Dornier Do 26 Flying Boat Part I

The Dornier Do 26 flying boat was designed as a trans-Atlantic mail plane for Deutsche Lufthansa in the late 1930s. Its first flight was in May 1938. Three aircraft were completed before the war with another three completed for the Luftwaffe after the war began.

One hallmark of many Dornier designs was a propensity to mount engines in tandem. The Do 26 mounted four Junkers Jumo 205C diesels on the upper wings. An unusual feature is rear engines could be angled upwards ten degrees to help reduce the amount of spray hitting the pusher propellers. Seen here is an unmarked Do 26 minus spinners with the engines raised.

Like many flying boats the Dornier design featured gull wings with the engines mounted at the angle. This was an attempt to elevate the engines as much as possible above the water’s surface.

The first aircraft (V1) was assigned the civilian call letters D-AGNT and named “Seeadler” (Sea Eagle). The call letters were repeated on the upper and lower wings as well as the fuselage sides. The outrigger floats retracted flush into the wings which gives us a view of the wing call letters.

A fine portrait of D-AGNT in calm waters. The diesel engines exhausted through ports on the nacelle sides, the soot staining follows the course of the airflow over the wings.

The Do 26 was intended to carry up to 500 kg (1,100 pounds) of mail across the Atlantic. It had a crew of four and could also carry four passengers.

Earlier Dornier designs had relied on fuselage sponsons for stability on the water, the Do 26 utilized outrigger floats which were fully retractable into the wing while in flight.

The V2 aircraft was named “Seefalke” (Sea Falcon) and featured black engine nacelles. Her call letters were D-AWDS as seen here.

Seefalke is pushed from a beach. The rear engines are in their elevated positions.

“Seemöwe” (Seagull) was the name given to Do 23 V3, the third production machine, registration D-ASRA.

A view of Seemöwe on the water. Her pusher engines are raised and appear to be stopped. The radio call letters on the upper wing surfaces are clearly visible.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/12/31/dornier-do-26-flying-boat-part-ii-catapult-trials/