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The Pilots Desk
Fightersfighter biplane model

LFG Roland D.I

LFG Roland D.I

The LFG Roland D.I was a German fighter designed by Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft (LFG) during World War I. It was a single-seat aircraft based originally on the Roland C.II two-seat reconnaissance type. It shared its predecessor's unusual design feature of having a deep fuselage that completely filled the interplane gap, but in comparison, the fuselage was much sleeker. While the C.II's appearance had earned the Walfisch ("Whale"), the D.I became known as the Haifisch ("Shark"). The I-struts that had been used to brace the C.II's wing were replaced by more conventional struts. Other changes to the wing included the removal of stagger from the design and the introduction of slight sweepback. The prototype flew in July 1916 and was accepted by the Idflieg for military service. Production was interrupted, however, by a fire at the factory after only around twenty machines had been built. When production eventually resumed, it was of the improved Roland D.II.

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

Category
Fighters
Country of origin
Germany
First flight
1916-07-01

Specifications

Cruise speed
89 kt
Max speed
89 kt
Service ceiling
16,000 ft
Rate of climb
550 ft/min
Max takeoff weight
2,055 lb
Empty weight
1,541 lb
Powerplant
1 × Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine
Engines
1
Seats
1
Height
9.5 ft
Number built
20

Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.