Although the Fokker Dr I was one of the most famous aircraft in the First World War, it was by no means ranked among the best. Construction of the aircraft goes back to the request by German fighter pilots for an aircraft to match the English Sopwith Triplane. This fighter aircraft was deployed over the Western Front for the first time in February 1917 and created a sensation with its manoeuvrability and climbing capacity. Work at Fokker began on the first triplane in mid-June 1917. Without further ado, designer-in-chief Reinhold Platz had an experimental biplane with the designation D VI (originally manufactured for Austria-Hungary) converted to a cantilever triplane with relatively narrow wings. In common with all the Fokker designs at the time, the aircraft had a welded tubular-steel fuselage, which was covered in fabric or covered with plywood in the aft section. The wings were made entirely of glued plywood with a box-spar, with a wing edge also covered in plywood and with a fabric covering. By contrast, the tail units were produced in tubular-steel construction and also covered in fabric. An Oberursel Ur II rotary engine provided the power unit. The engine was accommodated in an aluminium cowling which was open underneath. The standard two Spandau lMG 08/15 machine guns provided the aircraft’s armament and these were mounted directly in front of the pilot on the upper surface of the fuselage.
Immediately after testing, this prototype was delivered to Austria-Hungary, but its performance characteristics had already impressed the German Inspectorate of the Air Corps (Idflieg) for some time. However, wing vibrations occurred as a result of the cantilever construction so that the three wings were subsequently configured with single struts, although bracing continued to be unnecessary. During the first half of July in 1917, Fokker received construction orders from Idflieg for a total of three of these aircraft. A few days later, this was followed by another order for 20 triplanes. At the end of August, the first aircraft were successfully tested at the front line.
From 10 October 1917, the aircraft was introduced across the Air Corps and now bore the military designation Fokker Dr I. However, there had already been a series of serious accidents by the end of the month, caused by the upper wing collapsing. The aircraft were then quarantined and Fokker had to strengthen the wing surfaces in a measure carried out at its own cost. The ailerons were also modified and the water-proofing of the entire wing assembly was improved. Despite these measures, the wing problems continued more or less unchanged, although the Dr I was again released for operations on the front line at the end of November. The aircraft became world famous mainly through its most famous pilot Manfred von Richthofen and his death.
The Fokker Dr I was characterized by unsurpassed manoeuvrability and climbing capacity at low speeds. The flight characteristics were mainly due to its low weight and the thick wing profile. Since it was relatively low-powered and the thick wings configured one above the other created much more air resistance than was originally envisaged, the aircraft’s speeds quickly lagged behind those of other contemporary aircraft. Overall, the triplane offered too few advantages and development potential in order to provide any serious competition to the standard biplanes of the time. Nevertheless, the German fighter pilots achieved numerous successes with this aircraft before it was retired from front-line operations in the summer of 1918. A total of 320 Fokker Dr I aircraft had been deployed on operational service up to that point.
