Ed Hamler, R/C CD for the 2006 SAM Champs at Muncie, Indiana, brought his partially-framed Earl Stahl Fokker D-8 from the Bob Holman laser-cut kit to the Decmber 21st year-end SAM 27 meeting to show the membership. Ed was warmly-received by the membership and the proposal was made to make this model the SAM 27 club project for 2006 and a number of members signed up for kits. He sent the following message out to the club:
"Welcome to the SAM 27 Squadron of Fokker D.VIIIs for 2006! We invite Peter Bennett, Kirby Hinson, John Sullivan, and Tandy Walker to join us and our squadron will have the potential for 22 models to fly sorties this summer, enter the special event for Fokker D.VIIIs at our Crash & Bash contest, and participate (even by proxy) in the Earl Stahl Commemorative RC Event at the Muncie SAM Champs.
Fifteen Holman short kits arrived Saturday but, except for Napa, I have been unable to make deliveries due to weather and road closures. Your project packets will include full size CAD plans, laser cut balsa and plywood parts, a bill of materials, and a copy of Earl Stahl's original Jun/Jul 1941 article of the Fokker D.VIII gassie in Model Airplane News. These will be available at the January 18 SAM 27 meeting in Novato, maybe sooner.
1. Attached is an MS Excel workbook with the bill of materials and the 2006 SAM Champs schedule showing the Earl Stahl Commemorative Fokker D.VIII RC Event running for four days, Monday thru Thursday, two flights scored each day.
2. Richard Beck will schedule several afternoon workshops (building parties) at Sonoma RC Hobbies in the near future to get our projects going and to keep them progressing.
3. Ed Solenberger will have 4 3/8"D Williams Brothers vintage wheels available at a discount for those who don't want to laminate and turn their own balsa wheels.
4. Nick Kelez will have a mold available for those wishing to lay up a fiberglass cowl.
5. Fiberglass 5 1/2" cowls may also be ordered on-line from Fiberglass Specialties at www.fiberglassspecialtiesinc.com but they are rather expensive - $36.85 incl S&H. Stahl's original model sported an aluminum cowl but I have yet to locate a source. Cowls of laminated balsa rings are also good and light.
5. I will show my construction variations from plans at the next meeting to include:
a) 11 1/4" long bass or pine mounts for conventional rubber band wing hold downs,
b) the curved rudder outline of reed in place of the several balsa pieces shown,
c) a winglet with scale flat bottom airfoil and Van Hereford's mounting system,
d) three separate wing panels with joiners for disassembly and,
e) tube mounted landing gear and cabane wires, also for disassembly.
Accurately bending the .062" cabane wires turned out to be easier than anticipated after gluing a fixture temporarily to the fuselage top longerons with Sigment to hold the bass wood wing mounts in their correct position. After the wires are cut, bent, and fastened permanently to the wing mounts, the glue joints are dissolved with acetone and the fixture removed. I will demo the simple fixture at the next meeting.
Nick Kelez' magbificent Foker D-VIII at the March 15 SAM 27 Meeting.
Color schemes of selected D-VIII models for SAM 27 Staffel builders
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