Mike Gross Sr.'s Fokker D.VII - A 1/3-scale WW I masterpiece

When it comes to RC scale and warbirds, one guy who had done it all is Mike Gross Sr. Mike has worked at Nick Ziroli Giant Scale Plans for years, and he has been an active pilot, builder, designer and competitor for decades. At the recent Long Island Skyhawks Dawn Patrol, Mike’s newest build was a 1/3-scale Fokker D.VII and as with all of his past projects, this one was over the top.

- Gerry Yarrish

Built from the 1/3-scale Balsa USA kit, Mike’s aircraft has a ready to fly weight of 46 pounds, including the 3 pounds of lead ballast added to the firewall. Its 3W-85xi- CS engine, equipped with a 3W header pipe and canister muffer system, easily turns a Xoar 28x8 propeller. Mike’s radio is a Gen 2 Spektrum DX18 transmitter and receiver with Savox SA1231SG and SC0251MG servos. Mike also has aboard three A123 2500mAh LiFe battery packs and switches from NoBS Batteries. The 9.3-in