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1
Gladys International 21C
The Almost Quarterly Journal of The Sheffield
Society of Aeromodellers Issue113:2016
In this issue…the man who mistook a plane for a dog, someone
actually wins the competition, a depron Tiger, micro electronics,
the chance to win another competition. And so much more….
2
Contents
Straight to business. It is with great pleasure that I announce we have a
winner for last edition’s competition. Yes, Martyn Aspinall correctly
identified 2 of the airframes ( see page 4).Well done that man, or as he is
sometimes known; M.
Second up is a letter received by Gladys regarding the reporting in the
last issue of the flagrant wearing of socks with sandals at the Nats last
year. Here it is, in full.
Dear Sir,
May I point out 3 areas of poor judgement in your attempt at blackmail,
re. the photo on page 6 in the Gladys.no 112
1. By the time you have spelt my name at a rate of one letter per Gladys
issue, everybody will have forgotten what this was all about and a
significant proportion of our membership will be operating Zimmer
frames instead of transmitters.
2. I have received messages of support from other members (well, one so
far .... but there would be more if they knew who I was) indicating
Editorial……………………………………………..2-3
Spitfire Women: Gordon Smeeton………………….4-5
Competition Answers: Ed…………………………..6-7
Back to The Sky: Jed……………………………… 8-10
This Issues’ Competition: Ed……………………….11
A Tiger in Depron: Andy Timmons……………… 12-15
All Bricks no Mortar : John Broadhead and Ed…….15-17
Three Guys and a Doll: Dame Ed Runyon………....18-19
Over Hot and Over There: Ed………………………20-21
Show Roundup: Ed……………………………...….22-27
Endpiece: Ed……………………………………......28
Acknowledgements:Thanks to all contributors. All photos by Neil Carver
except p12-14 ,Andy Timmons. If you have an article or news item for
Gladys ring Neil Carver on 0114-2667203. Cover Photo: a damaged B17
trails smoke at the Elvington show circa 1944
Editorial
3
widespread support for ' a comfort dress code'.
3. This style of dress was being promoted by our esteemed committee
member and keen follower of fashion, Terry Gregory, at Elvington this
year as shown by you in the picture on the back page of Gladys issue 111.
What better guidance on dress code could a rank and file member such as
myself take when allowed out to interact with other enthusiasts and the
public at large at model events?I look forward to seeing a suitable
grovelling apology and a retraction all allegations of all
misdemeanours in the next eagerly awaited edition of Gladys. A
competition win would come in handy too.
Yours sincerely,’ Currently Anonymous'
Your Editor is suitably chastened but not apologetic, and will never give
in to rational argument. To prove the point and to make good the original
threat the first letter of the real name of Mr so called Currently
Anonymous is in fact; M. To prevent exposure M should cough up the
£10 as agreed. To be fair though we owe M a favour in exposing a
scandal at the highest level of the club. It would indeed seem our
Chairman has been hiding ( his ankles ) in plain sight for some time and
clearly has exerted a terrible influence on the fashion sense of more
impressionable, presumably younger fliers such as M. At least now the
issue is out in the open ( unlike Terry's ankles). There is worse to come
however……
Those of you who know our Chairman well will also know his love of
dogs ( not, I hasten to add in
sandwiches ). Gladys can now
a l s o r e v e a l d i s t u r b i n g
photographic proof that Terry
has begun to mistake small dogs
for model planes. In the photo
here he is attempting to find the
battery hatch on a powered
model. Has he gone barking mad
we ask ?
Enjoy the issue. Ed.
4
Spitfire Women: Gordon Smeeton
Spitfire Women of WW2 is written by Giles Whittell and is a fascinating
book on the women of the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary).
Their task was to fly planes from factories or holding areas to where ever
they were needed within the UK. Before being considered for flying they
had to have at least 350 flying hours.
They had flying tests
on Tiger Moths and
after that basic training
on map reading,
w e a t h e r a n d
familiarising flights
over the UK. The
planes were unarmed.
They had no radio but
they did have air speed
indicators, altimeter,
compass, a t t i tude
indicator, turn & slip
gauge & artificial
horizon.
