german ww1 rep

[Holtzy822]

hey guys this is my first post on this site. im looking for a nice german WW1 plans built replica i know of replicraft and aerodrome aeroplanes but i want plans built. i just cant seem to find that fighter that just says "build me now"

[mossie]

Building a replica involves a lot of research, planning and cost.

You'll need to be much more specific on the type, as the level of data available varies a lot.

[Holtzy822]

fighter, plans built, wood or aluminum angle no sheet metal, not going to be an exact showroom worthy replica just something that flies like it did in ww1. i personally like the look of the german fighters over US and great brittan. i like the albatross series i just cant find plans for them

[Holtzy822]

well i want to build a DV.A i just cant find plans

[rexee]

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/re...a-replica.html

[Holtzy822]

i still need somewhere to buy the plans...

['14-'18aviationcollector]

Hi guys,

I had forgotten about that thread! The intention, of course was to document the building of an Albatros D.Va, but as with many threads, if it is not contributed to regularly it ends up being closed. I've spent the last few years obtaining access to an airfield, which I helped to build, and on which I've got a workshop, and trying to organise the house and garage sufficiently to start building. The harsh reality is that the vast majority of the task is the research, and it never seems to end.

I agree absolutely with Mossie. The information available relating to the construction details relating to various aeroplanes varies enormously.

The best drawings I am aware of for the Albatros D.II were drawn by Stanley Teachman. He states that due to a lack of conclusive evidence relating to the details contained in the drawings they should be used for the construction of models only.

The best drawings I am aware of for the Albatros D.Va were drawn by Bob
Waugh. Some of his early drawings were published in the back of the NASM book about the restoration of the other surviving Albatros D.Va in the National Air and Space Museum. Bob always maintained when I asked him about these drawings that they were not complete at that time, and that he did not provide the author with permission to publish them. Even his most recent drawings, which are nearly impossible to obtain contain errors and / or contradictions. The Vintage Aviator have the most thorough and correct structural information relating to the D.Va, but if you would like to exchange information with them you will need to provide them with structural information they don't have, and which they need, which has been carried out to the exceptionally high standards they demand for their replicas.

I am aware of some existing structural information relating to the Albatros D.III in archives, but if I recall correctly it relates to the Austrian version. There are other bits and pieces here and there, but it's an absolutely massive job to find out where they are, try to obtain permission to access them and to finally compile them. There is a section of original Albatros D.III fuselage in the Imperial War Museum, but I don't know how easy it is to obtain permission to study it. I have heard of people gaining access to it, and I would love to study it when I have an opportunity to do so.

I am currently studying the relationship between the Albatros D.I, D.II, D.III, D.V and D.Va. I have quite a lot of information, and I think I have enough to be able to build the D.II, D.III, D.V and D.Va. I don't have any structural information relating to the D.I cabane struts or the Windhoff radiators, but I could probably find such information eventually, or experiment with 3D computer programs to work the dimensions out.

Regards,

David.

[Holtzy822]

maby ww1 isnt the way i want to go. i mean i really like some of the nieuports and the albatros series but i want to go all wood with a non radial engine

[Brad]

Holtzy,

If you tell us a little more about your exact wants, we can try to help.
Full scale or reduced scale? Authentic construction or modern/simplified construction methods? What is your height and weight? (Weight is a big factor in balance.)

Albatros:

(Reduced scale)
I've personally chased the idea of doing a reduced scale Albatros (in my case a DII not a DVa) for MANY years and countless hours of research, and I can tell you beyond a doubt that with the engines currently available, based on MY weight, it is NOT GOING TO WORK. (I weigh 235#) It will never balance without adding a substantial amount of ballast to the nose, which increases the overall weight, reduces performance, requires a stronger structure, etc.

If you are lighter than my fat butt, you have a much higher chance of success than I would with the same replica.

(full scale)
Full scale aircraft (Albatros) can be done, and there are some folks doing precisely that, but the engine is still problematic. An authentic engine will cost more than the average house, and the alternatives are mostly either a huge compromise on power available due to the difference in operating RPM at the prop, or unproven. Also plans availability is pretty sketchy.

Generalities:
The problem with most German aircraft of the period is the absurdly short nose. That worked in the original because they had big, heavy inline engines which balance the aircraft. They turned huge props at low RPM, producing lots of thrust for the HP of the engine. A smaller prop turning a higher RPM at the same horsepower doesn't produce nearly as much thrust. That is ok in cruise, the speed is mostly horsepower dependent, but the amount of thrust is what determines the takeoff roll and climb rate. (in the same airframe)

Enough research would get you plans for a lot of different aircraft in full-scale using authentic construction methods. Authentic construction of a full scale aircraft is the absolute pinnacle of achievement in replicas. They are all extremely labor intensive to replicate, and require a high degree of patience, dedication, and skill.

The reduced scale aircraft, especially like your description (not absolutely authentic, etc) are much easier and faster to build.

There are plans for exactly ONE reduced scale German fighter available- that is to use Graham Lee's 7/8 Nieuport plans and his modification suggestions to replicate a Siemens-Schuckert DI. (You could also do a Euhler DI the same way.) You could also potentially use his full-scale Nieuport plans to do a full scale Siemens-Schuckert DI or even a Euhler DI.

Robert Baslee (Airdrome Aeroplanes) Airdrome Aeroplanes ~ Holden, MO has a number of replica kits available. While kits may seem a costly way to build, it takes a lot of the hassle out of the process, and since you get everything at once (or in sub-kits that include everything for that section of the aircraft) you can potentially save money on shipping and the higher cost of buying materials in small quantities. The Fokker DVII is probably the best of them, and it allows you an almost unlimited choice of color schemes and personal markings.

Both the Graham Lee plans and Airdrome kits are built from aluminum tube and pop rivets. This is a simple, fast method of building.

You mention aluminum angle for construction, so I presume you are familiar with the Texas Parasol? Richard DID put up some "plans" (I put that in quotations because they are not very detailed, more a general layout sketch) of Chuck's SE5A replica done using that method. Not German, but it doesn't have the challenges getting it to balance that the German aircraft do. Those "plans" don't cost you a cent... but understand that there is a LOT of "head-scratching" required, and you will need to get both the regular Texas Parasol plans (for instructions on how to do everything- also free) and the SE5A "plans" to successfully build that aircraft... and again, you will spend a LOT of time figuring out how things should go together.

Hope that is helpful...

['14-'18aviationcollector]

Hi Holtzy,

There are a lot of options for WW1. You can build anything from what we would have called stand off scale when I was flying radio controlled models, to large scale - eg. 3/4 or 7/8 aeroplanes, built using more modern materials, building techniques and engines to museum standard replicas such as those built and flown by The Vintage Aviator.

If you're thinking more along the lines of WW2 aeroplanes, you're looking at an exponentially more expensive aeroplane, in terms of the time taken to research and build it and the technology used to construct it.

I've been researching WW1 aeroplanes for close to 30 years now, so as you can imagine, it is a massive undertaking, but still a walk in the park relative to the research, expense and complexity of the engineering involved with most other types of aeroplanes.

What other types of aeroplanes did you have in mind?