Dornier Do 11
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Dornier Do 11 / Dornier F

The Dornier Do 11 was a german medium bomber developed in secret in the early 1930s. It was orginally called the Dornier F before being renamed by the RLM in 1933 and was considered a heavy bomber at the time. It came in 1932, a continuation of a line of bomber work going back to the Dornier P in 1930 and the Dornier Y in 1931. The line would continue to develop with the Dornier Do 13 and Dornier Do 23.

One of the main features the Do 11 tested was a retractable under carrige, but due to problems with it it was often left locked down. The aircraft entered service under the thin guise of a freight transport, and entered service with the German railway in conjunction Luftthansa so it could be shown publiclicy. What it was actually used for was a trainer for the still secret Luftwaffe. The aircraft had a number problems which resulted in some crashes and was generally unpopular. Espically problematic were wing vibrations which resuled in various precautions and modifications. Attempts were made to correct its faults, resulting with Do 11D, the last model with the Do 11 name. The Do 13 was a 'simplified' Do 11 and came next, but had so many problems it did not fully enter service, with several of the first planes crashing. The Do 23 corrected many faults, but was still an lackluster aircraft, and was withdrawn form service by 1936 and replaced by superior aircraft that had been developed. The Do 11 is noteworthy as having served in secret and been the the main heavy bomber of the quietly developing Luftwaffe, if only for a short while. It was also the first to have two large engines as opposed to its predeccesors the Dornier Y, and Dornier P which used three and four engines respectively.

See Also: Dornier Do 13, Dorner Do 23

Specifications:

• Dimensions:
  • Total Length : 61.155 ft 18.640 m
  • Greatest height : 17.717 ft 5.400 m
  • Wingspan : 91.864 ft 28.000 m
  • Wing area : 1194.804 sqft 111.000 qm
  • Max take off weight : 18114.1 lbs 8215.0 kg
• Perfomance:
  • Max. speed : 140 kts 260 kmh
  • Landing speed : 55 kts 102 kmh
  • Cruising speed : 121 kts 225 kmh
  • Initial climb rate : 452.76 ft/min 2.30 m/s
  • Service ceiling : 13123 ft 4000 m
  • Cruising altitude : 7218 ft2200 m
  • Wing load : 15.17 lbs/ft2 74.00 kg/m^3
  • Range : 648 nm 1200 km
• Armarment:
  • Three MG 15 machine guns
  • 1000kg Bomb.

Major Subtypes:

• Do 11C
• Do 11D

The original article can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_11.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.