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Etrich Taube
role : two-seat unarmed reconnaissance
first flight : 6 april 1910 operational : September 1911
country : Austria/Germany
design :
production : 500 aircraft
general information :
In 1908 Igo Etrich designed this elegant monoplane. It’s form reminded of a bird in full flight and soon it gained the nickname “Taube”. Through its rear ward bended wingtips it had great stability. Lateral control was through wing warping.
It was used successful before WWI and set a record to height reaching 6096m.
Etrich sold the rights to the German government who gave the design to the Rumpler factory in Berlin-Lichtenberg. The Rumpler Taubes proved to be good aircraft and soon production was extended to other manufacturers. At a moment 14 companies were building Taubes, they differed all but can hardly be distinguished from eachother . Also different engines were installed, mostly the 120 hp Mercedes, but also the 100 hp Argus, 100 hp Mercedes or the 120 hp Austro Daimler. Around 500 Taube’s were built, an enormous number for this era before WWI. In 1914 half of all German military aircraft was a Taube.
It was a stable aircraft but this did not make it very agile. When the first allied aircraft appeared carrying a machine gun this became a problem. In the spring of 1915 the Taube was withdrawn from the front and was further used as trainer.
On 1 november 1911 Lt.Giulio Cavotti performed the first bomb raid. He threw 4 granates each weighing 2 kgs out of his Taube on a Turkish camp near the Ain Zara oase in Libia, (32°48’ 54”N, 13°15’58”E), not far South East from Tripoli. The Turkish protested, claiming a military hospital had been attacked. The Italians relativiced indicating a few days earlier Naval warships had shot 152 heavy grenades on the same camp without any protest from the Turkish.
The transparent wings of the Taube made it difficult to see from the ground when flying higher as 1200m. Was some kind of early “Stealth” aeroplane and got the nickname from the French “L’avion invisible”. The Taube had good high flying capabilities and then was even more difficult to see, but also the observer could see less from this great height.
In august 1914 Lt Canter and observer Mertens from FFA14 flying a Taube saw the Russian armies approaching near Tannenberg giving valuable information to the German army staff.
On 04 august 1914 bombs were thrown upon Luneville, probably the first bombraid of WWI, and most likely it was done by a Taube.
Later on 30 august Lt.Ferdinand Von Hiddessen flying a Taube dropped some light bombs and leaflets on Paris. It was the first time the city was raided by an enemy airplane.
material : stealtubes, spruce, triplex and cotton.
covering : aluminium, triplex and unbleached cotton
users : Luftwaffe, Austria, Italy
crew : 2
armament : no fixed armament
engine : 1 Mercedes D.I liquid-cooled 6 -cylinder inline engine 100 [hp](73.6 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 14.35 [m], length : 9.85 [m], height : 3.15[m]
wing area : 34.84 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 870 [kg]
empty weight operational : 600 [kg] bombload : 20 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed : 115 [km/hr] at sea-level
service ceiling : 2653 [m]
endurance : 4.0 [hours]
estimated action radius : 207 [km]
description :
shoulder-winged monoplane with fixed landing gear and tail strut
two spar wing
engines, landing gear, fuel and bombs in or attached to the fuselage
airscrew :
fixed pitch 2 -bladed tractor Mahogany airscrew with max. efficiency :0.61 [ ]
estimated diameter airscrew 2.20 [m]
angle of attack prop : 17.83 [ ]
reduction : 1.00 [ ]
airscrew revs : 1150 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 1.67 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 136 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
mean wing chord : 2.43 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 3.01 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 5.91 []
gap : 0.00 [m]
gap/chord : 0.00 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 445 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 1.7 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 23.9 [kg/hr] (32.6 [litre/hr]) at 75 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 4.33 [km/kg]
estimated total fuel capacity : 148 [litre] (109 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 191.2 [kg] = 2.60 [kg/KW]
weight 11 litre oil tank : 0.9 [kg]
oil tank filled with 0.6 litre oil : 0.5 [kg]
oil in engine 4 litre oil : 3.7 [kg]
fuel in engine 1 litre fuel : 0.4 [kg]
weight 14 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 2.1 [kg]
weight radiator : 10.5 [kg]
weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 9.0 [kg]
weight cowling 2.9 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 16.9 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 237 [kg](27.3 [%])
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fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 6.03 [cm]): 92 [kg]
bracing : 6.4 [kg]
is de romp bekleed met stof ? ja
fuselage covering ( 18.3 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 5.9 [kg]
weight controls + indicators: 7.0 [kg]
weight seats : 6.0 [kg]
weight other details, lighting set, etc. : 5.1 [kg]
weight bomb storage : 1.4 [kg]
weight 134 [litre] main fuel tank empty : 10.7 [kg]
