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Historic planes take spotlight
Published June 23, 2009
KINGSBURY — There were many impressive aircraft on display at the Pioneer Flight Museum’s AirFair 2009 event Saturday, but any time an exact replica of the plane flown by the Red Baron is present, it tends to steal the show.
The Fokker Dr.I Triplane, made famous by German fighter pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen in World War I, was constructed and tested over a span of nearly four years by volunteers like show coordinator Bill Walsh, who says the plane is as authentic as they come.
“I think the important aspect of that airplane is that it was built exactly as it was built in 1918,” Walsh said. “We followed the original factory drawings.”
But historical accuracy sometimes interferes with performance, which became a factor during the show as high winds whipped across the Old Kingsbury Aerodrome.
“The disadvantage is that it doesn’t have modern conveniences,” Walsh said. “For instance it doesn’t have a tail wheel, it has a skid, which means it’s not steerable by the pilot on the ground and it has no brakes which means that the pilot can’t stop it once it’s on the ground and the rudder doesn’t have enough authority for the pilot to turn the airplane on the ground.
“That’s one of the reasons it couldn’t fly on Saturday because once it touches the grounds, the pilot is nothing more than a passenger — he can’t control the course that the airplane’s going to take. With as strong a crosswind as we had on Saturday, the airplane is very likely to ground loop, which means turn in on itself and we risk the possibility that the airplane might literally turn over if it does that.”
Still, the plane, which has become the crown jewel of the museum founded by Roger Freeman, became the talk of the show, with pilots and aircraft aficionados from different areas of Texas left most impressed by the Fokker Dr.I. Included in the crowd was aviator Roger Cyrier, who flew in his own replica of a 1941 Stearman RT-17 biplane — the model which was once used to train pilots at Randolph Field in San Antonio prior to and during World War II.
“It’s just the nostalgia of it and coming to see these planes,” Cyrier said. “Very few places in the world and especially here in Texas have aircraft like these, and to be able to see World War I aircraft is just something that I’m interested in.”
Cyrier said that he got his plane five years ago and has been piloting for six, making several trips to Kingsbury to see Freeman’s famous fighters.
“I’ve been friends with Roger and coming over here since then,” Cyrier said. “I just maintain them myself, this plane was restored back in ’89 to its original colors and looks — what it looked like back in 1941 at Randolph Field in San Antonio. I just maintain it and change the oil and do minor things to it.
“It’s a pretty simple airplane.”
Cyrier was one of many pilots who flew in for the AirFair, making the relatively short trip from Lockhart. There was also a trio of young aviators from the Lone Star Executive Airport in Conroe who, at first glance, looked barely old enough to see a PG-13 movie. But as it turned out, Taylor Meier and brothers Ben and Jake Doggett had been coming to shows and learning about planes for longer than some of their counterparts.
“We’ve been doing this stuff since we were five — we’re all three pilots,” Meier said while leaning against a replica of a 1982 straight-wing Great Lakes biplane. “This one we just have for fun, we’re here to look at the other airplanes — we just play with this. It’s fun just to see people who care for these older planes.”
Meier and his buddies were a part of the youthful infusion making their presence known during the show, which Walsh said featured a good turnout after being rescheduled due to the swine flu outbreak in May.
“I was very happily surprised,” Walsh said. “We were anticipating that because of the severe heat, we would really be reduced in number. The great fear was that the weather would hurt us. Unfortunately, it hurt us in one way because the winds were blowing a little too much on Saturday for us to fly the Fokker triplane and the highlight of the show was supposed to be a mock duel between the triplane and the Newport 28 that came in from Houston.
“We had at least as many airplanes fly in as we’ve had for other events, so all in all, it was a very successful show in spite of the weather conditions.”
And the triplane still drew its fair share of wide-eyed glances, including one from Meier, who proved that his aerial background was as solid as anyone’s while pointing out a few of the most rare planes.
“The Cub not so much, but the Canuck absolutely,” he said. “And how many times do you come out and get to see a triplane?”
For those who missed out on the show, plenty of pictures and videos of the Fokker Dr.I — and other Word War I planes — in action are available on the museum’s Web site, www.pioneerflightmuseum.org . There, interested parties can also check the upcoming calendar of events, including volunteer work days, which are open to anyone who wants to say they had a hand in restoring a working piece of world history.
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