Russische Fokkers

Russian Fokkers 7

A fighter plane with a capricious temperament

Countless Russian D.XIs crashed, often rolling over on landing. These accidents occurred everywhere and continuously, indicating that the D.XI had its own quirks.

The photos on this page were partly taken in Serpukhov, where the Higher School of Air Combat (Серпуховской высшей школы воздушного боя, abbreviated to СВШБ =VSVB) was located. The town of Serpukhov is located some 100 km south of Moscow. These D.XIs wore a large white number on the fuselage, but no red stars.

The repair workshops in Russia were eventually so trained that they were able to rebuild a complete D.XI single-handedly. Strangely enough, such a replica did not receive a new construction number, but received a c/n that had already been assigned to an older, scrapped D.XI. Of fifteen construction numbers it is known that they first belonged to a D.XI built in the Netherlands and later to a Russian copy: 4655, 4656, 4666, 4674, 4680, 4685, 4738, 4743, 4744, 4766, 4782, 4789, 4793, 4797 and 4802. The copies were made without the permission of the Fokker factory. The Russian D.XIs were built at the 'Menzhinsky Factory' in Moscow, also known as Aircraft Factory No. 39.

The Fokker D.XI was armed with two Vickers machine guns. Aiming was done with an Aldis sight.

The photos come from the Russian State Archives RGVA and the archive of G.F. Petrov. The drawings were made by Sergei Trufanov. They were first published in the Russian modeling magazine M-Hobby (November 2021) in a story by Andrei Averin.

Click on the photo to enlarge the photo

01

This D.XI, registered '1', was photographed at Serpukhov airfield, some 100 km south of Moscow, in the winter of 1925–1926. It belonged to the VSVB, the Higher School of Air Combat.
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02

The same plane as in the previous photo, but one year later, in the winter of 1926-1927. This photo was also taken at Serpukhov airfield.
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03

Number 2 rolled over and was badly damaged. This aircraft also belonged to the VSVB, the Higher School of Air Combat. Serpukhov airfield, summer 1925. At that point, the D.XIs had been in service for about six months.
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04

Number 6 of the VSVB. The chassis has failed, but the damage appears to be minor. Serpukhov, summer 1925.
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05

Same plane, same place, same day as in the previous photo. Serpukhov, summer 1925.
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06

Fokker D.XI, registration '9', c/n 4773. Serpukhov, 5 September 1925. The pilot's name was Popov. He was an instructor with the VSVB.
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07

The same.
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08

On 8 December 1926, two D.XIs collided in mid-air and crashed. Little remains of this D.XI, c/n 4738. The pilot was N.V. Shenets, who did not survive the crash. It happened near Smolensk.
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09

This is the other D.XI, c/n 4744. Its pilot, Savva Stachiy, also died. A crowd has gathered to pay their last respects. Smolensk, December 8, 1926.
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10

This is a Fokker D.XI c/n 4666 of the VSVB. The date and location are unknown.
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11

This is also a Fokker D.XI c/n 4666 of the VSVB, after another crash. This time the wheels remain intact, but the fuselage is bent. The pilot's name was Kastanajev. Serpukhov, June 15, 1926.
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12

Number 11 of the VSVB on skis, overturned in the snow. Serpukhov, winter 1926-27.
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13

This is the D.XI from the previous photo, but now several months later. It's flipped over again. Serpukhov, summer 1927.
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14

This is D.XI c/n 4776, tail number 5. The pilot was I.O. Ovchinnikov who tried to land at too high speed. Novo-Kalchevo airfield, September 25, 1927. Novo-Kalchevo is now called Chervonoarmeyskoye and is located in Ukraine, north of Odessa.
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15

Ditto. Here you can see that the '5' was painted on all the tail surfaces. Just visible is the red star on the side of the fuselage.
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16

Fokker D.XI c/n 4769. As pilot V.A. Vasyukov was taxiing to his take-off position, his aircraft was blown over by a strong gust of wind from the side. Novo-Kalchevo Airfield, 26 September 1927.
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17

The same.
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18

Fokker D.XI c/n 4680. This is one of the fifteen D.XIs that were not built in the Netherlands, but in Moscow. Yevpatoria Airfield, June 10, 1929. Yevpatoria is located in Crimea.
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19

The same.
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20

Here, the wing of a Fokker D.XI undergoes a static test at the State Aircraft Factory "De Rode Piloot" (GAZ no. 3). December 1927.
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21

Fokker D.XI c/n 4643. Smolensk Airfield, 3 August 1929. On the fuselage and on the underside of the wing are painted red stars, outlined by a blue circle.
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22

The same.
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23

Fokker D.XI c/n 4674. This is one of the D.XIs built in Moscow. The pilot was V.A. Rozhdestvensky, who was caught in a spin from which he was unable to escape. Yevpatoria Airfield, June 26, 1929.
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24

Ditto. There's a '2' on the tail surfaces.
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26

Ditto. Red stars are painted on the wing.
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26

Side view of the Fokker D.XI, port side. The undercarriage is shown unloaded. The wheel well covering the spokes came in two versions. This is the most common, made of linen. On the outside of the wheel was a hatch for inflating the tire. Such an opening was not on the inside, as the separate drawing shows. According to this illustration, the total length of the D.XI was 7.2650 m. This drawing was made by Sergei Trufanov.
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27

Above: The steel frame of the hull with the engine. Below: Side view of the D.XI, starboard side. The undercarriage is shown unloaded. In this drawing, the wheel spokes are covered with a metal cover. On the inside, there was a valve for inflating the tire. Such an opening was not on the outside, as the separate drawing shows. The drawings were made by Sergei Trufanov.
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27.1

There was an opening in the cockpit windshield opposite the visor. This was a necessary measure because the celluloid of the windshield quickly became cloudy.
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28

The Russian Fokker D.XIs were delivered with a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Fb engine. This engine is seen here from the front, the side, and from above. This engine was later replaced by the M-6, a Russian copy. The drawings were made by Sergei Trufanov.
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29

The D.XI from the front and from below. The water radiators are shown in their maximum extended position. The propeller, a 2.5-meter Heine, is shown separately. Two types of Vickers machine guns were used. On the left is the Vickers Class E (circa 1924), which was most common on Russian D.XIs. The drawings show the machine guns without reloading handles. On the right is a Vickers circa 1921. The drawings were made by Sergei Trufanov.
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30

The pilot aimed his two Vickers machine guns with an Aldis sight.
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31

Two types of levers were used side by side for reloading the machine guns. This D.XI is equipped with an early version.
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32

This photo shows the later version of the lever. A flame arrester, as seen here, was not used on the Russian D.XIs.
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33

The D.XI from above, from above but without the upper wing, and from the side without wings. The water radiators are shown in the retracted position. The wingspan of the D.XI was 11.530 m, according to this illustration. The drawings were made by Sergei Trufanov.
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34

Silencer on a Vickers machine gun circa 1921. This photo comes from the State Museum of Arms in Tula, Russia.
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Russian Fokkers 7

A fighter plane with a capricious temperament

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