Fokker V.11

The Fokker V.11 was an experimental prototype conceived by Anthony Fokker’s Dutch‑German firm in the final months of World War I. Designed in early 1918 as a possible successor to the successful D.VII, the V.11 incorporated a number of forward‑looking features that set it apart from conventional biplanes of the era. Its most striking characteristic was a cantilever, single‑piece wing that eliminated external bracing wires, reducing drag and simplifying construction. Powered by an Oberursel rotary engine delivering roughly 110 hp, the aircraft employed a streamlined fuselage with a low‑drag, rounded cross‑section and a fully enclosed cockpit, both novel for German fighters at that time. Flight trials in the spring of 1918 demonstrated excellent climb performance and a top speed that slightly exceeded that of the D.VII, but handling quirks and the imminent armistice curtailed further development. Although the V.11 never entered production, the lessons learned from its aerodynamic clean‑lines and monoplane‑style wing directly informed the post‑war Fokker D.VIII and later civilian designs such as the F.13. Consequently, the V.11 holds a significant place in aviation history as an early bridge between the biplane tradition and the modern, cantilever‑wing aircraft that dominated the inter‑war period.