Dornier Do 214

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The Dornier Do 214 was a large long-range flying boat developed by Dornier in World War II.

Originally designed as the Do P.93 for passenger transatlantic service from Lisbon to New York, the Do 214 was redesigned as the P.192 for military service in early 1940. In 1941, a full-sized fuselage mockup was constructed in order to investigate the interior layout. The fuselage was streamlined and of a round cross-section, with the interior consisting of two decks. Wings featuring a small amount of sweepback on the leading edge, with straight trailing edges were shoulder mounted on the fuselage. Eight Daimler Benz DB 613 24-cylinder piston engines provided the power, with four tractor engines and four pusher engines. All eight engines provided power to four-bladed VDM variable pitch propellers; the front propellers had a 5.00 m (16 ft 5 in) diameter, the rear propellers had a 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in) diameter.

The mammoth eight-engine design was intended for use as a military transport, with a large bow door admitting vehicles and bulky freight to the upper deck, and also as a long-range bomber, flying tanker, aerial minelayer and U-boat supply vessel. By 1943, it was realized that long-range flying boats were not needed due to the worsening war situation, and thus the Do 214 project was unfortunately canceled.

[edit] Specifications (Do 214)

General characteristics

Crew: 12-15
Length: 51.60 m (169 ft 3½ in)
Wingspan: 60.00 m (196 ft 10¼ in)
Height: 14.30 m (46 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 500.00 m² (5,381 ft²)
Empty weight: 76,000 kg (167,551 lb)
Loaded weight: 145,000 kg (319,670 lb)
Powerplant: 8× DB 613 A 24-cylinder liquid-cooled inline engine, 2,833 kW (3,800 hp) each