FTS Projects

[baldeagle]

If they did it then, we can do it now. Maybe after I finish my Nieuport....
Since I would probably have to use a Ranger or Gipsy 6 engine I wouldn't worry about making the structure 100% authentic, as long as it had the right look when it was done. And, as all apparently agree, what a look it is!
I have a three-view drawing from the French magazine l'Aerophile that looks pretty good. It's from the issue of 15 July, 1918, does anybody have the rest of the article?

Achim,
Can't wait to see, and hear, the D.VII. I grew up at Rhinebeck, and have early memories of the sound of the Mercedes in the old D.VII. The new one there has more of a bark, it must be the higher horsepower version. I also got to fly one of the ex-Blue Max D.VIIs out in California, it wasn't as accurate as yours will be, it had a Gipsy 6 engine, but it sure flew nicely, like the proverbial overgrown Piper Cub.

AK

[AchimEngels]

Baldeagle,

If they did it then, we can do it now. *

That´s the way it is. And you have to keep in mind, that we do not need to produce an output of 10, 20, 30...or more a month, but just one or two in one or two years.

The fuselage itself is not the problem. The major difficulty would be the design of the male form to do the fuselage shells on (especially if you are like me and want to know and find out how they did it back then to reproduce the whole thing *??? *: )

As I said, It would be a challenge - and I would not hesitate to jump into it (speaking just of the skills required to get it done * )

The only problem so far, as I said already, is the quality of the source material.

But for now, we first have to get Wulffo´s D.VII in the air and our one built *;D

- For god sake I am still "young"

Achim

[Marco_Sommerau]

If any of you want to rebuild an Albatros DV from original stuff: I have rudder, cabane strut assembly, undercarriage leg (1), Daimler-Mercedes airfoil radiator, a Mercedes DIII engine block (crankcase with crankshaft, rods and pistons in VGC, no cylinders), propeller hub, as well as a complete instrumentation (‘Bamberg’ compass with mount, hand greaser, altimeter, starting magneto, magneto key, phylax PRM with flexible-). I insist, all the material is 100% original!
I would trade all the Albatros lot/parts in exchange of a 260 hp Daimler DIVa OR a 260 Maybach DIVa in any condition if restorable for static.
If someone is interested and has what I need, just send me a mail.
Regards,
Marco

[dtenney]

Marco,

I am interested in the Mercedes D.III block. I have sent you a separate email about this. Please respond. Thanks..

[Dave_Watts]

Hi Achim,

I am most confused, the photos you have posted on this thread of "Oliver's motor" show a crankcase that is different than that which Oliver asked about.

Oliver asked about;

MN.41051 B.N.777 M.N.49 which went to L.F.G. on April 19th from Daimler.

The motor in the above posted photos is;

MN.40697 B.N.769 M.N.98 completed on May 25th, 1918 and shipped on June 6th, 1918 to Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke.

Which motor does Oliver have? I would normally consider the crankcase as the overriding number as other parts can be replaced.

Best,
Dave W.

[AchimEngels]

Hi Dave,

Wulffo has the engine seen in the images above. I am not sure if he has a second engine and confused the images *;D, but I think he will Jump on this and respond directly. At least I will give him a hint.

Best

Achim

[AchimEngels]

Fokker D.VII:

The project goes ahead a little bit more slowly than we have expected. We are still busy with the preparation and construction of special tools to smoothen the production run of both fuselages and the other surfaces.

Actually I do not have to complain here. Our aim was to get the special jig with all its parts finished by the end of this month and we only are a little bit behind it.

We have in the meantime sent out inquiries for about 800 meters of steel tubings in the various diameters needed. This amount covers enough for two aircraft + safety + one more aircraft. We are sorting out offers at present as well.

In the meantime I am teaching Woofy to weld oxyacetylene.


Just ignore the missing welding helmet!!!!! *

And I keep on working on the jig.


Enjoy!

[AchimEngels]

Hi,

well, my thread "Homebuilder´s solutions" seems not to generate the interest I was hoping it would.

Anyway, I think there I could use this thread here to show up with some neat ideas about how things can be eased up while working on a replica.

Today I would like to show you a very simple tool that can be made by everybody who is going to built an aircraft.

Those of you who are working on a Fokker aircraft will know how the internal bracings of the fuselage are secured by simple wire turns made from the same wire the bracing itself is made up from.

The most simplest way of course is to do these using simple round nosed pliers. But this methode is very time consuming. We have done it that way on our first triplane we built. I remember that by hands have been aching, too after a while.

Well take a look at the below tool. It is very simple and you can built it on your own in a day or two. The next day you can do all your wire turns you need. Otherwise you take a week or more to do those wire turns.

You can use this tool for more! You can do your own springs!

The tool is good as long as you do not have a lathe or as long as no one is working on it....oherwise the lathe might be the better chioce to get the job done *



I´ll come up with more ideas later....

Enjoy!

Achim

[baldeagle]

Achim,
The "wire turns" you talk about are I think what I call ferrules, 10 turns of wire that secure the ends of the brace wires. I've done them by hand as well, very tiring. I have a friend here who found a machine shop that will make them for a 2 or 3 dollars each, probably on a lathe.
What does your research say about the ends of the rigging and control cables? Splicing these is one of my specialties. I assume the control cables were flexible cable (7x19 strands?) using a 5 or 6 tuck splice, wrapped with brass wire. I've seen French and Spanish splices done this way and assumed that the German ones would be similar. British and American ones are wrapped with linen cord. The rigging wires are more of a question, the Nieuport 83 at Rhinebeck seems to have non-flexible cable (like 1x19) somehow seperated into groups of strands and spliced using a tuck splice similar to the other type, but then soldered. I've seen this on other original French 1920s aircraft as well. What have you found?

AK

[AchimEngels]

Hello Baldeagle,

Wow, 2-3 Dollars each!. That would be at least over 300 Dollars for a D.VII fuselage (60 turnbuckles two ferrules at each...). I could do them on the lathe at 50 Cents each and with my wrapping tool above at 75 Cents each. The same goes for the Fokker securing pins made from spring steel!

For those of you who are not quite clear what we are talking about here see the image below. These are the securing ferrules of our Fokker triplane having 5 turns:


The control cables of Fokkers aeroplanes consisted of steel cables with a hemp soul. The rope itself had a diameter of 4 mm and was from six braids each which were turned around the hemp soul in the middle. These cables are very flexible. The ends were spliced on a length of 50 mm. At these locations the control cables have been wrapped with thin steel wire which was secured by running through the splices at its end. I also have seen at other manufacturers of this time that the ends were soldered. This did not stay at the place of Fokker for me yet. We will not do it at our aircraft either since the heat is a unnecessary strain on the material anyway.

It might be of interest here to mention that the cables spliced ready were stretched with a load of 500 kg. We have done it that way on our previous triplanes - and by the way, we can offer this service, too!

As far as it concernes the ridging wires, here I can only talk about the underccarriage bracings of the Fokker D.VII. These are made from 6mm steel wires without the hemp soul. Its ends are spliced, too. At the top the ends are spliced directly around the fuselage structure while the bottom ends are spliced to the turnbuckles.

Best

Achim