The Newsletter of Weston Model Flying Club

Page 1 of 10From the Pits January 2015

The Newsletter of Weston Model Flying Club

January 2015

EditorialWelcome to the first newsletter of2015. As you can see we have abrand new style to bring us into thesecond half of the decade.

I hope you like it, but as alwaysfeedback is always welcome, espe-cially if you think things could bedone better or differently.

Ian.

In this Issue● Jamie Cuff describes the develop-ment of the Jet Modellers Association● We meet more of the new commit-tee● Read about the history of thesenewsletters!● Special feature on the EnglishElectric Lightning● More from the Workshop

www.wmfclub.co.uk

MeetingsThe January meeting was a Bring &Buy event, the ample space at theEbdon Arms ensuring that manypeople brought along their wares andseveral sales were made.

The April meeting will feature asguest speaker John Stennard, wellknown for his small electric and in-door models, of which he writes of-ten in the magazines. Hence thismeeting will of course be at theEbdon Arms, not the field as is usualin April.

ImprovementsNow that winter is here the groundmats are proving their worth. Thedifference between them and the ad-jacent muddy ground is quite notice-able.

RemindersThe gate to the field has again beenleft open recently. If cattle get inagain all our hard work with themats could be undone in a matter ofminutes, so if you are the last out,please take a quick look around andcheck that:1. The clubhouse is locked (even ifyou didn’t open it)2. The gate is shut and latched.

The club rules state that if you areflying you MUST put your card onthe pegboard, even if you are using2.4GHz. There are a number ofgood reasons for this, but since it’sin the rules, please remember to do itand remind others.

Club Matters


BMFA BulletinsThe BMFA Club Bulletins are available through theBMFA website (under the Clubs menu) or there isnow a link from our website.

The latest one (December 2014) contains a newmodel flying definition and associated insurance forthose flying models equipped with cameras andengaging in activity ‘beyond normal sport andrecreation’. This is unlikely to affect most of us, ifyou are just taking pictures of the flying field foryour own use you don’t need to worry, but if indoubt read the article.

Also in this issue is an article on the legalrequirements and guidance for those flying multi-rotor models equipped with cameras. Again this isnot relevant if you’re flying at the field, and if youfly elsewhere and are a member of the BMFA youare almost certain to already know the rules, but if indoubt read this one too. It may also be useful toshow to any non-members you know who have gotinto the craze for ‘drones’.

Novice FlyingThis was mentioned in the last newsletter but isbeing repeated here to ensure it has not beenmissed:

If you don’t yet have your A-level certificateyou must not fly without an A-certificatedmember standing beside you. The onlyexception to this rule is that light electric slow-flying ‘park-fly’ type models of no more than1kg weight may be flown. If your model doesnot fall into this category you MUST NOT fly italone. This is a club rule.

2015 Special OfferYou may be aware that this year we have aspecial offer on membership: anyone who is newto the club, or a past member who was not in theclub in 2014, can join in 2015 for just £50. Thiscompares to our normal fees of £82 for adultsand £67 for OAPs (aged 65 or over) Juniormembers (under 18) still pay no club fee.

The intention of this offer is of course to attractnew members, so you can help by pointing thisout to anyone you know who is eligible. Moredetails and application forms can be found on theclub website.

What’s in the bag? You can probably guess,

the clue is on a later page…

Website and ForumI’ve been asked a couple of times why newphotos in the Gallery don’t always show up.Usually the fix is just a case of clicking theRefresh or Reload button, or press the F5 key.This also goes for other pages such as For Sale.

Don’t forget that the Forum is not only a placeto chat but also the repository of club minutesand membership lists etc., and you really shouldregister. If you’re a new member, email me forthe access code.

If you don’t want to keep checking the forumfor new posts, the website main page shows thelatest posts, or you can subscribe to get emailnotifications.


Treasurer’sTalesHello everyone, a belated thanksfor your votes.