Their home base was at
White Waltham in the
south of the U.K. Each
morning they would be
given a slip of paper
telling them what type
of plane they would be
flying. They would also
be given a ring binder
which gave them
details of the type they were to fly. They flew anything that needed
delivering & one lady flew no fewer than 164 different types, from
fighters and trainers to bombers such as the massive Stirling ( opposite)
5
Women came from all
over the world and came
from very different
backgrounds. Although
not mentioned in the
book what I find
remarkable is the fact
that many of these ladies
came from very wealthy
families and they chose
to risk their necks flying
all types of planes in
often terrible weather and
with little support.
In my view this book is
a must read.
Postscript– In May 2015
Joy Lofthouse, a member
of the ATA once again
took the controls of a
Spitfire, she was 92.( Ed)
While I am here I thought I would slip in as shot of a happy unsuspecting
bunch of club members on the Pie and Peas night, once again organised
by Gordon. Again please.
6
I think it might be true to say the last editions competition was
challenging, but as noted in the editorial—we got a winner! Below are
small versions of the photos and shots of the whole plane. They all reside
in the RAF Museum at Hendon and were photographed in May
2015.First up was a Bleriot XXVII of uncertain history but probably built
in 1911. There were 2 pictures of it. Picture 4 on the through everyone. It
is of the cowl and
wing. Folk tended to
think it was a fin.
The cowl has that
shape to prevent the
pilot being covered
in oil that otherwise
spewed into the
cockpit.
Next up was a shot of the cockpit of an
Albatross D.Va. Alas it’s a replica , which is
why it gleams so. The final shot proved
difficult but the 2 Vickers guns angled upward
is very distinctive if not unique. This beastie is
none other than a Sopwith Dolphin. I would
say it is The Sopwith Dolphin but this: the
Competion Answers: Ed
7
only one in
existence, is a
reconstruction
using no less
than 3 separate
planes. The 2
guns are angled
like that so the
pilot didn’t
shoot his prop.
off. Not the
best of designs
but without
interrupter gear the best we had. You can
test your recognition skills on 3 more
modern types elsewhere in this issue. This
time though they are RC airframes.
8
Back to The Air : Ged Higgens
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away......no, scratch that, it's been done
before......cue a brass band playing the Largo from Dvorak's New World
Symphony, a warm Northern voice intoning "It were t'first tea after
t'war..." add a cinematic view of grocer's lad doing irreparable damage to
his private parts by riding down a steep cobbled hill on a delivery bicycle
and I suppose that's sort of the vibe I'm looking for........
'Twas 14th November 1973 in Barnsley, that picturesque mining hamlet
by the River Dearne, and we'd got the day off school. The marriage of
HRH Princess Anne and the then Lieutenant Mark Phillips was on our
black and white telly in the corner and an aircraft obsessed 12 year old
version of me was putting together the 1/32 scale Revell kit of a Ju-87D*
(which, incidentally, would end up painted in desert camouflage) that I'd
received as a birthday present a week before. I don't know why this sticks
in my memory but it does. I suppose it represents a sort of golden moment
before education**, adolescence, acne, exams, beer, girls (not many, if
truth be told, they tended not to be interested in aircraft and/or history),
university, more beer, bachelorhood, work, even more beer, mortgage,
wedding, less beer, children, family life, virtually no beer........
And then it was now; well, now-ish, the spring of 2014 to be more
precise. The middle aged version of me had never lost his interest in
aviation. It was sustained by wistful glances skywards at passing planes
and, in latter years visits to Duxford (the first of which blew my mind
when I could actually touch an SR-71...words failed me....they still do).
I'd reached that stage in life when a man feels he needs to take up a hobby
or two, so it seemed a foregone conclusion that I would return to
aeromodelling.
