Dornier Do R
The Dornier Do -R Superwal was the first large flying boat, which could be built by Dornier in Germany after World War II. In construction they resembled the successful Wal flying boats that made Dornier build since 1922 in Italy.
On September 30, 1926 flew the first Superwal; a total of 19 aircraft were built. Almost all Super whales came in civil aviation to use.
Overview of Th R
- R2 - testing version with two motors ( built three pieces)
- R4 - production version with four engines in two tandem pairs. R4 gas - with Gnome -et- Rhone Jupiter engines (two installed)
- R4 Nas - (built in two pieces) with Napier Lion engines
- R4 Sas - ( built ten pieces) with Siemens Jupiter engines
- R4 Cas - with Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines (two installed)
Dornier R 2 Superwal
On September 30, 1926, completed in Manzell first R flew 2 Superwal D -1115, a strutted high-wing monoplane with for Dornier flying boats typical Flossenstummeln and two 650 -hp Rolls- Royce Condor III engines in a tandem nacelle on the wing. The machine went to the Severa and later did service in the DVS in List, both front organizations of the German Empire, to prepare military aircraft developments, despite the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. 1927 also followed for Severa D -1255, which was occasionally used as " narwhal " also by Lufthansa, and D -1385, received the 800 -hp Packard engines and placed in November 1936 as a final R 2- Superwal out of service been.
Dornier R 4 Superwal
Between January 20 and February 5 the Dornier chief pilot Richard Wagner won before Friedrichshafen with a R4 gas Superwal twelve world records for seaplanes. The payable with four 480 hp Gnome -et- Rhone Jupiter engines equipped in two tandem nacelles machine first flew with a payload of 4000 kg in 100 km 209.546 km / h On January 23, a record altitude of 2845 m was set up with the same payload, and it followed - again with the same payload - speed records over 500km with 179.416 km / h and 1000 km with 177.279 km / h, with a simultaneously for 4,000 kg payload distance record on a closed course of 1000.160 km and a permanent record of 6:01:56 h were achieved. As these services were partly also bests for smaller payloads, Dornier and the engine designer Bristol could advertise with twelve world records. The world record machine and eleven other Super whales with Gnome -et- Rhone Jupiter engines (R4 gas ) or 525 -hp Siemens Jupiter engines (R4 Sas ) were 1928/29, to Società Anonima Navigazione Aerea ( SANA ) (6 ) and delivered to Lufthansa.
The SANA continued its six Super whales on their lines on Italy's west coast and to Spain. Three machines were lost. The Superwal I- RUDO was submitted in 1934 to the Ministry of Aviation and remained as the last Superwal - now equipped with Isotta Fraschini Asso - 500 engines - in Italy in the service.
The Lufthansa began in July 1928 Superwal D -1447 Graf Zeppelin for the first time on the line Lübeck- Copenhagen -Oslo under Captain Horst Merz a. It was followed by the Super whales D -1500 Eckenerstraße, later blue whale, D- 1761 and D- 1774 Fehmarn complaints that were used on the line after Stockholm and the coastal resort service. It is questionable whether D- 1782 Usedom? and D- 1785 were used by Lufthansa. Already in the summer of 1932 ended the use of the Super whales at Lufthansa, as the machines are not proven. For passenger traffic on the Baltic Sea lines they were too big, and their range also not satisfied. As early as 1930 had been released to the DVS was the first. The last Superwal there D- 1761 Rügen was asked in January 1937 out of service. Another Superwal was at times also in the service of Lufthansa in March 1928 in the Severa Come into service R4- Nas - D- 1337 Superwal sperm whale with 525 hp Napier Lion engines. 1929 two R4- Cas Super whales were built with 550 -hp Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines and delivered by ship partially disassembled in the United States. Assembled in Philadelphia, they should come to the Great Lakes at the Stout D & C Air Lines used. Permanent engine problems prevented the use; the fate of the machine is unknown. In July 1928, also the Dornier licensee CASA in Spain an R4 Nas Superwal with Napier Lion engines ready, which was delivered as M- MWAN W -13 Numancia in the Spanish Air Force. The attempt at a trip around the world with the Superwal by Ramón Franco failed on August 1, 1928 already near Cape Santa Maria in Portugal, as problems with the rear engine forced an emergency landing. As the occupying Julio Ruiz de Alda Miqueleiz and Pablo Rada were on board, who had flown with Ramón Franco beginning of 1926 with the Do J Plus Ultra of Palos de la Frontera across the South Atlantic to Buenos Aires. As Navigator Gallarza was added, which had in 1926 carried out a flight from Spain to Manila. The largely assembled from German parts in Spain Superwal was made in 1932 after a crash landing out of service.