discussion Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Anniversary of one of the most beautiful aircraft ever designed-Part 3

Development History: Type 224 One aircraft to F.7/30 with Goshawk II engine (K2890). First Supermarine fighter to fly. Spitfire prototype Supermarine Type 300. One aircraft (K5054) with Merlin C engine, flush exhausts and 2 bladed propeller. Later fitted with Merlin F engine and fishtail ejector exhausts and new propeller. Eight machine guns fitted during development. Spitfire Mk IA Supermarine Type 300. Initial production version - designated Mk I at first. Strengthened wings. First few aircraft with only 4 machine guns installed due to supply shortage. Fixed tailwheel in place of tailskid. Triple ejector exhausts. Merlin II engine driving 2-blade fixed-pitch Watts wooden propeller initially, then (78th aircraft onwards) de Havilland 3-blade variable pitch metal propeller. Merlin III driving 3-blade constant speed propeller from 175th aircraft onwards. Additions during production run: self-sealing fuel tanks, improved radio and IFF with thicker radio mast, bulged cockpit canopy, armoured external windscreen and steel plate armour behind and in front of pilot. Spitfire Mk IB Supermarine Type 300. Version of Mk I with two 20 mm Hispano cannon with 60 rpg. First batch (June 1940) with 2 cannon only. Second batch (November 1940) with 4 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns as well as 2 cannon in wings. Projecting gun barrels and blisters in top wing surface. Speed Spitfire Supermarine Type 323. One conversion of Mk I for attempt on World Speed Record (K9834). New wing, 4 bladed propeller, streamlined cockpit, modified Merlin II engine using special fuel. Spitfire Mk I floatplane Supermarine Type 342. One conversion of Mk I (R6722), fitted with Blackburn Roc floats. Not flown and soon converted back to standard. Spitfire Mk IIA Supermarine Type 329. Version of Mk I for mass production at Castle Bromwich. Merlin XII engine with Coffman cartridge starter. Rotol contant-speed 3-blade propeller. Spitfire Mk IIA(LR) Supermarine Type 343. Version of Mk IIA with prominent 40 gallon (182 l) fuel tank located asymmetrically under port wing. 60 conversions. Used as long range escort fighter. Spitfire Mk IIB Supermarine Type 329. Cannon armed version of Mk II. 2 x 20 mm Hispano cannon + 4 x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in wings. Projecting gun barrels and blisters in top wing surface. Spitfire Mk IIC Conversion of Mk IIB with 1,460 hp (1,089 kW) Merlin XX engine for Air Sea Rescue duties. Rescue pack dropped from 2 flare chutes in fuselage underside. Rack under port wing for smoke marker bombs. 52 conversions. Later redesignated ASR Mk II. Spitfire Mk II One Mk II converted with flush fitting auxiliary fuel tank under each wing outboard of wheel wells, plus enlarged oil tank in deeper nose. Spitfire Mk III Supermarine Type 330 & 348. Planned production version with Merlin XX engine, enlarged radiator and stronger wing spar, strengthened landing gear, retractable tailwheel, additional armour, new bullet proof windscreen. One new-build (N3297) and one Mk V converted (W3237). Further production cancelled. Plastic Spitfire One Type 300 fuselage was constructed using Aerolite plastic material in August 1940, as an insurance against aluminium shortages. Not flown. Spitfire PR Mk IA (Also known as PR Type A). Conversion of Mk I for photo reconnaissance role. Short range version. Armament removed. 1 x F.24 camera in each wing. 2 conversions (N3069 & N3071). Spitfire PR Mk IB (Also known as PR Type B). Conversion of Mk I for photo recce. Medium range version. Armament removed. 1 x F.24 camera in each wing, 29 gallon (132 l) fuel tank behind pilot. 8+ conversions. Spitfire PR Mk IC (Also known as PR Type C). Conversion of Mk I for photo recce. Long range version. Armament removed. 30 gallon (137 l) fixed blister tank under port wing, balanced by blister under starboard wing housing 2 x F.24 cameras. 29 gallon (132 l) fuel tank behind pilot. 15 conversions. Later designated PR Mk III. Spitfire PR Mk ID (Also known as PR Type D). Conversion of Mk I for photo recce. Very long range version. Armament removed. 57 gallon (259 l) integral fuel tanks in wing leading edges, 2 x F.24 or F.8 camera in fuselage behind pilot, 29 gallon (132 l) fuel tank behind pilot. 14 gallons (64 l) extra oil in port wing former gun-bay. Rounded windscreen plus canopy with bulged canopy sides. 2 Mk I conversions (P9551 & P9552) plus 'production' version based on Mk V airframes as PR Mk IV. Spitfire PR Mk IE (Also known as PR Type E). Conversion of Mk I for photo recce. Medium range version. Armament removed. 1 x F.24 camera under each wing in bulged mounting - sighted obliquely not vertically, 29 gallon fuel tank behind pilot. 1 conversion (N3317). Later designated PR Mk V. Spitfire PR Mk IF (Also known as PR Type F). Conversion of Mk I for photo recce. Super long range version. Armament removed. 30 gallon (137 l) blister tank under each wing, 29 gallon (132 l) fuel tank behind pilot, total extra fuel 89 gals (269 l). Enlarged oil tank in deeper nose. 2 x F.24 cameras behind cockpit, later other camera installations. Nearly all existing Bs and Cs modified to F standard. Later designated PR Mk VI. Spitfire PR Mk IG (Also known as PR Type G). Conversion of Mk I for photo recce. Armed recce version. 8 machine guns armament retained with bullet proof windscreen. 1 x F.24 camera mounted obliquely behind cockpit + 2 x F.24 looking vertically down, 29 gallon (132 l) fuel tank behind pilot. 5+ conversions. Later designated PR Mk VII. Type 300 Supermarine designation for F.37/34 Spitfire prototype and Mk I production version. Type 311 Supermarine designation for Spitfire F.37/34 with Merlin E engine. Project only Type 312 Supermarine designation for Spitfire variant to meet F.37/35 with Merlin E engine and 4 x 20 mm cannon. Project only. Requirement met by Westland Whirlwind. Type 323 Supermarine designation for Speed Spitfire Type 329 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk II Type 330 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk III Type 332 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I export for Estonia. FN guns. Type 335 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I export for Greece. Merlin XII. Type 336 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I export for Portugal. Merlin XII. Type 337 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk IV Type 338 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I for Fleet Air Arm. Merlin XII. Type 341 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I export for Turkey. Merlin XII Type 342 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I with Roc floats. Type 343 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I long range version. Merlin XII. Project only Type 344 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk III on Supermarine floats. Project only Type 345 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk I with 13.2 mm guns. Project only Type 346 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk IC universal wing. Type 348 Supermarine designation for Spitfire Mk III 2nd prototype (W3237). Merlin XX.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Small is beautiful,building & collecting in a limited space.