My only experience of powered model flight as a youngster had involved
a control line model powered by an IC engine. Working on the
assumption that things must have moved on during the forty plus years
that had elapsed since then I concluded that research was in order. That's
when I first became vaguely aware of SSA. I sort of made a connection
between it and the chaps I'd occasionally seen flying models when I'd
9
been walking in the vicinity of Stanedge, Burbage and the wonderfully
named Higger Tor and filed it away. By good fortune I ended up in the
capable hands of Nitroflite once I'd located them pith helmet in hand in
deepest, darkest Rotherham. Roy and his glamorous assistant gave me a
thorough briefing as to the current state of the hobby (or is it a sport?) and
I left wiser if mentally exhausted.
At this point I can hear the sharp intake of breath and tut-tutting of fellow
members muttering, "You should have talked to us first", but in mitigation
I would point out that I'm not the product of a school for gifted children
(see footnote on education). Eventually though, I decided to opt for the
purchase of a Spektrum TX and a simulator for the laptop, pending
purchase of a Bixler type ARTF foam trainer.
By late December 2014
I'd decided to contact
SSA prompted by Roy's
advice to join a club and
after meeting a fellow
member in Nitroflite's
shop who was seeking a
new undercarriage for a
rather pretty Cub type
trainer covered in what
looked like amber
coloured cellophane
(having had my ignorance dispelled in no uncertain terms since, I now
know this to be the modern replacement for tissue and dope). So, I
looked up the website, rang the number, spoke to Andy, visited an indoor
session at Dronfield and made the momentous decision to join in January
2015.
So, on the last day of 2015 looking back at the past year, how has it gone?
Well, my experience has been limited to indoor flying, as a glitch with
either my or the club's e-mail system meant that I dropped off the
circulation list over the summer (nobody's fault, just one of those things I
hasten to add) which means that the Bixler clone has yet to grace the
A Bixler type trainer
10
skies. However I'm also the proud owner of a Hobbyzone Champ for
indoor flying. As to my progress as a pilot, I shall simply say that one wit,
who shall remain nameless, asked me if my name was "Wall-ter" as I
seem to spend a lot of time
bouncing off them.
Despite my ineptitude, the
experience has been invaluable.
On a good day I can just about
limp round the hall without a
major incident and from a
technical point of view I
understand the basics of what
makes a simple radio controlled
model aeroplane fly (and how to
repair one when it doesn't -
usually as a result of self-
inflicted wounds) and I'm even starting to get my head round the more
arcane settings of my TX. I have to say that none of this would have been
possible without the patience and generosity of the members of the club
who have taken the time to provide guidance and instruction with
unfailing good humour. So, a big thank you to all! As to the future....well,
I've just paid my subs for 2016, so watch this space......
*Which illustrates that my interest in the aircraft of the Luftwaffe from
the Last Unpleasantness was established early in life, but that's another
story. Suffice it to say that Lemmy, rock n' roll legend and, as of 28th
December 2015, late of this parish, was on the right lines when he said of
our Nazi adversaries that the bad guys had the best looking
uniforms.....they also had some pretty impressive looking aircraft.
**St Michael's RC ("Roman Catholic" not "Radio Controlled")
Comprehensive. In the words of Ken Dodd, "It was a good school, it was
Approved", certainly a number of its alumni progressed to study at
Armley, one of the North's more prestigious penal institutions.
The author, before crashing.
11
All you have to do this issue is work out the names of the 3 RC scale
planes in the pic. below. I just need the manufacturer and the name, eg.:
Top : ‘Supermarine Spitfire., Left Hawker Harrier, Right; Miles Behind.
You don’t need to get all technical and say ‘Spitfire Mk1.’
It’s time to play Name That Plane! The prize is a whopping £30.
If there is more than one fully correct answer a draw will take place. If
no one gets all 3 but several people get two correct; a draw will take place
etc etc. In case you haven’t got this it means that a winner is guaranteed.
Even if you are the only entrant and get all three wrong, you will still
win. Even if you only know one– you can still win. Entry is limited to 1 attempt per paid up club member.
• Simply send your guesses with your name and contact tel. no. to
me :Neil Carver, 33 Bingham Park Road , Sheffield, S11
7BD.Alternatively email me at : [email protected].
• All entries should reach me within eight weeks after Gladys is pub-
lished on the club site. The answers will be in the next issue.
• The Editor is the judge and the judge’s word is final. Good Luck !
