Gotha LD.1
Gotha · German Empire · first flew 1914 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Gotha LD.1 was a pre-war German reconnaissance and training biplane, the first of a numbered family of Gotha 'Land Doppeldecker' designs.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.28 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-bay unstaggered biplane with tandem open cockpits
- Water-cooled Mercedes D.I inline six in a slim nose, not a rotary cowling
- Simple tailskid undercarriage typical of pre-war German trainers
A plain, unstaggered two-bay biplane with tandem open cockpits and a slim water-cooled inline nose, typical of the earliest wartime training types.
Specifications
- The Gotha LD.1 has a length of 8.28 m (27 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.5 m (48 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 115 km/h (71 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed by Karl Rosner and first flown in April 1914, just before the outbreak of war, the LD.1 was a conventional two-bay biplane with tandem open cockpits, powered by a 105 hp Mercedes D.I; the 100 hp rotary belongs to the LD.1a variant and was an Oberursel U.I. Ten were completed.
Variants
The LD.1 led to a series of derivatives, the LD.2 through LD.7, adapted for reconnaissance or training roles.
Where you'll see it
Made obsolete within the war's first year or two by rapid advances in aircraft design, several LD.1s were later supplied as military aid to the Ottoman Empire; none survives today.
Related aircraft
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