RE: Pfalz DIII resources -- Photos, Drawings, Plans, etc.
Hi folks - interesting discussion. Before now I had not seen these various plans. Lots of good design work here. I wish I could contribute my plans which I drew in CAD about 7 years ago, but a computer crash and no backup left me with only various sections and templates to build from.
Abu, I'm not sure I have documentation named or from Flugesporte. My design was a composite from the sources I listed earlier. The profile I mostly copied from (rather poor quality) DIII drawings from Leo/WWI Aero, simply labeled (rather obviously) pfalz flugzeugwerke Gmbh Spener a.R.h. (not sure why Spener rather than Speyer??). I then used Wylam and other sources to fill in the details and adjustments for the DIII.a. The airfoil I intend to use is Gottingen 381, which is similar to the pfalz section, is a little thicker, and is the right vintage. I have not used it before, but the data sheets show reasonable characteristics. BTW - again thanks for the kind words. The plane is certainly photogenic!
Oh also - I've decided to use Fritz Hohn's colors. I'm a bit sad about not having lozenge wings but I wanted to stick with the silver base I've already laid down, and I do like the red bands (my wife likes that the "H" could stand for our last name - "Hunter"!). I probably would have selected Holtzem's scheme but after learning Max used straight pipes rather than the standard exhaust manifold, I didn't want to discard the exhaust I spent so much time building!!
Alan, you wrote the two scary words I've been thinking a lot about: "too heavy!" I used two layers of 1/64 ply for my fuse and kept the amount of epoxy to a minimum, and a very light fiberglass on the outside. At this point the fuse weighs about 8 lbs without outer wing panels, wheels, engine, rigging or radio. I'm still optimistic the crate will come in under 25lb. If not, building a new fuselage may be necessary. But since all the major parts bolt-on (stab, LG, cabanes, etc.) I wouldn't be a total rebuild. Do you recall how heavy your molded fuse was compared to the sheeted fuse? There are a variety of pictures of the plane on parts of it on the thread. Thanks!