SF-2 | |
---|---|
Role | Reconnaissance seaplane |
National origin | Germany |
Manufacturer | Sablatnig, LFG, LVG |
First flight | 1916 |
Primary user | Imperial German Navy |
Number built | 26 |
The Sablatnig SF-2 was a reconnaissance seaplane produced in Germany during the First World War. [1]
A refined version of the Sablatnig SF-1, the SF-2 featured a new empennage and was fitted with a radio transmitter. [2] [3] The prototype (serial 580) had a smaller tail-fin and rudder than the SF-1, but production examples added a large ventral fin. [3] Construction was of wood, skinned i fabric. [2]
Sablatnig delivered six aircraft (navy serials 580–585) between June and September 1916. [3] These were followed by ten machines built under licence by LVG (serials 791–800) between October and December, and ten more built by LFG (serials 705–714) between April and May the following year. [3] Although produced as a reconnaissance machine, in practice, they were widely used as trainers. [3]
Data from Kroschel & Stützer 1994, p.145
General characteristics
Performance
The AEG C.II was a German two-seat biplane reconnaissance aircraft produced in small numbers from October 1915. It was a slightly smaller version of the C.I with better performance, redesigned cockpit for both pilot and observer/bombardier, new rear mounting for a 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun, and the ability to carry four 10 kg (22 lb) bombs for light attack duties.
The AEG DJ.I was a highly streamlined biplane ground attack aircraft of late World War I that was undergoing evaluation at the time of the Armistice.
The LFG Roland D.I was a fighter aircraft produced in Germany during World War I. It was a single-seat aircraft based originally on the Roland C.II two-seat reconnaissance type. It shared its predecessor's unusual design feature of having a deep fuselage that completely filled the interplane gap, but in comparison, the fuselage was much sleeker. While the C.II's appearance had earned the Walfisch ("Whale"), the D.I became known as the Haifisch ("Shark"). The I-struts that had been used to brace the C.II's wing were replaced by more conventional struts. Other changes to the wing included the removal of stagger from the design and the introduction of slight sweepback.
Numbers 467 to 470 were four examples of a unique seaplane design produced for the flying service of the Imperial German Navy during the First World War. These four aircraft were the subject of an order by the Navy for trainer seaplanes for the base at Putzig, at a time when most trainers were merely obsolete front-line types.
Imperial German Navy seaplanes numbers 1105 to 1106 were the only two examples of a unique design produced for the navy's flying service during the First World War. They were unarmed biplanes of conventional configuration with staggered wings of unequal span. The empennage included a sizable ventral fin. Intended as training aircraft, the pilot and instructor sat in tandem, open cockpits. The undercarriage consisted of twin pontoons. The interplane strut arrangement was remarkable for its day, consisting of N-struts and V-struts without any rigging wires.
Number 1650 was the sole example of a unique seaplane design produced for the flying service of the Imperial German Navy during the First World War. From 1916 onwards, the Kaiserliche Werften produced a range of training seaplanes for the Navy, in order to free the nation's major seaplane manufacturers to produce front-line types. During the closing stages of the war, however, the Kaiserliche Werft Danzig and Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven produced a small number of front-line types as well, including this machine. Number 1650 was an armed reconnaissance seaplane equipped with radio equipment capable of transmission and reception, therefore gaining the naval CHFT classification.
Imperial German Navy seaplanes 463 to 466 were a unique seaplane design produced for the Navy's flying service during the First World War. The seaplane base at Kiel-Holtenau ordered the type as a training aircraft in 1915, and the Navy allocated a batch of four serial numbers to the design. No 463 and its siblings were conventional, two-bay biplanes with unstaggered wings of equal span and two open cockpits in tandem for the pilot and instructor. The undercarriage consisted of twin pontoons. The large, square rudder was hinged to the rear end of the fuselage, and extended below the ventral line of the fuselage. The inline engine was neatly cowled in, with the exhaust being collected together in a single stack that extended above the upper wing.
Imperian German Navy seaplanes numbers 401 to 403 were the only three examples of a unique seaplane design produced for the Navy's flying service during the First World War. Production of these types commenced in April 1915 in an effort to supply the navy with a seaplane trainer of contemporary design. With the outbreak of war, the output of Germany's major seaplane manufacturers was taken up with producing front-line types, and the only trainers available were obsolete or rebuilt machines withdrawn from their original duties. Number 401 and its two siblings were delivered to the Navy in August 1915.
Imperial German Navy seaplanes 461 and 462 were the only two examples of a seaplane design produced for the Navy's flying service during the First World War. Number 461 was built in October 1916 and Number 462 in September 1917 as the German seaplane bases searched for purpose-built training aircraft to supplement their collection of retired combat types.
Imperial German Navy seaplane Number 945 was the sole example of a unique seaplane design produced during the First World War. Throughout the war, the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven had been producing small numbers of training seaplanes for the German Navy, but as the conflict continued, they built a small number of armed types as well, including Number 945. While the general layout of this aircraft was conventional enough for its day, it included a number of unusual features. The single-bay wings were braced with single, large I-struts, and the vertical stabiliser was virtually non-existent, consisting of little more than a stub on the dorsal side of the rear fuselage. The rudder was hinged to the end of the fuselage and hung down below it. The Navy classified it as a C3MG type; indicating armament with both fixed and trainable machine guns.
Imperial German Navy seaplane number 947 was a reconnaissance aircraft produced during the First World War, the sole example of its type. It was one of only three armed aircraft built by the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven amongst a variety of trainer seaplanes that they had produced for the Navy during the course of the war. Number 947 was a two-bay biplane of conventional design, with twin pontoon undercarriage, and two open cockpits in tandem. It received the Naval classification CHFT, indicating an armed aircraft equipped with radio gear capable of both sending and receiving.
The Rumpler B.I was a military reconnaissance aircraft produced in Germany during World War I.
The Rumpler C.III was a biplane military reconnaissance aircraft built in Germany during World War I.
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.
The Rumpler G.I was a bomber aircraft produced in Germany during World War I, together with refined versions known as the G.II and G.III.
The Sablatnig N.I was a bomber aircraft developed in Germany during the First World War, a development of the Sablatnig C.I adapted for night operations.
The Sablatnig SF-1 was a reconnaissance seaplane built in Germany during the First World War.
The Sablatnig SF-5 was a reconnaissance seaplane produced in Germany during the First World War.
The Sablatnig SF-8 was a training seaplane produced in Germany during the First World War. While Sablatnig's previous designs for the Imperial German Navy had often seen service as trainers, the SF-8 was purpose-built for this role, at Dr Sablatnig's suggestion. The SF-8 was similar to the firm's earlier designs: a conventional two-bay biplane with staggered wings of unequal span, with open cockpits in tandem.
The Siemens-Schuckert R.I was a bomber aircraft built in Germany during World War I. It was originally ordered as the Siemens-Schuckert G.I prior to the German Inspectorate of Flying Troops adopting the "R" classification for multi-engine aircraft in late 1915. Some sources refer to the aircraft as the Siemens-Schuckert Steffen R.I, including the name of the brothers that designed it.