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Fokker D-V - Background
When the Fokker E-III Monoplanes were driven by superior Allied biplane fighters at the battle of Somme in 1916, the German command ordered biplane fighters form the major airplane manufacturers. Fokker in response to this designed a biplane version based on the earlier monoplane, the D-I, D-II, and the D-III. all of which received a moderate acceptance.

Fokker D-III
The famous "Red Baron" flew a Fokker D-III that entered service in June 1916 but then advanced to an Albatross D-III which at that time had superior performance.

The much improved and more streamlined model D-V evolved in late 1916 only to be hampered with an under powered engine. Some 300 D-V were produced and delivered during the first half of 1917 and used primarily as a trainers for the more powerful and agiole Fokker DR-1 triplane, Pflaz D VIII and Siemens-Schuckert D III that were expected to be received later this year.

The Fokker D-V has been described as a pilot's aircraft with a lot of possibilities and similar to a thoroughbred racehorse. Pilots, however that were used to fly the slow and insensitive Albatross and other of the same kind, either crashed it or left it alone.

Construction
The construction follows Fokker's basic principles with a steel tube welded fuselage, steel tube empennage and wood/plywood wing design.

Landing gear and tailskid assemblies are welded steel tubing and the main wheel axle is suspended with bungee rubber cords.

A high lift undercambered wing profile, heritage from the E-III, was used and the single bay wing celules were crossbraced with wires in a conventional way. Again this was a development from the D-III/IV. The upper wing was swept back 6 degrees and the lower wing straight. Both equal spanned wings had no dihedral and only the upper wing had ailerons. Aileron linkage is by wire from the upper wing via pulleys in the lower wing to the fuselage and control column.

The elevator is all flying (no fixed stabilizer) and the balanced rudder has no fin. Both are controlled by pull-pull cables directly to the rudder bar and the control column.

Equipped with a 100 hp Oberursel Rotary engine it obtained a maximum speed of almost 100 m/h, not considered enough however, for a fighter of this time. For practice and self-defense a Spandau machine gun was mounted off center to the right in front of the windscreen.

Wingspan upper	8.75m
Wingspan lower	8.75
Cord both wings	1.16
Sweepback upper wing 6 deg.	6 degrees
Sweepback lower wing none	none
Gap between wings	1.20m
Stagger	1.20m
Wing area	15.55m
Length	6.05m
Height	2.30m
Track	1.70m
Empty weight	363kg
Loaded weight	566kg
Maximum speed	103 mph
Crew	1