The Owls Head Transportation Museum has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help return its Fokker Dr.I reproduction to the skies ahead of the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into the First World War.
The full-sized replica has been out of action since 2014 and requires complete restoration, including new fabric, repairs to its delicate and complex wooden structures and a complete engine overhaul. It is hoped that the Museum will be able to raise around $50,000 in pledges via the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, which will allow for the purchase of a replacement engine, replacement of the plane’s instruments and repairs to its wooden frame.
“This triplane is an integral part of our WW1 collection, and we hate to see it grounded for the 100-year anniversary of the Great War,” said acting director of the Museum Kevin Bedford. “With no original examples of this aircraft in existence, it is especially important that we get the Dr.1 back into the air so that we can use it as a teaching tool to provide a living history experience for our visitors.”
The Owls Head Transportation Museum has a rich history of repairing and even constructing aircraft in its collection. The Museum’s 1917 Curtiss JN-4D – better known as ‘Jenny’ – was fully restored and retuned to flying condition in 2016, having been grounded for several years.
