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The Fokker D.VII is a German biplane designed in 1918 by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. During World War I, it was one of the most formidable German aircraft in the sky and a favorite of Germany’s Aces. 

The Uniqueness of the Fokker

The replica aircraft at this year’s AirVenture is owned by Buck Toenges, a medical professional from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He became interested in aviation as a child—especially aircraft from World War I—after watching the movie, The Blue Max. A 1966 drama, the movie tells the story of a German foot soldier who aspired to become a fighter pilot and win Germany’s highest medal for valor, the Blue Max, for which he must shoot down 20 aircraft.

Toenges, who is not a pilot, started building the airplane in 1993 but wasn’t able to complete it by himself. Realizing the project was more than he anticipated, he reached out to the replica aviation community. The aircraft became a team effort as he called on experts in the replica aircraft world to help with the project. The search for help took him all over the world.

• READ MORE: FLYING‘s Complete Coverage of EAA AirVenture 2022

For example, a man from South Africa created the replica machine guns that sit atop the fuselage. Sometimes a lack of period-correct components meant making changes. The engine on the original 1918 design was made by Mercedes of BMW. One could not be found during the construction of the replica, so Toenges opted for a De Havilland Gypsy Queen model that came from an airplane that belonged to the Sri Lankan Air Force. The engine is inverted and gives the nose of the aircraft sort of a vintage automobile look.

The aircraft was built using “modern materials,” such as 4130 chrome moly steel, but “vintage techniques.” The cockpit is wooden, and the instruments consist of a tachometer, altimeter and airspeed, plus a handful of engine gauges. The rudders are metal tubes with metal kick plates on the floor and there is a leather flying helmet jauntily displayed on the stick—this is an open cockpit design so eye and head protection is a must.

The paint scheme of the Fokker replica is perplexing by modern standards, when you consider that this was an airplane designed for aerial combat. Instead of earth and sky tones to make the aircraft blend in, the wings feature a lozenge pattern done in pinks, green, blue, white, and gray. The name “Julie” is emblazoned on the top wing, a tribute to Toenges’ wife, and the  fuselage has a black and white checkerboard design. The German cross is emblazoned on the tail—and there is a faux bullet hole painted on the vertical stabilizer.

Toenges completed the structural restoration in 2009—then, because it is certified as Experimental, it had to be flown for 40 hours to prove its airworthiness. That had to happen before it was allowed to fly to AirVenture—and for that mission, Toenges turned to pilots Andrew King and Dewey Davenport.

Davenport, from Jamestown, Ohio, had the honor of flying the Fokker to AirVenture, and it was he who put FLYING Magazine in touch with Toenges by cell phone, as Toenges was not at the show.

“Buck isn’t a pilot,” Davenport explained with a smile and a shrug, “but he likes airplanes.” 

According to Davenport, who owns a 1930 New Standard D-25 (the airplane known as a favorite of barnstormers during the early days of aviation), the Fokker “flies like an antique airplane. It is stiff on the ailerons and sometimes it feels like it doesn’t have enough rudder, and the yaw can be a bit weak.”

You “really” need to pay attention when you fly it, he notes.

You can see the Fokker D.VII parked in the Vintage Aircraft section on the AirVenture show grounds.

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According to Del Bene, the aircraft was used for instrument training and route qualification as simulators, as we know them today, were decades away from development. Airline pilots were required to get “route qualified,” which meant knowing every airport within 50 miles of their route.

Del Bene purchased the airplane in 1973 and with the help of friends, he restored it—and then spent the next 40 years caring for the aircraft. Vintage aircraft take a lot of care, he said, as you are always polishing them and wiping oil off their bellies—so it is a good idea to get help.

For Del Bene, that help came in the form of then 12-year-old Mark Riedel from Roanoke, Texas.

“He worked with me in the hangar on Saturdays,” says Del Bene, noting that it was Riedel’s father, Charles, who first got Del Bene interested in flying. “I’d pick up Mark and bring him to the hangar to work. He’d polish the airplane and sweep the hangar, and when we had a pigeon problem, I gave him a pellet gun with a rifle scope and sent him on pigeon detail.”

