Sablatnig SF-1 explained

The Sablatnig SF-1 was a reconnaissance seaplane built in Germany during the First World War.^[1]

Development

It was a conventional two-bay biplane with staggered wings of unequal span and a fuselage of particularly sleek design. The pilot and observer sat in open cockpits in tandem, and the undercarriage consisted of twin pontoons braced to the underside of the fuselage and to wings.

Operational history

Sablatnig delivered the SF-1 prototype to the SVK (Seeflugzeug Versuchs Kommando – "Seaplane Testing Command") in October 1915 under the naval serial number 490. It was finally accepted into active naval service a full two years later, in October 1917. Although accepted for service with the Imperial German Navy, only the prototype was built, and no production order was forthcoming.^{[2] [3]}

Operators

Germany

• Imperial German Navy Air Service

SVK (Seeflugzeug Versuchs Kommando – "Seaplane Testing Command")

References

• Book: Gray, Peter . Owen Thetford . German Aircraft of the First World War . registration . Putnam . London . 1962 .
• Book: Herris . Jack . German Seaplanes of WWI: Sablatnig, Kaiserliche Werften, Lübeck-Travemünde, LTG, & Oertz: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Seaplanes . 2015 . Aeronaut Books . n.p. . 978-1-935881-27-8. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. 15.
• Book: Kroschel, Günter . Helmut Stützer . Die Deutschen Militärflugzeuge 1910–1918 . Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn . Herford . 1994.
• Book: Nowarra, Heinz J. . Marine Aircraft of the 1914–1918 War . Harleyford Publications . Letchworth, Harts . 1966 .
• Book: Taylor, Michael J. H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . 1989 . Studio Editions . London .

Notes and References

1. Taylor 1989, p.787
2. Nowarra 1966, p.78
3. Gray & Thetford 1962, p.538