Fokker Dr.I

The Fokker Dr.I is a German triplane fighter aircraft built by the Fokker company and introduced to frontline service in 1917, distinguished by its three stacked wings, which gave the aircraft exceptional maneuverability and a very high rate of climb compared with contemporary biplane fighters, at some cost in top speed. It became famous chiefly through its association with Manfred von Richthofen, the German ace known as the Red Baron, who flew a Dr.I painted overall red and was piloting one when he was killed in action in April 1918, making the type one of the most recognizable fighter aircraft of the First World War despite a relatively modest production run. Structural failures in the upper wing of early production aircraft led to a temporary grounding and design reinforcement in late 1917, and though the type was already being phased out in favor of more modern designs by the war's final months, its association with Richthofen secured its lasting fame.