Albatros L 3

The Albatros L 3 was a German two‑seat biplane produced by Albatros Flugzeugwerke shortly after World War I. First flown in 1919, it was intended as a training and sport aircraft for the fledgling civil aviation market that emerged from the demilitarisation of Germany’s wartime fleet. The L 3 retained the robust wooden frame and fabric covering typical of Albatros designs, but incorporated a more powerful 80 hp Mercedes D.II inline engine that gave it a top speed of about 140 km/h and a service ceiling of 3,500 m. Its equal‑span wings featured a slight stagger and a simple, open cockpit arrangement with dual controls, making it ideal for pilot instruction. The aircraft’s handling was praised for its stability and gentle stall characteristics, which helped it become a popular choice for flying clubs throughout the early 1920s. Although only a few dozen were built, the L 3 demonstrated Albatros’s ability to transition from wartime fighters to peacetime aircraft, influencing the design of later trainers such as the Albatros L 71. Its legacy lies in bridging the gap between military aviation and the burgeoning civilian flying culture of interwar Europe.