Aviatik B.II


Aviatik B.II

The Aviatik B. II was a reconnaissance aircraft widely used by the Germans and Austrians before 1916. Built by the Oesterreichische-Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik of Vienna, it developed from the Aviatik B.I produced by the German company Automobil Aviatik und Leipzig between 1914 and 1915.

[ad#ad-1]The Austrian B.II (Series 32) produced in small numbers in 1915 was powered by an Austro-Daimler 120-hp, had no weapons except the personal weapon of the observer, but could carry two 10 kg bombs.

It was followed by B. III (Series 33) of larger scale and powered by an Austro-Daimler 160-hp engine. Its weapons consisted of a machine gun mounted on a flexible support, and a bombload of three 10 kg. bombs. As on the B. II, this aircraft had an excellent range (it was used in Russia for flights to comment on long-distance). But it did not respond quickly to the controls and ranged easily under the action of wind, which earned it the nickname “gondola” or “rocking-chair”.

To remedy these shortcomings, a second series of B. II was built (Series 34). The structure of the original aircraft was kept, but it incorporated the 160 h.p. Austro-Daimler engine and the armament of the B. III. The bombload tripled to 20 kg. This version of the B. II was much more stable in flight, faster, and could fly twice as high as the original B. II. Even if they were not exceptional biplanes, the Austrian Aviatiks gave valuable service with their long range. They were removed from front-line operations in early 1916 and then relegated to training.

The armed reconnaissance plane, the Aviatik C.I, was a development of the B series.

Top Speed: 68 m.p.h.

Manufacturer: Aviatik

Year: 1915

Engine: 120 h.p. Austro-Daimler 6-cylinder inline

Wingspan: 46 feet

Weight: 1,917 lb.

Armament: 20 kg bombload