Aviatik C.I

The Aviatik C.I was an observation aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Aviatik. It was the first aircraft produced by the company to be mass-produced as well as one of the first German military aircraft of the First World War to become fairly well known amongst the general public of the era. 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. On the C.I, the observer sat in front of the pilot; this arrangement was unique amongst the C class, which opted to place the pilot in the forward position instead. The positions of the pilot and observer were reversed in last series of 50, ordered in 1917 solely for training purposes. There was only a single aircraft completed of the refined C.Ia version in May 1916, with armament still in a forward cab, serving as a prototype for the C.III. Operationally, the C.I was introduced in 1915; it was typically flown in flights of three to six aircraft; the destruction of one aircraft on 7 November 1915 was considered a such a feat that the Royal Flying Corps pilot responsible was awarded the Victoria Cross. In response to demands for greater performance, Aviatik developed several derivatives of the aircraft, including the Aviatik C.II and the C.III, which were equipped with more powerful engines and various refinements, although the airframes would typically have little modification. 548 Aviatik C.I were built in total: 402 by Aviatik (including 51 trainers and 1 C.Ia) and 146 by Hannover.

Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.