Engineering:Gotha G.IX

G.VIII, GL.VIII, and G.IX
General information
Type	Bomber
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Gothaer Waggonfabrik
Management and usage	Luftstreitkräfte Belgian Air Force
Number built	Short description: Latin loanword meaning "approximately, around" CA|other uses of "Cca"|CCA (disambiguation)|CCA|other uses of "Circa"|Circa (disambiguation)}}Template:TWCleanup2Circa (from la 'around, about, roughly, approximately') – frequently abbreviated ca. or c. and less frequently circ., cca. or cc. – signifies "approximately" in several European languages and is used as a loanword in English, usually in reference to a date. Circa is widely used in historical writing when the dates of events are not accurately known. When used in date ranges, circa is applied before each approximate date, while dates without circa immediately preceding them are generally assumed to be known with certainty. Examples 1732–1799: Both years are known precisely. c. 1732 – 1799: The beginning year is approximate; the end year is known precisely. 1732 – c. 1799: The beginning year is known precisely; the end year is approximate. c. 1732 – c. 1799: Both years are approximate. See also Floruit References External links 90 (mainly G.IX)
History
First flight	1918

The Gotha G.VIII, GL.VIII, and G.IX were a family of bomber aircraft produced in Germany during the final months of World War I. Based on the Gotha G.VII, they were intended as high-speed tactical bombers featuring advanced streamlining for their day.

G.VIII and G.IX

The G.VIII designation was applied to a single machine developed from the G.VII, with a wingspan extended to 21.73 m (71 ft 3 in) and a revised fuselage. A wing cellule was extended by adding an extra half-bay into it. While no further production ensued, the fuselage modifications were retained on the definitive G.IX. This latter design replaced the new half-bays in the wing cellule with full bays, now bringing the span to 25.26 m (82 ft 11 in). The Idflieg ordered 170 G.IXs from Luft Verkehrs Gesellschaft (LVG) to replace the Gotha G.Vs still in front-line service with Boghol 3. Probably around half of this number were completed before the end of the war, with at least some of them reaching operational status by that time. Following the war, captured examples served for a short time with the Belgian Air Force.

GL.VIII

The GL.VIII was a lightweight version of the G.VIII with a compound tail assembly and auxiliary struts supporting the upper mainplane wing-tips.

Specifications (G.IX)

General characteristics

• Crew: Three
• Length: 9.79 m (32 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 25.26 m (82 ft 11 in)
• Height: 3.54 m (11 ft 7 in)
• Powerplant: 2 × Maybach Mb IVa , 180 kW (245 hp) each

References

• Herris, Jack (2013). Gotha Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. 6. Charleston, South Carolina: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-14-8. 
• Metzmacher, Andreas (2021). Gotha Aircraft 1913-1954: From the London Bomber to the Flying Wing Jet Fighter. Brimscombe, Stroud: Fonthill. ISBN 978-1-78155-706-8. 
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 427. 
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 895 Sheet 08.