The Pioneering Dornier Do X: A Flying Boat that Transcended Boundaries

The Dornier Do X, a flying boat manufactured by the German company Dornier, was the world’s largest, heaviest, and most powerful aircraft when it was introduced in 1929. The Do X was a monoplane with a fuselage made entirely of duralumin and wings made of steel-reinforced duralumin, covered with thick linen and coated with aluminum paint. It was 40 meters long and had a wingspan of 48 meters.

Initially powered by 12 Bristol Jupiter engines, the Do X was re-equipped with a Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror engine in 1930, which allowed it to reach an altitude of 500 meters and cross the Atlantic Ocean. The luxurious interior of the Do X approached the standards of transatlantic ships, featuring three decks including a smoking room with a private bar and seating for 66 passengers that could be converted into beds for night flights.

On its first test flight on July 12, 1929, the Do X set a new world record for carrying 169 people on a single flight. In November