Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Building a model of the Percival Q6.

PERCIVAL Q6

Building a solid model of the Percival Q6 Petrel.

To mark the fact that one of these rare machines is being rebuilt to fly again one day,I decided it was certainly worthy of a small scale model for my collection,there are no kits so it was a scratch build operation but I like this type of model building anyway,it taxes the old grey matter and keeps old skills alive,so lets sharpen up the knives and make a start.

The pictures explain a thousand words,the two woods used in this case were Obeche for the fuselage and Jellutong for the wings and tail plus engine nacelles,as usual make card templates for every part,use these to constantly check the parts as carving takes place,take off a little at a time carefully whittling away until the basic shape emerges,any intricate areas can be tackled with a set of Swiss files,remove all tool marks with medium glasspaper,working to towards silicone carbide paper to get a good finish,Holts primer makes a good surface filler,two coats should adequately fill the grain.

I usually wait until a few models are built up and do a batch spray on a few models gradually building up to the colour stage which can be done anytime once the paintscheme has been researched.

With this type of model you can continually add any detail as required,for me they convey the shape of long lost machines with character and style that many modern day aircraft lack.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-A case of modern design to fit the bill.

As an artist sometimes there can be a conflict between what can be considered good and bad design,here is a good example-Most people will remember the lovely older Automobile Association badge with its beautifully amalgamated 'AA' logo and those wings which gave it so much character,then they decided to 'modernise' it for a rather bland box with even blander lettering inside it,I hated it when first setting eyes upon it,then we had B.E.A British European Airways with a stunning key design that looked good on any aircraft,couple this with their polished metal wings and smart red/white/red stripes and aircraft class names on the nose they really looked the part,so what did they do ? well for a start off paint the wings of the Vickers Viscount red and hide all of that shiny alloy,then to cap it all place boxes with B.E.A in the middle ! design well I have to say what design is there in doing that ? what has happened is that these companies fell into the trap of being hoodwinked by so called design consultants ? who convinced them that a big ugly box is more modern and more lovely than a winged horse or similar pattern.

There is just no comparison between the two types of logo,probably simple enough to make as a decal or stick on thingy,but as far as asthetic looks go no competition.

All of this was bought home to me with a new commission to do some minimal designs to represent China,the client just wanted the most basic of design no frills attached,these are to go into a basic room setting,having completed them yes the do fit the bill,but are not my cup of tea ( please excuse the pun,tea/China ).

So you see there are two differing worlds out there so far apart as regards design philosophy,I know which one I like best ?

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The evolution of a De Havilland DH.84 Dragon electric flying model.



This is a scratch built flying model of the De Havilland DH.84 Dragon twin engined biplane,the entire model has been made from foamboard,this material is not only very light in weight but is so easy to cut to shape and assemble with PVA type adhesives,having always had a soft spot for all of the old De Havilland twin biplanes, my intenion has always been to gradually build up to a simple flying model of this design,my quest is still not complete even yet as along the way I am learning how to best tackle this subject to make the model a practical flyer,the first model that I made of this range of aircraft was a control line model of a Dragon Rapide,this was fitted with two odd diesel motors an old E.D.Racer inboard and a smaller power A.M.15 outboard,although she managed to get off the ground she was under powered but proved that this machine was suitable as at least a control line subject,next came a small rubber powered twin gearbox Dragon built from thirty second sheet balsa for light weight,the gearboxes were from a pre war Frog Puss Moth design,I managed to purchase some very old stock which were promptly put to good use in the Dragon build,she flew but for only a very short duration due to the length of the rubber motors,but at least served to prove that the design was a viable one,so armed with a dozen sheets of foamboard I cleared the workbench and scaled up some simple drawings,she had to be kept simple and boxy with practicality and semi scale looks rather than a full blown scale subject,the model went together quickly with the help of a few strips of balsa to strengthen and support the joins whilst the build took place,blue foam was used for the actual engine nacelles sandwiched between foamboard to determine the shape,tissue was applied to the shaped parts and this was then treated with artists acrylic clear varnish to seal everything.The wings were simple flat plates with balsa trailing and leading edges shaped,they did provide just about enough lift for powered flight but the next model will dispense with these and have a proper aerofoil,simple chuck gliders can utilise such wings but after all this was a proof of concept model from which I learned a lot,never be afraid to experiment and get away from traditional practises,that is what this hobby is all about experimenting to get the best results and prove to yourself that things either work out or not.

