck, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh (river), Voronezh River in the Do ...
to train bomber crews. During his 1932 election campaign,
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
hired a Rohrbach Ro VIII Roland aeroplane from Deutsche Luft Hansa for his two first series of campaign flights in March and July. The aeroplane was named ''Immelmann I'' after 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 ...
-era pilot
Max Immelmann Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 – 18 June 1916) ''Pour le Mérite, PLM'' was the first German Lists of World War I flying aces, World War I flying ace.Shores, 1983, p. 10. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credi ...
. Hitler switched to a
Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...
in November 1932.Hoffmann 2000, p. 72.


Popular culture

The
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
Tibidabo Tibidabo () is a hill overlooking Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. At , it is the tallest hill in the Serra de Collserola. Rising sharply to the north-west, it has views over the city and the surrounding coastline. The summit of the hill is occupi ...
in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
got a real-size replica of that plane, painted red. It is the most famous ride in the park, opened on 23 September 1928, sometimes referred to as "the first
flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...
in the world", and called "L'avió" ( Catalan for "the plane").


Variants

''Data from:''German Aviation 1919 - 1945 ;Ro VIII Roland I:Initial version powered by three
BMW IV The BMW IV was a six-cylinder, water-cooled inline aircraft engine built in Germany in the 1920s. Power was in the 180 kW (250 hp) range. World record On 17 June 1919 Franz Zeno Diemer flew a DFW F37, powered by a BMW IV engine ...
6-cylinder in-line water-cooled engines. ;Ro VIIIa Roland Ia :Three aircraft purchased by
Deutsche Luft Hansa ''Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G.'' (from 1933 styled as ''Deutsche Lufthansa'' and also known as ''Luft Hansa'', ''Lufthansa'', or DLH) was a German airline. It served as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and t ...
, with a fuselage stretch, powered by three
BMW V __NOTOC__ The BMW V was a six-cylinder, water-cooled inline aircraft engine built in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...
6-cylinder in-line water-cooled engines. ;Ro VIII Roland II: A significantly up-graded version for Deutsche Luft Hansa, with revised cockpit and re-designed wing, powered by three BMW V engines; nine built.


Specifications (Ro VIIIa Roland Ia)


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * *
"Rohrbach all metal commercial airplane RO VIII "Roland""
''
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency that was founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its ...
'', 1 December 1926. NACA-AC-24, 93R18538.


External links


Rohrbach Ro VIII Roland
{{Kurt Tank aircraft 1920s German airliners
Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
High-wing aircraft Trimotors Aircraft first flown in 1926