Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[Guest]

Slightly offended

Richard

I dont wish to offend but you yourself work with the public and you know how fickle or downright obnoxious they can be! whilst i cant comment on other buisineses i can tell you that the customer to us is at the forefront of everything we do (we dont get it right all the time though) you may here or view a bad example of customer service but we serve over 250 million people a year and our complaint rate is 0.0073% Though thats pretty good it still means lots of people are unhappy with our service. what i would like is for those people to ask to speak to me or another manager rather than fire off a letter as we can normally sort out any prob to their advantage! I believe that the customer isnt allways right but if you take the time to explain a situation or problem they generally are all ok . of course you get the complete richard head who just needs exterminating but thats the joys of retail! Just remember please that no one goes into a store to work thinking "how can i be really awfull today. how can i give really bad service and p off a lot of people" I myself have a greater tolerance of staff trying to do their best but i also have a greater intolerance of obvious bad service! the trick is to differentiate between the two. Please mate dont generalise that service is getting worse! demands on us due to the compensation culture and watchdog (sic) are now at an all time high. Its a well known fact that consumers get a much better deal than they are legally intiteled to. I have no problem with that and i instruct my staff to treat people as they would expect to be treated. Its a real shame that a lot of consumers think that by swearing threats and intimidation they can get what they want. Rant over i feel better now lol ):smile11:

[Guest]

Don't worry Nigel I know the other side of the coin and I understand but I do think that there are more and more people in business nowadays who seem to think they have a right to a living without giving anything for it. I seem to come across so many people in business who are offhand, rude, uncaring and even arrogant. The guy with the strip wood doesn't deserve any customers and my thoughts are that there seems to be more and more of his type around.

It is a sign of the changing face of retail and whereas I am sure that you put your best into your particular position from a customers point of view I see less and less hardware shops and more and more assistants in B&Q who don't know the differrence betwen a brass countersunk Number 8 screw and a bag of weed and feed!

Does anyone know what a Number 8 screw is nowadays and does anyone know how you get the number 8?

Don't worry its just me getting old ungracefully!

[Guest]

Of course i know number 8 he is the freind of number 6 ( although he is really a free man)

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Setting up Helicopter rotor blades.



Watching a model helicopter literally shake itself to pieces,made me realise that perhaps some modellers would benefit from a few tips on setting up the main rotor blades on model helicopters,firstly do not think that the blades will be automatically all ready for fitting to your model straight out of the box,far from it as even the best factory matched blades will need a little attention after they reach you.

A small set of scales is a must to first check the static balance of each blade,do a cross check and if one blade is heavier that the other take some Snowflake or similar rectification fluid and add a small area underneath the blade at the centre point of the offending blade,if one blade is really heavy then discard it and get in touch with the supplier to obtain a replacement,the next check is to see if the blades balance statically from the same point along the length,to do this place a single edge razor blade into some modelling clay on a level surface that has been checked with a spirit level,place one blade at mid-point and slide it along until it balances out perfectly,next with a chinagraph pencil mark the point of balance,take the other blade and and balance at the very same point,it should in theory balance at the very same point but probably will not,small rectifications can be made with the snowflake again but this time either inboard or outboard of the blade,keep adding a bit at a time until you are satisfied that the two blades match up.

We are now ready to attach the blades to the rotor head,but before we do just have a look at the holes in the end of the blades,a quick check with the two blades held together will ascertain if any errors have crept in during the manufacturing process,once again if they are very far out then they will need replacing,also account for any root end bushes that have been provided.

With the required allen key nip up the blades so that they just start to swing when you strike them with your hand,not too tight but certainly not sloppy,lock nuts should also be used with the bolt entering from the top.

