Albatros C.VII

Role	Reconnaissance aircraft Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Albatros Flugzeugwerke
First flight	early 1916
Introduction	September or October 1916
Retired	1918
Primary user	Germany
Produced	1916
Number built	400
Developed from	Albatros C.V

The Albatros C.VII was a German military reconnaissance aircraft which saw service during World War I. It was a revised and re-engined development of the Albatros C.V, which had proved disappointing in service.

Design & development

The C.VII dispensed with the earlier C.V's unreliable Mercedes D.IV and also with the modifications that had been made to accommodate that powerplant, returning to the original C.V/16 design. Refinements were also made to the control surfaces, the overall effect was an aircraft with excellent handling qualities. The C.VII soon made up the bulk of German reconnaissance aircraft, with some 350 in service at one time.

Variants

C.VI
N.I: Night-bomber variant.
L 18: A single C.VII converted for civil use post WWI

Operators

German Empire

Luftstreitkräfte

Specifications (C.VII)

General characteristics

Crew: two, pilot and observer
Length: 8.70 m (28 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 12.78 m (41 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 43.4 m² (467 sq ft)
Empty weight: 989 kg (2,180 lb)
Gross weight: 1,550 kg (3,420 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.IV , 150 kW (200 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 96 kn)
Endurance: 31⁄3 hours
Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,500 ft)
Rate of climb: 3.2 m/s (630 ft/min)

Armament

1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) Spandau LMG 08/15 machine gun
1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun for observer
90 kg (200 lb) of bombs

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albatros C.VII.

Grosz, Peter M. (1999). Albatros C.VII. Windsock Datafile 77. Berkhamsted: Albatros Publications. ISBN 9781902207186.
Herris, Jack (2012). Nachtflugzeug: German N-Types of WWI. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 3. n. p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-10-0.
Klaauw, Bart van der (March–April 1999). "Unexpected Windfalls: Accidentally or Deliberately, More than 100 Aircraft 'arrived' in Dutch Territory During the Great War". Air Enthusiast (80): 54–59. ISSN 0143-5450.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 52–53.

Albatros aircraft

Early aircraft

Military Idflieg
designations

B type unarmed reconnaissance biplanes	B.I B.II B.III
C type armed reconnaissance biplanes	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIIII N C.IX C.X C.XI C.XII C.XIII C.XIV C.XV
D type Doppeldecker fighters	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII D.XIII D.XIV D.XV
Dr type Dreidecker triplane fighters	Dr.I Dr.II
G type Grossflugzeug bombers	G.I G.II G.III G.IV
J type close support	J.I J.II J.III

Company
designations

Landflugzeug (Landplanes)	LDD L.1 L.2 L.3 L.4 L.5 L.6 L.7 L.8 L.9 L.10 L.11 L.12 L.13 L.14 L.15 L.16 L.17 L.18 L.19 L.20 L.21 L.22 L.23 L.24 L.25 L.26 L.27 L.28 L.29 L.30 L.31 L.32 L.33 L.34 L.35 L.36 L.37 L.38 L.39 L.40 L.41 L.42 L.43 L.44 L.45 L.46 L.47 L.48 L.49 L.50 L.51 L.52 L.53 L.54 L.55 L.56 L.57 L.58 L.59 L.60 L.65 L.66 L.67 L.68 L.69 L.70 L.71 L.72 L.73 L.74 L.75 L.76 L.77 L.78 L.79 L.80 L.81 L.82 L.83 L.84 L.100 L.101 L.102 L.103
Wasserflugzeug (Seaplanes)	W.1 W.2 W.3 W.4 W.5 W.8 WMZ
Höhenflugzeug (High Altitude)	H.1

