I don’t know when I first noticed the Fokker DVII.  I was probably around 12 or so. Jim Pearson and I were building models as fast as our allowance would allow. I remember him building a Spad and I was saving for the D7.  He moved away, things changed and I didn’t get that model. Time passed but the vision of swooping down through the clouds and firing a few bursts into an unsuspecting Camel lived on. As a substitute I built and flew a Lee Nieuport 12.  I tinkered with that plane for 8-9 years, and then the burn of Fokker fever began again.

 I had seen Robert Baslee’s Fokker DVII at the Gardner, KS “Gathering of Eagles” one year and the ache began. Now Robert Baslee and Airdrome Aeroplanes had one I could get my hands on and build in a reasonable amount of time. I had my hands full with the N12 but I stole covetous looks at that plane for a couple of years. There is something about the fuselage shape that reminds me of another favorite, the ME109. Let’s face it; those Germans had some damn attractive, yet sinister aircraft.

 The DVII was one of their best. So good in fact that the terms of the armistice dictated the Allies be delivered 1700 DVII’s. Well Fokker didn’t have them, so the DVII remained in production till January 1919!

 Dan San Abbott, in his article on the Aerodrome Form entitled “Fokker DVII’s In Service”, estimated the total DVII production at 3500 craft, starting in February of 1918 thru November 1918. 1000 planes were manufactured by the Fokker works, while 1200 were made under license by the Albatros Werks and another 1300 by the Ostdeusche Ablatros Werks, a subsidiary of Albatros. So most of the Fokker DVIIs were made by Albatros!!  Well don’t worry; Anthony Fokker got 5% on each Albatros produced machine. There are subtle differences in each of the manufacturer’s ware

Arriving too late to alter the course of World War I, the Fokker D.VII was arguably the finest fighter of the war. Designed by Reinhold Platz, the D.VII competed against a number of other designs during a competition held in early 1918. The aircraft was tested by Baron Manfred von Richthofen, and he found the plane simple to fly, steady in a high-speed dive and possessing excellent pilot visibility. Thanks to the support of the famous "Red Baron", the D.VII was ordered into mass production as Germany's premier front line fighter. However, Fokker was unable to produce D. VIIs fast enough, so the Albatross and the Allegemeine Elektizitats Gessellschaft (A.E.G.) companies also produced the D.VII. When World War I ended in November 1918, these three companies had built more than 1,700 D.VIIs.

  German pilots who flew combat in the D.VII marveled at the plane's high rate of climb and excellent handling characteristics. They also enjoyed the fact the D.VII's service ceiling was higher than most Allied fighter planes. This advantage allowed D.VII pilots to built up speed and energy during an attack run, giving them the luxury of being able to pick and choose their targets. In August 1918, Fokker D.VII's destroyed 565 Allied aircraft - making the D.VII one of the most feared aircraft of the war.

  After the war, the victorious Allies required the Germans to hand over all remaining examples of the D.VII. However, about 120 examples of the type were smuggled into Holland where Fokker set up shop and continued to produce aircraft. The U.S. Army brought 142 D.VIIs back to the United States and used them as Air Service trainers for many years. Twelve D.VIIs were transferred to the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Marine Corps operated six of these aircraft until 1924. As a result the D.VII influenced the design of several later U.S. Navy fighters, including the Boeing FB-I which entered service in 1925. Additionally, the Swiss operated a number of D. VIIs well into the 1930s.

Orginal Fokker DVII Specifications

My Airdrome Aeroplanes 80% Replica

Engine: 2280cc VW 2:1 redrive Valley Engineering with 84X50 Culver prop