!! Name That Plane !!: Ed
12
As anyone who has spoken to me, watched me fly, read any of my Gladys
articles, or simply seen me walking around, you'll know I like Flite Test.
Flite Test is an internet based community of RC plane enthusiasts who
design and build foam board planes, and although they sell the kits, they
also give all the plans away free and make videos of how you build and
enjoy the planes.
If you've not discovered them yet, take a look at www.flitetest.com.
Although Flite Test has a core team in Ohio, there is a huge, world-wide
community of contributors and one such person is Nic Lechner (otherwise
known as nerdnic - www.nerdnic.com). Nic has half a dozen sets of plans
to build various planes,
including a beautifully
finished P38.One of his
most recent is the 'Manic
Micro nnTiger Moth',
designed for use indoor
and out.
Now one of the problems
with a world-wide
community is that we
can't all buy the same raw
materials. The Flite Test
(and nerdnic's) planes are
built using 6mm Dollar Tree foam board (Dollar Tree is like a US
Poundland). This foam board is very light so using it to build an indoor
plane works OK. But if we use the board available in the UK, which is
much heavier, we have to add weight to the front of an already heavy
plane to make it balance, so it has to fly faster to stay in the air, which
makes it unsuitable for indoor.
So, when I saw the nnTiger Moth and decided to make one, I chose to
adapt Nic's plans and make the plane out of 3mm Depron. G-PERS is my
A Tiger in Depron: Andy Timmons
13
interpretation.
Another 'feature' of my plane building activities is that I collect rubbish.
Before I throw stuff away, I tend to look at it and think, 'What could I use
that for?'. And so it was with a bottle cap from a smoothie drink I bought
my granddaughter. This smooth, rounded interesting piece of plastic
looked, for all the world, like an engine cowl, and although the original
Tiger Moth didn't have a round
cowl, I'm not one to let accuracy
to get in the way of a bit of fun.
The Flite Test foam board build
technique, is to cut away 6mm
strips of board leaving the paper
to act as a hinge to fold the
board up, hiding the bare edges
and adding strength to the hot-
glued joints. Obviously, with
Depron, there is no paper cover,
so the edges had to be butt joined. Close up, they look messy, but from
three feet away, they're fine.
Also, the thin Depron doesn't support itself as well as thick foam board,
so I had to add some support for
the dihedral. The top wing uses a
custom 3d printed shallow V
stuck underneath. The bottom
wing - a couple of 1mm carbon
rods.
The receiver is a DSM2 brick
acquired from our own Ron
Mallet. This is the 2S version
that has a built in ESC and two
built in servos (rudder and
elevator). Coupled to a 5gm motor and powered by a 300mah lipo and a
4x3 prop, there's more than enough grunt to get the plane into the air.
14
Nic's original design also has a
micro servo between the wings
to work the lower wing ailerons,
but five minutes flying around
the gym showed that the
ailerons were more hindrance
than help. So I disconnected the
control rods and glued the
ailerons flat. Now it just turns
using the rudder and that gives a
sweet, flat turn, well within the
radius required to make it
around round the Dronfield hall.
The undercarriage uses what
looks like a wire from a Champ
(I found it stuck in the mud at a
pilot station at Flite Fest last
year. I did mention I collect
rubbish, didn't I?) The wheels
are printed on my 3d
printer to fit some O
rings as tyres. The tail
wheel is also from a
Champ.
Just as the glue joints
look better from a few
feet away, so does the
paint job. I've
discovered that terrible
painting is greatly
improved by the
application of neat vinyl
lettering, logos etc. I bought a cheap vinyl cutter a couple of years ago
and the difference it makes to the finished job is very satisfying. And
15
finally I added a couple of pilots, again printed on the 3d printer. I'd seen
a file available to download called 'busto pilotta' and I thought 'Mmm,
Pilotta sounds a nice Spanish girl, I wonder what her busto is like.' Turns
out the file was the head and shoulders of a pilot. Disappointing, but still
useful. These are glued to a couple of bits of Depron and sit on the
fuselage edges. They look good from the side. I chose not to paint them
because you can go too far!
