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.IIIb water-cooled V-8 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.

History

Production commenced in 1918. Six examples were built by the time of the Armistice, at which time production was abandoned.

Specifications (D.I)

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
• Height: 2.76 m (9 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 22.6 m² (243 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb)
• Gross weight: 925 kg (2,039 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Daimler D.IIIb V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 138 kW (185 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 183 km/h (114 mph, 99 kn)
• Endurance: 2 hours
• Time to altitude: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in 30 minutes

Armament

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

Further reading

• Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen (1987) [1970]. German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-809-7.
• Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
• Herris, Jack (2020). German Aircraft of Minor Manufacturers in WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Gret War Aviation Centennial Series (49). Vol. 1: Alter to Korn. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-85-8.
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 297.