Fokker V.7
Encyclopedia
The Fokker V.7 was a prototype German fighter triplane
Triplane
A triplane is a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three vertically-stacked wing planes. Tailplanes and canard foreplanes are not normally included in this count, although they may occasionally be.-Design principles:...

 of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, an attempt to improve upon the Dr.I
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...

 by using the experimental Siemens-Halske Sh.III
Siemens-Halske Sh.III
Siemens-Halske's Sh.III was an 11-cylinder, air-cooled rotary engine developed in Germany during World War I, similar to the Sh.I.-Design:It shared with its predecessor the unusual design feature of having its internal workings rotating in a clockwise direction as seen from "nose-on", within the...

, double acting rotary engine. (A double acting rotary involved the crankshaft rotating one way, with the crankcase turning the other). To make use of the higher power and rpm, the aircraft had a four-bladed propeller of larger diameter than the Dr.I. This required longer landing gear. The rear fuselage had to be extended to compensate for the heavier engine. Four V.7 aircraft were built. V.7/I was in the fighter flyoff competition in January 1918. The performance of the V.7 was outstanding, but the engine was not ready for service. The Fokker V.7/I was converted to a Dr.I.

The V.7/II was powered by a 119 kW Gnome engine. The V.7/III used the 130 kW Goebel Goe.III, and while performance was excellent, the Goe.III was no more ready for combat than the Sh.III of the V.7/I.

The V.7/IV was supplied without an engine to the MAG firm of Austria-Hungary. MAG fitted it with a 108 kW Steyr rotary. The aircraft was intended to compete in the Austria-Hungarian fighter fly-off in July 1918, but damage due to a landing mishap caused it to miss the competition.
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