Friends,
Builder Bruce Culver wrote the note in blue below. He is kicking around a replica of a historic, but somewhat unknown, WWII fighter. The letter caught my eye because it has some elements I can comment on from personal experience. I included a three view and a spec. sheet from the original aircraft. These planes fought in one of the least understood facets of WWII, the ‘winter war’ , a 105 day savage conflict between the Finns and the Soviets. In spite of fantastic Soviet numerical superiority, the Finns fought them to a halt in minus 40 degree temps. Their national pride soared, but they learned the bitter lesson that they could count on no allied support beyond gestures. My comments on the project are in green and follow the letter-ww
“This is outstanding, William – thanks for letting us in on the secret that the ancient steam gauges I want to use will be pretty cheap because no one wants them anymore. I wonder what the backup system is for those glass cockpits if you have a major electrical failure – if the fancy panel loses power, you have NO instruments at all. And as you mentioned by implication, nowadays few instructors teach students to fly by the feel of the airplane. I KNEW I should have learned to fly in the ’60s….. Well, there is a lady who teaches around here in a decathlon,,,,,
I want to build a simple LSA replica fighter using the Loehle P-40 as a starting point and ending up with a Fokker D.XXI as the preferred design. I have tried three times to order the information pack from them and still don’t have it, but so much for customer service. Nonetheless I’d like a plane that will be fun to fly, safe and won’t break the bank at Monte Carlo. I also want to build the whole airplane and the engine, so I know what’s in both and can check better for problems, maintenance needs, etc. It will require a complete rework of the kit fuselage, but this gives me a chance to reinforce the cockpit area. One of their customers wrapped their P-40 prototype in a ball getting too slow on landing and stalled it in, but he almost walked away….. The pictures ain’t pretty. So, it’ll be wood, but good wood. The great thing about the Loehle P-40 and the Fokker D.XXI is I can leave most of the kit as it comes in the box and change only the cockpit and forward fuselage areas, so flying characteristics should be the same as the kit design.
My point is, Fokker D.XXIs didn’t have glass cockpits, so I can cheerfully go for the unwanted orphan steam gauges. And a Corvair engine, probably a basic model as it will power an LSA. And remember, there is always a place for knowledgable troglodytes…..”
General characteristics
- Crew: One, pilot
- Length: 8.20 m (26 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
- Empty weight: 1,594 kg (3,511 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 1,970 kg (4,399 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Mercury VIII air-cooled, 9-cylinder, radial, 618.76 kW (830 hp)
Performance
- Never exceed speed: 700 km/h (434 mph)
- Maximum speed: 460 km/h (285 mph)
- Cruise speed: 429 km/h (267 mph)
- Range: 930 km (502 nmi, 574 mi)
- Service ceiling: 11,350 m (36.089 ft)
- Rate of climb: 6,000 m in 7 min 30 sec (19,680 ft)
Hi Bruce, how is the progress with your Fokker D 21 project ? I am interested because the. Fokker D21 was used by the Royal Danish Air Force when in was occupied by Nazi Germany on April 9. All the planes was shoot the pieces on that day !
I am concidering building a replica.
Kind regards
Dear Dr. Pedersen,
Thank you for your interest in the Fokker D.XXI. My replica idea was based on the Loehle P-40 lightweight replica kit plane, and would have required a great deal of research and work to bring to fruition. My plane would have been almost all wood, based on the Loehle kit but strengthened by designing a more robust structure. I chose the D.XXI because it was one of the few fixed-gear fighters from WW2 that was also quite successful in its service. Regrettably I have ended up with a pacemaker, and that has put an end to my wish to fly my own airplane – I do not have a pilot’s license currently, and the FAA most likely would not issue one, even a Sport Pilot or Light Sport Aircraft license with a history of a pacemaker. I still root for William and his efforts to help others fly, and wish I could be of more help. The Loehle designs are really only a bit more than heavy ultralight type aircraft, and I was going to have to do much redesign and beefing up. I was also working on a concept to turn the Loehle P-40 into a Hawker Typhoon, surprisingly also a possibility, though the retractable gear would have required a private pilot’s license. Half the fun I had was in the planning and research, so the time I spent was certainly not wasted. PLease keep us up to date on your progress.
Best wishes, Bruce Culver (EAA 188362)