If you'd like to donate towards the Do X reconstruction project, please do so here: www.do-x-vision.de/en/give-a-boost-to-the-do-x/ F.A.Q Section - Ask your questions here :) Q: Do you take aircraft requests? A: I have a list of aircraft I plan to cover, but feel free to add to it with suggestions:) Q: How do you decide what aircraft gets covered next? A: Supporters over on Patreon now get to vote on upcoming topics such as overviews, special videos, and deep dives. Q: Why do you use imperial measurements for some videos, and metric for others? A: I do this based on country of manufacture. Imperial measurements for Britain and the U.S, metric for the rest of the world, but I include text in my videos that convert it for both.
Riesen-flug-boot is one of the typical German long words build out of a number of smaller words. You can say "reason fluke boat" and you are very close to the correct pronunciation. In German it is allowed to build words like giantflyingboat and it's even allowed to add more words like giantflyingboatproductionnumbers.
There was an airship-building contemporary to Zeppelin called "Schutte-Lanz". The airship frames were made of wood and arranged diagonally instead of Z's traditional ring-and-longitudinal construction. It wasn't successful as a company/design, partly due to its inherent structural issues and partly because Zeppelin effectively dominated the subject, but it might be worth an 'coulda been a contender' episode.
Excellent work! Many thanks for this! I remember my grandmother (born 1913) having told me about this behemoth of the skies. I don't think she ever saw the Do X, although she was in Germany at that time, however, I do remember quite well her telling me about the Dornier Wal aircraft.
Wonderful video =D Have you looked at the Latécoére 631? It's quite an amazing looking aircraft that was like a French version of the Do-X (just existing a few years later)
Hi Chris, the old fart from Switzerland here. You just made my day, week, month, year, decade and century. I live and breath this era of aviation every day. I live in Altenrhein and swim in the lake almost daily right in front of the factory where the Do X was built and flown. Thank you so much for this work. Great. Unmatched. Brilliant.
@@cosmografia6960 You would be surprised. The buildings are all still there. You have to dig for them a bit, since there were several add-ons built since 1929. Today trains are built by Stadler Rail in them. Even the slipway that was used by the Do X still exists, in fact that's where I swim from, normally.
If they had turboprop engines during those years, it might have flewn okay. Thing is, when drag is an issue, they could reduce cruising speed. You get into a vicious circle, all aircraft have that problem, you want it to be as light as possible, but we all know, too light is not strong enough, and too heavy is a problem too, it does not fly. Do you know those spy planes? Flying extremely high, you get less and less air, so you must fly faster. No problem, lots of power. But all planes have a speed limit, go faster and you will break the wings. Well, those spy planes flew at the max speed, any lower and the enemie rockets could catch them, so, the pilot was in the coffin corner, any faster is lethal and any slower is falling down. This Dornier is in a comparable corner, would there be a way to find a wing that can lift such a large hull from the water, and fly it at that slow speed (modern planes triple this) nice and efficient? I'm afraid not, planes do not fly low today for good reasons. Here we got that speed again. The only solution I see, is using ground effect, flying really low. But history tells us, the airplane has won, those ground effect planes are okay when there is no airport. Would there really be no way the make such large flying boats operate?
I remember reading an analysis of the DoX and what the engineers were trying to accomplish with the six tandem engine pairs atop the wing. They didn't realize that the six assemblies and prop wash, neutralized the wing's ability to lift in that section. On paper, the DoX should've had no trouble flying at much higher altitudes but, when almost half of the wing isn't lifting, then it ended up flying low all the time.
2 hours 20 on the DOX?! Sign me up! One small quibble with the intro: The residents of Lake Constance were quite used to giant, buzzing flying machines. Any of the early Zeppelins were launched from a floating shed on the lake. Doing it this way allowed the structure to be rotated so that there were no crosswinds at the door and gave the them wide open approaches.
I just realized my grandfather lived in Brooklyn and was five years old when the DO X came to visit. I never got the chance to ask him if he remembered seeing it. Also, thanks so much for this feature-length documentary! The fact that one person is responsible for researching, writing, recording, editing, and gathering footage and photographs for this masterpiece is astounding. For FREE no less! Bravo, good sir!
As a child in the 1960s, I built a kit model of the DO-X, so I've known about it most of my life. Wonderful to see some details -- I'm only 1/2 hour into the video. Thank you Rex!
Cost overruns, engines not putting out the planned power, sounds very modern indeed. Not a big surprise the company went bankrupt during the depression. You can certainly see the influence of the DO-X in the later clippers. Looking at the bow, I keep expecting to see torpedo tube doors, just reminds me of a U boat for some reason. Certainly an aircraft worthy of the extended video format!
@@john_in_phoenix Making a viable lightweight engine was actually one of the things the Wrights got right before they lost their minds with patents and let the rest of the world pass them by. Given that even the Wrights were flying gliders (and kites) that were of more or less the same design as the original Flyer, the entire world was waiting on some long promised engines at that point. (and since you can see the counterweight catapult that the Wrights used, power was obviously lacking.)
