1915 - Rs I - Giant Flying Boat
Rs I – the first flying-boat designed by Dipl.-Ing. Claude Dornier – was the largest aircraft of its time, featuring a novel, nearly exclusive all-metal structure. Only the wing, empennage and the hull were covered with fabric. The upper and lower wing of this biplane were braced by struts and the complete wing unit was pivoted on the boat.
The angle of attack the fuselage was adaptable in flight by means of a strut extending from the upper wing into the hull. Outboard floats on the lower wing were used to increase overall stability. The hull had one cross-step. The three Maybach engines were mounted on a joint stand. They drove pusher propellers and were accessible for maintenance during the flight. The radiators were installed without paneling against the engine nacelles. The wooden propellers, equipped with metal edges, had a diameter of 3.5 m.
Rs I was destroyed before its first flight during a storm at its Friedrichshafen-Seemoos buoy on 21 December 1915.
Technical Data
| Length | 29,0 m |
| Height | 7,2 m |
| Wing span upper wing | 43,5 m |
| Depth upper wing | 4,6 m |
| Wing span lower wing | 37,7 m |
| Depth lower wing | 3,6 m |
| Total wing area | 329,0 m |
| Horizontal tail area | 43,0 m |
| Vertical tail area | 15,3 m |
| Hull width | 3,5 m |
| Powerplant Maybach | 3x 240 PS |
| All-up weight (planned) | 9500 kg |