On the day of the first test flight there was a gentle breeze blowing straight down the strip,the grass was longer than I really wanted it but I pointed her into wind and opened up the two Speed 400 motors,twins always sound great ! the model failed to get airborne on this occasion,so I placed some incidence on the upper wing by packing some scrap balsa underneath the leading edge,then opened her up again,this time she took up all of the available strip and after she got up to her flying speed she lifted gently skywards,what a thrill to see her airborne,although she failed to get much height due to the poor lift from the wings she was soon banking to the left ready for a landing,she had no nasty vices whatsoever and settled into a powered glide back to the strip,I repeated the exercise half a dozen times and took her back to the workshop,at least she had proven that a Dragon would fly under electric power,having fulfilled her task she was dismantled,the gear removed for another project.

One day I will build yet another using the knowledge gained with the construction and flying ability of this simple subject,the concept model is the way to go,gradually building on the experience gained,here are some photographs of the two different models of the Dragon. .







EI-ABI Aer Lingus promotional Dragon,this aircraft was rebuilt by their engineering base at Dublin,and is actually EI-AFK appropiately re-registered as the original machine used by Aer Lingus on their air routes,she was impressed into the R.A.F as AV982.



Here is the original rubber powered model of the Dragon,she was designed around two Frog Puss Moth gear boxes,the model made several successful short powered flights.From this model was developed the electric flying model shown above..

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The inventor of the Autogiro,a man of great vishion-Juan De La Cierva.

Juan De La Cierva,the inventor of the Autogyro.



Cierva was interested in flight as a young lad and experimented with gliders with his friends. After receiving his engineering degree, in 1918 he built the first trimotor airplane. Its crash in 1919 after a stall convinced him that aviation safety called for stall-proof aircraft that could make steep takeoffs and landings at slow speeds. He decided that only the wing and not the fuselage should be used to maintain lift. He began experimenting with rotating-wing aircraft in 1920 and developed the autogiro as a more stable form of aircraft. His first attempts with rigid rotors were unsuccessful. He then applied the idea of mounting the blades to the hub of the rotor on hinges so they could flap. This would equalize lift on advancing and retreating sides of the rotor while in forward flight.

His first successful flight with the autogiro took place on January 9 1923. The aircraft was equipped with a conventional propeller for forward flight and an articulated, or hinged, air-powered rotor blade that could be adjusted to balance lift. This technical breakthrough was necessary for the successful development of the helicopter, which ironically, replaced the autogiro around the time of World War II.

Cierva moved to England in 1925. His aircraft were further developed by the Cierva Autogiro Company of Great Britain getting companies interested in converting standard aircraft into autogiros such as Comper and Avro, as well as by U.S. and various continental companies. They were used widely in France, Germany, Japan, and the United States until World War II, when the helicopter replaced them.

Cierva died in a Douglas DC-2 crash on December 19, 1936, at Croydon,England.



A replica Cierva C.30A Autogiro that was built in Argentina and registered as LV-FBL now lives at Cuetro Ventos.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Painting a full sized aircraft.



We all know about painting our models but how many of us consider the implications of painting a full sized aircraft ? well here are a few facts that will make you think the next time you pick up your airbrush or paintbrush to apply some colour to your miniature.

The first thing to consider when painting something say the size of an airliner,or even a smaller aircraft for that matter is the weight,if you have ever lifted a gallon of paint across the room you will know what I mean ? paint in any form is heavy,and weight is not only detrimental to the performance of the aircaft but is also lost revenue for the airline as well,there are laid down stipulations about just how much paint can be applied to the aircrafts exterior and any build up can be detrimental in many ways,every time that the aircraft comes from the paint shop then it needs weighing,specialist companies travel around the country calculating the aircrafts weight and balance,this is all part and parcel of the machines certificate of airworthiness,although there are no aircraft weighbridges ( well at least not to my knowledge ? ) the method is to place the aircraft onto special jacks and the data read off and calculated.

We mentioned the build up of paint,well every now and again the paint needs stripping off,this an be a messy and expensive process and it is important that any detrimental paint strippers or specialised liquids are removed properly as they can continue to eat into the alloy skin of the structure if not neutralised by the washing down process.

Once the paint has been removed then it is time to treat the alloy of metal aircraft with what is called a self etching primer,this is normally a two part acid based material that slightly etches into the metal providing a suitable key for the final paint,not only must it be applied but the top coat needs to be put on within a set time period otherwise it will not key properly.

Not all paint is sprayed these days,health and safety requirements have led to other methods of application especially in the armed forces where many aircraft are handled daily,more use of paint rollers is being used,similar in appearance to your domestic roller but of a much higher quality to give a smoother finish,now here is a fact did you know that there are more aircraft refinishers in the R.A.F for example than any other trade ?