This is my second spell asTreasurer, this time it seems a biteasier mainly due to computersand online banking.

My love of model aircraft goesback to my school days, when asa 10 year old I bought (from myXmas tips on my paper round) anE D Bee and built a Keil Kraftchamp to put it in.

It took awhile to learn to keep it inthe air, but control line was likethat.

By the time I got to 15 Rugby hadtaken over, and my poor oldaircraft had been stored away.

Then I started work at Westlandsin Hayes Middlesex, where I learnthow to use a milling M/C, which

today is a lost art as everything isCNC driven.

Following my transfer to WestonSuper Mare, on the Hayesfactory’s closure, I noticed the

gliders and the model aircraftbeing flown from the airfield.With my interest in model aircraftI always thought about returningto the hobby.

When my youngest son reached 12years of age, we both joined theclub, which had just acquired thepresent site. So with meetings heldat the Woodspring pub in Worle,

our membership of the clubstarted.

My son soon discovered girls,along with his love of football, andI got lumbered with the aircraft.

As most know, I have been flyingever since.

When I first joined we had 22members which fluctuated byabout 5 members every year andhad to apply to the council everyyear, for planning permission tofly.

How matters have changed, allfor the good I hope.

I’m fast doing more flying withelectric, but still enjoy the smell ofcaster oil, but they are a pain in thewinter when it's cold and they willnot start.

Well enjoy the coming year, andfingers crossed we can enjoy along hot summer with lots offlying.

Tom Flynn

President’sPonderingsI was born in Weston beforeWorld War 2 and as my fathersoon went abroad to see action inNorth Africa and Italy I lived in anall female household. I recentlyfound some drawings I did andthey were of planes droppingbombs. So an interest in aviationstarted when I was very young. Iwas about 10 when I built a modelglider from a Keil Kraft kit.

Remember that was some 66 yearsago and my memory is not what itused to be. But the glider manageda reasonable flight from a hill inAshcombe Park.

But I vividly remember my nextmodel; again it was a Keil KraftAvenger, powered by a Jetexmotor. Prior to take off all looked

fine……. However one mistake Imade was to dope the model. Forthose of you who have not heardof a Jetex motor it was a crude jetengine. It was an aluminium tube

in which you put a fuel tablet anda fuse cord was wrapped around it.

When the fuse was lit the fueltablet then fiercely burnt and theexhaust came out at the rear of themotor pushing the model forward.At least that was the theory but themistake I made was to coat the airframe with inflammable dope!!

Before the plane could fly it hadcaught fire and travelled about 6 ft(we used proper measurements inthose days) and the bare airframewould not go far with no coveringleft!!

So you can see my first crash wasa very long time ago and I am stillcrashing to this day.

Gerry Crossman


Jet ModellersAssociationThe Jet Modellers Association(JMA) was established in 1995and is the specialist bodyappointed by the British ModelFlying Association to promote thesport of model jet flying in GreatBritain . . . . where it all began! OnMarch 20th 1983 a small red twinboomed model took to the airpowered by the first successfulmicro turbine engine which wasfuelled by propane gas. It wasbuilt by a team of 5 engineers anddeveloped over 6 years despitebeing told by Rolls-Royce that itwas not possible. This was thestart of a new jet age in miniature,but it would be a decade beforeturbines became availablecommercially in the form of theFrench JPX T240 which pushedout about 10 pounds of thrust.

I had the privilege of meetingBarry Belcher, he was one ofa team of five people led byJerry Jackman who alongwith Chris White, DavidSitch and Ray Carterdesigned, tested and built aworking propane fuelledmodel turbine engine. Alltheir hard work resulted inthe successful test flight ofthe 'Barjay' on March 20th

1983 at RAF GreenhamCommon. The Barjay wasdesigned by Barry and had amoulded centre section andhatches with the rest of theairframe being of balsa/plyconstruction with a fixed trikeundercarriage with steerablenosewheel. It had a span of 78inches and a length of 71 inchesand AUW of 16 pounds.

