Last week I ordered a brand new reducedAircraftFactory AEG N.I from Shapeways. When I say brand new, I mean it's still in beta and apparently not even printed by the designer yet... so my fingers are crossed.
Why did I buy this when I'm Brit-focused? Because. That's why. (And I've been reading several books about WWI night aviation recently, perhaps that had something to do with it...!)
Now of course, we need to nail some stats together for it. I'm happy with the majority of the following proposal, though I would appreciate input and comments (and especially about the base size and figure for hit points).
Manoeuvre deck: XD
Maximum airspeed of 143kph (89mph in real money), falling just outside of the "130-140kph" XD category. As the extensive wingspan certainly limited manoeuvrability, knocking down to the the XD deck seems a better option than working out a new or different deck.
Damage types: -/B and bombs
Single MG for gunner/observer, plus 300kg bomb load (mainly 6 x 50kg)
The rear MG would have a rear arc of 180°, or possibly slightly less (will be able to better judge when I see the model). The rear gun position is quite snug and partially under the upper wing. TBD.
Damage points: 15-17
Using the statistics reference sheet, 1917 airframes list 15-16 points for medium construction, with 17 for solidly built ones. The N.I was based on the AEG C.IV (which is also so far without stats), with the main difference being a greater wingspan (and bracing above the upper wing cabane struts as the early prototypes of the extended wings had experienced bending). In general terms, how robust were the AEG airframes in comparison to contemporary planes for which we already have stats? The AEG C.IV (and thus the N.I) were mainly metal-framed rather than wood, so I'm inclined towards the higher end of the range here.
Climb rate: 7
10 mins to reach 1000m, 23 mins to reach 2000m, 50 mins to reach 3000m. The first two figures definitely fall within the limits of climb rate 7, with the third being just about on the border of 6 and 7.
Max altitude: 9-10
The prototype without the braced wings has a ceiling of 3900m listed; altitude band 9, just under altitude 10. Stats for an N.I with the braced wings that had been converted to civilian use post war list the ceiling as 4000m which is exactly the lower limit for altitude 10. So there's argument for 9 or 10.
Availability: Nov 1917 onwards
Only 37 were built. The first two were delivered at the very end of October 1917, with the greatest numbers operating from December 1917 to April 1918. Towards the end of the war a few were also used as advanced trainers.
Base size: Fighter (see explanatory post 5 below)
The below paragraph was the 'working' reasoning; but input from Andrea has answered the question; see post 5 below in this thread. My original paragraph remains for reference.
In the absence of a clear indication from Ares, this could be a bit of a grey area. It's a bomber, so arguably it should go on a bomber size base. But it's not much bigger really than a DH4 which goes on a fighter base (AEG N.I wingspan of 50', compared to the DH4 wingspan of 43' 4"). Is the size the main factor in choosing the base, or is role a factor too? The Short Bomber thoroughly deserves the bomber size base with a monstrous wingspan of 84' even though, like the AEG, it is a single-engine two-seater). The Caudron G.4 has a very similar wingspan (56' 5") to the AEG, but since it is a twin engined plane it's a much clearer argument to assign it a bomber-size base. I lean towards the bomber base for the N.I as, even though it is a single-engined two seater it was designed to be a dedicated bomber and thus (taking the size into account too) should be based as a bomber (for the same reason, effectively as the far-from-short Short Bomber).
So, in summary I suggest the following starting point for stats, and would appreciate input to fine tune them.
Manoeuvre deck: XD
Damage types: -/B and bombs (rear arc standard 120°, see posts 15 & 16 below)
Damage points: 17 (see notes above)
Climb rate: 7
Max altitude: 9 (see notes above)
Availability: Nov 1917 onwards
Base size: Fighter
References:
Herris, J., 2012. Nachtflugzeug! German N-Types of WWI. San Jose: Aeronaut Books
Gary, Peter, and Thetford, Owen, 1970. German Aircraft of the First World War. 2nd edition. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
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