I had to dig like a nut case. The auxiliary engine was a DKW 584 ccm two stroke engine, 15 hp, and was taken from the P 15 car. It was the first engine that DKW built as a stationary engine. Apparently it was very easy to maintain and the fuel was avgas with 5% oil added. It seems that avgas and the two stroke oil mixed better than with automobile gasoline back then. And it still exists to this day. At the Berlin Technology Museum this engine is on show. It was recovered from the wreckage of the Dornier after it was impolitely bombed by the British.
I’m watching this in about 20-min chunks and each time I manage to learn something new about this amazing machine. As a dedicated plane geek for about 60 years of course I knew of its existence but really nothing about its life. It definitely looks like the crew compartment should be described as the bridge rather than the flight deck.
I am looking at my Dornier DO-X model in 1/144 scale by Revell which I was built almost 30 years ago. Its gorgeous! Thank you Chris for your outstanding work! Greetings for all you guys from Poland!
As a young boy in the late 80's a had the luck the visit the Dornier Museum, there I bought my very first model kits, a Do-X and a Do 335 Nightfighter, those to planes have a very special place in my heart
Hats off to you Chris - this is a wonderul piece of research and enlightenment. I was aware of the Do X but now realize I knew nothing about it! As a former engineer I now appreciate what a fine piece of engineering it was and the reconstruction project is a real bonus. I love to see projects like this so shall be following their progress closely. Thank you.
Ah superb, I love the Do X and as a German boy living in Stuttgart and with a father working in the aero industry Dornier was a household name in my youth, :-)
If I only had a couple million Euros to throw at the project and the team could see it through... A beautiful video, Rex. The Italian Do-Xs looked quite the part with the very streamlined - and very Italian - engine nacelles. The interview with Herr Kielhorn was excellent. Cheers.
Started this doc in the morning. Went to work, watched an hour at lunch. Came home, cracked a brew and finished it! Great doc on this wonderful boat/plane!
During the 80’s I saw tornados and harrier jump jets getting tested near our school…when they tested the Vulcan , we had to get plastic windows in the school 😂 It was the most wonderful thing to watch with kid’s eyes
Awesome video. I first learned about this plane when I read about it in "Teknikkens vidundere" (The Wonders of Technology) volume II by Edgar B. Schieldrop, published in 1935 (Oslo). Getting to know so much more about it, is lovely.
Glorious pieces of work. These aircraft and your vid. It's easy - for me anyway - to view the DoX as one of those crazy early 20thC flying machines but it's good to go through the details and to realise this was a serious and capable esp for its time aircraft and was a genuine forward step in aviation
Can I make perfectly clear that the national pride was not exclusively German. We, the Swiss, were just as proud of this mammoth. After all, it was technically a Swiss company that built it. Never mind the connection to Germany back then, we still had quite a remarkable connection to Germany with Hitler in power. Sorry about that.
Great Video! I live in friedrichshafen, and currently study History in constance. The do-x is still well known here, mostly because of the Dornier Museum in friedrichshafen. Just a few weeks ago I took a flight from the small airport in friedrichshafen and there's a very nice small model of it hanging from the ceiling of the main hall. When I was younger, my grandpa bought me a book about Zeppelin and Dornier and the history of both of their creations. It had many great pictures as well as great period pieces about the do-x. Sadly I can't find it anymore as it got lost during my last move a few years ago. This video rekindled my interest for the x, I just love this big boat.
Just before we get into this video Rex I wanted to say that I love flying boats as well, not just the history of them but they also evoke a sense of style and grandeur, especially in the inter war years and post WWII, that is until the land based aircraft were being built in ever greater numbers and providing access to air travel for almost anyone, but not in the style and adventurous spirit of the flying boats, the “Clipper” for instance, what a way to travel, but unfortunately their days were numbered and very few remain, even in museums and even rarer flying condition, what a waste of there grace and style, but that, as they say is progress. With this video being such an awesome length I think 💭 that my comment might be quite a length as well. I wonder sometimes why it is that we honour the famous names in aviation design and manufacturing, Dornier, Messerschmitt, Junkers, Tupolev to name but a few, and yet they were the same people who went on to design and build some of the most lethal aircraft of WWII and beyond, in effect the enemies of the allied nations or during the Cold War, is it just because of their brilliance or that we can ignore what their military designs were actually used for or intended for?. Personally it just comes down to their engineering brilliance, how do others feel?.
It's always struck me as such a shame that throughout the history of aviation, some of the most beautiful and best performing aircraft ever created were designed for the sole purpose of killing people. It doesn't negate their beauty, performance or impressive engineering... but still, it's a shame that such literally lofty goals were inspired in pursuit of such a despicable purpose.
Wow, you don’t mess around. That was an impressive video. I did not expect that.!! you didn’t leave any stone unturned!! thank you so much for making that video and sharing it!! I had no idea about that airplane or what they did with it. I only knew it existed. You brought history to life!! so thank you again that was really cool!!
I've been to the Dorniermuseum last summer, highly recommend it should you ever be in the area. can't wait to see the DO X when they are done, I hadn't heard of the project before
My father grew up close to Altenrhein and told me that he watched the trial runs of the Do X on the lake Constance (which incidentally shows, that I am no young chick myself ...).
Two hours plus of information o an aircraft that I knew existed, but that was about all. What a great way to spend the evening with your splendid video. Thank you!
Rex man, Ive only been subscribed for two months, and youve shown me dedication and detail unlike any other technical history youtuber out there I dare say you're even giving Drach a run for his money, if not past or tied. I hope you someday reach a million, you deserve it!
