My first scale project ...
The prototype of the Koolhoven F.K.41 (first flight early 1928) was one of the first cabin sports planes. It was the base for the success of the Koolhoven factory. Only six were built in The Netherlands, but the licence production of Desoutter became a big success in England.
Initially, G-AAGC, the first of two F.K.41's built
for Desoutter as example for the licence production,
was the subject for my project, which explains why my
research starts with this aircraft.
After Bob Dros of BEL-AIR
MODELS handed me a set of F.K.41 photographs to
scan and digitally restore - photographs that were not present in the Koolhoven
archives - I was able to choose another F.K.41 as subject
with some advantages over G-AAGC ... the PH-AGQ as it
was owned by N.V. Lever Zeep Mij. (Unilever) carrying
their Sunlight Soap logo.
PH-AGQ's cowling lends itself better for housing the
3W 28i engine, the fuel tank and some rc equipment.
The stabilizer is closer to the thrust line, providing
better pitch control. And last, but no least ... it
bears a Dutch registration. (The orange registration
is not visible on this photograph, but it's there.)
It's this 'early modernity' that I find attractive about the Koolhoven F.K.41, combined with peculiar features as its low positioned propellor, strange cowling and wheelhouse-like windshield.
G-AAGC
The G-AAGC was flown by Marcel Desoutter personally
to the Desoutter factory in Croydon. Here its tailplane
was lowered to the thrust line and the engine cowlings
and windscreen were remodelled. In this form it was
exhibited without markings as Desoutter 'Dolphin' at
the Olympia Aero Show of July 1929 in London.
It was sold in 1930 to the Air Taxi Co., Cape Town,
South Africa, registered as ZS-ADX. During the month
of August 1933 it made a remarkable flight. In search
for a missing pilot, owner John Williamson flew from
Cape Town via Mossamedes to Boma and back via Leopoldville,
Broken Hill, Bulawayo and Johannesburg ... a distance
of more than 5,000 miles over primitive country.
The last owner of G-AAGC/ZS-ADX was a certain Mr. van
der Merwe from Bethlehem Oranje Vrij Staat, South Africa.
It's final fate is unknown. June 1947 it was removed
from the register.
Preparation for the model
I've spend quite some time documenting and researching
my subject. Since the Koolhoven F.K.41 is not a well
known, well documented aircraft, it's a challenge to
build a good scale model of it.
I have a good set of photographs of G-AAGC from its first photo shoot,
two production photographs and a couple of photographs
taken at the Desoutter factory. I have copies of 1:25
factory drawings, but these are only partially correct
and differ from G-AAGC. I also made copies of articles
in old magazines and newspapers. In copies of The Aeroplane
from 1930 I found good documentation on the Cirrus Hermes
engine. My documentation is supported by photographs
of other F.K.41's, as well as a thorough documentation
of Shuttleworth's Desoutter Mk.I; all very helpful since
the construction of these aircraft is basically the
same.
As mentioned, the PH-AGQ photographs came later.
Very little interior detail is visible at the photographs. This will have to be modelled as 'how it could have been', depending on knowledge of Koolhoven construction in general and borrowing from comparable aircraft.
