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While lockdown might have had many of us wondering how to keep occupied some days, one Warkworth model aircraft maker had just the project to keep him busy.
So far, John Caukwell, 67, has been labouring on and off for about four years on his quarter-scale model of a Davis D-1 airplane, but he says the fewer distractions during lockdown have helped him figure out some of the tricky bits and make some real progress towards completion.
“I couldn’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs,” he says.
Even so, John still thinks it could be another year before he finishes and is ready to fly the plane at Kaipara Flats Airfield.
The real Davis-D1 airplanes, with two seats, single propeller and an open cockpit, started appearing in the late 1920s. John first saw one at an airshow in the United States many years ago and quickly fell in love with it.
“I thought this is absolutely gorgeous – it looks good from every angle. I thought it would make a lovely model, so here I am building one,” he says.
John managed to secure plans for the plane from an enthusiast in Canada. That still left him with the job of working out all the materials he would need and fabricating every single part from scratch.
It’s a considerable task given the plane is around 1.6 metres long with a wingspan of about 2.4 metres. It is powered with a 50cc five-cylinder radial engine.
Fortunately, as a retired marine engineer, John has all the equipment in his garage, including a lathe and milling machine, to put the project together.
John has about 20 model planes – some even larger than the Davis. For example, he has a Stearman aircraft with a wingspan of around three metres.
But he anticipates once finished, the Davis will be the pride of his collection. He even plans a special remote control, which will cause the pilot to turn his head.
“Kids love that, and I think it will happen with this one. I think it deserves the attention,” he says.
