1/72 3D Dornier D.I

1/72 (25 mm) 3D paper model of Dornier D.I, WWI German fighter.

It was an all-metal fighter and a milestone in aeronautical technology that would come to define modern aircraft. It was designed by Claude Dornier in early 1918 while he was working as an aeronautical engineer at Luftschiffbau Zeppelin concern. Six (maybe seven) prototypes were build, designations D.1750/18 to D.1755/18. Three of them were powered by a 160 hp Mercedes D.III, the other three by a BMW IIIa engine. The maiden flight of the D.I happened on June 4th, 1918 by Dornier test pilot Vizefeldwebel Heinz Ruppert who flew D.1752/18 successfully. The profile shows D.1751/18 with its BMW engine. This plane came to grief when Hauptmann Wilhelm Reinhard crashed to his death during a test flight at the second Fighter Competition at Adlershof on July 3rd, 1918. While Reinhard was pulling out of a drive, the top wing broke away. The accident notwithstanding, other fighter pilots universally agreed that the D.I was 'on average' superior to the other Mercedes engined fighters. After the war, two D.I were shipped to the USA for intensive flight evaluation.
Perfect for the WWI air games like Canvas Eagles.

Easy two-page download.

^{Text written by Bart Wheeler, copyright 2011, Bart Wheeler and Ecardmodels.com. Used by permission.}