W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters

ALBATROS DR I Germany

   The Dr I was essentially a D V fuselage, tail surfaces and undercarriage married to three pairs of wings, and flown in the summer of 1917 for comparison trials with the standard biplane. Powered by a Daimler D IIIa engine, the Dr I proved to offer no advantage over the D V, and progressed no further than prototype evaluation. Armament consisted of the usual pair of 7,92-mm machine guns.

Span, 28 ft 6 1/2 in (8,70m).
Length, 24 ft 0 5/8 in (7,33 m).

J.Herris Albatros Aircraft of WWI. Vol.4: Fighters (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 27)

Albatros Dr.I

   During Germany's Triplane Craze, the triplane configuration was thought to be the secret to superior fighter performance and German manufacturers were encouraged by Idflieg to build triplane fighter prototypes. Apparently feeling the pressure, Albatros built their Dr.I triplane fighter based on the D.V biplane. The sole prototype was first flown in September 1917. Ailerons were fitted to all wings, the engine was the standard 160 hp Mercedes D.III, and armament was the standard two machine guns.
   Unsurprisingly, the additional weight and drag of the triplane wing cellule reduced the Dr.I's performance below that of the standard D.V biplane. But October 1917 Idflieg stated that poor performance and pronounced tail heaviness prevented the Dr.I from being considered for production and service.


Albatros Fighter Specifications
Dr.I Dr.II
Engine 160 hp Mercedes D.III 195 hp Benz Bz.IIIbm
Span (All) 8.7 m 10.0 m
Chord (All) - 1.00 m
Gap (All) - 1.00 m
Stagger (All) - 0.37 m
Wing Area - 26.6 m2
Length 7.3 m 6.18 m
Height 2.42 m 3.34 m
Empty Weight - 676 kg
Useful Load - 239 kg
Loaded Weight - 915 kg
Wing Loading - 34.4 kg/m2
Power Loading - 4.7 kg/hp
Notes: Both to be armed with two machine guns. Track of Dr.II 1.76 m.