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Oertz FB 2/FB 3/W 4

Страна: Германия

Год: 1913

Oertz - FB 1 - 1913 - Германия<– –>Oertz - W 5/W 7 - 1915 - Германия


O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)


Oertz W 4
   A series of twelve living-boats was built by the Hamburg Yacht firm of Oertz: FB 3 a pre-war design which bore the Naval number 46, W 4s 63 and 75 of 1914, W 5s 276-280 of 1916, W 6 Flugschoner 281, W 7s 474-475 and W 8 1157.
   All these aircraft featured engines buried in the hull and driving pusher propellers through a system of geared shafts. Dipl. Ing. Max Oertz gave special attention to hull design, providing sufficient beam to give adequate lateral stability on the water with no more than spring-loaded hydrovanes at the wingtips to prevent them submerging. A feature of the earlier machines was that the chord of the lower wing was considerably greater than that of the upper wing; it was also greater in span, with consequent inward rake to the interplane struts. The ailerons were also on the lower wingtips.


J.Herris German Seaplanes of WWI (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 15)


Oertz FB.2

  The second Oertz flying boat to be built in 1913 was the F.B.2. Whereas the earlier FB.1 looked like a speedboat fitted with wings and tail, the F.B.2 was a more refined design. The wooden hull was more streamlined, the tail was mounted above the lengthened hull, and the wing cellule was markedly different. Unlike the F.B.1, the lower wing of the F.B.2 had greater span and chord than the upper wing. The wing-tip floats of the F.B.1 were replaced by spring-loaded boards, which reduced weight and drag. The lower wing tips were enlarged with expansive, swept-back ailerons that curved upward.
  The F.B.2 was powered by a 120 hp Argus As.II mounted in a manner similar to the earlier F.B.1, but the engine was lower in the hull. The radiator was mounted in front of the engine and the pusher propeller was driven by a shaft with bevel gears. The crew of two sat side by side in an open cockpit. The sole F.B.2 built was unarmed.


Oertz F.B.3

  In early 1914 the F.B.3 was built; it closely followed the F.B.2 design but had a hull step to improve take-off performance. A much more powerful engine, a 160 hp Mercedes D.III, was installed to further improve take-off performance.
  The F.B.3 was purchased by the German Navy in July 1914 and given Marine Number 46. It was flown operationally from Zeebrugge and was later transferred to the Baltic. Like earlier Oertz flying boats, only one F.B.3 was built.


Oertz F.B.3 Specifications
Engine: 160 hp Mercedes D.III
Wing: Span 14.30 m
General: Length 10.0 m


Oertz W4
  
  Two W4 flying boats, which were virtually identical to the F.B.3, were built. The first, Marine Number 63, had a 160 hp Mercedes D.III and was delivered in November 1914. Marine Number 75 had a 115 hp Argus As.II and was delivered in January 1915. Both flying boats served in the Baltic.


Oertz W4 Specifications
Engine: 160 hp Mercedes D.III or 115 hp Argus As.II
Wing: Span 14.30 m
General: Length 10.0 m


Журнал Flight


Flight, October 9, 1919.

THE OERTZ FLYING BOATS

   [THERE is little doubt that the development of commercial aviation will be closely allied with the progress made in the production of seaplanes, especially as far as the British Empire is concerned. It is, therefore, of interest to know what has been done until now by others as well as by ourselves, and we think that the following notes, translated from Flugsport, dealing with an interesting series of flying boats designed and built by the Oertz Works at Hamburg, may be of interest. This factory was, before the War, chiefly concerned with the building of yachts and motor boats, corresponding, in a way, to our Saunders Works at Cowes.-ED.]

