Newcomers guide to RoF planes

This guide describes each plane in game, one by one, looking at their strengths, weaknesses and usefulness in single- and multiplayer in greater detail than DLC Buying Guide.

Introduction

This is intended as expansion of my DLC Buying Guide and update/replacement of Benders classic aircraft guide. Benders guide was invaluable resource when I was making first steps in RoF, both for deciding which plane to buy next and for giving me general idea what each plane is capable of and how (not!) to fly them.Unfortunately, the 2014 Flight model changes have made the old guide (and plane descriptions in 777 store!) largely obsolete, so I'm updating the old guide for benefit of new RoF players. Veterans will notice I'm quoting copy/pasting Bender left, right and center wherever his text is up to date - there is no need to improve on something that's already great, and his understanding of RoF back then was better than mine now is. Here is original material I quote from:

http://riseofflight.com/forum/topic/26651-newcomers-multiplayer-plane-buying-guide-new-27032012/

I can now stop annoying you by linking people to it, Bender :P. Thank you for guiding me into RoF S!

My lack of experience with some planes was filled by feedback from FourSpeed, I Got Shot and Liberator (thank you!).

Disclaimer: This guide is presented as a personal opinion piece and does not reflect 777 Studios' views. Nor Neither have I been paid for writing it. Sadly.

On to the business. Expanding on the classic formula, planes are rated as either:

ESSENTIAL
You need these to fly and understand multiplayer. You will need more!
GREAT TO HAVE
You don't need these to understand the sim and you can fly without them, but why would you? Grab any (or all) of these without hesitation!
GOOD TO HAVE
Some few great planes are less great than others. Good to have planes are outshined by even greater ones, see less multiplayer use than average or have some single fatal flaw you need to overcome to use them. Still great value for money.
NICE TO HAVE
A very few which you may want to avoid at first. Still worth buying, but beware!

++++++++ENTENTE PLANES++++++++

Airco DH2

Pros
✔ A very peculiar early war flight experience
✔ Excellent forward visibility
♥♥♥♥
И Outclassed by contemporaries on both sides
И Poor rear visibility
Verdict: NICE TO HAVE
This may seem like a somewhat harsh verdict for a magnificent classic, but unless you're looking for quirkiness or a non-combat flight experience, there's not much good to report about this one in multiplayer. Some people can do crazy things with this machine, but it may not be the best plane you want as an introduction to Rise of Flight. Off to a bad start, unfortunately, but not to worry!

Career: GOOD TO HAVE - If you want to fly as underdog, or just looking for a very different career experience in pleasant plane to fly, give it a try.
Field Mods:ESSENTIAL - If you're a bad enough dude to venture online with this machine, you absolutely need the backsight and fuel gauge.

Sikorsky S-16

Pros
✔ Much better turnfighter than E.III or D.H.2, better match for E.III
✔ Easier to fly than E.III or D.H.2
♥♥♥♥
И Slow, poor climb
И Bad visibility in turn fight
И Few instruments, no field mods
И Almost non-present in game.

Verdict: GOOD TO HAVE
S-16 is one of earliest planes in the sim and feels at home among E.IIIs, Dh2s and F.E.2.bs. Among contemporaries, it’s a slow turn fighter par excellence. The few fights between E.IIIs and S-16s I’ve seen had similar dynamics to Spads vs Albatroses, with E.III being the fast, climbing and diving but not turning one! These fights were few, as the plane has almost no presence in RoF outside special events. It would be GREAT TO HAVE it in every mission that has E.IIIs, though ;)

CAREER: NO presence in regular career, likely present in Eastern Front PWCG theatre
FIELD MODS: NONE!

Nieuport 11

Pros
✔ Pleasant to fly and quite capable from early to mid war
♥♥♥♥
И Overwing gun is problematic
Verdict: ESSENTIAL
It's a great plane that is easily as capable as the later Nieuport 17. She’s usually present on 1916 servers, where she’s easily match or more for Eindeckers, Rolands and Halberstadts D.II, and can hold her own against Albatros D.II.

Career:GREAT TO HAVE - She disappears from career quickly (unless you fly as Belgian - then she’s ESSENTIAL), but it’s a very good experience.
Field Mods ESSENTIAL - All Nieuport planes come from factory equipped with tachometer and little else; all other instruments are here. Very useful.

Nieuport 17

Pros
✔ Pleasant to fly and quite capable from early to mid war
♥♥♥♥
И Low speed and low ceiling means it's always somewhat of an underdog and eventually outclassed
И Single, slow firing gun
Verdict: ESSENTIAL
The absolutely essential rotary scout. It’s good entry point into rotaries, as it’s more forgiving than Camel or Dr.I but still shows rotary behaviour. Get this one, but see variants, too.

CAREER:ESSENTIAL - used by many French and Belgian squadrons.
Field Mods ESSENTIAL - All Nieuport planes come from factory equipped with tachometer and little else; all other instruments are here. Very useful.