Gone are the days when roundals and sign written methods were used on roundals,signs and instructions etc,with the advent of pre-computer cut decals this has changed the system entirely,they not only look very neat,but are light in weight and can be easily removed with an heat gun should they need to be replaced.

It is a costly and time consuming process of painting any large machine,methods have changed considerably but the task still requires lots of manpower and is labour intensive,so next time that you reach for that small tin of Humbrol think of how the job is done on the big stuff.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Lithium battery lesson.

Well I should have known better than to leave some lithium batteries stored uncharged, since my last flying session some six months ago,having got them out to charge up I noticed that the red light went out pretty smartish and it said 'full charge' well it certainly was not a full charge as they were flat as a pancake,a quick phone call to Messrs Perkins confirmed that you should never leave lithium batteries with no charge in them,they suggest charging prior to storing especially after use in your model,this is my second bad experience with this type of battery,last time I was sold the wrong ESC electronic speed controller which drained the batteries until they were flat after only five flights,so I am back to square one.

So be warned if you use lithium batteries make sure that you put some juice back into them as soon as you have used them in your model and keep them fully charged-an expensive lesson learned,so let us all learn from this dilemma.

[Guest]

Oh Heck,

Thanks Barry, my new Flying Styro 109 is supplied with a Li-Ion battery and it will be left for periods of over three months at a time. I had better to remember to charge it up after I have used it.

I didn't know I needed a special ESC as well, I was going to use a fairly new miniature one I have at home that I used with a Tamiya Ni-Cad pack. I guess I have a bit more expense yet then.

[Guest]

I go away for a few hours and Barry posts another installment of the best thread in the world bar none. Quality...pure quality.

[wonwinglo]

***Richard here is the one that you need,it is switchable with a jump plug so you can use it with either standard batteries or lithium,quote this number-

P-XTRA-AIR14 14amps 1-3 cells Li-Po,4-8 Nicad or

P-XTRA-AIR35 35amps 2-4 cells Li-Po,5-12 Nicad

Distributed by Ripmax.

I am in a similar position as I have some of those older units in my models that will need replacing.

Yes before you go to sea fully charge the cells and store them at room temperature,dont forget that standard chargers are no good,you need a dedicated charger,some of the model kits now supply a useful little charger,a wise thing to do from the manufacturers point of view.

If these batteries were not so superior to the standard cells then I would not have bothered but they are lightweight and powerful and fly my little lightweight models.

I just wish that they would put better instructions with them explaining that failures will occur if these guidelines are not followed.

Oh Heck,Thanks Barry, my new Flying Styro 109 is supplied with a Li-Ion battery and it will be left for periods of over three months at a time. I had better to remember to charge it up after I have used it.

I didn't know I needed a special ESC as well, I was going to use a fairly new miniature one I have at home that I used with a Tamiya Ni-Cad pack. I guess I have a bit more expense yet then.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The great airplane cull.



Why are these models dumped in a trailer all ready for the tip ? well the last couple of days I needed to trim down my old flying models,everything that you see here is over 25 years old,every single model had radio gear fitted and every airframe was time expired,oil soaked or beyond economical repair having been patched up several times over,it took me two days to remove the engines,radio gear and any re-useable items.

Sometimes circumstances demand drastic reduction,what started this cull was I needed somewhere to do my oil paintings,the big hangar was bulging with airframes many of which had not been flown for several years,dont worry there is still six times what you see here now condensed into another smaller shed,most of my flying is now electric power, something that I am grateful for as a few years ago I developed a skin condition brought on by excess contact with nitromethane,the main constituent of glow fuel,nitromethane is poisonous and gets deep into the skin,it builds up over a long period of time and can cause senility as well,the effects on the skin are most uncomfortable bringing blisters and cracking of the skin,the breaks bleed and fail to heal up,believe me having suffered this it is frightening and everyone who uses glow fuel should be aware of the effects it can have over a long period of time.

Anyway I have held back from flying IC for this very reason,some of the models will be converted to electric over a period of time as and when suitable electric motors become available,I really enjoy going out and flying clean models that remain that way and do not rot away,most IC models despite fuel proofing will disintigrate or become impossible to repair due to the castor oil that gets everywhere despite how well that you clean the model after flying,you can easily place a model in the car and fly anytime even in your best suit if you so wished ! I know someone who flys his model in the lunchbreak at work in the local park,and there lies another big bonus,you can fly almost anywhere because there is no noise,noise is the thing that has lost us lots of flying fields and continues to do so,so for myself it has been a life saver,enabling me to carry on flying without resort to using the glow fuel,I can still have just as much fun with my little biplanes buzzing around the sky,something for which I am very grateful for,anyway there you have it,these well flown models took their last flight over the side of the tip today,you should have seen the look on the faces of the refuse chappies below as colourful wings wafted down below ! as long as I have balsa and ply then I can build many more,but they will all be electric in future.

