Original Posted By: TBYH(at)aol.com
I believe that this is "Der Faker Fokker" that was up for sale earlier thisyear on eBay. I have all the photos and info they posted at that time.Here are the relevant parts of the eBay listing as well as a couple ofphotos from it. Following the EBay listing is a re-post of a message to thislist in which museum director Lee Labar describes the plane, posted here byMike King on 1/11/2004. (The Jose with an L-19 that Lee mentions is JoseCano, who helped put the wheels on and some other stuff, but never actuallyflew this plane. I can provide Jose's email address if you really wanna askhim about it.)Hope this helps. Nifty airplane... I've never seen it in person,unfortunately.-MikeMike Whaley merlin@ov-10bronco.netWebmaster, OV-10 Bronco Associationhttp://www.ov-10bronco.net/Pietenpol Air Camper & Radial Engine, WW1 FokkerSeller information:texasairmuseum ( 0 )Feedback Score: 0 feedback reviewsMember since Feb-06-05 in United StatesPietenpol Air Camper & Radial Engine, WW1 Fokker Vehicle DescriptionDer Faker FokkerThis is the most unique Pietenpol Air Camper you'll ever find! Dubbed "DerFaker Fokker," it was designed to resemble a 1918 German WW1 fighter.Instead of the conventional Model A Ford engine in a standard Pietpenpol,this plane has a very rare 1932 Lambert 5 cylinder radial engine. It alsohas Jenny style landing gear and replica machine guns. This Air Camper hasbeen owned by the Texas Air Museum of Rio Hondo, Texas since 1993, and was areal crowd pleaser at airshows and fly-ins. It was issued it'sAirworthiness Certificate in December of 1979.Technical Details:Engine - 1932 90 HP LambertWing Span - 29 ftLength - 17 ft, 8 inHeight - 6 ft, 6inEmpty Weight - 610 lbsFuel Capacity - 10 GallonsLanding Speed - 40 mphCruise Speed - 70 mphEngine Total Time - approximately 1290 hoursDer Faker Fokker was last flown in December of 2003, when the museum'sflying activities were ceased. It's last annual was on 2/1/03. It hasalways been hangared and does not have any damage from crashes or otherwise.While we do not expect any problems getting the plane current again, you areencouraged to inspect the plane or ask questions before bidding, as we willnot be liable for any problems incurred. Buyer must pick up aircraft fromit's current location in Rio Hondo, TX (south Texas, near Brownsville, TX).It will need to be trailed from the location. There are airports nearbywith repair facilities available.Please visit http://www.texasairmuseum.com/pietenpol/index.htm for highresolution pictures.Email any questions to tam(at)rgv.rr.com Thanks!---------------------------------------------Hello Mike,Nick forwarded me your inquiries about the Texas Air Museum Pietenpol AirCamper.First, to give you some background, I took over as director ( a volunteerposition) for the museum when John Houston died in November of 2002. I hadthe privilege of working with John for several years before his death, but Imainly handled his crop spraying and personal business interests. Myknowledge of the museum and its exhibits is rather limited. Nonetheless,here's what I know about the Pietenpol.According to the paperwork I have, N36RN (serial number RN1) was built byRobert H. Northcutt of Monterrey, California. He built the aircraft toresemble a WWI German fighter, using Jenny style fixed gear, fake machineguns, insignia, and paint scheme. The airplane is dubbed "Der Faker Fokker"for obvious reasons. The airworthiness certificate I have was issued onDecember 20, 1979.The specs and performance stats I have for the aircraft are as follows: wingspan- 29', wing cord- 5', length overall- 17' 8", height overall, 6'6",landing gear tread- 56", propeller- 6' 4" diameter, weight empty- 610 lbs.,fuel capacity- 10 gallons, climb full load- over 200' first minute, hispeed-90 mph, landing speed- 40 mph.The engine on N36RN is a 1930 Lambert model R-266 five cylinder radial,serial number 3076-TC-38. It is rated at 90 hp at 2350 rpm and weighs 214lbs. Over the years around here, I have heard it referred to as "BabeRuth'sengine," implying that this particular engine may have been owned at onetimeby the baseball legend. That may or may not be a bunch of baloney as far asI know. There seems to be a lot of that produced within aviator circles.Asof yet I haven't seen any documentation to back up this claim.In April of 1984, the aircraft was registered to Ted F. Mayo of Nemo, Texas.I have no idea where Nemo is, but I believe it's correct that the Pietenpolcame here from Clifton, Texas. I went to the airport there a few years backto look at an Agcat that was for sale there and I ran into a guy who said hewas a member of the Texas Air Museum and that he had helped get thePietenpolto Rio Hondo some years back. A nice fellow; I think his name was Josesomething-or-other. He was restoring an L-19 Bird Dog at the time.I am assuming that the museum acquired the Pietenpol because of itsappearance as a WWI German mockup. John Houston owned a 7/8 scale SE5areplica (lost in a crash here last month) which was used to battle thePietenpol during some of the Fly-Ins here at the museum each year. It wasanimpressive sight, enhanced by the unique drone if the Lambert radial on thePietenpol.As far as the flight characteristics of the aircraft are concerned, Iwouldn't know as I have never flown it. I have been told it is a littlesquirrelly in the turns and that if landed on pavement, it seems to getfasterand faster after touchdown. Judging from a couple of the squirrels I'veseenflying the aircraft, it can't be all that bad.That's about all I can think to tell you about our Pietenpol. I amattachinga few of the pictures I have of it. Feel free to pass this information ontopeople in your group. Please keep in mind my lack of qualified knowledge ofthe information I've given you.The fellow you spoke to here the other day is Glenn Vance. He is one of thelong time volunteers here at the museum. I know he has some pretty goodphotos of the Pietenpol he intends to scan and email to you if he hasn'tdoneit already.I appreciate you letting your group know about our museum. Please let themknow we are in constant need of financial support (of course.) Publicitywithin aviation circles is a big help. We aren't very well known yet, butthere is a really nice collection in the making here. I hope to take theingredients that John Houston left behind and form them into a tool foreducating future generations about aviation history. Stay tuned to theTexasAir Museum website for updates on our progress.If you get the opportunity, come down and take a look for yourself.Sincerely,Lee LabarMuseum DirectorTexas Air Museum of the Rio Grande Valley1 Mile East FM 106PO Box 70Rio Hondo TX 78583-0070phone (956) 748-2112 fax (956) 748-3500email: tds2(at)att.net________________________________________________________________________________