Fokker Eindecker III - How do you fly/fight in this thing?

M

Maledon

Guest
I crash every time I fly it

Also it seems that every allied plane is superior to it.

I need some flight/fight tips for this bird.
 
It's very difficult. I find myself sliding into the ground when I fly the Eindekker. Very tough. Would be interested in pointers from the experts on this machine!

Very tough, as are all of the early aircraft I am finding.
 
It was the first aircraft ever to fly with a interrupter linkage to it's gun.

That made it a DEADLY WEAPON and any flyability problems were overlooked
 
It's not you. It's a nightmare to fly period. Be easy with it, and pick your fights. Climb all the time, as she looses E and alt real easy. You cannot turn fight in it, it's a B n Z plane believe it or not.

OvS
 
The Fok EIII is an E fighter...you only hope in an encounter is to be on top at the onset.

Look up the manuver called the Immelman turn. It is your only hope for a quick turn and to reverse the disadvantage...again you must be on top of the fight.
If you find yourself below at the encounter... and the oponet choose to dive on you from behind...allow him to commit to the dive... as he dose..nose down a little gain some airspeed then execute the immlman as you compleate the reverse keep the nose down a little for speed to escape...don't look back just run.

You will never out climb a Nieuport in that machine.
 
I have found that the P3 flight version is much better than the P2 version.
What works for me is to use my rudder peddals hard to start a turn, keep the nose down, then use opposiste stick or wing twist to balance out the rudder action. It is by nature unstable, so you have to keep after it. When you kick the rudder peddals, the nose wants to climb, so watch that as well.
 
Flying the Eindecker is more than on any other plane a question of "energy management".
While the later planes all gain forward speed/energy from their engines, the Eindecker's is rather poor. But here you will learn the most about flying.

For any movement you want to perform, you must gain energy. So, if you want to make a turn: keep nose below horizon before / gain energy.
If you want to make a tighter turn, you may even have to dive a bit, to gain more energy.
Climbing after some opponent KILLS your energy rapidly, and makes you a sitting duck very quick. You can't do any quick action, when you have killed the energy.
Keep that in mind all the time. Only climb, when not in any danger. If in action or wanting to perform a manoeuver: nose below horizon - gain speed/energy first.
After a while, you'll get better with that. But: your opponents in here will remain superior - they just have the better fighters; and you must get very good, to get some downed.
That's, why I will play BHaH backwards - I'll start 1918, with the easy plaes, and work my way back to the more humble ones.
The Eindecker will be the last, and the hardest "lesson".
 
When flying the eindekker I also decrease the fuel load before the mission to 50% or so if the mission allows. Also sometimes I drop the ammo to 75% but not usually. This lightens the plane obviously and makes handling better.
 
The Eindecker is hampered by a very slow roll rate, which makes turn and burn fighting very difficult with it. It could out turn reconnaisance aircraft of the era (Voisins, etc), but against any sort of newer scout you need to dive on them and then try to escape their guns. As an energy fighter it's not great either because it's so slow in general. It doesn't climb well either. If someone is above you in a scout in P3, avoid contact if possible.

What made the Fokker deadly is, as above, the interrupter gear combined with the fact that most aircraft of the era were slow two seat recon aircraft. Although the Eindecker seems like a slug compared to Nieuports and the D.H. 2, it actually was fast and nimble compared to the early two seaters that were the predominant aircraft in the first year of the war. People mention the Morane-Saulnier "N" type (Bullet) aircraft, but they actually were few compared to the recon planes (contrary to what Red Baron games would imply). We think of the M-S N type as the "first fighter" with its deflector plates, but those were actually just a small experimental group spearheaded by the likes of Roland Garros. There was no allied mass manufacture of M-S N planes with deflectors, those were a retro-fit by some pioneering pilots. The E series ruled the skies because they simply had no competition in numbers.
 
so lowering the amount of fuel or ammo makes planes lighter and more agile. is this actually modelled in OFF?
 
Yes, I would highly recommend that to everyone: manage your fuel load, and your plane can be lighter and much more manoeuverable!

Read the orders; they tell you, how far your whole round-trip will be.
If it's 60 miles, you could take petrol for 90 miles with you, that gives you time for fights, and may rescue you, when tank is hit (leaking out takes longer, and may get you over the mud that way).

Still, petrol for 90 miles, may only be a 30 - 35 % tank filling ! Try it; you'll move quicker!
 
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