And Then There Is Mikael Carlson Of Sweden, One Of A Kind
Friday, April 15, 2011 - 9:07am
There are homebuilders, restorers, replica builders, and then there is Mikael Carlson of Sweden, one of a kind.
He just made the first flight of his Fokker D.VII on 4/10/2011.
Attached is a brief article on the preparations, written by a former member of my EAA1114 chapter, Swedish pilot Fredrik Spong.
As described by Fredrik: "Mikael's creation is neither a renovation nor a replica. Experts who know their history and planes call it 'the last in the production line'. Mikael has gone beyond what normally is done in a replica build. The story began 16 years ago when Mikael found an original [Mercedes DIII] engine in Norway. The engine was used as power plant for a saw mill. "
I had the pleasure of visiting Carlson's "Aerodrome" last year, while the D.VII was still under construction. A stickler for authenticity, Carlson uses original equipment as much as possible and even had molds for new tires made from original tires found in museums. He has the only supply of "new" authentic WWI aircraft tires at his shop in southern Sweden.
