Chapter 1: The Planes

This chapter is a break down of all the planes available to fly in the current (2.318) version of RB. It is slightly more comprehensive than the documentation provided with the INN SIERRLND.DOC file. The numbering system here is the same as that provided in the SIERRLND.DOC file.

                Please keep in mind the planes listed are generally in order of their appearance in history. The earlier planes, even when considered maneuverable for their times are of course out-classed  by even the worst of the later planes in the war. INN has a matching  system so that planes of similar time periods can only be flown together. Thusly you'll never fly the Moraine-Saulner Bullet vs a  Fokker Dr.1
 
 

        1. Moraine-Saulner Bullet: 1 Gun, Rotary Engine
 
                The MSB is a MONO plane. INN's 2.3 documentation INNcorectly
        labels it as a biplane.(2.318 corrected this error) It used wing-
        warping instead of Ailerons for movement. It was a very underpowered
        plane using an 80 hp engine. Wing-warping makes for very inefficient
        turns therefore when in this plane try to utilize the Immelman turn
        or even Yo-Yo turns! Watch out for the ground, this plane will not
        have an altimeter on expert setting!
 
        2. Nieuport 11: 1 Gun, Rotary Engine
 
                This was a biplane, with a 80 Hp ROTARY engine.
        The Nieuport 11 was a very maneuverable plane for its time, but
        obviously, underpowered. It is very difficult to come out of a
        spin in the N11 due to its weak construction. You are more likely
        to rip your wings off in the attempt than to succeed!
 
        3. Airco D.H. 2: 1 Gun, Rotary Engine

                This was a biplane with a rear mounted, pushing, ROTARY engine,
        delivering 100 Hp. This was considered a very maneuverable plane, but
        again underpowered. The DH2 was well known for its tendency to go into
        spins without warning.
 
        4. Sopwith Pup : 1 Gun, Rotary Engine
 
                This was a biplane with a 80 HP ROTARY engine. Known for its
        ability to loop many times in a row, it was considered nimble but
        underpowered, like most early Allied planes.

        5. Nieuport 17: 1 Gun, Inline Engine
 
                A biplane with a 110 HP inline engine. It was light, and
        maneuverable, but known to have a weak lower wing that could rip
        off in violent maneuvers.

        6. Spad 7: 1 Gun, Inline Engine

                This used a 170 HP inline engine, making it considerably
        better powered than most earlier Allied efforts and was known for
        its diving ability. The Spad 7 was not a very good turning plane.
 
 
        7. Sopwith Tripehound: 1 Gun, Rotary Engine

                  Considered to have phenomenal maneuvering and climbing
        capability even with a 130 HP ROTARY engine, yet it's heavy 3-wing
        construction still made the Sopwith Triplane an underpowered plane.

        8. S.E.5a : 2 Guns, Inline Engine
 
                Equipped with a 200hp Viper in-line engine, this plane was
        VERY fast. The S.E.5a was equipped with 2 different machine guns, one
        near the pilot (nose mounted) and one on the wing. The S.E.5a was a
        great plane in most respects, its one failure was its slow turn rate.

        9. Sopwith Camel: 2 Guns, Rotary Engine

                Known to have created a brutal torque from the combination of
        a powerful ROTARY engine (130Hp) and had most of its weight in the
        nose, the Camel was considered a deadly plane both for its pilots
        and its targets. In the hands of a novice it would easily go into a
        spin; in the hands of an expert it could perform perhaps the tightest
        right turns of all the Allied planes. It had a tendency to climb
        when turning left, as well as spin.

        10. Spad 13: 2 Guns, Inline Engine
 
                This was a greatly improved Spad 7. It had a more powerful
        235 Hp inline engine and mounted 2 guns instead of the single gun
        that the Spad7 had. The Spad7 was capable of dives well in excess of
        200 miles per hour.

        11. Nieuport 28: 1 Gun, Rotary Engine
 
                A biplane with a 160 Hp ROTARY engine. It was considered to
        be fragile, quirky, and not very maneuverable. (INN Documents
        refer to this plane as having 2 guns, one mounted on the side. I think
        Dave Eaton DID fix it to reflect that.) The Nieuport 28 had
        a left-rotary torque instead of the common right-rotary torque.

