Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[wonwinglo]

I like it Squiffy ! that is really quite an artistic rendering,thank you.

The drawings are no secret,I just use a pair of draughtsmans dividers and scale them up with pencil construction lines,then load either a brush or pen with old fashioned Indian ink and fill in the details,them rub a piece of bread across the whole lot to get rid of the pencil marks,works every time.With modern technology they can be scanned and scaled up.

Yes just seeing that photographic image appear is really something,do you remember the technique if a part does not appear ? you get a paintbrush and work on the area whilst still under the developer,somehow it activates the developer and brings out the edges of the image,those fumes were lethal from the fixative,now we can do everything in daylight.

[Guest]

Barry,

I am ashamed to say it never occurred to me that you had drawn up those plans yourself. With your other talents though it should have been obvious.

You never fail to amaze with the length and breadth of your skills with all things artistic and technical.

I must admit I had skimmed through the plans before but now, knowing what has gone into them, I will look at them with renewed interest.

[wonwinglo]

Richard,most of the drawings start life as tiny silhouettes or three views,this is the reason that some look a bit ragged,as I have scaled them up in a paint programme to make them useable for modelling,I am doodling all of the time with drawings.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Be thankful for the venerable Spitfire.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/03/05/spitfire-memorial060305.html

The sound of Merlins once again echoed across Southampton water, as a re-enactment of the Spitfires first flight took place yesterday,the original airfield at Eastleigh now called Southampton was the very hallowed ground from which the prototype K5054 took off on a bumpy grass airfield that day 70 years ago.It is difficult to imagine what would have happened if we had not had the Spitfire to do the job that it did so well in the Battle of Britain when the defence of our country was at stake ? one thing is for sure and that is I would probably not be writing these words today with the freedom we now take for granted,we owe a lot to the designer of this aircraft R.J.Mitchell for whom we as a nation owe a debt of gratitude beyond anything else,so why have we not yet honoured this great man whilst pop stars and wannabees continue to get their dongs ?

One can only imagine that busy design office at the Vickers Supermarine factory with Mitchell at the helm,thousands of hand drawn detailed drawings each of which had to be reproduced as a working piece of metal in a very short space of time,every small factory was pressed into use to get the job done,whether it was a small brass bearing or a complete wing spar the task of fitting everything together in the small low wing monoplane was vital.

To get a good picture of how the Spitfire factory worked in Southampton then can I recommend John Isaacs 'Aeroplane Affair' for a really god read,it reveals some interesting facts about the men who built these aircraft,and not all of them were skilled either,there were some disasters such as the day a set of Spitfire spars were rendered scrap with wrongly drilled holes,as can be imagined the culprit was given instant dismisal but had to wait until clocking off time to retrieve his clothes,why ? because all coats etc were hoisted well out of the way high in the ceiling after everyone was installed in the factory.

The jet engine just came too late to see any real service towards the end of the war,even if we had the right metals to do the job it is doubtful whether the jet would have done the fine job of the Spitfire and Hurricane,the piston engine,especially the Merlin was fast approaching its peak in terms of performance,no matter how you boost a piston engine,there is a limit eventually reached before you blow them up,hence the all important glycol cooling system on these aircraft which quickly boils on the ground if take off is delayed.

So not only the Spitfire itself buts its vital partner the Merlin became the winning combination,it seems odd calling a war machine beautiful,but it really was a classic in its time having come from such a good pedigree as the Supermarine S6 racers,everything about the design was just right for the job,a fighter must be able to slide around the sky but at the same time be still stable enough to get out of extreme manoeuvres.

The test of time has also faired well with the Spitfire,during the fifties only an handful of these machines were flying,now there are scores of restored aircraft lovingly restored in custom made jigs that have been made airworthy,whilst it is only the wealthy who can afford to buy or even operate these machines,as enthusiasts we can be indebted to the people who are involved both restoring and flying them.

Will there be any Spitfires still flying seventy years on ? you know I think that there will,with technology and expertise and provided that the authorities do not place any silly bans on flying them,then everything should be in place for the next generations celebrations.

[Guest]

Barry,

How memorable to have the flight in the air at just the same minute exactly seventy years hence. Very moving.

