The Aviatik C.I was an
observation
Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The ...
aircraft which came into service during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in April 1915. It was a development of the
Aviatik B.I and
B.II models, being one of first aircraft of the new German C class of armed biplanes. In the C.I the observer sat in front of the pilot, with a machine-gun clipped on a sliding mounting fitted on a rail at either side of the cockpit.
[Gray, Thetford (1970), p. 59-63] It gave the crew the means to attack enemy aircraft.
[van Wyngarden, G. ''Early German Aces'', p.6] The positions of the pilot and observer were reversed in last series of 50, ordered in 1917 solely for trainer purpose.
[Grosz, Peter M. ''Aviatik C.I''. Berkhamsted: Albatros Productions, 1997, Windsock Datafile no.63. . p.5-6] There was only one aircraft built of refined C.Ia version in May 1916, with armament still in a forward cab, serving as a prototype for C.III.
[ Later models of the plane included the Aviatik C.II and the C.III, which had more powerful engines. The C.III was produced in large numbers.
548 Aviatik C.I were built in total: 402 by Aviatik (including 51 trainers and 1 C.Ia) and 146 by Hannover.][Grosz, Peter M. ''Aviatik C.I''. Berkhamsted: Albatros Productions, 1997, Windsock Datafile no.63. . p.5-6, 32]
Variants
;C.I
:Primary model
;C.I(Han)
:Primary model licence-built by Hannover, initially designated Hannover C.I
;C.I trainer
:Last series of 50 plus a prototype manufactured in 1917, with a machine gun in rear cab.[
;C.Ia
:Prototype for C.III, flown in May–June 1916.][
;C.II
:This model was powered by a 149 kW (200 hp) ]Benz Bz.IV
The Benz Bz.IV was a German six-cylinder, water-cooled, inline engine developed for aircraft use. Deliveries began in 1916, and some 6,400 were produced.
Design and development
The Bz.IV was a dual-camshaft design, with two intake and two exhau ...
engine. it was not produced in quantity.[''Janes'', p.88]
;C.III
:The C.III was a 1916 refinement which was operated until 1917.
Operators
;
*KuKLFT
The Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops or Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops (german: Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen or , hu, Császári és Királyi Légjárócsapatok) were the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the e ...
;
* Luftstreitkrafte
;
*Romanian Air Corps
The Romanian Air Corps or Aviation Corps (RAC) ( ro, Corpul de Aviație) was the air arm of the Romanian army until the formation of the Romanian Air Force. It was established on 1 April 1913 as the Military Aeronautics Service () and subordina ...
;
*Royal Yugoslav Air Force
The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; ( sl, Jugoslovansko kraljevo vojno letalstv ...
- Postwar
Specifications
Notes
References
*Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen. ''German Aircraft of the First World War''. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1970.
*Herris, Jack and Pearson, Bob. ''Aviatik Aircraft of World War I''. Aeronaut Books, 2014.
*
*van Wyngarden, G. ''Early German Aces of World War 1''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2006.
*Taylor, Michael J H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. Portland House, 1989.
External links
July 14, 2011 1915 Wrecked Aviatik C.I postcard
{{Authority control
1910s German military reconnaissance aircraft
Military aircraft of World War I
C.I
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1915