Looking for data on the Pfalz D.VIII....

[Guest Charles]

I'm looking for hard data on the Pfalz D.VIII (not the D.III or the D.XII, about which information is fairly readily available).

The D.VIII only saw service in small numbers, in 1918.

I have some general information, but what few sources there are tend to disagree, even about things like empty weight.

 

Does anyone have figures for the wing area, wingspan, empty and loaded weights, and ceiling. Anything extra, like wing chords, would be a bonus.

There is a reason for asking. If we had one in FE, it would look like this:

 

 

[+peter01 2]

Hi Charles,

 

Your right about sources....they are sometimes quite different. I've built a few that on further checking I decided were wrong!! Too late though.

 

But, hope this helps.

 

Apparently the Pfalz DVIII is nearly the same as the DVII, so sources for that may help too, or alternatively, it could be adding to any confusion by mixing one's specs with the other!

 

From the Aerodrome in a thread somewhere:

 

"The Pfalz Flugzeugwerke plans for this and its sister the D.VII are dated January 1918. But its designs were cataloged as early as November 30, 1917. In this case Pfalz was taking a page from the French Spad fighter. The thin-low drag airfoil profile that made the Spad fast and hard to beat in a dive was just the ticket that the design team was looking for. Late in the war high speed and diving ability became as equally important as maneouvrability. Both the D.VII and the D.VIII were built around the Siemens-Halske Sh III 160 hp, 11 cylinder counter rotary. Operationally it was different from a standard rotary engine. You see on a standard rotary, the cylinders and propeller turned on a stationary crankshaft, turning in one direction at 1400 rpms. On the ShIII 160hp the propeller and cylinders turned at 900 rpms in one direction, while and the Crankshaft turned 900 rpms in the other direction. This counteracted the torque inherent in the standard rotary engine and produced a maximum of 210hp. Later a modified version, the Sh.IIIa put out a maximum of 240hp. Another company named 'Rhemag' developed the reliable Sh.III(Rh.) These rotaries were to be the first to be equipped with a true form of throttle control instead of a 'blip' switch. Being highly maneuverable and fast climbing aircraft types, they became ideal for Germany's Home Defense units known as KEST ( Kampf - Einsitzer - STaffeln.) Several examples were flown successfully by experienced pilots like Ltn Paul Bäumer of Jasta Boelcke.

 

Though it looked like a small milk bottle with wings, it was to prove itself against all of its contemporaries in maneuverability and climb. The main difference is that the D.VII was a single bay and the D.VIII was the double bay arrangement. It seems that the D.VIII was the one that won the contract in the second fighter trials type testing. Idflieg ordered 120 of the type D.VIII."

 

 

Thats interesting..... "the ShIII 160hp .......produced a maximum of 210hp", especially if its empty weight was indeed 453kg as stated below.

 

 

and, from http://users.skynet.be/Emmanuel.Gustin/faq/ger_mil.txt ...........no ceiling tho:

 

 

Pfalz D VII

Biplane fighter. One built.

Type: D VII

Function: fighter

Year: 1918 Crew: 1 Engines: 1 * 160hp Siemens Halske Sh III

Wing Span: 7.52m Length: 5.65m Height: 2.85m Wing Area: 17.20m2

Empty Weight: 520kg Max.Weight: 715kg

Speed: 190km/h Ceiling: Range: 1h 30m

Armament: 2*mg

 

Pfalz D VIII

Development of the {Pfalz D VII}. The only difference was a change

in wing bracing. 40 built, and a few used in combat. It is reported

that handling was good and climb rate high, but that the

undercarriage was weak.

Type: D VIII

Function: fighter

Year: 1918 Crew: 1 Engines: 1 * 160hp Siemens Halske Sh III

Wing Span: 7.52m Length: 5.65m Height: 2.85m Wing Area: 17.20m2

Empty Weight: 453kg Max.Weight: 738kg

Speed: 190km/h Ceiling: Range: 1h 30m

Armament: 2*mg

 

 

Thanks for considering doing this, appreciated. It would be a good addition. In the end FE will probably have every WWI plane ever used!!!

 

Cheers

Edited July 27, 2007 by peter01

[Guest Charles]

Thanks, Peter. Gustin is usually fairly reliable, so that is useful.

The ceiling figures I have seen are 5000m and 7500m, which is somewhat of a difference.

 

Not much thanks to me, it is very much a team effort - 101tfs has done the 3Dmax file, Capun is turning it into the LOD, Gambit will be doing the skin, I just do the various INI files. It is good to have variety in the sim, though, isn't it?

[+peter01 2]

Well, another team, great.

 

Thank you 101, Capun and Gambit. Sounds an excellent team to me!

 

Yes it is good to have variety - I'd say that based on the number of planes we will eventually get (we must be half way by now?), and especially as no other WWI sim has really tackled the very early stuff, FE could be around and popular partly for those reasons for a good while.

 

BTW, I'd go for the higher ceiling, seems right.

[gambit168 27]

Hey Guys

peter's right dimensions r same as DVII, infact he has put nearly everything i just type in already !!lol

 

 

I have some data for u Charles

lump: siemans Halske shIII, 11 cyl rot,

Max speed :118mph (190km/h) @13,125ft (4000m)

time to 9,840ft = (3,000m) = 3.1min's

time to 19,685ft= (6000m) = 25.25min's

end 1.5hours

E.W. = 1,197lb's (543kg's)

L.W. =1,627lb (738kg)

guns 2x lmg 08/15

[*BRUNO* 0]

Salute All!

 

More informations about Pflaz DVIII

(source Pflaz aicraft of WW1-Jack Herris)

 

Engine 160Hp Siemens-Halske SH III

145 Hp oberrursel Ur III

200 hp Goebel GOe III

 

Data for SH III production

 

Wing: span upper 7.52 m

span lower 6.98 m

chord upper 1.30 m

chord lower 1.30 m

gap 1.45 m

stagger 0.25 m

aera 17.12 sq m

 

General

length 5.65 m

height 2.85 m

empty weight 542 kg

loaded weight 767 kg

 

maximum speed

climb

1000 m 1.5 min

2000 m 3.5 min

3000 m 5.8 min

4000 m 8.4 min

5000 m 11.1 min

 

Salutations

BRUNO

[Guest Charles]

Thanks, guys, all very useful.

 

For interest, note the discrepancy in empty weight in the information given above. It was either 542 or 543 kg in most sources, but that one from the Aerodrome gives it as 453 kg. The quote from the website by Peter is accurate - my guess is it is a typo on the website itself (543 mistyped as 453). 543 kg looks much more likely for an aircraft of this size, so I will go with that.

 

Thanks again for all the help.