The Fokker-Flugzeugwerke Museum Plan

Achim Engels Engels Aeroplanbau

c/o Bau- Mietservice Schmid Remsstrasse 24

73614 Schorndorf Germany

Website: http://www.fokker-team-schorndorf.de

Gerry Mos The Retreat, Avoca Ave

Torquay Devon TQ1 4EE UK

Website: http://ww1-aircraft.info/

What is the Plan?

Our plan is to build both the production and final test

fight facilities of the Fokker Flugzeugwerke of the 1914-

18 period as per the two Schwerin sites to meet the

100th anniversary.

The museum site can be anywhere in the world, as long

as the whole complex can be constructed.

What is Needed?

The basic ingredient is money, large sums, followed by a

lashing of enthusiasm and dedication. What is needed is

a group of single-minded individuals who can contribute

financially to make this plan happen.

Money can be sourced from any one or group of

individuals, but it must come without any expectation of

a return on a short or medium term basis. The funds

would be locked up in land, buildings, equipment and

resources to build aircraft. People who contribute would

be members of the strategic board and would have open

invitations to the site.

Already there is a small core of interested individuals,

who will guide and develop the site within the

constraints and resources available. But without any

major funding, the plan will not happen. These

individuals would form the core of the operational board

to manage day-to-day activities and report to the

strategic board.

What is the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke Museum?

The museum will be a time capsule set in the 1914-1918

period, for all aspects across the site. It will be a place of

recreating a living working aircraft production factory

and test flight center, which will have the following key

features:

• Re-enactment of the time frame 1914-1918, including

dress, working tools and working practices. This will not

just be limited to the aircraft, but also other reenactment

societies catering to specialized areas such as vehicles,

motorcycles, and militaria.

• Museum staff will operate both sites as a unit with a

suitable hierarchy of management.

• A good research library will be accessible to the public

via a librarian. Historians should be encouraged and via

a small fee/donation would be allowed specific access.

The library would be both electronic and paper based to

ensure a wide variety of materials. A large quantity of

material is already available but not on one site.

Acquiring new material will also be one of the museum's

key goals.

• Links to other reenactment societies and individuals

will be encouraged. These could be special day or

weekend events. Hosting of these events would be

within the overall operational calendar.

• School visits should be encouraged to aid learning in

history and technology. This could extend to specialist

training in welding and other metal and wood related

skills for schools and higher education organizations.

• Links to other museums should be encouraged, to

allow placement of aircraft and information about the

Fokker Museum within the wider context of visitors and

museums.

Production Center

The museum's Production Center will be engaged in the

work of creating period aircraft, using appropriate tools

and methods of the timeframe. All aircraft will be fully

airworthy according to the required certification

processes by the appropriate civil flight authorities.

Where load tests are required, and that is in most cases,

testing will be carried out on site with the controls set by

a specialist engineer. Aircraft will be produced as

required, but one example will always be built for use in

the museum. Already the following aircraft are in works,

at Schorndorf:

• Fokker D.VIII (museum), this will be the first

completed aircraft, expected test flights 2011.

• Fokker D.VII (three off, one for the museum)

• Fokker E.III (three off, one for museum)

• Fokker Dr.I (museum)

• Rumpler C.IV (three wing sets, external customer)

• Pfalz D.III (three off, one for museum)

• Fokker C.I (three off, one for museum)

The range of hands-on activities for day visitors and

time bound volunteers needs to be defined focusing

around aircraft construction. Some volunteers may not

be interested in aircraft and thus want to work on the

vehicles or in the library for example.

The Production Center will also house the bulk of the

education facilities teaching individuals the various

skills required to build and maintain WWI aircraft.

Flight Test Center

The Flight Test Center will operate as a private airfield,

controlled locally. Pilots wanting to fly Fokker aircraft

should be encouraged. Pilot vetting and certification to

type would be required. Use of two-seater aircraft such

as the Fokker B.II and C.I would ensure a safer

transition for modern pilots. Other near period aircraft,

such as the Tiger Moth may be used to aid the training

program.

Flying displays will be arranged to suit both weather and

seasonal conditions. Public viewing would be

encouraged, and the original site had adequate facilities

for the public in the Tribune and Casio areas on the

northern edge of the field.

Visits by WWI period aircraft will be encouraged, with

special flying days being established in the calendar to

attract both pilots and the general public.

What Sort of People Will Visit the Fokker-

Flugzeugwerke Museum?

There would be a range of people, both local and

international such as:

• Day visitors - families and individuals

• Time bound volunteers, wanting to work in specific or

general areas

• Pilots

• Engineers

• Historians

• Reenactors

• Film and documentary producers

What Are the Business and Income

Opportunities for the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke

Museum?

