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[alotef]

Hi all,
Here's a list of aircraft we need to complete our DBW 1916 experience. 
These are, in my opinion, some of the most important aircraft of the war which ought to be included;

1. Bristol F.2B
Specifications:

Code: [Select]

General characteristics
Crew: 2 (pilot & observer/gunner)
Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Wing area: 405 ft² (37.62 m²)
Empty weight: 2,145 lb (975 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 3,243 lb (1,474 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Falcon III liquid-cooled V12 engine, 275 hp (205 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 123 mph (107 kn, 198 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Range: 369 mi (320 nmi, 593 km)
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Rate of climb: 889 ft/min (4.5 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
1× .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun in the upper fuselage
1 or 2× .303 in Lewis Guns in the observer's cockpit
Bombs: 240 lb (110 kg)
Information:

Code: [Select]

When initially deployed, aircrews were instructed to maintain formation and use the crossfire of the observers' guns to meet any threat from enemy fighters. This was standard procedure at the time, and worked well for such types as the F.E.2b. For the Bristol, these tactics were flawed and did not withstand the first contact with the enemy. The F.2A arrived on the Western Front in April 1917 as the British launched the Battle of Arras. The very first F.2A patrol of six aircraft from No. 48 Squadron RFC, led by Victoria Cross recipient William Leefe Robinson, ran into five Albatros D.IIIs from Jasta 11 led by Manfred von Richthofen. Four out of the six F.2As were shot down – including Robinson, who was captured – and a fifth was badly damaged.[6]
More flexible, aggressive tactics soon proved that the new Bristol was by no means as ineffective in air-to-air combat as its first encounter with the enemy seemed to indicate. In fact it was eventually realised that the type was fast and manoeuvrable enough to be flown in combat more or less like a single-seat fighter; the pilot's fixed forward-firing gun served as the principal weapon, with the observer's flexible gun serving mainly as an additional "sting in the tail". Flown in this manner the Bristol Fighter was a formidable opponent for any German single-seater.
In September and October 1917, orders for 1,600 F.2Bs were placed and by the end of the First World War, the Royal Air Force had 1,583 F.2Bs in operation. A total of 5,329 aircraft were eventually built, mostly by Bristol but also by Standard Motors, Armstrong Whitworth and even the Cunard Steamship Company. After the war, F.2Bs continued to operate in army cooperation and light bombing roles throughout the British Empire, in particular the Middle East, India and China. The F.2B also served with the New Zealand Permanent Air Force and RAAF as well as with the air forces of Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Greece, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Spain and Sweden. It was not until 1932 that the F.2B was finally withdrawn from RAF service, the last "Brisfit" unit being No. 20 Squadron RAF stationed in India. The type lasted a further three years in New Zealand service.
In 1920 Poland bought 107 Bristol Fighters, thus becoming the second largest user of this type (105 with Hispano-Suiza 300 hp/220 kW engines, two with RR Falcon III).[7] It was most numerous Polish aircraft type at that time. Forty were used during the Polish-Soviet war from July 1920, among others in battle of Warsaw, for reconnaissance and close air support. The rest became operational only after hostilities. Two were shot down by ground fire, one was captured by the Soviets and several were lost in crashes. The survivors served in Poland for reconnaissance and training until 1932.[7]



2. Fokker D.VII
Specifications:

Code: [Select]

Crew: 1
Length: 6.954 m (22 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 8.9 m (29 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 20.5 m2 (221 sq ft)
Empty weight: 670 kg (1,477 lb)
Gross weight: 906 kg (1,997 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.III 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine, 120 kW (160 hp)
or 1x 130.5 kW (175 hp) Mercedes D.IIIa 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine
or 1x 137.95 kW (185 hp) BMW IIIa 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine
Performance
Maximum speed: 189 km/h (117 mph; 102 kn)
BMW IIIa engine - 200 km/h (124 mph)
Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,685 ft) [12]
Rate of climb: 3.92 m/s (772 ft/min)
BMW IIIa engine - 9.52 m/s (1,874.012 ft/min)
Time to altitude:
1,000 m (3,281 ft) in 4 minutes 15 seconds
2,000 m (6,562 ft) in 8 minutes 18 seconds
3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 13 minutes 49 seconds
4,000 m (13,123 ft) in 22 minutes 48 seconds
5,000 m (16,404 ft) in 38 minutes 5 seconds
Armament
Guns: 2× 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 "Spandau" machine guns
Information:

Code: [Select]

