{"product_id":"lyonaeec-22001-fokker-dr-i-triplane-rubber-band-powered-model","title":"Lyonaeec 22001 — Fokker Dr.I Triplane Rubber-Band Powered Model missing winding unit","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Lyonaeec\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProduct: 22001 \/ 22001(E)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBarcode: 4892818220017\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSubject: Fokker Dr.I Triplane\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical aircraft: 1917\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eType: Rubber-band-powered flying model\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScale: Not specified\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMaterial: Lightweight model-aircraft construction; exact material breakdown not reliably documented\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStatus: Discontinued\/older production\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe surviving listings do not provide a reliable parts count, so I would not invent one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe product is a rubber-band-powered model, meaning its principal components are intended to form a lightweight flying airframe with:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    three wing surfaces;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    fuselage;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    tail surfaces;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    undercarriage\/landing arrangement;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    propeller;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    rubber motor;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    associated flying-model fittings;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    assembly components.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe purpose is to reproduce the general appearance and flying concept of the Fokker Dr.I while using a simple rubber-powered propulsion system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe lack of a manufacturer-published scale is important. I would not calculate a scale from photographs, because flying models are frequently simplified or enlarged relative to true scale in order to obtain acceptable flight characteristics.\n\u003cbr\u003eLyonaeec\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLyonaeec appears in surviving hobby and catalogue records primarily as a producer of lightweight flying aircraft models, including rubber-powered historical aircraft and other model-aircraft subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 22001 belongs to a family that includes several numbered Lyonaeec aircraft products. The barcode catalogue places 22001 alongside 22002, 22003(E), 22004 and 22005(E), while other Lyonaeec ranges include 330xx, 88010 and 950xx products.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis helps establish that 22001 was part of a series of flying\/model-aircraft products, rather than an isolated plastic-kit release.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe real aircraft — Fokker Dr.I\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft represented is the famous Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker, or Fokker Triplane, one of the most recognisable fighters of the First World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was developed by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke in Germany, with the design work principally associated with Reinhold Platz.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft was a compact single-seat triplane designed primarily for air combat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts three wings gave it a very large lifting area for its short wingspan, producing excellent manoeuvrability and climb performance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe trade-off was aerodynamic drag and relatively modest maximum speed compared with contemporary Allied fighters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first prototype flew in 1917, with operational examples reaching the Western Front later that year. Sources differ slightly on the precise first-flight date, but the production aircraft's development and service period are firmly placed in 1917–1918.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhy Fokker built a triplane\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Dr.I was developed during a period when the British Sopwith Triplane had attracted considerable attention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sopwith's excellent climb and manoeuvrability encouraged several German manufacturers to investigate three-wing designs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Fokker solution was not simply a direct copy of the Sopwith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReinhold Platz developed the German triplane with a distinctive welded-steel-tube fuselage and cantilever-style wing structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the major advantages was that the aircraft could achieve a large wing area without requiring an exceptionally long wingspan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe result was a compact fighter with a high lift-to-weight ratio.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe three-wing arrangement\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Dr.I had:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    upper wing: approximately 7.19 m span;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    middle wing: approximately 6.23 m span;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    lower wing: approximately 5.73 m span.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe progressively shorter lower wings gave the aircraft its distinctive tapered planform when viewed from above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe overall wing area was approximately 18.7 m².\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe arrangement produced excellent lift and manoeuvrability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt also provided the pilot with good upward visibility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe disadvantage was drag.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft could turn and climb exceptionally well, but faster contemporary fighters could often disengage simply by using their superior speed.\n\u003cbr\u003eEngine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe standard production Dr.I was powered by the Oberursel Ur.II, a nine-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine producing approximately 110 hp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Oberursel was closely related to the French Le Rhône rotary engine, and German production included engines derived from that design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome experimental and individual aircraft used other rotary engines, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Le Rhône engines;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Siemens-Halske engines;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Goebel engines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese were exceptions rather than the standard production arrangement.\n\u003cbr\u003eRotary-engine characteristics\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Dr.I's rotary engine was fundamentally different from a modern radial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe cylinders rotated around the crankshaft along with the crankcase.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis provided excellent cooling and a favourable power-to-weight ratio, but it also produced substantial gyroscopic effects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePilots had to account for these effects during manoeuvres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe engine also consumed large amounts of castor oil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBecause early rotary engines exhausted much of their lubricant overboard, pilots and aircraft became coated with oil during operation.\n\u003cbr\u003eArmament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe production Dr.I carried two synchronised 7.92 mm Spandau machine guns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey were mounted in the upper fuselage ahead of the cockpit and fired through the propeller arc using interrupter\/synchronisation equipment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis gave the pilot a concentrated forward-firing armament.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe weapons were relatively light by later standards but were entirely conventional for a 1917 fighter.\n\u003cbr\u003ePerformance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRepresentative production Dr.I specifications include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Crew: 1\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engine: Oberursel Ur.II\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Power: 110 hp\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Length: approximately 5.77 m\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Upper wingspan: approximately 7.19 m\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Height: approximately 2.95 m\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Wing area: approximately 18.7 m²\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Empty weight: approximately 400 kg\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Loaded weight: approximately 585–586 kg\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Maximum speed: roughly 165 km\/h, depending on source and test conditions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Ceiling: approximately 6,000–6,500 m\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Endurance: approximately 1½ hours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe exact performance figures vary between surviving German test data and later published specifications, so these should be treated as representative rather than absolute.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lyonaeec","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512972353916,"sku":"Lyonaeec-22001","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/CFB5DA5A-F9E4-4683-B5B8-11E1D371533F.jpg?v=1790662498","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/lyonaeec-22001-fokker-dr-i-triplane-rubber-band-powered-model","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}