Etrich Taube

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etrich_Taube

The Etrich Taube, also known by the names of the various later manufacturers who
build versions of the type, such as the Rumpler Taube, was a pre-World War I
monoplane aircraft. It was the first military aeroplane to be mass-produced in
Germany.

The Taube was very popular prior to the First World War, and it was also used by
the air forces of Italy and Austria-Hungary. Even the Royal Flying Corps
operated at least one Taube in 1912. On November 1, 1911, Giulio Gavotti, an
Italian aviator, dropped the world's first aerial bomb from his Taube monoplane
over the Ain Zara oasis in Libya. Once the war began, it quickly proved inferior
as a serious warplane and as a result was soon replaced by newer and more
effective designs.

The Taube was designed in 1909 by Igo Etrich of Austria-Hungary, and first flew
in 1910. It was licensed for serial production by Lohner-Werke in Austria and by
Edmund Rumpler in Germany, now called the Etrich-Rumpler-Taube. Rumpler soon
changed the name to Rumpler-Taube, and stopped paying royalties to Etrich, who
subsequently abandoned his patent.

Like many contemporary aircraft, especially monoplanes, the Taube used wing
warping rather than ailerons for lateral (roll) control, and also warped the
rear half of the stabilizer for use as an elevator control surface's function.
Only the vertical, twinned triangular rudder surfaces were usually hinged.


Role
Fighter, Bomber, Surveillance, and Trainer

Manufacturer
Various

Designer
Igo Etrich

First flight
1910

Primary user
Luftstreitkräfte


The design provided for very stable flight, which made it extremely suitable for
observation. In addition, the translucent wings made it difficult for ground
observers to detect a Taube at an altitude above 400 meters. The first hostile
engagement was by an Italian Taube in 1911 in Libya, its pilot using pistols and
dropping 2 kg (4.4 lb) grenades. The Taube was also used for bombing in the
Balkans in 1912–13, and in late 1914 when German 3 kg (6.6 lb) bomblets and
propaganda leaflets were dropped over Paris. Taube spotter planes detected the
advancing Imperial Russian Army in East Prussia during the World War I Battle of
Tannenberg.

Due to the lack of license fees, no less than 14 companies built a large number
of variations of the initial design, making it difficult for historians to
determine the exact manufacturer based on historical photographs. An incomplete
list is shown below. The most common version was the Rumpler Taube with two
seats.

Poor rudder and lateral control made the Taube difficult and slow to turn. The
aeroplane proved to be a very easy target for the faster and more mobile Allied
fighters of World War I, and just six months into the war, the Taube had been
removed from front line service to be used to train new pilots. Many future
German aces would learn to fly in a Rumpler Taube.

Specifications (Rumpler Taube)

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 14.3 m (46 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 32.5 m2 (350 sq ft)
Empty weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
Gross weight: 850 kg (1,874 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes Typ E4F 4-cyl. water-cooled piston engine, 64 kW (86
hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn)
Range: 140 km (87 mi; 76 nmi)
Service ceiling: 2,000 m (6,600 ft)

Armament

Guns: Rifles and pistols
Bombs: Hand dropped bombs




*

"Miloch" wrote in message news

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etrich_Taube

The Etrich Taube, also known by the names of the various later
manufacturers who build versions of the type, such as the Rumpler Taube

Speaking of Rumpler, the sky was the limit when it came to later Rumpler
designs...

Industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes reportedly consulted Edmund Rumpler in
1929 for the design of his "Airliner Number 4," a 9-deck amphibian airliner
that incorporated areas for deck-games, an orchestra, a gymnasium, a
solarium, and two airplane hangars.

I'd LUV to see an RC version of this monster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOJWnWi2t14

Check out the stats: https://archive.li/BTn5i

I get the feeling it would've become the world's first ekranoplan...