Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[Guest]

That hand cranked lathe still does it for me. Whose arm gets tired whipping cream? Now imagine turning cart wheel spokes all day!!!

Brilliant pictures Barry, very many thanks for posting them.

[wonwinglo]

No problems Richard the pleasure is all mine,I really enjoyed doing this shoot to show people that sometimes things on their own doorstep is of interest to us here,always carry your camera wherever you go because lurking behind every corner is a story ready to be recorded,it is all about making things whether full sized or in miniature,thats the fun of model building any subject is suitable,how about a model of this place in miniature ? now that would be something.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Vintage Diecast Ship Models needing identification-final batch.

Last batch of the diecast warship pictures,so now there is a complete catalogue of these fascinating models.

Warship#19





Warship#20





Warship#21





Warship#22





Warship#23





Submarines#24





Warship#25

Dinky Toy H.M.S Nelson

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-A unique formation-Sopwith Camel & Spitfire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtprTL66-FY

Now here is a real treat that I have sorted out for you all today,a Sopwith Camel formates with a Spitfire ! so grab your flying goggles and turn up the sound,this is really something,while you are there also take a look at the other World War 1 aeroplanes in action,you can smell the castor oil that kicks out all over the machine in a cloud of grey smoke.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-UAV's The way forward

The value of remote pilotless aerial vehicles, has been proven many times over the past few years,cruising at altitudes whereby they become a tiny speck in the sky,the stealth capabilities soon become apparent,without any risk to personnel these small aircraft can cruise for hours un-spotted by the enemy forces,coupled with low radar returns the UAV will fly deep into enemy territory by both day or night,what is not realised is that these machines have been around for more years than we care to remember,only the shapes have changed to ensure only the best aerodynamic features are used with the best range possible,the ultimate UAV has probably yet to appear as new electronic equipment is developed daily to enable not only see through radar cover ,but miniaturisation so that these aircraft become smaller,you do not even need a proper airfield to fly them from,a simple road or paddox will suffice,mobile units equipped with a small squadron of these craft could easily deploy within hours of their target, gathering vital information in order to build up the best possible strategy,even the attrition rate is fairly low,the costs are far lower than utilising full blown recce aircraft utilising both valuable equipment and pilots best employed in other fields of defence.

So the future is very bright for these unique machines,which have been developed from model aircraft technology mostly by model aeronautical engineers.

Many years ago the author remembers receiving a telephone call,to go out to Saudi Arabia and fly and maintain these small aircraft,talk about being paid to do your hobby ! sadly other things got in the way but it was sufficent to give me a great interest in the development of the UAV,hardly a day passes without the press mentioning the use of these machines,I think they will be used in far greater numbers in the future and change the way our defence systems work.

We give here a few examples of these type of machines,especially those developed by NASA over the years.

UAV seen at Waddington Air Show 2006 in use by the Royal Navy,the type like many looks as if it has been developed from a RPV design. (Now known to be the Boeing Scan Eagle,information added on 29-08-2006)



Picture courtesy of Dave Peace.



APV-3



APV-3



APV-3



NASA Motorised sailplane UAV.



Tier 3 DarkStar.



Perseus B UAV.



Perseus B.



HIMAT

We are indebted to NASA for the use of these historic photographs which show the dynamic progress made by them on the UAV programme,thank you.

[Guest]

I've just received my copy of Conway's "All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1906-1921"

Wow!! Staggering amount of detail and should have cost 45.00 quid in the UK.

I'll have to have another look at those ships now.

[wonwinglo]

Great stuff Richard,you are now armed with the technology needed.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The Curtiss T-32 Condor & Grumman Tigercat.

Curtiss T-32 Condor.



The Curtiss T-32 Condor II ( Curtiss Wright CW-4 ) biplane transport of 1933 was even more of an anachronism than its namesake,the Condor 18 of four years earlier.Its only concession to the then current modernity was the landing gear,its main units retracting into the engine nacelles.A two bay biplane of mixed contruction,with a strut braced single fin and rudder tail assembly,the T-32 Prototype made its first flight on 30th January 1933.Layout for most of the production batch of 21 aircraft that followed was as a luxury 12 passenger night sleeper transport,and a number of T-32's flew with Eastern Air Transport and American Airways during the following three years on regular night services.Two modified T-32's were bought as transports for the U.S Army and operated until 1938 under the designation YC-30.One Condor was completed with extra fuel tanks as a long range version for use by the Byrd Antartic Expedition.Equipped to operate with either twin floats or skis,it was also unique in having a fixed landing gear.Ten T-32's were ultimately converted to AT-32 standard and re-designated as T-32C.Four T-32's were being operated under British civil registrations at the outbreak of World War II,these were impressed and flown by the R.A.F.







