Daimler D.I

D.I
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Daimler
Designer	Karl Schopper
First flight	1918
Number built	6

The Daimler D.I (also known by the company designation L6) was a German fighter aircraft of World War I. It was a conventional biplane design with a very small interplane gap - the top wing nearly touched the top of the fuselage. Power was provided by a Daimler D.III engine.

Design and development

The L6 prototype competed in the second Idflieg competition for a new fighter design in 1918. The competition was held at Adlershof from 22 May through 21 June. This resulted in an order for 20 aircraft being placed.^[1]

History

Production was mounted in 1918. Six examples were built by the time of the Armistice, at which time production was abandoned.^[2]

Specifications (D.I)

Data from The Complete Book of Fighters ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 7.30 m (23 ft 11⅜ in)
• Wingspan: 9.90 m (32 ft 5¾ in)
• Height: 2.76 m (9 ft 0⅔ in)
• Wing area: 22.6 m² (243 ft²)
• Empty weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb)
• Loaded weight: 925 kg (2,039 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Daimler D.IIIb V-8 liquid cooled piston engine, 138 kW (185 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 183 km/h (99 knots, 114 mph)
• Service ceiling: m (ft)
• Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: W/kg (hp/lb)
• Endurance: 2 hours
• Climb to 6,000 m (19,700 ft): 30 minutes

Armament

• Guns: 2 × 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 machine guns.

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Green and Swanborough 1994, p.145.
2. ^ Gray and Thetford 1962, p.315.

Bibliography

• Gray, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1962). German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam. 
• Green, W; Swanborough, G (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8. 
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 297.