Dornier Do J

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Do J "Wal"

Spanish Dornier Do J

Type Flying Boat
Manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Maiden flight 6 November 1924
Number built > 300

The Dornier Do J was a twin-engine German flying boat of the 1920s designed by Dornier Flugzeugwerke.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The Dornier Do J (later designated Dornier Do 16) was better known as the Wal (German for whale).

The Do J was a fairly modern (compared to World War I types) flying boat with a high-mounted strut-braced monoplane wing. Two piston engines were mounted in tandem in a nacelle above the wing and in line with the hull; one engine drove a tractor propeller and the other drove a pusher propeller. The crew of 2 to 4 rode in an open cockpit near the nose of the hull. Cabin space for up to 12 passengers was available inside the hull.

The Do J made its first flight on 6 November 1924. The flight as well as most of the production until 1932 took place in Italy because all aviation activity in Germany was forbidden after World War I under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles).

The Do J was powered by 2 Rolls-Royce Eagle IX 265 kW (355 hp) engines. with a maximum speed of 388 km/h (241 mph), and a cruising speed of 323 km/h (201 mph). Its empty weight was 2524 kg (5,565 lb), and a maximum payload of 4100 kg (9,039 lb). It had a range of 3,600 km (2,237 miles), and a ceiling of 11,480 ft (3,500 m).

[edit] Operational history

The Norwegian Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen used two Dornier seaplanes in his unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Pole in 1925. His two aircraft, N-24 and N-25, landed at 87° 44' north. It was the northernmost latitude reached by any aircraft up to that time.

The Portuguese military aviator Sarmento de Beires and his crew made the first night aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in a Dornier J named Argos. The crossing was made on the night of 17 March 1927 from Portuguese Guinea to Brazil.

Two Dornier Wal aircraft (named Passat and Boreas) also played an important role in the Third German Antarctic Expedition of 1939.

Over 300 Wals were built by CMASA and Piaggio in Italy, CASA in Spain, Kawasaki in Japan, Aviolanda in the Netherlands, and Dornier in Germany.

The Colombian Air Force used Dornier Wal in the Colombia-Peru War in 1932-3.

[edit] Variants

Do J Wal
Do R Super Wal
Do R2
Do R4

[edit] Operators

[edit] Specifications (R4)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2-4
  • Capacity: 10 to 12 passengers
  • Length: 80 ft 8½ in (24.60 m)
  • Wingspan: 93 ft 10 in (28.60 m)
  • Height: 19 ft 8 in (6.00 m)
  • Wing area: 1,474.7 ft² (137 m²)
  • Empty weight: 21,716 lb (9,850 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 30,864 lb (14,000 kg)
  • Powerplant:Bristol Jupiter inline engines, 525 hp (391 kW) each

Performance


[edit] Note and References

[edit] External links

[edit] See also