1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. GerhardFieselerD1212: Unknown author Unknown author· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The Raab-Katzenstein KL.1 Schwalbe (Swallow) was a German two-seat biplane produced in the 1920s. About fifty were built and the type became well known as an aerobatic aircraft, performing at many displays in the hands of pilots like Gerhard Fieseler.
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 100 years ago, in 1926.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1926
- number built
- 50
- role
- sport and aerobatic aircraft
- origin
- German Reich
- makers
- Raab-Katzenstein
- engines
- 1× Siemens-Halske Sh 11 / Siemens-Halske Sh 5 / ADC Cirrus
- length
- 6.5 m
- height
- 2.6 m
- max take-off weight
- 710 kg
- top speed
- 152 km/h
- cruise speed
- 140 km/h
- range
- 500 km
- ceiling
- 3,500 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q2124775, Wikipedia: Raab-Katzenstein KL.1 Schwalbe (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.