PHONIX D.I

The Phonix DI is an Austro-Hungarian WW1 mixed biplane fighter based on the Hansa-Brandenburg DI aircraft. The aircraft was first flown in 1917 and entered mass production the same year. These fighters were used by both the air force and the Austro-Hungarian navy. They turned out to be fast machines, but unstable in flight. Their speed reached 180 km / h, which was partly due to the Hiero VI engine with a capacity of 200 HP. These planes were used until 1918, and after the end of the war, they were exported to Sweden, where they were still in service in the 1920s. Technical data: length: 6.65 m, wingspan: 9.75 m, height: 2.8 m, maximum speed: 180 km / h, practical ceiling: 6000m, armament: fixed - two 8mm Schwarzlose machine guns.The Phönix DI was an Austro-Hungarian fighter plane in a wooden biplane structure with a fixed undercarriage from the First World War. The drive was provided by a single in-line Hiero engine with a capacity of 200 HP. The flight of the prototype took place in 1917 and in the same year mass production began, which led to the creation of about 140 examples of this aircraft. The deck armament consisted of two 8 mm Schwarzlose machine guns. Phönix DI was commissioned by the Austro-Hungarian Air Force (German KuK Luftfahrtruppen), which was interested in a new biplane fighter. It was developed by Phonix Flugzeugwerke, creating a highly successful machine: with a nice top speed, good rate of climb, very good flight characteristics and a durable structure. The machines served from December 1917 as escort machines, primarily on the Italian front. Some of them were converted into photographic reconnaissance planes and were powered by a modernized Hiero engine with a capacity of 230 HP. On the basis of the DI version, the D.II and D.III variants were created later, the latter not taking part in the fight.