Mark wouldn’t accept money for his work, but would accept food, Del Bene says. “He’d always want two chicken sandwiches,” he recalls. “I’d say, ‘Two sandwiches! What are you going to do with two sandwiches?’ and he’d say, ‘I’m gonna eat ‘em!’”

Riedel and Del Bene both recall how Riedel would often take a break from his polishing,  look at Del Bene, and announce seriously, “I’m going to own this airplane someday.”

“And I’d reply, ‘shut up kid, and get back to polishing,’” Del Bene laughs.

Approximately three years ago, Riedel purchased the aircraft from Del Bene. Both men note that there is no such thing as aircraft ownership.

“We are the caretakers of these aircraft,” Riedel explains. “And he warned me about how much work owning a vintage aircraft can be.”

Ironically, today, Riedel is an airline pilot—for American Airlines. He is quick to tell people that the paint scheme on his vintage aircraft goes back to 1983, well before he became a professional pilot.

The aircraft has been meticulously restored and has several awards to show for it. The details of these awards are engraved on a panel displayed on the left side of the cockpit. 

Del Bene and his best buddy Jim Leonard traveled all over the U.S. in the aircraft—sadly, Leonard flew west a few years ago. Del Bene says the airplane wouldn’t have been an award winner without Leonard’s help.

Riedel, who captains an Airbus for American Airlines, says it took a few years for Del Bene to warm up to the idea of him taking ownership of the airplane. When Riedel would bring it up, Del Bene would say he wasn’t ready to talk about it.

“Then one day, a man in California called Dean about wanting to buy the airplane and Dean called me and said, ‘We need to have that talk now,’” Riedel says.

The airplane was in good shape, but needed a few tweaks to make it better, Riedel says. For starters, it needed to have ADS-B installed. “We put that behind a false panel that looks like a glove box,” Riedel says, pointing to what looks like a glove box on the lower right side of the cockpit panel. “We joke that the panel hides our sins.”

Having modern avionics in a cockpit that is all polished wood and leather and chrome would be a mortal sin, Del Bene says.

Riedel also upgraded the aircraft engine to 300 hp and added new brakes and seat belt buckles, among other things.

The airplane does not fly like an Airbus, says Riedel with a laugh, and Del Bene nods sagely explaining, “It can be like a mean horse—always looking back to see if you are paying attention.”

Del Bene says he’s pleased that the Stinson now belongs to Riedel, saying it’s obvious that he cares for the aircraft.

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Most pilots are familiar with the event. Now known as EAA AirVenture, thousands of airplanes and their owners converge upon Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for a weeklong aviation celebration. Aircraft of all types show up, manufacturers unveil their newest offerings, daily airshows take place, and good friends catch up and share laughs over beer and brats.

Like many pilots, I made my first pilgrimage to the event as a passenger. Back around 1998, or so, I belonged to a flying club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that maintained a fairly active social calendar. When a couple of members invited me to ride along to Oshkosh in the back seat of the club’s Cessna 182, I leapt at the opportunity.

We flew a 182 there, and opted to take the direct route right over Lake Michigan. This is a somewhat controversial strategy. Such a route, even at our cruising altitude of 12,500 feet, introduces a stretch of about 20 to 25 minutes where, should you experience an engine failure, you will be unable to glide to either the Michigan or the Wisconsin shorelines. I learned that when flying in that stretch, the engine makes some very concerning noises. In your head, anyway.

Although we filed IFR for the flight there, things became somewhat hectic as we approached Oshkosh. While on final to Runway 27, the controller advised us he would be placing three P-51s ahead of us and a B-17 behind. Feeling like we had been teleported into World War II, we monitored the warbirds closely while also keeping an eye out for flak.

The following week at Oshkosh was magical. Camping with friends, seeing thousands of airplanes, and simply taking it all in was a memorable experience. But the trip there was what stood out. The challenge of managing the weather, the route, and the traffic made the rest of the experience feel like something special; it was an adventure that had to be earned, and the payoff felt that much sweeter as a result. 

As I walked around the grounds that week, I observed the aircraft owners around us in the midst of their own individual adventures. Seeing them taxi into their parking spots, set up camp, and then kick back in the shade of their wing as they watched arrivals, I became enchanted. The idea of single-handedly orchestrating all the necessary planning and logistics to get to the world’s greatest aviation celebration and then relaxing with my very own airplane became a lifelong goal.

