A detailed reproduction of a 1913 Otto B-Type biplane is now on display at the Deutsches Museum in Oberschleissheim, near Munich. Constructed over a period of eight years, the replica of this little-known two-seater has been built to fly and when complete will be powered by a BMW car engine in place of the original lOOhp (74.5kW) Argus Type 4. It is expected to take to the air in mid-2014. The pusher design originated from the Gustav Otto factory near Munich, with 60 built initially for training the Bavarian Flying Corps both before and during the early stages of World War One. The type was one of the earliest residents at the Oberschleissheim airfield. For a short time, two squadrons equipped with the slow but reliable biplanes were deployed to the Western Front where they served with the Brieftauben Abteilung Ostende (Ostend Carrier Pigeon Flight) - a code name for a unit planning to bomb England. Ottos took part in a night attack on Dunkirk in January 1915, but their frontline service was brief and they were soon withdrawn to resume training duties in Germany.
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