@@nolanbowen8800 I think the Fokker was a more stable platform, whereas the Sopwith Camel was more like a flying gyro. It had some very unstable flight characteristics that made it dangerous to fly. As I recall, it had a nasty habit of killing newer pilots on a fairly regular basis. The Sopwith Snipe was an improved version that eliminated the instability.
@@patsmith8523, it was unstable because of the rotary engine which I believe the triplane also had. In the hands of a skilled pilot, however. it was deadly. I agree with you about the Snipe.
@@nolanbowen8800 You are correct, but it was the placement of that engine that made it unstable. The Fokker engine placement was not an issue and didn't need to be one. Anthony Fokker designed his triplane with wider wings to give the plane better lift. He created a stable platform in which amazing maneuvers could be performed at lower speeds making it the awesome dogfighter it was.
No complaints at all about the air combat sequence. However, repeatedly strafing the encampment in the second half of the clip was a kind of a joke. The Dr1 had miserable visibility, was relatively slow moving, and was not at all designed for ground attack. One good pass targeting the row of tents and then getting the hell out of Dodge would have made much more sense. The blighters on the ground had guns and would've been inclined to use them once they were stirred up. I prefer a little more realism but to each their own.
Just looking at der Fokker, I'd assume it could grab a lot of air, be highly maneuverable and be a fine turn fighter. On the negative side, it would grab a *lot* of air and be markedly slow, not a boomer.
well but thats really the point....fast planes didn't really exist at that point. They came in at the end of the war ( TO AN EXTEND) but that's why the tryplanes where so successful...because the negative was utterly manageable but the advantages where nominal. This plane is also where the stuka comes from. It works the same way. You gain a lot of height BEFORE the fight and then use it as stored energy overcoming the speed problems. You would often see when the plane sinks to low they would just turn back towards the trenches...and just come back with height again. Which the allied pilots felt was like cheating. Like waiting for 2 aces in a game without blinds you know? (ps the stukka obviously having a lot of the same problems as a quite heavy drop bomber would do just the same...gain thousands of meters up to the target then drop to gain speed for a fast getaway. Thats why they had the horns of jericho. So the enemy would jump until they hear the explosion as the drop means the bomb will hit even if the pilot dies...just with or without the plane...so shooting isn't working you gotta get away. THIS then gave the pilots the chance to escape before the enemy could fire.) Thats exactly how this plain was manouvered by the best pilots. It was so successful all dog fight maneuvers where based on the fact you attack from high ground and what to do if and and and.
