DORNIER DO X - German Flying Boat - 1929

12 July 1929 was the first flight of the legendary Dornier Do X. To commemorate this event, I built one in Plane Crazy.

THE FLYING SHIP

The Dornier Do X is a Flying Boat designed by Claude Dornier and built by te Dornier Company. It was one of the largest and most powerful flying boats in the world when it first flew in 1929. It was well known for its transatlantic flight in 1931 when it crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arriving in New York. Three Do X's were built and one served in Italy.

A MARVELOUS MASTERPIECE

The Do X was first conceived by Claude Dornier in 1924 and planning started in 1925. The project was financed by the German Transport Ministry while having to endure restrictions in the Treaty of Versailles. The Plane was built in a specially designed plant at the Swiss side of Lake Constance (Bodensee).

Due to its heavy weight and enormous size. The Do X was fitted with over twelve radial engines in a tandem push-pull configuration. However, the radial engines were prone to overheating, so new engines were installed to fix this issue. With the new engines, the Do X can reach higher altitudes compared to its older engines, which made it fly lower.

The Do X can reach speeds of over 242 KmH (150 Mph) and had a maximum range of 1,700 Km. Around a dozen men were needed to operate the Do X which consists of Pilots, Engineers, Navigators and a Cook to run the plane's kitchen. The weirdest part about the Do X is that the engines aren't operated by the Pilots themselves, but rather a team of Engineers to which they need to follow orders from the captain.

A LEISURE OF LUXURY

The Do X was decorated with patterned walls and upholstery, as well as custom-made furniture. A Typewriter was present for passengers to write messages for their loved ones. Not only that, there was also an onboard telephone for passengers to make calls onboard long before the invention of Radar Communication.

A Restaurant was present in the plane along with custom chinaware and silverware as well as a menu and onboard bar for passengers to enjoy drinks.