Dornier Do 212
Dornier · Switzerland · first flew 1942 · light aircraft
The Dornier Do 212 was a four-seat experimental amphibian flying boat built by the Swiss subsidiary of Dornier at Altenrhein on Lake Constance.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Engine buried in the fuselage behind the cabin |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Amphibian flying boat with fixed wingtip floats
- Engine buried in the fuselage behind the cabin
- Four-blade propeller aft of the tail on an extension shaft
The engine, mounted aft of the cabin and buried in the fuselage, drove a four-blade airscrew aft of the tail by a shaft which could be tilted upward 12 degrees for water clearance.
Specifications
- The Dornier Do 212 has a length of 10.15 m (33 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.3 m (34 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Design was initiated in 1938 by the German and Swiss branches, with the Swiss branch responsible for building the prototype. It was an all-metal cantilever monoplane with a 460 hp Hirth HM 512-B-0 engine.
Variants
Only a single prototype was built.
Where you'll see it
Early water taxiing trials led to the wingtip floats being enlarged. Attempts to take off from water on 3 August 1942 failed, and the Do 212 flew only when towed by a Do 24. Instability forced the pilot to ditch, further trials ended the same way, and the prototype was scrapped in 1943.
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