2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Fokker C.I 2161 027112: Collectie Van Beek· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. Fokker C.I in service: Fototechnische Dienst Luchtvaartafdeeling· Public domain
what is it?
The Fokker C.I was a German reconnaissance biplane under development at the end of World War I. The design was essentially an enlarged Fokker D.VII fighter with two seats and a 138 kW (185 hp) BMW IIIa engine. The C.I was originally developed to sell to the German Army. It never saw service in World War I, but Anthony Fokker managed to smuggle parts out of Germany at the time of the Armistice.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 10.5 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 108 years ago, in 1918.
- Wingspan of 10.5 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1918
- number built
- 250
- role
- reconnaissance aircraft
- origin
- Kingdom of the Netherlands
- makers
- Fokker
- engines
- 1× BMW IIIa
- crew
- 2
- length
- 7.2 m
- wingspan
- 10.5 m
- height
- 2.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,255 kg
- top speed
- 175 km/h
- range
- 320 km
- ceiling
- 4,000 m
- wings
- biplane
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q3747026, Wikipedia: Fokker C.I (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.