Fokker DR.I (English version)

DR.1

The Fokker DR.I

The Dr.I triplane is perhaps the most famous aircraft in Fokker history.
This fame is partly due to the famous German pilot, Manfred von Richthofen, who achieved 19 victories with the Dr.I during aerial combat in the First World War.
Unfortunately, in 1918 a flight with a Dr.I would also prove fatal for him.
Manfred von Richthofen flew, among other things, two Dr.Is that were painted completely red especially for him, which earned him the nickname “Red Baron”.
A feature film has even been made about the Red Baron and his Dr.I.
The Dr.I, designed by Reinhold Platz, did not enter service until August 1917.
The Dr.I, officially a V.4, was in turn derived from the design before it, the V.3.
The V.3 had no struts between the wings. Since quite a lot of vibration occurred during flight, it was decided to place struts between the three wings of the V.4.
This solved the vibration problem. The wingspan was also increased, the upper wing was provided with ailerons, and the stabilizer was given a triangular shape. After a number of wing fractures during flight operations, all Dr.I wings were provided with reinforcements.

The two most commonly used rotary engines were the 9-cylinder 110 hp Le Rhône or the 9-cylinder 110 hp German Oberursel UR II, a copy of the Le Rhône.

Several Dr.Is have flown with Siemens-Halske and Goebel rotary engines.
The armament of the Dr.I consisted of two 7.92 mm Spandau synchronized machine guns.
The Dr.I was fast and maneuverable, which was a great advantage during air combat.
The first three Dr.I's (test aircraft) had the designation FI followed by the number combination 101-17, 102-17 and 103-17.
The F designation was due to the fact that these first three aircraft were tested at the German Flugzeugmeisterei in Adlershof.
The final type designation “Dr” came about because the German army called the V.4 “Dreidecker”.
The addition of the “r” came about because the single “D” already stood for Doppeldecker.
A total of 320 Dr.Is were built, not a single original example has been preserved, although there are dozens of replicas of the Dr.I flying around the world.
There are also two airworthy examples of the Dr.I in the Netherlands.

Click on the photo to enlarge the photo

01

Prototype Dr.I, (V.4) with two LMG 08-15 machine guns, still completely in clear lacquer, without painting.
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02

First flight of the FI, wn 1697 registration 101/17 over Görries airfield.
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03

wn 1697 101/17 never operated at the front, but was used for testing and experiments by the Fokker factory.
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04

wn 1729 102/17 with Lieutenant Kurt Wolff in the cockpit, 3rd from the right is Manfred von Richthofen.
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05

wn 1730 103/17 was flown by Werner Voss.
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06

Rear view of the 144/17 wn 1856 of Lieutenant von Stapenhorst, of which the linen at the lower wing has started to wrinkle considerably.
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07

Dr.I's returning from a mission are manned into a tent hangar.
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08

Dr.I rompframe.
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09

Dr.I.
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10

Dr.I flightline in Sissonne, northern France, spring 1918.
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11

A single Dr.I at the front behind a tent hangar.
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12

Dr.I's by train carriage to the front.
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13

Dr.I wn 1931 212/17 by train wagon to the front.
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14

Lieutenant Herman Göring briefs the pilots for a combat mission. Göring later became Reichsmarschall and commander-in-chief of the German Luftwaffe in World War II.
Herman Goering
15

Dr.I's at Soissons Ferme airfield, northern France, June 1918.
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16

wn 2171 503/17 with Lieutenant Hans Koerner.
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17

Horsepower and manpower at the departure of this Dr.I.
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18

wn 1730 103/17 met Werner Voss.
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19

wn 1783 115/17 of Lieutenant Heinrich Gonterman.
Heinrich Gonterman
20

wn 1838 127/17, Manfred von Richthofen achieved three victories with this aircraft.
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21

wn 1853 141/17, this Dr.I was also flown by Manfred von Richthofen. After the First World War this Dr.I went to McCook Field in the USA.
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22

wn 1859 147/17, Lieutenant Kesseling was forced to land behind enemy lines, where the English seized his coffin.
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23

wn 1866 154/17.
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24

wn 1875 163/17 in the winter of 1917.
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25

wn 1925 206/17, Herman Goering in de cockpit.
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26

Detail of the synchronized machine guns.
The synchronization mechanism
27

The controls of the machine guns on the steering column.
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28

wn 2009 425/17, on 21-04-1918 this plane crashed with Manfred von Richthofen in it, von Richthofen did not survive the crash. There are two versions about the death of Manfred von Richthofen. According to one version Captain Roy Brown of the British RAF shot him down from his Sopwith Camel during a dogfight. The other version is that Gunner William John Evans shot down the plane from the ground with a Lewis M.20 machine gun. After an investigation by National Geographic, the shooting down from the ground has proven to be the most likely version.
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29

wn 2009 425/17, the remains of the wreck of von Richthofens Dr.I are examined by the English officers.
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30

On the right Manfred von Richthofen with on the left his brother Lothar, who was also a fighter pilot in the German army.
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31

The English officers take a great interest in the armament of Manfred von Richthofen's Dr.I.
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32

wn 2061 436/17 at the front this Dr.I is being made ready for battle, together with two others.
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33

wn 2103 477/17 was one of the two red Dr.I's of Manfred von Richthofen, here on 26-03-1918 at Léchelle north-central France.
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34

wn 2105 479/17 flown by Lieutenant August Raben.
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35

wn 2193 525/17 was also flown by Manfred von Richthofen.
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36

wn 2244 574/17.
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37

The Dr.I replica of the (then) Aviodome in 1989.
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38

The Dr.I in the Aviodrome (2020)
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39

One of the two airworthy replica Dr.I's of the Vroege vogels foundation in Lelystad.
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40

The second airworthy Dr.I replica of the Early Birds.
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41

Seven flying Dr.I Replicas in New Zealand on 08-04-2007.
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42

Fokker Dr.I construction drawing.
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