With your workbench set up again dead level with a spirit level place the helicopter onto it,switch on your radio set and model for the next check,now slide on your pitch tool ( illustration above ) mid-way along the blade so that the needle hangs freely down,push the collective stick to its lowest position and with a small mirror check to make sure that the engine carb setting is at low ( ie barrel on the throttle is actually covering the carb hole ) next set the throttle at mid point,this should correspond with the blades at '0' degrees,slowly eyeing the blade along from the tip move the throttle upwards to give positive pitch,check with your manual the setting usually 2-4 degrees depending on how the helicopter is going to be flown,and adjust the pitch links up or down to reach the desired setting,use the correct tool to release the ball from the joint,and also to screw the ball in and out,after every adjustment check and re-check,now swing the bade around to the other side and do exactly the same with this one,once these settings have been done drop the throttle to the lowest setting and note the negative pitch angles on each blade,check with your manual and make sure that they are within limits.

The next job is to run the helicopter up and with a coloured strip on each rotor blade tip ( ask for tracking tape at your dealers ) watch carefully to see if one blade is riding high,the chances are that it will be,so shut down having noted the high blades colour and adjust the offending blades pitch link accordingly a tiny bit at a time,this is a compromise as it will also have affected the pitch previously set up,if one blade is running well out then you will need to change the pitch link rod ends as they are probably worn if the helicopter has done a fair amount of flying.

Have about four flights with the model and check everything again to see if everything has bedded in with any new parts.

Helicopter flying is all about settings and trim,get it wrong and the machine will never lift off the ground,get it right and you will have a very nimble and crisp helicopter to practise on,accept the fact that there is a lot of maintenance as opposed to flying.

If you have a bump the chances are that something will be bent,change the main shaft,possibly fly-bars and examine the blades for damage,do not leave anything to chance,safety is paramount.

[Guest]

Barry,

Try my newsagent. He has been more that helpful over the past 24 months with "Build the Red Baron". If you want his address, you know where I am.

Harold

[wonwinglo]

*** Thanks Harold,the problem is thankfully all sorted now,I have found a new newsagent prepared to continue the series for me,like your own this one has been very helpful in getting the rest of the soldiers for us,but thank you for your kind suggestion.

There are at least some newsagents prepared to offer courtesy and service to us all.

Have a pleasant evening,Barry.

Barry,Try my newsagent. He has been more that helpful over the past 24 months with "Build the Red Baron". If you want his address, you know where I am.

Harold

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings Diary-Final chance to get a Bristol Freighter to the UK.

Bristol Freighter goes up for Auction.



C-GYQS Bristol Freighter owned by Hawkair Aviation,this aircraft was fitted with Vickers Varsity engines during August 2004 and went to the Reynolds museum,Wetaskivin,Alberta,the aircraft is c/n 13060,formerly Royal New Zealand air force NZ5907,ZK-EPD,G-AMLK.

Starman Bothers auctions had this aircraft up for sale during January 2006,the question is will this aircraft return to its land of birth ?

Just after World War 2 the Bristol aeroplane company developed the Bristol Type 170 as a shorth range utility freight aircraft,the shape of the bulbous nose was governed by the Armys post war needs to load a standard 3-ton truck through the front clamshell doors.The sensible flight deck was positioned above the cargo hold,a sturdy fixed landing gear and two reliable and proven Bristol Hercules sleeve-valve engines,the whole project was subsidised by the then MOS (Ministry of Supply) but the Bristol company had to cover the massive tooling costs and build two extra prototypes,Bristol realised the potential as a combined passenger/cargo version called the Type 170 Mk 1 Freighter and built another solid nosed version called the Wayfarer.

First flown on 2nd December 1945 the aircrft was quickly pressed into service for trials at Boscombe Down as a result the wingspan was increased by 10 feet to allow for the important increase in gross weight,this however had a knock on effect and the engines needed to be upgraded to more powerful units.

Probably the most widely known version was the Mk.32 with a fuselage lengthened by some 5 feet,this was used on the cross channel service started by Silver City airways for their UK-France air bridge which proved very successful and highly popular,you took your car abroad with you and continued your journey.

When production ended in 1958 the total of 214 Bristol Freighters and Superfreighters had been built.

Powerplant:Two Bristol Hercules 734 radial piston engines of 1,980 hp.

Max speed:225 mph.

Cruising speed:163 mph.

Service ceiling:24,500 feet.

Range:820 miles.

Empty weight: 29,950 lbs.

Max take-off weight: 44,000 lbs.