A quarter-century later, I found myself poring over the weather forecast and reviewing the arrival procedures, ready at last to orchestrate the logistics of my own arrival with my own airplane. While most of the process proved to be straightforward and manageable, the weather forecast was ominous. To me, anyway. 

• READ MORE: FLYING‘s Complete Coverage of EAA AirVenture 2022

It all came down to crosswinds. When you’re as new to tailwheel flying as me, you look for every opportunity to minimize or eliminate them. From opting to fly in the early morning or late afternoon to seeking out airports with suitable runway options, to changing your flying and travel plans completely, you do what you need to do to be safe and conservative. In the week leading up to AirVenture 2022, it became clear I’d have to do some or all of these things to get to the big event safely and without any insurance claims.

The forecast called for winds that were both strong and gusty. With a self-imposed crosswind limitation of 8 knots, I was motivated to plan my arrival around the day with the most favorable winds. Ideally, this would occur on the Thursday prior to the beginning of the big show. This, I had learned over the years, provides just the right amount of time to arrive, secure a great parking/camping spot, and settle in to observe the thousands of weekend arrivals.

Looking at the National Weather Service’s graphical forecast, however, a Thursday arrival looked bleak. Winds gusting to nearly 30 mph were well above my limits, and the rest of the week looked similar. Monday’s forecast, however, was perfect. Not wanting to arrive in the chaos that defines Saturday or Sunday, I was left with one alternative—fly to Oshkosh a full week early, on the Monday before the show kicks off.

The idea of flying up a full week early seemed ludicrous at first. There would be no food vendors open, no trams running, and virtually no other aircraft to see. It would be a ghost town.

But it would be Oshkosh.

I considered the situation. I was able to work remotely. Provided I had access to electricity and Wi-Fi, it made no difference whether I was in an office or in a tent. And the weather on Monday morning looked positively idyllic, with light winds right down the runways at both my home airport as well as at Oshkosh. It seemed arriving so early would provide many upsides with virtually no downsides.

By 9 a.m. Monday morning, I had the airplane packed and preflighted. This early in the week, the Notice (formerly known as the NOTAM—a detailed set of arrival procedures specific to AirVenture) would not be active. I would, therefore, be able to fly directly to the airport as though it was any other Class D airport, with no complications. 

The 170 took its time getting off the runway. The 85-degree heat, nearly full fuel tanks, and 150 pounds of camping gear slowed acceleration, as did my newly installed, low-pressure tundra tires. But take off it did before settling into a very luxurious climb. The price of a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 STC certainly seems high, but during takeoffs like this, the trees on the departure end of the runway seem even higher. 

Before I knew it, I had leveled off and had little else to do but absorb the reality that I was on my way to Oshkosh in my own airplane. Still new to EFBs, I found the entire navigation process laughably easy. Formerly intimidating concerns, like the location of airspace and, indeed, one’s own location at any given moment, were clearly displayed as plain as day. Simply follow the magenta line, monitor the engine, and look for traffic. Before you know it, you’re approaching your destination stress-free.

The controllers at Oshkosh were friendly and accommodating as ever. I requested and was granted the use of Runway 27. Because of the nonexistent crosswind component, the most interesting part of the landing was my adjustment to the new tundra tires, which contacted the surface sooner than anticipated and threw me off just enough to make a soft yet ugly landing. 

I taxied to my preferred parking/camping spot in the vintage airplane area and was greeted with a hearty “Welcome to Oshkosh!” The parking volunteers were on duty and happy to assist a full week before the show was slated to begin. The friendly volunteer asked where I’d like to park, and ultimately, invited me to shut down and explore my preferred area on foot to find the best spot, which I did. There were, apparently, many benefits to arriving early. 

After properly securing the airplane with double tiedowns, I bribed a nearby volunteer to give me a ride to a local hotel. It wasn’t that I needed a place to sleep—my tent works fine—but rather that I needed a place to work. Convenient electric outlets, reliable Wi-Fi, and air conditioning would make my three work days far more enjoyable, and two reasonably-priced nights in a hotel would do the trick nicely until my vacation officially began on Thursday.

Walking away from my airplane, I couldn’t resist a glance back. By any measure, my first solo flight into AirVenture was a sham. I arrived in perfect weather. I arrived before the busy, chaotic arrival procedures were in place. And I was able to have my first choice of the most prime parking spots on the grounds. 

