Rumpler C.III

C.III and C.V

Role	Reconnaissance aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Rumpler
First flight	1916

The Rumpler C.III (factory designation 6A5) was a biplane military reconnaissance aircraft built in Germany during World War I.^[1]

Development

Rumpler C.III

It was a development of the Rumpler C.I design incorporating many aerodynamic refinements, including wing planform, airfoil section, and horn-balanced ailerons,^[2] revised empennage,^[2] and new rear fuselage decking with compound curves.^[3] This latter feature was later removed and replaced with a simplified structure, at which point the factory designation was changed to 6A6.^[3] Performance was improved over that of the C.I,^[1] and the C.III was selected for limited production, thought to be about 75 aircraft. The Frontbestand table of C-type aircraft at the front shows a maximum of 42 C.III aircraft at the front on 28 February 1917. With the introduction of the more powerful Rumpler C.IV based on a refined C.III airframe, the number of operational C.III aircraft at the front dropped rapidly and by the autumn of 1917 only one was at the front. The C.III was a qualified success, but its design served mainly as a stepping stone to the further refined C.IV.^[2]

Specifications (C.III)

Data from Kroschel & Stützer 1994, p.127

General characteristics

Crew: Two, pilot and observer
Length: 8.20 m (26 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 12.66 m (41 ft 6 in)
Height: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 34.8 m² (374 ft²)
Empty weight: 839 kg (1,845 lb)
Gross weight: 1,264 kg (2,780 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.IV, 160 kW (220 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 136 km/h (85 mph)
Range: 480 km (300 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,100 ft)

Armament

1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun
1 × trainable, rearward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun
100 kg (220 lb) of bombs

Notes

1 2 Taylor 1989, p.771
1 2 3 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft, p.2833
1 2 Gray & Thetford 1962, p.522

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rumpler C.III.

Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1962). German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
Kroschel, Günter; Helmut Stützer (1994). Die Deutschen Militärflugzeuge 1910–1918. Herford: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.

Aircraft designed and built by Rumpler

Military designations

Unarmed two-seaters	B.I

Armed two-seaters	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X

Armed single-seaters	D.I

Large aircraft	G.I G.II G.III

Company designations

1914	4A 4A13 4A14 4A15 4B1 4B2 4B11 4B12 4C 4E

1915	5A2 5A3 5A4 5A15 5A16

1916	6A2 6A5 6A6 6A7 6B1 6B2 6G2

1917	7C1 7D1-7D8

1918	8C14 8D1

Idflieg C-, CL-, CS-, and CLS-class aircraft designations

C- and CL-	AEG C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII AGO C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.VII C.VII Albatros C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X C.XI C.XII C.XIII C.XIV C.XV Aviatik C.I C.II C.III C.V C.VI C.VIII C.IX BFW CL.I CL.II CL.III CL.IV DFW C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI Fokker C.I Friedrichshafen C.I Germania C.I C.II C.IV Halberstadt C.I CL.II C.III CL.IV C.V C.VII C.VIII C.IX CLS.X Hannover C.I CL.II CL.III CL.IV CL.V Junkers CL.I LFG/Roland C.I C.II C.III C.V C.VIII LVG C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VIII OAW C.I C.II Otto C.I C.II Pfalz C.I Rumpler C.I C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X Sablatnig C.I C.II C.III Schütte-Lanz C.I Zeppelin-Friedrichshafen C.I C.II Zeppelin-Lindau C.I C.II

CLS-	Albatros CLS.I Halberstadt CLS.I CLS.II (see also main sequence above) Junkers CLS.I

CS-	Zeppelin-Lindau CS.I

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