Aviatik C.I

Aviation C. I History

Aviatik (Automobil und Aviatikwerke) from Germany has been involved in aircraft design since the beginning of the war and switched from copying French designs to producing their own new designs in Aviatik B.I. Aviatik has since produced their first complete design of the Aviatik C. I series of military aircraft, a biplane reconnaissance aircraft for efficient service along the front lines.

The C.I is a single-engine, two-seat biplane powered by a Mercedes D.II 6-cylinder engine producing over 120 hp and driving a twin-blade propeller. The system follows the previous B.I, as the observer sits in front - just behind the engine - while the pilot sits in the back. This time, the forward observer was given a 7.92mm Parabellum machine gun mounted on a flexible mount.

While in theory this appeared to be an improvement over the previous B.I system, it soon became apparent that the observer's fire range was very limited, and the pilot's rear seat position was inappropriate compared to other aircraft types emerging at the time. So later C.I examples started putting the observer (armed) in the back and the pilot in front, but still behind the engine. This provides the pilot with better forward and out-of-cockpit visibility while extending the fire range for rear observers.

This new arrangement led to the name "C.Ia".

Finally, the CIA performed well throughout its tenure on the front, taking on various reconnaissance missions. The entire C.I range will be replaced by the revamped C.II, which will feature a more powerful engine, but this time under the Benz branding, in stark contrast to the Mercedes in other Aviatik models.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes