Aviatik D.I

02/08/2026. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Designed by Chief-Designer Dipl.-Ing. Julius von Berg, the D.I was the first single-seat fighter of indigenous design to be manufactured in quantity by the Österreichisch-Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik Aviatik GmbH (Austro-Hungarian Aircraft Factory Aviatik) of Vienna. The prototypes of the D.I were the Av 30.19, 30.20 and 30.21, and the first of these was flown on January 24, 1917, differing from the subsequent production model primarily in lacking armament.

Of wooden construction with plywood fuselage skinning and fabric wing skinning, the D.I entered service with the Austro-Hungarian kaiserliche und königliche Luftfahrttruppe in the autumn of 1917, by which time armament had standardized on two synchronized 0.315 in (8.00 mm) Schwarzlose machine guns. Initial D.Is had the 185 hp Austro-Daimler six-cylinder inline engine, some 140 were built with the 160 hp Austro-Daimler, and 200 and 225 hp Austro-Daimler engines were progressively introduced.

Some 700 fighters of this Berg type were manufactured by the parent concern and under license by three other Vienna companies, Lohner, Thone & Fiala and WKF (Wiener Karosserie- und Flugzeugfabrik, Vienna Coach and Aircraft Factory), as well by two companies at Budapest, Hungary: Lloyd, and MÁG (Magyar Általános Gépgyár, Hungarian General Machine Tool Factory).

The following specification, as well as the 3-view, relates to the first series model powered by the 200 hp Austro-Daimler engine."