Photograph:
Airdrome Aeroplanes Fokker D.VI Replica ZK-TBF (c/n NZ001) at Rangitata Island, NZ in 2011 (NZCIVAIR)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
One 37 kw (50 hp) Rotax 503UL two-cylinder, two-cycle, engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 5.45 m (17 ft 9 in)
- Length: 4.57 m (15 ft)
- Wing area: 10.21 m² (110 sq ft)
- Max speed: 126 km/h (78 mph)
- Cruising speed: 117 km/h (73 mph)
- Stalling speed: 51 km/h (32 mph)
- Rate of climb: 229 m/min (750 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
- Take-off run: 38 m (125 ft)
- Landing run: 122 m (400 ft)
- Range: 389 km (242 miles)
- Fuel capacity: 38 litres (8.3 Imp gals)
- Empty weight: 135 kg (297 lb)
- Loaded weight: 244 kg (539 lb)
History:
During 1917 the principal German fighters of the time were losing their superiority and the German Air Command called for a fighter competition to develop a new fighter. Fokker Flugzeugwerke proposed a number of prototypes, all the new designs using the air-cooled Oberursel Ur-11 rotary engine, or the in-line six-cylinder Mercedes D.III engine. Eventually the Fokker D.VI design received an order for 120 aircraft, the first production machine being delivered on 26 April 1918. A total of 60 was completed before the contract was cancelled. After the war examples were conveyed to the United States and France for testing.
Airdrome Aeroplanes has produced at its Holden, Missouri, USA facility a 75% scale replica of the D.VI. It has been built of aluminium tubing and has been produced in a series of kits to spread the cost. Engines in the 30 kw to 48 kw (40 hp to 65 hp) range could be installed and usually the Rotax 503 has been installed, although a few have been fitted with a Volkswagen conversion [1800 cc]. Construction was of tubular steel with fabric covering.
The first of the type in this region became ZK-TBF (c/n NZ001) for Mr G Burt of Queenstown, NZ being based at Rangitata Island.