Fokker Dr.I article in Air Magazine

Laserlloyd · 2 February 2009, 03:03 PM

I was looking at the magazine section today at a near by book store ant there on that cover of a magazine called AIR was a FI. 102/17. I quickly looked to see it was Fred Murrin's plane but it was a guy out of California. The article was by someone named Philip and forgive me I forgot he's last name when I got back home but I didn't recognize the name.

Has any one see this article and know of the FI. in CA. I believe the owners name was Steve, that's what happens when I'm in a rush I don't remember everything....

Lloyd...

Gregvan · 2 February 2009, 04:00 PM

Hi Lloyd,

I just picked this up yesterday. It's the latest issue of the venerable Air Classics, Volume 45 No. 2, February 2009. I'm not sure it's Fred Murrin's Triplane - if it is, then a lot of work has been done on it.

The article is by Philip Makanna, the photographer and author responsible for the popular "GHOSTS" series of aircraft coffee-table books, CD's and calendars, who has photographed all the The Aeroplane Collection in California, associated with Javier Arango and Chuck Wentworth (see the book Ghosts of the Great War ). This current triplane is a good replica of a true Fokker F.I, with the right ailerons and a curved leading edge to the tailplane (obvious in Makanna's wonderful photos). The Triplane has a LeRhone in it, and is painted pretty accurately to represent Voss' F.I 103/17. I'm sure Dan-San, Robert Karr and others can tell us more. The article mainly gives yet another potted history of the Fokker Tripe, and interviews with Chuck Wentworth the pilot. He says only, "The Aeroplane Collection acquired this LeRhone-powered Dr.I a few years ago.When the plane arrived at Paso Robles, CA, it received a thorough IRAN before going back into flying status and it is now flown on a regular basis - most flights are just 15 to 20 minutes since we don't take it far from the field."

Maybe you should post something in the replica section and you can find out more about this F.I replica. It doesn't seem to be the same as the Dr.I replica featured in the "Ghosts" book, which has a radial engine and was finished in Baeumer's markings when the photos were taken. Beautiful photos!!

Greg

karrart · 2 February 2009, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregvan

Hi Lloyd,

I just picked this up yesterday. It's the latest issue of the venerable Air Classics, Volume 45 No. 2, February 2009. I'm not sure it's Fred Murrin's Triplane - if it is, then a lot of work has been done on it.

The article is by Philip Makanna, the photographer and author responsible for the popular "GHOSTS" series of aircraft coffee-table books, CD's and calendars, who has photographed all the The Aeroplane Collection in California, associated with Javier Arango and Chuck Wentworth (see the book Ghosts of the Great War ). This current triplane is a good replica of a true Fokker F.I, with the right ailerons and a curved leading edge to the tailplane (obvious in Makanna's wonderful photos). The Triplane has a LeRhone in it, and is painted pretty accurately to represent Voss' F.I. I'm sure Dan-San and others can tell us more. The article mainly gives yet another potted history of the Fokker Tripe, and interviews with Chuck Wentworth the pilot. He says only, "The Aeroplane Collection acquired this LeRhone-powered Dr.I a few years ago.When the plane arrived at Paso Robles, CA, it received a thorough IRAN before going back into flying status and it is now flown on a regular basis - most flights are just 15 to 20 minutes since we don't take it far from the field."

Maybe you should post something in the replica section and you can find out more about this F.I replica. It doesn't seem to be the same as the Dr.I replica featured in the "Ghosts" book, which has a radial engine and was finished in Baeumer's markings when the photos were taken. Beautiful photos!!

Greg

Yep- correct on all counts. I've not seen her fly yet under new ownership, but I've seen her in a couple of stages of her rehabilitation and patted her rump a couple of times. She's a whole 'nother airplane than the Baumer one.
Robert Karr
OLD BIRDS STAYING ALIVE - THE AVIATION ART OF ROBERT KARR

Gregvan · 2 February 2009, 04:43 PM

Hi Robert,

Glad you chimed in here - do you know who the previous owner was? Is this really Fred Murrin's triplane in a new guise?

Greg

sobrien · 2 February 2009, 07:15 PM

Could it be Ross Walton's Tripe? It was for sale a while back and I think I read somewhere that it was being switched to a rotary.

Here, I found this info on another forum.
"Some time around the new year I stumbled across a web page about a Fokker Triplane replica in the States which stated that the machine was due to be auctioned sometime in May.
The machine in question is a replica of

Werner Voss' pre-production Fokker F.1 103/17, complete with all the F.1 features (eg. convex tailplane leading edges) and powered by an original rotary engine. As such ,it seems to be something a bit special compared to your 'average' Triplane replica.
I'd not heard of this machine before, and having googled like mad and hunted high and low for any info on this machine I can't find that page again and there doesn't appear to be any other info about it available anywhere.
Can anyone reassure me that this machine actually does exist and that I'm not losing my marbles?:confused:

"

Here's another, perhaps from this forum's Baldeagle-
"Baldeagle
15th July 2006, 19:54
Ant, the Triplane you refer to is the one in my photo in post #24 with the black-and-white striped horizontal tail (later changed to Voss' colors), 3rd from left. It was owned by Ross Walton in Kentucky, and has since been sold to Javier Arango in California. The web site belonged to Ross, Vintage Aero Fabrics, distributor of aviation fabrics , and the listing for the Triplane has been removed since it was sold."

Sean