The German Albatros C.XIV was a biplane fighter aircraft that was built in 1918.
However, only one of these aircraft was ever constructed.
Albatros had previously experimented with two-seat CL-class aircraft based on their single-seat D.V in 1917.
However, they decided to return to the two-bay biplane layout and flat-sided fuselage of their earlier C types when designing the C.XIV.
The wings of the C.XIV had straight edges and a constant chord, with two bays formed by parallel pairs of inter-plane struts.
This aircraft was the first of the Albatros C types to feature stagger.
The upper wing, which was held above the fuselage on a cabane, had a semicircular cut-out to improve the pilot’s visibility from one of the two tandem, open cockpits.
Ailerons were also fitted to this wing, increasing in chord outwards behind the inner line of the trailing edge.
Powered by a 160 hp Mercedes D.III engine, the C.XIV had its upper cylinder parts partially exposed.
It also had a tall exhaust that extended over the wing leading edge-mounted radiator.
The tailplane was mounted at the bottom of the fuselage, and the undercarriage was of the fixed type, with main wheels on V-struts and a faired-in tailskid.
Although the C.XIV made its first flight in the spring of 1918, it did not enter production.
Instead, it was modified into the larger and lighter C.XV, which had a production run that was cut short by the Armistice with Germany.
Specifications
Crew
Two
Length
6.9 m (22 ft 8 in)
Wingspan
10.4 m (34 ft 1 in)
Empty weight
950 kg (2,094 lb)
Gross weight
1,385 kg (3,053 lb)
Powerplant
1 × Benz Bz.IVa,
6-cylinder water-cooled inline,
160 kW (220 hp)
Propellers
2 bladed
Performance
Endurance
3.5 hr
Armament
Guns
1× MG08 Spandau
&
1× Parabellum MG14 machine guns.
Sources German & Austro-Hungarian aircraft manufacturers 1908–1918-T C Treadwell. German Aircraft of the First World War-Peter Gray & Owen Thetford. Flugzeug Publications, Die Deutsche Luftwaffe 1914 – Heute. The World’s Great Bombers: 1914 to the Present Day-C Chant. Windsock Worldwide Vol.25, No.5 – September October 2009. Albatros Aircraft of WWI Vol.1: Early Two-Seaters-Jack Herris. Albatros Aircraft of WWI Vol.2: Late Two-Seaters-Jack Herris. Albatros Aircraft of WWI Vol.3: Bombers, Seaplanes J Types-Jack Herris. Albatros Aircraft of WWI Vol.4: Fighters-Jack Herris.
