Another Fokker Eindecker repro ready to fly in NZ

[KiwiZac]

Hi all,
Some of you may be aware of Andrew Carter's TAVAS organisation, which operated a range of Great War replica and reproduction aircraft in Australia. Among them were three Fokkers built by Achim Engels and his Fokker Team Schorndorf on long term loan to the organisation: an E.III, a D.VII and a D.VIII. Sadly TAVAS is no longer a going concern and the aircraft have been moved on to new homes.

Thanks to a deal brokered by Graham Orphan the three Engels-built aircraft are now on loan to and operated by the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre here in Blenheim, NZ. For the last few months efforts have been focused on getting the Engels E.4 (Eindecker) airworthy and this is being looked after by a dedicated team consisting of Tony Wytenburg (whose Classic Aero Machining Service built the engine), Dan Coleman, Aaron Pearce and Stuart Tantrum. All these gentlemen bar Tony (who was recovering from surgery) had the chance to run the aircraft on Friday evening - I happened to be leaning on the fence and was invited over to watch (and smell!) this magnificent machine up close.

DSC08847 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
DSC08851 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
DSC08853 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
DSC08866 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr

DSC08902 by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr

James Orphan shot some excellent video which is available on YouTube here, and I filmed some rather more mediocre stuff which you can watch here.

I'm very excited to follow progress and am hoping to share more photos (in this Flickr album) and video as I can.

[Davos522]

Thanks for posting these, Zac, what marvelous shots! I mentioned last night on another thread that I always thought Eindekkers were "drab", but these photos showed me how dumb a statement that was. They especially show the effect of the light coming through the fabric, it looks opaque in the hangar but with the sun coming through the effect is stunning... particularly the covers on the wheels.

Dutch

[wmcgill]

Thanks for posting these, Zac, what marvelous shots! I mentioned last night on another thread that I always thought Eindekkers were "drab", but these photos showed me how dumb a statement that was. They especially show the effect of the light coming through the fabric, it looks opaque in the hangar but with the sun coming through the effect is stunning... particularly the covers on the wheels.

Dutch

Agree. Great photos Zac.

Dutch, tellingly, we never see light coming through the fabric of Fokker Eindeckers in WWI, like we do on this beautiful clear doped linen covered reproduction.

[gedmundson]

Great photos, Zac. That must have been a real treat to witness all of that.
Cheers,
Gary

[KiwiZac]

I'm hoping to get more photos showcasing the fabric (particularly how visible the weave is) and showing it in different sunlight settings.

Gary, it was magic. The sound and smell really is something else in person - I understand why some of the guys wore earplugs but, man, did she sound awesome!!

[dr 1 ace]

Great photos, Zac. That must have been a real treat to witness all of that.
Cheers,
Gary

Ditto, great shots, Thanks !

Ed

[RichieW]

Wonderful photo collection Zac, thanks for posting them. Achim Engels made them a stunning replica.

Richie

[KiwiZac]

It's very close to flying, which I hope happens in October at the earliest as I'll be away for the next two weeks and I'd hate to miss it.

[KiwiZac]

For those of you who use Facebook Tony Wytenburg, boss of CAMS and the man behind new-build rotary aero engines, has shared a photo and video of the Eindecker and locally-based Sopwith Pup (currently fitted with a brand-new 7cyl Gnome) running on the ground (link). I saw and heard them but as I was working in another hangar a fair distance away my photos are less than ideal:
Sopwith Pup ZK-SPH and Fokker Eindecker by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Sopwith Pup ZK-SPH and Fokker Eindecker by Zac Yates, on Flickr

As an aside the 7cyl Gnome sounds rather "beefier" than the 9cyl we're used to around here, it's very cool (Facebook link to a video of the Pup in flight with the new engine).

[WD]

Thank you very much for all of this sir!

Warren

[KiwiZac]

My pleasure Warren!

[Tim Mixon]

Very jealous of you Zac!  That’s an awesome reproduction aircraft. Looks to be very authentic and detailed.  That Gnome engine must be music to hear in operation.  Thanks for sharing. 

[KiwiZac]

That Gnome engine must be music to hear in operation.

The sound - and smell - truly needs to be experienced in person. And on an all-grass field it's like being in a time warp!

[KiwiZac]

At the beginning of the month the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre hosted an open day and the Eindecker was on public display. It's not flown yet but it was wonderful to see it being admired by members of the public. There are some photos here.

[Mike Norris]

Hi Zac,
Great shot and interesting to note something most modelers of the Eindecker's miss.
The flying/landing wire turnbuckles for the wings are colour coded as per the original aircraft.
Red on the starboard (right) wing and Green/Blue on the left.
You can see this in one of your shots,

Mike.