Fokker D.VII

Évolution


Après la guerre, le Fokker D.VII continua à être utilisé par les armées de l'air des Pays-Bas,de la Belgique, de la Lituanie, de la Pologne, de la Suisse, de la Tchécoslovaquie, de la Hongrie y compris au sein de la force aérienne de la République des Conseils, de la Mandchourie, et des États-Unis.

Et comme l'Allemagne n'avait alors plus le droit de construire des avions militaires, Fokker a transféré ses usines aux Pays-Bas et continua d'y construire des D.VII.

Cinquante D.VII furent vendus par Fokker à l'URSS en 1922, un seul D.VII était encore en service au sein des VVS en décembre 1933.

L'armée de l'air des Pays-Bas les a utilisé jusqu'en 1931 et la Suisse a encore commandé huit nouveaux exemplaires en 1928.

The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke.

Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918.

In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft.
The Armistice ending the war specifically required Germany to surrender all D.VIIs to the Allies at the conclusion of hostilities.
Surviving aircraft saw continued widespread service with many other countries in the years after World War I.

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Development and production

Fokker's chief designer, Reinhold Platz, had been working on a series of experimental planes, the V-series, since 1916.

These planes were characterized by the use of cantilever wings, first developed during Fokker's government-mandated collaboration with Hugo Junkers.

Junkers had originated the idea in 1915 with the first all-metal aircraft, the Junkers J 1, nicknamed Blechesel
("Sheet Metal Donkey" or "Tin Donkey").

The resulting wings were thick, with a rounded leading edge.

This gave greater lift and more docile stalling behavior than conventional thin wings.

Late in 1917, Fokker built the experimental V 11 biplane, fitted with the standard Mercedes D.IIIa engine.

In January 1918, Idflieg held a fighter competition at Adlershof.

For the first time, frontline pilots would directly participate in the evaluation and selection of new fighters.

Fokker submitted the V 11 along with several other prototypes.

Manfred von Richthofen flew the V 11 and found it tricky, unpleasant, and directionally unstable in a dive.

In response to these complaints, Reinhold Platz lengthened the rear fuselage by one structural bay, and added a
triangular fixed vertical fin in front of the rudder.

Upon flying the modified V 11, Richthofen praised it as the best aircraft of the competition.

It offered excellent performance from the outdated Mercedes engine, yet it was safe and easy to fly. Richthofen's recommendation virtually decided the competition, but he was not alone in recommending it.

Fokker immediately received a provisional order for 400 production aircraft, which were designated D.VII by Idflieg.