Well they didnt really fade into obscurity. They are incredibly famous in Europe. Its one of the first aircraft a child opening its first book about aircraft would see.
The design, creation and operation of the Dornier Do X was an astoundingly massive achievement, especially in the 1920s. Your extensive research into so many aspects of this aircraft and the equally massive work you put into creating this video is as impressive as the aircraft itself. It was worth watching every minute. Well Done Sir!
The Do X was always one of my absolute favourite aircraft and I was generally familiar with its story but I did not realize all the intricacies and turmoil around it so thank you so much for this video!
This plane just scaled my love for the Martin Mars and PBY Catalina. Wow, the front end is spectacular, like a real yacht! Very nice graphics, brings it alive.
I'm not fully though the video yet (so I'm not sure if it gets mentioned), but my favorite bit of Do X trivia concerns the engines. They aren't quite far enough apart for the prop tips to clear each other, so each pair is staggered a bit from the one next to it. Which technically makes the Do X an asymmetric aircraft!
Thought I was watching a video about a great airplane but ended up watching a video about a great guy! What a lieutenant legend Peter is what a visionary
One of my favorite old school mega-planes from that particular era, best of luck to the team who are attempting to reconstruct this 'Aerial Titanic" while we marvel it's immortalization in MSFS.
Great stuff. I knock out some stuff like this, but not on this scale. The hard work that goes into creating this, l for one applaud . Keep up the good work. One of the best on UA-cam!
Thanks, this is education. Thinking about your remark describing the boundaries imposed upon themselves by the troika is a trace of the very great possibilities they thought might be uncovered as the project proceeds. Likely, they were pretty excited and I imagine their brains as like a centrefold gymnast: sleek, honed, dexterous. So much tricky work and known unknowns to baffle them, even from the beginning. And yet their intellectual excitement prevailed and they brought it to being. All 3 thumbs raised in approbation.
I like your style. However,finding a berth at a suitable billionaires port might be tricky so fit more expensive folding wings. Also fuel. I know yachts are a bit thirsty BUT THIS WOULD HAVE MR BEZOS collecting change from in his couch. Finally, where’s the pool? No pool means no beautiful French, Italian or Jamaican ladies in bikinis, which should be a priority in any billionaire’s plans. You’d be a modern day Howard Hughes, who has a great legacy if you ignore the ‘living in filth,alone’ ending. I respect your plans for this. I’m hoping for an invite on the SECOND flight.
EDIT. Look up Ekranoplan- Caspian Sea monster. Might be a better place to start your Trillion Dollar plan. Bigger footprint for bragging rights. Stubby wings for “flight” (technically not flying but ground effect controlled lift which is VERY exciting.) probably room for an internal pool, minimising paparazzi intrusion. Pylons for weapons should the coastguard become too expensive to pay off. I’d even suggest you consider ignoring any patents given previous designers being ideologically unsound. Nothing says Billionaire than a Caspian Sea monster. Name it ‘BREZHNEV’ for good luck.
It is a gorgeous machine, second only, for me, to the Boeing 314 as the most wonderful flying ship of them all. Thank you, I'm grateful to have been able to see this from you.
Two hours 2 comments. Like most of the comments I have read I too love this D 0X. The size, the amount of motors, the luxurious inside it is a marvel of the time.
The 3D visuals on this are fantastic. I always love seeing the period photos and video, but these definitely help to illustrate the insanity of this plane/ship
Surprised that the passengers had to be satisfied with cold food. Didn’t realise only three Do Xs were built. Must have been a truly awesome sight. Great video.
Absolutely fantastic video! Repetition is the Fixer of Knowledge; one viewing won't be enough to absorb this much info. Thank you so very much for this!
Thank you for this video, I enjoyed it very much. I've been a fan of the Do X for years, and I never found such concise information in one place. Keep up your good work!
"modern" aircraft structure is also not so different from ships. At Boeing at least, the vertical coordinates reference the waterline and the 787 is not designed to spend much time in the water :) it is made of bulkheads, frames, stringers etc so it was funny to see the same structure, (in steel), while on my way home from work on a ferry :)
I love experimental aircraft designs of the 1920s and 30s. They seem crazy by today's standards but even the weirdest contraptions moved aircraft technology forward. Because of aircraft like the Do. X we now have massive Boeings and Airbuses.
Rex oh we missed you can't believe I didn't see this land or splash? Whichever floats you're seaplane always wanted a little gruman goose converted to turbo prop as a camper :) .
a flying boat is cool I guess I would have like to see the germans build a commercial flying submarine. Seems like that would be right up their ally. lol Awesome video!
Rex, I love the Do X and Dornier designed some beautiful flying boats especially the Do 24 and 26 and the Do 24 ATT which I seen at Oshkosh. But it was just six years later that the Boeing 314 first flew which was essentially as big as the Do X and far out performed the Do X. It was relegated to limited production because of the war, but the 314 was magnificent as well. It had much better engines, the Wright 1,600 hp Twin Cyclone R-2600, the engine used in the A-20, TBF, B-25 etc.
@@goatflieg Yes, according to records seven were parked at Lindbergh Field in San Diego, were all scrapped by 1950 and a single 314 was scrapped in Baltimore in 1951. Three were lost in accident, only one fatal. What a shame!!!
