Dornier Do-X was the largest and heaviest flying boat, having 157 feet of wingspan and a maximum takeoff weight of more than 16 tons. It was built in 1929 by the German Transport Ministry in Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Constance, in order to comply with terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which forbade Germany from building certain classes of aircraft.
12 engines were installed and mounted in tandem “push-pull” configuration atop the wing, which could just barely haul the hulking craft up to an altitude of 1,650 feet. Do-X engines were not directly controlled by the pilot. The captain in the cockpit had to send orders for throttle adjustments to a flight engineer in the engine room.
Do-X was the luxurious boat of that time, with a dining salon, smoking longue, wet bar and comfortable seating for 70 to 100 passengers. The Do-X made its first test flight on July 12, 1929. A few months later, it carried a world-record 169 passengers on a 40-minute flight.
One Do X was preserved in an aviation museum in Berlin. Sadly, the museum was bombed during WWII. The Do X was destroyed along with many other priceless aircraft.
Ah yes, the smoking l o n g u e
It’s for tongue smoking
Can you smoke beef tongue? That might actually be pretty good.
I made summer sausage out of one along with beef heart on a smoker and it was good
Can a brother get a little dihedral? Wow—what a flat (massive!) wing.
The dihedral presents itself in flight. Probably.
Ok no idea but just imagine lol.
You’d have to have so much faith in your bracing/spars!
One of my all time favorites. It’s so beautiful, and bonkers, and cool. It’s a Bridge between eras and, historical and technological.
The photo gallery is a lot. How many planes had wallpaper?
apparently there is a project where they are trying to build a 1:1 scale model of it. They are actually using the original hanger for it. Unfortunately, it’s gonna be a non flying model :,(
regardless, once it’s complete, I definitely got to visit, considering that it’s just a short drive away..
You wouldn’t want it to be a flying model anyway, big flying boats like this were an absolute deathtrap.
well, I was thinking more about it roaring over my house in a low pass. besides, the DO X only had a couple accidents in it’s lifetime /s
(for those wondering about the /s, this is a probably a reference to the fact that there were only 3 Do Xes ever built, they were barely used at all, and they still managed to be a trouble magnet of legendary proportions)
you are correct
Where?
https://www.do-x-vision.de/en/news-on-the-do-x-replica-project/