Country of origin:

Germany

Description:

Single-seat triplane fighting scout

Power Plant:

One 82 kw (110 hp) Oberursel UR.II or Thulin-built Le Rhone nine-cylinder rotary piston engine

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Spandau LMG 08/15 fixed forward firing machine guns

History:

Although one of the most famous aircraft of World War I, the Fokker Dr.1 was not in fact one of the great combat aircraft of that era. Following the success of Australian pilot Lieutenant Robert A Little in a Sopwith Triplane, Baron Manfred von Richthofen sought from Fokker a triplane to put him on even terms with the British machine.

Reinhold Platz initiated the project in the Fokker design office and, after a couple of prototypes were built, the Fokker F.1V.3 appeared and became the prototype for three production models initially known as the Fokker F.1, this being changed to Dr.1 for Dreidecker or triplane. However, the type was not a great success and, whilst it did have a good climb rate, and excellent manoeuvrability, the Dr.1 was renowned for shedding its wings at speed in the early stages of its introduction to service, and was grounded soon after to undergo wing modifications.

Following the loss of a number of Fokker Dr.1s in non-combat related incidents, interest in the triplane waned. It seems that whilst it was found the main wing spar was sufficiently strong, the rib, wingtip and aileron attachment points were weak and, due to poor quality control in the doping of the fabric and varnishing of the wooden wing components, wood-rot occurred quickly in the wing structure. This necessitated some re-design before the type could resume operations.

Only 320 Dr.1 Scouts were built, the type having entered service in August 1917. By December 1917 the Fokker D.VII, which was a superior aircraft in many ways, was being issued to units to replace the Dr.1, and production of the latter ceased in May 1918.

The power plant was the 75 kw (100 hp) Le Rhone rotary which was licence-built in Sweden by Thulin. The fuselage was of welded steel tube construction with transverse cable bracing to make a box-girder structure. The wings were identical in chord and construction and were built on a single spar, which was in fact two box-spars joined together. The leading-edge was covered with thin plywood sheet extended aft of the spar, and then fabric covered. The ailerons were of welded steel tube with fabric covering.

The fame of the Dr.1 was probably due to the pilots who flew it in combat. Leading aces of the German Air Force at the time included Baron Manfred von Richthofen (the immortal ‘Red Baron’), Ernst Udet, Werner Voss, Kurt Wolff, Lothar von Richthofen (Manfred’s brother), and Hermann Goering who flew the type with some success. Manfred Von Richthofen scored quite a number of his successes whilst flying a Dr.1 (serial 425/17), which was painted bright red overall with a white tail. This fame, and the legend of the ‘Red Baron’ flying the Dr.1, has led to many builders of replica aircraft around the world constructing this type, and quite a number of Triplanes have been built by enthusiasts and organisations for display purposes.

Although similar in appearance to the original aircraft, nearly all aircraft constructed have employed more modern construction methods and modern engines have been installed in order to save some of the maintenance costs, and the problems associated with running World War I era rotary engines. Probably the greatest exponent of the type was Werner Voss, who received a Dr.1 (103/17) on 28 August 1917 and who had a final score of 48 victories.

One replica constructed in the United States of America was imported to Australia for air show work. Painted as the Red Baron’s aircraft (serial 425/17) it operated with its American registration (N864DR) before taking up its Australian registration VH-ALU (c/n 1864DR), being registered on 14 August 1984 and being removed from the register on 8 October 2003. This aircraft was fitted with a seven-cylinder Lycoming air-cooled radial engine. In its early days it operated from a private airstrip near Bowral, NSW.

For a period VH-ALU was on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, ACT, but in later years was based at Point Cook, VIC and regularly flown at aviation events in mock combat with a Sopwith Pup replica VH-PSP (c/n TSP1).  In 2003 the Australian War Memorial transferred ownership to the Australian Army Museum at Oakey, QLD, where it has been placed on display.

Further replicas have been built in Australia, both full scale and 80 per cent scale. One example was completed and registered as VH-FXP (c/n NA-1) in February 2013 at Nundah in Queensland. This aircraft, painted as one of von Richthofen’s aircraft, was built in the United States to Walter Redfern plans and, fitted with a Lycoming O-320 four-cylinder engine, was imported to Caboolture, QLD where it has flown with other World War I replica aircraft with The Australian Vintage A iation Society (TAVAS).

Another Fokker Dr.1 full-scale replica has been built in Victoria, this becoming VH-MYR² (c/n 1) and being registered to Raptor Aviation of Brighton on 18 April 2018.  Registration of this aircraft was changed to VH-EIN in September 2019.

A number of replicas have been constructed in New Zealand, and others have been imported from the United States over the years. Five examples ZK-JOB (c/n TCS-1); ZK-JOC (c/n 143); ZK-JOG (c/n 1823); ZK-JOK (c/n 2009) and ZK-FOK (c/n AACA/266/2) have been part of the collection of World War I aircraft at the Omaka aerodrome near Blenheim. The latter was fitted with a 164 kw (220 hp) Continental radial engine, and was flown for the first time on 23 February 1985. On occasion at aviation events at Omaka seven Dr.1 replicas have flown in formation.

Further examples have been completed. One has been painted in the colours of Baron Von Richthofen and placed on display in a diorama at the Omaka Heritage Museum as the Baron’s crashed aircraft on the Western Front in World War I. In 2015 eight Dr.1 replicas were flown in formation at Omaka.

A 70 per cent replica has been completed and placed on display at Fighter World at RAAF Williamtown, NSW.

In the United States the Fokker Dr.1 has been popular with ultralight and amateur constructors, the Walter Redfern Company of Post Falls, Idaho producing plans for the construction of a replica of this aircraft. These aircraft are of typical metal tube construction with wood and fabric. More than 5,000 sets of plans have been sold, and more than 400 examples have been completed, many fitted with the 108 kw (145 hp) Warner Super Scarab engine but, because this engine has not readily been readily available for many years, other radial engines have been used such as the Australian-built Rotec F-2800 radial.  In 2018 it was announced an American company had commenced production of a new variant of the Super Scarab engine.  A not to scale replica has been put on display as paer of the HARS collection of aircraft at Parkes, NSW.