J.Herris Gotha Aircraft of WWI (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 6)

Gotha LD6

   Construction of the Gotha LD6 began on 17 December 1914. Powered by a 150 hp Benz Bz.III engine, the LD6 was a larger, more powerful aircraft than its predecessors. Unfortunately, Gotha test pilot Oswald Kahnt was killed when the LD6 crashed on its maiden flight on 30 January 1915.
   Undeterred by this setback, Idflieg ordered the modified Gotha LD6a with larger tail surfaces and other improvements in February 1915. Failing to meet the acceptance specifications, the LD6a was assigned to the Herzog Carl Eduard Fliegerschule, where it received school number 70.

Gotha LD6 Specifications
Engine: 150 hp Benz Bz.III


Gotha LD7 (Gotha B.I)

   Designed by Ingenieur Hans Burkhard, Gotha began work on the LD7 on 10 December 1914. Powered by a 100 hp Mercedes, the LD7 was intended as a trainer for the Herzog Carl Eduard Fliegerschule. In May 1915 Idflieg ordered 18 LD7 trainers under the designation Gotha B.I. These were numbered B.960-974/14 and B.884-886/15. Early delivery was a priority, but modifications for observation missions and a switch from the 100 hp to the 120 hp Mercedes substantially delayed production, and the last B.I was not accepted until 11 November 1915.
   Five machines, B.961-965/14, were dispatched to the German Air Service in Turkey via Chernowitz in August-September 1915. The remaining aircraft were used as trainers at FEA 3 in Gotha.

Gotha LD7 / B.I Specifications
Engine: 120 hp Mercedes D.II
Wing:
Span Upper 12.40 m
Span Lower 12.07 m
Area 39.5 m2
General: Length 8.40 m
Height 3.00 m
Empty Weight 725 kg
Loaded Weight 1125 kg
Maximum Speed: 125 km/h
Climb: 800m 8.5 min
2700m 45 min
Range: 530 km

M.Dusing German Aviation Industry in WWI. Volume 1 (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 84)

Gothaer Waggonfabrik A.-G., Gotha (Go)

Aircraft Development:

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  The heavy land biplane LD6 was three-strut with plywood fuselage and 150 hp Benz Bz.III engine. With this, also the construction of seaplanes began and the contact with the Imperial Navy, which had good successes with this biplane, mounted on floats.
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  At the beginning of 1915, the question of armament and thus the combat value of the flying machine became increasingly important, as front-line flying led more and more to aerial combat. It was out of this need that the so-called C-machine was born. The pilot’s seat, which used to be behind the observer (especially on aircraft with rear-mounted propellers), was moved to the front, and the aircraft was equipped with a machine gun that could be moved in all directions, followed shortly thereafter by a fixed machine gun that could be operated by the pilot. The C-machines released by the company did not go into series production, as they had already been overtaken by the competition in terms of performance while the test machines were being completed.
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