weight engine mounts & firewalls : 4 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 138 [kg](15.9 [%])
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weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 22 [kg]
total weight ribs (29 ribs) : 52 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 404.9 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 141.1 [N]
total weight 4 spars : 48 [kg]
weight wings : 122 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 3.50 [kg]
weight cables (57 [m]) : 22.9 [kg] (= 398 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 8.1 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (2.4 [m2]) : 8.7 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (3.9 [m2]): 14.0 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 167 [kg] (19.2 [%])
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weight armament : 0 [kg]
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wheel pressure : 435.0 [kg]
weight 2 wheels (780 [mm] by 99 [mm]) : 20.6 [kg]
weight tailskid : 2.1 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 18.6 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 41.3 [kg] (4.7 [%]
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calculated empty weight : 584 [kg](67.1 [%])
weight oil for 4.8 hours flying : 8.1 [kg]
weight cooling fluids : 15.9 [kg]
*******************************************************************
calculated operational weight empty : 608 [kg] (69.9 [%])
published operational weight empty : 600 [kg] (69.0 [%])
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weight crew : 162 [kg]
weight fuel for 2.0 hours flying : 48 [kg]
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operational weight : 818 [kg](94.0 [%])
bomb load : 20 [kg]
operational weight bombing mission : 838 [kg]
weight camera : 20 [kg]
operational weight photo mission : 838 [kg]
fuel reserve : 32 [kg] enough for 1.35 [hours] flying
operational weight fully loaded : 870 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 74 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 870 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (operational without bombload) : 11.12 [kg/kW]
total power : 73.6 [kW] at 1150 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 1.7 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 3.75 [g] ultimate load : 5.6 [g] loadfactor : 2.2 [g]
design flight time : 3.20 [hours]
design cycles : 312 sorties, design hours : 1000 [hours]
operational wing loading : 236 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 202 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.27 ["]
max.angle of attack (stalling angle) : 13.07 ["]
angle of attack at max.speed : 3.46 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.13 [ ]
lift coefficient at max.speed : 0.37 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0099 [ ]
drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0645 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0545 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 66 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level (OW without bombload): 79 [km/hr]
min.drag speed (max endurance) : 80 [km/hr] at 1326 [m](power :53 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 91 [km/hr] at 1326 [m] (power:60 [%])
max.rate of climb speed : 73.9 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 104 [km/hr] op 1326 [m] (power:73 [%])
design speed prop : 109 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 115 [km/hr] op 100 [m] (power:99 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level (without bombload) : 148 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off distance at sea-level : 206 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 7.99 [ ]
max. practical ceiling : 4050 [m] with flying weight :701 [kg]
practical ceiling (operational weight): 3100 [m] with flying weight :818 [kg]
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 1 hour fuel) : 2875 [m] with flying weight :846 [kg]
published ceiling (2653 [m]
climb to 1500m (without bombload) : 11.89 [min]
max.dive speed : 300.9 [km/hr] at 1875 [m] height
load factor at max.angle turn 1.59 ["g"]
turn radius at 500m: 47 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 12.4 [seconds] at 500m
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 3.35 [hours] with 2 crew and 20 [kg] useful load and 73.8 [%] fuel
published endurance : 4.00 [hours] with 2 crew and possible useful (bomb) load : 4 [kg] and 88.1 [%] fuel
action radius : 173 [km] with 2 crew and 20[kg] photo camera/radio transmitter or bombload
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 247 [litre] fuel : 784 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 66 [kg]
production : 6.79 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 3.77 [kg]
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notes :
Literature :
A History of the luftwaffe blz.9,10
Praktisch handbook vliegtuigen deel 1 blz.80,292
Historische vliegtuigen blz.56
En.wikepedia.org Fighters 1914-19 Munson blz 81,157,158
Jane’s fighting aircraft WWI page 137f, 184,145f,146df, 155df
They fought for the sky page 44
Warplanes WOI page 7, 11, 24, 39
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program.
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(c) B van der Zalm 04 January 2019 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4