Orlik 053 LVG B.I

The LVG BI was a German reconnaissance biplane reconnaissance aircraft from the First World War. The machine flew in 1913, and its serial production was carried out in the years 1913-1914 or 1915. The drive was provided by a single Mercedes DI engine with a capacity of 100 HP. The plane was 8.3 meters long with a wingspan of 12.12 meters. The machine did not have a permanent on-board armament.

The BI model was developed at the Luft-Verkehrs-Gesselschaft (LVG for short) for the needs of the German Air Force as a new observation machine. The plane was characterized by a wooden structure, a fixed landing gear in the classic layout, as well as easy piloting, high stability in flight and good flight characteristics even in difficult weather conditions, which was not obvious for the characteristics of machines from that period. What's more - it was relatively easy to handle and operate. Despite some shortcomings, the plane was a very successful machine, which became a kind of reference point for other German observation planes of the First World War. In the period 1914-1916, LVG BI planes served as reconnaissance machines, and from 1916 as training machines, which they served until 1917, and perhaps - in the case of some examples - until the end of the war.