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Was the Fok.D.VII so exceptional??
Hi Bristol Scout:
I think the Fok.D.VII with the 180 Ps Mercedes D.IIIaü was not that exceptional, it only became exceptional with the 185 Ps BMWIIIa engine that produced at altitude 260Ps at 1500 rpm. That put it into a different class.
The Pfalz D.XII was powered with the Mercedes D.IIIaü engine as well as the Rol.D.VIa, both od these machine have said to be as good as Fok.D.VII with the same engine. The Rol.D.VIb with the 195 Benz BzIIIb engine was the equal of the Fok. D.VII with the BMWIIIa engine.
The problem with the Rolands was the construction of the fuselage, labor intensive and not easily built made them more expensive than the Fok.D.VII. The same is true for the Pfalz D.III, D.IIIa, D.VIII and the D.XII. Had they had steel tubing fuselages, there may have been a much different mix of aircraft at the front. The Albatros fuselage was less time consuming and more easily constructed the the Roland-Pfalz wrapped veneer fuselages.
Blue skies Dave,
Dan-San
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