| C.VI | |
|---|---|
 | |
| An oblique view of the prototype Aviatik C.VI, c. 1916 | |
| Role | Reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Aviatik |
| Number built | 1 |
The Aviatik C.VI was a prototype German biplane observation aircraft built by Aviatik during World War I. Based on the earlier Aviatik C.V, the C.VI had a more powerful engine and other improvements. Only a single aircraft was built.
The C.VI was a development of the C.V with a water-cooled, 200 hp (150 kW) inline 6-cylinder Benz Bz.IV piston engine. It replaced the earlier aircraft's upper gull wing with a conventional two-bay wing and added a vertical stabilizer. The propeller spinner of the earlier aircraft was eliminated, but the C.VI retained the two-seat configuration of the C.V with the pilot in the forward cockpit and the observer in the rear cockpit. [1]
These changes made the C.VI easier to produce and improved its flying qualities over the Aviatik C.V, but only a single prototype was constructed because it did not exceed the performance of the DFW C.V already in production by Aviatik. [1]
Aviation historians Peter Gray and Owen Thetford admit that there has been confusion about which aircraft has been designated as the Aviatik C.VI in the past, but state that that name was used for the license-built DFW C.V in their 1970 book. [2] Aviation historian Jack Herris notes that when the German Army's (Deutsches Heer) Inspectorate of Flying Troops (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen (Idflieg)) initially awarded contracts for license building another company's design, the aircraft received a designation in the builder's sequence; for example Aviatik manufactured the Halberstadt D.II as the Aviatik D.I. Sometime in late 1916 Idflieg decided to reduce the confusion and added an abbreviation for the manufacturer after the designer's designation; thus the Aviatik D.I became the Halberstadt D.II(Av). [3]
Idflieg awarded Aviatik and other companies a contract to build DFW C.Vs in October 1916 using the old naming system, [4] but it was changed to the revised designation in subsequent batches as photographic evidence of aircraft with the stenciled D.F.W. CV(Av) name exists. [5]
Data fromAviatik Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes [1]
General characteristics
The Aviatik C.I was an observation aircraft which came into service during World War I in April 1915. It was a development of the Aviatik B.I and B.II models, being one of first aircraft of the new German C class of armed biplanes. In the C.I the observer sat in front of the pilot, with a machine-gun clipped on a sliding mounting fitted on a rail at either side of the cockpit. It gave the crew the means to attack enemy aircraft. The positions of the pilot and observer were reversed in last series of 50, ordered in 1917 solely for trainer purpose. There was only one aircraft built of refined C.Ia version in May 1916, with armament still in a forward cab, serving as a prototype for C.III. Later models of the plane included the Aviatik C.II and the C.III, which had more powerful engines. The C.III was produced in large numbers.
The LVG C.VI was a German two-seat reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft used during World War I.
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The DFW C.IV, DFW C.V, DFW C.VI, and DFW F37 were a family of German reconnaissance aircraft first used in 1916 in World War I. They were conventionally configured biplanes with unequal-span unstaggered wings and seating for the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. Like the DFW C.II before them, these aircraft seated the gunner to the rear and armed him with a machine gun on a ring mount. Compared to preceding B- and C-class designs by DFW, however, the aerodynamics of the fuselage were more refined, and when coupled with more powerful engines, resulted in a machine with excellent performance.
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The Rumpler D.I was a fighter-reconnaissance aircraft produced in Germany at the end of World War I. It was a conventional single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span braced by I-struts. It featured an open cockpit and a fixed, tailskid undercarriage. The upper wing was fitted with aerodynamically balanced ailerons and fuselage had an oval cross-section.
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The Aviatik D.III was a German prototype single-seater fighter plane from the First World War, designed by Aviatik. It became the basis for the Aviatik D.IV and Aviatik D.V. In November 1917, the plane was first flown, using a 195 hp Benz Bz IIIbo gearless engine. It was of similar design to the Aviatik D.II, and was armed with two LMG 08/15 machine guns. After several tests at Adlershof from February 9–12, 1918, the plane underwent modifications, as requested by the Idflieg. In April, a second prototype, powered by a Benz Bz IIIbm, although several D.III powered by the original IIIbo engine were already under production; however, none of them were ever completed.
The Otto C.I, also known as the Otto KD.15, was a German two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed and produced by Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik. The C.I was a rare example of an aircraft flown by the Central Powers which had a pusher configuration.
The Aviatik D.VII was a prototype German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft built by Aviatik in the last year of the First World War. It could not participate in the Third Fighter Competition of October 1918 because it used the wrong engine and it saw no military service, although 50 aircraft were found in storage after the war. The only real major change from the earlier Aviatik D.VI was a completely new tail structure.
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The Aviatik C.IX was a prototype German observation aircraft built by Aviatik in the final months of World War I.
The Aviatik C.VIII was a prototype German observation aircraft built by Aviatik in World War I.
The LVG G.I,, was a prototype German bomber aircraft built by LVG during World War I.
The Aviatik D.VI was a German prototype single-seater fighter aircraft of the First World War, designed by Aviatik.
The LVG C.VIII was a prototype reconnaissance aircraft built in Germany during World War I.
The LVG D.VI was a prototype German biplane fighter built by LVG in World War I.