Nieuport 17 RUS

Pros
✔ Same as N17
♥♥♥♥
И Same as N17
И Limited presence in-game
Verdict:
FREE!
This plane is exact copy of Nieuport 17, free to play but not appearing in many situations in game - at the moment it only appears in quick missions, user-made missions, PWCG and Eastern Front multiplayer scenario. But, it’s as good trainer as French N17- new players willing to learn rotary plane should start by firing up quick mission and trying this one. If the mission makers start to include Russian N17 in scenarios that normally feature French N17, it will become a much more important plane.

Career: Nonexistent in regular career mode, likely exists on Eastern Front in PWCG
Field Mods FREE! All Nieuport planes come from factory equipped with tachometer and little else; all other instruments are here. Very useful.

Nieuport 17 GBR

Pros
✔ Same as N17
✔ Better rate of fire and more instruments than French N17
✔ Cheaper to buy than N.17
♥♥♥♥
И Low speed and low ceiling means it's always somewhat of an underdog and eventually outclassed
И Overwing gun that needs slow reloading
Verdict:
ESSENTIAL
The British Nieuport 17 has overwing Lewis gun instead of Vickers; the gains are rate of fire and weight, the loses are slow reload and drag. Other than that and British instruments, its the same thing. It's not ESSENTIAL to have all Nieuport 17 variants, but you should have either that or French one. I prefer this variant and like to think of it as more advanced one, but can’t really back it up. More complicated one, it surely is.

CAREER:ESSENTIAL - used by many British and some French squadrons.
Field Mods:GREAT TO HAVE It’s only Nieuport that comes with pre-installed instruments. The Aldis sight, compass and extra gun are still very useful.

SPAD VII (150hp / 180hp)

Pros
✔ Fast, powerful energy fighter
✔ Two engine variants that are not only great value for money, but will last you a large part of the war
♥♥♥♥
И Single gun lacks a bit of punch in boom 'n zoom attacks
И Requires discipline and knowledge of energy fighting to be flown correctly
Verdict: ESSENTIAL
One (well, two) of the most important scouts of the war and a deadly weapon in capable hands, although the 150hp variant is somewhat diminished when facing “new” Albatroses. Heartily recommended.

CAREER: ESSENTIAL. Used by many French and some British, French and American squadrons, it has one of longest service times in game. Not easiest plane to fly against AIs, though.
Field Mods ESSENTIAL. A selection of sights and an anemometer are very useful. The overwing Lewis gun solves single gun problem for 180hp variant (150 hp variant has not enough power to handle it!); it’s one of few weapon mods in game worth taking for every sortie.

Sopwith Camel

Pros
✔ Great dogfighter (but requires smooth flying )
✔ Can be used for Boom and Zoom (if you manage to climb it beforehead)
✔ It will get you easy kills (but it will kill you as well).
✔ Excellent firepower for 1917 Entente plane
♥♥♥♥
И Quickly loses power with altitude, not to be flown above 5000ft
И Bad climber
И Poor visibility in a dogfight without field mods
И Ease of controls very dependent on fuel level
И Takes a while to get used to and has a nasty spin

Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE (but no longer essential)
Comment: Aaah, the hobbled Camel, the polarising factor of RoF community. No longer terror she once was (both in RoF and popular media), if you keep her in her comfort zone (below 5000 feet) and manage her tendency to stall she will win you lots of kills ...and get you killed a lot in return. "Fortunately", many online fights, especially between rookies and more casual players, take place right on the deck, so Camel is far from useless in multiplayer. Her powerful twin guns are a boon for any rookie Entente pilot with to little gunnery skills to reliably get kills with single, slow firing gun that some better planes are armed with. If downing Albatroses down on treetop level is your game, give her a try. As you progress from just wanting to get kills towards getting good kill/death ratio she will become less important and more of death trap.

CAREER:ESSENTIAL - It is a good plane in career mode, especially for novice player (AIs don't fly against her weakness). Many Entente squadrons use her.
FIELDMODS - ESSENTIAL- The wing cutout is a must-have if you are not flying with icons on. Aldis sight is very useful, too.

Sopwith Pup

Pros
✔ Easy to fly and extremely agile
♥♥♥♥
И Very fragile
И Poor visibility in a dogfight but managable
И Limited MP presence
Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
The new Pup, while somewhat underpowered, is still excellent dogfighter and one of easiest planes to handle. Her single gun has reasonable rate of fire and is very accurate. As Camel lost its throne as king of Entente dogfighters, Pup is one of possible replacements - if you like taking marksman shots at pilot and engine rather than blast away at enemy plane, and if the scenario lets you fly her, which is far from obvious. Oh, and she’s very fragile.

Career:GREAT TO HAVE. Fun plane to fly, many squadrons field her (most on Channel Map).
Field Mods. NICE TO HAVE. Positioning of Aldis is not ideal, other mods are situational.

Sopwith Triplane

Pros
✔ Relatively easy to fly and quite agile
♥♥♥♥
И Underpowered!
И Undergunned!
И A little fragile

Verdict:
NICE TO HAVE
Comment: The FM changes to Camel have crippled the once-versitile Triplane (which shares portions of its engine code). With single, slow firing Vickers gun she struggles to keep up with her Albatros contemporaries. The two guns weapon mod (which used to give her adequate firepower at cost of performance) now turns performance from bad to useless. Get a Pup instead.

