The first Brandenburg flying-boat was the 3-seat FB developed by Ernst Heinkel from a Lohner design and built in small numbers for the German and Austro-Hungarian Navies in 1915. In 1916 Heinkel produced an onginal design for a single-seat wooden-hulled fighter flying-boat, which he named CC after Camillo Castiglioni, financial controller of the Brandenburg company. The CC was characterised by 'starstrut' interplane bracing like that used for the D.l Iandplane fighter. After flight trials with the prototype a single CC was ordered by the German Navy. This was delivered to Warnemunde in February 1917, powered by a 150hp Bz.III engine and armed with a centrally mounted Spandau front gun. Two CC production batches totalling thirty-five aircraft were delivered during 1917; these had wing radiators and a twin-Spandau armament. Some also had slightly lengthened hulls. Major user of the CC was the Austro-Hungarian Navy, for whom the type was built by Phoenix.

Designated in the A class in Austrian service, the flying-boats were used up and down the Adnatic in defence of ports and naval bases. Like their German counterparts, they were at first fitted with one. and later with two, machine-guns; it may be supposed that these were the domestic 8mm Schwarzlose weapon. The CC's chief opponent in the Adnatic was the Italian Air Force's Nieuport 11, against which the flying-boats acquitted themselves fairly well, having a slight edge in speed to offset their lesser manoeuvrability. Overall Phonix production of the CC amounted to thirty-five aircraft (A.13-42 and A.45-49). Machine A45 appeared in 1918 as a triplane, but this line of development was not pursued. The 'Phonix A' designation was also applied to sixty-one examples of the HansaBrandenburg W.18 seaplane built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Examples of the CC in German service included at least one aircraft with a spinner and the engine in a streamlined. egg-shaped nacelle, and another with extra V-struts outboard of the 'star' struts.

Photos and Model Courtesy of: Anthony Sanchez

A small single-seater fighter flying boat was developed by Ernst Heinkel, the Hansa-Brandenburg designer, early in 1916; out of gratitude to the proprietor of the firm, Camillo Castiglione, he christened it the CC.

The first CC boat to be supplied to the German Navy, No. 946, was ordered in May 1916, but was not delivered until the following February. Like all German-built CCs, it was powered by the 150 h.p. Benz engine mounted close under the top wing on steel-tube struts streamlined with laminated wooden coverings, and driving a two-bladed pusher propeller. The radiator was directly in front of the engine. Its wing structure much resembled that of the D-I landplane; square-cut planes with ailerons incorporating wash-out, and the same 'star-strut' interplane bracing. Below and in front of the engine was the pilot's cockpit. The wooden hull, of well-streamlined shape, was provided with a step underneath. Wing-tip floats of streamlined section with flat sides were attached to the planes by means of one forward strut and two rear struts, with cross-wire bracing in between. A low aspect-ratio fin of thin laminated wood carried the rather square tail-plane, which was braced from below by two struts on each side; the rudder was horn-balanced.

The armament consisted of a single Spandau gun which protruded through a windshield of large proportions.

Although the German Navy had no love for flying boats, the CC was evidently considered satisfactory; for two further series, 1137-1146 and 1327-1351, were built during 1917. The later machines were somewhat modified, having longer hulls, radiators in the top wings, and twin guns. On some, the engine was enclosed in an egg-shaped cowling and a pointed spinner was fitted to the propeller; others had extra interplane bracing struts. The operational history of these flying boats is obscure.

The Austro-Hungarian Navy, however, were well aware of the value of flying boats, and found the CC to be a useful weapon. Known as the KDW (Kampf Doppeldecker Wasser-Fighter Biplane, Water) it was employed in defence of the Adriatic ports. The KDW had either the 185 h.p. Austro-Daimler or the 200 h.p. Hiero, in place of the Benz engine. In performance it compared favourably with the opposing Italian Nieuport 11; although less maneuvrable the flying boat was faster.

Austro-Hungarian fighter flying boats were designated the 'A' class, A.24 was flown by the well-known Austrian naval pilot, Gottfried Banfield.

In 1918 an experimental triplane version of the KDW appeared, numbered A.45; it was not put into production.

The Phonix company developed an improved fighter flying boat based on the Hansa-Brandenburg CC design in the last year of the war, it was powered by the 185 h.p. Austro-Daimler engine, had a hull of simpler cross-section, orthodox interplane struts and twin Schwarzlose guns mounted on a transverse steel tube inside the front portion of the cockpit.

class were: 1916 6; 1917 64; 1918 65; a total of 135 boats.

Mike Smith's Developmental Process

Ok I gave it a shot, mind you I tried this without looking at any of your pictures. so I screwed it up a couple places.The back turtle deck, from the tail to the back of the cockpit Is it supposed to be flat or rounded. and I had no clue what to do with the flap on the back of thecockpit section. One thing I do know is the turtleback rear to cockpit needs to be a separate section. on one side are great tabs for attachment, on the other side are two tiny little triangles that didn't hold at all. Other than that it seemed to go together nicely, a little tight on the top, but it's great you can stick your finger in the cockpit to help align things. Matt (Feb 25)	Mike's figured out this brilliant solution to the star struts of the CC and is now working on the pontoon supports

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I can see your point about them using up a lot of space... perhaps ifyou made one of the sides a "swollen X" shape instead of a fullrectangle it would allow for nestling them in better amongst each other. Would save the guys a few pennies worth of ink too. ;-) That is looking like such a great model too guy, keep up the good work. CG (Chauncy Green- Feb 23, 01 ) FEB, 22......


Couple of issues that I need to resolve.
1. There's some way too fiddly parts in here. Namely the radiatoer and its mounting. And also the pontoon mountings. Most of this stuff is mounted right now with little, teeny, tiny bits of paper "sticks". Kinda true to scale but I don't think its gonna work.

2. The star-struts while straight-forward, take up lots of room on the page. I've basically have it where the struts are in "top" and "bottom" halves. Each being in the form of and X that is folded in the middle, glued to the wings and then the top wing is joined to the bottom at the strut joints. That in itself isn't too bad, but I've also got it where they are first folded over to make double thickness before they are cut out.

Other than that I'm pleased with the progress so far.
Comments, criticisms welcome.
T.

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