1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Dornier-Flugboot Libelle im Deutschen Museum: High Contrast· CC BY 3.0 de
what is it?
The Dornier Libelle (en:"Dragonfly I"), also designated Do A, was a German open-cockpit, all-metal, parasol wing, monoplane flying boat aircraft, with partly fabric-covered wings. There was three versions of the seaplane version; the prototype, first version, and improved version (the Libelle 2). A landplane version, built without sponsons and fitted with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage was produced as the Dornier Spatz.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 8.5 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 105 years ago, in 1921.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1921-08-16
- number built
- 16
- role
- flying boat
- makers
- Dornier
- engines
- 1× Siemens-Halske Sh 4
- length
- 7.2 m
- wingspan
- 8.5 m
- height
- 2.3 m
- max take-off weight
- 640 kg
- top speed
- 120 km/h
- cruise speed
- 100 km/h
- range
- 300 km
- ceiling
- 1,600 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q616564, Wikipedia: Dornier Libelle (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.