Biplane

Explorer PG-1 Aqua Glider

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One of the very few waterborne gliders, the Aqua Glider single-seater is also unusual in being a biplane; it is intended for tethered gliding by unlicensed pilots, and is towed behind any speedboat that can attain a speed of 30kt (35mph). The pilot can also cast off from the speedboat when airborne and make a free flight before landing back on the water, but to do this he must have a licence. The Aqua Glider was designed by Col William L. Skliar, USAF (Ret’d), who began design work on it in September 1958, the prototype making its first flight in July 1959. After making about 1,000 flights and being flown by about 60 pilots, the prototype was donated to the Experimental Aircraft Association Museum in Milwaukee.
Approximately 1,000 sets of plans have now been sold to amateur constructors in more than 20 countries all over the world, and about 200 Aqua Gliders were under construction; about 12 are known to have flown, in the Bahamas, Brazil and Japan as well as in the USA. The forward staggered single bay biplane wings are conventional single-spar wooden structures with fabric covering, and there are spoiler-type light alloy ailerons on the lower wing only, immediately behind the main spar.
Balance floats – basically just plate-type fairings – are carried at the extremities of the lower wing tips. The pilot sits in an open cockpit in the unstopped watertight wooden hull and, instead of a conventional planing bottom, take-offs are made on a pair of standard jumper skis, 6 ft in length, attached to small wire-braced struts below the hull. The latter is of spruce with a mahogany plywood bow, bottom skins and sides, the plywood being glass fibre covered below the waterline. There is a towing hook on the nose. The wire-braced tail unit is of spruce with plywood and fabric covering, and is carried on a boom of welded steel tube or wire-braced wooden construction. The rudder is conventional and the tailplane an all-moving one-piece surface.

Span: 4.87m / 16 ft
Wing Area: 14.28 sq.m / 95 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 5.0
Airfoil: NACA 4412
Length: 13 ft 8 in
Height: 5 ft 0 in
Empty Weight: 83 kg / 180 lb
Payload: 100 kg / 220 lb
Gross Weight: 182 kg / 400 lb
Wing Load: 20.61 kg/sq.m / 4.5 lb/sq.ft
Max speed: 65 mph (in smooth air)
Stalling speed: 35mph
L/DMax: 6.5 at 72 kph / 39 kt / 45 mph
Seats: 1

Euler D.I / Euler D.II

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D.I

After seeing the success of the French Nieuport 11 at the front, German designer August Euler set about to create a German aircraft based on the Nieuport 17 design. The Euler D.I single-seat fighter first flew in December 1916. It was powered by an 80 hp engine with the Euler patented machine gun on the front.

Two prototypes were recorded as being in service at the front in October 1916, and the German government ordered 50 in the same month. A further 50 were ordered in early 1917, but this order was largely transferred over to the D.I’s successor, the Euler D.II. About 75 were built. The D.I saw very little combat service with the German Empire, being largely used as a fighter trainer for the remainder of the war and retired around 1920.

Euler D.II

The Euler D.II single-seat fighter successor to the Euler D.I was essentially a re-engined Euler D.I, the airframe being virtually unchanged and the power plant being a 100 hp Oberusel U I seven cylinder rotary.

Thirty D.II fighters were ordered by the German air force in March 1917, however due to slow production these were not delivered until December 1917. As a result, the D.II was relegated to the role of a trainer aircraft for the rest of the war and retired in 1918.

Gallery

Euler D.I
Engine: 1 × Oberursel U.O, 60 kW (80 hp)
Wingspan: 8.10 m (26 ft 6⅞ in)
Length: 5.80 m (19 ft 0¼ in)
Height: 2.66 m (8 ft 8¾ in)
Wing area: 13.00 m² (139.93 ft²)
Empty weight: 380 kg (838 lb)
Loaded weight: 600 kg (1,323 lb)
Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph)
Time to 2,000 m: 12.5 minutes
Crew: One
Armament: 1 x engine-mounted 7.92-mm machine gun

Euler D I
Engine: 80 or 100 h.p. Oberursel U O or U I rotary
Span: 8.1 m. (26 ft. 7 in.)
Length: 7.12 m. (23 ft. 4 3/8 in.)
Height: 2.66 m. (8 ft. 8 3/4 in.)
Empty weight: 380 kg. (836 lb.)
Loaded weight: 600 kg. (1,320 lb.).
Climb to 2,000 m: (6,560 ft.): 12.5 min.

Euler D.II
Engine: 1 × Oberursel U.I, 75 kW (100 hp)
Wingspan: 7.47 m (24 ft 6 in)
Length: 5.94m (19 ft 5⅞ in)
Height: 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)
Empty weight: 380 kg (838 lb)
Loaded weight: 615 kg (1,356 lb)
Maximum speed: 145 km/h (90 mph)
Time to 2,000 m: 9.5 minutes
Endurance: 1.5 hours
Armament: 1 x engine-mounted 7.92mm machine gun
Crew: One

Euler-Voisin

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In October 1908 August Euler founded the Euler-Werke in Frankfurt and managed to negotiate a license agreement with the Voisin brothers. In 1909 he created a factory at Griesheim Airport and started large scale aircraft production. The first few machines built were similar to Voisins, but Euler was not pleased with the original design and soon started to modify the construction, for example by lightening it, redesigning the landing gear and introducing ailerons.

Euler qualified for German pilot’s licence No. 1 on December 31st, 1909. Prince Heinrich of Prussia took his pilot’s certificate on an extensively modified example of the type. At least 30 other Germans learned to fly on this aircraft.

Euler Type C

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The Euler Type C a reconnaissance aircraft with a pusher engine of 1913-14. The initial form with nose turret of the Euler two-seat fighter of 1915 intended primarily for anti-airship and escort missions.

The final form of the Euler two-seat fighter of 1915 with faired, pulpit-like gun position, intended primarily for anti-airship and escort missions.

Euler C-type under test in mid-1916: note the armament of two parabellum machine guns. This, along with the Spandau, was a very effective aerial weapon and a success for German machine gun technology. Only one machine was built.

Engine: 160 hp Mercedes D III
Span: 14.8 m. (48 ft. 6 3/4 in.)
Length: 9.3 m. (30 ft. 6 1/8 in.)
Height: 3.2 m. (10 ft. 6 in.)
Wing area: 52.6 sq.m. (568 sq.ft.)
Empty weight: 492 kg. (1,082 lb.)
Climb 3.000 m. (9,840 ft.): 44 min
Endurance: 4 hr.
Armament: two Parabellum machine-guns