@@larryweitzman5163 I used to live in the Bay Area and visited Treasure Island a few times. There's a video here on UA-cam called Treasure Island 1941 that features a Boeing 314 departing. Man, I wish I could have seen that in person!
@@goatflieg I lived in Northern Cal in PVF for about 25 years up to 4 years ago and I am familiar with Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge. I will watch that video. My number two son when he was about five took my large model of the 314 to school to give a talk about it. He memorized the wingspan, length, gross weight, capacity, engines and hp and so on for his talk. I still have the model in a display case. I alsso have a Wm. Phillips limited edition litho of the 314 in my aviation art collection. The Phillips litho shows a 314 going through the Golden gate with the bridge in the background. Coincidental is the large orange stripe painted on top of the wing is the same orange color as the golden gate bridge.
@@larryweitzman5163 Wow! I lived in the Bay Area for 24 years and up near Redding for 8 years before returning my home state of Michigan in 2008. Still love the Bay Area with all my heart, geographically... but glad I don't live there now. Wouldn't have missed my NorCal and MI experiences for the world, although I wish I still owned my small home in Cupertino, which is still exactly as we left it and now worth 2.73 million. My brother lives in Pollock Pines, just up the road from Placerville. Wish I could have seen your model!
Apparently the Italian Do-X's were dismantled at the Dornier factory in Marina Di Pisa. Sadly the factory was removed in 2007 to make space for more housing and more beach access. Marina Di Pisa is a nice place, but would be nicer if at least one Do-X could be seen there.
I love that the hull is a tumblehome design! This is the second flying boat 're-introduction' that I'm aware of. The other one is a re-release of the Catalina flying boat by a Florida company. It would be absolutely sick to see the two of them flying in formation. There needs to be a HUGE Patreon-style drive to finance the air-worthiness certificate for this giant. The project to recreate a floating replica is commendable, but this behemoth needs to _fly._
If you'd like to donate towards the Do X reconstruction project, please do so here: www.do-x-vision.de/en/give-a-boost-to-the-do-x/
F.A.Q Section - Ask your questions here :)
Q: Do you take aircraft requests?
A: I have a list of aircraft I plan to cover, but feel free to add to it with suggestions:)
Q: How do you decide what aircraft gets covered next?
A: Supporters over on Patreon now get to vote on upcoming topics such as overviews, special videos, and deep dives.
Q: Why do you use imperial measurements for some videos, and metric for others?
A: I do this based on country of manufacture. Imperial measurements for Britain and the U.S, metric for the rest of the world, but I include text in my videos that convert it for both.
Riesen-flug-boot is one of the typical German long words build out of a number of smaller words.
You can say "reason fluke boat" and you are very close to the correct pronunciation.
In German it is allowed to build words like giantflyingboat and it's even allowed to add more words like giantflyingboatproductionnumbers.
There was an airship-building contemporary to Zeppelin called "Schutte-Lanz". The airship frames were made of wood and arranged diagonally instead of Z's traditional ring-and-longitudinal construction. It wasn't successful as a company/design, partly due to its inherent structural issues and partly because Zeppelin effectively dominated the subject, but it might be worth an 'coulda been a contender' episode.
Excellent work! Many thanks for this! I remember my grandmother (born 1913) having told me about this behemoth of the skies. I don't think she ever saw the Do X, although she was in Germany at that time, however, I do remember quite well her telling me about the Dornier Wal aircraft.
Wonderful video =D
Have you looked at the Latécoére 631? It's quite an amazing looking aircraft that was like a French version of the Do-X (just existing a few years later)
@@erfquake1 In a planned video on early airships I will be discussing this :)
Hi Chris, the old fart from Switzerland here. You just made my day, week, month, year, decade and century. I live and breath this era of aviation every day. I live in Altenrhein and swim in the lake almost daily right in front of the factory where the Do X was built and flown. Thank you so much for this work. Great. Unmatched. Brilliant.
Do the 2 countries meet there?
Haha fart
Time for you to move on for the younger folks!
Oh wait . . . I'm 83 . . .
I concur - FABULOUS stuff
Oh man! What’s left of the factory complex?
@@cosmografia6960 You would be surprised. The buildings are all still there. You have to dig for them a bit, since there were several add-ons built since 1929. Today trains are built by Stadler Rail in them. Even the slipway that was used by the Do X still exists, in fact that's where I swim from, normally.
A two and half hour video on a flying ship? Well, I know what I am going to watch this evening then.
12,000 other people in the first six hours agree
I'm getting it next on flight simulator. The Bugatti 100P couldn't wait any longer after I got to see it in person.
😊😊
I will always appreciate the Kerbal like approach of Dornier's engineers. "Just keep putting engines on it! Anything will fly with enough thrust!"
