Friedrichshafen FF.40

Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen · Germany · first flew 1916 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Friedrichshafen FF.40 was an experimental German floatplane developed during World War I for the Imperial German Navy Naval Air Service. One aircraft was ordered in 1916.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Two propellers between the wings, driven by shafts from a single fuselage engine
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Two-bay biplane floatplane
Two propellers between the wings, driven by shafts from a single fuselage engine
Observer in the nose with a flexible machine gun

A 240 hp Maybach engine in the fuselage drove two propellers mounted just forward of and between the wings on each side. The observer sat in the nose, a long way from the pilot at the wing trailing edge, and two radiators hung from the upper wing.

Specifications

The Friedrichshafen FF.40 has a length of 12.43 m (41 ft).
It has a wingspan of 21 m (69 ft).
Its maximum speed is 125 km/h (78 mph).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was designed to evaluate a single fuselage-mounted engine powering two propellers through separate driveshafts. The order was received in February 1916 and the FF.40 made its first flight two months later.

Variants

Only one aircraft was built, and its ultimate fate is unknown.

Where you'll see it

It was turned over to the Seaplane Testing Command for evaluation in July or August 1916. The drive arrangement proved very heavy and limited the payload to a machine gun and a wireless transmitter without a receiver.

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