Fokker V.8 (Quintuplane)

History

The arrival of the Sopwith triplanes, which were provided to the Allies in World War I, immediately indicated to the Germans the need for equally capable aircraft. The triplane arrangement provided superior maneuverability, rate of climb and operational ceiling compared to the conventional biplanes used by the Luftwaffe at the time. Thus began a series of incremental developments in triplane flight, starting with the Fokker V.4 prototype and ending with the V.7.

The V.5 eventually became the classic Fokker Dr. I - the famous "Red Baron" mount.

To further improve such a design, company boss Anthony Fokker came up with the idea of ??five aircraft - that is, fighter jets that rely on five full-wing main aircraft - on the grounds that the five main aircraft would have an equally large share of the capability The impact could be something like a triplane wing arrangement. The idea was (more or less) realised by the clunky Fokker V.8 prototype, which completed two modest test flights and only a tiny bit before the idea was abandoned.

Components of the V.6 prototype are also deprecated and form part of the V.8 framework. A board-sided long fuselage was created, placing the pilot in an open-air cockpit amidships. The engine (driving the two-bladed propeller) was mounted on the nose as usual.

The tail is basically a Fokker, the fuselage mounts a horizontal plane and a circular vertical tail. The final negotiated wing layout included a full three-wing configuration in the nose and a bi-wing configuration aft of the cockpit (approximately midship). The landing gear is fixed and has a pair of wheels for ground operation.

The aircraft is powered by a 160-horsepower Mercedes D. III water-cooled engine.

In addition to being a "five-layer", the V.8 is, by definition, a tandem wing aircraft. The front three-wing arrangement allows the non-staggered aircraft to have vertical struts for improved stability. Balancing ailerons are mounted on the top wing main plane of both wing groups for better control.

The chord of the rear wing is thicker than that of the tri-wing wing.

Fokker himself made his first flight in October 1917, essentially a run. Problems were discovered involving modifications to the plane, and a second flight was carried out about two weeks later.

The five-blade configuration was found to have contributed little to the fighter design, and the entire plan was abandoned within a short period of time.

The performance figures on this page are purely estimates by the author.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes