Dornier Delphin

The Dornier Delphin (en: Dolphin) was a 1920s German single-engined commercial flying boat built by Dornier Flugzeugwerke. As well as commercial users single examples were acquired by the United States Navy and the Royal Navy for evaluation.

Development

Developed in 1920 as the Delphin I it was an all-metal single-engined high-wing monoplane flying boat. It had an enclosed cabin for four-passengers with the wing mounted above and the nacelle-mounted engine above that. It was powered by a 185hp (138kW) BMW IIIa inline engine. The pilot had an open cockpit on the upper surface of the hull behind the engine which gave him a limited view forward. It first flew on the 24 November 1920

An improved version, the Delphin II first flew on 15 February 1924 and was powered by either a 250hp (186kW) BMW engine or a 260hp (194kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine. The enclosed cabin now had room for two crew and five passengers.

Following the success of the Delphin II a larger version the Delphin III was developed from 1927. It was powered by 600hp (447kW) BMW VI engine and had a separate flight deck for the two-man crew and a cabin for 10 passengers.

A Delphin I was acquired by the United States Navy and a Delphin III by the Royal Navy both of whom were interested in evaluating the metal construction.

Variants

Delphin I

Four-passenger version with open cockpit powered by a 185hp (138kW) BMW IIIa inline engine

Delphin II

Five-passenger version powered by either a 250hp (186kW) BMW engine or a 260hp (194kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine.

Delphin III

Ten-passenger version powered by 600hp (447kW) BMW VI engine

Specifications (Delphin III)

General characteristics

• Crew: Two
• Capacity: Ten passengers

Performance

References

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing