Kondor D 7: Difference between revisions

| name=D. 7

| image=Kondor D 7.jpg

The '''Kondor D. 7''' was a prototype [[Germany|German]] single seat [[biplane]] [[fighter aircraft|fighter]] built over the winter of 1917-18. It was not a success and its development was soon abandoned.

In the summer of 1917 Kondor followed the lead of [[Fokker Dr.I|Fokker's Dr.I]] July 1917 [[triplane]] with one of their own. Known only as the '''Kondor Dreidekker''' this aircraft, first flown in October 1917, was not a success; its development programme was soon abandoned because of severe vibrational problems.<ref name=Green/><ref name=n1 group=note/> Instead, Kondor used the [[fuselage]], [[empennage]] and lower wing of the Dreidekker to produce a biplane or [[sesquiplane]] called the D. 7.<ref name=Green/>

The common fuselage was a tube steel internal structure with [[plywood]] skin, rounded in cross-section. At the front the fuselage reduced smoothly in diameter to a large [[spinner (aircraft)|spinner]] with a two blade [[propeller (aircraft)|propeller]] driven by a {{cvt|160&nbsp;|hp (120&nbsp;kW)}} six-cylinder, liquid-cooled upright [[straight engine|inline]] [[Mercedes D.III]] engine, though there are hints in the records suggesting an earlier, different engine. The upper part of the engine protruded above the fuselage, enclosed in its own [[Aircraft fairing#Engine cowling|cowling]]. At the rear the [[tailplane]] was mounted at mid-fuselage under a [[chord (aircraft)|long chord]] [[fin]] with a strongly swept [[leading edge]], carrying a deep [[rudder]]. There was a shallow [[ventral]] fin. The D. 7 had a fixed [[conventional undercarriage]], with each mainwheel's leg placed vertically and mounted at mid-fuselage, assisted by a forward leaning [[strut]] attached under the nose. A long tailskid reached rearwards from the forward edge of the ventral fin.<ref name=Green/>

The wings of the D. 7 had constant chord and the upper one was supported just above the fuselage on a [[Cabane strut|cabane]]. The [[cockpit]] was aft of its [[trailing edge]], where there was a central rounded cut-out to assist the pilot's upward and forward view. The lower wing, narrower in chord, was not directly attached to the fuselage but supported centrally by rear leaning struts from the undercarriage structure. The [[interplane strut]]s were also unusual; three struts were attached at the same point on the lower wing, spreading out upwards into an inverted tripod or pair of Vs.<ref name=Green/>

The date of the D. 7's first flight is not known though it must have been after October 1917, when the Dreidekker was flying, and before May 1918 when a report from the [[Idflieg]] said the D. 7 was about to recommence testing with the Mercedes engine. It was not entered into the second D-type (fighter) competition of June 1918, suggesting Kondor were beginning to concentrate on the monoplane designs suggested by the success of the [[Fokker D.VIII]], a process that led to the [[Kondor E.III 3]].<ref name=Green/>

;Kondor D. 7: Utilising the fuselage empennage and undercarriage of the Dreidekker, the D. 7 was fitted with biplane wings. Despite flying before May 1918 the D. 7 was not entered into the June Idflieg fighter competition and was not developed further.

==Specifications (D. 7)==

|wing loading kg/m2=

==Further readingBibliography==

*{{cite book|author1-last=Gray|author1-first=Peter|title=German Aircraft of the First World War|orig-year=1970|year=1987 |publisher=Putnam & Company Limited|location=London|isbn=0 370 00103 6|page=440-85177-809-7|edition=2nd|author2-first=Owen |author2-last=Thetford |name-list-style=amp}}

[[Category:BiplanesTriplanes]]

[[Category:Single-engineengined tractor aircraft]]

[[Category:1910s German fighter aircraft 1910–1919]]