Entering service in 1915, the Rumpler C.I, (company designation 5A 2), two-seater single-engine reconnaissance biplane, was one of the first German C-type aircraft, and also one of the longest serving in its class during World War I, being retired from the last front line units only in early 1918.
== Design and development == The C.I was a successful design, it was used on the Western and Eastern Fronts as well as in Macedonia, Salonika and Palestine. Early production examples were armed only with a single Parabellum machine gun on a Schneider ring mounting, but later aircraft had additionally a synchronised Spandau machine gun on the port side of fuselage. When used as a light bomber the C.I could also carry 100 kg of bombs. In addition to the parent company Rumpler, the C.I was also produced by the Germania Flugzeugwerke, the Märkische Flugzeug-Werke, the Hannoversche Waggonfabrik and the Albert Rinne Flugzeug-Werke from 1915 to 1917. Variants included the C.Ia, which used a 180 hp Argus As.III engine instead of Mercedes D.III, the C.II, of which there's no evidence that any were actually built, 6B 1 single-seat floatplane fighter, and a Rumpler-built batch of C.Is intended for training which omitted the gun ring in the rear cockpit and was powered by a 150 hp Benz Bz.III. It was this training role in which the C.I was latterly used, its friendly handling qualities making it suitable to be flown even by inexperienced pilots.
== Operators == German Empire Luftstreitkrafte Latvia Latvian Air Force - Postwar. Lithuania Lithuanian Air Force - Postwar. 3 aircraft (No. 2699, 4936, 8144) purchased in 1919. Poland Polish Air Force - Postwar. Turkey Ottoman Air Force Kingdom of Yugoslavia Royal Yugoslav Air Force - Postwar.
== Specifications (C.I) == Data from German Aircraft of the First World WarGeneral characteristics Crew: 2 Length: 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in) Wingspan: 12.15 m (39 ft 10 in) Height: 3.06 m (10 ft 0 in) Wing area: 35.7 m2 (384 sq ft) Empty weight: 793 kg (1,748 lb) Gross weight: 1,333 kg (2,939 lb) Fuel capacity: 240 L (63 US gal; 53 imp gal) in 200 L (53 US gal; 44 imp gal)main fuselage tank and 40 L (11 US gal; 8.8 imp gal) centre-section gravity tank Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 120 kW (160 hp) Alternative engines:
134 kW (180 hp) Argus As.III in C.Ia aircraft from Hannoversche Waggonfabrik 112 kW (150 hp) Benz Bz.III in Bayru-built C.Is, modified as trainers with dual control. (Bayru. - Bayerische Rumpler Werke) Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller Performance
Maximum speed: 152 km/h (94 mph, 82 kn) at sea level Endurance: 4 hours Service ceiling: 5,050 m (16,570 ft) Wing loading: 36 kg/m2 (7.4 lb/sq ft) Armament
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Albatros C.I Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
References
Further reading
Herris, Jack (2014). Rumpler Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 11. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-21-6. Klaauw, Bart van der (March–April 1999). "Unexpected Windfalls: Accidentally or Deliberately, More than 100 Aircraft 'arrived' in Dutch Territory During the Great War". Air Enthusiast (80): 54–59. ISSN 0143-5450. Neulen, Hans-Werner & Cony, Christophe (August 2000). "Les aigles du Kaiser en Terre Sainte" [The Kaiser's Eagles in the Holy Land]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (89): 34–43. ISSN 1243-8650.