LFG Roland D.II

LFG Roland D.II

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_D.II

Roland D.II

Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft
First flight	October 1916
Introduction	Early 1917
Number built	300
Developed from	Roland D.I

The LFG Roland D.II was a German single-seat fighter of World War I. The type was manufactured by Luftfahrzeug Gesellschaft, and also by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke under license.

The D.II used a plywood monocoque fuselage. Two layers of plywood strips were spirally wrapped in opposing directions over a mold to form one half of a fuselage shell. The fuselage halves were then glued together, covered with a layer of fabric, and doped. The upper wing was attached to the fuselage by means of a large central pylon, greatly impairing the pilot's forward vision. Armament consisted of twin "Spandau" LMG 08/15 machine guns buried in the fuselage decking.

The D.II was initially powered by a 160 hp Mercedes D.III engine, giving a top speed of 105mph at sea level. Later aircraft, designated D.IIa, were powered by an 180 hp Argus As.III. The As.III offered poor performance above 3,000 m and the D.IIa was mostly relegated to operations on the Eastern Front.

Nicknamed Haifisch (shark) for its sleek appearance, the D.II and D.IIa proved generally unpopular in service due to poor fields of view and heavy controls. However, it is also reported that the aircraft had particularly sensitive controls, particularly in the yawing plane. The type is known to have been been used by Jasta 25 at their Canatlarzi base in Macedonia in 1917.

Variants

D.II : Single-seat fighter-scout biplane, powered by a 160 hp (119 kW) Mercedes D.III piston engine.
D.IIa :Single-seat fighter-scout biplane, powered by a 180 hp (134 kW) Argus As.III piston engine.

Operators

German Empire

Luftstreitkräfte
- Jasta 25
- Jasta 27
Kaiserliche Marine

Specifications (D.II)

Data from German Aircraft of the First World War

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 6.93 m (22 ft 8⅞ in)
Wingspan: 8.94 m (29 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.11 m (10 ft 2⅜ in)
Wing area: 22.8 m² (246.2 ft²)
Empty weight: 715 kg (1,573 lb)
Loaded weight: 954 kg (2,099 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder in-line water cooled piston engine, 119 kW (160 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 180 km/h (97 knots, 112 mph)
Service ceiling: 5,000 m(16,400 ft)
Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
Power/mass: W/kg (hp/lb)
Climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft): 23 min
Endurance: 2 hours

Armament

Guns: 2 x 7.92 mm LMG08/15 machine guns

Variants

Operators

Specifications (D.II)

See also

Bibliography