what is it?
The Friedrichshafen G.II (factory designation FF.38) was a heavy bomber aircraft that was designed and manufactured in Germany during World War I by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. The plane was used by the Luftstreitkräfte (German Imperial Air Service) for tactical and limited strategic bombing operations. While the G.I had been a generally successful design it was clear it needed further improvement before it was fit for combat.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · biplane · 19.7 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 110 years ago, in 1916.
- Wingspan of 19.7 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1916-07
- number built
- 18
- role
- bomber
- makers
- Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen
- engines
- 2× Benz Bz.IV / Bz.IV
- crew
- 3
- length
- 11.4 m
- wingspan
- 19.7 m
- height
- 3.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 3,171 kg
- top speed
- —
- range
- —
- wings
- biplane
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q3087802, Wikipedia: Friedrichshafen G.II (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.