Sands Fokker Dr.1 Triplane Explained

The Sands Fokker Dr.1 Triplane is an American homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Ron Sands Sr of Mertztown, Pennsylvania, and produced by Wicks Aircraft and Motorsports. It is a full-sized replica fighter aircraft based upon the 1917-vintage Fokker Dr.1. The aircraft is supplied as a kit and in the form of plans for amateur construction.^{[1] [2]}

Design and development

The aircraft features a strut-braced triplane layout, a single-seat open cockpit, fixed conventional landing gear, and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The Sands Fokker Dr.1 Triplane is made from welded steel tubing and wood, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. The cockpit width is 28inches. The acceptable power range is 110to and the standard engines used are the 1600NaN0 Lycoming O-320, the 1850NaN0 Lycoming O-360, the 1100NaN0 Le Rhône 9J rotary engine or the 1250NaN0 Warner Scarab radial engine powerplant.^[2] The Le Rhône 9J was the direct basis for the Oberursel Ur.II 110 PS German umlaufmotor rotary that powered production Dr.Is in 1917–18.

The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 1150lb and a gross weight of 1600lb, giving a useful load of 450lb. With full fuel of the payload for the pilot and baggage is 312lb.

The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 1850NaN0 engine is 3000NaN0 and the landing roll is 2000NaN0.

The designer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 3,000 hours.

Operational history

By 1998 the company reported that 100 sets of plans had been sold and 15 aircraft were completed and flying.

External links

• • Official photo gallery

Notes and References

1. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 249. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.
2. Web site: Fokker DR1 Aircraft Kit On Wicks Aircraft Supply . Wicks Aircraft . 2014-03-01.