Friedrichshafen FF.1
An oblique photograph of the FF.1 | |
Role | Prototype |
National origin | German Empire |
Manufacturer | Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen |
First flight | 2 November 1912 |
Number built | 1 |
Developed into | Friedrichshfen FF.9 |
The Friedrichshafen FF.1 was a German experimental floatplane built in 1912. It was the first aircraft designed and built by the newly established Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. Only one prototype was constructed and it set a German national record for endurance in 1913[1] before crashing in early 1914.
Development and description
The aircraft was a two-seat
History
During one flight in bad weather, the engine failed and the FF.1 was forced to land on Lake Constance. Despite high waves and a heavy snowfall, the aircraft drifted for 2½ hours before it was recovered; it did not require any repairs to the airframe or floats afterwards. Piloted by the company's test pilot, Robert Gsell , on 14 February 1913, the FF.1 set a German national flight endurance record of 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 30 seconds.[4] The floatplane was destroyed in a crash in February 1914.[1]
Specifications (variant specified)
Data from Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes;[1] Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH: Diplom-Ingenieur Theodor Kober[5]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 11.15 m (36 ft 7 in)
- Upper wingspan: 14 m (45 ft 11 in)
- Lower wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
- Height: 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)
- Wing area: 48 m2 (520 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 972 kg (2,143 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,672 kg (3,686 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Argus As I water-cooled straight-four engine, 75 kW (100 hp) Originally measured as 100 PS (74 kW).
- Propellers: 2-bladed pusher propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 85 km/h (53 mph, 46 kn)
- Time to altitude: 560 m (1,840 ft) in 8 minutes
References
Bibliography
- Borzutzki, Siegfried (1993). Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH: Diplom-Ingenieur Theodor Kober [Friedrichshafen Aircraft Company: Diploma-Engineer Theodore Kober] (in German). Berlin: Burbach. ISBN 3-927513-60-1.
- Herris, Jack (2016). Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 21. Charleston, South Carolina: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-35-3.
Further reading
- Bleibler, Jürgen (August 2012). "100 Jahr Wasserflug am Bodensee" [100 Years of Seaplanes on Lake Constance]. Klassiker der Luftfahrt: 56–59. ISSN 1860-0654.