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FF.33

The "Wölfchen" (Little Wolf) aboard SMS Wolf (1913).
Role	Fighter Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH
First flight	1914
Introduction	1914
Primary user	Kaiserliche Marine
Number built	FF.33E: 180 FF.33L: 135

Friedrichshafen FF.33 was a German single-engined reconnaissance three-bay wing structure biplane, using twin floats, designed by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen in 1914 for the Marine-Fliegerabteilung aviation forces of the Kaiserliche Marine.

Versions

FF.33: Initial production version powered by a Mercedes D.II engine, six built
FF.33b: FF.33 with pilot and observers positions reversed, additional observers-operated machine-gun and powered by 119 kW (160 hp) Maybach inline piston engine, five built.
FF.33e: Main production reconnaissance variant powered by a Benz Bz.III inline engine, longer twin floats, under tail central float removed, and radio transmitter instead of armament, about 180 built.
FF.33f: Scout/Fighter version based on FF.33e with reduced span wings and reduced length but fitted with a machine-gun on a pivoted mount, five built.
FF.33h: FF.33f with aerodynamic refinements, and duplication of wing-bay bracing cables as a safeguard if the observer has to fire his machine-gun forward through the wings, about 50 built.
FF.33j: FF.33e with aerodynamic refinements and the provision of a radio transmitter and receiver.
FF.33l: Main production scout/fighter version, with further aerodynamic improvements and a fixed machine gun, about 130 built
FF.33s: dual-control trainer version
FF.39: Refined version of the FF.33e with a 149 kW (200 hp) Benz Bz.IV engine, 14 built.
FF.49c: Further improved FF.39 with strengthened structures, balanced controls, a radio receiver and transmitter, machine-gun for observer, over 200 built.
FF.49b: Bomber variant of the FF.49c, crew positions reversed, deletion of observers machine-gun and provision to carry a light bombload, 15 built.
FF.59a: Development aircraft based on FF.39 with different tail, one built.
FF.59b: Development aircraft based on FF.39 with different tail, one built.
FF.59c: FF.39 with modified tail unit, wing interplane struts moved outwards and inner-bay bracing wires removed.
C.I: A landplane version of the FF.33l with wheeled landing gear, one built.

Operators

Bulgaria: Four FF.33Es and four FF.33Ls stationed since 1916 at the German Naval Air Station Peynerdjik near Varna on the Black Sea were transferred in June 1918 to the Bulgarian Navy. They were scrapped in 1920 in accordance with the clauses of the Peace Treaty.^[1]
Finland: Finnish Air Force purchased two FF.33Es from Germany in February 1918. The first one arrived on 20 April 1918 to Vaasa and the other one in the summer of 1918. The aircraft wore the German designation numbers 1999 and 1998, which were changed into the FAF designation numbers F16 and F24 (later S58/18 and S73/18). Another FF.33E was purchased from the Germans in Estonia on 26 November 1918. The type was in FAF service between 1918 and 1923.
German Empire: Kaiserliche Marine
Netherlands: Royal Netherlands Navy
Poland: Polish Navy operated three: FF.33E, FF.33H, FF.33L in 1920–1922^[2]
Sweden

Specifications (FF.33e)

Data from Thulinista Hornetiin - 75 vuotta Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneita,^[3] Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH : Diplom-Ingenieur Theodor Kober^[4]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 10.27 m (33 ft 8 in)
Upper wingspan: 16.8 m (55 ft 1 in)
Lower wingspan: 15.15 m (49 ft 8 in)
Height: 3.73 m (12 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 52.7 m² (567 sq ft)
Empty weight: 984 kg (2,169 lb) to 1,010 kg (2,230 lb)
Gross weight: 1,635 kg (3,605 lb) to 1,675 kg (3,693 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.III 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 110 kW (150 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 119–128 km/h (74–80 mph, 64–69 kn)
Cruise speed: 110 km/h (68 mph, 59 kn)
Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi) to 700 km (430 mi)
Endurance: 4-5 hours
Time to altitude: 500 m (1,600 ft) in 16 to 28 minutes

Armament

Guns: 2x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine-guns
Bombs: 8 × 12 kg (26 lb) bombs

References

Bibliography

External links

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

Friedrichshafen aircraft

Manufacturer
designations

FF.1
FF.2
FF.4
FF.8
FF.9
FF.11
FF.15
FF.17
FF.19
FF.21
FF.27
FF.29
FF.31
FF.33
FF.34
FF.35
FF.36
FF.37
FF.38
FF.39
FF.40
FF.41
FF.43
FF.44
FF.45
FF.46
FF.48
FF.49
FF.53
FF.54
FF.55
FF.59
FF.60
FF.61
FF.62
FF.63
FF.64
FF.66
FF.67
FF.71

Idflieg designations

Reconnaissance	C.I
Fighters	D.I
Bombers	G.I G.II G.III G.IV G.V G.VI
Night Bombers	N.I

Swedish military aircraft designations 1926–current

Swedish military aircraft designations 1926–current
Attack aircraft (A)	A 1 A 28 A 29 A 32 A 36 AJ 37 A 38 JAS 39
Bombers (B)	B 1 B 2 B 3 B 4 B 5 B 6 B 7 B 8 B 16 B 17 B 18 B 24 B 26
Army aeroplanes (Fpl)	Fpl 51 Fpl 53 Fpl 54 Fpl 61
Gliders (G/Lg/Se)	G 101 Se 102 Se 103 Se 104 Lg 105
Helicopter (Hkp)	Hkp 1 Hkp 2 Hkp 3 Hkp 4 Hkp 5 HKP 6 HKP 9 HKP 10 HKP 11 HKP 14 HKP 15 HKP 16
Fighters (J)	J 1 J 2 J 3 J 4 J 5 J 6 J 7 J 8 J 9 J 10 J 11 J 12 J 19 J 20 J 21/21R J 22 J 23 J 24 J 26 J 27 J 28 J 29 J 30 J 31 J 32 J 33 J 34 J 35 JA 37 JAS 39
Advanced trainers (Ö)	Ö 1 Ö 2 Ö 3 Ö 4 Ö 5 Ö 6 Ö 7 Ö 8 Ö 9
Trials aircraft (P)	P 1 P 2 P 3 P 4 P 5 P 6 P 7 P 8/P 8A/P 8B P 9A/P 9B
Reconnaissance (S)	S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 S 5 S 6 S 7 S 8 S 9 S 10 S 11 S 12 S 13 S 14 S 15 S 16 S 17 S 18 S 22 S 26 S 29 S 31 S 32 S 35 SF 37/SH 37 JAS 39 S 100
Trainers (Sk)	Sk 1 Sk 2 Sk 3 Sk 4 Sk 5 Sk 6 Sk 7 Sk 8 Sk 9 Sk 10 Sk 11 Sk 12 Sk 14 Sk 15 Sk 16 Sk 25 Sk 26 Sk 28 Sk 35 Sk 38 Sk 40 Sk 50 Sk 60 Sk 61
Torpedo bombers (T)	T 1 T 2 T 16 T 18
Transports (Trp/Tp)	Trp 1 Trp 2/2A Trp 3 Trp 4 Tp 5 Tp 6 Tp 7 Tp 8/8A Tp 9 Tp 10 Tp 16 Tp 24 Tp 45 Tp 46 Tp 47 Tp 52 Tp 53 Tp 54 Tp 55 Tp 78 Tp 79 Tp 80 Tp 81 Tp 82 Tp 83 Tp 84 Tp 85 Tp 86 Tp 87 Tp 88 Tp 89 Tp 91 Tp 100 Tp 101 Tp 102 Tp 103

Authority control databases: National