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Daimler L11

1919 GOLDEN AGE WORLD WAR 1 X-PLANE

History

Daimler's work in biplane fighter jets began in 1915, when, at the request of German authorities, the automobile company established an aircraft division to help build aircraft Engines and aircraft wars are thrown in. In 1917, the company used its core engineers to develop the "L6" single-seat biplane, which was accepted by the Luftwaffe as the D.II, but only six were built by the end of the war in November 1918.

In addition to this work, there is the "L8", a one-off prototype of a two-seat escort fighter aircraft used under the designation "CL.I". The single-seat "L9" (D.II) served as a further development of the original L6, but was only implemented as a single prototype.

Aeronautical engineer Hanns Klemm joined the Daimler team in April 1918 and had a major influence on the 1918 "L11" with his design philosophy.

Like the previous L6 and L9 models, the L11 is a single-seat, single-engine fighter jet powered by Daimler's proprietary D.IIIb V8 water-cooled 185 hp engine. The main difference in the L11 compared to earlier Daimler designs was the use of a parasol main planea single main plane element placed above the fuselage and supported by reinforcing struts that sloped down to the sides of the fuselage. This quality provided excellent lift and gave the pilot a downward/all-around view compared to biplanes of the time.

It is mounted very forward, slightly aft of the engine/propeller area. Additionally, the main aircraft gained rotatable wingtips for added control.

Like other products from Daimler, the L11 was aerodynamically improved to meet World War I standards, adding a large spinner in the center of the propeller to complement the rounded forward fuselage , to reduce unnecessary drag in the front. The fuselage tapers gracefully to the tail, which has a traditional three-rib arrangement.

The rest of the fighter is conventional, including two-wheeled "trail" landing gear for ground operations and an open-air cockpit for a single crew member.

While armament was not specified, it is believed that the L11 would follow World War I standards with a nose-mounted twin-gun mechanism, which would be fired synchronously by rotating propeller blades.

The first flight of the L11 prototype was recorded on November 8, 1918, although the armistice of November 11 would soon have ended the war. However, development of the L11 continued, albeit less conveniently, the following year, when the design was flown-tested in February - an indication of the promise of such an aircraft.

However, due to the military restrictions imposed on Germany by the victors after the war, Daimler returned to its automotive industry in the postwar years, so this single airworthy prototype was developed from the design.

The later Daimler L14 was an attempt to convert the L11 into a two-seater fighter, but this design also went down in aviation history as a single airworthiness example and essentially ended World War I's origins in Daimler Muller's fighter series. None were a real success.