Gotha G.I

Gotha G.I
Role	Bomber
Manufacturer	Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG
Designer	Oskar Ursinus and Helmut Friedel
First flight	30 January 1915
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Number built	20
Unit cost	M 32,000 without engines

The Gotha G.I was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I.

In mid-1914, Oskar Ursinus, the founder and editor of the German flying magazine Flugsport, began designing a large twin-engine seaplane of unconventional configuration. While most biplane designs have the fuselage attached to the lower wing, Ursinus had a snub-nosed fuselage attached to the upper wing, and twin engine nacelles mounted on the lower one. The purpose of this arrangement was to allow the engines to be kept close together thereby minimizing asymmetrical thrust in the event of an engine failure, although Ursinus later also claimed that this design balanced out the lowering of the centre of pressure as speed increased, and minimised the drag on the upper wing caused by turbulence from the fuselage.

Ursinus was conscripted into the army on 1 August 1914 and little over a week later, presented his commanding officer, Major Helmut Friedel, with the seaplane design adapted into a Kampfflugzeug ("battle aircraft") intended for ground attack duties. Apart from the aerodynamic benefits claimed by Ursinus, the aircraft's unorthodox layout provided excellent views for the three crewmen and broad fields of fire for the gunner. The design also matched the specifications that the Idflieg had issued in March that year for a "Type III" large military aircraft, and Friedel ordered the construction of a prototype.

This aircraft was built by the men his unit, Fliegerersatz Abteilung 3 ("Aviator Replacement Unit 3") and received the Idflieg designation B.1092/14 (the "B" signifying a two-seat unarmed biplane to IdFlieg designation standards), although it was generally known as the FU for "Friedel-Ursinus". It was powered by two 75 kW (100 hp) Mercedes D.I engines, and in keeping with the "Type III" requirement, it was armed with a 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun in the nose and the engines and crew were protected by 200 kg (440 lb) of chrome-nickel armor.

The prototype first flew on 30 January 1915 and was inspected by an Idflieg engineer on 20 February. His report confirmed that the aircraft conformed to the specification, and Ursinus' claims about the excellent field of fire and advantages of the design in single-engine operation. However, he also noted that the aircraft was difficult to fly, lacking in structural integrity, dangerous to the crew in the event of a crash landing, and underpowered. Despite its shortcomings, the FU was sent to the front, assigned to Feld Flieger Abteilung 28 reconnaissance unit at Ujatz on the Russian Front in early 1915.