And that's the story of my indoor Tiger Moth. Not an accurate model, but
a lot of fun to build and fly. By the way, I’m happy to design and cut
vinyl for other people too, so if you want any for planes, Tshirts or
anything just let me know. The 3 D printer is also available to fabricate
those little bits of plastic that add detail to things, or simply replace
broken bits and pieces.
As well as indoor flying with the
Tiger , as you can see Andy is well
equipped for outdoor winter flying
(and polar exploration.) Pictured
below are his new heated compression
‘slope’ trousers, as worn by Soviet
cosmonauts in the seventies.
16
Well it has happened again. Just
mutter the magical phrase ’tea and
biscuit ’ and John Broadhead will
magically appear at your door
armed with a bag full of wires and a
mission to assist you navigate the
increasingly insane world of micro
electronics.
So John.. What gives this time?
Well I’ve been looking at some
alternatives to Spektrum gear for
small scratch built indoor models,
mainly from banggood.com and
Hobbyking. The alternatives here
are for rudder elevator models but an additional servo can be attached.
First up is the WLtoys brick. They make lots of helicopters and
quadcopters and this brick
is actually a spare for their
indoor flying models. It
does need a transmitter and
there are 2 cheap choices:
either the WLtoys one or
the Flysky 6I ( above)
which is more adaptable. It
can be bought for around
£30 from bang good or
from Hobbyking where it
is sold under the Turnigy
name. It comes with a 6
channel receiver.
A WLtoys brick
All Bricks: No Mortar:John Broadhead and Ed
17
I bought it as an experiment and it
works but you do need to change to
the right protocol on the transmitter in
system set up . This enables it to speak
to speaks to the receiver and is
simply a matter of 2 clicks so it isn’t
exactly onerous.
The only other thing that to note is that
binding has to take place each time
you unplug the battery. Again this
sounds a pain but takes seconds. The
sequence is: 1) plug battery into brick
2) hold bind button down and switch
on 3) switch transmitter off then
straight back on.
The other alternative is a brick from HiSKY ( above). This alternative
that will with work with a Spektrum radio as long as an HT8 module is
installed. ( see picture opposite) The module will work with Futaba and
Hitec equipment as well. This setup works well and is very smooth. The
brick was selling for around £9 and the module for around £12.
I know Banggood aren’t exactly a corner shop but on the occasion I had
something that was faulty I got a full reimbursement– without having to
go to Korea.
Thanks John. I guess given your CIA
background Korea may be difficult.
By the way is that a brick you are
holding in the photo ?
No, that was a square of dried
seaweed.
The interview terminated here.
18
To be read in a Brooklyn
accent…..I am taking the
air one grey winter
evening and minding my
business when suddenly
these lights appear in the
sky. As you know I am
not one for drinking or
taking the kinds of things
that makes you see lights
in the sky but there they
are, for all to see. So I ring ’No Flaps’ Phil who is called No Flaps on
account of he can never find the switch for them and he says he is seeing
them as well but is drinking the kind of booze that makes him see
anything. Next I’m on the phone to Malc ‘The Clam’. As you can see
Clam is Malc backwards which is the how his planes go sometimes. The
Clam is very excited and says he isn’t drinking but is sniffing cyano but
this is accidental on account of
him forgetting to open the door
in his workshop. Anyways sure
enough he is seeing the lights in
the sky as well.
This being so mysterious and all
leads us 3 wise guys to conclude
this must be a sign. After some
debate we are in agreement the
lights are pointing in the
direction of a little joint at Bradway operated by ‘Neverland’ Neil, who is
called that on account that his planes never come down. Now, Neverland
Three Guys And A Doll: Dame Ed Runyon
19
runs an exclusive establishment and
isn’t normally letting wiseguys like us
in but saying as we had brought him
some good tips for tomorrow’s races he
lets us in We aren’t in the joint 2
minutes though when this flying
something with gossamer wings
descends silently in a circle towards us.
We are staring in awe at this beautiful
creature when it hits a tree. Now this is
odd saying as planes normally hit trees
outside not inside. But it is that kind of
day, with lights in the sky and such so
we are thinking this is a sign too and don’t you know it; it is.
