Who loves the Fokker D-VIII?

[Hauksbee 103]

I think the D-VIII is an elegant airplane, but I find it impossible to deal with the thickness of the top wing and its closeness to the fuselage. Even with all advantages of TrackIR, it's like trying to peer through a letter slot in a door. With most planes, you can see the labels through the wing. Not in the D-VIII. Anyone out there who deals successively with this?

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Not a fan TBH.... Future Snipe Fodder!

[+Polovski 460]

Stay high then you can have a good view downwards ;)

[Hauksbee 103]

Stay high then you can have a good view downwards ;)

A workable solution if the enemy is below you, but a pilot who flew in Korea told me, "Dogfights start high and fast; end up low and slow." And if you're at the same level, trying to slip in on his six, after the first shot he'll start bobbing and jinking and be impossible to see in that letterbox slot. If he does a Split-S, you'll never see him again. Lining up a deflection shot is out of the question. If you get down in the weeds, the best technique would be to land the plane and try to walk home.

[+Polovski 460]

Yeah good isn't it :) - it could even be a deathtrap !

 

It's a wonderful plane to poodle around the sky in (and impress top brass in at shows) not sure would help win a war though.

 

The view is what the pilots got, we put the eyes where your head would be where possible - so I'd stay high maybe swoop some and get back up asap. Not much else you can do or yes land and get out!

[Hauksbee 103]

Yeah good isn't it :) - it could even be a deathtrap !

My worst fears confirmed! (and I notice nobody is rushing to its defense.) Thanks, Pol.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I'll be rushing to shoot it down!

[Creaghorn 10]

i generally don't like monoplanes in WW1. it just not seem to fit visually.

what i like about it is the FM. it is very unforgiving as it IMO should be. also all other new AC which came with HiTR (Nieuport 28, DH5 etc.) have more unforgiving FM's than the previous AC. they feel more correct to me and maybe the previous AC are a bit too easy to fly?

[Olham 164]

I'm not a rotary fan, but the craft isn't bad.

For better view you could try zooming out one or two notches, Hauksbee.

[Hauksbee 103]

I'll be rushing to shoot it down!

You are a cruel, cruel man, Widowmaker. And...aptly named.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Hauksbee

[Hauksbee 103]

I'm not a rotary fan, but the craft isn't bad.

For better view you could try zooming out one or two notches, Hauksbee.

It's not that it flies badly, (Ernst Udet traveled Germany after the war giving hair-raising demos at air shows with a D-8) it's the visibility. Even at full zoom-out, there's A LOT OF wing and the further back you zoom, the smaller that letter-box sight-window gets. And...once again, I note that nobody is stepping up and saying, "Hey! My kill rate went through the roof when I strapped on my first D-8. This is a great plane."

[Rugbyfan1972 1]

i generally don't like monoplanes in WW1. it just not seem to fit visually.

what i like about it is the FM. it is very unforgiving as it IMO should be. also all other new AC which came with HiTR (Nieuport 28, DH5 etc.) have more unforgiving FM's than the previous AC. they feel more correct to me and maybe the previous AC are a bit too easy to fly?

 

Creaghorn,

 

From your quote above, I take it you think the sopwith camel is easy to fly? If so you will be only the second person on this forum (after RAFL) who has admitted to mastering the camel.

 

I know I haven't, although I can now put an aircraft into a spin at willl and recover from a spin at what feels like ground level - so it is not all bad. lol

Edited September 19, 2011 by Rugbyfan1972

[Hasse Wind 46]

I've never particularly liked the E.V/D.VIII. I'm no fan of the Dr.I either.

 

For a late war German fighter career, there's one aircraft that's easily the best: the Fokker D.VIIF. The Flying Razor doesn't come close.

[Creaghorn 10]

Creaghorn,

 

From your quote above, I take it you think the sopwith camel is easy to fly? If so you will be only the second person on this forum (after RAFL) who has admitted to mastering the camel.

 

I know I haven't, although I can now put an aircraft into a spin at willl and recover from a spin at what feels like ground level - so it is not all bad. lol

 

ahem, no. the camel is definitely not easy to fly and i also did not master it. what i mean is that with the newer AC it seems you have to have a better feel for the AC and play a bit more with rudder etc. while turning or landing. too easy was the wrong phrase.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I've never particularly liked the E.V/D.VIII. I'm no fan of the Dr.I either.

 

For a late war German fighter career, there's one aircraft that's easily the best: the Fokker D.VIIF. The Flying Razor doesn't come close.

 

I agree 100% with that comment Hasse

[Olham 164]

Don't listen to Widowmaker, Hauksbee - he won't stop ranting about the Fokker E.V until he will receive his damn Sopwith Snipe.

 

I found the E.V is similar to fly like the Nieuport 28.

Wide, gentle turns: gently banked, with rudder in turn direction.

Tight turns: fully banked, with elevator to get you round. No rudder in turn direction!

Edited September 19, 2011 by Olham

[Hauksbee 103]

Don't listen to Widowmaker, Hauksbee - he won't stop ranting about the Fokker E.V until he will receive his damn Sopwith Snipe.

Then all we'll hear is his laughter as he shreds them one by one. I take it from your comments on turns that the D.VIII is more of an 'Energy' fighter than a 'Turn and Burn' fighter.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Crash and Burn fighter more like

[Olham 164]

Give that man a fishing rod and a pond with carp in it!

 

No, Hauksbee, I wouldn't say that. The E.V is a turn fighter with a good climb.

Wikipedia gives 204 km/h top speed for it - in OFF it doesn't appear so fast to me.

But I haven't tried it since some time.

I'll do that in the next days.

[Hasse Wind 46]

I wonder if that Wikipedia top speed is the correct one? Everywhere else I've looked it's given as somewhere around 185 - 190 km/h. Still a decent speed for a German fighter though.

[Shiloh 12]

I'm not a big fan of limited visibility while fighting for dear life. When I fought with the original SE5a I couldn't see behind me which was disconcerting but I found a bit of a cheat. If you're using TrackIR just push your head toward the computer screen and then you can see right through the back of the seat and stare right down the tail.

[Olham 164]

Yeah, I was wondering too - 204 km/h? Quite fast!

[themightysrc 5]

Frankly, I'm surprised that the DVIII was even modelled for OFF - something of a triumph of cinematics over realism.

 

If there's one German scout that really should be modelled for the late period, then surely it's the Siemans-Shuckert DIII/DIV? As far as I'm aware, it served more widely and longer than the DVIII. And I'd like to chuck in a request for some information: what were the most widely top 6 scouts used by Entente forces and German forces, by year, from 1015 on? I suspect that if we had that definitive information, then the question of what's up next in P4 would be better discussed. Oh and chuck in the top 6 two seaters using the same criteria.

 

Cheers,

Si

[Olham 164]

Well, there is also the powerful Pfalz D.XII.

Then there is the Roland D.VI, which is said to have been almost equal to the Fokker D.VII.

But then - what about more early war planes?

 

Now our good friend Hasse Wind will come in here and say (and he would be right),

that more two-seaters - especially French ones - would be needed.

 

After all, I bet that the devs have carefully balanced the needs with their "modelling power",

and will come up with the next good planes - which ones ever that will be.

And for everything, that'll still be missing in P4 - there will some day be P5.

Edited September 20, 2011 by Olham

[Hauksbee 103]

If you're using TrackIR just push your head toward the computer screen and then you can see right through the back of the seat and stare right down the tail.

You've just acquired "Super Powers!"