The Rumpler D.I (factory designation 8D1) was a
fighter-
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...
aircraft produced in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
at the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
[Taylor 1989, pp. 771–772.] It was a conventional
single-bay
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 a ...
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 ...
with wings of unequal span braced by I-struts.
[''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'', p. 2834.] It featured an open cockpit and a fixed, tailskid undercarriage.
The upper wing was fitted with aerodynamically balanced
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 arou ...
s and fuselage had an oval cross-section.
[Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 537.]
Design and development
The D.I had a protracted development through the course of 1917, with at least six development prototypes built before Rumpler settled on a final design in 1918 in time for the ''
Idfliegs D-type competition at
Adlershof
Adlershof (, literally "Eagle's Court") is a locality (') in the borough (') Treptow-Köpenick of Berlin, Germany.
Adlershof is home to the new City of Science, Technology and Media ( WISTA), located on the southwestern edge of the locality.
His ...
.
Two 8D1s participated, powered by
Mercedes D.III engines.
Another one participated in the follow-on competition in autumn, this time with a BMW engine.
Operational history
The ''Idflieg'' approved the type for production and issued the designation D.I, but only a small number were produced; the war was practically over and none saw operational service.
Variants
* 7D1 - initial prototype with comma-style balanced rudder, wide-chord I-struts, and upper wing supported by pylon faired into engine cowling. The entire fuselage was skinned in
plywood. The radiator was mounted in the upper wing, set off the port side of the supporting pylon.
[Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 534.]
* 7D2 - identical to 7D1 but with vertical stabiliser added
* 7D4 - similar to 7D2 with conventional struts in place of I-struts, conventional
cabane strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
s in place of central pylon, radiator moved to wing centreline, and central fuselage skinned in fabric.
[Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 535.]
* 7D5
* 7D7 - similar to 7D4 but with wing bracing again using I-struts (this time of narrow chord) and the bracing wires simplified. The flush-mounted radiator in the wing was replaced by ear-style frontal radiators on the forward fuselage
* 7D8 - very similar to 7D7, with wire bracing simplified further (no landing wires at all)
[Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 536.]
* 8D1 - final version approved for production as D I
Operators
;
*''
Luftstreitkräfte
The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as (Flyer Troops)—was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, alt ...
''
Specifications (D.I)
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. ''German Aircraft of the First World War''. London: Putnam, 1962.
* ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1985.
* Kroschel, Günter and Helmut Stützer. ''Die Deutschen Militärflugzeuge 1910–1918'' (in German). Wilhelmshaven: Herford Verlag, E.S. Mittler & Sohn, 1994. .
* Murphy, Justin D. ''Military Aircraft: Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of their Impact.''. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 2005. .
* Taylor, Michael J. H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989. .
External links
Rumpler 7D 1, Experimental Single-seat Fighter Airplane
{{Authority control
1910s German military reconnaissance aircraft
D.I
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1915