Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[Guest]

All of the above post is just fantastic!!!

.I thought you were joking when you mentioned spuds in the original Piaggio post.

.Ingenius solutions once again.

[wonwinglo]

From the model collection-Another selection of models



Vultee Vengeance,this is the old Frog model,what a big beast !



F-101 Voodoo U.S.A.F All weather fighter.



The Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star made from the Airfix kit.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings Diary-China Clipper 75th Anniversary Flight

This one will interest Pan-Am Clipper girl in particular-

China Clipper 75th Anniversary Commemorative Flight, World's First Commercial TransoceanicFlight,Announced by San Francisco Aeronautical Society San Francisco April 10, 2008 -- The San Francisco Aeronautical Society, in conjunction with the Pan Am Historical Foundation, is pleased to announce a major event commemorating what is generally regarded as the greatest milestone in commercial aviation history.

November 2010 will mark the 75th anniversary of the famous China Clipper flight which opened the Pacific to the world's first regular transoceanic commercial air service. Today, people cross oceans in airplanes without even a second thought, but, in 1935, that very first commercial transoceanic flight was a mammoth undertaking that presaged modern international travel.

The year is 1935. As Pan American Airways plans its historic attempt to conquer the Pacific, the world is in a deep economic depression. Franklin Roosevelt has just been elected President of the United States and will remain so for an unprecedented four terms. There are only 48 states in the Union. Alaska and Hawaii will not be added for almost 30 years. Prohibition has been repealed and, thanks to Hollywood, New York's Empire State building will forever have King Kong associated with it.

The establishment of the Trans-Pacific route by Pan American Airways, a mere 32 years after the Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk success, overcame the greatest technological, geographical, and navigational challenges of the day. Their fleet of flying boats captured the world's imagination as they ushered in the age of global air travel.

The China Clipper 75th Anniversary Flight will retrace the Pacific Route that departed San Francisco to reach Hong Kong via Honolulu, Midway, Wake, Guam, and Manila -- albeit with a modern aircraft. VIP functions will be held at each port of call.

A web site, http://www.chinaclipper75.com/, has been created to provide information on the history of the Clippers and the commemorative flight.

The San Francisco Aeronautical Society is a not-for-profit volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the history of aviation.

[wonwinglo]

The Junkers Ju.87 Tank Buster



With all of my modelling gear and kits stashed away I just wanted to create something today,so with a sheet of sugar paper and some good old chalks I set about creating this sketch of the Junkers Ju.87 Tank Buster,to a model maker it is no good not having resources to your models,so creativity being paramount here is the end result to share with you all,to remind us of the importance of this awesome weapon here is a little piece about the most famous ace connected with it.

You have to hand it to the bravery of these pilots who flew the Stuka,it was literally a flying tank.

The most successful Stuka pilot was Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Rudel had already completed 1,000 Stuka missions before developing the tactics for "Panzerjagdkommando Weiss", the embryonic tank-killer Stuka unit.

Despite being shot down on at a number of occasions and sustaining frequent injuries (including the loss of a leg), Rudel’s tally included a total of 519 tanks and one Soviet battleship! He ended the war as Germany’s most decorated pilot and the sole recipient of Germany's highest military honour - the "Golden Oak Leaf with Sword and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

[wonwinglo]

The 'History of Aviation' museum in miniature

The past few months have been taken up with setting up a unique collection of model aircraft,this is situated on the site of a former disused historic Warwickshire airfield,shuttling a collection of delicate miniature aircraft was no easy task but the job is nearly complete and a lifelong ambition has been achieved to make a permanent display of models in one place.

This is what the local press had to say about the collection on their visit -

'Tucked away in the leafy Warwickshire countryside, is a unique collection of model aircraft that have been built over the past 55 years by one person,the impressive collection which spans the whole history of flight is neatly laid out in rows on gleaming white tables which run the whole length of the building,a tiny model of the Wright biplane is placed alongside a model of the new Airbus A380 showing the progress made by mankind in his quest to fly faster and longer distances by air.