I have actually been to Eastleigh a few times when I worked in Southampton but there does not seem to be much in the way of a memorial to such a significant place , which is a bit of a shame.

[wonwinglo]

*** It is the same with Sir Frank Whittle,it took Hinckley centre 40 years to honour the gentleman with a bronze statue and a replica of the Gloster E28/39 at a traffic island,what a day that was rubbing shoulders with the great man himself,the apathy of the airlines who have made lots of money with his invention,they would not even send along a representative,I am going along to a talk next week about the life of the man himself.

There should at least be a replica Spitfire at the entrance to Southampton airport,if not just to show people what a great historical event took place there.

I gree Richard,its pathetic.

Barry,How memorable to have the flight in the air at just the same minute exactly seventy years hence. Very moving.

I have actually been to Eastleigh a few times when I worked in Southampton but there does not seem to be much in the way of a memorial to such a significant place , which is a bit of a shame.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Some useful scale comparisons.

Ever wondered why some manufacturers produce models to what appear to be oddball scales ? well take a look at this list and all will become clear,it is far from complete but gives some indication of the various interests -

1:12 Large Scale

1:13.7 7/8 inch scale

1:20.3 G, Three-Foot Gauge on Gauge 1 Track

1:22.5 LGB and Bachman

1:24 Half scale

1:29 Aristo-Craft, USA Trains, standard gauge on #1 gauge

1:32 I scale

1:48 O scale

1:64 S scale

1:87.1 HO scale

1:120 TT scale

1:160 N scale

1:220 Z scale

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Superb Space Restoration project.

http://www.nasarocketclub.com/gallery/album27?page=1

Restoration on a very big scale down at Johnson Space Centre,Houston,this Saturn V Rocket was in a terrible state until a team got to work on restoring her,take a look at this ambitious project.

Looking at the sheer size of this beast and the amount of detailed complex assemblies,it really makes you think how many things can and do go wrong at times.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Computer Speak,a compilation.

A little research,and a notebook came up with the following,if you know any more then I would like to know about them ?-

3

3G:Third-generation wireless communications. Will combine mobile phone functionality with that of laptops, TVs into a single device. Will provide broadband access. A

Aggregator:Software or web page that gathers RSS feeds from multiple locations and displays the contents so they can be scanned or read in a single view Analog:Based on waveforms rather than on binary patterns. ASP:Active Server Pages. A microsoft technology for creating dynamic web sites.

B

Bandwidth:The capacity of an electronic connection or network. Blog (weblog):An online journal of topics; each posting can have a web address to allow others to point to it. The best blogs allow comments to be added by readers. Bluetooth:A short-range radio frequency technology to transmit voice and data, automatically locating and connecting and personal devices, e.g. laptops, mobile phones. Range of only 10m. Browser:A program that provides a view of information on the World Wide Web (internet or intranet). Microsoft's Internet Explorer is an example. BSG:Broadband Stakeholder Group Business Intelligence:Tools and systems that allow a company to gather, store, access and analyze corporate data to aid in decision-making. Generally these systems will illustrate business intelligence in the areas of customer profiling, customer support, market research, market segmentation, product profitability and statistical analysis.

C

C:A igh-level computer language orignially developed at Bell Labs. The C language enables programmers to write code that can be compiled to run on different types of computers. Compression:A technique to reduce the size of files by replacing repetitive data with smaller codes.

D

DHCP:Dynamic Host Configuration Protocl: a piece of the TCP/IP protocol suite that handles automatic assignment of IP addresses. DLM:Data Lifecycle Management. An older term for Information Lifecycle Management. DNS:Domain Name System: An Internet addressing system that uses a group of names that are listed with dots between them, working from the most specific to the most general. Dynamic Web Site:Websites that can respond to different parameters, allow for user registration, and have changing data on a database (in the background).

E

Encryption:The process of encoding information to make it secure from other users. ERP:Enterprise Resource Planning: software packages such as Baan, SAP. Ethernet:A LAN topology based on Carrier Sense Multiple Access/ Collision Detection. Ethernet is one of the most common topologies in use in the world today. EPC:The Electronic Product Code, (EPC), is an electronically coded tag that is intended as an improvement on the UPC barcode system. The EPC is a 96-bit tag which contains a number called the Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). GTIN gives each product its own specific identifying number, giving greater accuracy in tracking.

