Shorter Albatros D.Va wing gap

[charles]

Various sources including the attached drawing from an Air Board Technical Report refer to the wing gap of the Albatros D.Va as being shorter (1 meter 39 cm or 4'-6.2") than the D.V (1 meter 50 cm or 4'-10.5") by about 11 cm or 4.3 inches. *Assuming the formers of the heavier D.Va were no shorter than the D.V's, doesn't this suggest that the interplane and cabane strutts of the D.Va were shorter than the D.V's?

[StephenLawson]

Agreed.

[Backseater]

Hi Charles

I had the same impression of the D5a and DV gap spacing when I read the original report. However a careful examination with a magnifying glass of the "D5" on the dot-dash line at the top of the drawing revealed that it was a D followed by a squiggly line not a 5. Also the almost illegible note under the drawing title over the wheel, under the same scrutiny, read " Old type D III shown in chain lines." After bopping myself on the forehead, I came to the realization the creator was using dot-dash lines represent the D III configuration.
Just to be sure I checked a report the French made on a DV D3440 and it gave the gap as 1 meter 37.
Close enough! I also measured a DV head-on photo and it came withiln a few millimeters of the 13883.5 gap given in the Bob Waugh drawings in NASM's book on the restoration of the DVa "STROPP"
So I feel better that I was not alone in my intrepretation of the drawing and hope I have been of some help.

I have your website on my favorites list and review it often for new items. My compliments to you and your lovely wife.

frank g.

[charles]

Charles Schaedel's Albatros Scouts Described page 20 provides a table for attributes of various Albatros aircraft and says that the wing gap of the D.V. was 4'10" and D.Va 4'8.5" for a difference of 1.5"

I can't figure out where the weight gain was, Frank. It's not in the longerons, skin or formers, so where is it?

Charley

[Dan_San_Abbott]

charles gosse:
I had not thought about the gap of the A lb.D.v and Alb.D.Va for a long time, I had to go back and review th Albatros / Idflieg data sheets and drawings.
The Albatros D.V 3 view drawing indicates the gap was 1380mm. The Albatros Werke document prepared for Idflieg, "Baubeschreibung für D.Va Flugzeug, 1917" lists the deckenabstand (gap) at 1383.5mm. the gap on both machines was 1383.5 mm. The gap of the Alb. D.III as shown on the Albatros Werke 3 view prepared for Idflieg was 1470mm.
The British French reports confused the Alb.D.III with the Alb.D.V.
The changes in the Alb.D.V to the Alb.D.Va were strengthening the airframe and aileron cables run to the lower wings, as on the Alb.D.III.
Blue Skies,
Dan-San

Thank you Charles for bringing up this curious detail. I have always wondered how the two could have different wing gaps when the wings are dimensionally the same and the struts identical. Thank you Dan for giving us the reason for the misconception.

regards