Pfalz D.VIII
{{Infobox aircraft
|name = D.VIII
|image = Pfalz D.VIII 04.jpg
|caption =
|type = Fighter
|national_origin = Germany
|manufacturer = Pfalz Flugzeugwerke GmbH |designer =
|first_flight = 1918
|introduction = 1918
|retired =
|status =
|primary_user = Luftstreitkräfte
|more_users =
|produced = 1918
|number_built = 40
|program cost =
|unit cost =
|developed_from =
|variants =
}}
The Pfalz D.VIII was a German World War I fighter aircraft.
Development
The D.VIII was approved for production arising from German initiatives in 1918 to develop superior fighter aircraft. Its power unit, the Siemens-Halske Sh.III rotary enabled the type to achieve a top speed of {{convert|120|mph|km/h}} at sea level. Armament was twin 7.92mm Spandau machine guns.
Production
Forty units were completed but as this was very near the end of the war, they were used mostly for evaluation purposes.
Specifications (D.VIII - (Sh III engine))
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=German Aircraft of the First World War{{cite book |last1=Gray |first1=Peter |last2=Thetford |first2=Owen |title=German Aircraft of the First World War |year=1970 |publisher=Putnam |location=London |isbn=0-370-00103-6 |edition=2nd |pages=502–503}}
|prime units?=met
|crew=1
|length m=5.65
|length note=
|span m=7.52
|span note=
|height m=2.75
|height note=
|wing area sqm=17.2
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=543
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=738
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Siemens-Halske Sh.III
|eng1 type=11-cylinder air-cooled geared rotary engine
|eng1 kw=119
|eng1 note=
- Alternative engines (prototypes only):
:*Oberursel U.III {{cvt|160|hp|order=flip|0}}
:*Goebel Goe.III {{cvt|140|hp|order=flip|0}}
|prop blade number=4
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia note=
|max speed kmh=190
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=1 hour 30 minutes
|ceiling m=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|6000|m}} in 25 minutes
|wing loading kg/m2=42.9
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.16|kW/kg}}
|more performance=
|guns= 2 × 7.92 mm (0.31 in) LMG 08/15 machine guns
}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite book |last1=Cowin |first1=H. W. |title=German and Austrian aviation of World War I : a pictorial chronicle of the airmen and aircraft that forged German airpower |date=2000 |publisher=Osprey Pub |isbn=1-84176-069-2}}
- {{cite book |last1=Herris |first1=Jack |title=Pfalz Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes |date=2012 |publisher=Aeronaut Books |location=Charleston, SC |isbn=978-1-935881-12-4|series=Great War Aviation Centennial Series|volume=5}}
External links
{{commons category|Pfalz D.VIII}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdzbAVKZ63w YouTube May 2020 video of Mikael Carlson's authentic Pfalz D VIII biplane reproduction in ground-trials, with restored and operable Sh III engine]
- [http://www.cbrnp.com/profiles/quarter1/pfalzd8.htm Pfalz D.VIII]
{{Pfalz aircraft}}
{{Idflieg D-class designations}}
Category:1910s German fighter aircraft