Fokker DVIII Flying Razor (oz6332)
About this Plan
Fokker D-VIII Flying Razor. Scale model for radio control. Wingspan 55-1/4 in, wing area 460 sq in. K&B Allyn .19 engine shown. Scale is 1/6.
Note planfile has some Additional Construction Instructions printed on it, over the right wing layout. These have a lot of helpful detail on making up and soldering the wire cabane and the undercarriage, plus scratch-building large enough wheels, engine mounting, cowling construction, plus covering and finishing.
Update 21/10/2022: Added complete article, thanks to DPlumpe.
Quote: "Flying Razor. Radio control D-8. Designed and drawn by S Calhoun Smith.
The 'Flying Razor' was the last Fokker pursuit flown against the Allies near the close of World War I. It was an outstanding monoplane design in an era when the biplane reigned supreme. Plagucd by design changc problern, the D-8 never reached quantity production. Nevertheless the few aircraft that reached combat gave a good account of themselves in the hands of such skilled pilots as Ernst Udet, Rudolph Stark and Bruno Loerzer. First D-8's were powered by the 110 hp Oberusel rotary, later with 140 hp engines. Top speed was 115 to 125 mph. Span was 27 ft, 7 in; length 19 ft, 4 in.
Always a favorite with scale modelers, the D-8 proportions are just about right for good fiying performance. Main problems presented by the design are its short nose and flat wing. The former can be corrected by adding ballast, but the wing needs a few degrees of dihedral. This and use of thinner airfoil are the only departures from scale on the mode!.
That change in the rules for free-flight flying scale permitting use of engines up to .20 displacernent would seem a welcome shot in the arm for this interesting contest event. The mode! D-8 was designed with this particular event in mind. A scale of 2 in to the ft makes our mode! span 55-1/4 in and length 39 in. Wing area is 460 sq in Weight of original modal, slightly over 4 lbs, can be reduced by use of built-up wooden wheels shown on plans. Power is K&B-Allyn .19 engine swinging 10x3-1/2 or 11x4 prop.
Combination of weight, low power and modest wing area makes for a slow realistic flying model. lt is not a zoom and roar OOS free-flight. The large wheels permit ROG take-offs that will gladden your heart. So don't expect spectacular performance from this D-8. It is a tame steady flier that performs in a most satisfactory manner.
The mode! is large enough to accommodate a big R/C installation, but due to lirnited lifting area it is strongly advised that only rudder control be used so that equipment weight will not be excessive. Our original D-8 model has been flown quite successfuily with rudder-only control as well as free-flight. Radio Installation shown on the plans, the Babcock 'Magic Carpet' receiver is recommended because of its light-weight battery complement.
Model structure follows closely the real aircraft design in order to preserve scale features. Wing is completely sheet balsa covered to simulate the plywood covered cantilever original. Fuselage is open structure with planked top and fabric sides and bottom. Horizontal tail is fabric covered; fin and rudder are solid balsa for simplicity. Landing gear, built as a unit, is the knock-off type. Only complicated part, the wing strut 'bird-cage', has been designed as a permanent structure forming a solid wing platform.
Construction can be started with the wing. Begin by cutting wing ribs from sheet. (Scale rib outlines shown can be used if builder wishes to go to the extra effort of developing thern for construction.) Planking is 6 in wide 1/16 sheet over front part of wing. If this width sheet is not obtainable use 3 or 4 in wide sheets covering. Make spars from hard 1/4 sheet or 1/4 x 1 in stock. Cut 1/16 plywood spar joiners and cement to center section spar.
Build wing in three parts beginning with the center section. Ribs and spars are blocked up off the plan with 1/16 thick scrap. This is to allow for thickness of bottom skin. Pin down trailing edge directly to plan. Block up leading edge 1/8 and pin in place. Add ribs, spar and 1/4 in sheet framing around cut-out in trading edge. Put down all nine No.1 ribs of center section. Cover top of center section with 1/16 sheet while structure is still pinned to building board. Remove when thoroughly dry.
Build outer wing panels over plan in same manner as center section, but omit No.1 rib at dihedral break for the time being. Do not add top covering yet. When outer panel structures are dry they are joined to the center section. Pin center section flat on board again; slide outer panel spars into place at plywood joiners. Pin leading and trailing edge in place and block up tip for dihedral with length of sheet cut to required width. Now add the No.1 rib omitted previously. When this assernbly is dry outer panels are laid flat on board and top covering added one side at a time..."
Direct submission to Outerzone.
Quote: "Steve & Mary, Here's the complete article for Cal Smith's Fokker DVIII (oz6332). Your listing has only a partial article ... there were two more pages in the magazine with article text and one photo (included in the attachment). Also, the attached scan is at 200dpi, more than double the resolution of the article supplement on oz6331, and much more readable.
I like Cal's basic fuselage and wing structure and might add it to my 'to build' list. I'd certainly lighten the tail a lot, add ailerons, and change wing mounting. An OS FS26 or 40 should power it nicely, but would be a challenge to fit in the nose. Brushless electric could fit nicely but lack the necessary sound. I'd check against the 3-views - the L.G., as tall as it is, looks a tad short. Would look great doing WW1 manuevers and slipping in to a landing! Keep up the great work!"
Supplementary file notes
Alternate plan (4 sheets, as original print).
Article.
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(oz6332)
Fokker DVIII Flying Razor
by S Cal Smith
from American Modeler (ref:358)
March 1958
56in span
Scale IC R/C Parasol Military Fighter
clean :)
all formers complete :)
got article :) -
Submitted: 05/02/2015
Filesize: 1501KB
Format: • PDFbitmap
Credit*: JJ, DPlumpe
Downloads: 5527
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User comments
Hi Steve - here are the build photos for the above from the original magazine. Regards,SBurling - 23/02/2015
Many, many thanks for adding this plan to the site. I've been wanting to build this one since I bought the magazine in 1958. I knew that eventually someone would post this one. If you wait long enough, a gold nugget from the past will surface. Thank you Steve, JJ and sburling for the addition. Above all, the great Cal Smith for his fine art work and plans.
halkarlson - 25/02/2015
Thanks Steve for adding this plan. I've been waiting for this since high school in 1958. I had to enlarge it just enough for the Proctor Dr1 cowling. Re-doing the wing for ailerons, a few fuselage mods as well as a FirePower 25 for motor. Bringing the whole thing up to current specs. This will make perfect companion to my Proctor DRI.
HalKarlson - 24/10/2017
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- Fokker DVIII Flying Razor (oz6332)
- Plan File Filesize: 1501KB Filename: Fokker_DVIII_Flying_Razor_oz6332.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 1499KB Filename: Fokker_DVIII_Flying_Razor_oz6332_alternate_4_sheets.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 2004KB Filename: Fokker_DVIII_Flying_Razor_oz6332_article.pdf
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