Rumpler C.IV explained
The Rumpler C.IV was a German single-engine, two-seat reconnaissance biplane. It was a development of C.III with different tail surfaces and using a Mercedes D.IVa engine in place of the C.III's Benz Bz.IV. The Rumpler 6B 2 was a single-seat floatplane fighter variant with a 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III engine built for the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy).
For a two-seater reconnaissance aircraft, Rumpler C.IV had an excellent performance, which enabled it to remain in front-line service until the end of World War I on the Western Front, as well as in Italy and Palestine. Its exceptional ceiling allowed pilots to undertake reconnaissance secure in the knowledge that few allied aircraft could reach it.
300 aircraft were licence-built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke as the Pfalz C.I, differing in ailerons on all four wings. From February 1917 they were renamed Rumpler C.IV (Pfal).[1]
For use during filming, Slingsby Sailplanes built two Slingsby T.58 Rumpler C.IV replicas. While these were visually similar to the original aircraft, they were structurally completely different, having a steel-tube fuselage structure and wooden wings, and being powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major engine.[2]
Variants
- Rumpler C.IV:
Pfalz C.I
Production by Pfalz, with ailerons on all four wings: 300 built.
- Rumpler C.IV (Pfal): The Pfalz C.I re-designated
Slingsby T.58 Rumpler C.IV replica:Slingsby Sailplanes built two Slingsby T.58 Rumpler C.IV replicas. While these were visually similar to the original aircraft, they were structurally completely different, having a steel-tube fuselage structure and wooden wings, and being powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major engine
Rumpler 6B 2: floatplane fighter
Operators
References
Bibliography
- Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen. German Aircraft of the First World War. London, Putnam, 1962.
- Book: Herris . Jack . Pfalz Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes . 2012 . Aeronaut Books . Charleston, SC . 978-1-935881-12-4. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. 5.
- Book: Herris . Jack . Rumpler Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes . 2014 . Aeronaut Books . n.p. . 978-1-935881-21-6. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. 11.
- Munson, Kenneth. Aircraft of World War I. London: Ian Allan, 1967. .
- Munson, Kenneth. Bombers, Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft 1914 - 1919.
- Munson, Kenneth. Fighters, Attack and Training Aircraft 1914 - 1919. .
- Neulen. Hans-Werner. Cony. Christophe. amp . Les aigles du Kaiser en Terre Sainte . Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire . September 2000 . 90 . 38–46 . The Kaiser's Eagles in the Holy Land . fr . 1243-8650.
- Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969–70. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1969. .
External links
Notes and References
- Herris, Jack. Pfalz Aircraft of World War I. Great War Aircraft in Profile, Volume 4. 2001. . P.9
- Taylor 1969, pp. 225–226.
