hiller AviAtion mUseUm WHERE INSPIRATION TAKES FLIGHT OPEN COCKPIT three WingS over the great War Saturday SePtember 9 10am-2Pm triPlane FighterS in World War i period, the large wings blocked pilot Sopwith Triplane visibility in many directions—an impor- tant consideration in aerial combat. Sopwith engineers sought to address this by designing a new fighter replac- ing two broad-chord wings with three narrow ones—and the Sopwith Triplane was born. The new Sopwith had been designed with pilot visibility in mind, but pilots By Jon Welte discovered that the three-wing configu- ration gave it remarkable maneuverabil- HALLOWEEN HANGAR HAUNT century ago it created a sensa- ity and climb performance. When intro- tion when it appeared in the Saturday duced in combat in 1917, the Triplane warn-torn skies of Western october 28 gained an enviable reputation in a very Europe. Sporting three wings and A short time. Canadian ace Raymond 10am-12Pm flown by a fearless squadron with dis- Collishaw flew the Triplane while lead- tinctively-painted markings, the new helicoPter ing 10 Naval Squadron’s B flight in com- aircraft alarmed enemy pilots on sight. PumPkin droP bat over the Western Front. Painting In the hands of its most skilled opera- their aircraft black, the Canadians at 12noon tors these planes felled nearly a hun- met with enormous success—even dred hostile aircraft in scarcely three when they tangled with the legendary months. The aircraft that achieved all Jagdstaffel 11, commanded by Manfred of this at the beginning of 1917…was von Richthofen. the Sopwith Triplane, designed and PENINSULA built in Great Britain. The experience of von Richthofen and his Flying Circus (then a squadron of bright- OKTOBERFEST Biplane construction, used success- ly painted Albatross fighters) and other fully by the Wright Brothers for their Saturday German pilots led to a proliferation of first airplane in 1903, remained com- triplane designs in the Imperial German october 14 mon throughout the First World War. war machine. Designer Anthony Fokker 5Pm – 10Pm Fighters—airplanes capable of attack- inspected a Sopwith Triplane that had ing other airplanes—became supremely See Page 7 been forced down behind German lines. important, as without control of the air For detailS Impressed, Fokker led his team in an the reconnaissance airplanes that the effort to develop a triplane with superior competing armies increasingly relied performance, and the first prototypes on had no hope of survival. B2: Two-Line Lock-up flew in the summer of 1917. The new 1/3 In 1916 Britain’s Sopwith Aviation plane, designed Fokker Dr. I (“Dr” for 1/3 Company introduced the Sopwith Pup, dreidecker, or triplane), was taken up by 1/3 Smithsonian Institution a traditional biplane fighter. While von Richthofen’s squadron for evaluation 1/3 Affiliations Program easy to fly and effective for its time at the end of August. Von Richthofen 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/3 himself flew the new Fokker at the beginning of September 1917 Sopwith Camel ruled the skies at the time of the Armistice— HILLER AVIATION MUSEUM BENEFITING THE MUSEUM’S and quickly shot down two Allied aircraft, reporting back that yet even these would be obsolete long before the shadow of war PRESENTS the Dr. I was superior to existing equipment. fell across Europe once more just two decades later. AVIATION AND STEM EDUCATION PROGRAMS Both the Sopwith and Although two Fokker triplanes had excep- Sopwith Triplanes tional maneuverability due are preserved Keynote by Airline Captain, Olympian, to a convergence of two in museums, no and JetBlue Technology Ventures President unrelated factors. First, the original Fokker Bonny Warner Simi Fokker Dr. 1 triplane structure itself. By Dr. I triplanes Triplane spreading the lift required exist today. A to make the airplane fly handful of surviv- Not Even among three wings instead of two, the individual wings could ing aircraft found NAME their way to exhi- be smaller. In the Sopwith Triplane, the wings were made nar- Restoration team working on the new their way to exhi- rower, improving pilot visibility (and also aerodynamic efficien- bitions in German DR.1 Fokker Triplane ADDRESS cy). The Fokker triplane took a different approach and short- museums, but the ened the wings instead. Although the initial Fokker prototypes all were destroyed during World War II. However, the iconic is had inadequate aileron control (the British plane had ailerons design remains a popular subject for reproduction aircraft. Sky CITY, STATE, ZIP on each wing, while the Fokker did not), in service both planes The Hiller Aviation Museum’s Restoration Shop is fabricating a had excellent turn rates and exceptional climb performance. full-scale replica, authentic in design from its steel tube-welded PHONE construction to the intricate wooden ribs of its triple wings. the Turning performance in both designs was further enhanced Destined for the Museum’s Beginnings of Flight collection, the by their use of rotary engines. The first adapted to use in air- EMAIL Fokker tells a story of rapid technological progress, and