LFG Roland G 1

G 1
Role	Two seat experimental aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	LFG Roland (Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft)
First flight	1915
Number built	1

The LFG Roland G 1 was a large, early World War I built in Germany. It had a single central engine driving pusher configuration propellers mounted on outriggers.

Design and development

The G 1 was a very large aircraft for its day (1915),^[1] a biplane with a span of over 30 m (98 ft). Its most unusual feature was that although it had twin pusher propellers mounted between the wings and an Idflieg G designation (two or three engine bomber), it had only a single engine, mounted in the fuselage over the centre of gravity and linked to the propellers by gears and shafts.^[2]

The G 1 had unequal span wings, straight edged and of constant chord and with three bays per side defined by parallel interplane struts. There was no stagger. Its fuselage was flat sided with a nose, rounded in profile, containing the gunner's position. Immediately aft was the pilot's cockpit, ahead of the wing leading edge. The Maybach Mb.IVa water-cooled six cylinder inline engine was close behind him between the wings, driving the two propellers placed on outriggers in the inner bays. The fuselage reduced in height to the tail, where a broad chord, triangular fin carried a straight edged rudder that extended to the keel. The undercarriage was essentially conventional, with wheels with heavy duty tyres on a single axle mounted on a pair of short V-struts to the lower fuselage. There was a tall, sprung tail skid under the extreme tail and a pair wheels, somewhat smaller than the main wheels, fuselage mounted under the nose to avoid nose-overs.^[1]^[2]

Specifications

Data from Gray and Thetford p.463^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Length: 15.9 m (52 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 30.1 m (98 ft 9 in)
Empty weight: 2,750 kg (6,063 lb)
Gross weight: 4,300 kg (9,480 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Maybach Mb.IVa 6 cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 183 kW (245 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

Maximum speed: 160 km/h (99 mph; 86 kn)

Armament

Guns: 1 × 7.9 mm (0.31 in) calibre Parabellum MG14 machine gun operated by nose-gunner

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roland aircraft.

1 2 Taylor, Michael (2001). Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I. London: Jane's Publishing Company. p. 171. ISBN 1-85170-347-0.
1 2 3 Gray, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam. p. 463. ISBN 0-85177-809-7.

Aircraft produced by Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft

LFG-Roland	LFG Roland Arrow C.I C.II C.III C.V C.VIII D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII D.IX D.XIII D.XIV D.XV D.XVI D.XVII Dr.I E.I G 1

LFG	W WD

LFG post WWI	V 1 V 2 V 3 V 8 V 13 V 19 V 20 Arkona V 26 V 36 V 39 V 40 V 42 V 44 V 52 V 58 V 59 V 60 V 61 V 101 Jasmund V 130 Strela

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