If they had turboprop engines during those years, it might have flewn okay. Thing is, when drag is an issue, they could reduce cruising speed. You get into a vicious circle, all aircraft have that problem, you want it to be as light as possible, but we all know, too light is not strong enough, and too heavy is a problem too, it does not fly. Do you know those spy planes? Flying extremely high, you get less and less air, so you must fly faster. No problem, lots of power. But all planes have a speed limit, go faster and you will break the wings. Well, those spy planes flew at the max speed, any lower and the enemie rockets could catch them, so, the pilot was in the coffin corner, any faster is lethal and any slower is falling down. This Dornier is in a comparable corner, would there be a way to find a wing that can lift such a large hull from the water, and fly it at that slow speed (modern planes triple this) nice and efficient? I'm afraid not, planes do not fly low today for good reasons. Here we got that speed again. The only solution I see, is using ground effect, flying really low. But history tells us, the airplane has won, those ground effect planes are okay when there is no airport. Would there really be no way the make such large flying boats operate?
I remember reading an analysis of the DoX and what the engineers were trying to accomplish with the six tandem engine pairs atop the wing. They didn't realize that the six assemblies and prop wash, neutralized the wing's ability to lift in that section. On paper, the DoX should've had no trouble flying at much higher altitudes but, when almost half of the wing isn't lifting, then it ended up flying low all the time.
2 hours 20 on the DOX?! Sign me up!
One small quibble with the intro: The residents of Lake Constance were quite used to giant, buzzing flying machines. Any of the early Zeppelins were launched from a floating shed on the lake. Doing it this way allowed the structure to be rotated so that there were no crosswinds at the door and gave the them wide open approaches.
I just realized my grandfather lived in Brooklyn and was five years old when the DO X came to visit. I never got the chance to ask him if he remembered seeing it. Also, thanks so much for this feature-length documentary! The fact that one person is responsible for researching, writing, recording, editing, and gathering footage and photographs for this masterpiece is astounding. For FREE no less! Bravo, good sir!
As a child in the 1960s, I built a kit model of the DO-X, so I've known about it most of my life. Wonderful to see some details -- I'm only 1/2 hour into the video. Thank you Rex!
Cost overruns, engines not putting out the planned power, sounds very modern indeed. Not a big surprise the company went bankrupt during the depression. You can certainly see the influence of the DO-X in the later clippers. Looking at the bow, I keep expecting to see torpedo tube doors, just reminds me of a U boat for some reason. Certainly an aircraft worthy of the extended video format!
More like; Anyone who thinks that cost overruns & engines not putting out the planned power are only modern problems needs to take a history course.
@@whyjnot420 Sort of "assuming" I'm unaware that it has existed as problems since the Wright brothers? Or just being snarky?
@@john_in_phoenix Making a viable lightweight engine was actually one of the things the Wrights got right before they lost their minds with patents and let the rest of the world pass them by.
Given that even the Wrights were flying gliders (and kites) that were of more or less the same design as the original Flyer, the entire world was waiting on some long promised engines at that point. (and since you can see the counterweight catapult that the Wrights used, power was obviously lacking.)
@@whyjnot420 Snarky in other words.
Basically F-35 huh? (just kidding)
2 hours 23 minutes? This is the best day of my life!!!😮
You are a serious plane geek😂! I’ll be watching too! Love it.
I had to dig like a nut case. The auxiliary engine was a DKW 584 ccm two stroke engine, 15 hp, and was taken from the P 15 car. It was the first engine that DKW built as a stationary engine. Apparently it was very easy to maintain and the fuel was avgas with 5% oil added. It seems that avgas and the two stroke oil mixed better than with automobile gasoline back then. And it still exists to this day. At the Berlin Technology Museum this engine is on show. It was recovered from the wreckage of the Dornier after it was impolitely bombed by the British.
Das Kleine Wunder! Indeed a little wonder.
“…the better part of three hours,” Rex, you actually went under time on a video!
I am as surprised as you are, believe me 😂
I’m watching this in about 20-min chunks and each time I manage to learn something new about this amazing machine. As a dedicated plane geek for about 60 years of course I knew of its existence but really nothing about its life. It definitely looks like the crew compartment should be described as the bridge rather than the flight deck.
I am looking at my Dornier DO-X model in 1/144 scale by Revell which I was built almost 30 years ago. Its gorgeous! Thank you Chris for your outstanding work! Greetings for all you guys from Poland!
As a young boy in the late 80's a had the luck the visit the Dornier Museum, there I bought my very first model kits, a Do-X and a Do 335 Nightfighter, those to planes have a very special place in my heart
It's so cool that MSFS 2020 gives you the opportunity to do a "walk through" of such a an iconic machine.
Hats off to you Chris - this is a wonderul piece of research and enlightenment. I was aware of the Do X but now realize I knew nothing about it! As a former engineer I now appreciate what a fine piece of engineering it was and the reconstruction project is a real bonus. I love to see projects like this so shall be following their progress closely. Thank you.
Ah superb, I love the Do X and as a German boy living in Stuttgart and with a father working in the aero industry Dornier was a household name in my youth, :-)
What a fantastic aircraft, unbelievable it was in 1929! Thanks for the very informative vid, didn't think I'd sit through 2+hrs, did easily!
2.5 hours on an interwar flying boat?
God bless you Rex!
My headcanon is now that Inspector Rex has retired, makes videos on aircraft, and has his person act has his avatar
Surly not Herr stockinger
If I only had a couple million Euros to throw at the project and the team could see it through...
A beautiful video, Rex. The Italian Do-Xs looked quite the part with the very streamlined - and very Italian - engine nacelles. The interview with Herr Kielhorn was excellent.
Cheers.
