Will the real Tony Fokker please stand up?

[Hauksbee]

Another discovery of todays surfing: Tony Fokker in 1912. Not the 40 year old, and balding, Fokker seen in "The Blue Max" and "von Richtofen and Brown".

[33LIMA]

I think Fokker filmed most of this clip, it's the one from which some stills are often published, showing MvR, Fokker and others with Lt Bird after MvR shot him down in the F1 triplane, in which sequnce fokker appears, too I believe:

[Hauksbee]

I think Fokker filmed most of this clip, it's the one from which some stills are often published, showing MvR, Fokker and others with Lt Bird after MvR shot him down in the F1 triplane, in which sequnce fokker appears, too I believe:

Yup, that's A. Fokker all right. What I liked most was the section near the beginning where Hermann Goring pulls off his flying helmet and there's a leather face shield covering all but the eyes. Then that comes off and he unwinds about five feet of scarf that's keeping the cold wind off his neck (and from blowing down into his jacket) I'd often wondered about face protection in bad weather. I've ridden a motorcycle in the rain. At 60mph those rain drop sting! At 120mph+ they must be bloody painful. To say nothing of sleet, snow and frostbite quality wind.

[+RAF_Louvert]

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So many folks forget, (or simply don't realize), that the vast majority of the men involved in the "Great Air War" were young. An old man in the flying game back then was anyone over 22.

 

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[Hauksbee]

So many folks forget, (or simply don't realize), that the vast majority of the men involved in the "Great Air War" were young. An old man in the flying game back then was anyone over 22.

...continuing on into WWII. Greg "Pappy" Boyington was 31 when he commanded the Black Sheep. And I recall seeing a promo for "Memphis Belle" where they had brought members of the original crew for a pre-screening. One of them said, while shaking his head and laughing, "That was us allright." I thought he was saying that the film makers had got the events right. (which they didn't) Actually, he was remembering that they were still children in 1941.

Edited November 8, 2011 by Hauksbee

[+Olham]

Here are some more pics - Anthony Fokker with Kurt Wolff and MvR; and with Werner Voss.

 

 

 

...and A. Fokker 1912:

 

 

[+Hasse Wind]

It must have something to do with the fact that old and overweight men make poor pilots, no matter their other abilities.

 

Besides, you had to be pretty young and stupid to go into battle with those early flying contraptions!

[Hauksbee]

Besides, you had to be pretty young and stupid to go into battle with those early flying contraptions!

On the other hand, every refinement and new model brought to the field represented the very acme of hi-tech modernity. What could go wrong?