The Curtiss Condor in R.A.F service.







Grumman Tigercat.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The Piper L4H Cub.

Piper L4H Cub ( Grasshopper )







Low and slow,artillery,observation aircraft,the Piper L4H could land in tiny fields and was the helicopter of its day.







On approach to a small field,the name Grasshopper referred to most U.S.Army spotter aircraft.

[Guest]

Barry, I think it would be interesting if you could put a bit of information regarding the model alongside these pictures. Such as Airfix 1/72nd, Frog 1/48th etc.

Just a thought, although you are probably like me and can't remember all of them!!

[wonwinglo]

***Richard these models are over 35-40 years old, and have been restored from the broken remains utilising scratch built components or bits from the spares box in many cases,most of the kits are no longer available which prompted me to rebuild them,sadly I have lost my original notes,building instructions,box ends etc in various house moves which makes kit manufacturer identification difficult.

Whenever possible I will endeavour to provide a few details if my memory allows me,if not then details of the real machine are added like the Curtiss Condor above.

I do believe the Condor to be an original ITC kit that was revamped by Kleeware U.S.A in 1=72nd scale.

Most are fairy obscure manufacturers now long defunct which makes them a bit special.

Since Jan 2005 have managed to salvage 200 models,some required a dunk in brake fluid ( thanks Nigel for that excellent tip ) to remove old paint prior to priming and painting,others needed splitting down the seams,to get at rattling bits inside of them which had to be retrieved and re-glued,others just needed a bit of work with some wet and dry and a lick of paint added.

The work has been very satisfying to save these old relics,many of which cannot be replaced.

Barry, I think it would be interesting if you could put a bit of information regarding the model alongside these pictures. Such as Airfix 1/72nd, Frog 1/48th etc.Just a thought, although you are probably like me and can't remember all of them!!

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-India wants to buy Mirage 2000 jets from Qater.

Mirage 2000



India hopes to buy Mirage 2000 fighters from Qatar especially as the US has committed to supplying F-16 fighters to Pakistan, the Indian ambassador to Qatar, Dr George Joseph, told Al Sharq in an interview.

India also expects to take its liquefied natural gas (LNG) import to a whopping 20 million tonnes a year by 2015 from the current five mtpa.

India's Petronet has recently signed a deal with Qatar to import another 2.5 mtpa of LNG to its terminal in the south of the country.

India and Qatar have historical ties. The Indian rupee was the currency of this country until the early Sixties.Qatar's investment in India is worth $5bn and India hopes to invest in Qatar in the key energy sector, especially in the downstream industries. There are Indian companies active in construction and infrastructure sectors.

[Guest]

Barry when will we get the next instalment of your biography???? pretty please

[wonwinglo]

***Nigel still finding photographs and bits and pieces,it will appear in due course rest assured.

Barry when will we get the next instalment of your biography???? pretty please

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The Northrop P-61 Black Widow & Northrop XF-15

Northrop P-61 Black Widow.



This was the first aircraft to be designed as a radar equipped night-fighter,Northrop's three seat twin engine twin boom design gained a U.S.Army Air Corps contract for two Northrop XP-61 prototypes in January 1941,these were followed by 13 service test YP-61 aircraft,and the development problems of this aircraft were matched by those to create a new air interception radar based on the British cavity magnetron.Nevertheless,the first,the first examples of the P-61A Black Widow production version began to appear towards the end of 1943.It was soon discovered that its four gun remotely-controlled dorsal turret caused severe buffeting when slewed to a beam position,and the turret was deleted after the first 37 aircraft had been built.P-61A'a began to appear with fighter groups in the South Pacific in the first half of 1944,production of this version totalled 200 aircraft,deliveries of the ensuing P-61B began also in 1944,a total of 450 of this version being produced,the last production batch the P-61C model comprised 41 aircraft,however at the wars end some 476 aircraft of this model were cancelled.Black Widows appeared in Europe by July 1944 and shot down four German bombers in their first engagement.The type also destroyed a number of V-1 Flying Bombs during the offensive with Antwerp.











The sole Northrop XF-51A Reconnaissance aircraft was converted from a late production P-61C Black Widow night fighter.















Both models were built from early Frog Northrop Black Widow kits 35 years ago,the XF-15 being made from scratch built parts utilised in the assembly,both models were restored during 2006.