So who is behind this bewildering and unique array of tiny models ? well we met up with the creator,a former aircraft engineer, who is a self confessed aviation nut in his well equipped workshop at the same location a few yards away from the museum,in his hands was a new model being fashioned from scraps of wood, salvaged from the floor of a local pattern makers workshop in exchange for sweeping the floor ! Barry makes his models from anything that he can get his hands on besides building from detailed plastic and metal kits as well which are stacked on shelves,lined up were the blanks of models under construction each with cardboard patterns neatly cut out alongside,even the tiny propellers are made by hand and set up in an homemade jig that he made,in metal filing cabinets there are thousands of folders crammed with reference material such as plans,photographs and detailed sketches that he has made himself when visiting airfields and museums,you need plenty of reference material in this line he grins.

Lets take you to see the museum he says,carefully laying down his latest model on the workbench and we go around the corner to another building a short walking distance away,when the door is opened you are confronted with the remarkable sight of thousands of small aircraft models,'how many are there,I ask him ?' well at the last count which was several years ago I topped the 4,000 mark,but there are only 3,000 on show due to space restraints,I have another 16,000 pieces still in boxes under the tables,these cover manufacturers works models,identification models produced for the services and some lovely limited editions as well,the collection is without a doubt the largest in the UK but is unverified due to the Guinness book of records wanting a two person count to get a mention,including one from someone like a vicar to warrant entry in their compendium ! nobody in their right mind would spend hours doing that he says whilst he squeezes another model on the table shuffling a few others to make room !

His search for rare models has taken him across the world in correspondence to doctors,kings and accountants,and university professors who share his passion for small model aircraft,but as he points out the internet has made life a lot easier in swopping and exchanging information to enhance his ever bulging collection.

This is the first time that many of the models have been out of their boxes he told me,previously they have endured been moved from house to house and once more taking up three rooms of his last residence some 15 miles away from where the collection now lives,but this is the final move for the models he says,wherever we go they stay put ! we shook hands and I left for the office thinking about what I had seen ? one thing is for sure and that is you will not find anyone more enthusiastic than Barry for his passions,I doubt whether he will ever stop building or collecting,and best of luck to him.'

Well since these photographs were taken more display space has been created,it is very much ongoing and improving whats on display.

[wonwinglo]

The 'History of Aviation' museum in miniature-Part 2

More pictures from the collection.

[wonwinglo]

The History of aviation museum collection on the move

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The collection has been dismantled awaiting new premises,this decision was made after more space was needed to display a further 3,000 models,fortunately a new unit has been found and arrangements made to move in shortly,whilst the dis-assembly after such a short period of time was time consuming it was considered worthwhile for the long term future of the collection,more pictures to follow when everything is set up again soon.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwing is back again after a long break,during that time I have been very busy building models and moving house and workshop more times than I care to mention,but finally I have now settled into my new workshop situated in the countryside which is a joy to work in,it is an old airfield fire station in two sections accessible via a side door,each section is 24 feet long by 18 foot wide,acess for bigger items ( more later on this ! ) is via shutter overhead doors that roll up conveniently,in the summer months it is a pleasure to open those doors and sit outside making parts for my models or real aeroplane,there is your clue I have just let it out,yes I am currently in the process of rebuilding and restoring a rare vintage aircraft called the Tawney Owl,the Tawney Owl is a twin boom pusher powered originally with a Porsche aero engine,the aircraft is the only one in the world and I am very proud of my part in rebuilding it from the ground up,the fuselage vanished a long while ago,the story behind that would fill a book so we will not go there,I just set to and drew up a new fuselage and then built it ! I have buckets of spare parts that are being incorporated into it as I go along,as I have progressed I kept a photo diary of each stage of the construction and so far the project has consumed over 900 man hours,well thats it for now I will post a few pictures just to get the feel of what I have been doing,building,teaching the youngsters and giving my talks on aviation as well,but I will be back ! so see you then.

Wonwinglo.

[wonwinglo]

Avro Lancaster super detailed Part Works gains momentum.

The Lancaster was issued some months ago and since that time I have assembled the model up to issue 50 then pausing as more parts became available,the reason for the pause was to gather together more of the substantial framework pieces in order to install the smaller detailed parts more easily,it soon becomes apparent that the issue of parts does not follow a logical sequence for building the model,I started a Google group that has successfully seen through the build of those initial parts and this appraisal is based on those instructions with some updates added as well,what will be useful to others building the Lancaster is the large amount of new material that has come to light in that time especially regarding internal detail.

Make no mistake this really is a lovely model but does require care in assembly but is a challenge to the real model builder who enjoys wood and other traditional materials to work with,the stringers are represented with hundreds of narrow nylon strips that are inserted into slots in the various formers and fixed with adhesive.

