Fokker E.I

The Fokker E.I was the first fighter aircraft to enter service with the Fliegertruppe of the Deutsches Heer in World War I.

Its arrival at the front in mid 1915 marked the start of a period known as the “Fokker Scourge” during which the E.I and its successors achieved a measure of air superiority over the Western Front.

54 aircraft were built.

Specifications

Crew

1

Length

7.22 m (23 ft 8 in)

Wingspan

8.85 m (29 ft 0 in)

Height

2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)

Wing area

15.9 m2 (171 sq ft)

Empty weight

360 kg (794 lb)

Gross weight

563 kg (1,241 lb)

Powerplant

1 × Motorenfabrik Oberursel U.0 7-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine

(clone of Gnome Lambda engine), 60 kW (80 hp)

Propellers

2 bladed wooden fixed-pitch propeller, 2.3–2.5 m (7 ft 7 in–8 ft 2 in) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed

130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn)

Cruise speed

110 km/h (68 mph, 59 kn)

Range

198 km (123 mi, 107 nmi)

Service ceiling

3,000 m (9,800 ft)

Time to altitude

2,000 m (6,562 ft) in 20 minutes

Armament

Guns

1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) Spandau lMG 08 machine gun

(One Parabellum MG14 M/G on prototypes).