Fokker D.VIII

Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Fokker-Flugzeugwerke
Designed by	Reinhold Platz
First flight	May 1918
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Number built	approximately 381

The Fokker D.VIII nicknamed  ’the Flying Razor’ by the Allies, unusual parasol-monoplane configuration was perhaps the most advanced of the war. Designed by Fokker’s great engineering, Reinhold Platz, the D.VIII was a highly maneuverable aircraft with great pilot visibility and pleasing flight characteristics and would have been a formidable opponent had it not been so late in entering the war.

Arriving to combat in August 1918, the swift and nimble fighter’s meaningful service time at the front was delayed while a wing structure problem, which caused three planes to crash, was rectified. By the time the D.VIII was again placed in service, it had very little time to prove itself in combat before the war ended. If the war has continued into the winter of 1918-19, would have replaced the Fokker D.VII as the preeminent German fighter.

Today, only a single authentic D.VIII exists (in the Museo Dell’Aeronautica Gianni Caproni in Trento, Italy).

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 5.86 m (19 ft 4 in)
• Wingspan: 8.40 m (27 ft 6.75 in)
• Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 3 in)
• Wing area: 10.7 m² (115.5 ft²)
• Empty weight: 384 kg (848 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 562 kg (1,238 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Oberursel UR.II, 82 kW (110 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 204 km/h (127 mph)
• Service ceiling: 6,300 m (20,670 ft)

Armament

• 2 × 7.92 mm Spandau MG08 machine guns

Variants

• V 26 : Initial prototype.
• V 28 : Prototype fitted with either the 108 kW (145 hp) Oberursel Ur.III, or the 104 kW (140 hp) Goebel Goe.III rotary engines.
• V 30 : Single-seat glider.

 

This replica Fokker D-VIII was built in 1991 by Ron and Vince Arganbright. The original Fokker was known as the ‘Flying Razor’ and was renowned for its high speed and unmistakable with its small wing between the landing gear. The World War I original was powered by a 100hp Oberursel engine while this replica boasts a 250hp Continental Star engine. Maintained in airworthy condition by the Stampe & Vertongen museum.

After its crash on August 18, 2002 during the Schaffen Fly-In this aircraft was rebuild by the volonteers of the Stampe Museum in Antwerp. The original German markings were replaced by the markings worn by the Fokker D.VIII ‘17′ that came in the hands of Belgian Air Force Lt.Albert Van Cotthem after the World War I armistice in 1918. He used the aircraft during various aerobatics competions. The marking ‘17′ was applied during the competition at Evere on June 4th and 5th, 1921.

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Embraer 121 Xingu

Role	Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer	Embraer
First flight	22 October 1976
Introduction	20 May 1977
Status	Active
Prototype	PP-ZXI
Produced	1977-1987
Number built	106

The EMB 121 Xingu, named after a Brazilian indigenous tribe and a river in the Amazon, was
developed on the Bandeirante platform. It was designed for the executive transportation market
and had a capacity for up to eight passengers, and was the first pressurized aircraft built in
Brazil. The pressurization allowed the airplane to fly at an altitude of 28,000 feet (8,534
meters), above cloud formations and most atmospheric disturbances, while maintaining an
internal pressure equivalent to 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), thus ensuring passenger comfort.
Although the structure of the airplane was based on that of the Bandeirante, it received more
powerful engines. Another innovation was the Xingu’s T-shaped tail, where the horizontal
stabilizer was placed at the top of the vertical fin. In this way, the wash of the propellers did not
affect the horizontal stabilizer, ensuring a lower vibration and noise level.
The first prototype of the Xingu, tail number PP-ZXI, took its first flight on October 22, 1976,
before it had become pressurized. The official presentation of the aircraft took place at
Embraer, on December 4, that same year. In May 1977, the Xingu successfully flew with the
pressurization system in operation.
The first customer was the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB), to serve with
the Special Transportation Group (Grupo de Transporte Especial – GTE), headquartered in
Brasília. The prototype of the Xingu was the first Brazilian-made airplane to cross the
Atlantic, together with a Bandeirante, in the colors of France’s Air Littoral, on May 26, 1977.
The Xingu was certified in 1979, and enjoyed excellent acceptance on the international
market. In France, for example, the aircraft has been used to train pilots, since 1983, and the
French Air Force has decided to extend its operational life to 2025, by modernizing the
electronic systems. This will keep the Xingu aircraft in operation for 42 consecutive years,
which is a rarity in the industry.

Variants

• EMB 121A Xingu I : Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-28
• EMB 121A1 Xingu II : Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135
• EMB 121V Xingu III : Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42
• EMB 123 Tapajós: planned version with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45
• VU-9 : Brazilian Air Force version.

Military Operators

Brazil

• Brazilian Air Force

France

• French Air Force
• French Navy

General characteristics

• Crew: Two
• Capacity: 8 or 9 passengers
• Length: 12.25 m (40 ft 2¼ in)
• Wingspan: 14.05 m (46 ft 1¼ in)
• Height: 4.84 m (15 ft 10½ in)
• Wing area: 27.50 m² (296.0 ft²)
• Empty weight: 3,500 kg (7,716 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 5,670 kg (12,500 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135 turboprop engines, 560 kW (750 shp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 466 km/h (252 knots, 290 mph)
• Cruise speed: 380 km/h (205 knots, 236 mph)
• Stall speed: 141 km/h (76 knots, 87 mph)
• Range: 2,278 km (1,230 nm, 1,415 mi)
• Service ceiling: 8,535 m (28,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 9.1 m/s (1,800 ft/min)