26:
362:
331:
178:
During its construction the Ro III was known as the Ro II series III, indicating its close similarity to its predecessor. The most obvious difference was a sharp bow to improve seaworthiness. It was advertised in two forms, either as a ten passenger airliner or a long range reconnaissance aircraft.
238:
The hull, like the rest of the aircraft, was all-metal and rectangular, with flat sides and top. Its planing bottom was also flat, with two steps. Stability on the water was provided by long, stepless floats on each side, strut-mounted from the wings a little outside the engines and braced to the
265:
just ahead of the propeller discs. In military reconnaissance configuration it had a crew of three. Like some other
Rohrbach flying boats, the Ro III carried a pair of masts and sails, to be used if the aircraft was forced to put down at sea without engine power.
287:
Designed only for the long range reconnaissance bomber role it had side-by-side dual controls and two gun positions, one in the nose and the other closer to the tail than the wing, both equipped with twin
175:
was built there, as was the Ro III but the Ro IIIa Rodra was built in Berlin after the
Versailles conditions were relaxed in 1926. Completion and flight testing were nonetheless done in Copenhagen.
757:
284:
on the wing underside below them. The wing was mounted on top of the fuselage, its span reduced by 1.45 m (4 ft 9 in), and the ailerons were no longer compensated.
300:
Four Ro IIIs were delivered to Japan in 1925 as
Rohrbach R-1s. Two of these had their original 270 kW (360 hp) Eagles engines replaced by 340 kW (450 hp)
123:
in the mid-1920s. A development of the Ro II, it could be configured either as an airliner or a reconnaissance aircraft. It was developed into the similar but more powerful
315:. After four years of operation, they were given a lengthy examination by the German aviation authorities, who found them in good order and with no safety problems.
25:
762:
650:
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fuselage with a parallel pair of horizontal struts. The hull tapered in plan to the tail, where the empennage was again rectangular, with a broad
747:
308:
and was used by the Japan
Airline Co. Mitsubishi bought a licence to build Rohrbach aircraft in Japan but it seems not to have been used.
269:
In the first half of 1926, Rohrbach introduced the Ro IIIa Rodra. The new variant was more powerful, with two 340 kW (450 hp)
556:
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or
Lorraine 12E Courlis engines, and were re-designated R-2 and R-3. At least one Ro III appeared on the Japanese civil register as
752:
643:
361:
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was mounted on the fin about one third of the way up, braced from below with a single strut on each side, and carried narrow-
292:. The nose position was also used for observation and bomb-aiming; the bombs were mounted underwing beyond the floats.
742:
660:
73:
737:
636:
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194:
281:
128:
48:
255:
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152:
732:
711:
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438:
343:
319:
270:
228:
151:
Dr.-Ing. Adolf
Rohrbach gained his initial experience with light-alloy structures for aircraft with
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252:
206:
552:
240:
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and metal skin into a large box girder. It was attached to the fuselage sides at their tops.
210:
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696:
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engines strut-mounted close together above the wing, their propellers well ahead of the
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628:
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41:
273:
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The Ro III was powered by a pair of 270 kW (360 hp) water-cooled
502:
Pairs of machine guns in nose and dorsal positions. total of 2,000 rounds.
163:. At that time powered aircraft construction was banned in Germany by the
190:
44:
262:
156:
120:
63:
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160:
140:
360:
329:
136:
365:
Rohrbach Ro.III Rodra 3-view drawing from Les Ailes March 31,1927
342:
29 m (95 ft 2 in) span, 270 kW (360 hp)
193:
section. It had a span of 17.2 m (56 ft 5 in), an
346:
engines initially. Four sold to Japan where two were re-engined.
632:
159:
but in 1922 he founded the
Rohrbach Metall-Flugzeugbau GmbH in
201:. Wing construction was similar to that of the Ro II, using
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reaching out beyond the end of the hull and carrying a
311:
Two Rodras were sold to the
Turkish Navy and based at
276:
water-cooled engines in shorter and more streamlined
318:Two Rodras were bought by and tested by the RAF at
441:water-cooled W12, 340 kW (450 hp) each
33:A Rodra in Turkish Naval markings, November 1930
551:. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. pp. 249–52.
127:(Ro + dr(ei) + a), intended only as a military
758:1920s German military reconnaissance aircraft
644:
217:rectangular ailerons filled about 35% of the
8:
171:. His first completed design, the all-metal
651:
637:
629:
593:
591:
589:
462:195 km/h (121 mph, 105 kn)
372:Les Ailes, March 1927 except where noted
167:, so he established a second factory in
619:Design for Flight (The Kurt Tank Story)
518:
486:100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn)
352:As described, two sold to Turkish Navy.
