Aircraft investigation info>>>>>>> HOME PAGE
weight and performance calculations for the Zeppelin Staaken R.VI
Zeppelin Staaken R.VI Giant
role : heavy bomber
importance : ****
first flight : spring 1917 operational : July 1917
country : Germany
design : Alexander Baumann
production : R.VI : 18 aircraft
general information :
The first Zeppelin Riesenflugzeug,designed by B.G.Klein and H.Hirth, flew for the first time on April 11, 1915. It was equipped with three 177KW Maybach Mb.IV engines and was given the designation V.G.O.I. It was joined by the V.G.O.II at the end of 1916. Soon it turned out that it was under powered. The designers then experimented with versions with five and later six engines (V.G.O.III). The R.IV, R.V and R.VII all remained experimental versions although they were used operationally. The R.VI was the first version, which was built in numbers. It had four engines in two gondolas, with two pull and two push airscrews. The R-bombers were first used in July 1917, initially on the eastern front, but in August they were moved to the West. Riesenflugzeug- abteilung 501 olv Hauptmann Richard von Bentivegni operated from St.Denis Westrem in Belgium. On 28 September 1917, the R.VI a performed the first nightly bomb raid against London. The R.VI was the largest and best German strategic bomber. They carried out 52 bomb attacks on England in which 196 tonnes of bombs were dropped. There were 857 deaths and 2508 wounded. On 16 February 1918, the first 1000 kg bomb was dropped on London, damaging the Royal Hospital. This was the biggest bomb dropped from an airplane in the first world war. Diameter screw : 4.3m Biggest airscrew fitted on an operational used aircraft in WWI
Gap : 4.4 – 3.6m chord : 4.5-3.5m Because of its enormous weight, the chassis consisted of 18 wheels. Wheel diameter about 100 cm It was fitted with an artificial horizon and a transmitter & receiver for Morse-code. For the crew it had parachutes ! 660 gallons of fuel was carried in tanks in the fuselage.= 3000 litre, endurance : 10 hrs Bombload : racks for 18 220-lb bombs = 1796 kg. Sometimes three 660-lb bombs were carried = 898 kg, and occasionally a 2200-pounder = 998 kg. Max bombload = 2000 kg
On the night of 06/07 December 1917 2 Giants took part in a raid on London, along with 19 Gotha’s. The 2 Giants were loaded with 753 kg explosives and 1102 kg incendiary bombs > 928 kg bombs for each Giant. Action radius with 1000 kg bombload is 559 km, so easy to reach London with a 1000 kg bomb. Even bigger then the Handley Page V/1500, it was the largest aircraft to fly over the UK in WWI. No Giant was ever brought down over England.
users : Luftwaffe
crew : 7
armament : 5 movable 7.92 [mm] (0.312 in) Parabellum MG 14 machine-guns
engine : 4 Mercedes D.IVa geared liquid-cooled 6 -cylinder inline engine 252 [hp](187.9 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 42.2 [m], length : 22.1 [m], height : 6.3[m]
wing area : 332.0 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 11824 [kg]
empty weight operational : 7921 [kg] bombload : 2000 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed : 135 [km/hr] at sea-level
climbing speed : 100 [m/min]
service ceiling : 4320 [m]
endurance : 10.7 [hours]
estimated action radius : 651 [km]
description :
4-bay biplane with fixed underwing landing gear with nosewheel and tail strut
two spar upper and lower wing
engines and landing gear attached to the wings, fuel and bombload in or attached to fuselage
airscrew :
two fixed pitch 2 -bladed tractor airscrews and two fixed pitch pusher propellor with max. efficiency :0.64 [ ]
diameter airscrew 4.30 [m]
angle of attack prop : 17.03 [ ]
reduction : 0.50 [ ]
airscrew revs : 725 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 3.10 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 167 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
mean wing chord : 3.93 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 4.16 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 10.73 []
estimated gap : 3.93 [m]
gap/chord : 1.00 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 5876 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 17.3 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 180.9 [kg/hr] (246.7 [litre/hr]) at 72 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 0.67 [km/kg]
estimated total fuel capacity : 2999 [litre] (2199 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 1700.0 [kg] = 2.26 [kg/KW]
weight reduction gear : 45.1 [kg]
weight 266 litre oil tank : 33.6 [kg]
oil tank filled with 5.6 litre oil : 5.1 [kg]
oil in engine 42 litre oil : 37.6 [kg]
fuel in engine 5 litre fuel : 3.8 [kg]
weight 105 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 10.3 [kg]
weight radiator : 112.7 [kg]
weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 95.2 [kg]
weight self-starter : 18.4 [kg]
weight cowling 30.1 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 112.7 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 2171 [kg](18.4 [%])
***************************************************************
fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 15.90 [cm]): 1431 [kg]
bracing : 223.0 [kg]
fuselage covering ( 92.3 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 29.5 [kg]
weight controls + indicators: 13.8 [kg]
weight seats : 21.0 [kg]
weight other details, lighting set, etc. : 17.1 [kg]
weight bomb storage : 140.0 [kg]
weight bomb sight : 1.0 [kg]
weight four 724 [litre] main fuel tanks empty : 277.9 [kg]
weight interior + equipment + fuel lines: 154 [kg]
weight 6 fire extinguishers : 3 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 2326 [kg](19.7 [%])
***************************************************************
weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 212 [kg]
total weight ribs (246 ribs) : 703 [kg]
weight engine mounts : 38 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 691.1 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 471.3 [N]
total weight 8 spars : 464 [kg]
weight wings : 1379 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 4.15 [kg]
weight 16 interplane struts & cabane : 687.1 [kg]
weight cables (289 [m]) : 243.1 [kg] (= 841 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 11.7 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (20.7 [m2]) : 89.0 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (37.4 [m2]): 157.7 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 2594 [kg] (21.9 [%])
*******************************************************************
weight machine-gun(s) : 47.5 [kg]
weight Schneider ring mounting mg :27.5 [kg]
weight armament : 75 [kg]
********************************************************************
good soft ground capabilities
wheel pressure : 650.3 [kg]
weight 18 wheels (970 [mm] by 121 [mm]) : 394.0 [kg]
weight tailskid : 14.9 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 185.2 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 594.1 [kg] (5.0 [%]
*******************************************************************
********************************************************************
calculated empty weight : 7760 [kg](65.6 [%])
weight oil for 12.9 hours flying : 222.2 [kg]
weight cooling fluids : 154.8 [kg]
weight 5 drums empty : 11.3 [kg]
weight ammunition (2500 rounds) : 81.9 [kg]
weight signal pistol with cartridges : 3.6 [kg]
weight automatic pistol with spare magazines : 1.2 [kg]
*******************************************************************
calculated operational weight empty : 8223 [kg] (69.5 [%])
published operational weight empty : 7921 [kg] (67.0 [%])
_____________
| | | |o| | | |
-------------
weight crew : 567 [kg]
weight fuel for 2.0 hours flying : 362 [kg]
********************************************************************
operational weight : 9152 [kg](77.4 [%])
bomb load : 2000 [kg]
operational weight bombing mission : 11152 [kg]
fuel reserve : 672 [kg] enough for 3.71 [hours] flying
operational weight fully loaded : 11824 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 47 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 11824 [kg] (100.0 [%])
||
||
||
||
calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (Take-off) : 15.73 [kg/kW]
total power : 751.7 [kW] at 1450 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 1.6 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 2.5 [g] ultimate load : 3.8 [g] load factor : 1.1 [g]
design flight time : 7.50 [hours]
design cycles : 120 sorties, design hours : 900 [hours]
wing loading (MTOW) : 349 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 238 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.10 ["]
max. angle of attack (stalling angle) : 11.07 ["]
angle of attack at max. speed : 2.38 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.11 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. speed : 0.32 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0053 [ ]
drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0449 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0396 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 72 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level (OW without bombload): 86 [km/hr]
min. drag speed (max endurance) : 90 [km/hr] at 2160 [m](power :47 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 103 [km/hr] at 2160 [m] (power:53 [%])
max. rate of climb speed : 83.9 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 122 [km/hr] op 2160 [m] (power:69 [%])
design speed prop : 128 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 135 [km/hr] op 100 [m] (power:100 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level (without bombload) : 153 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
static prop wash : 24 [m/s]
take-off distance at sea-level : 257 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 10.94 [ ]
max. practical ceiling : 4900 [m] with flying weight :8308 [kg]
practical ceiling (operational weight) : 4275 [m] with flying weight :9152 [kg] line 3385
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 1 hour fuel) : 2600 [m] with flying weight :11643 [kg]
published ceiling (4320 [m]
climb to 1500m (operational weight without bombload) : 10.19 [min]
max. dive speed : 428.0 [km/hr] at 1600 [m] height
load factor at max. angle turn 1.57 ["g"]
turn radius at 500m: 67 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 14.9 [seconds] at 500m
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 5.71 [hours] with 7 crew and 2000 [kg] bombload and 47.0 [%] fuel
published endurance : 10.71 [hours] with 7 crew and possible useful (bomb) load : 1096 [kg] and 88.1 [%] fuel
action radius : 1012 [km] with 7 crew and 20[kg] photo camera or bombload
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 4920 [litre] fuel : 2423 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 2289 [kg]
production : 278.14 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 0.71 [kg]
_
Literature :
Praktisch handboek vliegtuigen deel 1 page 273
Bombers 1914-19 page 88
Warplanes WWI page 62,74,75,76,131
Jane's Fighting aircraft WWI page 190,191,192,193,194
Bomber 1914-1939 page 37,40
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program. For copyright on drawings/photographs/
content please mail to below mail address
(c) B van der Zalm 12 July 2020 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4