Daimler L14

History

During World War I (1914-1918), the German car company Daimler helped make aircraft and aircraft engines for the authorities. They started an aircraft division in 1915 and made different things like bombers and fighters. One of their fighter planes was the "D.I", but only 6 were made before the war ended in 1918. They also made other planes like the "CL.I" and "D. II", but these were just prototypes. The last plane in their series was the "L14".

The L14 was like an upgraded version of the earlier L11. It had a main wing on top, which improved visibility compared to other planes. It had a distinctive design with a big spinner at the front and a sleek fuselage. The L14 had two crew members - a pilot and an observer/gunner. The pilot had a machine gun that shot through the propeller, and the observer had a machine gun with flexible aiming.

Only one prototype of the L14 was made by the end of the war. They tried to sell it to Chile, but it didn't work out. The L14 could fly at speeds up to 128 mph and go for 435 miles without stopping. It could climb to 1,060 feet per minute. It weighed 1,920 pounds and could carry a maximum weight of 2,800 pounds. The wingspan was 40.4 feet.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Operation: 1919

Origins: German Empire

Status: Cancel

Crew: 2

Production: 1

Manufacturer: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler) - German Empire

Operator: German Empire (cancelled)

Roles

Air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Dimensions and Weights

Width/Span: 40.4 feet (12.30m)

Cured weight: 1,918 lbs (870kg)

MTOW: 2,800 lbs (1,270 kg)

Wgt Difference: +882 lbs (+400 kg)

Performance

Installed: 1 x Daimler D.IIIb V8 185 hp water-cooled engine, driving a twin-blade nose-mounted propeller unit.

Max Speed: 127 mph (205 kph | 111 kts)

Range: 435 mi (700 km | 1,296 nm)

Rate-of-Climb: 1,060 ft/min (323 m/min)

ARMAMENT

1 x 7. 92mm LMG 08/15 air-cooled machine gun in fixed, forward-firing mounting over the nose.

1 x 7. 92mm Parabellum machine on trainable mounting in rear cockpit.