CAREER - NICE TO HAVE - Is used by only few Naval squadrons, underpowered and undergunned against Albatros AIs.
FIELDMODS - NICE TO HAVE - the second gun is no longer an option, placing of Aldis with single gun is far from ideal.

SE5a

Pros
✔ Versatile energy fighter with good speed, climb, visibility and firepower
✔ Can double as a capable light bomber
♥♥♥♥
И Can dive a little too fast for its own good
И Requires discipline and knowledge of energy fighting to be flown correctly
Verdict: ESSENTIAL
The SE5a may not be the easiest plane which I truly recommend you to buy, but flown properly it's one that will bring you home alive and offer you plenty of opportunities to make sure your enemy doesn't. It's a thoroughbred British energy fighter and behaves as such. Handle firmly, but with care and patience. For newer players, she's excellent advanced trainer after Albatros D.Va (much less twitchy and modal than the SPAD), and she adds in full engine management and trim as well.

CAREER: GREAT TO HAVE - not easiest to fly against AI or most popular of her British contemporaries, but one of most interesting.
FIELDMODS: ESSENTIAL - The Aldis sight and fuel gauge are absolutely essential on this plane.

SPAD XIII

Pros
✔ Superb energy fighter with excellent speed, climb, dive and firepower
✔ Can double as a capable light bomber and photo recon
♥♥♥♥
И Poor visibility
И Lacks versatility
И Requires discipline and knowledge of energy fighting to be flown correctly
Verdict: FREE!
The SPAD XIII is the energy fighter par excellence. It's very narrow in its capabilities, but what it does, it does best. And it does it completely free!

CAREER:FREE Standard French single-seater by 1918, but not easiest plane to fly against AIs.
Field Mods:FREE A selection of sights. Very useful. Balloon guns, while adding firepower, fire slower rounds and require more lead shooting.

Nieuport 28

Pros
If you have nothing nice to say about something, don't say anything at all.
♥♥♥♥
И No pros
Verdict: NICE TO HAVE
Depending on whom you ask, it is furtherst plane in RoF from its historical counterpart, or most misunderstood plane in game. If Albatros D.Va is true jack of all trades in RoF, Nieuport 28 is an 8 of all trades, or 9 at best - not versitale enough to really exploit weakness of other planes and with no strengths of its own. It’s rotary, but it’s not a turnfighter. It’s faster than all German planes without BMW engine, but not as fast as Spad/S.E.5.a. You can fly it to Boom and Zoom Albatroses and some people prefer it over Spads as it has better visibility, but ultimately, everything it does other planes do better.

CAREER: NICE TO HAVE - flown shortly by few American squadrons in quieter sectors.
FIELDMODS: ESSENTIAL - All Nieuport planes come from factory equipped with tachometer and little else; all other instruments are here. The balloon guns, inaccurate as they are, will help you make that first pass count and are anouther weapon mod better taken than not.. Very useful.

Sopwith Dolphin

Pros
✔ A superbly versatile fighter, halfway between the SE5a and the Camel
✔ Amazing upper hemisphere visibility
✔ Very stable gun platform
✔ Can double as a capable light bomber
♥♥♥♥
И A little fragile around the wings
И Poor lower hemisphere visibility
И Can enter a nasty spin which is hard to recover from
И Not quite fast enough against the latest German fighters
И Dangerous landing with risk of pilot death in case of a flip
Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
The Dolphin used to be of those hidden gems which tend to be forgotten compared to much more specialised colleagues. This plane is the epitome of versatility. It can do anything you ask of it well enough, but excels at nothing. She needs to be handled with care, though, likes enter spin when you push her to hard and you need to push her hard to keep pace with the “new” Albatroses. I hope you will give her a chance, but you must choose her willingly.

Career: GOOD TO HAVE.
Field Mods: GREAT TO HAVE There are at least three schools of positioning your head in Dolphin and I’m not fan of Aldis sight myself, but some people swear by it. Thermometer is useful as Dolphin is very quick to overcool or overheat her engine.

Hanriot HD1/HD2

✔ A versatile fighter with good speed, climb, and turn ability
✔ Two variants in one pack
♥♥♥♥
И Bad visibility and gunnery
И Single slow gun on HD1
И Rarely seen in MP

Verdict: GOOD TO HAVE
If Albatros D.Va is jack of all trades and Nieuport 28 is an 8, then Hanriot is a solid 10 and one of my favourite Entente planes. It has no easily exploited weak points and while it can’t outturn an Albatros outright, a cautious pilot can go toe to toe with Albies in it. Unfortunately, the windscreen welding mask in front of pilot blocks most of forward visibility and makes tracking the target and sighting your guns at same time very difficult. There are ways around that (by sticking the head outside the cockpit and abandoning gunsight altogether), but they are far from comfortable. The default gun is slow-firing, too, so HD1 pilot needs to take balloon gun just to improve his rate of fire. Once you overcome these problems, however, she is one of GREAT TO HAVE planes that fill the void left by old Camel (along with Pup and Strutter, depending on your preferences). The basic airframe, with visibility problem fixed, muzzle-boosted gun and appearing in more multiplayer maps, could well be ESSENTIAL.

