/2
One of the most famous and recognizable fighters of World War I, the Fokker Dr.I was developed in response to the earlier success of the British Sopwith Triplane. The triplane design was not especially fast, but it offered great maneuverability and climb rate.
The Fokker Dr.I entered service in August 1917 and gained fame out of proportion to its small production run of 320 units, largely due to the exploits of certain legendary German aces. Werner Voss, Manfred von Richthofen, and his brother Lothar became highly publicized proponents of the type. Von Richthofen in particular, already famous as the high-scoring "Red Baron" while flying red-motif Albatros models, became most closely associated with the Dr.I. Even though most of the men in his squadron had switched to newer biplane types by early 1918, 19 of von Richthofen's final 21 combat victories came while he was flying his preferred, mostly-red Dr.I. He lost his life in Dr.I 425/17 on April 21, 1918.
The Dr.I suffered a series of wing structural failures in the fall of 1917; one such failure claimed the life of German ace Hermann Gontermann. After a brief grounding for strengthening modifications, Dr.I operations resumed but by that time were mainly concentrated in Richtofen's squadron. Dr.I production ended in May 1918.
Armament consisted of two 7.92mm Maschinengewehr (MG) 08/15 machine guns, with interrupter gear to fire through the propeller arc. These guns were sometimes referred to as "Spandau," in reference to the arsenal where much of the German small arms development and production occurred.
There are no known surviving original Fokker Dr.Is. The last original aircraft, once flown by von Richthofen, was on display in a Berlin museum when it was destroyed by Allied bombs during World War II.
The Museum of Flight's aircraft was started in 1958 by New York dentist Richard Coughlin. It was completed in 1972. When it was seriously damaged in an accident, Doug Champlin purchased the wreckage and had it completely rebuilt in 1978. In 1990, the Warner Scarab radial engine that had been used by Coughlin on the aircraft was replaced by an authentic Le Rhône rotary.
One of the most famous and recognizable fighters of World War I, the Fokker Dr.I was developed in response to the earlier success of the British Sopwith Triplane. The triplane design was not especially fast, but it offered great maneuverability and climb rate.
The Fokker Dr.I entered service in August 1917 and gained fame out of proportion to its small production run of 320 units, largely due to the exploits of certain legendary German aces. Werner Voss, Manfred von Richthofen, and his brother Lothar became highly publicized proponents of the type. Von Richthofen in particular, already famous as the high-scoring "Red Baron" while flying red-motif Albatros models, became most closely associated with the Dr.I. Even though most of the men in his squadron had switched to newer biplane types by early 1918, 19 of von Richthofen's final 21 combat victories came while he was flying his preferred, mostly-red Dr.I. He lost his life in Dr.I 425/17 on April 21, 1918.
The Dr.I suffered a series of wing structural failures in the fall of 1917; one such failure claimed the life of German ace Hermann Gontermann. After a brief grounding for strengthening modifications, Dr.I operations resumed but by that time were mainly concentrated in Richtofen's squadron. Dr.I production ended in May 1918.
Armament consisted of two 7.92mm Maschinengewehr (MG) 08/15 machine guns, with interrupter gear to fire through the propeller arc. These guns were sometimes referred to as "Spandau," in reference to the arsenal where much of the German small arms development and production occurred.
There are no known surviving original Fokker Dr.Is. The last original aircraft, once flown by von Richthofen, was on display in a Berlin museum when it was destroyed by Allied bombs during World War II.
The Museum of Flight's aircraft was started in 1958 by New York dentist Richard Coughlin. It was completed in 1972. When it was seriously damaged in an accident, Doug Champlin purchased the wreckage and had it completely rebuilt in 1978. In 1990, the Warner Scarab radial engine that had been used by Coughlin on the aircraft was replaced by an authentic Le Rhône rotary.