The D.VII entered squadron service with Jasta 10 in early May 1918. The type quickly proved to have many important advantages over the Albatros and Pfalz scouts. Unlike the Albatros scouts, the D.VII could dive without any fear of structural failure. The D.VII was also noted for its high maneuverability and ability to climb at high angles of attack, its remarkably docile stall, and its reluctance to spin. It could literally "hang on its prop" without stalling for brief periods of time, spraying enemy aircraft from below with machine gun fire. These handling characteristics contrasted with contemporary scouts such as the Camel and SPAD, which stalled sharply and spun vigorously.
However, the D.VII also had problems. Several aircraft suffered rib failures and fabric shedding on the upper wing. Heat from the engine sometimes ignited phosphorus ammunition until cooling vents were installed in the engine cowling, and fuel tanks sometimes broke at the seams. Aircraft built by the Fokker factory at Schwerin were noted for their lower standard of workmanship and materials. Nevertheless, the D.VII proved to be a remarkably successful design, leading to the familiar aphorism that it could turn a mediocre pilot into a good one, and a good pilot into an ace.
Manfred von Richthofen died only days before the D.VII began to reach the Jagdstaffeln and never flew it in combat. Other pilots, including Erich Löwenhardt and Hermann Göring, quickly racked up victories and generally lauded the design. Aircraft availability was limited at first, but by July there were 407 on charge. Larger numbers became available by August, when D.VIIs achieved 565 victories. The D.VII eventually equipped 46 Jagdstaffeln. When the war ended in November, 775 D.VII aircraft were in service.

(Note above: Interesting to see the WW2 Luftwaffe cross!  )


RAF Re.8
Specifications:

Code: [Select]

Crew: 2 (pilot & observer/gunner)
Length: 27 ft 10½ in (8.50 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft 7 in (12.98 m)
Height: 11 ft 4½ in (3.47 m)
Wing area: 377.5 sq ft (35.1 m²)
Empty weight: 1,803 lb (820 kg)
Loaded weight: 2,678 lb[1] (1,217 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,869 lb (1,304 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Royal Aircraft Factory 4a air-cooled V12 engine, 140 hp (104 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 103 mph (90 knots, 166 km/h) at sea level
Stall speed: 47 mph (41 knots, 76 km/h)
Endurance: 4 hours 15 min
Service ceiling: 13,500 ft (4,115 m)
Climb to 6,500 ft (1,980 m): 21 min
Armament
Guns: 1 x .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers gun and 1 or 2 x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns in rear cockpit
Bombs: up to 224 lb (102 kg) bombs
Information:

Code: [Select]

The first production aircraft reached No. 52 Squadron RFC in France in November 1916. The inexperienced pilots of No. 52 found their new mounts thoroughly dangerous – several of them were killed spinning in off a stall while attempting to land – and they were grateful to return to the B.E.2e by exchanging aircraft with 34 Squadron in January 1917. Experienced pilots did not have the same problems, and re-equipment of B.E.2 squadrons continued. Pilot’s notes for the type prepared in the field drew attention to the fact that the R.E.8 had a higher landing speed than the B.E.2e (hardly surprising, since it was heavier, and had almost the same wing area) and that (like other types at the time) it gave very little warning of a stall.[7]


Preparing an R.E.8 for a night bombing raid
The Royal Aircraft Factory conducted spinning tests on the type, concluding that the R.E.8 was quite hard to spin, and recovered easily[7] – but, nonetheless, the vertical fin area was redesigned with slightly increased area to improve spin recovery. This modification resulted in the production version being just as stable as the B.E.2e, and while this was an advantage for artillery spotting and photography, it gave the R.E.8 little chance of out-manoeuvring enemy fighters. A still larger fin was fitted to some R.E.8s used as trainers.


Preparing for a night take off
R.E.8s began to arrive at the front in numbers just as the period of German air superiority known as "Bloody April" was taking a heavy toll of all types in the RFC and early service was, unsurprisingly, not auspicious. On 13 April 1917, a patrol of six R.E.8s from No. 59 Squadron RFC was met by aircraft from Jasta 11 and all the R.E.8s were shot down within five minutes.[9]
The casualty rate in R.E.8 squadrons dropped as new Allied fighter types regained air superiority, and as a result of improved pilot training and tactics. Although never a popular aeroplane, it was reasonably satisfactory for the tasks demanded of it and was even regarded with some affection, gaining the rhyming slang nickname "Harry Tate" (after a popular music hall artist of the time). Some crews flew their slow, cumbersome mounts quite aggressively; the German fighter ace Eduard Ritter von Dostler was shot down by an R.E.8 of No. 7 Squadron RFC,[10] while No. 3 Squadron AFC was credited with 50 air victories in 12 months of operations.[11]
Although supplemented by other types the R.E.8 remained the RFC’s standard artillery spotting, air photography, and general short range reconnaissance aircraft for the remainder of the war – equipping 18 Royal Flying Corps squadrons in 1917 and 19 squadrons in 1918. Belgium was the only country other than Britain (and its Dominions) to operate the R.E.8 during the First World War, receiving 22 in July 1917. The Belgian examples were fitted with Hispano-Suiza engines – but in a SPAD type cowling – rather than the S.E.5a type cowling of the R.E.8a.
It was hoped to be able to replace the R.E.8 with a version of the Bristol Fighter powered by the Sunbeam Arab engine but the combination proved highly problematic, and few "Arab Bristols" had been completed by the end of the war.
By November 1918, the R.E.8 was regarded as completely obsolete and surviving examples were quickly retired after the Armistice. Nor was the type popular with the private owners who purchased many surplus aircraft after the war, and no R.E.8s came onto the civil register.