Although it is a basic design bytoday’s standards, in 1983 it waspretty revolutionary and was an

ideal platform for turbine testing,as we see today the twin boomlayout is very popular, you couldbe forgiven for thinking it is aBoomerang at a glance.

Barry also showed me the TSTMK2, Thatcham small turbinesmk2 (Jerry lived in Thatchamhence the name)The machining onit was superb!!When youconsider thattechnology andthe machines usedwere nowherenear as advancedas today, thestandard isexceptional! Jerry and his team,despite set backs pressed on withthe project, it was a life ambitionof Jerry's to build and fly a modeljet engine . . . . he did! the Barjayonly made 6 flights, but the theconcept had been proven and thisno doubt inspired others to try.

The story leading up to this firstflight is epic! The mk2 engine wasnever completed and sadly Jerrypassed away in 1998. As can beseen from the pictures, despite thehangar rash the Barjay survives,the original engine expired at a DFmeet at RAF Abingdon and thatwas the last time it flew. Thismodel is now in my possessionand will be restored to fly.

Model jets today are a far cry fromthe days of the JPX. Now they runon kerosene and have have a fullyautomated start sequence makingthem far more user friendly. Aspower increased then so did thesize of the models and 20kg+models are now common placewhich require LMA certification.

With the growth in the jetmovement in this country, so wasborn the Jet ModellersAssociation. The JMA organisesevents all over the country andutilises civilian airfields such asLong Marston and Throckmortonas well as several military airfields

such as RAF Wyton,Honnington, Cottesmore,Scampton, Shawbury andMerryfield to name but afew. The models that areseen at these events arevaried, from sport modelssuch as the Boomerang andExcalibur, the high speedBandit and a whole host ofscale models. Sadly these arenot open events like a showas the costs of liability /insurance are prohibitive so itcan seem like a secret world

being kept from the rest of themodelling community, but this ismost definitely not the case.Venues such as Long Marston arefar more open and there is nothingto stop you coming along for alook-see!

You can find the JMA website atwww.jmajets.co.uk, and some ofthe models are on the next page.

Jamie Cuff


Some of the Jet models seen at the JMA Events


WMFC NewslettersI first started editing this newsletter in October 2001.The first issue was very simple with no pictures atall, but photos appeared in the next issue and all

subsequent ones, initially scanned from magazinesand film photographs.

By April 2003 I’d acquired my first digital camera,and club models soon appeared, one alwaysseparated from its background and placed on thefront page beside the Editorial.

There was a slight enhancement the next year with asilhouette of Roger Moore’s Mustang on the banner.

The next major change came in April 2008 when Irevamped the header completely using a stock photo

from the Internet, again using a Mustang and lots ofdrop-shadow, in what seemed like a modern style atthe time.

But after nearly 7 years it’s time for another changeand this time not only has the header changed but theentire style, now using a desktop publishing programinstead of Microsoft Word.

The header photo is my OJ-2 biplane as captured byDave Beacham a couple of years ago. So this willhopefully keep us going for the next few years,although there may be the odd tweak as we go and Ikeep learning what the program can do. Watch thisspace as they say…

NewsletterContentSo apart from the style, whatabout the content? Over theyears I’ve tried to include asmuch as possible about the cluband what’s going on in it, butinevitably I end up describingeverything I’m doing and notmuch about what everyone else isdoing.

There have been some excellentand valued contributions from

other club members, but there’salways room for more.

For example it would be nice tohave something about helicoptersas a significant part of the clubfly them, but I know nothingabout them. Anyone like to do aregular or occasional feature?

I’ve started in this issue whatmay become an occasionalfeature on full-size aircraft.This time it’s the EnglishElectric Lightning, to tie in withthe one I’m building in From theWorkshop.

