"Pfalz" E.I - acrobatic and reconnaissance plane

In 1914 the German company "Pfalz Flugzeugwerke" acquired a license to manufacture the popular French monoplanes Morane-Saulnier L (high-mounted wing) and H (mid-mounted wing). At the outbreak of war they served in the German Air Force as unarmed reconnaissance aircraft. In 1915 it was already possible to install a device on airplanes, that allowed firing a machine gun even when there was a propeller blade in front of its barrel. Pfalz fitted a synchronizer to their Morane H and L replicas. This gave rise to the Pfalz E.I (an aircraft with a wing mounted in the middle of the fuselage) and the Pfalz E.III (high-mounted wing). These planes were never as popular, as its main competitors Fokkwe E.I - E.III. The Pfalz E.I (later versions E.II, IV, V, VI) inherited all the shortcomings of the French plane - they were heavy, unwieldy and difficult to control. In addition, their construction was too weak, which led to a number of disasters. This type of aircraft mostly served in secondary sections of the fronts. It was mostly used on the eastern front, where the opponents were not so numerous and technically more developed. No confirmation of an air victory, achieved by these planes, has been found in the documents. A little more, than 250 Pfalz E aircraft were produced in total, but never more, than 30 were at the front. By the end of 1916 the Pfalz had completely disappeared from the front lines. They were supplanted by new biplanes from the Fokker, Albatros and Halberstadt factories, and the Pfalz were dismantled for parts.

Two complete model airplanes can be made from the publication, which are not difficult and can be done even by novice modelers, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague. One model reproduces the appearance of the plane, that fought on the Eastern Front in the winter of 1915-1916, the other - the unarmed plane of the aerobatic pilot Max Holtzem.