Photos by P. Daniel/M. Wiggins

A short history of the Eindecker

The Fokker Eindecker was a German First World War monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker. Developed in April 1915, the Eindecker ("Monoplane") was the first purpose-built German fighter aircraft and the first aircraft to be fitted with synchronizer gear, enabling the pilot to fire a machine gun through the arc of the propeller without striking the blades. The Eindecker granted the German air force, or "Luftstreitkräfte," a degree of air superiority from July 1915 until early 1916; a period known as the Fokker Scourge during which Allied aviators regarded their poorly armed aircraft as "Fokker Fodder".

General characteristics

* Crew: one, pilot
* Length: 7.2 m (23 ft 6 in)
* Wingspan: 9.52 m (31 ft 2 in)
* Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 9 in)
* Wing area: m² (ft²)
* Empty weight: 400 kg (882 lb)
* Loaded weight: 610 kg (1,345 lb)
* Powerplant: 1× Oberursel U.I 1 Rotary Engine, 74 kW (99 hp)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 140 km/h (76 kts)

Armament

* 1 × Parabellum MG14 machine gun