Pfalz D.III Factory Construction Photos

Dave_Watts · 15 May 2006, 01:03 AM

Hi all,

Achim, you assuredly already have these images. I believe you got them when I visited. If not, I can send you higher dpi scans. For the rest...enjoy!

All images are available from the Deutsches Museum.

First photo; werkers setting up the bulkhead stations on large jig table.

Second photo; werkers applying skin to fuselage form.

Third photo; werkers applying skin to formers in jig. Neat stool the one gent is standing on. Achim, you'll have to make some of those for your project!

Fourth photo; werkers have moved the fuselage to two saw-horses (front one is heavy duty) and are finishing interior fittings.

Continued....

Best,
Dave W.

Dave_Watts · 15 May 2006, 01:18 AM

More photos...

Fifth photo; werkers getting things done. Tail spars have been added. Fuselage has been rotated on the horses to its side. Fuselage at upper left has cockpit hole started. Fuselage at extreme right is further along. Note jigs, tools, etc. on the floor and back wall.

Sixth photo; things are coming along well. Werkers apply skin to horizontal stabilizer.

Seventh photo; Wing under construction. Someone has been busy making spar fittings!

Eighth photo; women hard at work installing bracing wires and gluing parts in.

Several of the above photos were incorrectly labelled Pfalz D.VIII construction, but these fuselages were obviously made for in-line motors, not rotary.

Very best,
Dave W.

Dave_Watts · 15 May 2006, 01:20 AM

Hi all,

This following photo was in with the above group, but it's not a Pfalz D.XII. I'll let you guys tell me. The semi-finished fuselage is to the left. It's a boxy devil!

Two-seater made by Pfalz under license?

Best,
Dave W.

15 May 2006, 05:04 AM

Wow ... these are great photos! Where did you find them?

Thanks for sharing with us!

jumpinjan · 15 May 2006, 05:37 AM

To lay up narrow sheets of wood to make the fuselage skin, one needs to lay them over a mold and that's what picture #2 is. Picture one is the next step where they position all the bulkheads & rings in that table jig or keel; Then the skin is applied in pic #3. The engineer in me suggests that has to be the logical sequence.

Machinbird · 15 May 2006, 07:06 AM

Really cool pictures Dave. This could encourage some to attempt DIII construction.

Lyle · 15 May 2006, 08:16 AM

Most of these photos are showing a D.XII under construction, not a D.III. The wing photos might also be of a D.XII. The two-seater looks to be a Halberstadt Cl.IV but I don't know if Pfalz was involved in their production under license. Thanks for sharing them!

Pfalz-Scout · 15 May 2006, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyle

Most of these photos are showing a D.XII under construction, not a D.III. The wing photos might also be of a D.XII. The two-seater looks to be a Halberstadt Cl.IV but I don't know if Pfalz was involved in their production under license. Thanks for sharing them!

As far as I know, the PFALZ company built only one two-seater, that was a manufacture under licence of the Rumpler C.IV. not Halberstadt! The airplane was designated as PFALZ C.I The design differed from standard Rumpler C.IV by having ailerons on both wings connected by a strut and having fin braced to tailplane by a V-strut. Type test at Adlershof was on 24 August 1917

Regards
Pfalz-Scout

AchimEngels · 15 May 2006, 11:56 AM

This two seater is not a Rumpler C.IV or Pfalz C.I respectively. This plane had a different fuselage with a seperate steel tube fin in front of the rudder.

Cheers!

Achim

Dan_San_Abbott · 15 May 2006, 04:04 PM

DaveWatts:
That is a great set of pictures of Pfalz D.XII fuselages and wings under construction. Are you sure the big boxy fuselage is being built at the Pfalz Flugzeugwerke? It is the fuselage for a Alb.J.I. The fuselage jig table is what the Albatros used in fuselage construction.
Very interesting photographs.
Blue skies,
Dan