In 1917, this German aircraft made its debut in the skies over France in World War 1. Exceptionally maneuverable yet prone to wing failure, the Fokker Dr.1 (“Dreidecker,” or triplane) was renowned as the aircraft flown by Manfred von Richtofen, the “Red Baron.”

At the age of 25, the “Red Baron” was fatally wounded on April 21, 1918, flying a Fokker Dr.1 triplane in a dog fight over the Somme River.

Only three triplanes are known to have survived the end of World War. Since then, they have all been dismantled into component artifacts or destroyed. No original Fokker Dr.1’s exist today, but many replicas and reproductions have been built by individuals and museums.

Museum volunteers built the Hiller Aviation Museum’s scale replica aircraft over four years between 2016 and 2020 in celebration of the 100+ anniversary of the aircraft. The aircraft is designed so visitors can sit in the open-air cockpit.