        12. Sopwith Snipe: 2 Guns, Rotary Engine
 
                This was an "improved" Camel, and was easier to fly as it
        reduced the strong torque experienced in the Camel. It had a more
        powerful engine (230 HP ROTARY).  The Sopwith Snipe was perhaps the
        most well rounded plane on the Allied side. This is a great plane
        for expert and novice alike.
 
 

        13. Fokker E.III: 1 Gun, Rotary Engine
 
                The Fokker Eindecker III was a mono-plane mounting one gun
        and a 100 HP ROTARY engine. The E.III used wing warping instead of
        Ailerons for turning. It was one of the first planes to mount a
        forward firing machine gun, using a push rod to offset the firing so
        the bullets did not destroy the props. The E.III was responsible for
        the "Fokker Scourge" which was basically a German reign of the WWI
        air space. This is a plane that has no altimeter on Expert setting,
        be very careful when flying low in it!
 

        14.Halberstadt D.II: 1 Gun, Inline Engine
 
                This plane had a 120 Hp inline engine. It was a
        well rounded durable fighter for its time (early in the war).
        It was able to out-dive its early war allied counterparts.
 

        15. Albatross D.II:  2 Guns, Inline Engine

                Equipped with a 150 HP inline engine the Alb D.II was
        considered fast and heavily armed for its time. It suffered from a
        slow turn rate.
 

        16. Albatross D.III: 2 Guns, Inline Engine
 
                This was considered a large improvement over the D.II. It had
        a more powerful engine (160 HP) and was MUCH more maneuverable than
        the Albatross D.II.
 

        17.Albatross D.V: 2 Guns, Inline Engine
 
               The Alb DV was equipped with a powerful 200HP inline engine.
        Despite having a more powerful engine, than its predecessor, the
        DV was also heavier than its predecessor as well as less
        maneuverable.  This is still a very well rounded plane though.
 

        18. Pfalz D.III: 2 Guns, Inline Engine
 
                The Pfalz D.III was considered to be a fast, sturdy, and
        maneuverable plane. It had a 160 HP Inline engine.
 

        19.Fokker Dr.I: 2 Guns, Rotary Engine
 
                This triplane was extremely maneuverable but considered
        underpowered with a 110 HP ROTARY engine. It had fairly weak wings,
        so could not out-dive most of its opponents. Although underpowered it
        had an excellent climb rate due to its 3 wings lift capacity. The
        Dr.1 had no vertical stabilizer, which allowed it to make tight turns
        without banking the wings. (slip-turn) The primary strength of the
        Dr.I is simply its turn rate, which allowed pilots to make a pass and
        turn well inside most allied opponents.

        20. Fokker D.VII: 2 Guns, Inline Engine

                Amongst the most well rounded planes on the German side it was
        quick, sturdy, and maneuverable. The Fokker D.VII was a match for
        most any of the Allied planes, and was equipped with a 185 Hp Inline
        engine.
 

        21. Siemens-Shuckert D.III: 2 Guns, Rotary Engine
 
                The SS-D.III possessed a 160 HP ROTARY engine. It had
        an excellent climb rate. It was very maneuverable, but prone to
        spins due to the rotary engine. The SS is probably the second most
        well-rounded german plane.

        22. Fokker D.VIII: 2 Guns, Rotary Engine

                One of the fastest planes in the War, referred to as the
        "Flying Razor". It had only one wing, and a poor construction (due
        to lack of quality control in the factories) which made it prone to
        having the wings rip off. The D.VIII had a 110 Hp ROTARY engine, and
        mounted 2 machine guns.  On INN the wings seem to rip off at about
        200MPH. It is well advised to keep your speed under 150MPH, and when
        in dives to cut the throttle to as little as 1 depending on the
        steepness of the dive.
 

               This ends the plane breakdown. If you have suggestions for
        improvements or additional comments on these plane descriptions
        please feel free to forward them to me via Email.