Wingspan: 108 feet.

Length: 73 feet 4 inches.

Height: 25 feet.

Wing area: 1,487 square feet.

This really could be the very last opportunity to bring one of these old ladies back to the UK,some years ago a consortium of pilots from Heathrow purchased a Bristol 170,the aircraft was kept at Enstone airfield near Oxford,she appeared at a few shows being demonstrated by the pilots in their spare time,sadly whilst fully loaded and on its way to a Bristol open day she swung badly on take off narrowly missing an hangar and skidded off the runway crashing heavily,there was no fire despite the impact but the back was broken and the aircraft badly damaged totally beyond repair,the crew were shaken but fine,so ended that attempt to keep one flying on the airshow circuit.

So with all aircraft now withdrawn from use after extensive use in the mining industry in New Zealand, this particular airframe is the last ostensibly airworthy example.

All it needs is the right people with some financial backing to bring her back home.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The price to pay for our National Aviation heritage.

Forty five years ago,together with another small group of enthusiasts I was a founder member of the aircraft preservation movement in the UK,starting from a lock-up garage in a suburban area,which contained amongst other relics from the past a Flying Flea aircraft,the museum grew and matured into the successful Midland Air Museum and over the years accumulated a large collection of aircraft from all over the world,some of the aircraft like the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy freighter are very large machines and the present singulur building only has enough room to accommodate a dozen or so aircraft to protect them from the elements,the problem is that the weather outside is slowly corroding them away internally despite restoration on the outer surfaces by the small team of volunteers.Magnesium alloys do not take kindly to our harsh climatic changes,and the fact remains that these important and historic machines will only go downhill and their preservation life considerably shortened.

So the only answer is to get them inside as quickly as possible to protect them and the work already undertaken,but buildings costs money,and lots of it as well,the first building was acquired with a local government grant which made use of a surplus amount of cash that had to be used within a certain time period,it also provided a place for the visitor centre and shop complex essential to any day to day museum,but what of the future ? well lottery grants are getting very difficult to obtain these days,with so many organisations applying and with the lottery grants becoming more tailored towards those in the mass public image sector,things are not getting any easier.

But this only applies to our smaller independant museums,the larger ones run by the Government differ in obtaining money from their own funds,the massive and costly new Cold war museum at R.A.F Cosford is a good example of this,they too have realised the long term future of our aviation history needs protection for our valuable artifacts to remain in good condition for the future.

The many private aircraft flying collections have even greater stumbling blocks,and massive costs as well,take this for an example-A friend owns three vintage aeroplanes that he keeps with the Shuttleworth Trust at Old Warden,the maintenance,insurance,hangarage costs divided between 6 hours flying on the three aeroplanes last year amounted to an hourly rate of £1,500 per flying hour ! so this gives you an idea of why with such machines you are constantly putting your hand in your pocket,as he says he just hands them his cheque book these days !

So unless the Government steps in and offers some kind of subsidy towards our aviation heritage,the future looks gloomy for many museums to preserve what they already have in their inventory,we must look after what we already have rather than acquire more airframes that just need even more attention, without any guarantee of extra longevity.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-A personal something to remember dear Fred.



One evening during 1976, we sat down and watched a sprightly chap with a flat cap climb a massive chimney on a television programme,this was a pilot programme on people who had very unusual and dangerous jobs,little did we realise that he would become one of the countrys most loved and dynamic characters,above all educating the public about steeplejacks,steam engines and our industrial heritage,somehow he just had an uncanny knack of explaining things,the passion and enthusiasm for his subjects were infectious.The scaffolding around the chimneys that he was dismantling was called a 'Sputnik' something that Fred had designed and developed to assist him moving down the chimneys as he dismantled them brick,by brick,throwing not only the bricks down the centre but his many cigarette ends as well ! As the years went on,the television people realised that they had someone very special on their hands,someone who could convey to the public the dangers of a steeplejack in such an entertaining way,Fred was just ideal and the letters started to pour in asking to see more.

