Phönix D.I / D.II
The Phönix D.I biplane was intended as a replacement for the Hansa-Brandenburg D. I. It was produced in smaller numbers (120 D. I, 45 D. II, and 48 D. IIa fighters) than the Hansa-Brandenburg. The Phönix D.I began production in August 1917 and the D.II replaced the D.I in production in March 1918 . The Phönix D-series fighters are generally considered the best fighters designed and produced in Austria-Hungary.
Previously, the Phönix Flugzeug-Werke firm had been contracted to produce the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I fighter under license. It became apparent by 1917 that the infamous Star-strutter could not be developed further, and the company embarked on a new aircraft. The design eventually incorporated a fuselage similar to the D.I and also sported wings of unequal span that ended in rounded wingtips. It was also considerably more powerful, with a Hiero 200- horsepower engine. It located the machine guns within the engine cowling which enhanced streamlining but placed the guns beyond the pilot’s reach if they jammed. The resulting craft was faster in level flight but somewhat unstable and slow-climbing. In December 1917 it entered service as the Phönix D.I and was deployed with army and navy units. The new machine was far from perfect, but it represented a dramatic improvement over the earlier Star-strutter, proving to be a match for Allied fighters.
The Phönix D.II fighter was designed to improve performance and maneuverability. The wing dihedral was eliminated, new high aspect ailerons, a new tail plane design with balanced elevators quickened aircraft response. The D.IIa was identical but used an up rated Hiero 230 hp engine. The D.II entered service in May 1918.
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The model, textures. panel and air files are by Captain Kurt. The pilot figures were developed from Wolfi's freeware Japanese pilot .fsc source file. The prop spinning texture is by Kelticheart.
Gauges are by Martin Klein with texture change outs by Captain Kurt, .
The Phönix D.I biplane was intended as a replacement for the Hansa-Brandenburg D. I. It was produced in smaller numbers (120 D. I, 45 D. II, and 48 D. IIa fighters) than the Hansa-Brandenburg. The Phönix D.I began production in August 1917 and the D.II replaced the D.I in production in March 1918 . The Phönix D-series fighters are generally considered the best fighters designed and produced in Austria-Hungary.
Previously, the Phönix Flugzeug-Werke firm had been contracted to produce the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I fighter under license. It became apparent by 1917 that the infamous Star-strutter could not be developed further, and the company embarked on a new aircraft. The design eventually incorporated a fuselage similar to the D.I and also sported wings of unequal span that ended in rounded wingtips. It was also considerably more powerful, with a Hiero 200- horsepower engine. It located the machine guns within the engine cowling which enhanced streamlining but placed the guns beyond the pilot’s reach if they jammed. The resulting craft was faster in level flight but somewhat unstable and slow-climbing. In December 1917 it entered service as the Phönix D.I and was deployed with army and navy units. The new machine was far from perfect, but it represented a dramatic improvement over the earlier Star-strutter, proving to be a match for Allied fighters.
The Phönix D.II fighter was designed to improve performance and maneuverability. The wing dihedral was eliminated, new high aspect ailerons, a new tail plane design with balanced elevators quickened aircraft response. The D.IIa was identical but used an up rated Hiero 230 hp engine. The D.II entered service in May 1918.
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The model, textures. panel and air files are by Captain Kurt. The pilot figures were developed from Wolfi's freeware Japanese pilot .fsc source file. The prop spinning texture is by Kelticheart.
Gauges are by Martin Klein with texture change outs by Captain Kurt, .
