TheDFW C.IV,DFW C.V,DFW C.VI, andDFW F37 were a family of Germanreconnaissance aircraft first used in 1916 inWorld War I. They were conventionally configuredbiplanes with unequal-span unstaggered wings and seating for the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. Like theDFW C.II before them, these aircraft seated the gunner to the rear and armed him with a machine gun on a ring mount. Compared to preceding B- and C-class designs by DFW, however, the aerodynamics of the fuselage were more refined, and when coupled with more powerful engines, resulted in a machine with excellent performance.
TheC.IV had a single-bay wing cellule and was powered by a 112 kW (150.19 hp)Benz Bz.III. It was soon replaced in production by the definitiveC.V with a two-bay wing cellule and either a 185 hp (137.95 kW)C.III N.A.G. or 149 kW (199.81 hp)Benz Bz.IV. Predictably, the more powerful Benz engine gave significantly better performance.
The C.V's main designer was Heinrich Oelerich, and it was produced in larger numbers than any other German aircraft during World War I. About 2000 were manufactured by DFW and about 1,250 licence manufactured byAviatik (initially as theAviatik C.VI, but later as theDFW C.V(Av)),Halberstadt,LVG, andSchütte-Lanz.
A further development was theC.VI, a sturdier aircraft with balances added to the ailerons. Only a single example of this was built, but it was followed by three aircraft designatedF37 in the closing stages of the war, which may have received the Idflieg designationDFW C.VII, though this is not certain. Following the war, theDFW F37 was fitted with the 220 kW (295.02 hp)BMW IV engine, and in this configuration broke the world altitude record in 1919, reaching a height of 7,700 m (25,262.47 ft). However, since this flight was in breach of the Armistice, it was not recognised by theFAI. After this exploit, this F37 had its original Benz engine restored, and was converted into a passenger "limousine" by the addition of a richly upholstered interior and a canopy to enclose it. Now designated theDFW P1 Limousine, it could carry three passengers and was demonstrated by DFW at theELTA exhibition in Amsterdam in 1919, flying passengers.
DFW C.V (s/n5845/16) banking in early morning sunlight. Note the Aviatik trademark on strut, and flares in holder behind observer's cockpit
The C.V was a biplane of mixed, mostly wooden construction. The fuselage was a wooden frame, covered with plywood, with a tail consisting of a metal frame, covered with canvas. The wings were of two-spar wooden construction, rectangular in shape and covered in canvas. The upper wing had a slighter greater span and was fitted withailerons. Theconventional landing gear was fixed, with a straight common axle and a rear skid.
DFW CV.7888/17. Shot down by French anti-aircraft fire near La Chapelle
Thestraight-six engine was fitted with a long, vertical, chimney-like exhaust pipe (LVG-produced planes had horizontal exhaust pipe) and was covered with an aerodynamic cover, but these were often left off. The engine drove a two-blade wooden propeller 2.8 metres (9.2 ft) in diameter. Engine cooling was initially provided by radiators on each side of the fuselage, later aircraft used a radiator at the front of the upper wing.
The aircraft at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków (2013)
The C.V and its related designs were used as a multi role combat aircraft, for reconnaissance, observation, and bombing byGermany andBulgaria during World War I. Six aircraft were delivered toBulgaria in 1917.[1] In the hands of a skilled pilot it could outmaneuver most allied fighters of the period. It remained in service until early 1918 though 600 were still in use by the Armistice of 11 November 1918. Most were thereafter scrapped according to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Poland seized 11 aircraft in 1919 and manufactured further 13 in 1920 from seized parts. Several other C.Vs were bought in 1920. They were used by thePolish Air Force in thePolish-Soviet war.
Two were used post-war in Finland, four in the Netherlands, two in Switzerland, five (plus one made from spare parts) in Lithuania and a number in Estonia. Eight aircraft were converted for civilian use and used byDeutsche Luft Rederei. Seven copies were built by theDarzhavna Aeroplanna Rabotilnitsa (Bulgarian state aircraft workshops) in 1925 as theDAR Uzunov-1 (DAR U-1) and used as a trainer for Bulgaria'ssecret air force.[2]
The first of a line of reconnaissance aircraft from DFW, powered by a 112 kW (150 hp)Benz Bz.III.
DFW C.V
The major production version with thousands built by DFW and many more by sub-contractors. Power could be supplied by a 112 kW (150.19 hp)C.III N.A.G. (licence-builtConrad C.III) or 149 kW (200 hp)Benz Bz.IV
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