The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber aircraft designed and built in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
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 ...
.
Development
The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber developed from the
Gotha G.V
The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. Designed for long-range service and built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG, the Gotha G.V was used principally as a night bomber.
...
. Using the standard wing cellule from the Gotha G.V the G.VI became what was probably the first
asymmetrical aircraft
Asymmetrical aircraft have left- and right-hand sides which are not exact mirror images of each other. Although most aircraft are symmetrical, there is no fundamental reason why they must be, and design goals can sometimes be best achieved with an ...
to be built. In an effort to reduce drag Hans Burkhard, the chief designer at Gotha, studied various configurations of fuselage and engine nacelle for multi-engined aircraft. He concluded that drag could be reduced dramatically if the number of bodies creating drag could be reduced, on September 22, 1915, Burkhard obtained German Patent number 300 676 for his unusual design. Using the wing from a Gotha G.V Burkhard moved an engine to the front of the fuselage, driving a tractor propeller, and moved it to lie over the port main undercarriage supports. The second engine was moved to the rear of a nacelle, driving a pusher propeller, offset to a lesser degree to starboard, to compensate for differing drag characteristics, the forward end of the nacelle housed a cockpit for a gunner armed with a flexible machine-gun that extended forward of the tractor propeller in the port fuselage. Flight tests commenced in the summer of 1918, with the only major problem being buffeting of the tail unit, but were interrupted when the aircraft nosed over, repairs were not carried out to the first prototype. The buffeting of the tailunit was to have been alleviated by fitting an asymmetric tailplane, offset to port, on the second prototype which was not completed before the
Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
. The second prototype is reputed to have been destroyed before it could be requisitioned by the
Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control
The term Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control was used in a series of peace treaties concluded after the First World War (1914–1918) between different countries. Each of these treaties was concluded between the Principal Allied and A ...
.
Specifications (Gotha G.VI)
See also
References
Bibliography
* Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen. ''German Aircraft of the First World War.'' London, Putnam.
*
* Taylor, Michael J.H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation.'' Studio Editions. London. 1989.
External links
Article on the Gotha G.VI archived in WebCite
{{Idflieg G, GL, K, L and N-class designations
1910s German bomber aircraft
G.VI
Asymmetrical aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1918