For full additional instructions on building this nose section please refer to the illustrations below as pictures speak greater than words,these are additional to those supplied with the part works and a lot clearer optically.

There is only one issue at this first stage in the construction and a suggestion as to how this can be overcome,this concerns item#12 a small lower longeron which is just too short and needs attention which is easily extended with a piece of scrap material that holds the parts in place on the wooden membrane.Please note that these instructions are independent of Hachette and has no connection to them whatsoever,it has been created to assist model builders with this exciting project and bring the model to completion with further hints and tips plus additional parts that will be scratchbuilt along the way,an example of this is the outboard fuel tanks which have been omitted by Hachette, but fear not as already new fuel tanks have been made up and documented for inserting into the outer panels utilising a few simple modifications.

For those who want to build something a little bit different and special then there can be nothing better than the Lancaster as a subject,the Merlin engines,pipework,retracting undercarriage and cockpit detail are well within the scope of this model.

[wonwinglo]

Some of these models are close on 50 years old and apart from a bit of a dust removal have not been touched,from experience models made from polystyrene usually go brittle with age as the polymers and oils dry out in the material,I gues that it is all down to storage but a lot of modellers only build and do not keep their models so this is not important to them ? the whole problems with loft storage is the changes in temperature.

Wonwinglo

[Guest]

Barry, I just want to say how good it is to have you back again. We've missed the aircraft history input that was always so enjoyable to read so i'm really glad to see you contributing again.

Fantastic project in the shed! Will you be building it to an airworthy standard or just as a static aircraft? Either way it is going to loom pretty amazing.

Looking forward to your contributions again, and again good to see you back.

[wonwinglo]

Thank you Richard for the warm welcome,it is good to be back talking about the things we enjoy doing most and the absence was only a temporary thing really,sometimes we have things happen in our lives that change the way we think,well I certainly did,a years intensive training courses and a few health issues and scares as well thrown in,but hey we are still here to moan ! here are a few more pictures of the Tawney Owl with the cockpit skinning in place now wrapped up until the Spring when the booms will be built and mated to the tailplane,meanwhile I need to draw up the fin/rudder assemblies and replicate these from a single structural member that I have of them,after a lot of intense activity on the airframe time to take a break and get some model building done again.

She will not fly as that is one of the stipulations,however the build is to a high standard and the aircraft would easily taxy should I find a suiable engine,once finished the aircraft is destined for an air museum and something else will take her place in the workshop.

Barry.

[wonwinglo]

Building a Miles Gemini

There are so many aircraft types that will never be made commercially as models,even if they did appear as resin castings or Vac Forms they would be very expensive as they are produced by cottage industries in very small numbers.

I prefer to make these types from wood and other scrap material that I have to hand,firstly a drawing is prepared to the size that I need then suitable wood is utilised to fit the card patterns that are made from the plans.

Each component is broken down into sections ie main fuselage,wings,tail,undercarriage,propellers and any other items that go into the construction of the particular model,after a while and a few models have been built you tend to develop a style of building that suits yourself,I like to make myself a set of parts all sanded and trimmed neatly ready for assembly,this way I can sweep up the dust and settle into the build itself which I find relaxing and very enjoyable,once the parts are trimmed it is sometimes necessary to make up simple jigs to hold things in place,these need not be elaborate but simply cardboard from cereal boxes cut and folded into rests and supports,you will find that biplane models in particular need this necessary jigging to assist in lining up the wings in relation to the fuselage,then after this has been completed and the adhesive has cured the various struts and fittings can be added.

Over the coming weeks and months I will be dealing with different models that have been constructed together with the various techniques used,for anyone who has not tried scratch building then I can highly recommend the satisfaction derived from creating something from the ground up,the models become unique pieces in themselves and present challenges that keep the mind active.

So here we have the Miles Gemini a popular post war touring aeroplane that was especially used for air racing by its owners,the aircraft was comfortable to fly and had very nicely balanced controls,the model brings out the lines of this classic machine.

Wonwinglo.

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[wonwinglo]

Building the DH.90 Dragonfly 1930's private owner twin engined biplane.

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This attractive pre war twin engined biplane lends itself well to building a miniature model,the picture above shows the first one that was made many years ago to 1=72nd scale and prompted me to build a much larger model of this fine aircraft.

