Evil_Merlin

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OK, so we have beat the whole "best plane" of WWII to death. We all know it was built by the Germans anyways...


So, what was the BEST fighterplane of World War 1?

Why?

I know the list is far from complete, but I covered most of the important FIGHTERS.

Feel free to add more!


Personally, as much as I love the D.VIII, the D.VII, especially with the BMW IIIa motor had to be one of the best...


Fokker D.VII:


Fokker D.VIII:


S.E. 5:


Sopwith Camel:


Sopwith Pup:


SPAD VII:


N.17:


N.28:


Alby D.V:


Fokker Dr.1:

Dr1Driver

Dr.1

proptop

My Feedback: (8)

Maybe in this thread the French will get a few votes

I have a hard time picking just one...the Spad XIII, S.E. 5a, and Fokker D VII are all very good...

Evil_Merlin

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Forgot all about the Dr.1 mostly because it was way over rated... added to the poll.

ARUP

DH-5 because I'm building a 1/4 scale one presently! It's so ugly it's cool! I'm partial to the Sopwith 'Tripehound'! That thing could fly circles around anything and as one pilot said 'one gun can kill as easily as two if you shoot straight' or something to that effect. Robert Little was my favorite Tripehound pilot!

ARUP

Don't forget the Austro-Hungarians, Russians and Italians.

alanc

this is easy, in this order, the top three, DV11, SE5A, SPAD the DR1 was good in the right hands, but a pilot killer in inexperienced, as was the camel, the camel, although a superb dogfighter, killed more pilots than the 109 did manywell, not that many years later

no P40 in this, is there?

allanflowers

A big difference between "best" and most "important". The Camel, SE5a, DVII, Alby, Spad, etc. were important to the air war but not necessarily the best, most capable aircraft. For that I would say the Siemens Schuckert D.III and D.VI could out perform anything else (when their engines were working right).

Experten109/40

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Fokker Dr.1

chunkyplunker

Hey folks, can you post pictures so I tell what you are supporting. Being fairly new to the hobby/sport, which ever you chose to call it (other than an addiction), I need all the help I can get. Names just don’t mean a thing to me, too many to remember.

Hope this thread is as entertaining as the WW II thread.

Experten109/40

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Evil_Merlin

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Updated the threads with some of the better pictures I could find of each. Except for the Dr.1. Blech I hate that plane. Its the P-51 of the WW1 modeling world. Everyone has done it too many times.

103/17

I voted hands down for the Fokker DVII. I have one in quester scale with GTM 5 color lozenge fabric. What a nice aircraft to fly. To this day aerodynamic engineers marvel at how Fokker was able to come up with the double tapered wing design that only the DVII and DVI had. This allowed the wings to have natural "Washout" and have a gentle stall without having to give up on maneuverability. The BMW engine outdid the mercedes by quite a bit for those days and was a big advantage to BMW DVII pilots.

Yes the Camel was great, the SE5a was pretty good ( not great) although Werner Voss ( the best pilot of WW1 ) Kicked the daylights out of a pretty good group of SE5a pilots while flying an inferior Dr1 ( prototype) before running out of gas and falling prey to those who remained in the fight.

The spad was a good plane as was the Neiport 11,17 and 28. But below is possibly the best performer..................It just wasnt in very good numbers before wars end.

Siemens Schuckert D.IV


Modified wing construction and an improved rotary engine made the Siemens-Schuckert D.IV a better aircraft than its predecessor the D.III. Considered superior to the Fokker D.VII, it entered service in small numbers, too late to have much of an impact on the outcome of the air war.

Country: Germany
Manufacturer: Siemens-Schuckert
Type: Fighter
Entered Service: 1918
Number Built: 123
Engine(s): Siemens-Halske Sh IIIa, rotary, 160 hp
Wing Span: [8.35 m]
Length: [5.70 m]
Height:
Empty Weight: [540 kg]
Gross Weight:
Max Speed: [184 km/h]
Ceiling: 26,000 ft in 20 mins
Endurance:
Crew: 1

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Evil,

Ouch, Let up on the Dr1. If done correctly its a fantastic plane to see fly although its not so easy to pilot. I have a 1/4 scale that just hates any cross wind...................%^&*. I agree it is the most recognized but that is due to the most recognized pilot ( not the best ) of WW1 being made famous in it. It is kind of like the P-51 of WW1, I agree with that but it was colorfull for sure and although not built in big numbers and only in service for a short time it had one heck of a record.

I actually see way more DVIIs at WW1 meets now then I see Dr1s................

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103/17

I would say the Germans are kicking butt in the poll !


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chunkyplunker

Thanks EM, now I might be able to follow better.

Evil_Merlin

My Feedback: (13)

Found a MUCH better picture of the Dr.1

103/17

Evil,

Great Dr1 picture except for the wrong engine and cowl being used...............common enigne choice for todays Dr1 builders to use the radial instead of an actual rotary.

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800mZero

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the pup with the the big hp motor for methe pup is pure elegance.

Ram-bro

My Feedback: (101)

the SE-5a I say. Only because it pointed the way to modern tactics. Climb higher and fly faster. Manuverability wasnt at the top of the list. OK, Ia dmit it...I know alsmost next to nothing about the early days, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn central last nite......

103/17

Ram...........you dog. You slept at a holiday in express? Do you also get an "Egg management fee" ?


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Experten109/40

My Feedback: (-1)

Alby D.V:


that is a stunning WarBird.. kinda reminds me of the 109..

103/17

Yes indeed.......the Albatros Dva was a nice looking aircraft and many of Germanys best pilots racked up their numbers in the early Albatros aircraft but it wasnt at the top of the list for performers. It did have an inline liquid cooled engine and a really neat stressed plywood skin fuse that hinted at the designs that would take root in the early 30s leading to the aircraft of WW2. Gotta love the 5 color lozenge fabric !

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Evil_Merlin

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Yeah I know, but its still a good picture. I would MUCH rather have a radial than a rotary anyways... reliablity flying is a rather good thing.

foodstick

I am giving the edge to the Fokker D7, simply because it a great plane for good pilots, and good enough plane to allow new pilots to live long enough to become better pilots !

it did have the advantage of that near harrier nose up flying angle to strafe planes from underneath as well.