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LVG E.I

Страна: Германия

Год: 1915

Fighter

LVG - D 4 / Torpedo Bomber - 1915 - Германия<– –>LVG - G.I - 1915 - Германия


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


L.V.G. E I
   Designed by Franz Schneider, this L.V.G. monoplane of 1915 was the first German aircraft to be fitted with both a fixed machine-gun for the pilot and manually operated machine-gun on ring mounting for the observer. There was undoubted promise in the design, but unfortunately the prototype was destroyed when being ferried to the Front for operational assessment by Lt. Wentsch. It was later found that the lower wing struts had not been screwed in sufficiently, and as a result the wings collapsed. No further examples were built. Engine, 120 h.p. Mercedes D II. Military Serial No.: E 600/15.


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


LVG E I Germany

   The first fighter of original design produced by the Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (LVG) of Berlin-Johannisthal was a two-seat monoplane designed by Franz Schneider. This, the E I powered by a 120 hp Mercedes D II engine and flown in 1915, was fitted with both a synchronised machine gun for the pilot and a machine gun on a ring mounting for the second crew member. The LVG E I was unusual in that, unlike most contemporaries, it featured ailerons, most monoplanes at the time employing wing warping for control. Although a promising design, the sole prototype was lost while being ferried to the Front for operational evaluation. It was subsequently ascertained that the screws of the wing bracing struts had worked loose with the result that the wings had collapsed. No data relating to the LVG E I are available.


J.Herris LVG Aircraft of WWI. Vol.3: Types C.VI-C.XI & Fighters (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 36)


LVG Fighters

  LVG was very successful designing two-seat, single-engine reconnaissance airplanes and trainers, the types in greatest demand in Germany. However, LVG had no luck designing fighters. The state of the art in fighters advanced more rapidly than for any other aircraft types, and typically those who designed successful fighters, such as Anthony Fokker and T.O.M. Sopwith, specialized in fighters.
  LVG's only success in fighters was producing the LVG D.I, which was the original designation for the Albatros D.II built under license by LVG. Eventually the designations of license-built aircraft were rationalized for clarity, and this type became the Albatros D.II(LVG).
  In contrast, LVG had no success with fighter designs despite some original thinking. The best fighter idea from LVG was their E.I two-seat monoplane fighter. This aircraft had good potential but, like many other monoplanes, suffered from a fatal in-flight wing failure and was abandoned. Had it reached the front, it would have been Germany's first two-seat fighter with a gun for each crew member.
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LVG Fighter Specifications
LVG D 10 LVG D.II LVG D.III LVG D.IV LVG D.V LVG D.VI
Engine 120 hp Mercedes D.II 160 hp Mercedes D.III 185 hp NAG C.III 195 hp Benz Bz.IIIb 195 hp Benz Bz.IIIb 195 hp Benz Bz.IIIb
Span, Upper - - 10.00 m 8.50 m - -
Wing Area - - 26.20 m2 18.06 m2 - -
Length - - 7.53 m 6.28 m - -
Empty Weight - - 773 kg 680 kg - -
Loaded Weight - - 1,028 kg 935 kg - -
Max. Speed - - 175 km/h - - -
Climb 5000 m - - 25 minutes 28 minutes - -

LVG E.I

  LVG E.I is a combination of tragedy and missed potential. A 1915 design, the E.I, serial E.600/15, was advanced for its time and perhaps the first German aircraft we would recognize as a two-seat fighter rather than an armed two-seater or battle plane.
  Powered by a 120 hp Mercedes D.II, it was fitted with a flexible machine gun for the observer and a fixed, synchronized gun for the pilot. This became the standard armament for the later CL-type two-seat fighters and ground-attack aircraft. Its monoplane configuration gave the crew an excellent field of view and provided a good field of fire for the gunner. Unfortunately, the monoplane design was also the aircraft's structural weak point. The design appears to be sound, but the E.I was lost due to structural failure while enroute to the front for combat evaluation, the crew being killed. Investigation revealed that the lower wing struts had not been screwed in sufficiently and the wings collapsed. Ensuring integrity of the wing bracing before flight would seem to be an obvious and essential practice, but was either overlooked or not performed with sufficient rigor. Perhaps the design made it difficult to assess visually?
  In any case, the E.I was abandoned after this fatal accident despite its promise, which seems an unfortunate over reaction to a problem that could have been readily solved.


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


Franz Schneider Flugmaschinenwerke GmbH, Seegefeld/Spandau

Aircraft Development:

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  In 1913, Schneider patented a firing device for firearms on aircraft to the German Imperial Patent Office (D.R.P. No. 276396). This patent used a locking mechanism that, via a linkage coupled to the engine's crankshaft, locked the gun's trigger when a propeller blade was in front of the muzzle.
  In 1915, Schneider had this mechanism installed in the LVG E.I two-seat monoplane, whose observer seat he equipped with a second, movable machine gun on a special rotating ring mount, for which he also held a patent. Although the LVG E.I was lost during transport to the front for practical tests, the principle of Schneider's rotating-ring mount soon became standard in German military aircraft of the First World War.

J.Herris - LVG Aircraft of WWI. Volume 3: Types C.VI-C.XI & Fighters /Centennial Perspective/ (36)
The first LVG designed for air combat was a two-seat fighter, the E.I. An advanced design for 1915 when it was built, it featured a fixed, synchronized gun for the pilot in addition to a flexible gun for the gunner. It is shown here after camouflage paint was applied to the upper surfaces in preparation for combat evaluation at the front. Tragically, the wing bracing failed during the delivery flight due to not being adequately attached and inspected, with fatal results. The E.I was then abandoned; only one was built. Since the fatal fault was due to poor pre-flight maintenance and inspection by the air and ground crew and not the design itself, abandoning the design may have been a significant missed opportunity. (Peter M. Grosz Collection/SDTB)
J.Herris - LVG Aircraft of WWI. Volume 3: Types C.VI-C.XI & Fighters /Centennial Perspective/ (36)
The LVG E.I before armament was installed and camouflage was applied. The typical LVG ailerons are clearly visible. Unfortunately, no specifications survive for the E.I other than its engine type. (Peter M. Grosz Collection/SDTB)
J.Herris - LVG Aircraft of WWI. Volume 3: Types C.VI-C.XI & Fighters /Centennial Perspective/ (36)
Prototype of the LVG E.I (E.600/15) at Johannisthal airfield.
The LVG E I two-seat fighter monoplane, the company’s first fighter of original design.
The gunner in the LVG E.I demonstrating his excellent field of fire while the pilot visualizes shooting down an enemy aircraft with his fixed, synchronized gun, an advanced feature for 1915. (Peter M. Grosz Collection/SDTB)
J.Herris - LVG Aircraft of WWI. Volume 3: Types C.VI-C.XI & Fighters /Centennial Perspective/ (36)
The gunner in the LVG E.I demonstrating his excellent field of fire while the pilot visualizes shooting down an enemy aircraft with his fixed, synchronized gun, an advanced feature for 1915. (Peter M. Grosz Collection/SDTB)
J.Herris - LVG Aircraft of WWI. Volume 3: Types C.VI-C.XI & Fighters /Centennial Perspective/ (36)
The LVG E.I cockpit. (Peter M. Grosz Collection/SDTB)
J.Herris - LVG Aircraft of WWI. Volume 3: Types C.VI-C.XI & Fighters /Centennial Perspective/ (36)
Two views of the LVG E.I pilot's cockpit and synchronized machine gun mechanism. (Peter M. Grosz Collection/SDTB)