Pierre's Planes: mini Fokker D VIII

Building:

This is a prototype based on Peter Rake's plans. He scaled down his geared speed 400 one to use the GWS drive system. It uses traditional balsa construction, and was finished in Coverlite. The cowl is made of pink foam that was turned on a drill press, sanded down and carved to its final shape, then covered with 3/4 oz. fiberglass and water based polyurethane.

Flying:

I first tried to fly it in a single basketball gym, but soon found out that it's too fast and needed more room to maneuver. It took a good length of the gym just to ROG. Outdoor, a gentle toss gets it airborne easily. Due to the small wing area, high wing loading and draggy design, it needs a fair amount of speed to keep going. Turns should be made smoothly to conserve speed. Dead sticks landings are not recommended, as the sink rate is significant.

Pierre Audette
pfaudet (a) videotron.ca
05/07/2003