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Typenumber E.3./M.14.
Type of aircraft
Fighter
Country Germany
Date first flight 1915
Wingspan 31 ft 2¾ in [9.5 m]
Lenght 23 ft 7½ in [7.2 m]
Height: 9 ft 1¾ in [2.4 m]
Empty Weight 399 kg
Gross Weight 1342 lb [610 kg]
Enginetype Oberursel U.I, 9 cylinder, rotary
Engine
power 		100 hp [75 kW]
Speed (max) 88 mph [140 km/h]
ceiling 11,500 ft [4100 m]
Endurance 1½ hours
Number built 260
Armament 1 or 2 Spandau machine gun, 7.92 mm

Technical design Fokker E.3
Fokker E.3/M.14 Eindecker

The Fokker scourge, E.3 attack

Fokker E.3 in a dogfight, C Thijs Postma

Fokker E.3
Important permutation


The E.3., sometimes referred to as the Eindecker ("one wing"), deserves a significant place in aviation history, not necessarily because of its aerial prowess, but because it was the first combat aircraft in the world to be equipped with a forward-firing, fixed machine gun synchronized to fire between the propeller blades.

The E.3. was the third and most important permutation of Fokker's original monoplane family. Being a small but important step forward in the evolution of the fighter,

The E.3./M.14. had an upgraded engine and increased wingspan compared with the Fokker E.2./M.14.

Fokker E.3

This aircraft is a full-scale reproduction of one of the most historically significant German combat aircraft of World War I

Fokker E.III

it is important to note that this aircraft used wing warping for roll control, rather than the "more advanced" aileron flight-control system.

Almost similar to the Fokker E.2., but built from the outset with the 100hp Oberursel U I engine. The E.3. was most build of the series with over 260.

Second gun


A second gun was sometimes added, but the additional weight seriously decreased performance. The E.3. was the most famous of the series; apart from its forward-firing gun, it had the advantages of maneuvrability and climbing speed, but was inferior to allied aircraft in other respects.

The Eindecker was a direct copy of the Morane-Saulnier "Parasol" except for the characteristic Fokker tail plane and the synchronized machine gun.

As in most early mono- and biplanes it did not possess ailerons, it performed banking maneuvers by wing warping.

 

Even at the end of it's life the Eindecker did not possess ailerons, thus decreasing it's ability to avoid more agile enemy aircraft.
The most prolific version was this E.3., although even it was not a brilliant performer. It mounted a 100 hp Oberursel rotary engine that was not very reliable. Engine power decreased with altitude and so the plane could not operate over 3,000 m (9800 ft).

It took 30 minutes to get to 3,000 m and manouverability was nil at that altitude.

The "eindecker" was typically armed with a single LMG 08/15 7.92 mm machine gun firing through the propeller using a synchonizing gear.