The initial business opportunities are small, as it will

take time to establish a fully operational site, however

the following would be considered:

• Short term employment for local builders, architects

and general trades for constructing the site buildings and

facilities. This would be over a 4-5 year period.

• Long term local employment for the maintenance

program for the site.

• Long term local employment for museum staff for the

administration, ticket office, restaurant, library and on-

site education. Part- and full-time employment would be

options for the various posts.

• Local and international employment for production and

hands on education staff.

• Local hotel and guest house accommodation, both

short and long term.

• Additional tourist revenue from visitors, regards of

duration of stay.

• Flying displays both daily and special annual events

would provide an additional platform for revenue and

short term employment.

• Provision of a site of special interest for film and

documentary makers, which in turn will provide

additional income streams both to the museum and the

local economy.

What would the site contain?

The complete museum would contain both the airfield

which was the final assembly site and the Production

Center. The later would be designed from the original

drawings to complement the airfield without interfering

with operations.

The original flight test center for Fokker at Schwerin-Görries from a circa 1917 plan.

It is recognized that to have the complete field is not

possible in one year or even two, so the airfield would

be built following the original timeline, Halle 1, then 2,

etc. This way the development of the airfield itself will

bring some interest and follow historic development.

With the 100th anniversary of the original site coming in

2013, it would be an auspicious time to open the site.

The completed site would look something like the

following images, from a virtual perspective:

Above: A 3D view reflecting the original photo below. Image: Gerry Mos

Above: Halle 1 left and Halle 2 right, with Fokker E.III aircraft. Photo: Achim Engels Archive

Images: Gerry Mos

Above: Walking around the site reveals fine and interesting views of the various buildings. Image: Gerry Mos

Above: In order to recreate the buildings as originally designed, the original drawings for all Halle have been used to create a virtual model which allows for a better understanding of the site, and how it will look. Image: Gerry Mos

Above: Each building has been recreated in 3D using original drawings. Here is a sample of one of the drawings for Halle 1, showing the dimensions for the timber roof truss structure. Image: Achim Engels Archive

Above: Using available drawings, a 3D model of Halle 1 was created. This 4 view shows both geometry and textured results. These illustrate the level of detail in the model, which can be used for the development of full structural drawings suitable for construction.

Image: Gerry Mos

Left: The 3D model of Halle 1 after the application of texture sheets. Image: Gerry Mos

Above: Exterior and interior views of the Halle1 3D model. All the buildings are fully modeled according to the original drawings. The real buildings will require appropriate architect and structural engineer approval to meet current building regulations. However, as the buildings are simple brick and wooden units, they would convert easily to meet current standards. The inside of the building would house the various workshops, which would be utilized to produce real aircraft using original tools and designs from the Fokker factory. There would be areas for engine maintenance, sheet metal working, testing of components and an R&D area for the important V model development and testing. Each area would use Fokker photographs to ensure accurate representations of the time and place. Images: Gerry Mos

Workers at the Fokker factory producing Dr.1 spars. There are a number of images of not just of the Fokker works, but also other German aircraft factories, such as LVG. These will all be used to aid in setting the correct tone for the various workshops. The following images are just some examples.

Photo: Achim Engels Archive

Building elevators in the LVG works

Image: Achim Engels Archive

Engine Test stand with rotary engine.

Photo: Gerry Mos Archive

How Can You Help?

Are you a sponsor?

We are looking for financial support from people

who share the dream and are willing to fully engage

with the plans. Day to day activities will be

managed by the museum as an operational board.

Other board members will be appointed according

to an agreed set of rules, both to cover legal and

operational needs.

Are you a local authority?

We are looking for local government support and

linkages to tourist and other agencies to help

support our objectives. This will happen once the

short list of sites have been defined.

Are you the flight authority?

Help us establish the flight space required for this

specialist flying.

Are you an individual willing to play a hands-on

role over an extended period?

What skills can you bring to the museum, equally

what skills would you like to learn? There is always

work to be done in the workshop at Schorndorf, for

those with the capability and/or the enthusiasm.

Carpenters, joiners, welders, sheet metal

fabrication, drawing and design reading are just

some of the skills required, in one person. It is a hell

of a list and is only part of the skills needed to build

aircraft the original way.

Are you a potential volunteer?

What are you interested in? What areas of the

technology, or is it in the archive and library?

Would you like to donate?

We will provide a facility to enable individuals and

organizations to donate.

Contact Information

For museum information contact Achim Engels at:

engels@fokker-team-schorndorf.de

For information on the virtual museum contact

Gerry Mos at: gerry@fokker-team-schorndorf.de

Credits

The dream by Achim Sven Engels

Historic Data and Fokker photographs by Achim

Sven Engels

3D Models by Gerry “Mossie” Mos

Tools used: 3D models – AC3D, Virtual work –

3DRad (soon to move to Targetware TW2)