Early Fokker Biplanes 1916 part 2
Martin Kreutzer one of the chief designers at Fokker-Flugzeugwerke created several different aircraft types during 1916. The Fokker (M.18) D.I - B.III project did not result in a viable light scout. The other attempt was the (M.17) B.II - D.II type aircraft. This design used a rotary engine similar to the one used in the D.III, D.V, D.VI, and Fokker Dr.I triplane. It provided a lighter power plant which was hoped to give the aircraft a better weight to power ratio. The new problem plaguing the design was the 100 hp (75 kW) Oberursel U.I did not provide the power needed or the reliability for extended duty in the field.
The Fokker B.II designation was shared by two different unarmed German observation aircraft of World War I. One was developed from the same M.17 prototype that had been developed into the Fokker D.II fighter, and the other from the M.10. Both machines had a crew of two and resembled the B.I.
The Fokker D.II was a German fighter biplane of World War I. It was a single seat fighter aircraft developed before the Fokker D.I. It was based on the M.17 prototype, with single-bay unstaggered wings and a larger fuselage and shorter span than production D.IIs. Using a 100 hp (75 kW) Oberursel U.I, the D.II was underpowered, though the single 0.312 in (7.92 mm) LMG 08/15 machine gun was normal for 1916. The German Army purchased 177.
In service, the D.II proved to be little better than the earlier Fokker Eindecker fighters - in particular, it was outclassed by the superior French Nieuport 11 and 17. Several Fokker D.IIs were used by the Kampfeinsitzerkommandos and the early Jagdstaffeln alongside the Halberstadt D.II but the early Fokker biplanes were quickly discarded when the new Albatros fighters came out.
References
- "Fokker B.II", From Wikipedia "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_B.II_(1916)"
- "Albatros D.II", From Wikipedia "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_D.II"
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). "Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation
". London: Studio Editions. pp. 399.
- "World Aircraft Information Files". London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 894 Sheet 40.
2 comments:
So many aircraft that were not up to the job.
@Fran: It is bound to happen when you are innovating new technologies. Nobody knew what was needed to make a winning design. The designers were literally writing the book while they experimented. Many of the companies entering the aircraft construction business had no practical experience with aviation before getting a contract. It is a miracle there were so many aircraft which did work.
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