The Gotha Go 147 was a German experimental two-seat
tailless aircraft
In aeronautics, a tailless aircraft is an aircraft with no other horizontal aerodynamic surface besides its main wing. It may still have a fuselage, vertical tail fin (vertical stabilizer), and/or vertical rudder.
Theoretical advantages of the ...
designed in 1936 by
Gothaer Waggonfabrik
''Gothaer Waggonfabrik'' (''Gotha'', GWF) was a German manufacturer of rolling stock established in the late nineteenth century at Gotha. During the two world wars, the company expanded into aircraft building.
World War I
In World War I, Got ...
and Dr. A. Kupper. Two examples were built and flown. Development was abandoned before the start of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Design and development
The original aim was to create a two-seat fighter with an exceptional field of fire for the tail gunner. The design featured a high-mounted gull wing, gently tapered and swept back to give a leading-edge sweep of 38 degrees. The gull centre section had a straight leading edge, while endplate fins and rudders were mounted on the tips. The crew sat in tandem behind the single engine.
An experimental prototype was first constructed, designated the Go 147a. With a length of and powered by a
Siemens Sh 14A
The Siemens-Halske Sh 14 was a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine for aircraft produced in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. First run in 1928, it was rated at 93 kW (125 hp).
Applications
* Albatros L 82
* Ambrosini SAI.3
* Amb ...
air-cooled radial engine delivering .
[Green, William. ''Warplanes of the Third Reich'', Macdonald and Jane's, London, Fourth Impression, 1979.][Gunston, Bill & Wood, Tony. ''Hitler's Luftwaffe'', Salamander, London, 1977.]
Flight tests demonstrated instability, but showed enough promise for a production prototype, the Go 147b, to be built. Several roles were now under consideration, including gunnery training, a twin-engined fighter with a second, pusher engine in the rear, and an observation aircraft. Featuring an N-strut braced wing with full-span trailing-edge slotted flaperons, the design also had a fixed undercarriage. Construction was conventional, with welded steel-tube fuselage and wooden two-spar wing. Power came from a more powerful Argus engine. Although planned, no armament was fitted.
Operational history
The Go 147a first flew in 1936. During trials, a number of stability problems were encountered.
The redesigned Go 147b was registered as D-IQVI. Extensive trials failed to cure its poor flight characteristics and the project was terminated in 1938 or 1939.
See also
*
Westland-Hill Pterodactyl V: Near-contemporary of similar role and configuration.
*
Gotha Go 229: Later Gotha tailless flying wing, derived from the
Horten Ho 229
The Horten H.IX, RLM designation Ho 229 (or Gotha Go 229 for extensive re-design work done by Gotha to prepare the aircraft for mass production) was a German prototype fighter/bomber initially designed by Reimar and Walter Horten to be built ...
.
Specification (Go 147b)
References
{{RLM aircraft designations
Go 147
Tailless aircraft