CAREER: GOOD TO HAVE: HD1 is flown by just one Belgian squadron. You’ll rather fly that squadron to use HD1 than other way around. Same for HD2, but as one of three very different floatplanes in game she brings unique career experience.
FIELD MODS: ESSENTIAL HD1 needs that balloon gun for rate of fire alone.

RE8

Pros
✔ Decent recon plane with good maneuvering capabilities and surprisingly effective front gun
✔ Can carry a decent bombload
✔ Has a rear gunner
♥♥♥♥
И Doesn't climb well
И Somewhat awkward controls
И Performance drops steeply when fully loaded

Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
Even though the release of early-war two seaters has diminished her importance, R.E.8 is still most often encountered Entente recon. You need this plane if you wish to fly two-seater missions on the Entente side. The RE8 herself suffers from some awkward controls and its performance drops steeply when fully loaded and fueled, but it's nonetheless a very capable workhorse that gets the job done.

CAREER: GREAT TO HAVE R.E.8 has long service time for Entente recon and lots of career coverage.
FIELD MODS: NICE TO HAVE Positioning of the Aldis sight is not ideal. Still nice, but not required.

Breguet 14

Pros
✔ Superbly versatile recon plane with good speed, climb and surprising maneuvering capabilities
✔ Can carry a big bombload
✔ Has a rear gunner
♥♥♥♥
И Annoying nose-up tendency and a little odd on the controls
И Very weak upper wings - hit in centre section results in the wings folding up.
Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
What a machine! Let no one tell you otherwise: this is THE best Entente recon/bomber. Its historically accurate automatically extending landing flaps are a sight to behold. It's essential if you're interested in going beyond the fighter pilot thing, but it still isn't the most essential recon plane.
CAREER: GOOD TO HAVE - honestly, I’ve never tried it. There are Breguet squadrons in career, I’m not sure how much experience against AIs differs from other bomber outfits.
FIELD MODS: GREAT TO HAVE Sights are not in an ideal location, but much better than not having them at all. Sideslip indicator is useful.

Bristol F2B (F.II / F.III)

Pros
✔ Flown as a single seater scout: all-round good, fast and maneuverable with a stable front gun
✔ Flown as a two-seater heavy fighter: oh boy…
✔ Two engine variants that are not only great value for money, but will last you a large part of the war
✔ Can carry a decent bombload
✔ Has a rear gunner
♥♥♥♥
И Very fragile wings
Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
Well, what can I say? As a recon you're better off with a solid Breguet 14. As a bomber you’ll want either Breguet or the fast D.H.4. As a single seater scout you're better off with an SE5a. As a two-seater heavy fighter (read: gunship or f*cking death platform), it's in a class of its own, provided you fly with a human rear gunner. Not essential, but very, very, very GREAT TO HAVE.

CAREER:ESSENTIAL Bristol allows you to experience most of what career mode has to offer, fighter missions, recon, bombing… all in single career. See also: Reflected's amazing "Dreaming" video.
FIELD MODS:ESSENTIAL Aldis sight is not in an ideal location, Fuel gauge is essential, though. Flying with AI gunner, I like to give him single gun option to save weight.

Airco DH.4

Pros:
✔ Fast bomber with decent bomb load
✔ Up to four four forward firing guns
✔ Effective Boom and Zoomer as long as you don't push the wings to hard.
✔ Has a rear gunner
♥♥♥♥;
И Horrid visibility,
И Very vulnerable upper wings.

Verdict:GREAT TO HAVE
D.H.4 is a fast plane that will get you to the target and back. If you stop to fight you will find she’s no Bristol, but far from teethless. The main obstruction when using her as a fighter is top wing, which completely blocks upwards view. It also suffers from British brittle wings syndrome, both when using her as a fighter and when braving ground fire.

CAREER: GREAT TO HAVE - like most Entente two-seaters
FIELD MODS: GREAT TO HAVE - If you want to take your chances as a fighter, you want that second Vickers gun and well placed Aldis sight.

Sopwith Strutters

Pros:
✔ An easy to fly two-seater recon/bomber that is also a good turn fighter!
✔ Has a rear gunner
✔ Stable and resilent to damage.
✔ Two variants in one package
♥♥♥♥:
И One forward gun with slow rate of fire and little ammunition
И Bad visibility without field mods
И Underrepresented in multiplayer
И Engine dies in cold weather unless you lean mixture

Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
The first British fighter with synchronised gun and one that Pup was developed from, it’s a very capable 1916 plane (and one of planes you may want to fly instead of new Camel). Compared to Pup, it’s less fragile and has better visibility, but worse rate of fire (it also has rear gunner, carries bombs and can complete recon missions).

CAREER - GREAT TO HAVE - it was workhorse of RNAS, and career reflects it.
FIELDMODS -ESSENTIAL - You need that wing cutout.

F.E.2.b

Pros -
✔ Big bomb load for 1916 plane
✔ Excellent forward visibility
✔ Liked by mission makers
♥♥♥♥:
И Slow, bad climber, heavy controls
И Bad rear visibility
И Huge blind spot uncovered by guns at lower rear
И You need human gunners or fly it while gunning yourself

Verdict: GOOD TO HAVE

A cow, a blunderbuss, a kitchen range with wings on, a loutish, heavy, clumsy old brute, a butt and a joke; yet, among the aeroplanes of the War period, indubitably one of the great worlds workers. Look at this machine, and note the tiered nacelle, boldly opening it's enormous mouth to gulp down as much drag as possible and then to ask for more. Look at the wires and struts, the undercarriage, the gun mountings and consider whether there has ever been or ever will be, an aeroplane to express more openly and visibly it's contempt for streamlining and all that goes with it.

Despite the shortcomings shared with historical plane (and unorthodox guns layout confusing AI gunner so in fight he is to busy switching guns to fire - this plane must be gunned by human or is defenceless! ), F.E.2.b gets the job done. And more than once I've attacked one flown by experienced human crew expecting easy pickings only to have my E.III or Halberstadt blown from the sky. Mission authors like it and it’s standard Entente bomber in early war and on Eastern Front (where it pretends to be a Voisin).

CAREER: GREAT TO HAVE. F.E.2.b was used as night bomber, and spring/summer 1917 careers reflect that. With excellent forward visibility, this plane is a very pleasant night bomber, and night missions in her are unparalleled - just take this sightseeing pleasure boat off without crashing, navigate via barely visible terrain features to the objectives while enjoying beautiful night landscape, drop your bombs, navigate back to your field, don’t crash her on landing, repeat...
FIELD MODS: GREAT TO HAVE The fuel gauge shows only state of the last tank you use, so if it does not show full, you're already short! The double Lewis gun is powerful, but its historical fidelity is widely criticised.

Felixstowe

Pros
✔ A ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ flying boat gunboat fortress, armed and durable.
✔ Fun to fly with a full human crew

♥♥♥♥:
И Small bombload for two-engine plane
И Bad visibility from pilots cockpit, needs human navigator or to be flown from forward seat
И You’ll rarely use her anywhere near sea.
И You need human gunners or let the AI handle it


Verdict: GOOD TO HAVE
A flying boat designed to patrol seas and hunt U-boats while defending herself against all-comers, in RoF multiplayer she’s mostly seen as overland gunboat/bomber. She is, without doubt, heaviest armed plane in the game, and most dangerous multi-engined one. Powerful and abusable in role she’s shoehorned into, she’s seeing to little action in her historical element to let me call her GREAT to have in multiplayer with clear conscience.

CAREER:GREAT TO HAVE. The same can’t be said of the career, or “The spider web” SP campaign she stars in, or “Channel Battles” missions. If you want these endless sea patrols and dead reconing navigation, and don’t mind doing it in single player, you want this plane.
FIELD MODS: GREAT TO HAVE. Even more gunners? Yes please!

Handley-Page O/400

Pros
✔ Rather easy to fly, fast and climbs well for a bomber
✔ Huge bombload, including a 1650lb bomb loadout
✔ Fun to fly with a full human crew
✔ Solid as a rock
♥♥♥♥
И You need human gunners or let the AI handle it
Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
About as flawless as you can get. Working the bombsight takes some getting used to, but that's it, really. An all-round excellent plane, and definitely great to have if bombing is your thing.


CAREER: GREAT TO HAVE: A king of its own niche, if you want heavy bomber career it’s one of two choices you can have.
FIELD MODS: ESSENTIAL Cockpit lights essential for night missions are already included with this plane. Fuel gauge is essential and extra guns are good thing, too.

Sikorsky S-22

Pros:
✔ A huge, unique, four-engine flying tram of a bomber
✔ Huge bombload
✔ Great downwards visibility when aligning for bombing run
♥♥♥♥:
✔ No rear visibility, limited sides visibility
✔ Which makes her harder to navigate than usual
✔Only one gunner, huge blind spot - needs escort

Verdict:GOOD TO HAVE
This, again, is a harsh verdict for largest plane in the game, and one of most interesting to fly. And if you are into flying for sake of flying, do buy her. But she has very little presence in multiplayer. In few Eastern Front events I did see her, it was F.E.2.bs and not her that got the job done, so I see her as more interesting than effective. She’s resilent and will take lot of punishment before going down, but with only one gunner (more crew stations are stuck in development hell) Central planes will eventually wear her down.
CAREER: GOOD TO HAVE. She’s nonexistent in Career mode, but can be flown in Eastern Front PWCG. She also stars in her own single player campaign, “Ilya Muromyetz”, which is her saving grace.

+++++CENTRAL PLANES+++++++

Fokker E.III

Pros
✔ Pleasant and peculiar early war flight experience
✔ Capable front gun
♥♥♥♥
И Outclassed by most planes in the sim

Verdict: ESSENTIAL
The Eindecker with its warping wings is a technical marvel to behold and a joy to fly. Definitely one to watch and one to get a hold of if you wish to experience an early war machine. It is also good trainer of rotary behaviour - it has no throttle and much better rudder than “aileron” authority, so it will make you use your mixture, blip switch and rudder the way you’ll later need in Nieuport or Dr.I.

CAREER:GREAT TO HAVE. Its service time in career mode is mere two weeks (more in PWCG), but going through these is fun experience and good training of rotary behaviour.
FIELD MODS: NICE TO HAVE Nice little set of anemometer and clock.

Halberstadt D.II

Pros
✔ Excellent 1916 dogfighter
✔ Great maneuverability
✔ Uses in-line engine instead of rotary
♥♥♥♥
И Underpowered, slow, bad climber
И Fragile wings, vunerable in dive
И Sensitive rudder, needs practice to master
И More difficult to land than German contemporaries

Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
This plane is almost ESSENTIAL; the only reason she isn’t is that her more capable contemporary, Albatros D.II, outshines her if both are available. But this makes mission makers often use Halberstadt rather than game-changing Albatros in 1916 scenarios, so she features a lot in early war Multiplayer. She is one of few dedicated German turn fighters and can beat Nieuports at their own game without copying Nieuport experience - lack of rotary effect and sensitive rudder makes flying her very different from both Nieuports and Albatroses.

CAREER - GOOD TO HAVE - most squadrons fly Albatroses instead. Fly her in career if you need a change.
FIELDMODS -GOOD TO HAVE - The usual collection of sights and instruments.

Albatros D.II (early / late)

Pros
✔ Easy and forgiving controls
✔ Very maneuverable
✔ Powerful twin guns
✔ Two variants for the price of one
♥♥♥♥
И Underpowered


Verdict:ESSENTIAL
Comment: The Albatros D.II is underpowered, but easy to fly and loves to be thrown around. More than good match for her 1916 contemporaries.

CAREER - ESSENTIAL - most German squadrons fly this in 1916.
- The usual collection of sights and instruments. The Becker cannon is overkill in most situation and very difficult to use, but kills with it are always satisfying.

Albatros D.III

Pros
✔ A pleasant, versatile and capable machine
✔ Not as condemned as D.Va
♥♥♥♥
И Fragile around the wings


Verdict: ESSENTIAL
The Albatros D.III is the essential German scout: pleasant to fly, versatile and capable. She's an excellent match for the her 1917 contemporaries. One damn sexy bird. She’s not quite as capable (and popular) as free and controversial Albatros D.Va, too, enough to make flying her much more socially acceptable.

CAREER - ESSENTIAL - Every German Jasta uses her at one stage of their career.
FIELDMODS - GREAT TO HAVE - An excellent selection of instruments and sights, bullet counters and thermometer. Very useful.

Albatros D.Va

Pros
✔ A pleasant, versatile and capable machine
♥♥♥♥
И Fragile around the wings
И Somewhat condemned by multiplayer community.


Verdict:
FREE!
The best starter plane there is for getting to know the sim, it makes good pilot from average material. The new revised Albatros can take on most Entente pilots and win (or send them running home). It’s much less useful against the most experienced Spad / S.E.5.a pilots, though, so ace German players tend to move to more specialised (and demanding) machines. But on casual pilot level her most common weakness is overconfidence she instills in her pilots...

CAREER - ESSENTIAL - Every German Jasta uses these at one stage of their career. A very capable plane in career.
FIELDMODS - GREAT TO HAVE - An excellent selection of instruments and sights, bullet counters and thermometer. Very useful.

Pfalz D.IIIa

Pros
✔ Stable gun platform
✔ Much less fragile than Albatros
✔ Best German diver, if not best diver in RoF.
♥♥♥♥
И Worse in sustained turn and roll than Albatroses
И Bad visibility

Verdict:
GOOD TO HAVE
The sturdy, slow Pfalz marries almost an Albatros with almost a Spad. Slow in horisontal flight and with less staying power turning fight, she seems to combine most weaknesses of the two - the Albatros will be much more straightforward in most situations. But she can dive really fast without losing wings, shoot with great accuracy and withstand lots of return fire - depending on your flying style it’s either highly situational or godsend. If you fly as part of German team and want to be top cover guy, she’s your plane.

CAREER - GREAT TO HAVE - She's the only alternative to Albatos D.Va in Jastas for really long period, and more challenging.
FIELDMODS - GREAT TO HAVE - An excellent selection of instruments and sights, bullet counters and thermometer. Very useful.

Fokker Dr.I

Pros
✔ The ultimate dogfighter
✔ Very sturdy
♥♥♥♥
И Hard to master
И Annoying nose-up tendency and requires very fine handling (especially in left hand turns)
И Top wings and engine a little fragile in a dive
И Dangerous to land, poor ground control
И Very slow in horisontal flight

Verdict: ESSENTIAL
Dr.I is a bit of a love-hate thing. She's undoubtedly the best dogfighter in the sim once you master her, which requires constant training. By 1918, she's become a scalpel (albeit a very sharp one) in a fight between broadswords. You must own this plane, if only to get a feel of how she flies when you encounter her in battle.