   "The fight for existence between the flying boat and the float seaplane commenced in the very earliest days of seaplanes. Even now the final decision as to whether the flying boat or the float seaplane offers the best solution for aerial transport over the sea has not been made. The experience gained during the War cannot straightaway be applied to peace conditions. At the moment the flying-boat people naturally have the last word, since a flying boat was the first to cross the Atlantic safely. After the questions of weight and air-resistance, the most important point in the evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the two types is that of sea worthiness. By this is meant the possibility of getting off and alighting with a certain amount of sea running, and also to be able to 'live' when on the surface in rough weather. The performance required is in direct opposition to the qualities of seaworthiness, since a seaplane, to be seaworthy, must necessarily be of very substantial construction, which can only be provided at the cost of a fairly heavy weight of the hull and machine.
   "Next, it would appear that the float seaplane would be superior to the boat seaplane in the matter of seaworthiness, since the boat has a very low freeboard, and, therefore, will be more likely to be swamped while taxying than will the float seaplane. Moreover, the lower plane of a boat seaplane is much nearer to the water than is that of a float seaplane, so that there is more likelihood of it coming in contact with the sea. It will, therefore, be seen that the difficulties that beset flying-boat constructors are by no means small.
   "With regard to the questions of weight and air resistance, it must be said that the flying boat is more favourably placed in both respects. Although for powers of 150 to 240 h.p. the weight of the two types does not differ greatly, the advantages of the boat seaplane increase with size. Thus, a float seaplane of 1,000 h.p. will be about 4,400 lbs. heavier than a boat seaplane of the same power.
   "From the point of view of air resistance, the fact that a float seaplane has a fairly extensive strutting arrangement for the floats, while the boat seaplane can be made of fairly good stream-line shape, gives the boat type a smaller resistance than that of the float type, even when, as is sometimes the case, the engine of the boat seaplane is placed on a structure above the boat proper.
   "After balancing up the pros and cons, of the case, taking into consideration the practical experience of the Navy, one arrives at the conclusion that the flying-boat type, as regards medium and large-size machines, is superior, also as regards seaworthiness. For types of up to about 300 h.p., possibly the float seaplane will be found the most suitable, while for types of from 300 h.p. to 700 h.p., there would seem to be little to choose. For larger types, however, the flying boat type appears to be the most promising. The chain of experience of both types is not, however, sufficiently long to make it advisable to decide finally for one type or the other.
   "Among the most successful, and, therefore, most noteworthy, flying boats, are those designed by D. Ing. Max Oertz, which were built at the Oertz Works at Hamburg. Dr. Oertz, the famous yacht and motorboat builder, was one of the first in Germany to realise the possibilities of flying and the suitability of his works, with their special facilities and trained workmen specialists, for the requirements of aircraft construction. Above all, the Oertz Works were not laid out as quantity production works, but were used to meet the special requirements of yacht construction by scientific investigation into the smallest mechanical details, and to devote an absolutely loving care to workmanship and finish.
   "These fundamental facts, which were reflected in all new productions of this scientifically working factory, whether boats or flying machines, could already be noticed in the very first machine built in 1910. This was a land machine, a monoplane with monocoque body, which weighed only 770 lbs., and, fitted with a 70 h.p. Gnome engine, reached a speed of 80 m.p.h. This first success encouraged Oertz to return to his proper element, the sea, and to apply the same principles to the construction of a flying boat; this was ordered by the Navy in the spring of 1913. Already in the autumn of the same year this flying boat could show its usefulness by successful test flights at Breitling, near Warnemunde. This machine, which is shown in Fig. 1, was fitted with a 100 h.p. Argus engine placed down in the boat, and driving the airscrew through shafts and bevel gearing. Tins arrangement, the constructional details of which had been worked out by Dr. Oertz himself, was something quite new for those times, and this first boat already showed the characteristics of all later Oertz flying boats. Among these is, chiefly, the division of the planes into two halves and the slanting struts, with means for quickly dismantling the complete plane cellule. In looking at this flying boat, the thing which at once attracts notice is the very large chord of the lower plane, compared with that of the top wing. The object of this arrangement was to raise the centre of pressure of the biplane, and thus reduce the undesirable pendulum effect caused by having the engine in the hull. The objections to this effect have, however, later proved to be of small importance.
