Fokker DVII 55 5/8"

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The legendary Fokker DVII featured a very thick wing, even thicker than the Dr.1. There were no rigging wires which compensated for the extra drag of the deep airfoils. The power was no longer the radial engine but now the Mercedes and later the BMW water cooled in line variants. These power plants offered more horsepower and were more reliable. Castor Oil used by the radial engine was supplanted by Voltol an oil derived from coal. Castor Oil was embargoed by the allies and Voltol simply wasn't working. Shortly before von Richtofen's death, he wrote that it was his opinion that the radial engine had no place any longer in the war due to the mechanical failures caused by the new oil. He wrote that he much preferred the Fokker DVII and would take it with an supercharged engine if that was required to get rid of the Triplane. It was normally intended to be supplied with a supercharged Mercedes. There is a Swedish connection to the success of the later Fokker designs. Swedish engineer, Villehad Forrsman had been building aircraft in Germany with the SSW-Forrsman firm. Forrsman provide Fokker with patent and engineering consulting services. Another Forrsman company in Germany, Forrsman,Bruenig & Sohn, AG a large plywood manufacturer offered to produce at no charge, plywood covered wings to Fokker's specifications. The Fokker DVII had plywood covered leading edges. While the wings were strong enough to not need bracing, an interplane strut-less prototype of the DVII was tested and found to be slower and not as maneuverable. The DVII's fuselage was of steel tube construction which gave the structure great strength. It was feared for a time that there would be a shortage of steel tubing so both Albatros Werke, a DVII licensee and Fokker produced wooden, plywood prototypes. The shortage did not occur. von Richthofen flew the DVII in prototype form against an Albatros DVa in the fighter trials and won. He liked the aircraft but said it handled poorly. Still it was good enough to beat the fastest German fighter of the time. Fokker immediately modified the DVII prototype and rectified the deficiencies. Upon flying this aircraft von Richthofen was very impressed and had two of his Jasta pilots test it as well. The report was that it was very good but didn't climb as well as expected. When fitted with the more powerful 200 hp BMW engine the aircraft was spectacular. Pilots on both sides remarked about the fighter's excellent flying qualities. Interestingly, von Richthofen was supplied with a new Fokker DVII at the time of his death but on that fateful day, he chose to fly his old Triplane.

Fokker DVII 55 5/8"		Short Kit & Plans: $ 2150Buy It
		Plans: $350Buy It
Skill Level: Advanced More than 288 laser cut parts	SPECIFICATIONS
	Scale: 1/6	Prop: 14x7
	Channels: R/E/A/T	Wheels: balsa and plywood with Neoprene foam tires
	Wingspan: 55 5/8"	Airfoil Type: flat bottomed, nearly scale shape
	Wing Area: 839 sq in	Cowl: built up balsa
Designer: Kurt Bengtson Model: Brian Williams	Weight: ~70 oz ready to fly	jSpinner: N/A
	Power System: Reverse mounted direct drive AXI 2826/10 brushless outrunner	Shipping Weight: 7 pounds


More Images in Gallery	Decals Available	Instruction manual
FEATURES Removable wing construction Scale thickness and taper in both top and bottom wings Plywood tabbed leading edges included Plywood pre-scalloped trailing edges included ~99% of all wooded needed to complete the model included Airfoils are semi-scale and follow thicknesses of original top wing taper Box front fuselage, built up rear Balsa dummy engine and dummy Spandau machine gun kit Balsa dummy pilot included Balsa and plywood wheel kit with Neoprene foam rubber tire material included
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE The legendary Fokker DVII featured a very thick wing, even thicker than the Dr.1. There were no rigging wires which compensated for the extra drag of the deep airfoils. The power was no longer the radial engine but now the Mercedes and later the BMW water cooled in line variants. These power plants offered more horsepower and were more reliable. Castor Oil used by the radial engine was supplanted by Voltol an oil derived from coal. Castor Oil was embargoed by the allies and Voltol simply wasn't working. Shortly before von Richtofen's death, he wrote that it was his opinion that the radial engine had no place any longer in the war due to the mechanical failures caused by the new oil. He wrote that he much preferred the Fokker DVII and would take it with an supercharged engine if that was required to get rid of the Triplane. It was normally intended to be supplied with a supercharged Mercedes. There is a Swedish connection to the success of the later Fokker designs. Swedish engineer, Villehad Forrsman had been building aircraft in Germany with the SSW-Forrsman firm. Forrsman provide Fokker with patent and engineering consulting services. Another Forrsman company in Germany, Forrsman,Bruenig & Sohn, AG a large plywood manufacturer offered to produce at no charge, plywood covered wings to Fokker's specifications. The Fokker DVII had plywood covered leading edges. While the wings were strong enough to not need bracing, an interplane strut-less prototype of the DVII was tested and found to be slower and not as maneuverable. The DVII's fuselage was of steel tube construction which gave the structure great strength. It was feared for a time that there would be a shortage of steel tubing so both Albatros Werke, a DVII licensee and Fokker produced wooden, plywood prototypes. The shortage did not occur. von Richthofen flew the DVII in prototype form against an Albatros DVa in the fighter trials and won. He liked the aircraft but said it handled poorly. Still it was good enough to beat the fastest German fighter of the time. Fokker immediately modified the DVII prototype and rectified the deficiencies. Upon flying this aircraft von Richthofen was very impressed and had two of his Jasta pilots test it as well. The report was that it was very good but didn't climb as well as expected. When fitted with the more powerful 200 hp BMW engine the aircraft was spectacular. Pilots on both sides remarked about the fighter's excellent flying qualities. Interestingly, von Richthofen was supplied with a new Fokker DVII at the time of his death but on that fateful day, he chose to fly his old Triplane.