Friedrichshafen FF.54

History

WWI-era German aviation group Friedrichshafen was unable to secure any ongoing fighter contracts during the conflict, aviation history admits that they only contributed in the seaplane/seaplane and bomber fields . The FF.54 was their last chance after the defeat of their land-based counterparts to the FF.43 seaplane fighter and FF.46 biplane (both described elsewhere on this page). The new proposal has a rather unique form in incorporating the "four-ply" wing main aircraft arrangement.

Both monoplanes and triplanes had their own successes during the war, but biplanes continued to dominate after the war. That hasn't stopped aeronautical engineers from trying to fit more main planes on their planes, hoping to gain some performance or handling advantage by doing so.

Friedrichshafen has already attempted such a project with its FF. 54 But, like others, this optimistic plan ultimately failed - only one prototype was completed, and it was converted into a more traditional triplane form before it was even concluded.

FF. The 54 retained many of the established features of a World War I fighter, including a fixed, two-wheeled, rear towed undercarriage, a single tail fin and an open-air cockpit. At its heart is a general purpose single-seat, single-engine fighter, powered by a Mercedes D.III 160 hp 6-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled engine the same as the FF. 43 and related FF. 46. ??The armament here also consists of 2 x 7.92mm LMG 08/15 air-cooled machine guns mounted on fixed forward-firing mounts that fire synchronously through rotating propeller blades.

The fuselage is very rounded for aerodynamic efficiency, and the pilot is positioned quite high to see the awkward wing layout.

The aircraft is different here - it implements a quadruple wing arrangement. This consists of a basic upper and lower wing element that rests on a pair of narrower, more closely spaced midplanes mounted on either side of the forward fuselage.

The upper wing elements are placed very forward in the array, while the bottom elements sit under a pair of mid-wings - evenly stacked on top of each other. The upper wing members are further connected by V-shaped struts, while the two middle and single lower wing members are connected by thick planar struts.

The end result was a rather odd, bulky plane that should rival the best fighter jets of its time.

Work on the aircraft began in October 1917 and culminated in flight tests soon after. The fighter was modified in April 1918 when it was discovered that there was no four-ply wing arrangement, with only three main aircraft - the classic Sopwith and Fokker configurations (both in the with limited success in air combat).

Removing one of the midplanes required modification of the tail surface to compensate for the loss.

Between May and September 1918, the fighter was tested again in this new form. Before the end of the war in November 1918, the aircraft suffered a crash and was not further developed - thus ending Friedrichshafen's contribution to German aerial warfare in World War I. The company was dissolved in 1923 and its manufacturing facilities were taken over by Dornier.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service

1917

Origins

German Empire

Status

Cancel

Development ended.

Crew

1

Production

1

Manufacturer

Aircraft Friedrichshafen - German Empire

operator

German Empire (cancelled)

scrolling

air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

POWER & PERFORMANCE

Installed:

1 x Mercedes D. III 6-cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine developing 160 horsepower driving two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

ARMAMENT

PROPOSED:2 x 7. 92mm LMG 08/15 machine guns over the nose, synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.