Aviatik C.VIII

The Aviatik C.VIII was a prototype German observation aircraft built by Aviatik in World War I.

C.VIII
Role Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer Aviatik
First flight 1917
Status prototype only
Primary user Luftstreitkräfte
Number built 1

Design

The C.VIII was a development of the C.VII with the former's BMW IV engine replaced by the simpler Benz Bz.IV. It was an aerodynamically clean biplane with a minimum amount of biplane box struts and a cut-out in the upper wing to improve visibility from the cockpit. Like the Halberstadt CL.II, the Aviatik C.VIII had a plywood-covered fuselage tapering down to a narrow tail.[1]

The Aviatik C.VIII was judged obsolete in 1917 given the deployment of an observer in front of the pilot.

Specifications

Data from ,[2] Aviatik aircraft of WWI : a centennial perspective on great war airplanes[3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in)
  • Wing area: 28 m2 (300 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 780 kg (1,720 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,180 kg (2,601 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.IV 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 150 kW (200 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 155 km/h (96 mph, 84 kn)
  • Service ceiling: 5,100 m (16,700 ft)

Armament

  • Guns: One flexible 7.92 in (201.168 mm) Parabellum MG 14 machine gun in the rear cockpit
  • Bombs: 60 kg (130 lb) of bombs

References

  1. Treadwell, Terry, 2010. German and Austro-Hungarian Aircraft Manufacturers 1908-1918. Stroud: Amberley Publishing.
  2. Gray, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. p. 282. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.
  3. Herris, Jack (Author); Pearson, Bob (Illustrator); Weaver, Aaron (Cover Design) (14 March 2014). Aviatik aircraft of WWI : a centennial perspective on great war airplanes. Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1935881223.

Further reading

  • Taylor, Michael J.H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopaedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. ISBN 978-0-517-69186-1.
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