Pfalz Dr.II

Pfalz Dr. II
Pfalz Dr.II (on the left side) & Pfalz Dr.I
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Pfalz Flugzeugwerke
First flight	1917
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Number built	2

The Pfalz Dr.II was a German triplane fighter prototype of World War I built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke.

Development

The Pfalz Dr.II was a lightweight development of the Dr.I with a reduced wing area. The first prototype had a 110 hp (81 kW) Oberursel Ur II engine, and the second prototype (Dr.IIa) used a Siemens-Halske Sh I engine, which developed the same power. However, the Dr.II did not enter production.^[1][2]

List of operators

 German Empire

• Luftstreitkrafte

Specifications (Dr.IIa)

Data from Angelucci ^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
• Height: 2.76 m (9 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 17.2 m² (185 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 510 kg (1,124 lb)
• Gross weight: 705 kg (1,554 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Siemens-Halske Sh.III 11 cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 120 kW (160 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 190 km/h (120 mph, 100 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
• Endurance: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Service ceiling: 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
• Time to altitude: 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 13.5 minutes

Armament

• Guns: 2 x synchronised LMG 08/15 machine guns

References

1. "Pfalz Dr.I".
2. Treadwell, Terry, 2010. German and Austro-Hungarian Aircraft Manufacturers 1908-1918. Stroud: Amberley Publishing.
3. Angelucci 1983, p. 47.

Bibliography

• Enzo Angelucci (1981). Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914-1980. Crescent. ISBN 978-0-517-41021-9.
• William Green; Gordon Swanborough (1998-12-01). Complete Book of Fighters. ISBN 978-1-85833-777-7.
• Herris, Jack (2012). Pfalz Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 5. Charleston, SC: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-12-4.