Schreiber Bogen Dornier Do X, 1/100
דגם נייר של מטוס דורניר
קנ"מ 1:100
The flying boat Dornier Do X was produced from 1928 by the Dornier Company in Friedrichshafen. On its maiden flight on 12th July 1929 it was the largest aircraft in the world. During the period from 1928 to 1931 three aircraft of this type were produced. But already in 1933 its service was discontinued. The technical and economic problems were too great. Nor was it suitable to be used for military service.
The Dornier Do X was a high-wing aircraft with a wingspan of 48 metres. To power the propellers, twelve engines were assembled in six nacelles on the wings. The aircraft reached a maximum speed of 210 kilometres per hour. On the maiden flight in 1929 the aircraft carried 159 passengers and 10 crew members on board. This record was only broken twenty years later.
The interior of the impressive flying boat was extremely luxuriously outfitted. There were three decks with generously sized cabins for the passengers, a kitchen, a recreation salon, a sleeping salon, a smoking room and a bar.
In November 1930 the Do X set off on a flight to the Netherlands, England, France, Portugal, Gran Canaria and West Africa. After the Atlantic crossing, the Do X flew as far as Rio de Janeiro, then along the South American coast to the Caribbean and finally to Miami and New York. Through this long-haul flight, the aircraft gained a high reputation worldwide. There was even a reception at the White House in Washington in honour of the crew. The Do X returned to Berlin in May 1932 and in June 1932 started on a tour of Germany for five months.
However, one year after the spectacular flight round the world an accident occurred: in May 1933 the flying boat was supposed to land on a reservoir lake near Passau. But as the pilot made an over-steep landing, the tail section was torn off. The mishap was at first covered up, but it was later made known to the public by photos that had by chance been taken by a spectator. That meant the end of the Do X as a passenger aircraft.
In 1933 the Do X was dismantled and exhibited in the forerunner of the German Museum of Technology in Berlin. It was, however, destroyed during the war. The tail section that broke off in the accident near Passau is now on display at the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen.