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The Pfalz D.XII flew in the shadow of its very successful and similar-looking contemporary, the Fokker D.VII. The D.XII evolved from the earlier Pfalz D.III and was recognizable by its "car-type" radiator in the front. Although considered to have sluggish handling qualities, its speed in a dive was superior to many fighters of the time. Only about 300 D.XII aircraft were built, and they served primarily with Bavarian Jagdstaffels (fighter units) in the final months of World War I. Pfalz D.XII armament consisted of two 7.92mm Spandau machine guns, with interrupter gear to fire through the propeller arc.
The Museum's Pfalz is an authentic World War I survivor. It was one of a large group of German aircraft brought to the United States for evaluation after the war. When the tests were completed, this aircraft and another Pfalz were acquired by the motion picture industry. Adorned with strange and menacing paint schemes, they appeared in both versions of the aviation classic, The Dawn Patrol (1930 and 1938). The D.XII was eventually purchased by Colonel G. B. Jarrett for his museum in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1958, the deteriorated fighter was sold to collector and Hollywood pilot Frank Tallman, who had it restored to flying condition by Robert Rust of Atlanta, Georgia. When Tallman's collection was auctioned off in 1968, the aircraft was acquired by Dolph Overton's Wings and Wheels Collection in Orlando, Florida. Doug Champlin acquired the rare aircraft at auction in 1981, and it, along with the rest of the Champlin Collection, became part of The Museum of Flight in the early 2000s.
The Pfalz D.XII flew in the shadow of its very successful and similar-looking contemporary, the Fokker D.VII. The D.XII evolved from the earlier Pfalz D.III and was recognizable by its "car-type" radiator in the front. Although considered to have sluggish handling qualities, its speed in a dive was superior to many fighters of the time. Only about 300 D.XII aircraft were built, and they served primarily with Bavarian Jagdstaffels (fighter units) in the final months of World War I. Pfalz D.XII armament consisted of two 7.92mm Spandau machine guns, with interrupter gear to fire through the propeller arc.
The Museum's Pfalz is an authentic World War I survivor. It was one of a large group of German aircraft brought to the United States for evaluation after the war. When the tests were completed, this aircraft and another Pfalz were acquired by the motion picture industry. Adorned with strange and menacing paint schemes, they appeared in both versions of the aviation classic, The Dawn Patrol (1930 and 1938). The D.XII was eventually purchased by Colonel G. B. Jarrett for his museum in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1958, the deteriorated fighter was sold to collector and Hollywood pilot Frank Tallman, who had it restored to flying condition by Robert Rust of Atlanta, Georgia. When Tallman's collection was auctioned off in 1968, the aircraft was acquired by Dolph Overton's Wings and Wheels Collection in Orlando, Florida. Doug Champlin acquired the rare aircraft at auction in 1981, and it, along with the rest of the Champlin Collection, became part of The Museum of Flight in the early 2000s.
