The LFG Phönix, also known as LFG Segelflugboot Phönix, LFG Boot-Phönix and Phönix 3, was a single seat

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

glider built in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in the early 1920s.

Design and development

The Phönix flying boat glider was built, like other

Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft, also referred to as LFG, was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. They are best known for their various "Roland" designs, notably the Roland C.II ''Walfisch'' (whale), Roland D.II ''haifisch'' (Shark) and ...

(LFG) boats, at their

Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...

works. It was designed by G. Baatz and first flew in 1922. Its

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

shoulder wing was built around a single one piece plywood box spar. In plan the wings were straight-tapered and had long, semi-elliptical tips. They were thick in section and strongly cambered at the root, thinning steadily outboard, and had 8° of dihedral. Short but broad

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

, mounted on the rear of the spar, extended to the tips. The Phönix's rectangular section hull had a single step on its planing surface. Externally the hull was covered with ply protected by waterproof

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

. Stability on the water was provided by totally enclosed underwing, stepless floats out from the hull. Internally the hull was divided into a series of watertight compartments, with sealable doors in them for access. The pilot sat in an open cockpit between the wing

leading edge The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...

and the nose, where an upward-opening towing hook, easily released from the cockpit, was mounted. Its fixed tail surfaces were generous and broad, with a swept, straight-edged, round topped

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

and a roughly rectangular

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lift (force), lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters ...

mounted on top of ihe fuselage. The

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

was flat and broad at its top but narrowed downwards. In contrast, a general arrangement (g/a) diagram shows very small

elevators An elevator (American English) or lift (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive tracti ...

Operational history

In 1922-3 the Phönix was flight tested at

and at Rossiten, one base of the RRG and a home of German gliding in the 1920s. Some of these take-offs were made under wind power alone, with the Phönix moored to a buoy on a long, down-wind cable and rising like a kite. Others were made under motor-boat tow. In 1923 ''Flight'' referred to it as the Phönix 3 but nothing is known specifically about earlier models, though there are some differences between the g/a diagram and images, particularly for the rudder profile.

Specifications (LFG Phönix)

References

{{LFG aircraft Flying boats Glider aircraft 1920s German sailplanes LFG aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1922