LFG Roland C.II
Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft · Germany · first flew 1915 · reconnaissance aircraft
The LFG Roland C.II, usually known as the Walfisch (Whale), was an advanced German reconnaissance aircraft of World War I.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Deep monocoque fuselage filling the gap between the wing centre sections, giving the Walfisch (Whale) nickname |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Deep monocoque fuselage filling the gap between the wing centre sections, giving the Walfisch (Whale) nickname
- Biplane with no cabane struts
- Plywood-strip wrapped fuselage skin
The fuselage had a skin of two layers of thin plywood strips at an angle to each other and had much lower drag than comparable aircraft. Upward visibility was excellent but downward visibility was poor.
Specifications
- The LFG Roland C.II has a length of 7.7 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.3 m (34 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 165 km/h (103 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It first flew in 1915 and entered service in spring 1916. The engineer in charge was Tantzen, a student of Ludwig Prandtl.
Variants
About 400 were built.
Where you'll see it
Handling was reported as difficult but performance was relatively good. With a crew of two, pilot and observer/gunner, it was also used in a fighter escort role.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.