Deep in the outskirts of Bolton was a most unusual back yard,you could easily spot it by the steam coming through the trees ! it was Freds steam plant operated machinery all fed from rubber belting to his various tools,anyone who visited him said it was like stepping back into a time warp,you see he was born just that bit too late and despite his love of machinery,wood working etc his heart lay with steam engines,to this end he purchased a road roller with which he taught himself to drive a steam vehicle,then he had the chance to buy a traction engine from a farmer,this was discovered in an old barn some miles away,he patched it up and steamed it all the way home to his garden workshop,that engine was to take him 27 years to rebuild,cost him two lovely wives in the process and probably shorten his life in the process.But he slogged on in between doing increasing public appearances all over the country and finally finished that engine.

Never content to do just one thing he continued to make lovely weather-vanes from scrap materials,he repaired many a church roof for a few quid and made many friends along the way,then came along the replica pit-head in his garden,assisted by some friends who had worked in the harsh mining industry they used the very same principles in his miniature mine shaft as their full sized counterpart,much to the consternation of his neighbours.

So just what was it about this chap called Fred Dibnah who entertained people so well with his jovial nature ? well he called a spade,a spade put on no hairs and graces for anyone,and above all endeared himself to the nation not only with his seemingly endless daring exploits up and down chimneys,but his sheer down to earth approach to life in general.

Some fascinating catch phrases have been coined by Fred,his 'D Ya like that !' has become household phraseology,his 'half a day at the undertakers' for toppling off a chimney,and that cheeky little horn that he used for warning that a chimney had been felled,whilst the big boys as he called them,blew up our past,Fred did it the hard way,but it was his precision at felling chimneys with only feet to spare either side that intrigued people and gave him endless work,his technique was to remove some lower bricks at the base of the chimney,place numerous wooden props into place,then set alight this with old tyres etc,this would then weaken the structure as it burned,and then the chimney would ( and did ) topple exactly where he wanted it to.

His final series 'Made in Britain' will stand as a lasting monument in itself to the life and work of Dr Fred Dibnah MBE,there will never be anyone quite like him ever again,he was not only unique but the last bastion of the iron age living today,during his life he gave us all a chance to peep into the distant and hardy past,he did it with great skill,understanding and entertainment.

***My picture above is dedicated in his name,and will be placed in a corner of my own workshop to remember a truly great personality and engineer.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Scary moments in a Blackbird from a test pilot.

Among professional aviators, there's a well-worn saying: Flying is simply hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. And yet, I don't recall too many periods of boredom during my 30-year career with Lockheed, most of which was spent as a test pilot.

By far, the most memorable flight occurred on Jan. 25, 1966. Jim Zwayer, a Lockheed flight test reconnaissance and navigation systems specialist, and I were evaluating those systems on an SR-71 Blackbird test from Edwards AFB, Calif. We also were investigating procedures designed to reduce trim drag and improve high-Mach cruise performance. The latter involved flying with the center-of-gravity (CG) located further aft than normal, which reduced the Blackbird's longitudinal stability.

We took off from Edwards at 11:20 a.m. and completed the mission's first leg without incident. After refueling from a KC-135 tanker, we turned eastbound, accelerated to a Mach 3.2-cruise speed and climbed to 78,000 ft., our initial cruise-climb altitude.

Several minutes into cruise, the right engine inlet's automatic control system malfunctioned, requiring a switch to manual control. The SR-71's inlet configuration was automatically adjusted during supersonic flight to decelerate air flow in the duct, slowing it to subsonic speed before reaching the engine's face. This was accomplished by the inlet's center-body spike translating aft, and by modulating the inlet's forward bypass doors. Normally, these actions were scheduled automatically as a function of Mach number, positioning the normal shock wave (where air flow becomes subsonic) inside the inlet to ensure optimum engine performance.

Without proper scheduling, disturbances inside the inlet could result in the shock wave being expelled forward--a phenomenon known as an "inlet unstart." That causes an instantaneous loss of engine thrust, explosive banging noises and violent yawing of the aircraft--like being in a train wreck. Unstarts were not uncommon at that time in the SR-71's development, but a properly functioning system would recapture the shock wave and restore normal operation. On the planned test profile, we entered a programmed 35-deg. bank turn to the right. An immediate unstart occurred on the right engine, forcing the aircraft to roll further right and start to pitch up. I jammed the control stick as far left and forward as it would go. No response. I instantly knew we were in for a wild ride.

