Yes a bit odd that,will try and get to the bottom of it,there must be a good reason ?
Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.
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The one with the internal detail is amazing. Can we persuade Rita to do a build thread on one of her models?
I certainly think she would make a valuable member here.Comment
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In all fairness to Rita,Richard,I think that she has a lot of involvement with the dolls house groups and would not be able to find the time,I took the photographs at her request as she needed to submit them to an American group that she will be giving a workshop to in the future.
But I could always take a few build pictures with her permission and ask her how she starts the models.
They really are quite unique and charming miniatures not looking out of place on a model railway layout.
The one with the internal detail is amazing. Can we persuade Rita to do a build thread on one of her models? I certainly think she would make a valuable member here.
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Wonwings diary-Getting to the bottom of how a jet engine works.
Rolls Royce have come back with the followng,re how a jet engine works-
Yes, the RPM will change (fluctuate) within the engine as there are effectively 3 different rotating assemblies in a Trent Engine spinning at different speeds. You have the Bypass fan at the front which is connected via a long shaft to the rear set of turbine blades. This assembly rotates with the lowest rpm, then you have a Low Pressure Compressor which is connected via another shaft (each shaft runs inside the other) to the Low Pressure Turbine and this rotates at the mid rpm and lastly you have the High pressure Compressor which is connected by the shortest shaft to the high pressure turbine and this all rotates the fastest.
The idea is that you extract the energy out of the gas flow in the most efficient way in the Compression and turbine sections by using progressively smaller and faster turning blades which then maximises the engines thrust and fuel efficiency.
Simple really ;-)
So in answer to your question, the blades aren't all attached to one shaft as there are actually three seperate shafts (Fan , LP and HP) inside a Trent engine and they all rotate at
different RPM's!
Hope that helps.
A fascinaing insight but what i'm unsure about is why the RPM varies.Surely with all the blades attached to the same shaft the revs are constant throughout the unit.
I can see the linear velocity of the gas varying as it contracts and expands but not the RPM.
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Guest
Now that makes more sense. I never realised there were three seperately rotating turbines.
Thanks for the clarification Barry, who says you can't teach an old dog something!!Comment
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We all learn something everyday via each other,that is the fun and practicality of this forum,John once said to me that web sites are great but a forum even better because they are a living thing.
And once more I have always found that even professionals are ready to share information with us all.
Now that makes more sense. I never realised there were three seperately rotating turbines.Thanks for the clarification Barry, who says you can't teach an old dog something!!
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Guest
Today my plastic and I were "taken" xmas shopping (with token kicking and screaming) ,Tk max are selling a very strange mix in the toy bit, car kits ,slot cars ,scaletrix and assorted others cheap if it's of interest to anyone.Comment
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Wonwings diary-Guests and Friends models.
Todays guest modeller is non other that Rita's husband Roy,he just happens to be a small scale model builder of some experience,whilst shooting the miniature dolls house's I also photographed Roy's models as well,another of his interests is full sized ballooning and he once owned the former 'Bizzie Bodies' balloon G-BUSY,and also the HP.60 powered model airship G-ERMS,Rita also is heavily involved with ballooning record flights being an official adjudicator and travels worlwide to such events.
Anyway here are a few of his current models mostly esoteric subjects of great interest.
ROYS MODELS.
Avro F
Beechcraft Skipper
Blake Bluetit
Model#1 Farman Sport 1920
Model#2 Avro 558
Model#3 Ludda Bye ( AMI Plan )
Chiribiri 5 Italian Lightplane circa 1920
Westwings Dornier PfielComment
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Guest
Hey Barry, ask Roy about the tailplane on the Ludd. I didnt find it on the free plan. Did he just gessimate it or was it published later ? Anymore info on the airship G-ERMS ? Is that an out of sequence special registration ? Must have been big to need a .60.Comment
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Duncan,the Ludd presented a lot of problems for Roy,parts missing,parts that did not fit,the usual things that happen with free plans that are drawn after the model has been built instead of the other way round,I will ask him how he got around the missing parts problem for you.
Regardng G-ERMS this is a unique one off Thunder AS-33 Hot Air Airship built for reasons unknown in 1978,named 'Microbe' she has been on loan since 1993 to the British Ballon Museum,sadly the gondola has got lost and Roy is in the process of researching the dimensions to build another,it had forward propulsion via the HB61.
