DFW Floh
German fighter aircraft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The DFW T.28 Floh (English: Flea) was a small German biplane fighter prototype designed by Hermann Dorner, the designer of the successful Hannover CL.II two-seat fighter of 1917, and built by Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke.
| Floh | |
|---|---|
| DFW T.28 Floh circa 1915 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Biplane fighter aircraft |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1915 |
Designed in 1915 as high-speed fighter, the Floh had a small 6.20 m (20.3 ft) wingspan and a rather ungainly tall and thin fuselage. With a fixed conventional landing gear the Floh was powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Mercedes D.I inline piston engine, and on its first flight in December 1915 reached 180 km/h (110 mph), quite fast for the time.
The aircraft suffered from very poor forward visibility and was difficult to land due to its narrow landing gear. The prototype crashed during the flight testing programme.
Specifications
Data from DFW Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in)
- Wing area: 15 m2 (160 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 352 kg (776 lb)
- Gross weight: 596 kg (1,314 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.I water-cooled inline piston, 75 kW (100 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 180 km/h (110 mph, 97 kn)
Armament
- 1 × 7.92mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 Spandau machine gun