I attempted to tell Jim what was happening and to stay with the airplane until we reached a lower speed and altitude. I didn't think the chances of surviving an ejection at Mach 3.18 and 78,800 ft. were very good. However, g-forces built up so rapidly that my words came out garbled and unintelligible, as confirmed later by the cockpit voice recorder.

The cumulative effects of system malfunctions, reduced longitudinal stability, increased angle-of-attack in the turn, supersonic speed, high altitude and other factors imposed forces on the airframe that exceeded flight control authority and the Stability Augmentation System's ability to restore control.

Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion. I learned later the time from event onset to catastrophic departure from controlled flight was only 2-3 sec. Still trying to communicate with Jim, I blacked out, succumbing to extremely high g-forces. The SR-71 then literally disintegrated around us.

From that point, I was just along for the ride.

My next recollection was a hazy thought that I was having a bad dream. Maybe I'll wake up and get out of this mess, I mused. Gradually regaining consciousness, I realized this was no dream; it had really happened. That also was disturbing, because I could not have survived what had just happened. Therefore, I must be dead. Since I didn't feel bad--just a detached sense of euphoria--I decided being dead wasn't so bad after all.

AS FULL AWARENESS took hold, I realized I was not dead, but had somehow separated from the airplane. I had no idea how this could have happened; I hadn't initiated an ejection. The sound of rushing air and what sounded like straps flapping in the wind confirmed I was falling, but I couldn't see anything. My pressure suit's face plate had frozen over and I was staring at a layer of ice.

The pressure suit was inflated, so I knew an emergency oxygen cylinder in the seat kit attached to my parachute harness was functioning. It not only supplied breathing oxygen, but also pressurized the suit, preventing my blood from boiling at extremely high altitudes. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but the suit's pressurization had also provided physical protection from intense buffeting and g-forces. That inflated suit had become my own escape capsule.

My next concern was about stability and tumbling. Air density at high altitude is insufficient to resist a body's tumbling motions, and centrifugal forces high enough to cause physical injury could develop quickly. For that reason, the SR-71's parachute system was designed to automatically deploy a small-diameter stabilizing chute shortly after ejection and seat separation. Since I had not intentionally activated the ejection system--and assuming all automatic functions depended on a proper ejection sequence--it occurred to me the stabilizing chute may not have deployed.

However, I quickly determined I was falling vertically and not tumbling. The little chute must have deployed and was doing its job. Next concern: the main parachute, which was designed to open automatically at 15,000 ft. Again, I had no assurance the automatic-opening function would work.

I couldn't ascertain my altitude because I still couldn't see through the iced-up face plate. There was no way to know how long I had been blacked-out, or how far I had fallen. I felt for the manual-activation D-ring on my chute harness, but with the suit inflated and my hands numbed by cold, I couldn't locate it. I decided I'd better open the face plate, try to estimate my height above the ground, then locate that "D" ring. Just as I reached for the face plate, I felt the reassuring sudden deceleration of main-chute deployment.

I raised the frozen face plate and discovered its uplatch was broken. Using one hand to hold that plate up, I saw I was descending through a clear, winter sky with unlimited visibility. I was greatly relieved to see Jim's parachute coming down about a quarter of a mile away. I didn't think either of us could have survived the aircraft's breakup, so seeing Jim had also escaped lifted my spirits incredibly.

I could also see burning wreckage on the ground a few miles from where we would land. The terrain didn't look at all inviting--a desolate, high plateau dotted with patches of snow and no signs of habitation.

I tried to rotate the parachute and look in other directions. But with one hand devoted to keeping the face plate up and both hands numb from high-altitude, subfreezing temperatures, I couldn't manipulate the risers enough to turn. Before the breakup, we'd started a turn in the New Mexico-Colorado-Oklahoma-Texas border region. The SR-71 had a turning radius of about 100 mi. at that speed and altitude, so I wasn't even sure what state we were going to land in. But, because it was about 3:00 p.m., I was certain we would be spending the night out here.