Again, there are so many full-sizeaircraft that it would be good to

have someone else’s thoughts ontheir favourite plane, especially ifit’s something old or unusual.

Anyway enough ramblings, Ihope that’s food for thought. Letme know if you’d like to havean input to futureissues.


CAD ProgramsFor some time now I’ve beenusing CAD programs for someaspects of model design. Wayback in the April 2004 issue Idescribed how I used TurboCADto do my scratch-built Berliner-Joyce OJ-2 biplane, and then inOctober 2011 to do the cowl andcanopy for the Ki-100.

But time moves on, andTurboCAD hasn’t. Always adifficult program to use, today itlooks old-fashioned, limited andcumbersome, so I’ve been lookingfor something else. Since I onlyuse CAD occasionally I can’tjustify the expense of acommercial system, but there areseveral free programs about.Unfortunately but not surprisinglymost free programs are, as thesaying goes, worth what you payfor them… But there areexceptions.

The obvious first choice isSketchup, originally written byGoogle and now supported by acompany called Trimble, it’s free,widely used and well supported.However its strength is really inarchitectural models, and althoughthere are a number of ‘plugins’which extend its capabilities, theseare often a hindrance rather than ahelp; to do anything useful youend up with several plugins, allwith different styles, many notsupported across differentSketchup versions etc. In the endI moved on.

What I’ve found now is a newprogram called Fusion360,produced by AutoDesk, thecompany behind AutoCAD whichis probably the most widespreadmid-range CAD system inindustry. What makes thisattractive is that not only is it verymuch state-of-the art, but it is

currently free(in its fullversion) forhobbyists. Theonly concern isthat since it’s‘cloud-based’(i.e. your dataresides on theAutodeskservers and youneed anAutodeskaccount to useit) the companycould theoretically withdraw thisfree version in the future. But fornow it’s worth trying.

As with anyCAD programthere is a steeplearning curve,but it’s wellsupported withonline helpand trainingvideos. I’veused it so farto model thecanopy for theLightning,starting by importing the3-view images anddrawing the outlines,then creating a solid.Fusion has its ownindustrial-strength CAMsystem built in but I’venot got to grips with thatyet, so I exported thesolid to my existingCAM program. Then itwas cut out on the CNCmachine in two halves.

RaffleAfter doing the club raffle for many years JohnLamb has stepped down, and gave away his lastset of cable ties at the December meeting. Fromnow on it falls to Colin Coombes and RogerChaimberlain to carry on the tradition.


English ElectricLightningAnyone old enough tohave seen a Lightning inthe flesh so to speak, at anair display in the 1970s orbefore, is unlikely to

forget it. Theground shakes, theair crackles, and aLightning on full reheatgets to the end of the runway,stands on its tail and goesvertically upwards. Of coursethese days most fighter aircraft cando that, and modern ones such asthe Eurofighter Typhoon and

SU35 have much higher thrust-to-weight ratios, but for its day theLightning was way ahead of therest. And there’s still nothingquite like that shape, with theextreme sweep-back of the wingand the vertically mounted twinRolls-Royce Avon turbojets.

The Lightning was the main RAFinterceptor of the Cold War era,but it never got involved in realcombat. In fact the only aircraftshot down by a Lightning was anRAF Harrier! The Harrier pilotejected after an engine problem,but the plane recovered and flewon autopilot towards the EastGerman border until a Lightning

shot it down to prevent adiplomatic incident.

The Lightning was regarded as anexciting aircraft to fly (“like beingstrapped to a skyrocket” was one

pilot’s description) but not aneasy one. Many

were lostto engine problems andlanding accidents. One of themost famous photos is this one onthe right, where the tractor driverlooks round as the pilot ejectsfrom his plunging Lightningmoments before impact (the pilot

survived).