F

Firewall:A security device placed on a LAN to protect it from Internet intruders. This can be a special kind of hardware router, a piece of software of both.

G

GIF:Graphic Interchange Format: a file format for pictures, commonly used on the internet.It uses lossless compression and creates images with 8-bit colour. GPRS:General Packet Radio Service, sometimes referred to as 2.5G. Provided over existing mobile networks, allows users to browse the web on a phone. GUI:Graphical User Interface

H

HTML:Hypertext Markup Language. The basis of all web pages, describing how text, graphics etc are organised and presented. HSM:Hierarchical Storage Manager. Stemming from the mainframe world around 1980, HSM shifted data that wasn't used often to cheaper storage devices.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Computer Speak,a compilation Part 2.

















Some of these are everyday,but there are a few that are less common-



I

IDE:Integrated Development Environment ILM:Information Lifecycle Management. Data management techniques designed to help businesses get best value from their data by making it policy-based, storing data in the way that best suits the business. ISV:Independent Software Vendor: a company that produces software. IT:Information Technology (!)

J

JavaA web-oriented language developed by Sun Microsystems.

L

LAN:Local Area Network: A computer network limited to a small area. LMS:Learning Management System (online training).

M

M2M:Machine-to-Machine: Cellular communications between machines that can be remote and wireless. Malware:Short for malicious software, software designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus or a Trojan horse. Modem:Shortened name for modulator/demodulator; a device to convert digital signals of a computer to analog format for transmission across telephone lines.

N

Network:A group of computers connected so that they can communicate and share information. Most major networks are connected to the global network-of-networks, the Internet.

O

OEM:Original Equipment Manufacturer. It is actually a misleading term for a company that has a special relationship with computer producers. Buy computers in bulk OEMs customise them for an application, selling the customised computer under their own name. The term is really a misnomer because OEMs are not the original manufacturers.

P

PDF:Portable Document Format: the format of choice for Adobe's widely-used Acrobat digital document system. PHP:PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor: an scripting language that can be interspersed with HTML. It can be used on any platform (Windows, Unix, Macintosh), and is free to use.

R

RFID:Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a method of remotely storing and retrieving data using devices called RFID tags. An RFID tag is a small object, such as an adhesive sticker, that can be attached to or incorporated into a product. RFID tags contain antennae to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transceiver. RSS feed:An XML-based extract of information (web pages, blog entries, database information) with link to source.

S

script:A short computer programme written in a simplified programming language such as Perl, Javascript of VBScript. search engine:A program providing a way to search for specific information on the Internet using keywords. The most popular is currently Google. SOA:Service-Oriented Architecture. SRM:Storage Resource management. An essential technology for ILM to allow it to monitor and assign storage capacity and move information.

T

Ticker:Displays current stock market prices in a horizontal window or bar. Trojan Horse:A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive. For example, a program that claims to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses onto your computer.

V

VAR:Value Added Reseller

W

Weblog (Blog):An online journal of topics; each posting can have a web address to allow others to point to it. The best blogs allow comments to be added by readers. Webmail:E-mail messages sent to and from wesbites, bypassing the need for special e-mail client software. WEEE:Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: An EU directive for the handling of obsolete equipment. WiFi:Wireless Fidelity: any type of 802.11 compliant network. WiFi access points can support around 15 users with a rnage of 50-100m. WiMax:Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access group set up to promote the IEEE 802.16 Air Interface Standard, and now refers to the wireless broadband network technology itself. Can handle voice and data, interent connection and voIP services.

X

XML:Extensible Markup Language: A generic language developed by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) which allows the creation of standardrized HTML-like languages, using a DTD (Document Type Definition) to define tags and attributes.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Was there really an Orbital Space aircraft ?

