Oeffag G

Last updated
Oeffag G
RoleReconnaissance flying boat
National origin Austro-Hungarian Empire
Manufacturer Oeffag (Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG )
Designer Dipl-Ing.Mickl
Primary user Kaiserlich und Königlich Seefliegerkorps (Imperial and Royal Naval Aviation) (K.u.K. Seefliegerkorps) (Imperial and Royal Naval Aviation)
Number built12 (including 2 not completed)

The Oeffag G , sometimes known as the Oeffag Type G or Oeffag-Mickl G, was a three-engined reconnaissance flying boat built in Austria during the First World War and deployed by the Kaiserlich und Königlich Seefliegerkorps (K.u.K. Seefliegerkorps) (Imperial and Royal naval aviation).

Contents

Design and development

The Oeffag G was a relatively large flying boat, following the design practises used for the smaller Lohner flying boats developed in Austria contemporaneously. The aircraft was a biplane with the wings mounted above a slender all-wood monocoque fuselage/hull, with the biplane tail unit mounted above the extreme tail end of the fuselage. The three pusher engines were mounted in open nacelles, supported by struts, between the main-planes. Early aircraft were armed with a large 66 mm (2.60 in) D/20 cannon in the front cockpit and later machines had a machine gun fitted on a flexible mount aft of the wings.

Operational history

Most of the ten aircraft completed saw service with the K.u.K. Seefliegerkorps, from 1916, operating principally from the Pola Naval station, (now Pula), on the Istria peninsula, in what is now Croatia.

Pula City in Istria County, Croatia

Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia and the eighth largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 57,460 in 2011. It is known for its multitude of ancient Roman buildings, the most famous of which is the Pula Arena, one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters, and its beautiful sea. The city has a long tradition of wine making, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. It was the administrative centre of Istria from ancient Roman times until superseded by Pazin in 1991.

Istria Peninsula on the Adriatic Sea

Istria, formerly Histria (Latin), Ίστρια, is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Kvarner Gulf. It is shared by three countries: Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. Croatia encapsulates most of the Istrian peninsula with its Istria County.

Croatia Republic in Central Europe

Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the southeast, sharing a maritime border with Italy. Its capital, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, along with twenty counties. Croatia has an area of 56,594 square kilometres and a population of 4.28 million, most of whom are Roman Catholics.

Variants

The Oeffag G was developed as each aircraft was built, but the major differences involved the powerplants and the tail unit.

G.1 and G.3
powered by 150 kW (200 hp) Hiero 6 cylinder water-cooled inline piston engines, built with the original biplane tail unit mounted on struts above the fuselage, fitted with triple rudders.
G.4 to G.7 
powered by 185 kW (248 hp) Austro-Daimler 6 cylinder engines, with the original biplane tail unit
G.8 and G.9
powered by 230 kW (310 hp) Hiero 6 engines, introducing a monoplane strut mounted tailplane with a single fin and rudder mounted on the fuselage and tailplane.
G.10 and G.11
aircraft not completed
G.12
powered by 185 kW (248 hp) Austro-Daimler 6 cylinder engines, with the later monoplane tail unit.

Operators

Austro-Hungarian Empire

Specifications (estimated)

Data from [1] [2]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 110 km/h (68 mph; 59 kn)
  • Time to altitude: 600 m (2,000 ft) in 45 minutes

Armament

  • 1x flexible 66 mm (2.60 in) D/20 cannon in the nose - early machines only. [3]
  • 1x flexible machine gun amidships - late machines only

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References

  1. "Oeffag G / Oeffag-Mickl G". en.valka.cz. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  2. "Hansa Brandenburg & Lohner seaplanes?". riseofflight.com. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  3. "Oeffag G.3 showing cannon installation". kuk-kriegsmarine.at. Retrieved 11 September 2015.

Further reading

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