Friedrichshafen FF.21
The Friedrichshafen FF.21 was a German biplane flying boat built by the Friedrichshafen Aircraft Company in 1914 for an aircraft competition that was cancelled when the First World War began. Its fate is unknown.
Design and description
The FF.21 was designed by Paul Jaray as an improved version of the FF.11 intended to compete in the 1914 Baltic Seaplane Competition, but the competition was cancelled when the war began in August. The aircraft's hull was built by the Oertz yacht company in its Hamburg factory on the Reiherstieg as had the FF.11's hull and was clearly derived from a motorboat. The aircraft's two-bay wings were arranged in a sesquiplane configuration. Two open-frame booms extended aft from the wings to carry the fabric-covered tail structure. The water-cooled,, Benz Bz.III straight-six piston engine was located at the rear of the hull and drove the wooden, fixed pitch, four-bladed propeller via a driveshaft and bevel gear in a pusher configuration to keep the propeller above the spray from the hull during landing and take-off.The aircraft made its first flight in July 1914. Its ultimate fate is uncertain as it is not known to have been taken over by the Imperial German Navy's Naval Air Service when the war began in August as were several other Friedrichshafen aircraft.