A top aerospace magazine this week laid out what it called "considerable evidence" that the U.S. military funded the development and testing of a small orbital space plane in the 1990s,the aircraft was modelled on the technology of the XB-70A Valkerie Supersonic bomber which was a revelation in itself,In an article posted to its web site , Aviation Week & Space Technology reported that the two-person "Blackstar" space vehicle may have made more than one orbital mission. But it said the project may have since been "quietly mothballed," possibly for budgetary or operational reasons,there is a chance that it is still around lurking in some secret establishment.The report was met with skepticism from other aerospace industry observers, and even Aviation Week conceded that the evidence was inconclusive at the moment,but there could be a cover up on something that was kept very hush hush at the time.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Getting it right-Setting up a Model Shop-Part 2



'A well stocked Model shop is a joy to behold'

Lets talk about your stock and things you should know-

It is one thing to stock up a shop from floor to ceiling with stock,but another thing to maintain that stock ? there is nothing worse than shelves depleted with stock being moved along to make it look more,the old saying 'Stack it high,sell it cheap' is certainly one way to deal with turnover,however there can be few small businesses who have the resources or buying power to do this,availability is the best guideline here,ask yourself this question ? how many times have you tried to get hold of something and finally found it elsewhere and made a purchase ? there you have the answer,no stock means no sales,even keeping one in stock of that expensive item means an instant sale,simply because you have made it available having taken the time and trouble to do so.It really annoys me to go into a shop,selling expensive sophisticated items and when you ask for an adaptor or spare fitting they do not keep it ! this would make me immediately suspicious as to future back up with an item that could be easily out of action because of the non availabilty of that item,this actually happened recently to a friend who purchased an electric helicopter at Christmas,he is still waiting for a set of rotor blades,my policy used to be for one expensive kit,I order two spares for each item liable to go wrong or wear out,the more complex then more spares are needed.Whist a lot of this sort of thing will come with experience common sense should prevail as well,mark my words the best and quickest way to looses customers is because you do not have any spares back up in place,or worse still just because it is a small part with no mark up you are not going to bother,well be warned because neither is your customer going to bother in future either ! If you look at all successful businesses you will see a pattern start to emerge,number one is specialising in a particular subject,we have within seven miles of here an electrical retailer,the building is ramshackle,however go inside and you will see row upon row of choice items,every type of bulb that has been made,every single light fitting in still-ages,the place is a proverbial alladins cave,despite its size the company employ nine people behind the counter,there is always a steady flow of people in and out all day long,why ? simply because they have all the stock that is needed and people know that even if they travel twenty miles plus they will get what they want without a wasted journey or excuses that the retailer does not have any stock.

Now lets talk about stock control,question again? what is the most important thing that any warehouseman or stock controller should do ? well he/she should never allow any single item to be out of stock at any given time,instead of running seven kits down to one at the last minute,stock should be ordered when the level reaches at least three,quickly keeping an eye open and ordering well in time.

My own particular shop had a large stock of balsa wood,I used to pride myself on keeping stock levels of wood healthy,this would entail a monthly day off trip to Cambridge to fill my car with balsa wood,then return and work in the evening to get it labeled up ready for the next days customers,you have to work like mad in any business venture to maintain interest and service,couple this with a nice friendly smile,time for your customers and you are on the right road to success,however do not think that it will happen overnight,you need to work hard at it things for years sometimes before you will break even,there are so many variables in any trade that time takes to sort things out.

It is one of the most important aspects, both not only from your own point of view but more importantly the customers,ignore it at your peril.

Next time we will discuss how to make things easier for your customers, and a few pointers on how to be a better trader.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Building from planes-Part 14



The Fokker Dr.1 Triplane is an all time favourite as a building project,as a flying scale subject it is ideal whether you are building a small scale model or a quarter scale monster,several kits are available,the Flair range are highly recommended as good flyers.



The Grumman Duck will always remind us of the film 'Murphys War' the flying scenes where the aircraft is bucking up and down in the water are un-forgettable.As a model subject it presents a challenge with that big central float.



Fokker E.3 Eindecker would make a simple subject but a fine flyer.



Fancy a twin then the Lockheed L.10 Electra with its immense wing area and plenty of dihedral fits the bill.



Airspeed Envoy would be a bit trickier with the elliptical wing shape.



Ecko/Alon Ercoupe/Aircoupe,something a little different with its coupled twin fins.



Beech 18 Expeditor is a classic just waiting to be modelled.

[Guest]

I made an Airfix Duck when I was at school and enjoyed the unusual configuration.

I was always particularly impressed with the fact that it could operate on water or land.

[Guest]

Nothing unusual there Richard Swans can do the same lol