Do 17
Dornier · Germany · first flew 1934 · bomber
The Dornier Do 17 was a German medium bomber whose very slim fuselage earned it the nickname the 'Flying Pencil'.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Exceptionally slender fuselage earning the nickname 'Flying Pencil' |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Exceptionally slender fuselage earning the nickname 'Flying Pencil'
- Twin vertical tail fins on the tailplane
- Glazed, stepped 'beetle' nose with the crew grouped together
The pencil-thin fuselage, twin fins and shoulder-mounted wing make it unmistakable among German bombers.
Specifications
- The Do 17 has a length of 15.8 m (52 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 18 m (59 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 410 km/h (255 mph).
- Typical crew: 4.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1934, the Do 17 began as a fast mailplane concept before adoption as a bomber. Its narrow cross-section was intended to make it a hard target and a fast Schnellbomber, though bomb load was modest.
Variants
The radial-engined Z-series was the main Battle of Britain variant, replacing the earlier inline-engined marks. The closely related Do 215 and Do 217 developed the design further.
Where you'll see it
Do 17s flew in the Battle of Britain alongside the He 111 and Ju 88. The world's only surviving Do 17, a Z-2 recovered from Goodwin Sands off Kent in 2010, is under conservation at the RAF Museum's Cosford restoration centre.
Related aircraft
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