WW1 References

[p-26luvr]

Over the weekend while looking for more information on the Gotha G5, I came across the following site. All you need to do is do a google search & type in flyingmachines.ru, & nothing else. On the page that comes up you will find "translate this page", click on this. The site is Russian & that will bring the next page up in English. On the page that comes up; along the left side you will see several options for ways to find the pictures, by country, manufacturer, date & so on. Make your choice & click on the one you have chosen. That will bring up a list of aircraft types listed alphabetically. Click on any one that you want to. This will bring up both text & pictures of the plane that you are looking for,

This is a humongous site with over 17,000 pictures ranging in a time frame from 1909 to 1919. Some obscure planes only have from 1 to 3 pictures. Most have more, the most well known have up to 20. Some have color side profiles or plans, some even have a few pages of detail parts drawings from the British magazine of the time called Flight.

You can also print out any of these by clicking on the thumbnail picture & enlarging the picture. Some of the pictures print out to 81/2 X11inches, but not all of them.

If the text on the plane that you want to look at is in Russian, scroll down to the bottom of that text, & there may be some light blue strips with the name of a book by an British author, click on that & it should bring up an English translation of the text.

I have spent over 10 hours so far looking over the site, & expect to be visiting there many more times. Carl T

[Alfisti]

Great site Carl,thanks for posting.I have also been trying to collate info on the Gotha G.V and that site has provided some extra pictures and drawings of interesting details.I wondered why there was a fuel tank strapped to the top wing,now I know it held 10 gallons for engine start!

I've yet to find diagrams or pictures showing the internal fuel tank arrangement,Hippo and AZ Models in their 48th scale kits show 2 cylinders mounted on top of each other,but according to other accounts,they took up the whole width of the centre fuselage that blocked off the passageway.Do you have any info on the fuel tank arrangement?

Dave.

[p-26luvr]

Dave, I have seen references to that too but I forget where. It seems that I saw a picture of it as well maybe. Carl T

[Quentin]

What a great site! I can see myself spending a bit of time on there - hope I don't see anything to contradict what I've done on my Dolphin.

[Alfisti]

Carl,it does seems to be a pretty elusive detail!On the site you posted,there's an interesting piece from Flight magazine that describes the twin tanks,but no real description as to shape except noting that both tanks had some form of cut out to allow for the pilots seat,even though its fixed to a bulkhead,which meant the starboard tank didn't utilise a fuller liquid capacity as the cut out wasn't required.On one of the GA drawings,there is reference to the fuselage tanks,which is shown as dotted lines,but either,through my advanced years and failing eyesight,or lack of definition on the drawing,I can't fathom out their true shape.

I have to question the layout of the tanks by Hippo/AZ,as having 175 gallons of fuel sitting in the port fuselage half would throw out the handling characteristics somewhat on an already unstable platform!

Dave von notquitegotha'dout.

[p-26luvr]

Quentin, take a look at the Camel page while you are there.

I am wondering what Mr. Hale will think of the Gotha page.

Dave, have you looked at all of the Gotha bomber pages.?

Also have you seen the 4 pages of plans by Willis Nye ? They have a lot of detail in them. Unfortunately, I only have 3 of the 4 pages. Carl T

[Alfisti]

Hi Carl,just looked at the Willis Nye plans,very good with loads of details drawn,alas no diagram of those tanks.He gives a written description though that they were constructed of brass sheet,I'm wondering if when they took them from the nacelles,they were adapted for the fuselage with those cutouts incorporated,as they reduced the fuel capacity from 95 gallons to 87.5 gallons per tank!

Dave.

[p-26luvr]

Hi Carl,just looked at the Willis Nye plans,very good with loads of details drawn,alas no diagram of those tanks.He gives a written description though that they were constructed of brass sheet,I'm wondering if when they took them from the nacelles,they were adapted for the fuselage with those cutouts incorporated,as they reduced the fuel capacity from 95 gallons to 87.5 gallons per tank!

Dave.

Dave, what I am thinking may be the fuselage fuel tanks are the square areas that he calls ammunition containers behind the pilots seat & just opposite those in the former ahead of the gun tunnel. To me the areas seem too big for ammo containers. Carl

[Alfisti]

Hi Carl,yeah I see what you're thinking there,but having looked at the WingNutWings page on their Goth G.IV kit,they show those ammo containers as being a bit bulky,plus their size in comparison to the upper wing tank and nacelle tanks would indicate a quite small capacity for fuel.I went back to the pages you posted a link to,and in the images there is a set of basic plans accredited to Alex Imrie from one of his books.I printed the plan off,which shows a dotted outline for the main fuselage tanks,one behind the other.Harry Woodman also suggests that these fuel tanks filled the entire fuselage section in question and blocked off the passageway,which was then covered over.There is a photo of the pilot using the breathing apparatus,and its just visible that the passage is covered as the tanks now made this impraticable.

Its bloody frustrating knowing that this feature was present as it has been described,but no real layout of the tanks is available at present,and as my ramblings are just conjecture,it could be something completely different.I've tried 'googling' my query in several forms,but the results sometimes defy explanation,there is a lot of BS out there in the ether.Let me know if you find anything else as I always find it fascinating,especially about these early kites.

Dave.