Sablatnig P.III
Sablatnig · German Reich · first flew 1919 · airliner
The Sablatnig P.III is considered Germany's first aircraft purpose-designed as a commercial passenger transport, a strut-braced high-wing monoplane of the immediate postwar years, first flown in 1919.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Wings and tailplane that fold flat against the fuselage for rail transport |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High-wing strut-braced monoplane with an enclosed passenger cabin
- Wings and tailplane that fold flat against the fuselage for rail transport
- Often photographed beside its own portable canvas hangar tent
The high strut-braced wing and boxy enclosed cabin mark it as an airliner, but its foldable wings and tail — and its portable canvas hangar — are what set it apart from contemporaries.
Specifications
- The Sablatnig P.III has a length of 8.94 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 16 m (52 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 170 km/h (106 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 crew plus 6 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Powered by a single 200hp Benz or 260hp Maybach engine in the nose, it entered subsidised airline service in August 1919 flying Berlin to Bremen for Sablatnig in partnership with the shipping line Norddeutscher Lloyd.
Variants
Its most unusual feature was foldable wings and horizontal stabiliser, allowing the whole aircraft to be moved by rail; P.IIIs even carried their own collapsible tent to serve as a portable hangar at unprepared airfields.
Where you'll see it
It helped pioneer scheduled German air transport in the immediate postwar years, before larger and more capable airliners took over domestic routes in the 1920s.
Related aircraft
- Sablatnig C.III
- Sablatnig C.II
- Sablatnig C.I
- Sablatnig SF-5
- de Havilland DH.16
- Farman F.60 Goliath
- Farman F.61 Goliath
- Farman F.68 Goliath
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