I saw the envelope last week all packed in a large bag,it was last inflated I believe at Wellesbourne airfield on the occasion of a fly-in there,there were a few controlled airships built around that time one being built by Portslade school,Roy is keen to preserve this example,if anyone can elaborate on its history and real purpose then he would be delighted to hear from them,you can relay any messages via the forum.
Model balloons need to be registered with the Civil Aviation Authorities,and must not carry fire under any circumstances,in recent years examples have been inflated at the balloon festival held at Bath.
Hey Barry' date=' ask Roy about the tailplane on the Ludd. I didnt find it on the free plan. Did he just gessimate it or was it published later ? Anymore info on the airship G-ERMS ? Is that an out of sequence special registration ? Must have been big to need a .60.[/quote']
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Wonwings diary-Guests and Friends models.
A few more of Roys models photographed last week-
Sperry Messenger with top left Bristol 138,and to the right is a Bede BD.2,the nose on model in orange is a 'Chunky'
Ford Tri-Motor Model AT-5 with modified all lifting tailplaneComment
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Wonwings diary-Old Piston Props never die,they get used as luxury hotels.
Tomorrow if you are out and about you could be in for a surprise,travelling from Coventry airport towards Carluke in Scotland will be a rare old piston engined airliner,a Convair 440 which was last used by Air Atlantique but sadly was never to fly again after catching fire in the air over Rugby during 2001,what happened was the CAA ( Civil Aviation Authority ) demand that performance tests be carried out on one engine to determine the rate of climb,the other engine was shut down and the aircraft continued to climb away,meanwhile unknown to the pilot the shut down engine had been drawing in fuel into the engine nacelle with the resulting bang as the engine was started again, causing the in-flight fire,the engine was then stopped once again and the propeller feathered and the aircraft put out a mayday to Coventry,it managed to fly on the one engine and land at Coventry,however inspection showed that the hydraulics had been badly damaged and more important the metal around the wing spar had possibly been fire damaged ? although tests were carried out on the metal it was deemed that the aircraft would never fly again and she sat outside for close on five years.
Andrew and Tricia Scott who own the Reynard Nursery at Carluke have acquired her for an unusual purpose,to fit out the interior to the luxury standards of an executive jet and mak her into a one bedroomed hotel,she will then be all set to be hired out by the night for those who want a very different type of overnight stay.
She will leave Coventry on 04-12-2006 on a long and winding trip by road eventually arriving at her destination after one overnight stop.
G-CONV Convair 440,to Reynard Nursery,Carluke,Scotland for conversion into luxury hotel,aircraft damaged by fire in single engine climb CAA test flight 2001
Pictures provided by Dave Peace shown as the Argentinian CS-TML Agroar and later Air Atlantique titles seen sitting here at Coventry in more active days.Comment
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Wonwings diary-Building solid models.
BUILDING SOLID MODELS.
During the summer months I enjoyed myself by preparing a set of blanks from which to work up some unusual subjects for my collection,you will never see these produced in plastic or even vac forms for that matter as they are mostly little known subjects,but never one to let things get in the way I set to with old plans,cereal box card and a pair of scissors to produce some templates from which to build them,once the templates are cut out then suitable offcuts of timber is selected,I like to work in Basswood as it takes paint nicely with the minimum of sanding and filling,but having said that Balsawood is friendly and workable in domestic conditions,do your sanding outside as the dust is so light it settles everywhere.
The amount of detail that can be added is entirely up to the builder,to me these models are more about the shape of the subject,much the same as recognition models were made during World War two by the different countries.
To me making these miniatures is a sort of folk art as well as scale modelling,I tend to look at them for the beauty of working in wood,the sky is the limit for subject matter and scale,just build as big or as small as you wish,my smallest solid is a model of the Auster A.O.P.9 to a mere half an inch wingspan,and the biggest is my elevon fot wingspan Avro Lancaster,most of the models however are to 1=72nd or 1=48th scale.
We are blessed today with many modern power tools,never be afraid to use these delightful tools which enable more accuracy especially for levelling timber and the time factor,even places like B & Q have small hand held sanders,my favourite bench sander takes care of unplaned timber that I scrounge from pattern makers shops for a donation to the tea kitty ! after all the employees only take it home for firewood at the end of the day,take along an example of your work,I did and they all gathered around to see the sort of model they themselves started with many years ago long before embarking on the task of pattern makers.
This miniature belt sander is just ideal for model building,it runs off a 12 volt transformer and has an adjustable sanding belt that is so easy to replace,this indespensible piece of kit will find a good home in every modellers tool box.
