Friedrichshafen FF.31

FF.31

Manufacturer: Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen
First flight: 1910s
Introduced: 1915
Primary user: German Navy

The Friedrichshafen FF.31 was a German lightweight two-seat floatplane of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.

Development and design

The FF.31 was a biplane floatplane with a central nacelle and two open cockpits. The engine was mounted at the rear of the nacelle, driving with a pusher propeller. The twin open-frame tail booms extended aft from the wings to carry the tail unit. A version of the FF.31 with a fixed tailskid landing gear was designated the FF.37.

Operational history

The FF.31 entered service with the German Navy in May 1915.

Variants

FF.31 Production floatplane FF.37 FF.31 with fixed tailskid landing gear.

Operators

German Empire

German Navy

Specifications (variant)

General characteristics

Crew: Two, pilot and observer
Length: 10.15 m (33 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 16.85 m (55 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 60.0 m² (646 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,063 kg (2,344 lb)
Gross weight: 1,400 kg (3,086 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— Maybach IR, 120 kW (160 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 98 km/h (61 mph)
Range: 500 km (312 miles)
Rate of climb: 0.9 m/s (177 ft/min)

Armament

1 x— 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun for observer

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Borzutzki, Siegfried (1993). Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH: Diplom-Ingenieur Theodor Kober. Berlin: Kx¶nigswinter. pp. 104.

Friedrichshafen FF.31 Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia