Fokker D VIII (in USA)

[@ChrisR.Harris]

I have seen this beautiful D VIII fly at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in NY after Brian Coughlin built it. Most spectacular WW I a/c I have ever seen fly and Brian was in the process of building a second 1.* Mr. Weeks,you handle this old girl like I'd imagine Theo Osterkamp handled his in 10/1918. Thank you so very much for your enormous contribution by keeping all these old birds flying. You are a true hero and an inspiration for our children. Fly far, fly fast & soft 3 point landings forever!Danke

[@janventer2723]

I recently built a model from a balsa kit which was purchased in the 1980-s.Powered it with an electric brushless motor and it flew like a dream.Not really a pattern ship but a hell of a lot of fun. J.V. South Africa

[@DPW1889]

Wow, this is great. That's the real deal, smoke, engine sound and everything. I feel like I've got a window straight back to 1918. Thanks for sharing!

[@waspswatter]

Incredible! The D VIII is perhaps the most beautiful aircraft of all time!

[@AviatikD1]

pdutube: It is fitted with a nine-cylinder 160 h.p. Gnôme Monosoupape rotary engine. It had a selector switch which allowed you to turn the spark to some cylinders off and on to lower the revs. It also had a coupé switch where they would "blip" the engine. This was harder on the engine. Yes, it used castor oil lubricant... that is the whitish-blue smoke you see spewing from the exhaust valves.

[@bevanid]

We have 2 Fokker D.VIII's flying in New Zealand both with reverse engeneered Oberursel UR.II they are pretty spectacular to see in the air together, aspecially with a rotary powered camel on their tail!!

[@ChrisR.Harris]

Re; ChicaWolverina comment about this being a "reduced scale A/C: No, this is NOT reduced scale. This is a FULL SIZE Fokker D VIII built by Brian Coughlin and it flew @ Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in N.Y. for a few years. Two were built.

[@cadzag72]

I remember seeing both of Brian's D-8's flying at ORA, his first one in 1993 when I was 11 and this one in 2000. I've seen in on display at fantasy of flight, but haven't been lucky enough to see it fly there. I'd love to see this and the Morane AI he has flying together!

[@zeppelineffect]

Fokker D VIII, das fliegende Rasiermesser! The flying Razzorknife, look's the Wing!!! Topp video!!

[@frederickmeccia4109]

You can see why that plane if it wwere in full production would have been a BIG game changer!! That was great to see an aircraft like that fly. up until this video i only saw pictures in books and magazines!!!

[@niksarass]

@huevparolbla Gorgeous. We can hear when the selector switch is being used. Amazing work.

[@fly9wheel]

But not as O.E.

[@allwinds3786]

Thanks for the history lesson. I would like to see it and how thay solved the problems of ignition and carberation

[@pdutube]

What an awesome airplane! I wonder if it uses the Oberursel UII? It would explain the staccato sound. Does it use castor oil as an engine lubricant?

[@SuperTastyone]

Now that sounds like a real WW-1 plane! nice work, keep it flying!

[@arvish.8560]

I can't believe that pilot actually rode in that thing! It looks insane to my inexperienced eyes.

[@jeroenbos26]

This aircraft was used in 1940 against the germans is a dutch plane

[@McLarenMercedes]

Sorry, but the engines in those aircraft were called rotary long before the WANKEL engine was invented in the 1950's. These engines literally rotated around it's crank shaft which was bolted to the frame. Yes, the cylinders themselves rotated in a circle. This was the best sollution in WW1 for these reasons. It solved the balancing problem of the early radial engines (and others) which needed a seriously heavy crank to balance them, making them unsuitable for airplanes.Cooling was efficient too

[@Erikkx1]

Love the sound. :)

[@martin1226]

Man, he really greased that landing.

[@allwinds3786]

Why is it called "rotery" l thought it was a piston engine. The rotary engine wasn't patented until the '20s. Is the airscrew connected to the engine case not the crankshaft?

[@injunscout]

Wow- I didn't expect to see a D VIII ! Is this flying currently at Rhinebeck? Beautiful!

[@tootired76]

Aviatik, you are very close to being right! Yes, there was an ignition cut-off button on their sticks called the "blip button" which shorted out the power to the spark plugs. If the pilot held it down just a little too long, their engine might catch fire the next time they let it up! There was no throttle or rather power control on these early airplanes! They moderated power with a variable position magneto switch! 1 it fired every rev, 2 every 2nd rev, 3 every 4rth rev and 4 every 8th rev, etc.. This is Y it sounds POP POP POP at idle. I may have got it wrong and the engine fires only every 16 revs at idle!! But each cylinder DOES fire in sequence! When Kermit fires it up, U can hear he goes thru at least 3 of these magneto switch positions. Then he lets all the cylinders go on take off!! No wonder Y our folks thought WWI biplanes were a joke!! They sound broke when they are running correct! Awesome technology from a hundred years ago!!!