At about 300 ft. above the ground, I yanked the seat kit's release handle and made sure it was still tied to me by a long lanyard. Releasing the hea vy kit ensured I wouldn't land with it attached to my derriere, which could break a leg or cause other injuries. I then tried to recall what survival items were in that kit, as well as techniques I had been taught in survival training.

Looking down, I was startled to see a fairly large animal--perhaps an antelope--directly under me. Evidently, it was just as startled as I was because it literally took off in a cloud of dust.

My first-ever parachute landing was pretty smooth. I landed on fairly soft ground, managing to avoid rocks, cacti and antelopes. My chute was still billowing in the wind, though. I struggled to collapse it with one hand, holding the still-frozen face plate up with the other.

"Can I help you?" a voice said.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Scary moments in a Blackbird,part 2

Was I hearing things? I must be hallucinating. Then I looked up and saw a guy walking toward me, wearing a cowboy hat. A helicopter was idling a short distance behind him. If I had been at Edwards and told the search-and-rescue unit that I was going to bail out over the Rogers Dry Lake at a particular time of day, a crew couldn't have gotten to me as fast as that cowboy-pilot had.

The gentleman was Albert Mitchell, Jr., owner of a huge cattle ranch in northeastern New Mexico. I had landed about 1.5 mi. from his ranch house--and from a hangar for his two-place Hughes helicopter. Amazed to see him, I replied I was having a little trouble with my chute. He walked over and collapsed the canopy, anchoring it with several rocks. He had seen Jim and me floating down and had radioed the New Mexico Highway Patrol, the Air Force and the nearest hospital.

Extracting myself from the parachute harness, I discovered the source of those flapping-strap noises heard on the way down. My seat belt and shoulder harness were still draped around me, attached and latched. The lap belt had been shredded on each side of my hips, where the straps had fed through knurled adjustment rollers. The shoulder harness had shredded in a similar manner across my back. The ejection seat had never left the airplane; I had been ripped out of it by the extreme forces, seat belt and shoulder harness still fastened.

I also noted that one of the two lines that supplied oxygen to my pressure suit had come loose, and the other was barely hanging on. If that second line had become detached at high altitude, the deflated pressure suit wouldn't have provided any protection. I knew an oxygen supply was critical for breathing and suit-pressurization, but didn't appreciate how much physical protection an inflated pressure suit could provide. That the suit could withstand forces sufficient to disintegrate an airplane and shred heavy nylon seat belts, yet leave me with only a few bruises and minor whiplash was impressive. I truly appreciated having my own little escape capsule.

After helping me with the chute, Mitchell said he'd check on Jim. He climbed into his helicopter, flew a short distance away and returned about 10 min. later with devastating news: Jim was dead. Apparently, he had suffered a broken neck during the aircraft's disintegration and was killed instantly. Mitchell said his ranch foreman would soon arrive to watch over Jim's body until the authorities arrived.

I asked to see Jim and, after verifying there was nothing more that could be done, agreed to let Mitchell fly me to the Tucumcari hospital, about 60 mi. to the south.

I have vivid memories of that helicopter flight, as well. I didn't know much about rotorcraft, but I knew a lot about "red lines," and Mitchell kept the airspeed at or above red line all the way. The little helicopter vibrated and shook a lot more than I thought it should have. I tried to reassure the cowboy-pilot I was feeling OK; there was no need to rush. But since he'd notified the hospital staff that we were inbound, he insisted we get there as soon as possible. I couldn't help but think how ironic it would be to have survived one disaster only to be done in by the helicopter that had come to my rescue.

However, we made it to the hospital safely--and quickly. Soon, I was able to contact Lockheed's flight test office at Edwards. The test team there had been notified initially about the loss of radio and radar contact, then told the aircraft had been lost. They also knew what our flight conditions had been at the time, and assumed no one could have survived. I briefly explained what had happened, describing in fairly accurate detail the flight conditions prior to breakup.

