Zeppelin-Staaken R.V
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Zeppelin-Staaken R.V | image=File:Ray Wagner Collection Image (21413403806).jpg | caption=R.V 13/15, shown with two-bladed propeller on the nose engine. }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Bomber | national origin= Germany | manufacturer= Schütte-Lanz | designer= Graf von Zeppelin | first flight=1917 | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user=Luftstreitkräfte | more users= | produced= | number built=1 | program cost= | unit cost= | developed from= | variants with their own articles=Zeppelin-Staaken R.VII, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV, Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI, }} |
The Zeppelin-Staaken R.V was one of a series of large bombers called Riesenflugzeugen, intended to be less vulnerable than the rigid airships in use at the time.
Development
In 1916, Zeppelin moved development of large bombers to Staaken, Germany. The R.V was co-developed alongside the R.VI and R.VII. The R.V had two engine pods, each with two engines paired in tandem, driving single propellers through clutches, gearboxes and shafts. An additional tractor engine was also fitted in the nose of the fuselage. The pods were large enough for some inflight maintenance. The Model R.IV was selected for production, rather than the R.V, because the geared and clutched engines posed a higher developmental risk. Each R-series aircraft required a ground-crew of 50.
Operational history
The sole R.V (R.V 13/15) was accepted into service with Rfa 501 (Riesenflugzeug Abteilung 501) on 23 December 1917, after a protracted development period, due to teething troubles with the engine transmission systems. After an initial operational mission on 25 January 1918, fifteen further operational missions were flown in eight months of service, before an emergency landing in fog ended its career on 18 October 1918.
Operators
- {{flag|German Empire}}
- Rfa 501
Specifications (Zeppelin-Staaken R.V)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=met
|genhide=
|crew=seven
|capacity=
|length m=23
|length ft=
|length in=
|length note=
|span m=42.2
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|width m=
|width ft=
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|height m=6.3
|height ft=
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|height note=
|wing area sqm=332
|wing area sqft=
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|swept area sqm=
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|volume m3=
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|empty weight kg=9450
|empty weight lb=
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|gross weight kg=13010
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- Useful load: {{convert|3560|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|eng1 number=5
|eng1 name=Maybach Mb.IVa
|eng1 type=6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engines
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=245
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|max speed kmh=135
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|endurance=7 hours
|ceiling m=4500
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|ceiling note=approx.
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|time to altitude= {{bulleted list
|{{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in 10 minutes.
|{{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in 22 minutes.
|{{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in 34 minutes.
}}
|sink rate ms=
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|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=42
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|guns=5 x machine-guns in dorsal, ventral, upper wing and two nacelle positions
}}
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Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
{{Refbegin}}
- {{cite magazine|first=A. K.|last=Rohrbach|title=Das 1000-PS Verkehrsflugzeug der Zeppelin-Werke, Staaken|magazine=Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt|volume=12|number=1|date=15 January 1921}}
- {{cite book|first1=E.|last1=Offermann, W. G.|last2=Noack|first3=A. R.|last3=Weyl|title=Riesenflugzeuge|work= Handbuch der Flugzeugkunde|publisher=Richard Carl Schmidt & Co.|year=1927}}
- {{cite book|last1=Haddow|first1=G.W.|last2=Grosz|first2=Peter M.|title=The German Giants|location=London|publisher=Putnam}}
{{Refend}}
External links
{{commons category|Zeppelin-Staaken R.V}}
- {{Cite web| title = Stakken IV| url = http://www.roden.eu/HTML/055.htm| access-date = September 27, 2010| archive-date = May 5, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130505050844/http://www.roden.eu/HTML/055.htm| url-status = dead}}
{{Zeppelin aircraft}}
{{Idflieg R-class designations}}
{{wwi-air}}
Category:1910s German bomber aircraft