v t e World War I aircraft of the Central Powers
Fighters	AEG D.I AEG Dr.I Albatros D.I Albatros D.II Albatros D.III Albatros D.V Aviatik D.I Aviatik C.VI Daimler L.6 Euler D.I Euler D.II Fokker D.I Fokker D.II Fokker D.III Fokker D.IV Fokker D.V Fokker D.VI Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VIII Fokker Dr.I Fokker E.I Fokker E.II Fokker E.III Fokker E.IV Fokker E.V Halberstadt D.II Hannover CL.II Hannover CL.III Hannover CL.IV Hannover CL.V Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 Junkers D.I Kondor D.6 Kondor E.III Naglo D.II Pfalz D.III Pfalz D.XII Pfalz Dr.I Pfalz E.I Pfalz E.II Phönix D.I LFG Roland D.II LFG Roland D.VI Siemens-Schuckert D.I Siemens-Schuckert D.II Siemens-Schuckert D.III Siemens-Schuckert D.IV Zeppelin-Lindau D.I
Bombers and ground attack	AEG DJ.I AEG G.I AEG G.II AEG G.III AEG G.IV AEG G.V AEG J.I AEG J.II AEG R.I Friedrichshafen G.II Friedrichshafen G.III Gotha G.I Gotha G.II Gotha G.III Gotha G.IV Gotha G.V Gotha GL.VII Gotha G.IX Hannover CL.II Junkers CL.I Junkers J.I Rumpler G.I Rumpler G.II Rumpler G.III Siemens-Schuckert L.I Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.II Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.III Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.IV Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
Reconnaissance	AEG B.I AEG B.II AEG B.III AEG C.I AEG C.II AEG C.III AEG C.IV AEG C.V AEG C.VI AEG C.VII AEG C.VIII AGO C.I AGO C.II AGO C.III AGO C.IV AGO C.VII AGO C.VIII Albatros B.I Albatros B.II Albatros C.I Albatros C.III Albatros C.V Albatros C.VII Albatros C.IX Albatros C.X Albatros C.XII Aviatik B.I Aviatik B.II Aviatik C.I Aviatik C.VI DFW C.V LFG Roland C.II LVG B.I LVG C.II Rumpler C.I Rumpler C.IV Rumpler Taube
Trainers	Euler D.I
Prototypes	Albatros C.II Fokker V.1 Fokker V.2 Junkers J 1 Junkers J 2 Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.I

Idflieg C-, CL-, and CLS-class aircraft designations

C-

AEG	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII
AGO	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX
Albatros	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X C.XI C.XII C.XIII C.XIV C.XV
Aviatik	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX
Caspar	C.I
DFW	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI
Fokker	C.I C.II C.III
Friedrichshafen	C.I
Germania	C.I C.II C.III C.IV
Halberstadt	C.I C.II C.III C.V C.VII C.VIII C.IX
Hannover	C.I C.IV
LFG Roland	C.I C.II C.III C.V C.VIII
LVG	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX
OAW	C.I C.II
Otto	C.I C.II
Pfalz	C.I
Rumpler	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X
Sablatnig	C.I C.II C.III
Schütte-Lanz	C.I
Zeppelin	C.I C.II

CL-

BFW	CL.I CL.II CL.III CL.IV
Daimler	CL.I
Halberstadt	CL.II CL.IV
Hannover	CL.II CL.III CL.V
Junkers	CL.I
Zeppelin-Lindau	CL.I CL.II

CLS-

Albatros	CLS.I
Halberstadt	CLS.I CLS.II CLS.X
Junkers	CLS.I

Idflieg G, GL, K, L and N-class bomber designations

G- class

AEG	G.I G.II G.III G.IV G.V
Albatros	G.I G.II G.III G.IV
Daimler	G.I G.II
Friedrichshafen	G.I G.II G.III G.IV G.V G.VI
Gotha	G.I G.II G.III G.IV G.V G.VI G.VII G.VIII G.IX G.X
Halberstadt	G.I
LFG	G.I
LVG	G.I G.II G.III
Rumpler	G.I G.II G.III
Schütte-Lanz	G.I
Siemens-Schuckert	G.I G.II G.III
Union	G.I

GL- class

Gotha	GL.VII GL.VIII

K- class

AEG	K.I
Fokker	K.I

L- class

Siemens-Schuckert	L.I

N- class

AEG	N.I
Albatros	N.I
BFW	N.I
Friedrichshafen	N.I
Sablatnig	N.I

G = Grossflugzeuge (large airplane), GL = Grossflugzeuge Leicht (light large airplane)

K = Kampfflugzeug (battleplane), renamed as G-class, L = bomber midway between K/G and R-classes

N = Nacht (night)