   "One of the greatest difficulties of that time was to design a boat hull which should have the greatest possible amount of lateral stability when on the sea. The French flying boats of that date had very narrow hulls, which necessitated fitting auxiliary floats to the lower wings. In anything of a sea, these wing floats were a constant danger to the plane, owing to the shocks and stresses set up. It was in this respect that the art of the experienced yacht builder came to the rescue. Oertz provided a boat hull, which not only had a very good stream-line form, but which also possessed a very great amount of lateral stability on the sea; so much so that it was possible for a man to walk half-way out on the lower plane without the machine heeling over enough for the plane to touch the sea. This great lateral stability on the sea has remained one of the features of all Oertz flying boats to this day. The credit of being the first to provide this lateral stability is not in the least reduced by the fact that the American Curtiss flying boat, which was used in the Transatlantic flight, shows the same feature. In order to reduce the danger of the lower wing tips cutting under when the machine is rolling in a sea or taking off, the lower wing tips were provided with flat spring boards which prevented, by their dynamic action, the tips from cutting under. These spring boards are shown in illustrations 1 and 2.
   "Already at the first attempt the boat flew well, and proved the soundness of its design. Especially was the transmission found to work well, although, on account of trouble with the engine itself, no flights of very long duration were attempted. The first boat was perfectly smooth, that is to say, it had no step. In order to improve the getting off, experiments were then commenced on hulls provided with step. The first boat of the stepped type appeared in the spring of 1914, and is shown in Fig. 2. The machine was fitted with the first 160 h.p. Daimler engine. The photograph shows the general graceful lines of the hull and the large lower plane, which has upturned ailerons, after the manner of the old Tauben. The illustration also gives a good idea of the slanting inter-plane struts which, like those of the Hansa machines, gives equal distances between supports in upper and lower planes. On account of the late arrival of the engine, the boat was not ready for its first trial flight until two days before the great Warnemunde race planned for August of that year. All those who took part in the preparations for that race, which was postponed owing to the outbreak of War, will still remember the splendid and startling performance of this boat, which was piloted by the late pilot Stagge, who, by the way, had never flown a seaplane before. This, however, did not prevent him from doing a series of stunts on this machine. So absolutely 'right' was this boat, that it could be taken over by the Navy without any alterations whatever, and not long afterwards, piloted by Stagge, it was flying over Dover. Later boats of similar type are shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
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J.Herris - German Seaplanes of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (15)
The Oertz F.B.2 was another pre-war design, being built in 1913. The F.B.2 was a refinement of the F.B.1.
Журнал - Flight за 1919 г.
Fig. 1. - The first Oertz flying-boat of 1913. The engine was a 100 h.p. Argus
Журнал - Flight за 1919 г.
1914 type Oertz flying-boat, 160 h.p. Daimler engine
The Oertz F.B.3 shown before national markings and Marine Number were applied.
J.Herris - Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (21)
Built in early 1914, the Oertz F.B.3 was purchased by the Navy and assigned Marine Number 46. Here it is shown at Zeebrugge in early 1915, after national markings and Marine Number have been applied between Friedrichshafen FF29 floatplanes #208 and #204. Marine Number 407 in the background is another Friedrichshafen FF29.
A.Imrie - German Naval Air Service /Arms & Armour/
Following the occupation of the Belgian coast, a seaplane base was established at Zeebrugge in December 1914. Aircraft were kept in the railway station hall at the end of the Mole, fully assembled on specially constructed flat railway cars which carried tools, fabric, dope, etc for minor repairs, as well as supplies of water, fuel and oil. Locomotives were kept with steam up and were always available to pull the trains out on to the Mole and up to the cranes used to lift and lower the seaplanes to the water. In this early 1915 scene no national insignia are displayed on the upper wing surfaces of these Friedrichshafen FF29 seaplanes or the Oertz flying-boat numbered 46, but wing undersurfaces were marked spanwise with the straight-sided cross, as seen on the Oertz's rudder.
J.Herris - German Seaplanes of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (15)
The Oertz W4 photographed with national markings but before its Marine Number was applied. The excellent workmanship for which Oertz was famous is apparent. Two crewmen sat side by side in an open cockpit.
J.Herris - German Seaplanes of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (15)
Oertz W 4
J.Herris - German Seaplanes of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (15)
The Oertz W4 photographed in front of the Oertz factory.
Журнал - Flight за 1919 г.
Fig. 3. - The 160 h.p. Oertz flying-boat of 1915
Журнал - Flight за 1919 г.
Fig. 4. - 1915 type Oertz flying-boat, 160 h.p. engine
This photograph published in Flight magazine in 1919 shows either the F.B.3 or a W4 with flexible gun mounting.
J.Herris - German Seaplanes of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (15)
Oertz-Flugboot