The next day, our flight profile was duplicated on the SR-71 flight simulator at Beale AFB, Calif. The outcome was identical. Steps were immediately taken to prevent a recurrence of our accident. Testing at a CG aft of normal limits was discontinued, and trim-drag issues were subsequently resolved via aerodynamic means. The inlet control system was continuously improved and, with subsequent development of the Digital Automatic Flight and Inlet Control System, inlet unstarts became rare.

Investigation of our accident revealed that the nose section of the aircraft had broken off aft of the rear cockpit and crashed about 10 mi. from the main wreckage. Parts were scattered over an area approximately 15 mi. long and 10 mi. wide. Extremely high air loads and g-forces, both positive and negative, had literally ripped Jim and me from the airplane. Unbelievably good luck is the only explanation for my escaping relatively unscathed from that disintegrating aircraft

Two weeks after the accident, I was back in an SR-71, flying the first sortie on a brand-new bird at Lockheed's Palmdale, Calif., assembly and test facility. It was my first flight since the accident, so a flight test engineer in the back seat was probably a little apprehensive about my state of mind and confidence. As we roared down the runway and lifted off, I heard an anxious voice over the intercom.

"Bill! Bill! Are you there?"

"Yeah, George. What's the matter?"

"Thank God! I thought you might have left." The rear cockpit of the SR-71 has no forward visibility--only a small window on each side--and George couldn't see me. A big red light on the master-warning panel in the rear cockpit had illuminated just as we rotated, stating, "Pilot Ejected." Fortunately, the cause was a misadjusted microswitch, not my departure.

Bill Weaver flight tested all models of the Mach-2 F-104 Starfighter and the entire family of Mach 3+ Blackbirds--the A-12, YF-12 and SR-71. He subsequently was assigned to Lockheed's L-1011 project as an engineering test pilot, became the company's chief pilot and retired as Division Manager of Commercial Flying Operations. He still flies Orbital Sciences Corp.'s L-1011, which has been modified to carry a Pegasus satellite-launch vehicle (AW&ST Aug. 25, 2003, p. 56). An FAA Designated Engineering Representative Flight Test Pilot, he's also involved in various aircraft-modification projects, conducting certification flight tests

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Things that you should know about servo's

The much abused servo in our models needs a bit more tender loving care,treat them well and they will be 'fit and forget' get a few things wrong and you could be in for a nasty surprise,I once saw a large quarter scale model aircraft go into a roll and the servo locked on,after completing another three free-lance rolls she plunged into the ground into a pile of matchwood,the cause was a broken gear tooth which had jammed itself into the works.

Lets start at the way that we mount our servo's,this would appear to be a fairly straight forward task you would be led to think ? however many get it wrong,with your radio set you get a few small packets of hardware,dont loose these as they contain tiny screws and fittings that you will need to re-order if you need more of them,we have four tiny self tapping shouldered screws per servo,that shoulder is vital,this sits upon a metal ferrule that fits into a small rubber stand off grommet,note the 'stand off' bit,this means exactly what it says to raise the servo at just the right height so it floats gently and in doing so absorbs the vibration and knocks etc associated with operating your models,whatever you do,do not just wind down the screws fully and squash them into the bearers,this means instant death to servo's,just nip the screw gently until it is secured,work from one left side corner to the other right side corner,in other words equally tighten up the servo,this is sound engineering practise when handling anything that has multi screws.

Beware of using servo tape,this should only be used as a last resort and if you must use this product then stick at least three layers together,wipe the servo base and model surfaces with a quick wipe of acetone to chemically clean the surfaces,try and support the servo each end with small strips of balsa wood with a piece of servo tape between,this will stop the servo rocking around and destroying itself.

Dont forget to fit the servo arm screw ! it is easily forgotton,also make sure that the linkages are free to move in the servo arms with no stall-out ( see later paragraph on this ) more servos die because they get stalled than anything else,this is the easiest way to burn them out,also dont forget that a lot of the new mini and micro variety have higher gear ratios which adds to the problem,so take care and double check.

Not everyone owns a computer radio to adjust for throttle stall out,so here is how to incorporate a very simple saver for the servo to avoid stripped gears or at the worst a burnt out servo,if your throttle servo is ticking then you need a servo saver installing.