But at the same time, I managed risk, I flew within my abilities, I got to Oshkosh, and I did it all without having to file an insurance claim afterward. I was a pansy, but I was a safe one. And if achieving my 25-year dream of flying my own machine into AirVenture meant easing into it as I was able, I felt good about it.

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Check back often, as pictures will be added throughout the day.

The post Gallery: Tuesday at Oshkosh appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Here are some of the sights from that event, including the winners of FLYING‘s Editor’s Choice and Innovation awards.

All photos by Stephen Yeates.

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Yamasaki took on the role upon the planned retirement of Michimasa Fujino, the mastermind of the HA420 and its evolution up to this year. Yamasaki has spent nearly all of his career in Honda’s automotive sectors, in increasing leadership roles in Japan, the U.S., Turkey, and Ukraine.

“I never thought of coming into aviation,” said Yamasaki, and he brings a different perspective to the role than the engineering focus exemplified by his predecessor. 

“I’m a sales guy. All of my life, [I have been] working for Honda—37 years,” he said, and except for a couple of years in an executive role, all of his experience has been in sales and marketing. Yamasaki intends to draw on his background developing customer relationships to lead Honda Aircraft into the future. 

Yamasaki acknowledges freely that there is a learning curve.

• READ MORE: FLYING’s Complete Coverage of EAA AirVenture 2022 

“What I found coming over to the aviation side, is the cycle of everything is so long—development or even to turn a profit. In automotive, we talk about maybe four to five years, but here I think it’s at least 20 to 30 years,” he said.

“The customers, attention-wise, it’s almost the same. We deliver 30 million engines to the world throughout our cars, motorcycles, whatever, but if you do the math, 30 million means every second—ticking the clock—we are delivering. We are meeting customers. That’s the kind of scale that Honda itself [has].” And the HondaJet lives within this scale.

Yamasaki credits Fujino with existing somewhat outside of that ecosystem. 

“Mr. Fujino himself really started this business maybe in a little different way originally from the ways that [Honda does things], but he has really made this product a superb product, and I think many customers are enjoying it right now. And I think the time will tell if they will be satisfied for the long term.”

Customer Service Expansion

Honda Aircraft announced its recent additions to the HondaJet customer service network, with four new locations—in Selangor, Malaysia; Bournemouth, U.K.; Portland, Oregon; and Sacramento, California—to bring its total global network to 21 locations overall and 12 in North America. The center in Malaysia is the company’s first in Southeast Asia. Type certification on the HA420 expands around the world, with approval in Thailand last year.

The goal is keeping the customer happy, and retaining their business. “Customers were telling us that they didn’t have bases [near] their town, so we try to be near the customer,” Yamasaki said. 

Four deliveries were made into Southeast Asia in the last year—not all new aircraft, but a couple of pre-owned models, reflecting the strength of the resale market for the model. Now with 219 aircraft in the field, and 120,000 flight hours logged, the maturity of the original HondaJet and its evolutions—the Elite and Elite S—continues to grow.

“The pre-owned market seems to be good,” said Yamasaki, and he brought up the example of the ten aircraft operating in Japan at present—five of which had been purchased by existing customers and brought over to Japan. “Those customers we have to take care of, with the dealership over there.”

Production Cycles

With the pandemic, Honda Aircraft has seen similar ebb and flow in its production lines as other GA manufacturers. “How do you say it? 360 degrees?” Yamasaki said. “It has really turned around. Just a year ago, we had many unsold planes, but now we have [such a] backlog—we have almost two years now.”

Yamasaki pointed out that the slow resolution of the pandemic as well as the supply chain has pushed and pulled on the production cycle. “Like all of the industry…just talking to some of the other manufacturers, other dealers, they tell the same story.”

Working through component substitutions driven by slow-downs or lapses in the supply chain is quite different with a certificated airplane, as opposed to doing so within the automotive industry, as Yamasaki has found. “I’m learning… to try to change the production sequence, where, of course, in automotive, whatever parts you can find, you switch the production sequence, according to whatever you can produce. But here…the line—you cannot change it.”

HondaJet 2600 Concept Update

Development on the HondaJet 2600 concept—unveiled at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Expo in Las Vegas last fall—continues. “Our engineering [team] on a daily basis is working on specific areas of the challenges that we have. Of course, once we are introducing [the 2600] we want to be the best of the best,” Yamasaki said.

“We will make some kind of an announcement, maybe by the end of the year” to update on the program’s progress. “There are many customers who are expecting an upgrade from the current jet. Everyone in the company is looking at how we can promote that, leverage that…so that we can sustain our business over multiple aircraft,” he added.

“This one [the HA420] that Fujino-san was trying to make was a penetration, an introduction into the aircraft [market], which has been superbly done—all the fame, all the records, the purpose has [been] achieved.”

Based on this, Yamasaki said the extended version needs a little more tweaking—and should move Honda Aircraft firmly into the business jet market. A new product will also need to carry the brand mission forward—of the security, safety, and efficiency Honda is known for—as well as offer sustainability. “We’re talking about SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] or whatever, but [the HA420] itself is already 15 percent [more efficient],” than others in the class, he said.

A new direction under new leadership—but working from great DNA—is likely what Honda Aircraft needs to meet that future.

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Celebrating a decade of turning airliners into flying test labs for environmentally friendly technology, Boeing brought the towering 777 to this week’s EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 

Throughout the passenger cabin of the widebody twinjet, orange devices–connected by tightly wrapped wiring–are strategically strapped to the floor. 

• READ MORE: FLYING’s Complete Coverage of EAA AirVenture 2022

With this equipment, flight test crews will gather performance data on a slew of new technology that could be included on airliners in the very near future. A wearable heads-up display currently being tested might allow pilots to see an enhanced vision system that could improve operational efficiency. Embedded in the wing surfaces, new smart vortex generators will be put through their paces, to determine if they can help the jet save fuel.  

“We take these interesting technologies out of the lab and put them into an operational environment where we can see how they really perform compared to the lab environment,” said our host, Boeing ecoDemonstrator program manager Rae Lutters.

To capture data from these new technologies, the airliner is outfitted with a flight test rack that will gather, display, and store live data during flight testing. Eventually, five other racks like this will be installed on the airliner, Lutters said. 

• READ MORE: Boeing Unveils its 777-200ER ecoDemonstrator

The airliner will also flight test a blend of 30 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—the emerging new fuel made from renewable resources, such as used cooking oil and grain. Increasingly, SAF is being touted as one way to decrease carbon fuel emissions across the aviation industry. SAF burns cleaner than fossil-based fuels, and several airlines have been testing it in their fleets as a way to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Head-Worn Heads Up Display

Flight test crew piloting this ecoDemonstrator are expected to continue testing a head-worn heads-up display with an enhanced vision system (EVS), which was first tested in 2019. “What we’ve added this year is a camera that’s going to look outside and gather real-time terrain information about what’s going on in their field of view,” Lutters said. The device is intended to improve safety by enabling pilots to gain additional situational awareness during flight, especially in low visibility conditions.

The heads-up display system is being developed in collaboration with a company called Universal Avionics.

“Pilots are really excited about this,” she said.

Additive Manufacturing

Also on schedule for testing: one of the largest Boeing-made parts created by additive manufacturing—or what many know as 3D printing. Flight test engineers plan to fly the aircraft with an additive-manufactured engine bracket designed to secure wiring in one of the 777’s huge turbofan engines. 

Ideally, components made with this process result in effective, lightweight aircraft parts that would help lessen the jet’s total weight, thereby saving fuel.

Vortex Generators

Outside a window overlooking the right wing, near its leading edge, we see a small rectangular device called a vortex generator embedded into the flight control surface. Test pilots will experiment with these devices during takeoff and landing to improve stall characteristics and efficiencies, Lutters explained. They don’t change the equation significantly when the aircraft flies at altitude. 

After 10 years of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator program, 230 projects have been tested across nine airplanes, including this one. Historically, about a third of those projects have actually been developed and entered operational status.  

Overall, the program is about bringing the best new technologies aboard revenue-producing passenger flights in a relatively short time frame. 

“The ecoDemonstrator provides us with a means to test technologies off of the certification programs,” Lutters said. The strategy aims to implement these new ideas more quickly—within one to five years—on Boeing aircraft.

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