Dornier Do 26 Germany's Elegant Flying Boat

摘要

On October 1,1936, the German Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) issued a requirement for what was described as a "four-engined trans-ocean flying boat". However, since as early as July 1936, Dornier-Werke had been designing just such a craft for Deutsche Lufthansa (DLH). Their design was for a gull-winged aircraft with a crew of four, capable of carrying a payload of l,100lb (500kg) or four passengers on the DLH Lisbon to New York route.What was to become the Dornier Do 26 was different to other Dornier flying boats. It was slimmer and sleeker, of all-metal construction and the hull had a central keel with a defined step. The outer section of the wings had fully retractable narrow wing-floats for lateral stabilisation. It was powered by four Junkers Jumo 205C diesel engines mounted in pairs, one facing forward and one aft. The rear propeller shafts were also hinged, to raise the blades clear of spray on take-off or landing.