Fokker Eindecker

Model Airplane News, Jun 2001 by Chianelli, Chris

Hangar 9

Hangar 9's Eindecker exemplifies the level of sophistication that the tiny-plane market has reached. This little balsa ARF has very high-quality materials and finish, and its excellent parts fit and complete package make it extremely easy to assemble. The 18-- page instruction manual is quite thorough; assembly time is estimated at 8 to 10 hours--very conservative. I finished my Eindecker in about 4 hours, and that was with my favorite "Star Trek" movie playing on my shop TV! Everything is in the box except the radio, speed controller and battery. Machine gun, wheels, pushrods, 280 motor and reduction gear drive (mounted) are all included. There's even a pre-- painted pilot complete with facial wrinkles.

All components are park-- flyer specific, giving a finished flying weight of 14 to 16 ounces. For example, the vintage wheel hubs are hollow. When you hold the wheels up to the light, you can see an internal spoke structure. Two problem areas I noted are the cockpit/hatch hold-down system and unequal wing-- panel washout. The hook-- and-loop material that is used for the hatch hold-down is too loose. The hatch never came off, but it wobbled around quite a bit. The hatch needs to be held more tightly to the wing's top.

As for the wing panels, one had washout; the other had none. Once the wing panels had been joined, however, I was able to quickly twist equal amounts of washout into each wingtip using a heat gun on the film-covered wings. Other than these two criticisms, it was a pleasant and fun process to assemble the Fokker.

FLYING

With JR's new Quattro Lite micro system, a GWS GS400 speed controller and a 600mAh, 7-cell Ni-Cd pack installed, wing loading topped out at 8.3 ounces per square foot. At this wing loading, and on a flat-bottom airfoil to boot, great slow-flight characteristics came as no surprise. Not only can you barn-- storm around in small areas with this little red Fokker, but you can also take off and land on many hard, even surfaces--including short, cropped grass. With the stock drive system, climb is quite good; however, loops do require a shallow dive before entry.

The instructions claim 10-minute flight duration with a 600mAh battery pack. The best I was able to achieve was 61/2 minutes, but I only used Ni-Cd packs. I'm sure the 10-minute mark could easily be realized with nickel-metal-hydride cells. Flying the Eindecker low and slow for the Nikon caused no adrenaline whatsoever to flow-- even in a light breeze. Although the wing will stall, as is the case with almost any conventional wing, the little vintage bird instills a lot of confidence in its pilot. It's a joy in the air, for sure.

CONCLUSION

The phenomenon of park flying certainly has the potential to inject much fun into our great hobby. I know it has for me, and I've been RC'ing for 30 years now. With its fine quality, ease of assembly, great flight characteristics and scale appeal, Hangar 9's Eindecker and other products like it will permit modelers of all skill levels to quickly experience the joy that this new, park-flying "thing" has to offer.