Pflaz DIIIa - how good or bad it really was?

[Ransom E. Olds]

And weight is only part of the problem the Germans faced: the heavier Mercedes and BMW inline sixes were considerably longer than the compact v-8 Hisso, lengthening the fuselage not only in front of the pilot but also behind him. Ransom

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hi Ransome:
The dimensionally bigger engine added to the length to the fuselage and greater wing area added airframe weight in crease the weight to power ratio. Increased the drag with a bigger footprint which reduce the performance. Then an Albatros engineer decides to reduce the structual weight resulted in the Alb.D.V, which had a weak airframe for the engine.
The Hisso was a magnificent designed engine. It set the engine formula for all the powerful V12 engine of the future. The Merlin, Allison and the Daimler of WW2.
Blue skies Ransome,
Dan-San

[Mode One]

I love the Pfalz line of fighters, there were none so elegently designed! I realize that elegant doesn't shoot down the enemy. But it sho be purty!

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hi Mode one:
I to like the Pfalz D.III/IIIa design, along with the Nieuport 28c1. In my humble opinion, they were the two most beautiful fighters of WW1. The both have the elegance of line and porportion, they were esthetically a delight to the eye.
I sure would like to see the drag coefficients of the Alb.D.III, D.V, Pfalz D.III and D.XIIIa and the Fok.D.VII. For comparison to the Sopwith 1F1 Camel, SPAD IIIc1 and the S.E.5a, geared Hisso and Viper. The difference in radiators would have an effect on the drag coefficient.
The Allies had the advantage in the Power to weight ratios for the Hisso powered SPAD XIIIc1 and the S.E.5a. both airplanes had a smaller footprint, so the drag coefficient would be lower.
The Hisso was such a suberb engine, I still wonder why they did not copy it, instead of designing V-8 engines with individual steel cylinders with welded on sheet steel water jackets.
Blue skies Mode one,
Dan-San
Dan-San

[Mode One]

Dab-San, You've picked out the two airplanes from the Great War that do it for me, also. As a matter of fact, I have a 1/4th scale N-28 framed up in the basement. In the process of reading up about this airplane, I found a real deal on the book "The Hat in the Ring Gang", by Charles Woolley, for $20.00. I knew that the N-28 powered with the Gnome engine, created problems for this airplane; but, was unaware that the Hisso engine was almost as problematic for the SPAD XIIIs! At least this is the picture painted by Woolley.

Back to the Pfalz, I have Tom Polapink's plans for his 1/5th scale Pfalz DIII/DIIIa and I glom onto any information on the Pfalz I can find. Besides the larger horizontal Stabilizer, rounded lower wing tips and the bigger engine, are there other differences between the DIII and DIIIa?

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by Mode One

. . . Besides the larger horizontal Stabilizer, rounded lower wing tips and the bigger engine, are there other differences between the DIII and DIIIa?

Both machines were equipped with a pair of LMG 08/15 machine guns. The D.III had "buried" machine guns -- the guns were mounted inside the fuselage with only their barrels protruding into metal troughs. This arrangement made it difficult to clear jams in flight and even normal maintenance was complicated by the limited access. So the D.IIIa reverted to the more common practice of mounting the guns on top of the fuselage.

[Mode One]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Both machines were equipped with a pair of LMG 08/15 machine guns. The D.III had "buried" machine guns -- the guns were mounted inside the fuselage with only their barrels protruding into metal troughs. This arrangement made it difficult to clear jams in flight and even normal maintenance was complicated by the limited access. So the D.IIIa reverted to the more common practice of mounting the guns on top of the fuselage.

I guess I knew this but for got to state it. Anything else?

[Chock]

Finally got that report from the National Archives. It runs to eight pages, nothing very enlightening in it, even though it is an interesting thing to look at, there are some good views of the captured aircraft in it, not a DIII of course, but still of interest. Here's some scans of some of the more useful bits of the report, which appears to be for the benefit of the Independent Force, indicating they'd be expecting to bump into the things behind the front lines on deep raids into Germany:







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