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The Middle Years
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 The French Air Service replaced the Nieuport 17 with the SPAD S.VII. Although disadvantaged by poor forward and downward views from the cockpit, the SPAD S.VII was fast, durable and difficult to shoot down. A good performer, it was flown by nearly all the French aces. It proved less successful in the hands of the British, possibly due to the combat tactics employed by the pilots of the Royal Flying Corps. With 18 victories, Irish ace William Cochran-Patrick scored more victories with the SPAD S.VII and SPAD S.XIII than any other ace. | SPAD S VII Type: Fighter First Introduced: September 1916 Number Built: 3,825 Engine: Hispano-Suiza 8A, V-8, 150 hp Wing Span: 25 ft 7¾ in 7.82 m Length: 20 ft 2 in 6.15 m Height: 7 ft 6.5 in Empty Weight: 1,102 lb Gross Weight: 1632 lb 740 kg Max Speed: 119 mph 191.5 kmh Ceiling: 17,500 ft Endurance: 1.5 hours Crew: 1 Armament: 1 Vickers .303 machine gun |
Agile and heavily armed, the Albatros D.III looked similar to earlier models. Using V-struts, the size of the lower wing was reduced to improve downward visibility. But the struts allowed the wing to twist in flight. Manfred von Richthofen, one of the first pilots to receive the new plane, experienced this problem first hand when the lower wing of his D.III cracked in flight. |
Albatros D.III Manufacturer: Albatros Werke GmbH Type: Fighter First Introduced: January 1917 Number Built: 1,350 Engine: Mercedes D.IIIa, 175 hp Wing Span: 29 ft 8¼ in 9.05 m Length: 24 ft ½ in 7.33 m Height: 9 ft 9 ¼ in 2.98 m Gross Weight: 1,949 lbs 886 kg Speed: 109 mph 175 km/h 3,281 ft 1,000 m Ceiling: 18,044 ft 5,500 m Endurance: 2 hours Crew: 1 Armament: 2 Spandau light machine guns |
The Sopwith Pup quickly became a favorite with pilots of the Royal Naval Air Service. It was superior to the Fokker D.III and more than a match for any of the new Halberstadt and Albatros scouts. Armed with a single synchronous machine gun, it was lighter and less dangerous than it's successor, the Sopwith Camel. Although underpowered, pilots liked the plane because it was maneuverable and fast. It could climb and hold its altitude better than any other fighter. In August 1917, the Sopwith Pup was the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship, the Royal Navy's H.M.S. Furious. | Sopwith Pup Engine: Rhone 9C 80 hp. Wingspan: 8.08 m Length: 5.89 m Weight: 358 kg/560 kg Max. speed: 178 km/h Ceiling: 5200 m Crew: 1 Armament: 1 x machinegun |
The D.II was a single-seat escort fighter, based on the structural principles of the C II, a wooden veneer shell fuselage. The deep fuselage filled to gap between the biplane wings completely. The production was hampered by a fire in the L.F.G. factory; about 20 were built. The Roland D.II suffered from a design flaw that limited the forward view of the pilot. |
Roland D.II Engine: Mercedes D.III 160 hp. Wingspan: 8.94 m Length: 6.93 m Weight: 653 kg/793 kg Max. speed: 169 km/h Ceiling: 5200 m Crew: 1 Armament: 2 x machineguns |
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Original material copyright © 7/8/99 W. Ira Boucher. All Rights Reserved. |
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