# DFW B.I

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B.I and B.II DFW B.I Tannenberg General information Type Reconnaissance / Trainer Manufacturer Deutsche Flugzeugwerke Primary user Luftstreitkräfte History Introduction date 1914 First flight 1914 Retired 1918

Crashed DFW B.I "Weddingen" showing shape of wings

The **DFW B.I** (factory designation **MD14**) was a [biplane](/source/Biplane) [reconnaissance aircraft](/source/Reconnaissance_aircraft) and [trainer](/source/Trainer_aircraft) built by the *[Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke](/source/Deutsche_Flugzeug-Werke)* (DFW) during the [First World War](/source/First_World_War) for the [Imperial German Army](/source/Imperial_German_Army)'s (*Deutsches Heer*) [Imperial German Air Service](/source/Imperial_German_Air_Service) (*Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches*). It first flew before the start of the war in August 1914 and was still in service as a trainer in 1918.

## Development

DFW designed the B.I as an unarmed, two-seat observation [biplane](/source/Biplane) for the Imperial Air Service in 1914, with its [fuselage](/source/Fuselage) built from steel tubing and [three-bay wing](/source/Biplane#Bays) from wire-braced wood, both covered in [doped](/source/Aircraft_dope) fabric. The aircraft had a distinctive appearance that differentiated it from its contemporaries as the [leading edge](/source/Leading_edge) of its wings curved to the junction with the trailing edge. Its shape was inspired by that of the earlier [Rumpler Taube](/source/Rumpler_Taube) [monoplane](/source/Monoplane), and led to the DFW aircraft being named the "Flying Banana" (*Fliegende Banane*) by its pilots. The observer's cockpit was located beneath the upper wing while the pilot's was behind the wing's trailing edge. The aircraft flew a variety of [water-cooled](/source/Water-cooled) engines, although the 100-[horsepower](/source/Horsepower) (75 [kW](/source/Kilowatt)) [Mercedes D.I](/source/Mercedes_D.I) [straight-six](/source/Straight-six_engine) engine was commonly used. Some B.Is were fitted with the more powerful [Mercedes D.II](/source/Mercedes_D.II) or [Benz Bz.III](/source/Benz_Bz.III) engines. Its [radiators](/source/Radiator_(engine_cooling)) were located on the sides of the fuselage and its cylindrical fuel tank was positioned above the upper wing.[1][2][3]

The **B.II** was similar but had a more conventionally shaped two-bay wing with a straight leading edge. It mostly served as a trainer through the end of the war.[4]

## Specifications (DFW B.I)

*Data from* German Aircraft of the First World War;[2] Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War;[5] DFW Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes[6]

**General characteristics**

- **Crew:** 2

- **Length:** 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)

- **Upper wingspan:** 14 m (45 ft 11 in)

- **Lower wingspan:** 13.16 m (43 ft 2 in)

- **Height:** 3.18 m (10 ft 5 in)

- **Empty weight:** 650 kg (1,433 lb)

- **Gross weight:** 1,015 kg (2,238 lb)

- **Powerplant:** 1 × [Mercedes D.I](/source/Mercedes_D.I) water-cooled [straight-six](/source/Straight-six_engine) piston engine, 75 kW (100 hp)

- **Propellers:** 2-bladed

**Performance**

- **Maximum speed:** 120 km/h (75 mph, 65 kn)

- **Time to altitude:** 5 minutes to 1,000 m (3,300 ft)

## See also

**Related lists**

- [List of military aircraft of Germany](/source/List_of_military_aircraft_of_Germany)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Lamberton, p. 130

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Gray_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Gray_2-1) Gray & Thetford, p. 317

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Herris, p. 42

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Herris, pp. 66–67

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Lamberton, pp. 222–223

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Herris, p. 71

## Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [DFW B.I](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:DFW_B.I).

- Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen (1987) [1970]. *German Aircraft of the First World War* (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-85177-809-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85177-809-7).

- Herris, Jack (2017). *DFW Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes*. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 29. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-935881-54-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-935881-54-4).

- Lamberton, W. M. (1962). *Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War*. Los Angeles, California: Aero Publishers. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1819866](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1819866).

v t e Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke (DFW) aircraft B.I B.II C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI D.I D.II Dr.I Floh Mars P.1 Pfeil R.I R.II R.III

v t e Idflieg B-class aircraft designations AEG B.I B.II B.III Albatros B.I B.II B.III Aviatik B.I B.II B.III DFW B.I B.II Euler B.I B.II B.III Germania B.I Gotha B.I B.II Halberstadt B.I B.II B.III Kondor B.I LVG B.I B.II B.III NFW B.I Otto B.I Rumpler B.I Sablatnig B.I Siemens-Schuckert B.I

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [DFW B.I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DFW_B.I) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DFW_B.I?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.