Fokker DVIII 55"

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The final Fokker fighter the EV, a monoplane in a parasol configuration, was placed in the Second Fighter Competition. It featured a thick, totally plywood covered wing. It was deemed the best in the rotary class. A change in policy at Idfleig resulted in all single seat fighters being given the prefix 'D' rather than the 'E','D' and 'Dr' prefixes previously used. As a result the The Fokker EV became the Fokker DVIII. The Fokker DVIII was the last fighter to enter service in WWI from Fokker. It saw limited action as the war concluded shortly after its introduction. AerodromeRC has developed a 1/6 scale model of this aircraft.

Reports indicated that the DVIII was tremendously maneuverable. The design emphasized the utmost in simplicity. Rheinhold Platz claimed that the DVIII perhaps cost fewer man hours to produce than any other World War I fighter. Interestingly, the Fokker DVIII was already in production before the fighter was selected. However, the DVIII suffered from a nagging problem. Fokker's high tech wings had an unforeseen flaw. Two pilots were killed when their wings collapsed in flight. Investigations revealed that rain water trapped inside the wings rotted the plywood. The fleet was grounded and Fokker had to replace the wings. The new wings had strengthened spars an internal varnishing. The delay caused the DVIII not to be used in combat in great numbers before the wars end. Most of the fleet was still waiting for new wings when the armistice was signed. It was a moot point however, the Third Fighter Competition in October- November 1918 revealed that the DVIII was eclipsed by newer SS DIII, SS DIV, Pfalz DXV and the supercharged BMW powered, Fokker DVII. The final order that Idflieg placed did not include the Fokker DVIII. It did however, include an order for 700 Fokker DVIIs. Only one combat victory was recorded a a pilot in a Fokker DVIII. It was Lt. Emil Rolff of Jasta 6 on August 17. He died in a wing failure related crash on August 19. In spite of these facts, the reputation of the Fokker DVIII was that it was the ultimate WWI fighter. Had Fokker been able to produce the fighter with better wings, it would not have been grounded for most of it's service and it would have a real combat record. As it is, we must rely on fighter pilot opinion.

The Fokker DVIII parasol design featured a plywood covered wing with and deep airfoil. The airfoil was deeper than any previously used in a Fokker aircraft. The idea was to create a high lift/low stall speed combination that would allow pilots to "hang on their prop". The idea is that if the aircraft could attack a target from below and an extreme angle then the airflow would deflect the bullet's trajectory. Normally, the bullet trajectory would bend downward to obey the laws of gravity. The result was that the pilot had to compensate for this by aiming higher over the target. However, if the angle of attack was such that the oncoming airflow would balance the effect of gravity for a while then the trajectory would straighten out and aiming would be directly at the target. This was possible if the stall speed was very low and the thick wing provides that characteristic. In AerodromeRC's new 1/6 scale R/C scale model of the DVIII, the original airfoil is represented nearly to scale. This feature will allow R/C pilots to experiment with hanging on their props. The airfoil depth on the model is over 1 inch thick on a 55" wingspan.

Fokker DVIII 55"		Short Kit & Plans: $150 0Buy It
		Plans: $300Buy It
Skill Level: Intermediate More than 270 laser cut parts	SPECIFICATIONS
	Scale: 1/6	Prop: 14x7
	Channels: R/E/A/T	Wheels: balsa and plywood with Neoprene foam tires
	Wingspan: 55"	Airfoil Type: flat bottomed, scale top
	Wing Area: 450 sq in	Cowl: built up balsa and plywood
Designer: M.K. Bengtson	Weight: ~48 oz	jSpinner: N/A
Prototype Builder: Edi Werner	Power System: AXI 2820 or 2826 brushless	Shipping Weight: 6 pounds


	Decals Available	Instruction Manual
FEATURES Removable wing construction, with scale fuselage and tail shapes Scale dihedral, includes in wing ailerons and scale number of ribs Flat bottomed scale like airfoil including thick airfoil with taper Wings are partially sheeted from leading edge to first spar Laser cut 1/32" plywood trailing edges Front of the fuselage is balsa box, the rear is built up Laser cut 1/32" ply side cheeks and balsa turtle deck Laser cut balsa and plywood for built up cowl Dummy Spandau machine gun and pilot figure kits included Laser cut balsa tail parts included Balsa leading edges, included Balsa and plywood wheel kit with Neoprene foam rubber tire material included
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE The final Fokker fighter the EV, a monoplane in a parasol configuration, was placed in the Second Fighter Competition. It featured a thick, totally plywood covered wing. It was deemed the best in the rotary class. A change in policy at Idfleig resulted in all single seat fighters being given the prefix 'D' rather than the 'E','D' and 'Dr' prefixes previously used. As a result the The Fokker EV became the Fokker DVIII. The Fokker DVIII was the last fighter to enter service in WWI from Fokker. It saw limited action as the war concluded shortly after its introduction. AerodromeRC has developed a 1/6 scale model of this aircraft. Reports indicated that the DVIII was tremendously maneuverable. The design emphasized the utmost in simplicity. Rheinhold Platz claimed that the DVIII perhaps cost fewer man hours to produce than any other World War I fighter. Interestingly, the Fokker DVIII was already in production before the fighter was selected. However, the DVIII suffered from a nagging problem. Fokker's high tech wings had an unforeseen flaw. Two pilots were killed when their wings collapsed in flight. Investigations revealed that rain water trapped inside the wings rotted the plywood. The fleet was grounded and Fokker had to replace the wings. The new wings had strengthened spars an internal varnishing. The delay caused the DVIII not to be used in combat in great numbers before the wars end. Most of the fleet was still waiting for new wings when the armistice was signed. It was a moot point however, the Third Fighter Competition in October- November 1918 revealed that the DVIII was eclipsed by newer SS DIII, SS DIV, Pfalz DXV and the supercharged BMW powered, Fokker DVII. The final order that Idflieg placed did not include the Fokker DVIII. It did however, include an order for 700 Fokker DVIIs. Only one combat victory was recorded a a pilot in a Fokker DVIII. It was Lt. Emil Rolff of Jasta 6 on August 17. He died in a wing failure related crash on August 19. In spite of these facts, the reputation of the Fokker DVIII was that it was the ultimate WWI fighter. Had Fokker been able to produce the fighter with better wings, it would not have been grounded for most of it's service and it would have a real combat record. As it is, we must rely on fighter pilot opinion. The Fokker DVIII parasol design featured a plywood covered wing with and deep airfoil. The airfoil was deeper than any previously used in a Fokker aircraft. The idea was to create a high lift/low stall speed combination that would allow pilots to "hang on their prop". The idea is that if the aircraft could attack a target from below and an extreme angle then the airflow would deflect the bullet's trajectory. Normally, the bullet trajectory would bend downward to obey the laws of gravity. The result was that the pilot had to compensate for this by aiming higher over the target. However, if the angle of attack was such that the oncoming airflow would balance the effect of gravity for a while then the trajectory would straighten out and aiming would be directly at the target. This was possible if the stall speed was very low and the thick wing provides that characteristic. In AerodromeRC's new 1/6 scale R/C scale model of the DVIII, the original airfoil is represented nearly to scale. This feature will allow R/C pilots to experiment with hanging on their props. The airfoil depth on the model is over 1 inch thick on a 55" wingspan.