Schütte-Lanz D.VI

Schütte-Lanz

Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Headquarters	Germany

The Schütte-Lanz D.VI was a German-designed, single-engine parasol wing fighter aircraft developed late in World War I. Its operational history was brief, as it was destroyed during its maiden flight.

Design

The D.VI featured a wing with a uniform chord, characterized by straight edges and squared-off wing tips. Positioned in a parasol configuration, the wing was mounted slightly swept above the fuselage. Structural support came from two elongated parallel struts on each side, extending from the lower fuselage to points well outboard on the wings. Additionally, the center section was stabilized by two pairs of short, parallel cabane struts leaning outward from the upper fuselage. A distinctive design element was the fairing between each pair of main struts, incorporating an aerodynamic aerofoil surface that contributed extra lift. These fairings spanned from the lower fuselage strut attachment up to near the cockpit and upper fuselage, while the remaining struts were left exposed.

Propulsion was provided by a 160 hp (120 kW) water-cooled six-cylinder inline Template:Illust:Mercedes D.III engine, specifically the Mercedes D.III. The fuselage behind the engine had a rectangular cross-section with flat sides. The pilot's cockpit was situated beneath the wing's trailing edge and featured a modest cut-out in the wing to improve visibility. The empennage comprised a tailplane mounted atop the fuselage with straight edges, matching the similarly angular vertical stabilizer. The rudder was balanced and extended down to the keel, operating within a notch between the elevators. The landing gear followed a conventional fixed arrangement, including a single axle supported by V-shaped struts and complemented by a sprung tailskid.

The aircraft undertook its initial flight on 29 May 1918 but crashed during this sortie, sustaining significant damage and was not repaired thereafter.

Further reading

• Herris, Jack (2020). German Aircraft of Minor Manufacturers in WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series (50). Vol. 2: Krieger to Union. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-86-5.