1935 - Do 18 E - Flying Boat
The Do 18 E - Long Range Flying Boat - was a braced high-wing monopole of all-metal design. The trapezoidal wing with rounded tips was braced against the sponsons by two pairs of struts and had a metal leading edge and from the rear spar backward, a fabric covered trailing edge. The hull with several bulkheads was characterized by a sharp keel in the bow, a slightly curved floor, a longitudinal step in the centre and a cross-step and skid box with water rudder in the tail. Above the waterline, the hull was completely round, which kept the flight deck low and made sure that it was smoothly integrated into the remainder of the hull. Space allocation: stowage room for naval equipment in the bow, flight deck with dual controls, radio and navigation room, fuel compartment, mail and freight hold, rear compartment for accessories; further fuel was carried in the sponsons. The tail ended in a single vertical fin, while the horizontal stabilizer was braced against the fuselage.
The first flight on 15 March 1935. Three Do 18E were used by Deutsche Lufthansa for scheduled South Atlantic mail flights; between 1935 and 1939, a total of 65 crossings were made. 1936, the flying boats “ Aeolus and Zephir" were tested on the North Atlantic route: each made two return flights to New York from Lisbon and the Azores respectively. In March 1938, an international long-distance record was established on the England – Brazil route (8392 km in 43 hours).
Technical Data
| Length | 19,3 m |
| Height | 5,4 m |
| Wing span | 23,7 m |
| Wing area | 98,0 m² |
| Powerplant Jumo 205 C | 2 x 600 PS |
| Empty weight | 6260 kg |
| All-up weight – water-launched | 8500 kg |
| All-up weight – catapult-launched | 10000 kg |
| Maximum speed | 260 km/h |
| Service Ceiling (at 8500kg) | 4200 m |
| Crew | 4-5 |