Now I understand that community post from a few days ago! Over 2 hours on one aircraft! Bravo!
and there are three other videos of similar length currently in the editing process lol
Started this doc in the morning. Went to work, watched an hour at lunch. Came home, cracked a brew and finished it! Great doc on this wonderful boat/plane!
During the 80’s I saw tornados and harrier jump jets getting tested near our school…when they tested the Vulcan , we had to get plastic windows in the school 😂
It was the most wonderful thing to watch with kid’s eyes
It's amazing how fast technology was improving at this time. The sleek Boeing 247 and DC-1 had their first flights just four years after the Do X's.
Awesome video. I first learned about this plane when I read about it in "Teknikkens vidundere" (The Wonders of Technology) volume II by Edgar B. Schieldrop, published in 1935 (Oslo). Getting to know so much more about it, is lovely.
Not complaining *at all* on the longer than usual length of this video !
I absolutely loved this thing when I was a kid. Such a unique design that could only have happened in its era.
Glorious pieces of work. These aircraft and your vid. It's easy - for me anyway - to view the DoX as one of those crazy early 20thC flying machines but it's good to go through the details and to realise this was a serious and capable esp for its time aircraft and was a genuine forward step in aviation
Can I make perfectly clear that the national pride was not exclusively German. We, the Swiss, were just as proud of this mammoth. After all, it was technically a Swiss company that built it. Never mind the connection to Germany back then, we still had quite a remarkable connection to Germany with Hitler in power. Sorry about that.
If there was ever a plane deserving of joking battleship cannons being added to it, that is it.
Like the Russian faked leviathans floating around the internet...😜
Great Video! I live in friedrichshafen, and currently study History in constance. The do-x is still well known here, mostly because of the Dornier Museum in friedrichshafen. Just a few weeks ago I took a flight from the small airport in friedrichshafen and there's a very nice small model of it hanging from the ceiling of the main hall.
When I was younger, my grandpa bought me a book about Zeppelin and Dornier and the history of both of their creations. It had many great pictures as well as great period pieces about the do-x. Sadly I can't find it anymore as it got lost during my last move a few years ago. This video rekindled my interest for the x, I just love this big boat.
This is a very underrated video in my thinking, very well done! Good wishes on the ship from America!
Just before we get into this video Rex I wanted to say that I love flying boats as well, not just the history of them but they also evoke a sense of style and grandeur, especially in the inter war years and post WWII, that is until the land based aircraft were being built in ever greater numbers and providing access to air travel for almost anyone, but not in the style and adventurous spirit of the flying boats, the “Clipper” for instance, what a way to travel, but unfortunately their days were numbered and very few remain, even in museums and even rarer flying condition, what a waste of there grace and style, but that, as they say is progress.
With this video being such an awesome length I think 💭 that my comment might be quite a length as well. I wonder sometimes why it is that we honour the famous names in aviation design and manufacturing, Dornier, Messerschmitt, Junkers, Tupolev to name but a few, and yet they were the same people who went on to design and build some of the most lethal aircraft of WWII and beyond, in effect the enemies of the allied nations or during the Cold War, is it just because of their brilliance or that we can ignore what their military designs were actually used for or intended for?. Personally it just comes down to their engineering brilliance, how do others feel?.
It's always struck me as such a shame that throughout the history of aviation, some of the most beautiful and best performing aircraft ever created were designed for the sole purpose of killing people. It doesn't negate their beauty, performance or impressive engineering... but still, it's a shame that such literally lofty goals were inspired in pursuit of such a despicable purpose.
Wow, you don’t mess around. That was an impressive video. I did not expect that.!! you didn’t leave any stone unturned!! thank you so much for making that video and sharing it!! I had no idea about that airplane or what they did with it. I only knew it existed. You brought history to life!! so thank you again that was really cool!!
16:00, just me, or at a glance does that look like a cursed F6F-based seaplane? That fabric cover on the engines be playing tricks on me.
I've been to the Dorniermuseum last summer, highly recommend it should you ever be in the area. can't wait to see the DO X when they are done, I hadn't heard of the project before
at last, the Dornier super duper wal is featured, this is a good day
Absolutely 👍🏻
There are several UA-cam films of a gigantic RC Do X. Not quite the real thing but an impression of what it was like. Well worth a watch. 😊
Excellent video. Thanks Chris (Rex) for all your hard work putting this great piece of work together. 👏
My father grew up close to Altenrhein and told me that he watched the trial runs of the Do X on the lake Constance (which incidentally shows, that I am no young chick myself ...).
Roald Amundsen also used the Dornier WAL in his attempt to reach the North pole in 1925.
Two hours plus of information o an aircraft that I knew existed, but that was about all. What a great way to spend the evening with your splendid video. Thank you!
You're the Sergio Leone of aircraft history, seriously. :D
A deep dive on the Do X? You just made my day!
Rex man, Ive only been subscribed for two months, and youve shown me dedication and detail unlike any other technical history youtuber out there I dare say you're even giving Drach a run for his money, if not past or tied. I hope you someday reach a million, you deserve it!
Me: I. Need a Drachinefel length video to listen to.
Rex: hold my beer.😂
Drach could do a Fun Friday on this one 😊.
