Gotha LD 5
Gotha · Germany · first flew 1914 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Gotha LD 5 (Land Doppeldecker, "land biplane") was a military aircraft produced in Germany early in the First World War.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 5.8 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-bay unstaggered biplane wings
- Single open cockpit
- Nine-cylinder rotary engine in the nose with tailskid landing gear
A small two-bay unstaggered biplane with a single open cockpit, tailskid landing gear and a 100 hp Oberursel U.I nine-cylinder rotary engine.
Specifications
- The Gotha LD 5 has a length of 5.8 m (19 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.7 m (29 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 115 km/h (71 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was developed to the Kavallerie Flugzeug requirement for a light, fast scouting aircraft. It was a conventional design with two-bay unstaggered wings, tailskid landing gear and a single open cockpit.
Variants
Six LD 5s were built, a development of the earlier Gotha LD.1.
Where you'll see it
Flight tests showed it could not meet its intended reconnaissance duties, so it was relegated to training. Its short wings confined it to long runways, but it was still ordered into modest production.
Related aircraft
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