Attach to the servo arm/horn a brass ferrule that is free to rotate,through the ferrule drill a hole the thickness of the servo wire rod,you can buy these fittings made in either brass or nylon but the name escapes me at the moment,now you will need three very small collets or if you are good at soldering two cup washers would do the job but they are difficult to adjust properly,fit one onto the rod about one inch forward of the servo arm,now onto the wire slip a compression spring then another collet which is free to move and butts against the servo arm,next fit the last collet on the end of the servo rod aft of the other side of the arm,this simply stops everything falling off.

To test the device fully open the throttle and note when the spring compresses fully,if the servo stalls out simply adjust the first collet so the spring has closed but at the same time opened the throttle fully without any effort,now close the throttle and once again note how the spring closes,once again adjust accordingly.

If more movement is required such as on older radio sets just fit a longer compression spring.

All that is happening is that the spring is acting as a safety buffer, by not restricting the servo arms movement and thus avoiding the fatal stall out which will at the worst drain your battery and cause you to crash.

There was a commercial device which had a leaf spring attached directly to the servo arm thus causing the arm to give slightly when in the over-ride position.

The white grease as supplied with the servo gearing should last a lifetime of servo use,if you replace gears then do not remove the grease,retrofit brass gears can be useful but a dab of white grease always helps smooth operation,make sure that all gears mesh properly and the lid of the servo is seating properly,the splined servo arm should be pushed well home as well,and dont forget that essential tiny screw that is sometimes missed out !

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-New freedom flying is here now-Digital Spread Spectrum Modulation.



Have you ever wanted to just go and fly without the hassle of sorting out who is on which frequency,or making sure that nobody else is flying,boating or carting nearby,changing crystals etc ? well thanks to the wonders of technology this is all now possible,not only that but the equipment is in place and available,sound too good to be true ? well that is what I thought until I investigated further,this is what I found-

Horizon Hobby distributors turned the whole radio control world upside down and made conventional r/c systems virtually obsolete overnight,this only happened as recently as October 2005 when they announced the new 2.4Ghz Spektrum DX6 DSM radio system,the system says goodbye to interference,conventional crystals or transmitter compounds,and the in-evitable bright spark who insists on switching on his radio in the car park !

The initial radio set introduced the DX6 operates well outside any current operating systems ie 27,35,50,72 mhz thus acceptable in current flying areas,it is totally immune to RF noise so those glitches are a thing of the past.

The DX6 features duel rates,exponential throws on the aileron and elevator sticks,a 10 model memory,3 programmable mixes together with those helicopter specific such as CCPM mixing,pitch and throttle curves,Failsafe is also included,the Spektrum 7 gram AR6000 receiver is included plus 4 S75 servos.

Twenty five models wer flown at once during the JR IndoorElectric Festival in Colombus,OH without a single problem during the event.

So how does it work ? well when you switch on the DX6 automatically searches for,selects and locks onto two clear channels,DX6 frequencies are so much higher than those of conventional RC channels,it will not recognise the existance of any standard channels,consequently other receivers remain completely unaffected by the transmissions from a DX6.

The advantages of this system can be immediately seen in terms of the freedom it gives to other operators,any system that offers such things as glitch free multi-flyer operation and reliability cannot be a bad thing,the 2.4Ghz revolution is upon us now.

Cannot wait to get hold of one.

[Guest]

Thanks for that peice Barry i now can understand greek (or was it nepalese) As im building a tamiya 1/16 King tiger could you please if poss do a bit on servos and recievers etc that numptys like me can understand

cheers mate!!

[wonwinglo]

***Its all here for reference Nigel,as you know Scale-models is always on the ball,yes I will do a piece for you on servos and receivers with pleasure.

Actually this new system will be ideal for military enthusiasts,just imagine seventy odd tanks on a miniature battlefield without any frequency problems either !

Thanks for that peice Barry i now can understand greek (or was it nepalese) As im building a tamiya 1/16 King tiger could you please if poss do a bit on servos and recievers etc that numptys like me can understandcheers mate!!