The sander is easily held in your hand and will sand beautifully woods,plastic and other materials,here is one in use-
Miniature sander in action.
This versatile tool is ideal for model building,here a fuselage has been shaped using the sander to finish it off nicely.
The modellers dream,at last a small sander that does a great job.
The simple but effective belt expander works with one allen screw,it runs like silk.
The single action allen screw which adjusts the belt.
Here are a selection of basic wooden blanks created from 3-view drawings for solid models each one will be gradually worked up to a finished model as and when time permits.
Abrams Explorer
Blanks laid out for the Abrams Explorer
Caudron Typhoon parts laid out with plan,note that the wing has already been sanded to aerofoil shape.
Basswood parts for the Caudron Typhoon laid out all ready for carving,the dihedral angle has been cracked into the centre section of the wing and fixed with cyno and baking powder.
Heston Phoenix shown with card templates,blanks and a shaped up wing,take time to explore how things will fit together,here the cabin top has been incorporated into the wing itself.
Graingers plans for the Heston Phoenix laid out alongside the solid model blanks,save plans from which to build yor projects,I also built a flying model from these same drawings.
Reid & Sigrist Snargasher,showing old Aeromodeller drawings and blanks,the fuselage in this case is hard balsa,note the pre cracked unusual outer dihedral wing
It is all about Esoteric model making,where else could you find such unusual subject matter ? perhaps very few people these days go to such lengths to build from scratch,but it keeps your skills sharp and your mind alert.Comment
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Wonwings diary-The Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star.
The Small Air Force
THE LOCKHEED P-80/F-80 SHOOTING STAR.
Few airplanes in the history of aeronautics have been as successful as the Lockheed Shooting Star. It was the first operational jet fighter in the United States when it went into service in 1945. It emerged as victor in the world's first all-jet combat, and it won the distinction of remaining in production for a full 15 years after the experimental model was first flown.
The airplane had its origin in June 1943, when Lockheed was requested to design a fighter around the De Havilland turbojet engine developed in England in response to Germany's twin-engine jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262. The XP-80 was designed and built in the amazing period of only 143 days--37 days less than the original schedule. It was flown for the first time on January 8, 1944, and its performance was considered sensational.
The Army Air Force planned to build the Shooting Star in large numbers. However, only two of the machines arrived in Italy before the end of the war in Europe, and these were never used in operations. Despite the cessation of hostilities, production was continued on a reduced scale.
Lockheed built 917 F-80A's and B's, one of which was modified for an attempt on the world speed record. on June 19, 1947, this plane set a speed mark of 623.8 miles per hour. Some of these modifications were retained in the F-80C, 798 of which were produced in 1948 and 1949. At the same time, Lockheed designed a two-seat version, the F-94C Starfire. This model was equipped with radar for all-weather operations.
When war started in Korea, F-80's were sent to the battle area to help the South Koreans. On November 10, 1950, Lieutenant Russell Brown, flying a Shooting Star, made history when he destroyed a Russian Mig 15 fighter in the world's first decisive all-jet combat.
Final version of the plane was the T-33 trainer, which remained in continuous production until August 1959. The T-33A was a very hot fighter to handle, compared to slower piston engine aircraft, and an alarming number of airplanes were lost. The solution was a redesigned T-33A two seat trainer. Engineers at Lockheed called their operation the "Skunk Works", named after an imaginary factory in the "Li'l Abner" comic strip.
In the early years some T-33s were blowing up just after take-off. The T-33 (F-80) had a fuselage tank just aft of the cockpit, filled through a zeus fastened cover plate and tank cap. Some of the pilots and/or ground crews were not diligent in checking the door or the cap. The aircraft would take off and at about 120 knots, the airflow would create a vacuum immediately over this cover. If it and the cap were not properly closed, the kerosene would be sucked out of the tank.
Immediately behind the the filler tube were spring-loaded plenum chamber doors feeding extra air to the engine. These didn't close until the aircraft reached about 200 knots. The combustible mixture would ignite and cause the airplane to explode. The problem was solved by placing two fins underneath the cover which had to mesh with the fin on the cap. The cover could not be locked if the cap wasn't secured. The pilots would always check the cover and it's zeus fastener after hearing the horror story once.
F-80 practises touch and go landings at R.A.F Wethersfield,UK.
You could sit for hours to get a shot like this as she whistles past.
Airbrakes out,pilots held the F-80 with great respect.
(Re-enactments with Airfix Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star)Comment
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