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The Albatros D.VII was an experimental single seat fighter produced during 1917. It had a standard Albatros streamlined fuselage, plywood covered with a wooden frame, but differed from the D.V in three main ways. The D.V was a sesquiplane - its lower wing had a smaller chord (distance from front to back) than the upper wing. On the D.VII the upper and lower wings had the same chord. The D.V and earlier Albatros fighters had ailerons on the upper wing, while the D.VII had ailerons on both the upper and lower wings, with the ailerons on each side connected by a strut. Finally the D.VII was the first Albatros single seat scout to use a V-8 engine. The D.VII made its maiden flight in August 1917, and with a top speed of 127mph was faster than the D.V. The climb rate was also good, but the type didn't enter production. It was followed early in 1918 by the D.IX, which used similar wings but was otherwise less sophisticated.
Engine: Benz Bz IIIb
Power: 195hp
Span: 30ft 7in
Length: 21ft 8.5in
Height: 8ft 9.5in
Empty weight: 1,386lb
Loaded weight: 1,947lb
Max speed: 127.5mph
Climb Rate: 7 minutes to 6,560ft
Endurance: 2 hours
Armament: Two Spandau machine guns