Gotha G.VI | |
---|---|
Role | Bomber |
National origin | Germany |
Designer | Hans Burkhard |
First flight | 1918 |
Number built | 2 |
Developed from | Gotha G.V |
The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber aircraft designed and built in Germany during World War I.
The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber developed from the Gotha G.V. Using the standard wing cellule from the Gotha G.V the G.VI became what was probably the first asymmetrical aircraft to be built. In an effort to reduce drag, Hans Burkhard, the chief designer at Gotha, studied various configurations of fuselage and engine nacelle for multi-engined aircraft. He concluded that drag could be reduced dramatically if the number of bodies creating drag could be reduced, on September 22, 1915, Burkhard obtained German Patent number 300 676 for his unusual design. [1]
Using the wing from a Gotha G.V Burkhard moved an engine to the front of the fuselage, driving a tractor propeller, and moved it to lie over the port main undercarriage supports. The second engine was moved to the rear of a nacelle, driving a pusher propeller, offset to a lesser degree to starboard, to compensate for differing drag characteristics, the forward end of the nacelle housed a cockpit for a gunner armed with a flexible machine-gun that extended forward of the tractor propeller in the port fuselage.
Flight tests commenced in the summer of 1918, with the only major problem being buffeting of the tail unit, but were interrupted when the aircraft nosed over, repairs were not carried out to the first prototype. The buffeting of the tail unit was to have been alleviated by fitting an asymmetric tailplane, offset to port, on the second prototype which was not completed before the Armistice. The second prototype is reputed to have been destroyed before it could be requisitioned by the Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control.
Data fromThe Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995 [2]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Related lists
The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I. Designed for long-range service and built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG, the Gotha G.V was used principally as a night bomber.
The Handley Page Type O was a biplane bomber used by Britain during the First World War. When built, the Type O was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world. There were two main variants, the Handley Page O/100 (H.P.11) and the Handley Page O/400 (H.P.12).
The Gotha G.I was a bomber aircraft used by the Luftstreitkräfte during the First World War.
The AEG G.IV was a biplane bomber aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft. It saw action during the First World War with the Luftstreitkräfte.
In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with its propulsion device(s) after its engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, which places them in front.
An aircraft constructed with a push-pull configuration has a combination of forward-mounted tractor (pull) propellers, and backward-mounted (pusher) propellers.
The McDonnell XP-67 "Bat" or "Moonbat" was a prototype for a twin-engine, long-range, single-seat interceptor aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces. Although the design was conceptually advanced, it was beset by numerous problems and never approached its anticipated level of performance. The project was cancelled after the sole completed prototype was destroyed by an engine fire.
The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI was a four-engined German biplane strategic bomber of World War I, and the only Riesenflugzeug design built in any quantity.
The Friedrichshafen G.I was a prototype heavy bomber aircraft that was built in Germany by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen in 1915. It was Karl Gehlen's first design for the company, and although it was not produced in quantity, it provided the foundation for the later, highly successful bombers culminating in the G.III.
The Friedrichshafen G.II was a heavy bomber aircraft that was designed and manufactured in Germany during World War I by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. The plane was used by the Luftstreitkräfte for tactical and limited strategic bombing operations.
The Friedrichshafen G.IV and G.V respectively were heavy bombers that were designed and manufactured in Germany during World War I by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. The G.IV saw limited use by the Luftstreitkräfte for tactical and limited strategic bombing operations, while the G.V and a follow-on design, the FF.62 did not fly until after the Armistice.
The Gotha G.II series was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.
The Gotha G.IV was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I. It was the first mass-produced relatively large airplane.
The Gotha G.VII was a bomber aircraft produced in Germany during the final months of World War I. With the strategic bombing campaign effectively over, it was intended to be a high-speed tactical bomber with a secondary reconnaissance capability.
The Gotha WD.3 was a pusher reconnaissance floatplane built in prototype form in Germany in 1915.
The Gotha WD.14, WD.20, and WD.22 were a family of biplane torpedo bomber floatplanes developed in Germany during World War I.
The Grahame-White Ganymede was a prototype British heavy night bomber intended to serve with the Royal Air Force in the First World War. A large, three-engined, twin-boom biplane, the sole prototype Ganymede did not fly until after the war had ended, and although an attempt was made to convert the aircraft to an airliner, it was unsuccessful.
The Polikarpov VIT-2 was a Soviet twin-engined ground attack aircraft developed before World War II. A single prototype was built in 1938 for evaluation purposes. Although a promising design it was recommended that it be introduced into production as a high-speed dive bomber with a reduced armament to increase its speed.
The Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge were a series of very large bomber aircraft - Riesenflugzeuge, usually powered by four or more engines, designed and built in Germany from 1915 to 1919.
Asymmetrical aircraft have left- and right-hand sides which are not exact mirror images of each other. Although most aircraft are symmetrical, there is no fundamental reason why they must be, and design goals can sometimes be best achieved with an asymmetrical aircraft.