Lublin R-VIII
Plage i Laśkiewicz · Poland · first flew 1928 · bomber
The Lublin R-VIII was a Polish bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and seaplane designed in the late 1920s by the Plage i Laśkiewicz factory in Lublin. It was the company's first in-house design and the first to carry the name Lublin.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 11.125 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Wooden biplane in conventional layout, with an upper wing of greater span
- Crew of two in tandem open cockpits with twin controls
- Fixed landing gear with a rear skid, or two Short floats on the floatplane version
It was a wooden biplane with a rectangular, plywood-covered fuselage and canvas and plywood covered wings. The floatplane version was slower, with a maximum speed of 200 km/h.
Specifications
- The Lublin R-VIII has a length of 11.125 m (36 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 17 m (56 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 230 km/h (143 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed to answer a Polish Air Force request for a heavy single-engine reconnaissance bomber, and work began in 1926. The prototype flew in March 1928 with a 550 hp Farman engine and proved underpowered, and a second prototype with a 740 hp Lorraine-Dietrich 18Kd followed in July 1928.
Variants
Four R-VIIIa aircraft were ordered in 1929 and built in early 1930. In 1932 the existing aircraft were converted to floatplanes for the Polish Navy as the R-VIII bis and R-VIII ter, and a six-seat passenger development, the R-IX, remained a prototype.
Where you'll see it
Only six were built, and the Polish Air Force used them for a short time. The floatplanes served with the Polish Naval Aviation Squadron at Puck from 1933, moved to training from 1938, and were bombed by Stukas on 8 September 1939.
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