LFG Roland D.I
The Roland DI was the first of a series of three very similar fighters (Roland DI, D.II and D.III ), which by the engineers Tantzen Hoffmann and the aircraft mbH (Roland ) have been developed in the city of Charlottenburg. Because of their aerodynamic shaping these fighters were called Shark.
Development and production
The design of the Roland DI was derived from that of the larger two-seater Roland C.II " whale " from: Like the C.II they had a body in the winding construction, which consisted of cross over each other glued thin pine veneer strips. At these very stable hull side radiators were mounted, and the upper wing was mounted on a hump -like curvature. Similar to the " whale " which meant an excellent visibility for the pilot upwards, but mainly when landing so important visibility for the pilot forward and down was blocked. A side window should allow the pilot the emergency exit after a rollover; this was left at the later production models continued. Instead of the stable cross brace that connected the strongly staggered forward biplane surfaces of C.II each other, the vertically above the other wings made at the " Shark " had been replaced by a conventional strut pair.
The first flight of Roland DI took place in July 1916. At this time, the inspection of the Air Force was looking urgently for a successor model for the obsolete Fokker monoplane and gave Roland a first order; about 50-60 planes were delivered, followed by the production at LFG was set since the manufacturing plant was destroyed by fire in Adlershof.
After re- Shoo manufacturing Roland produced along with the meantime switched as a license manufacturer Pfalz- Flugzeugwerke the stronger armed Roland D.II.
Use
The few Roland DI, which were inferior to the competing models on the Western Front were evident, mainly used in the Mazedonienfront in the Balkans by Bulgarian and German air units.
Specifications
The Roland DI in the performance comparison (about the end of 1916 )