The legendary Swedish restorer, builder and pilot of early aircraft truly evokes the spirit of the pioneer era — but there’s far more to his flying than that
There are many early aircraft, whether original or replica, flying today: pre-World War One aeroplanes, 1914-18 combat types. But there is no other pilot who conjures up the impression of how such machines performed in period quite like Mikael Carlson. From a project to construct a reproduction FVM Ö1 Tummelisa, a Swedish biplane fighter trainer from the 1920s, he has built up an outstanding fleet: two original examples of the Thulin A, the Swedish licencemanufactured Blériot XI, followed by further superb reproductions of a Fokker Dr.I and D.VII, witha Pfalz D.VIII to follow. In each case the engines are original, restored by Mikael himself.
