Hansa-Brandenburg C.I (Type LDD)

History

The Hansa-Brandenburg C.I was a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft used with Austria-Hungary during World War I. The C.I is another aircraft design by German engineer Ernst Heinkel, who also built the 1914 Lufthansa-Brandenburg B.I unarmed reconnaissance plane. Heinkel's work on the B.I undoubtedly played a role in the newer C.I, which itself carried over some of the style and engineering of previous designs.

The C.I operated from 1916 until the end of the war, responsible for aerial reconnaissance, artillery reconnaissance, photographic reconnaissance and some strike operations using a small number of light throwing guns - essentially a "multi-role" performer of the time.

Hansa-Brandenburg has two equal-span double-span wings with parallel struts arranged in a staggered configuration. The entire hull is boxy in shape with a flat fabric-covered veneer and a smooth, forward-curved underside. The engine is mounted at the very forward end of the fuselage, just ahead of the crew position.

Unlike the separate cockpits common on other aircraft of the era, the C.I used a connected open-air compartment for its two crew members, sitting back-to-back, the pilot behind the windshield, and the observer/gunner in a simplified ring The "cage" was placed on his back. The placement of the pilot and upper wing positions allows the pilot to see above and above the upper wing structure for improved visibility. Armament includes one or two 8mm Schwarzlose machine guns, while light bomb loads can be up to 220 lbs. In previous C.Is, only the observers were armed with machine guns, located in the rear cockpit. Other versions used a second machine gun in the pilot's upper wing assembly.

There are also variants that forgo the upper machine gun in favor of a synchronization system mounted on the port side of the hull. The landing gear was conventional at the time, with a pair of main gear wheels on fixed struts and a simple tail fin below the tail. The fuselage tapers towards the empennage, with a single vertical fin and supported horizontal plane. Power is supplied to the twin-blade propeller by a 160 hp Austro-Daimler inline water-cooled engine (both production model dependent).

Top speed is 78 mph and service is capped at 19,000 feet. C.I's listed battery life is about 3 hours. Overall, the Hansa-Brandenburg proved to be a solid design, and it looked quite pleasing.

Hansa-Brandenburg took over the primary production of C.I (84 produced by HB), while Phonix (Phonix Flugzeugwerke) and Ufag (Hungarian Aircraft Factory) were mainly included in different engine types and engine powers. The Phonix C.I was produced in five major series with Austro-Daimler and Hieros engines ranging from 160 to 230 hp. Likewise, Ufag produces the C.I in six batches with 160 to 230 hp engines from Austro-Daimler, Hieros, Mercedes and Benz.

In the end, a total of 1,318 C.Is were produced.

The C.I served in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Royal Air Force and proved to be a stable mount, which led to a long career, which is a must for any aircraft that served in the First World War Quite an achievement. Like other aircraft designs in the war, the C.I was progressively improved, and its career as a front-line working machine was extended with the advent of new engines of increasing power.

In addition to Austria-Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia also used the CIA, albeit in the subsequent postwar years. During the ensuing two world wars, Aero took over the production of the Czechoslovak C.I, the main models being the A-14, A-15 and A-26, with the 185 hp BMW IIIa engine licensed from Walter Aircraft.

Walter is a company founded in 1911, initially in the industrial production of motorcycles and (later) automobiles.

Hansa-Brandenburg C.I may also be referred to as LDD type in some publications.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes