The LFG Roland D.I was a fighter aircraft produced in Germany during World War I.Taylor 1989, 576 It was a single-seat aircraft based originally on the Roland C.II two-seat reconnaissance type. It shared its predecessor's unusual design feature of having a deep fuselage that completely filled the interplane gap, but in comparison, the fuselage was much sleeker. While the C.II's appearance had earned the ''Walfisch'' ("Whale"), the D.I became known as the ''Haifisch'' ("Shark").''World Aircraft Information Files'' File 900 Sheet 06 The I-struts that had been used to brace the C.II's wing were replaced by more conventional struts. Other changes to the wing included the removal of stagger from the design and the introduction of slight sweepback. The prototype flew in July 1916 and was accepted by the

Idflieg The Idflieg (''Inspektion der Fliegertruppen'' - "Inspectorate of Flying Troops") was the bureau of the German Empire that oversaw German military aviation prior to and during World War I. Founded in 1911, the Idflieg was part of the ''Fliegert ...

for military service. Production was interrupted, however, by a fire at the factory after only around twenty machines had been built. When production eventually resumed, it was of the improved

Roland D.II The LFG Roland D.II was a German single-seat fighter of World War I. The type was manufactured by Luftfahrzeug Gesellschaft, and also by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke under license. Design and development The D.II used a plywood monocoque fuselage. Two la ...

Variants

;LFG Roland D.I: The standard fighter. ;Roland D.I (Pfal) : D.I production from Pfalz. Originally designated Pfalz D.I. Twenty aircraft licence-built by

Pfalz Flugzeugwerke Pfalz Flugzeugwerke was a World War I Germany, German aircraft manufacturer, located at the Speyer airfield in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate (German: Pfalz). They are best known for their series of fighters, notably the Pfalz D.III and Pfa ...

, s/n: 1680-1699/16, from February 1917 renamed Roland D.I (Pfal).Herris, Jack. ''Pfalz Aircraft of World War I''. Great War Aircraft in Profile, Volume 4. 2001. . P.27 ;LFG WD: Two float

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...

version first flown 29 June 1917 and tested at

Warnemünde (, literally ''Mouth of the Warnow'') is a seaside resort and a district of the city of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Mecklenburg, Germany. It is located on the Baltic Sea and, as the name implies, at the estuary of the river Warnow (river ...

in July. It was found wanting both in its flight characteristics and the view forward and downwards. The latter criticism was frequently made of the D.I and its descendants, visibility blocked by engine radiators and the lower wing.modifications were made, but further official testing in September lead to the refusal of a production order. Modified yet again, the single example ended with the seaplane single-seat fighter school. It is sometimes referred to as the LFG W, though this name is also used for a LFG floatplane version of the Albatros C.Ia.Green & Thetford 1970, p.464Green & Swanborough 1994, p.338

Operators

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Bulgarian Air Force The Bulgarian Air Force () is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, and jointly with ...

; *

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...

Specifications

Notes

Bibliography

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External links