[Guest]

one of them loks like the tailplane of a dehaviland hornet????

[wonwinglo]

***I see which one you mean Nigel,it is actually the tail of an early Spitfire,I love the De Havilland Hornet,what a great looking twin.

one of them loks like the tailplane of a dehaviland hornet????

[Guest]

I know you can justify it but it still saddens me to see so much work end its days so unceremoniously!!

I know that things get beyond economical repair and I hoard far more than I should but I just can't bring myself to throw things like that out. Drives Annette nuts!!

Thanks for the advice regarding the ESC. I had the foresight to buy a special charger but it never occured to me that I would need a special ESC as well.

[wonwinglo]

A new era Richard,space precludes getting sentimental and it is quicker to build up new major components from scratch,one of the models that you see there was on its third set of wings,I have had my enjoyment from them,these models are very large and even if I restored some to non flying status for exhibition the time spent would be prohibitive,I have in the past done this and given the finished item away to a worthy cause,prolific building needs the occasional clearout,my new shed workplace is all set for some new paintings.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The trials and tribulations of a model Spitfire.

The model of the Spitfire that was scrapped off the other day has quite a bit of history attached to it,not good history but the trials and tribulations of getting her flying,this is how it started with her,a story in itself-

When I had the model shop one of my neighbouring shops was a furniture restorer and dealer,one day he came in the shop and said that he had been offered some furniture,but the stipulation was that he had to clear the house of everything that was in it,the thing was he had discovered some model aircraft parts and things in the loft,would I like to come and see what was there,and if possible make an offer to defray the costs of his furniture,yes there was method in his madness ! I went along and we climbed into a very dusty loft,in the corner was a big box of balsa wood and plans and things,next to it was a very forlorn looking Spitfire not in the best of condition and covered in dust and cobwebs,we dragged the bits out and I offered him a twenty pound note which he accepted gladly,quite honestly I did it out of a favour more than anything as there was not much in the box,just brittle old balsa wood and a few old Aeromodeller magazines.

The Spitfire looked like a Mick Reeves kit,it had been badly built out of the wrong grade of wood,the softest timber that you have ever set eyes on,it lay in the corner of my workshop for three years before I even touched it,one day I decided to see if she could be finished off,I tackled the missing tail first,then fitted a set of undercarriage legs,made some engine bearers from beech,and sheeted the wings with sixteenth balsa,the whole lot was sanded down,the grain sealed and covered in heavyweight tissue to seal the grain and knit everything together,I fitted an MDS 61 a brand motor purchased for the model,fitted servos and modified the aileron links so a servo would drive each aileron via a Y-lead,at this stage I deided not to paint her until after the test flying.

After waiting for some decent weather I took her out,ran the motor anf after numerous pre-flight checks opened up the throttle,she was a right shopping trolley to steer on the ground and I decided to do a few fast runs across the strip first before committing to flight,after a few such runs it was time to get her airborne,she took up most of the strip but climbed away in a rather nose high attitude,I got her up high and let her settle into a cruise the nose was still alarmingly high,I decided to get her down and see what was wrong ? after lining her up and keeping plenty of power on she touched the ground but there was a resounding 'crack' as the back broke just aft of the cockpit,the landing was not heavy and what had happened was the brittle soft balsa had given up the ghost,she looked a very sorry sight and I dismantled the wings from what was left of the fuselage and went home,if you fly model aircraft then you must always be in for the occasional disappointment,just go back to the workshop and assess the damage,in this case more pressing tasks were ahead of me and the broken Spitfire was relegated to the back of the workshop until I could find the time to repair her.

Another year passed by ( as they do ) and out she came again,this time I removed all of the fuselage skin in order to splice together the two broken halves,this time I managed to incorporate some medium grade wood especially where the wing joined the fuselage,it was a very fiddly task done over a period of weeks,I made a simple jig to make sure that everthing was in alignment working slowly,the job was finished and on went the wing again,after checking the centre of gravity it seemed that I had flown her somewhat tail heavy on her first flight,this was rectified by adding a metal weight from a set of old Avery scales,quite a lump but I needed it to get the c of g right,all of the weight on this model was wrong due to a poor choice of timber,the light stuff was used on the nose,and it would have been more beneficial to use heavy wood rather than the lump of ballast that I needed to add which added no structural strength whatsoever.

So after a lot of extra work she was ready once more for the air,did it go well this time ? well you will have to wait and see until tomorrow when I will continue the saga of this Spit.