Fokker D.VII

While the Fokker triplane has become the icon of German airpower in the First World War, it was the Fokker D.VII that succeeded the Dr.I that struck fear into the hearts of Allied airmen of the time. It was responsive, easy to fly, and outmatched most contemporary opponents save the Sopwith Snipe and the SPAD S.XIII. Unfortunately for the Germans, it arrived in the final months of the war, and only 1,000 examples were built. In that short time, however, Allied respect for the plane was so great that one of the conditions of the Armistice was that "all first line D.VII aircraft" were to be surrendered to the Allies.

The plane has an endurance of 1.5 hours. It burns 6.9 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage. A full load of fuel and ammo costs $13.

Fokker D.VIIF (V.18)

Subassemblies: Light Fighter chassis +3; Recon Fighter wings with Biplane option +2; 2 fixed wheels +0.

Powertrain: 138-kW HP gasoline engine with 138-kW old prop and 15-gallon fuel tank [Body].

Occ.: 1 XCS Body

Cargo: 13 Body

Armor F RL B T U

Body: 2/2C 2/2C 2/2C 2/2C 2/2C

Wings: 2/2C 2/2C 2/2C 2/2C 2/2C

Wheels: 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3

Weaponry:

2xAircraft LMG/7.92 mm LMG 08/15 [Body:F] (500 rounds).

Statistics:

Size: 23'x29'x9' Payload: 0.2 tons Lwt.: 0.97 tons

Volume: 144 Maint.: 100 hours Cost: $3,962

HT: 10. HPs: 50 Body, 100 each Wing, 8 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 124 aAccel: 4 aDecel: 37 aMR: 9 aSR: 1

Stall Speed: 37 mph. Take-Off and Landing Runs both 137 yards.

gSpeed: 191 gAccel: 10 gDecel: 10 gMR: 1.25 gSR: 2

Ground Pressure: High. 1/6 Off-Road Speed.

Design Notes:

Historical wing area was 221 sf. The weight, cost and HPs of the wings were doubled to increase design weight; Lwt was then reduced 7% to the historical. The fuel capacity was based on a rough calculation between endurance and gas consumption, as no historical value could be located. MG load outs are a guess. Design payload was 347.5 lbs; the historical value has been substituted. Design aSpeed was 117 mph. Performance calculations were based on historical values for wing area and loaded weight. The Body MGs are synchronized, lowering RoF by 10% (see p. W:MP8). Using the calculated gSpeed at 1/6 Off-Road speed (32 mph) gSpeed is still 86% of stall speed, so the plane could therefore potentially get airborne in a bumpy field, at the GM's discretion.

Variants:

The V.21 featured tapered wing panels and a 119-kW engine. Flown for the design competition in June 1918.

The V.22 was a preproduction prototype of the D.VII.

The V.24 featured an experimental 179-kW engine.

The V.31 was a D.VII fitted with a tow hook for the V.30 glider.

The V.34 featured several modifications to the wing and rudder.

The V.35 was designated as a two-seat version.

The V.36 was a slight modification of the V.34.

From the Aerodrome for GURPS

© 2008 by Jim Antonicic