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Old 13 October 2009, 08:19 PM   #8 (permalink)
backusstudio
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eugene, Oregon USA
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No Manfred in this shot, but Jim Miller sent me a picture of the prototype that MvR flew. You can see the shorter fuselage and lack of a vertical stabilizer compared to the production airplane. Manfred observed that the prototype was unstable at high speed, particularly in a dive. Those mods were a result of his input.



Jim and I have talked at length about Manfred and the D.VII and whether he would have survived the war if he had just lasted a few more weeks. The sub 100 mph Dr.1 was sorely outclassed by April 1918. All speculation of course but fun to think about. My observation was that being more of a tactician and marksman than aeronautics proponent, MvR would have been great in the D V.II.
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