equally Limit planes was the French Gnome engine, designed and built by rapid obsolescence, that resonates in Silicon Valley today much the Seguin brothers. The rotary engine differs from either in- £ My payment is enclosed as it did in the skies of Western Europe a century ago. line or radial engines in that the entire engine rotates around BENEFIT GALA £ Contact me about sponsorship a crankshaft that is stationary and bolted to the airframe. The Resources £ I cannot attend; enclosed is my donation propeller is simply attached to the engine and rotates along Fokker: The Creative Years, A R Weyl, 1965 £ I would like to donate an in-kind auction prize with it. Rotary engines were mechanically simple, relatively Fokker – The Man and His Aircraft, Henri Hegener, 1961 lightweight and had excellent cooling characteristics. Lincoln MAIL TO: Richthofen, Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron, Peter Kilduff, 1993 Rebecca Duran, VP of Development Beachey famously traveled to France before the war to secure Hiller Aviation Museum two such engines for use in his aerobatic aircraft. One may 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070 be viewed in his Little Looper airplane displayed at the Hiller [email protected] / 650-654-0200 x203 Aviation Museum. While the rotary engine was adopted in early airplanes for rea- PAYMENT sons related to engine performance, fighter pilots immediately discovered another advantage: the heavy, rotating mass at the # of Gala Tickets ___ or Sponsorship Amount $_________ front of their airplanes provided tremendous torque that could # of vegetarian meals ___ translate into very fast turns, at least in the direction favored by the engine’s rotation. This effect was more pronounced with Donation Amount $__________ triplanes, which had proportionately shorter and/or narrower Saturday, October 21, 2017 wings and a shorter fuselage than a biplane of comparable Total $_________ power, and hence had less mechanical and aerodynamic resis- tance to the rapid turning forces. Hiller Aviation Museum Please make checks payable to Hiller Aviation Museum or 601 Skyway Road £ Visa £ MC £ AmEx £ Discover Along the ever-rising spiral of aero- nautical technology, however, the tri- San Carlos, CA 94070 Card #: __________________________________________ planes were left behind. The Sopwith www.hiller.org/gala Triplane was withdrawn from service Exp. Date: ___________________ CSC: _______________ even as the Fokker was introduced; the Name on Card: ___________________________________ two never met in combat. The Fokker Individual Ticket $300 gained an appreciable reputation, due Signature: ________________________________________ Manfred von in part to its use by leading German ace Table Sponsorships Available Richthofen, von Richthofen, but the triplane design The Red Baron increased drag as well as maneuverability $15,000, $10,000, $5,000, www.hiller.org/gala and the plane could not keep up with newer, faster biplanes. $3,500 Worse, a series of structural failures interfered repeatedly with production and prevented the Dr. I from being built in large numbers, even during its heyday. These factors led to produc- 5:30 pm / Cocktails tion being discontinued six months before the end of the war, just weeks after von Richthofen himself was killed flying a Dr. I 7 pm / Dinner and Auction on his final mission. More modern biplanes such as the famous HILLER AVIATION MUSEUM BENEFITING THE MUSEUM’S PRESENTS AVIATION AND STEM EDUCATION PROGRAMS Keynote by Airline Captain, Olympian, and JetBlue Technology Ventures President Not Even Bonny Warner Simi NAME the is ADDRESS Sky CITY, STATE, ZIP the PHONE Limit EMAIL £ My payment is enclosed BENEFIT GALA £ Contact me about sponsorship £ I cannot attend; enclosed is my donation £ I would like to donate an in-kind auction prize MAIL TO: Rebecca Duran, VP of Development Hiller Aviation Museum 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070 [email protected] / 650-654-0200 x203 PAYMENT # of Gala Tickets ___ or Sponsorship Amount $_________ # of vegetarian meals ___ Donation Amount $__________ Saturday, October 21, 2017 Total $_________ Hiller Aviation Museum Please make checks payable to Hiller Aviation Museum or 601 Skyway Road £ Visa £ MC £ AmEx £ Discover San Carlos, CA 94070 Card #: __________________________________________ www.hiller.org/gala Exp. Date: ___________________ CSC: _______________ Name on Card: ___________________________________ Individual Ticket $300 Signature: ________________________________________ Table Sponsorships Available $15,000, $10,000, $5,000, www.hiller.org/gala $3,500 5:30 pm / Cocktails 7 pm / Dinner and Auction welCome members! We would like to welcome the following new President’s and returning members May through July: Perspective Shari and Soam Acharya, Raul Aguilar and Eva Chapa, Aadel Al-Jadda and William Levin and Nina Shulman, Leya and Steve Leydiker, James Li and Diana Droubi, Jason and Christine Allen, Mustafa Arisoylu and Mujgan Frances Chiu, Huiqiu LI and Gang Sun, Yanping Li and Yun Wang, Jiali Li Dilek Arisoylu, Ana Arriaga and Bernabe Chavez, R.L.