Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was another aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz. It used the same landing gear as the Dr.1 and it's fuselage profile was similar. The aircraft competed in the January 1918 fighter competition and was immediately ordered into production. Three months later the D.VII was in operational use with it's performance matched only by the Sopwith Snipe and the Spad XIII. This aircraft gained such a notoriety amongst the Allies that only it and the Zeppelins were singled out for confiscation after the Armistice on 11 November 1918. Over 700 Fokker D.VII aircraft were manufactured. 1) The Fokker DVII brings with it the second best climb rate and best dive ability in 1.3r1. It has the worst roll rate at low speeds, but the sustained turn rate is right up there at the top of the list. When the fight gets low and slow you can try turning yet an opponent who knows about roll will get away from you if they start rolling and throw in a few vertical moves on the way. This low roll rate will get you killed. 2) A good tactic is to use the climb rate. Keep your speed up, dive fast and hard at the bogey, shoot with the two Spandaus, extend level to achieve the best seperation and then start climbing slowly in a spiral to the left. Nothing bar the SE5a will stay with you. There is a problem to be overcome after that when you choose to drop down on the bogey. The low roll rate will hurt you so give give it plenty of left rudder and control with right stick to slice your way down onto him. This is not too easy though and seems to take longer to achieve results than it does in the bf109 variants in WarBirds. 3) With a superb dive rate you can catch any aircraft in a dive, even the SE5a. Roll rate improves as you accelerate and makes this aircraft very controllable at high speeds. Compression will set in but is not as heavy as in other aircraft and you will be able to dive, roll, and turn after any bogey on the way down. Zoom climb (if there is such a thing in DoA) is very good too, especially as a prelude to the spiral climb as you come hauling out of the 230+mph dive. 4) Finally (and this is a big problem) it is not very fast, and acceleration is nothing to write home about. It's top level speed is only about 118mph which is well below the SE5a, Spads, and Camel. So get high, stay as fast as you can, choose to seperate a bogey from the furball and work on him with altitude until dead. Just needs practise, no? Last word for the moment to Ruy "Spades" Horta "As for the D7... It has been tweaked as such that its ceiling, climb and speed have been improved... the handling is still contrary to how it is descibed."
Engine: 185hp B.M.W. III 6-cylinder inline piston engine Wing Span: 29 ft 2.5 in Length: 22 ft 9.5 in Height: 9 ft 0.25 in Weight: 1,620 lb (empty), 1,940 lb (maximum take off)
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