CAREER -ESSENTIAL - Most German Jastas fly this, and Dr.I experience is so different from rest of career it would be shame to skip it.
FIELDMODS - GREAT TO HAVE - An excellent selection of instruments, sights and bullet counters. Useful.

Fokker D.VII

Pros
✔ A solid, versatile fighter
♥♥♥♥
И …but she's neither a D.VIIF, nor a D.Va.

Verdict: GOOD TO HAVE
Fokker D.VII is a quintessential all-purpose fighter with “standard issue” written all over her, like a Dolphin or Hanriot but with their vices removed. Her main problem is that she's outshined either by Albatros D.Va (which is easier to fly and better turn fighter) or Fokker D.VIIF (which is the same plane with more powerful engine), and it's hard to find mission that has her but neither of these two, so most players ignore her.

CAREER: ESSENTIAL. Most German Jastas trade their Albartroses and Dr.Is for this before D.VIIF becomes available. She’s also needed to fly two SP campaigns, St.Michell and Du Doch Night!
Field Mods:GREAT TO HAVE An excellent selection of instruments and sights. Very useful.
Bullet counters are awesome!

Fokker D.VIIF

Pros
✔ Superbly versatile mid to high altitude energy fighter
✔ Best dogfighter at high altitude
✔ Altitude throttle
♥♥♥♥
И Not meant for dogfighting at mid to low altitude
И Not quite sturdy enough in a dive
И Requires discipline and knowledge of energy fighting to be flown correctly
Verdict: ESSENTIAL
The Fokker D.VIIF is one of those planes which you will suddenly 'get'. It's pretty average down low, but take it up to altitude and you're suddenly king of the hill. One of only two planes that can truly make you untouchable.

CAREER: ESSENTIAL Most good German Jastas use these instead of or alongside regular D.VIIs in last months of War.
Field Mods: ESSENTIAL Same great selection as the regular Fokker D.VII. Due to the altitude you need to fly this plane at and the engine finetuning required with the altitude throttle, a thermometer and high altimeter are essential for optimal operation.

See you in space!

Fokker D.VIII

Pros
✔ A very peculiar machine that can dogfight in the vertical like no other
✔ Decent performance by 1918 standards
✔ Good visibility
✔ Very small target for the enemy to hit
♥♥♥♥
И Not meant for dogfighting Camels down low
И Engine a little fragile in a dive (see: Fokker Dr.I)
И Dangerous to land, poor ground control (see: Fokker Dr.I)
Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
A “Dr.I done right” in my opinion, or less trivial alternative to Albatros D.Va, D.VIII gained lots of speed while losing only some of insane turn ability and climb when it traded three small wings for single big one. It's a jack of all trades that will melt your heart if you stick around long enough. Absolutely worth it.

CAREER: GOOD TO HAVE. Only few squadrons use this plane for short periods of time, but it’s a very refreshing change from all the D.VIIs.
FIELD MODS:GREAT TO HAVE An excellent selection of instruments and sights (try the Collimator Night sight). Very useful. Bullet counters are awesome!

Pfalz D.XII

Pros
✔ Superb high altitude interceptor
✔ Climbs exceedingly well at mid to high altitude
✔ Good visibility
✔ Very stable gun platform
✔ Altitude throttle
♥♥♥♥
И Not meant for dogfighting, especially down low
И Can enter a very nasty spin which is nearly impossible to recover from
И Requires discipline and knowledge of energy fighting to be flown correctly

Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
The fastest plane in the sim at high altitude, Pfalz is a German not really Spad13. Like the Spad, it quickly loses speed in turn but is really fast and good climber. Unlike the Spad, it quickly loses wings in dive. Up there it's the second of only two planes that can make you untouchable, but anything that can withstand high speed dives can disengage from you as well.

CAREER: NICE TO HAVE Only one squadron in career uses this plane.
FIELD MODS: ESSENTIAL. Due to the altitude you need to fly this plane at and the engine finetuning required with the altitude throttle, a thermometer and high altimeter are essential for optimal operation.

See you in space!

DFW C.V

Pros
✔ A fun, pleasant, exceedingly rewarding machine that will last you the entire war
✔ Can carry a decent bombload
✔ Very sturdy, especially when flying low over the deck
✔ Has a rear gunner
♥♥♥♥
И Becomes underpowered as the war progresses
И Somewhat fragile wings
Verdict: ESSENTIAL
Even if flying a recon is not 'your thing', you owe it to yourself to buy this one. What a fun, rewarding machine to fly. She has WWI written all over her, from the sound of the engine to the cramped cockpit that somehow makes you feel at home. Being fastest and most capable of German two-seaters does not hurt, either.

