Fokker Dr.I (Dreidecker)

Triplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1917 ]

With a three-wing arrangement inducing substantial drag, the Fokker Dr.I was slower than her contemporaries but made up for this in maneuverability and rate-of-climb against fighters of the period.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/30/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, OH.

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The Fokker Dr.I ("Dr" for "Dreidecker" meaning "triplane") series is most closely associated with Manfred von Richthofen (aka "the Red Baron") as the triplane aircraft was his chosen mount in the final months of his life, accounting for his last 20 kills. Designed to match the Sopwith Triplane and appearing by October of 1917, the Dr.I was a capable aircraft made more so by the pilots that flew her than the unique three-wing design. In the end, the system was limited in production quantity and saw a career spanning just the final year of the conflict, which by 1918, was being used as a defensive system over Germany.

Obviously the most identifying feature of the type was the three wing design made popular by the Sopwith Triplane - and proved itself a worthy design overall. Though inducing drag (which in turn caused a decrease in overall speed) the arrangement made for a highly maneuverable aircraft, quick to turn, and offered up a tremendous rate of climb while delivering in a steady dive. Overall the design was typical, featuring the pilot sitting in an open cockpit seated just behind the large wing structures. The undercarriage was fixed and dominated by two large wheels with a tail skid at the rear. Armament consisted of twin Spandau machine guns of 7.92mm caliber firing forward through the synchronized propeller system. The Dr.I was also one of the last aircraft types to feature a rotary piston engine in the Oberursel Ur.II 9-cylinder series.

The initial 100 Dr.I's on order were delivered to Richthofen's fighter squadron in October of 1917 after combat evaluation. By the end of that month, it soon became apparent that there was trouble in the assembly of the wings to the point that some Fokker Dr.I's had broken up in mid-flight resulting in several fatal crashes. This, of course, forced the entire type to be grounded upon further review by an authorized crash commission. The resulting verdict was found to be in the construction of the wings. With adjustments made along the production lines at Fokker, the Dr.I was given the green light back into the air by end of November with all Dr.I wings checked and repaired/replaced if necessary. This setback no doubt attributed to the low production numbers overall, numbering just some 320 examples by the time the lines closed in May of 1918. By then, the fine machine was highly outclassed by her rivals and gradually disappeared into aviation history.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Fokker Flugzeug-Werke GmbH - Germany
Manufacturer(s)

German Empire
Operators

1917
Service Year

Imperial Germany
National Origin

Retired
Project Status

1
Crew

320
Units

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

18.9 ft
(5.77 meters)
Length

23.6 ft
(7.20 meters)
Width/Span

9.7 ft
(2.95 meters)
Height

895 lb
(406 kilograms)
Empty Weight

1,290 lb
(585 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+395 lb
(+179 kg)
Weight Difference

1 x Oberursel U.R. II air-cooled rotary engine developing 110 horsepower driving a two-bladed wooden propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

103 mph
(165 kph | 89 knots)
Max Speed

19,997 ft
(6,095 m | 4 miles)
Ceiling

186 miles
(300 km | 162 nm)
Range

1,090 ft/min
(332 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

STANDARD:
2 x 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.

0
Hardpoints

V.3 - Prototype Model Designation

V.4 - Prototype Production Model

V.5 - Prototype Model fitted with Goebel Goe.III series engine.

V.6 - Prototype Model fitted with Mercedes D.II series engine.

V.7 - Prototype Model fitted with Siemens-Halske Sh.III series engine.

V.10 - Prototype Model fitted with Oberusel Ur.III series engine.

Dr.I - Production Series Designation

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Images

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Image from the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, OH.

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