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Do 26 ✙
Multipurpose Seaplane
Dornier
 In the mid-1930s, the Do 26 was the Dornier's trademark. Without any doubt, for its time it was the most elegant boat, which was a great rarity in this category. Work on the Do 26 project began in 1936, after discussions with Lufthansa on specifications for a new seaplane capable of non-stop flights on the Lisbon-New York route. At the same time, the flight range was determined at 5800 km, and when using a tailwind, it could reach 9000 km.
Construction. The center section was made as a single unit with the hull of the boat and had a large transverse V, at its ends they were attached in tandem to a pair of engines, the rear of which drove the screws through elongated shafts with hinges. The wing console made it possible to remove the stabilizing floats into it. The fuselage of rectangular cross-section had the usual two steps for the Dornier and was divided into eight watertight compartments, providing accommodation for four crew members and 500kg of mail.
In 1937. Lyuthansa placed an order for three Do 26s and reserved an order for three more. The first of the three - Do 26-V1 flew on May 21, 1938 with four Jumo-205C engines, on the V2, which took off in February 1939, 880-horsepower Jumo-205D diesels were installed.
V2 joined V1 as part of Lufthansa in the late spring of 1939, by which time the airline had approved the delivery of three more aircraft. The first two prototypes of the A-series made 18 flights across the South Atlantic with the mail before the war stopped traffic. The third experimental Do 26-VЗ was the prototype of the B-series and was distinguished by the presence of four passenger seats and VDM propellers. The plane was still in assembly when the war began, and the assembly of the next three boats had not yet begun.
The second series of three flying boats was laid as a prototype for modification C with a passenger capacity of 8 people. These aircraft were also numbered V4, V5 and V6. Given the long range of the Do 26, RLM launched the Dornier mission to convert all four aircraft in production into long-range naval reconnaissance and transports under the designation Do 26d. The re-equipment included the installation of a bow turret with a 20-mm MG-151 cannon and two side blisters behind the wing with MG-15 machine guns. The same machine gun was installed in a waterproof turret behind the rear step. The necessary military equipment and radio stations were installed.
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