CAREER: ESSENTIAL You can fly her in career from day one to Armistice; squadrons running other two-seaters use her, too, at some stage.
Field Mods:NICE TO HAVE. Positioning of the Aldis trophy sight is not ideal. Still better than seeing the engine block instead of the enemy ahead. Thermometer is somewhat useful, but limited engine management means there's not much you can do about it anyway.

Halberstadt CL.II

Pros
✔ Pleasant, versatile and quite capable machine
✔ Two engine variants, including the long-awaited Mercedes D.IIIaü
✔ Has a rear gunner with an excellent horizontal firing arc
♥♥♥♥
И Underpowered
И A little fragile for a ground attack plane
И Has trouble keeping up with the two-seaters it's meant to escort
И Has a rear gunner with a poor vertical firing arc

Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
Let's start by saying what the Halberstadt CL.II is not. It's not a German Bristol (in spite of the Halberstadt company being called Deutsche Bristol Werke before the war). It's also not an upgrade from the DFW, which is a much more powerful and solid ground attack plane.

Good, glad we got that out of the way.

Now let's see what the Halberstadt is. It's a slightly fragile and underpowered, but otherwise pleasant, versatile and quite capable machine. Exact definition of the (historical) Albatros series. In other words: it's an Albatros with a very deadly (human) rear gunner. And if you're mad enough you can strap bombs to it, too! So what's not to like?

CAREER:ESSENTIAL. And what a career it is! Sneaking on ground level with big load of light bombs to take out artillery battery, raid an airfield or strafe a truck column while enemy fighters try chasing you around. Just put on some Wagner and go rampaging…
Field Mods: ESSENTIAL An excellent selection of instruments and an Aldis sight. Twin forward guns if you want to fly her as a fighter, or twin guns for human observer. Due to the throttle finetuning required with the Mercedes D.IIIaü engine, a thermometer is essential for optimal operation.

Roland C.II

Pros
✔ Fast 1916 recon
✔ Can double as stable fast fighter
✔ Sturdy
✔ Has a rear gunner with good field of fire
♥♥♥♥
И Small bombload
И Bad downwards visibility
И Becomes outclassed by 1917

Verdict:GREAT TO HAVE
The Roland is a dedicated recon (not that Germans had many single-engine bombers at all) - she carries no more bombs than Sopwith Camel, but is faster and better climbing than most 1916 Entente planes, and quite durable in dive, too. It makes her a pretty good fighter (and, if she’s German two-seater in E.III / D.H.2/S-16/FE2b match, she suddenly becomes proto-Spad with rear gunner). I’ve lost count of times I took her to recon flights and returned with no photos, but with enemy recon kill. If you need to bomb a factory, though, you are in trouble.

CAREER: GOOD TO HAVE. She becomes obsolete relatively fast and whatever she does in career, her contemporary DFW C.V can do better... except pleasure of flying a Roland, which is more than reason enough to take her.
FIELD MODS: GREAT TO HAVE set of instruments. Second gun is ESSENTIAL if you take human gunner.

Branbemburg W.12

Pros
✔ Unique German two-seater floatplane fighter
✔ Well armed
✔ Has a rear gunner with excellent field of fire
✔ Surprisingly maneuvrable
♥♥♥♥
И No bombload
И Slow, bad climber
И Rarely used in her element
И Bad pilot visibility
Verdict:NICE TO HAVE
Brandemburg W.12 was a German attempt to make a Bristol fighter with floats and it worked… over the sea, on long patrols hunting for Felixstowes. She has no bombs, she is a pure sea fighter, the only ship she can damage is a naval drifter. Over the trenches, in sky filled with human pilots in real fighters, it’s another unique plane of little use. With a human gunner it’s a fun plane to go rampaging in and could work well in two-engine plane hunting, but not much more.

CAREER:GOOD TO HAVE. If you want to go on long patrols hunting for enemy seaplanes, this or Hanriot HD.2 is your choice.
FIELD MODS: ESSENTIAL: A good set of instruments and second gun for your human gunner. Thermometer is essential as she’s prone to overheating her engine when aggresively climbing (no, there is no radiator control; if it overheats you need to reduce RPM and angle of attack until it cools down).

Gotha G.V

Pros
✔ A very demanding but rewarding bomber to fly
✔ Can carry a very big bombload
✔ Has a few tricks up her sleeve you just wouldn't expect from a bomber… (uh oh)
✔ Fun to fly with a full human crew
♥♥♥♥
И Underpowered compared to the Handley-Page
И Dangerous to fly, requires fine handling (autolevel helps a lot)
И Dangerous to land, poor ground control
И You need human gunners or let the AI handle it (or do it yourself while you fly)
Verdict: GREAT TO HAVE
The Gotha, in spite of its many, many shortcomings, is a lot of fun to fly. If you're flying it in large formations with escorts and human gunners, you're reaching sim heaven. Not for everyone, but you're not everyone. Go ahead and get this one.
CAREER: GREAT TO HAVE - if you want to fly night heavy bomber career, it’s either this or Handley-Page.
Field Mods: ESSENTIAL Cockpit lights essential for night missions are already included with this plane. Fuel gauge is essential, though.