For scaling up I usually work out the sizes on my computer screen working out the wingspan etc between two marks in something like a word programme,the beauty of this system is that it enables you to scale exactly and easily,the next step is to transfer the drawings onto card for the essential templates,not only can these be used to draw the respective shapes around but also as a constant guide during assembly,even to the very end when you need to transfer things like ailerons,control surface detail etc the humble card templates are there,and sure they can later be filed away in plastic folders together with the plans and templates forming a file for future builds or rebuilds.

One very important area of construction lies with the setting of the dihedral angle of the wings,to achieve this I cut halfway through the wood with a razor saw and then take a Swiss file with a 'V' edge to carefully open the joint,then two blocks of wood are positioned at the wingtips and the centre section is pinned down,then a thin line of cyno is run into the joint to lock it into place,once this is dry then a fine application of Squadron white filler is smoothed into the join line,allowed to dry and carefully sanded down with strips of masking tape either side to protect the material being sanded.

The photographs serve to show a typical assembly sequence of a twin engined aircraft,done this way a careful eye can be kept on symmetry.

Once everything is fixed in place the next stage will be dealt with later,watch this space.

Wonwinglo.

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[wonwinglo]

The Miles Whitney Straight

This model of the Miles Whitney Straight combines two of my passions,firstly my love of vintage aeroplanes and secondly the joy of scratchbuilding which is the way that I build most of my models.

The model came about the plan to build as many different Miles machines as I could to fit into the collection,the Miles company produced a whole series of light touring aeroplanes both pre and post war pioneering moulded plywood construction in their construction which produced a fine surface finish for good performance in the air.

These machines were mainly of the tandem open-cockpit variety, similar in arrangement to the early Hawk monoplanes, and it was not until 1936 that the class neared an ideal in the Miles Whitney Straight side-by-side cabin monoplane. This aeroplane was the result of collaboration between the wealthy aviation enthusiast Mr. Whitney Straight, who then operated a series of flying clubs in various parts of the country, and Mr. Miles, both having almost identical ideas on the form of a modern light aeroplane.

The prototype Whitney Straight (G-AECT) first flown on 14th May 1936 and its all-round good qualities exceeded expectations, comfortable and easy to fly, with a top speed of 145 mph. and a fuel consumption of over 20 miles to the gallon. Immediate production followed the successful flight tests, and 50 M.11A, M.11B and M.11C aircraft were sold in almost every part of the world over the next two years. A number of these were used for experimental purposes, including the testing of various engines and, on the prototype, of auxiliary aerofoil flaps, the data gained proving beneficial to later Miles aircraft. A later model, known as the M.11 C, was fitted with the Gipsy Major Series II engine and a variable pitch airscrew, this combination giving a remarkable take-off and climb performance.

Perhaps one of the finest demonstrations of the all-round handling qualities of the machine was provided by the result of the 1937 King's Cup Air Race, in which General Lewin, then aged sixty-three, flew his own Whitney Straight into second place after a very close contest.

On the outbreak of war, in 1939, most of the Whitney Straights in Britain were requisitioned for R.A.F. communication duties, including 23 for the RAF (21 in the UK and two in India), and three for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Many were still giving good and faithful service after five arduous years.

An improved model of the M.11 was developed with three-seat accommodation and flown as the M.17 Monarch on 21st February 1938.

The model follows the time tested tecnique of balsa wood for the basic components with pattern makers artificial wood being used to carve the delicate whell spats,the finish was achieved with sanding sealer a mix of clear dope and talcum powder and several sprayed coats of good old Halfords grey auto primer which I purchase six cans at a time ! a light rub down between coats and checking for blemishes which are rectified with Squadron model filler applied with a dental tool into the tiny crevices that seem to show up like a sore thumb once that primer is in place.

For the final finish I choose a warm day to avoid blooming of the acrylic paint also rattle can colours.

For the registrations and fine details I paint by hand steadying my hand against the workbench and use a small strip of wood or old paintbrush handle to paint the straight lines.

The realistic in flight flying propellers can be made from clear plastic discs cut from cosmetic boxes,these look good when the model is hung from the ceiling in flying attitude.

Wonwinglo.

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The next Miles machine to be built after the Whitney Straight will be the Miles Mohawk which will be dealt with in another posting,the aircraft which is now in the RAF Museum was specially built for Colonel Charles Lindbergh.

( Click onto the pictures for larger images )

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