Airdrome Aeroplanes 75% Fokker Dr1

[fly_tornado]

Welding would warp that alloy and you would never get it as straight as what you would with rivets

 

 

[flyvulcan]

It was back to the project today after a couple of months break due to my family visiting for 3 weeks and a leg injury that is just recovering (man, I'm getting old!).

 

Anyway, today saw me fabricate and mount the last set of gussets to the rudder. These were located at the bottom of the spar and hold the bow to the spar, as well as hold the lower rudder hinge in place. It was the usual trace the pattern onto some sheet, rough cut using tin snips, drill, bend to shape, mount in place, remove, trim to final shape, file/sand edges, then remount to check I haven't screwed something up.

 

Here is the end result.

 

 

After completing these gussets, I drilled all the 3/32' holes in the rudder out to their final 1/8" holes and clecoed it all together with 1/8" clecoes.

 

 

Next, I removed the lower rib and clecoed the rudder bellcrank to it and drilled the mounting holes out from their existing 1/8" holes to 3/16" to accept the AN3-10 bolts that are used to mount the bellcrank to the rib. I also inserted the wooden dowel into the end of the rib where the bellcrank is bolted to which according to the designer provides both rigidity and crush resistance.

 

 

I also found out today that a fellow local SAAA Chapter member has ordered a Camel from Airdrome Aeroplanes so along with Flyerme's Nieuport, we have the start of a good WW1 collection in the Adelaide region.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

I also found out today that a fellow local SAAA Chapter member has ordered a Camel from Airdrome Aeroplanes so along with Flyerme's Nieuport, we have the start of a good WW1 collection in the Adelaide region.

Just like chile, it only takes a few to start a whole movement, hope it does.

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Today, I disassembled all the rudder components in order to prep them for priming and final assembly.

 

 

I trimmed a couple of the gussets and then deburred all holes and edges of all the components. All the parts were then roughed a little using scotch brite in readiness for cleaning and priming at the next session.

 

 

 

 

Some sharp eyed viewers may note the small notch on the edge of some of the gussets. I added these to identify which gusset went where and which way up they should go because after priming, I won't see the pen marks identifying the parts.

 

After the clean and prime will come final assembly and riveting. Can't wait to see the first finished component

 

 

[kaz3g]

What the Fokker ! :no no no:In 2 years time I will have accumulated enough kills to be an ACE, you may out perform and out gun me but all them kill stickers I will stick on will surley make me a formidable opponent?Ahh who am I kidding:surrender:

There was one of those little Fockers at Benalla yesterday.

 

I heard it join the circuit shortly after I had tied down and I thought I was seeing triple. Didn't get a chance for a photo as the taxi arrived but he put down very nicely.

 

Kaz

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Today I cleaned all the individual rudder components then primed the all the parts where they join.

 

 

 

 

I then reassembled all the components to check for final fit and alignment before riveting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to remove clecoes and start riveting. 30 minutes later, I had this (sorry about the orientation, it rotated when I uploaded it):

 

 

 

[Hondoair]

check out airdrome aeroplanes on You Tube, lots of build info and other neat stuff

 

 

[flyvulcan]

check out airdrome aeroplanes on You Tube, lots of build info and other neat stuff

Thanks, I've looked at them many times. Youtube is always a good place to start when considering a project.

They were handy to help in the decision making process to actually buy the kit in the first place and then to learn the construction process (in some cases how not to do it, or maybe how to do it differently).

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Well now that you got your bloody Harp finished you can start on the plane!

 

 

[flyvulcan]

I'll start on the rest of the orchestra straight away

 

 

[Guernsey]

Wow! this is the best Tale of Tails I've heard of for ages. Well done.

 

Alan.

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Thanks Alan.

 

It's been a bit of a saga, perhaps I should have titled the thread "War and Peace II", but I figured if I recorded my build in detail then the next person that builds one can see how I did it (bad or good...).

 

Dave

 

 

[Soleair]

Hi Dave

 

How's your project going? Looking forward to the next installment.

 

Are you keeping (reasonably accurate) records of how long you've spent to get this far? Can you hazard a guesstimate at how long it will take you to complete the entire empennage kit?

 

From this it might then be able to compare with the manufacturer's figures for this tail kit. And from the BS factor thus established, maybe an idea of how long it will really take to build the whole plane. I'd be very interested to hear your opinion on this.

 

Are the plans & build instructions good? And do you get everything in the kit (rivets, etch prime. etc).

 

Look forward to hearing how you're getting on.

 

Bruce

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Hi Bruce,

 

Work has stopped for the last 2 months while my family visited me from Oz and my build partners family relocated from the sandpit back to Oz. I didn't want to push ahead without his participation and rob him of the enjoyment of the build.

 

Both our families are now gone and it will be back to the build within the week.

 

I am keeping a somewhat pedantic record of the build, including labour, costs, equipment and accessory purchases so I will be able to give an accurate description of what I have put into it.