The thin wing and thefuselage largely packedwith engines and intakeducting meant that therewasn’t much space forfuel, and range or lack ofit was one of theLightning’sshortcomings. And therewasn’t much in the way

of armament either, twoFirestreak or Red Topmissiles and two cannonbeing the lot althoughlater models had anenlarged ventral tank andover-wing tanks orrocket pods.

A little known fact is thatthere was a proposednaval version with avariable-geometry wingwhich of course nevercame to anything (BAC mockupshown on the right). Probably justas well, given the difficulty oflanding a Lightning on an ordinaryrunway, the idea of trying to land

one on a carrier doesn’t bearthinking about.

The Lightning was finally retiredin the late 1980s. Many survive inmuseums, and until recently one

was still flying privately inSouth Africa. It

was the firstand last all-

Britishsuperso

nic fighter, andremains a unique and

iconic shape.

I’m glad I can remember actuallyseeing it fly, and only sorry Inever got to see the Firebirdsdisplay team (1963-64) which hadup to 9 Lightnings in formation.That must have been quite a sight.


From theWorkshopLightning Pusher JetSince the last newsletter I’vefinished skinning the fuselage.This has been a long process sinceeach panel has to be individuallycut, shaped, trimmed and fitted.Jet pipes were made by winding3mm Depron round a 50mmplastic drainpipe which happenedto be exactly the right size.

Electrics and receiver have beenfitted, as far forward as possible. Ileft space for the battery to bepositioned right forward or movedback about 75mm to get the CGright. Due to the extreme sweep-back almost the entire wing isbehind the CG, so I was worriedabout getting the CG far enoughforward but it seems OK so far,but with covering still to come.

The nose cone, intake lip, canopyand spine have been cut fromStyrofoam. The nose cone wasjust spun in a drill press andsandpapered to shape, the otherbits cut on the CNC machine, seeprevious page. Not sure yetwhether to just use the Styrofoamcanopy as is or use it as a mould tomake a transparent one.

I cut partly round the ailerons butdidn’t cut them out completely.Hence I could use fixed-lengthcontrol rods and just glued thehorns in place where they endedup.

Covering will be lightweight tissueon most of the surfaces with

lightweight glass cloth underneathwhere it lands. Paint will beacrylic, now trying to decide on acolour scheme. There are manynice ones, but I rather like theFirebirds scheme of silver and red.Hopefully not long to go now…

The sharp end. Starting to looklike a Lightning!


Date Event

Thursday 5th February 2015 8pm Club Meeting at the Ebdon Arms

Thursday 5th March 2015 8pm Club Meeting at the Ebdon Arms

Thursday 2nd April 2015 8pm Club Meeting at the Ebdon Arms, with JohnStennard

Thursday 7th May 2015 8pm Club Meeting at the Field

Thursday 4th June 2015 8pm Club Meeting at the Field

EventsForthcoming events over the next few months

WebsiteDon’t forget that all previous issues of the newsletter since I started doing it (back in October 2001!) areavailable on the club website www.wmfclub.co.uk. I also try to keep the Gallery section reasonably currentwith photos taken when I’m at the field, there is now a forum to exchange ideas and experience, and finallydon’t forget the For Sale section where you can add your own For Sale and Wanted adverts.

Club Meeting VenueAll club meetings in the winter months (October to March)are normally at the Ebdon Arms, Lilac Way, Wick StLawrence BS22 9WE. If you’re coming from Weston it’salong Ebdon Road on the way to the field, on your rightshortly after the Crematorium.

The summer meetings (April to September) are at the fieldat Wick St Lawrence.

How to contact the EditorIan ArmstrongAddress: The Cottage, Roman Rd, Sandford, N.Somerset, BS25 5RETel: 01934 823 609 (Mobile: 07818 861 580)Email: [email protected]

Publication DatesThe Newsletter is issued (with luck!) 4 times a year, at the end of January, April, July and October. Anycontributions should be sent to the editor by the middle of that month.

Documents

The Newsletter of Weston Model Flying Club