197:of 11.46, high for the time, and 6° of
189:of strictly rectangular plan and thick
480:17 min to 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
334:Rodra under construction, January 1927
15:
542:
7:
763:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft
540:
538:
536:
534:
532:
530:
528:
526:
524:
522:
410:73.40 m (790.1 sq ft)
398:27.55 m (90 ft 5 in)
392:17.20 m (56 ft 5 in)
205:throughout, with nose and rear box
14:
404:6.0 m (19 ft 8 in)
24:
600:"L'Hydravion Rohrbach "Rodra""
431:5,650 kg (12,456 lb)
357:Specifications (Ro IIIa Rodra)
135:. Four Ro IIIs were bought by
115:was a twin-engined, all-metal
1:
598:Serryer, J. (31 March 1927).
508:1,196 kg (2,637 lb)
425:3,900 kg (8,598 lb)
748:Aircraft first flown in 1924
621:. London: Mcdonald & Co.
474:3,000 m (9,800 ft)
74:Rohrbach Metall-Flugzeugbau
779:
667:
32:
23:
18:
617:Conradis, Heinz (1960).
549:Die deutschen Flugboote
547:Gütschow, Fred (1978).
377:General characteristics
280:, with their honeycomb
49:reconnaissance aircraft
753:1920s German airliners
366:
335:
147:Design and development
659:Aircraft produced by
364:
344:Rolls-Royce Eagle IX
333:
229:Rolls-Royce Eagle IX
439:Lorraine 12E Courlis
271:Lorraine 12E Courlis
296:Operational history
743:High-wing aircraft
367:
336:
261:There was an open
139:and two Rodras by
738:Rohrbach aircraft
720:
719:
478:Time to altitude:
221:out to the tips.
182:The Ro III had a
165:Versailles Treaty
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484:Touchdown speed:
472:Service ceiling:
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320:Martlesham Heath
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52:Type of aircraft
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19:Rohrbach Ro III
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245:balanced rudder
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113:Rohrbach Ro III
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59:National origin
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12:
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5:
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697:Ro VIII Roland
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460:Maximum speed:
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219:trailing edges
209:joined by the
173:Rohrbach Ro II
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129:reconnaissance
107:
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104:Rohrbach Ro II
101:
99:Developed from
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47:or long-range
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573:"Rohrbach Ro"
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558:3-87943-565-0
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429:Gross weight:
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349:Ro IIIa Rodra
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302:Hispano-Suiza
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125:Ro IIIa Rodra
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93:at least six
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80:First flight
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70:Manufacturer
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27:
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733:Flying boats
712:Ro XI Rostra
692:Ro VII Robbe
676:
618:
612:
603:
576:. Retrieved
567:
548:
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415:Aspect ratio
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290:machine guns
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233:leading edge
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195:aspect ratio
181:
177:
150:
124:
112:
110:
89:Number built
606:(302): 3–4.
453:Performance
445:Propellers:
435:Powerplant:
117:flying boat
42:Flying boat
727:Categories
707:Ro X Romar
687:Ro V Rocco
578:4 November
513:References
466:Endurance:
408:Wing area:
184:cantilever
169:Copenhagen
604:Les Ailes
396:Wingspan:
370:Data from
282:radiators
256:elevators
249:tailplane
203:duralumin
187:high wing
119:built in
661:Rohrbach
492:Armament
447:2-bladed
326:Variants
278:cowlings
215:Balanced
199:dihedral
191:aerofoil
153:Zeppelin
45:airliner
402:Height:
390:Length:
263:cockpit
247:. The
157:Staaken
121:Germany
83:c.1924
64:Germany
677:Ro III
555:
506:Bombs:
339:Ro III
313:Smyrna
306:J-BHAE
161:Berlin
141:Turkey
133:bomber
702:Ro IX
682:Ro IV
672:Ro II
500:Guns:
386:Three
384:Crew:
253:chord
207:spars
137:Japan
38:Role
580:2017
553:ISBN
468:3 hr
437:2 ×
419:10.3
226:V-12
211:ribs
111:The
274:W12
241:fin
155:at
729::
602:.
588:^
521:^
322:.
258:.
235:.
143:.
652:e
645:t
638:v
582:.
561:.
417::
131:/
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