@paulwoodman5131 I mean...its technically a boat :D
@@randomnickify😂
Well they didnt really fade into obscurity. They are incredibly famous in Europe. Its one of the first aircraft a child opening its first book about aircraft would see.
The design, creation and operation of the Dornier Do X was an astoundingly massive achievement, especially in the 1920s. Your extensive research into so many aspects of this aircraft and the equally massive work you put into creating this video is as impressive as the aircraft itself. It was worth watching every minute. Well Done Sir!
Thanks to Flight Sim for all these unique aircraft ... still waiting for Boulton Paul Defiant ! :D
Oh my G O D!!
Two and a half hours of Rex's Hanger!!!
I am not worthy . . . respect!
Thanks for another great video Rex. I know a lot of us appreciate all your hard work.
The Do X was always one of my absolute favourite aircraft and I was generally familiar with its story but I did not realize all the intricacies and turmoil around it so thank you so much for this video!
Cool! I love this plane! 2.5 hours? I'll need to do this over several days. So I'll leave a comment to feed the algorithm till I'm done
Attention span of a gnat? 🙄🤦🏼♂️
I couldn't have picked a better weekend to fall down and screw up my back. Almost 3 hours of Rex. Perfect recovery therapy.
very impressive all around, the ship and the video. well done.
Fantastic in depth video on the Dornier Do X, Rex!
I've been longing for this one and all I can say is, it's well worth the wait!^^
This plane just scaled my love for the Martin Mars and PBY Catalina. Wow, the front end is spectacular, like a real yacht! Very nice graphics, brings it alive.
I'm not fully though the video yet (so I'm not sure if it gets mentioned), but my favorite bit of Do X trivia concerns the engines. They aren't quite far enough apart for the prop tips to clear each other, so each pair is staggered a bit from the one next to it. Which technically makes the Do X an asymmetric aircraft!
52:25 ... clearly visible here, for anyone interested
1:14:06 , I did laugh at the town name and you can't stop me!
It's a good thing they didn't stop in by Come By Chance.
Newfoundland has a lot of tiny rural towns with hilarious/ridiculous names! 😂
Thought I was watching a video about a great airplane but ended up watching a video about a great guy! What a lieutenant legend Peter is what a visionary
One of my favorite old school mega-planes from that particular era, best of luck to the team who are attempting to reconstruct this 'Aerial Titanic" while we marvel it's immortalization in MSFS.
Great stuff. I knock out some stuff like this, but not on this scale. The hard work that goes into creating this, l for one applaud . Keep up the good work. One of the best on UA-cam!
Ive always wanted a high quality documentary on the do x now i finally have it, and its 2 hours 23 minutes at that
The most enjoyable two hours and twenty-three minutes I’ve spent on UA-cam.
reinforced concrete piles sound particularly uncomfortable
😅 very funny, nice one. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴🇺🇦
Darn... now I'm all hungry... ;)
That is a horrible mental image you have just served up. Well done!😂
@@yumazster 😜
Thanks, this is education.
Thinking about your remark describing the boundaries imposed upon themselves by the troika is a trace of the very great possibilities they thought might be uncovered as the project proceeds. Likely, they were pretty excited and I imagine their brains as like a centrefold gymnast: sleek, honed, dexterous. So much tricky work and known unknowns to baffle them, even from the beginning.
And yet their intellectual excitement prevailed and they brought it to being.
All 3 thumbs raised in approbation.
If I were a billionaire, I'd commission a giant flying boat instead of a yacht.
You're so real for that because I would do exactly the same if I had billions to play with.
I like your style. However,finding a berth at a suitable billionaires port might be tricky so fit more expensive folding wings. Also fuel. I know yachts are a bit thirsty BUT THIS WOULD HAVE MR BEZOS collecting change from in his couch. Finally, where’s the pool? No pool means no beautiful French, Italian or Jamaican ladies in bikinis, which should be a priority in any billionaire’s plans.
You’d be a modern day Howard Hughes, who has a great legacy if you ignore the ‘living in filth,alone’ ending.
I respect your plans for this. I’m hoping for an invite on the SECOND flight.
EDIT. Look up Ekranoplan- Caspian Sea monster. Might be a better place to start your Trillion Dollar plan. Bigger footprint for bragging rights. Stubby wings for “flight” (technically not flying but ground effect controlled lift which is VERY exciting.) probably room for an internal pool, minimising paparazzi intrusion. Pylons for weapons should the coastguard become too expensive to pay off. I’d even suggest you consider ignoring any patents given previous designers being ideologically unsound.
Nothing says Billionaire than a Caspian Sea monster. Name it ‘BREZHNEV’ for good luck.
Too noisy, an submersible Explorer yacht with helideck will do.
@@ChristianWilliams-ht1xmbring back the Airships!! Haha
It is a gorgeous machine, second only, for me, to the Boeing 314 as the most wonderful flying ship of them all. Thank you, I'm grateful to have been able to see this from you.
Two hours 2 comments.
Like most of the comments I have read I too love this D 0X. The size, the amount of motors, the luxurious inside it is a marvel of the time.
The 3D visuals on this are fantastic. I always love seeing the period photos and video, but these definitely help to illustrate the insanity of this plane/ship
Looks like Saturday is improving
Just found your channel and subbed. Amazing documentary and great presentation. Loving the full length form
Surprised that the passengers had to be satisfied with cold food.