Sure enough, at the foot of the tree lies a cot and in the cot is a baby and
there is no mother in the room unless one of the other customers is in
careful disguise which I doubt because no one does disguise that good, at
least not the kind that gets into Neverlands. So The Clam and No Flaps
are looking the kid over and it’s a boy and it looks in pretty good
condition. In fact The Clam says it is immaculate. Personally I’m
thinking because of an funny odour that maybe immaculate is too strong
a word but No Flaps is clearly smitten and it’s affecting his nasal senses.
Anyways, No Flaps decides to
take the kid home and all I am
saying is it is a good job that kid
is immaculate otherwise No
Flaps is having some explaining
to do to his good lady.
He isn’t worried though and
just says: “Have faith fellow
wiseguys , have faith.”
20
Your mission, should you accept it is to drive ( or rather be driven) for at
least 5 hrs across California and visit 2 aircraft museums before the day
is out. Twenty minutes into the journey you find out there is yet another
museum only minutes off your route. It has to be done. You just have to
persuade your driver of the wisdom of this. In the event I did but had to
leg it round this mystery museum at high speed and against the clock,
in searing temperatures chased by a mad dog. This then is a brief piece,
on the briefest of visits to the rather nifty, Castle Air Museum.
There are some 56 restored frames on site, and weirdly one is a Vulcan,
symbolising the Instructor pilot exchange between the USAF and the
RAF. Otherwise it’s a fine collection of US military stuff from the
thirties through to the cold war and includes the awesome Convair B36.
If we had been invaded by Nazi Germany this was the plane that would
have bombed England from bases in America and returned without
refuelling .The B36 Peacemaker is the largest bomber ever built and
when it first flew was the largest plane in the world. Its’ 6 radial and 4 jet
engines carried a crew of 16. Most of them lived on the small housing
estate located to the rear of the fuselage. Remember the massive runway
and aprons at Elvington ? They were designed to take the B36.
A 19ft rc version was flown in 2010 by a Carl Bachuber. He has said it
flies; ‘like a grain truck’. You can judge for yourself by watching the
Over Hot and Over There: Ed
21
video. See :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru3zoCBaCCs
If you are really keen to build a B36 there are free plans for a 115inch
span version from : http://www.outerzone.co.uk/index.asp.
‘Outerzone’ is; “a listing of free vintage and old-timer flying model
aircraft plans to download.” The listing is free, you don't need to register
or log in to download these plans. Isn’t that wonderful ? Also at Castle
was a rare thirties Douglas B-18 Bolo It’s always struck me as one of
those planes that just isn’t right; in any way at all. I can’t find any
evidence of an rc version ever
existing which is pretty
unusual, but it’s not hard to
see why. It looks like a brick
with wings. I love it .
Four, thankfully air-
conditioned hours after this
flying visit we arrived at the
Oakland Aviation Museum,
but that, is for another issue...
If you think
you have
the scale of
this thing–
check the
people stood
by the left
hand tyre.
22
Out and About in 2015 : Ed
A few months ago I came across a wonderful book in a charity shop.
‘Nature is Your Guide: How to find your way on land and sea’ was
written by one Harold Gatty in 1958 and does what it says on the cover. It
tells you how to use the signs of nature to help you find your way. Gatty
wrote the survival manual that went in WW2 US Army Air force life rafts
and was an expert in air navigation. The book has a foreword by General
J.H. Doolittle who flew the B25 bomber raid against Japan and who in
1929 became the first pilot to take off, fly and land an airplane using instruments
alone. I don’t know if he or Gatty ever got lost but am fairly sure if they
did it was hushed up pretty darn quick. Gatty was obviously a fun loving
guy and a considerate partner. Consider this :
‘Early in 1955 my wife and I made a leisurely trip by car from France
through Belgium and Holland for the express purpose of observing and
photographing the directional characteristics of trees.’ ( p106)
Now you may remember Gladys featuring tales of travelling to and from
aviation events that involved getting lost so I pounced on this book .Never
again would I be at the mercy of a malfunctioning satnav or for that
matter panic over the
possibility of being shot
down over the pacific
without knowing which
way to paddle. Nature,
courtesy of Mr. Gatty
would be my guide. So
the journey to Elvington
was uneventful. Every
ten minutes or so
someone got out to look
at moss on walls, the
directional nature of the
trees and the odd
signpost and Bobs your
uncle we were there.