[@bena8972]

yup your right man. its normal operation for the engine to cut out or skip. you did your homework ;)

[@fly9wheel]

By the sound of this engine a modification has been done to the ignition system whereby the kill switch doesn't cut all the cylinders, so the engine will still run at low speed. A good safety feature.

[@juamfraTercioHispano]

hello el men con el micro es para rise of flight el simulador?

[@NachoKatt]

why dose the engine spining like that ive never seen the pistons spin like that.

[@iancurtis1152]

That 2-stroke lawnmower with wings had a great rate of climb.

[@adrianlarkins7259]

Anyone who flies an old plane fitted with a genuine rotary engine must have a death wish. As a long retired, private pilot I know how much skill is required to land a light aircraft. Unless the pilot really knows what he is doing, the rotary engine combined with an early 20th century designed airframe is a recipe for a one way ticket. There is so much torque, one is in constant combat with the plane. Add to that, no throttle. I'll stick to a Cessna, thank you.

[@billg7205]

+Adrian Larkins He makes it look easy, but you can tell how much he's struggling to taxi back, after landing. Watched it a second time, and you could see it ever so slightly trying to bank right on landing, although the pilot must be very skilled at dealing with this. The rate of climb was impressive however. Better than I would have expected. As for flying these in general, I'm convinced I've partially lost my sanity, as I'm currently building a 21" r/c version from an old Sterling kit.

[@na4619]

Nice video

[@LostCloudx4]

SOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!

[@NIGHTEHAWK]

... that sound... :D I want one!

[@mw12283]

i love this sound

[@pdutube]

@AviatikD1 Thanks!

[@wulfheard]

The flying razor.

[@greenseaships]

OK, I've heard alot of engines over the years, but I swear that thing is farting >_< Seriously though, it is AWESOME to see something like this fly!

[@paullubliner6221]

If this airframe did 127 MPH on a LeRhone 9J of 110 HP with that 150 on tap, how fast is it? Also, aren't there any LeRhone 9R's out there? The Gnomes were bad news --SO prone to fire what with dumping raw gas into the cowling so much of the time.

[@rjwintl]

+Paul Lubliner ... ever see their goggles on the return???, full of linseed oil spray !!!

[@paullubliner6221]

+Robert Walters: OF COURSE you meant o say "Castor Oil", didn't you?

[@iratecabbie]

thats one short take off run!!

[@allwinds3786]

One can really see the torque reaction, I thought torque reaction was notable on my old BMW motorcycle!

[@alexsbikesandmotors]

that motor sounds like a 2 stroke!

[@MRoesterreicher1]

sounds exactly like n28!

[@Bluenose352]

I guess I should have waited for the video to end.

[@ahz123]

Landing was perfect though seemed a tad fast.

[@Bluenose352]

This looks like Kermits place.

[@nateextreme0969]

i envy who owns that

[@Phantomx1e]

I want one!

[@tootired76]

And during that era, more pilots were killed in training than were killed in actual combat!! On top of that, although parachutes were available, none were issued to the pilots 'cause the brass feared they might jump out of a perfectly good airplane!!

[@tboltjohn]

Gnome rotaries utilizing castor oil invented diarrhea, thus passing it on to its hapless pilots. Its sound was of things to come!

[@tootired76]

I dunno... The chivalrous attitude must have been carried over from the cavalry!! Dogfighting is a dirty and serious business!! No honor to it! The Red Baron's favorite tactic was to circle high above the battle and then dive on a straggler! What honor is that from a German "Nobleman"???

[@McLarenMercedes]

These early air craft engines were always called rotary engines, because that's how they worked. Wankel engines were always called Wankel engines both by the inventor and the few car manufacturers that had them. NSU and Mazda. Unfortunately these engines became known as "rotary" among the public, which was the simplest way to describe them, but they were NEVER sold as or called "rotary" in their sales brochures or in the data sheets. The public is wrong, and history is right. End of story.

[@shop970]

these were all gone by 1940's this is from 1917

[@shop970]

the cylinders rotated around the stationary mounted crankshaft So the whole engine spun. (rotary) you can't even spell let alone learn history . . .1917 man