 

The tailplane kit was comprehensive and everything that was needed for the stock construction of the tail was included. However, we used additional gussets which necessitated the requirement for a very small amount of additional aluminium sheet (only about 6" square additional so not much) and we also required additional rivets. Again, not a lot of them. The instructions do not include any corrosion inhibiting measures, so if you want to go that route, that is extra.

 

The plans and instructions for the tailplane come on about 8 sheets of A4 sized paper. Dimensions are given but are approximate and you will need to draw up your own full sized templates from scratch (not too hard or time consuming). The instructions are very basic and looking at build logs such as the one I am running now will help you through, both in techniques to do things and by giving clarification to some of the instructions.

 

The build technique is very simple and is nothing to be daunted by. It would be an easy build for a first time builder.

 

We shall be getting the fuselage kit delivered in a couple of months. In the meantime, we shall knock over the horizontal stab and elevators. I shall continue to document the build here for all to see.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Can you hazard a guesstimate at how long it will take you to complete the entire empennage kit?From this it might then be able to compare with the manufacturer's figures for this tail kit. And from the BS factor thus established, maybe an idea of how long it will really take to build the whole plane. I'd be very interested to hear your opinion on this.

Whoops, I got distracted by a call halfway through my post and didn't answer the questions...

 

I have exactly 34.0 hours build time to completely finish the rudder other than covering. Robert Baslee does it in 3 hours. I was learning the build process and tricks along the way and incorporating enhancements that are more in line with "standard aeronautical practices". If I was to do the rudder again, with exactly the same enhancements, it would probably take me around 10-15 hours. You simply can't reduce the deburring, surface finishing etc. steps that I used and Robert Baslee doesn't.

 

Looking at the plans for the horizontal stab and elevators, I am estimating maybe 30 hours to knock them out, again incorporating different techniques to Robert Baslee's.

 

I'm not saying Robert's techniques or practices are wrong, there are many of his aircraft that are flying successfully having been built exactly as he does. It's just that since it's my backside in the seat, I'd prefer to have 100% faith in my build.

 

Hopefully we should have the rest of the tailplane done in the next few weeks. I'll let you know how accurate my 30 hour prediction is.

 

Cheers

 

 

[Soleair]

That's great, Dave - a very prompt & full reply, for which many thanks.

 

I do like the look of this family of aeroplanes, and will be following your build progress with great interest (as no doubt will many others).

 

Are you registering with RAA or via SAAA?

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Hi Bruce,

 

I shall probably go experimental through the SAAA. I am a member of both organisations and am fully licensed so a one off rego fee will do me.

 

Since I bought my Fokker, another SAAA member from Adelaide has ordered a kit from Airdrome Aeroplanes. He just finished building an RV8 and has decided that the WW1 replica will suit him. So I'm looking forward to finishing my project, shipping it over to Adelaide and joining flyerme and my buddy in doing some gentleman's jousting.

 

If either of them "shoot me down", which is highly unlikely (), I'll just jump into my Komet jet and give them what for!

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

 

 

[bexrbetter]

[Soleair]

All good info - thanks again, Dave.

 

Sounds like you need to do some serious research on aerial combat. Maybe re-read the exploits of Captain Bigglesworth?

 

Happy landings

 

Bruce

 

 

[flyvulcan]

We've been getting on with the horizontal stab lately. On our last session, we jigged the stab and trimmed, bent, and shaped the tubing, cut and shaped the gussets from sheet, and drilled and clecoed half the stab together.

 

Today, we disassembled all that we had done, deburred all the holes, ensured all edges of gussets and tubing were smooth, then prepped and primed the joints. After the primer dried, we reassembled and riveted the half that we had done.

 

 

After riveting one side, we trimmed all tubing for the other side. That's as far as we got today. We should finish it up at the next session.

 

 

 

[fly_tornado]

grab an air powered riveter, much more fun and really consistent rivets

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Dave do yourself a favour and get some long handled or scissor riveters. Of course air is even better but your hand ones are awful.

 

 

 

[flyvulcan]

grab an air powered riveter, much more fun and really consistent rivets

FT and Bex, I hear ya! A pneumatic riveter will be coming before the rest of the kit arrives! For the tailplane kit that only has a few rivets, we held off on the expense of a pneumatic riveter, but the time for getting one is fast approaching.

 

 

[Litespeed]

one of my favourite tools of all time...

 

one job of over 600 hand popped rivets and I am a life long convert.

 

Best hundred dollars I ever spent.

 

Keep up the great work on the Fokker and watch out for that damnable Snoopy.

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Thanks Phil.

 

The back seat of my Komet is still waiting for your backside to fill it. Steady progress is now being made on that project with my build partner working on it full time now. Hopefully, it will be completed later this year. I'll make sure I rack up a few hours in it before I put another live weight in the back seat.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave