FTS Educational Movie No.6

[David_Layton]

Achim,

If you are pregnant with that thought, let me give you an idea which may make you feel that you are carrying twins!

You are in a unique position to bring to reality a very meaningful contribution to the study of WWI aviation. In aviation literature and popular writing, outside of this group, C&C, OTF, and WWI Aero, there is a popular misconception that WWI aerocraft were unsophisticated, flimsy crates of wood, string and fabric. We know that with the materials available, these aircraft were very sophisticated with performance greater that popularly imagined.

In the US, there has been a broadcosting trend on cable TV for historical documentaries. Perhaps this is also happening in Europe. Many of these are focused on Military History. We have History Channel, History Channel International, Discovery, Military Channel (formerly Discovery Wings) and now there is a Military History Channel starting up. As a result, there have been some efforts at telling the story of WWI Aviation.

You have the background and access to data to develop a documentary video on the development of WWI Aviation in Germany. From the early research in Goettingen to 1918, there is a very interesting tale of how aviation pioneers such as Fokker, science, engineering, and the various areas of German Industry advanced aviation.

I realize your key interest is in Fokker, who in my opinion, probably was the single most successful firm in advancing aircraft development. However, there are interesting things to include in the work of LFG-Roland, Pfalz, Rumpler, Staaken and Albatros. I also think that the rise and fall and rise again story of Fokker in context with the rise and fall of the Albatros designs is also an interesting subtext. Well, I am getting ahead of myself.

Maybe all of this information could go into a larger made for TV documentary on German WWI Aviation technology.

[AchimEngels]

Hello Ross,

Thanks for the kind words.

Hi David!

As a matter of fact your idea is a thing I have in mind as well for a long term now.

I am indeed focusing on Fokker, but this is just, because life time is so short. It is just too much to do everything wanted.

My more general goal is to research German aviation technology up to 1920.

I have been working on a lexicon on German aviation technology for several years now and also be preparing a chronicle of flight in general.

This all provides a lot of background to deal with. My original idea is to come up with a series of movies that discuss the development of aviation in Germany in general.

I must admit that I have no idea how to actually get this on the tracks.

I agree with Jumpinjan and his earlier coments here. Producing something like this would require a very good script. I am working on that, but for now it all happens in my mind only. I need to see through my own thoughts first.....

I judge those movies I do for now as some kind of one way to get a vague idea of what is required to make more interesting movies. They do not stand at the end of the line, but rather more at the very beginning.

I see the problems Jumpinjan mentiones and have to get familiar with this type of things first.

It may probably still take a few years (or even a few more) to get it all into concrete forms. Getting done something quick that just sells is not what I am interested in. There is too much of this kind already out there.

For the time being I have fun making those simple movies and I hope you enjoy them as well!

Keep the ideas comming however, since I would not mind if the twins even become quite heavy....:-) It will be a difficult birth anyway.

Cheers!

[AchimEngels]

Happy New Year to all of you!

[AchimEngels]

It´s been a while since I last worked on any of these tiny movie projects.

I have finished the script for the small documentation on the Fokker D.VII´s development and technical features. Probably I will start with the filming of the sequences this year.

In the meantime I have managed to finally bring out "FTS - Movie No.4500, LOad Test On A Fokker E.III Steel Tube Fuselage".

That little movie has a duration of 16 Minutes and is available on DVD country code 2 (PAL - Europe).

You can find it on our website by clicking on the image below.



Enjoy!

Achim