Didn’t realise only three Do Xs were built. Must have been a truly awesome sight.
Great video.
This video and the comments are way better than anything on paid cable...thank you.
Now this is a documentary of DO-X magnitude! Kudos!
Thank you for this long video on the huge Dornier. A great amalgam of old footage.
Thank you Rex for that "...half hour tangent."!
Absolutely fantastic video! Repetition is the Fixer of Knowledge; one viewing won't be enough to absorb this much info.
Thank you so very much for this!
Bruh been watching the sleepy time ship wreck stories and got inspired
Thank you for this video, I enjoyed it very much. I've been a fan of the Do X for years, and I never found such concise information in one place. Keep up your good work!
Fantastic, especially your interview with German engineer at the end. My lawn work flies by…
Welp... that's my viewing time all used up in one glorious vid. 🙂👍
Thanks for the video. I’m less familiar with Dornier from the inter-war period….Sikorsky , Ford, Junkers and Fokker are more well known
"modern" aircraft structure is also not so different from ships. At Boeing at least, the vertical coordinates reference the waterline and the 787 is not designed to spend much time in the water :) it is made of bulkheads, frames, stringers etc so it was funny to see the same structure, (in steel), while on my way home from work on a ferry :)
I love experimental aircraft designs of the 1920s and 30s. They seem crazy by today's standards but even the weirdest contraptions moved aircraft technology forward. Because of aircraft like the Do. X we now have massive Boeings and Airbuses.
Yay! A two hour extravaganza on one of my favorite aeroplanes ever! Thank you so much for the upload! 😊
Awesome tale, thanks Rex. Was very interesting 👍🏻
Seeing so much support and love here is amazing. Blessings to you all.
Rex oh we missed you can't believe I didn't see this land or splash? Whichever floats you're seaplane always wanted a little gruman goose converted to turbo prop as a camper :) .
Video as big as the flying ship.
Love this Flying Giant
It took me like 5 minutes to realize the interior you were showing off is all in game in flight sim. Really an impressive game
a flying boat is cool I guess
I would have like to see the germans build a commercial flying submarine.
Seems like that would be right up their ally. lol
Awesome video!
Even the cockpit looks like a ships bridge!
Yeah .I feel the bridge and bow anchor push's it towards a ship that fly's than a flying boat.
Rex, I love the Do X and Dornier designed some beautiful flying boats especially the Do 24 and 26 and the Do 24 ATT which I seen at Oshkosh. But it was just six years later that the Boeing 314 first flew which was essentially as big as the Do X and far out performed the Do X. It was relegated to limited production because of the war, but the 314 was magnificent as well. It had much better engines, the Wright 1,600 hp Twin Cyclone R-2600, the engine used in the A-20, TBF, B-25 etc.
I was always surprised that we didn't care enough to preserve at least one of the 12 Boeing 314 Clippers. Now, like the Do X, they seem mythical.
@@goatflieg Yes, according to records seven were parked at Lindbergh Field in San Diego, were all scrapped by 1950 and a single 314 was scrapped in Baltimore in 1951. Three were lost in accident, only one fatal. What a shame!!!
@@larryweitzman5163 I used to live in the Bay Area and visited Treasure Island a few times. There's a video here on UA-cam called Treasure Island 1941 that features a Boeing 314 departing. Man, I wish I could have seen that in person!
@@goatflieg I lived in Northern Cal in PVF for about 25 years up to 4 years ago and I am familiar with Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge. I will watch that video. My number two son when he was about five took my large model of the 314 to school to give a talk about it. He memorized the wingspan, length, gross weight, capacity, engines and hp and so on for his talk. I still have the model in a display case. I alsso have a Wm. Phillips limited edition litho of the 314 in my aviation art collection. The Phillips litho shows a 314 going through the Golden gate with the bridge in the background. Coincidental is the large orange stripe painted on top of the wing is the same orange color as the golden gate bridge.
@@larryweitzman5163 Wow! I lived in the Bay Area for 24 years and up near Redding for 8 years before returning my home state of Michigan in 2008. Still love the Bay Area with all my heart, geographically... but glad I don't live there now. Wouldn't have missed my NorCal and MI experiences for the world, although I wish I still owned my small home in Cupertino, which is still exactly as we left it and now worth 2.73 million. My brother lives in Pollock Pines, just up the road from Placerville. Wish I could have seen your model!
Two hours on the coolest flying boat? (Well besides my personal favorite the BV 222 xD) sign me up!
Apparently the Italian Do-X's were dismantled at the Dornier factory in Marina Di Pisa. Sadly the factory was removed in 2007 to make space for more housing and more beach access. Marina Di Pisa is a nice place, but would be nicer if at least one Do-X could be seen there.
I love that the hull is a tumblehome design!
This is the second flying boat 're-introduction' that I'm aware of. The other one is a re-release of the Catalina flying boat by a Florida company. It would be absolutely sick to see the two of them flying in formation.
There needs to be a HUGE Patreon-style drive to finance the air-worthiness certificate for this giant. The project to recreate a floating replica is commendable, but this behemoth needs to _fly._
Thank you for the great content.
Going to spend serious time watching this when I get home from work!
Need to scratch that "really huge flying ship" itch?
Well, Do X gonna give it to ya!