The swapmeet. No swapping no meeting.
23
Unlike everyone else. Parts of the show were decidedly lacking in people
and in the case of the Swapmeet ; their unwanted junk too. Having said
that though things got pretty busy pretty fast. This of course was: ‘The
Vulcan Effect’ and in due course, the over popular beast did appear ( see
last issue)
I do think someone missed a trick though, not only were there an rc and a
full-size Vulcan present but there was an rc ( above) and full– size Victor
too. Alright the full size was in the Elvington aircraft museum which
wasn’t part of the show but it would have been quite something to have
the full size parked up next to this superb model.
At some point Terry and I
took the walk along the
flight line with pilots who
were either very friendly
and informative; or not so
friendly and informative.
We were a little surprised
to find our very own Barry
out there on the flight line
24
We really shouldn’t
have been. Barry has
been flying in Team
GB for some years and
his flying has graced
many an event. The
Gee Bee models flown
by the club are Pacific
Models ARTF Gee
Bee Y series powered,
in the main, by Zenoah
38s. According to the
club they make an
excellent sport model.
25
I made a the fatal mistake of saying to Barry I would capture his pride and
joy in flight. Barry did well at working out where I was and brought his
Gee Bee as close in as possible but I was hard pushed to get a decent shot.
The increasingly murky sky, small size of the plane, it’s speed and the
fact my camera is not the greatest meant I was limited. I have attempted
though to add a touch of ( ahem) period realism to some of the shots.
In a weird coincidence it turns out that Jimmy Doolittle flew a ( real)
later model Gee Bee to victory in the Thompson Trophy on September 5,
1932. He lapped his competitors and averaged 252.67 miles per hour. As
he noted about the plane, it flew "like a bullet." I guess it helped that he
knew where he was going. We made it back home from Elvington
eventually, after waiting till dark to get a fix on the Pole Star. Gatty would
have been proud.
Weeks later we were at the Nats, under greying ,then rainy skies. Among
new models on display was the Avios 1.2 metre Sea Fury, now available
from Hobbyking. It looks fantastic (if you forgive the non-retractable tail
wheel ) and incredibly has a pilot who is the right size. Given its’ looks
and the fact it has retracts and comes with a 5 and 4 blade prop it is a
wonder it sells for less than £100. This might be a case of style over
substance though. Word on the net says it is fast ( ok it’s a scale Sea Fury)
Once again Terry was spotted mistaking a dog for a plane, this time an
Acrowot.
26
but is apparently a little heavy. Even with flaps landings look fast and
there is video of the undercarriage on one becoming detached on landing.
Not one for
the novice, but
it really looks
the part.
At the scratch
end of the
scale spectrum
w a s a
wonderful 1/3
scale Bristol
S c o u t
displaying a
l e v e l o f
constructional
skill verging
o n t h e
obscene. There were only eighty built and if you look carefully you will
see the machine gun is angled outward to fire past, not through the prop.
The plane was originally conceived as a civilian racing machine so the
issue of armament did not feature in its design. It was obsolescent by
1917.Andy Craddock has predictably taken great concern to be accurate
in the build and even the wicker seat is authentically modelled. It will
hopefully be in the air this year ,if it stops raining.
27
The rain wasn’t going to stop the con-
trol line guys. It might seem odd to
some older club members but seeing
control line flying is a pretty rare event
for some of us. Mind you, these days
it’s pretty rare for any of us.
You can make up your
own caption to this
shot of Phil and
Brian… in the rain.
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Not only have you now seen
proof of Terry mistaking
various canines for planes
but here we present the awful
truth that Terry has also
mistaken planes for canines.
On the left Terry judges
puppies at Crufts while below
he attempts to tickle Phil’s
Comet under the chin. All is
not lost though: at least his
footwear is sensible this time.
Endpiece.