Airdrome Fokker D-VI

Airdrome Fokker D-VI
Role Amateur-built aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Airdrome Aeroplanes
Status In production (2011)
Number built 14 (2011)
Developed from Fokker D.VI

The Airdrome Fokker D-VI is an American amateur-built aircraft, designed and produced by Airdrome Aeroplanes, of Holden, Missouri. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.[1]

The aircraft is a 3/4 scale replica of the First World War German Fokker D.VI fighter, built from modern materials and powered by modern engines.[1]

Design and development

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The Airdrome Fokker D-VI features a strut-braced biplane layout, a single-seat open cockpit, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.[1]

The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. The kit is made up of twelve sub-kits. The Airdrome Fokker D-VI has a wingspan of 17.9 ft (5.5 m) and a wing area of 110 sq ft (10 m2). It can be equipped with engines ranging from 46 to 65 hp (34 to 48 kW). The standard engine is the 50 hp (37 kW) Rotax 503 two stroke engine, with a Volkswagen air-cooled engine optional. Building time from the factory-supplied kit is estimated at 400 hours by the manufacturer.[1][2]

Operational history

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Fourteen examples had been completed by December 2011.[1]

Specifications (Fokker D-VI)

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Data from Kitplanes and Airdrome Aeroplanes[1][2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 15 ft (4.6 m)
  • Wingspan: 17.9 ft (5.5 m)
  • Wing area: 110 sq ft (10 m2)
  • Empty weight: 297 lb (135 kg)
  • Gross weight: 568 lb (258 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 14 U.S. gallons (53 L; 12 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 503 two cylinder, air-cooled, two stroke aircraft engine, 50 hp (37 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed wooden

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 78 mph (126 km/h, 68 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 73 mph (117 km/h, 63 kn)
  • Stall speed: 30 mph (48 km/h, 26 kn)
  • Range: 120 mi (190 km, 100 nmi)
  • Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (3.8 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 5.2 lb/sq ft (25 kg/m2)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 39. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  2. ^ a b Airdrome Aeroplanes (n.d.). "Fokker D-VI ~ 3/4 Scale Replica". Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2012.