May already have been seen, but

Performance Analysis and Tactics of Fighter Aircraft from WWI
http://www.aa.washington.edu/faculty/eberhardt/AIAA%20Paper%202005-119.pdf

Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft
Part I: THE AGE OF PROPELLERS - Chapter 2: Design Exploration, 1914-18 - Fighter Aircraft
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch2-2.htm

Papa_K