RAF Se.5a
The spitfire of WW1~
Specifications:

Code: [Select]

Crew: One
Length: 20 ft 11 in (6.38 m)
Wingspan: 26 ft 7 in (8.11 m)
Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.89 m)
Wing area: 244 ft² (22.67 m²)
Empty weight: 1,410 lb (639 kg)
Loaded weight: 1,935 lb (880 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,988 lb (902 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8 or Wolseley Viper water cooled V8 engine, 200 hp (150 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 138 mph (222 km/h)
Range: 300 miles (483 km)
Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,185 m)
Wing loading: 7.93 lb/ft² (38.82 kg/m²)
Armament
Guns:
1x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun with Constantinesco interrupter gear
1x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on Foster mounting on upper wing
Bombs: 4x 25 lb (11 kg) Cooper bombs, two under each lower wing, to be dropped in 2, 3, 4, 1 order.
Information:

Code: [Select]

The S.E.5 entered service with No. 56 Squadron RFC in March 1917, although the squadron did not deploy to the Western Front until the following month, among other reasons so that the very large and unpopular "greenhouse" windscreens could be replaced with small rectangular screens of conventional design. Pilots also disliked the original high seating position, designed to improve vision over the upper wing, preferring to sit lower (and more comfortably) in the cockpit. The squadron flew its first patrol with the S.E.5 on 22 April.[3] While pilots, some of whom were initially disappointed with the S.E.5, quickly came to appreciate its strength and fine flying qualities, it was universally held to be under-powered and the more powerful S.E.5a began to replace the S.E.5 in June.
At this time 56 Squadron was still the only unit flying the new fighter; in fact it was the only operational unit to be fully equipped with the initial 150 hp S.E.5 – all other S.E.5 squadrons officially used the 200 hp S.E.5a from the outset - although a few S.E.5s were issued to other squadrons due to an acute shortage of the S.E.5a. This shortage resulted in a very slow initial build up of new S.E.5a squadrons, and lasted well into 1918. Once the Wolseley Viper powered model became plentiful many more units re-equipped, until by the end of the war the type was employed by 21 British Empire squadrons as well as two U.S. units. Many of the top Allied aces flew this fighter including Billy Bishop, Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor, Edward Mannock and James McCudden. Legendary British ace Albert Ball was initially disparaging of the S.E.5 but in the end claimed 11 of his 44 victories flying it. McCudden wrote of the S.E.5 "It was very fine to be in a machine that was faster than the Huns, and to know that one could run away just as things got too hot."
Sholto Douglas who commanded No. 84 Squadron RFC which was initially equipped with the S.E.5a, listed the type's qualities as:
Comfortable, with a good all-round view.
Retaining its performance and manoeuvrability at high level
Steady and quick to gather speed in the dive.
Capable of a very fine zoom.
Useful in both offence and defence.
Strong in design and construction.
Possessing a reliable engine.



I will add more to this thread soon, including the Pfalz and Halberstadt series of fighters. 
~Mike

[max_thehitman]

I also have a collection of books of all aiplanes that flew in WW1.
There were 6,254 diferent airplanes that flew in the war.
I want them all in the IL2+mods game.
 You can start anytime to create them Alotef. We have all the time necessary to wait. 

[alotef]

Estimated time for alotef to complete the Be.2c for IL2:
7 years, 6 months and 3 days.
Not even joking. 
~Mike

[SAS~Friction]

Max....     

Regards

[David Prosser]

Hi, Mike, Some of them already exist in CFS3, or whatever it's called. I guess a lot of effort could be saved if they could be ported over like some of the SCW mod planes. Anyhow, it's a good idea however it's done.

cheers

David

[SAS~Friction]

I guess a lot of effort could be saved if they could be ported over like some of the SCW mod planes. Anyhow, it's a good idea however it's done.

cheers

David

It takes just as much effort (sometimes more) to port aircraft from other games... all depends on the condition of the model.

Regards

[David Prosser]

Hi, SAS~Friction. So, I guess not everything can be as cut and dried as I would like it. Oh, well, I hope the RE8, and Roland CII are more easily transferable than some others. Ditto for the Bristol fighter. It's good to see the SSDI available for d/l.

cheers

David