Albatros D XI

Flown for the first time in February 1918, the D.XI departed from the traditional Albatros formula in certain respects. Like its predecessors, it was of wooden construction with fabric-covered wings and plywood-covered fuselage, but the unequal-span staggered wings had inclined aerofoil-section I-struts braced from their bases by pairs of diagonal struts which eliminated the need for wire bracing. For the first time in an Albatros fighter a rotary engine was employed, this being a 160hp Siemens-Halske Sh III, and the unusually large propeller necessitated an exceptionally tall undercarriage. Armament comprised the usual twin 7.92mm machine guns, and two prototypes were built, the first having a four-blade propeller and balanced parallel-chord ailerons, and the second having a two-blade propeller and unbalanced ailerons of inverse taper.

3-View

A three-view drawing (1643 x 1285)