FS98 Albatros G.II Grosskampfflugzeug, initial prototype.
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Stephan Scholz, August 2007.
Installation:
=============
- Unzip AlbaG2ip into a temporary directory and copy the
"Albatros G.II i.p." file into the main FS98 aircraft directory.
- Unzip the gauges.zip file and copy the two guages into the main
FS98 gauges directory.
The first prototype of the Albatros G.II Grosskampfflugzeug.
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In 1915, Albatros Flugzeugwerke of Johannisthal, Berlin, produced a four-engined
biplane bomber prototype with 4x120 hp Mercedes D.I engines, the Albatros G.I.
The design proved unsuccessful, so in 1916 a smaller, twin-engined version was
developed, the Albatros G.II. Made of wood and fabric, it had a plywood-covered
fuselage and fabric-covered wings and was powered by two fully cowled specification
150 hp Benz Bz III pusher engines rated at 165 hp, mounted on lower wings.
The G.II first flew in 1916.
This first Albatros G.II prototype, depicted in this release, and of which only
one unit was produced, differed significantly from the subsequently improved
prototype: Wing trailing edges were completely straight on upper and lower wings,
which not only considerably limited the rear gunner´s field of vision, but forced
a rather aft placing of the two Benz. Bz III pushers, making the aircraft quite
tail-heavy. As a result, constant forward pressure on the helm was necessary
for landings and flaring was out of the question, so the aircraft was equipped
with a "Stossfahrgestell" nose gear to prevent nose-overs. Another defficiency
of the initial prototype was the rather weak main undercarriage, which was
attached to the fuselage like that of a biplane fighter. Finally, the outer
wingstruts were "W" shaped.
Generally speaking, the aircraft was a viable proposition, but some aspects
required improvement: The "Stossfahrgestell" nose gear became unnecessary as engines
were moved forward to correct the centre of gravity. Lower wing trailing edges were
cut away to allow space for propellers, and the upper wing trailing edge was also
cut away in the centre to improve the rear-gunner´s field of vision. The Landing
gear was strengthened by attaching beneath the engine nacelles.
These modifications gave rise to the improved G.II prototype, of which a few units
were produced. The satisfactory results won Albatros Flugzeugwerke a contract for
a limited production batch of the Albatros G.III tactical bomber. The only difference
between this and the improved prototype was the motorization: The G.III had
two specification 220 hp Benz Bz IV engines rated at 230 hp.
Specifications:
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Albatros G.II, Initial prototype - Large combat aircraft, Germany, 1916
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Total Length : 39 ft
Greatest height : 13 ft 10 in
Wingspan : 59 ft
Wing area : 850 sq
Max take off weight : 6063 lb (estimated as 200 lb more than the improved G.II)
Weight empty : 4540 lb (estimated as 200 lb more than the improved G.II)
Payload : 440 lb (estimated as 264 lb less than G.III)
Max. speed : 70 kt (estimated at 2 Kt less then the improved G.II)
Cruising speed : 63 kt
Range : 324
Engines : 2 x 150 Hp Benz Bz III (rated at 165 hp)
Crew : 3
Armament : 2* MG 7,9mm,
The virtual Albatros G.II Grosskampfflugzeug initial prototype.
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The modifications are based on a photograph and a text from the aircraft
encyclopedia "Enciclopedia de la Historia de la Aviación". The basis model was
the G.III, which was based on a single photograph of the Albatros G.III to be
found on Rosebud´s WW1 and Early Aviation Page and on the Virtual Aircraft Museum
page. The latter also included G.III technical specifications, which served as a
basis for weight and performance estimations for G.II flight model.
The model is built with AF99 and animated with Abacus Aircraft Animator
(props, ailerons, rudder and elevator). It features features hollowed-out flight
deck with two landing-aid windows on each side, as well as hollowed-out fore
and aft gunner wells and fortunately has a rather low bleedthrough incidence.
The "L" button for the lights will toggle the crew and guns.
Flight Dynamics:
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These are similar to the Albatros G.II improved prototye FD, but the plane is
slightly heavier and slower due to the "Stossfahrgestell" nose gear, and slightly
tail heavy due to the aft positioning of engines. I have calculated that this would
mean an approximate increase of 200 lb in net weight and 2 Kt less max. speed over
the improved G.II prototype, which seems reasonable.
Take-off is also a bit later, with neutral trim at around 45 kt, without
rotating, as usual for this kind of aircraft. Landings should be undertaken with
the fuselage parallel to the ground, at about 40 kt.
Textures:
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The textures for the beige clear-doped colour scheme for the fabric covered wings
and tail are by Udo Entenman. The darker plywood ones for the fuselage are my own.
The wheel textures have been adapted from Eric Johnson's FS5.1 Cessna 177B source
files.
Panel:
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Custom panel for this open cockpit aircraft, with mostly default Camel guages, except
for the dual engine throttles that come from Dennis Simanaitis´ Dragon rapide, an
excellent variometer that comes from Russ McCaffrey´s panel for Wolfram Beckert´s
Dornier Do X, and also an elevator trim guage whose origin I have unfortunately lost
track of.
Sounds:
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Default Sopwith Camel sounds, but the ones from the Rumpler G.I are recommended.
Legal stuff:
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This aircraft and panel are freeware, created solely for the enjoyment of the
flight simming community. No responsibility is taken for any loss or damage
incurred directly or indirectly from its use. The original unaltered files
may be freely distributed, uploaded, downloaded and shared. Please maintain
proper credit, of course, and make no financial gain whatsoever!
Enjoy it!
Stephan Scholz
aleatorylamp@vfemail.net August 2007