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you lived in a small house but wanted to still enjoy your hobby ? with the trends these days towards large scale models and kits you would need a barn to accomodate them ! as scales get larger to accomodate all of that lovely detail there is another solution towards building up a collection,still impressive enough to enjoy but well within the constraints of a small area,with a little care and thought it can be done,the home of small scale modelling and collecting is in China where space really is at a premium,many people live in small flats with little space to build and display their models,it is this country that started the tiny small scale model revolution which has its followers worldwide.Now you may be led into thinking that these small models lack any detail,well think again,here are examples of vending machine replicas sold in China,the detail is exquisite even down to tiny undercarriage legs and better canopies than in some of the larger kits,they are in themselves miniature works of art well worthy of seeking out-

These pictures are larger than the models themselves,the minute undercarriage assemblies are fully detailed,the decals would put some of the larger kits to shame,this is real lilliput modelling.

Upper view of these tiny jets,all three would happily fit into a cigar box with room to spare.

The word toys is a mis-nomer as the detail is first class.

So there is something to look out for in the vending industry,for anyone who travels abroad something to keep your eyes open for.But we dont even need to look that far for tiny scale models,a perusal of any kit dealers list reveals some gems amongst them,here are three that I found and built up,a Bede Microjet,a Bede BD-5 Prop,and the delightful little Pitts Special-

Then we have the collectors market which caters for different tastes and sizes of model,just to show you how impressive such a collection looks take a look here,these models are not only fun to seek out but make into a miniature collection in themselves,yes small really is beautiful-

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The way we will travel in the future.

THE MOLLER SKYCAR

Imagine instead of driving to work you hop into your very own personal flying machine and literally hover over the traffic jams ? pure speculation or a figment of the imagination ? no the very concept of the flying car is being actively pursued by a company in America called 'Moller' this company has been actively developing the flying car of the future which will literally change the way we go about our everyday travel,unlike an helicopter which has rotor blades this is an high tech sophisticated machine which has adjustable engine pods which turn to give either forward or vertical flight,the aircraft will fly safely on one engine,the fan units are contained in a shroud with fan units that drive the aircraft,at the moment the aircraft is being actively tested in a tethered state but soon an exciting project will take place where it will be test flown across a large lake called Milk Farm,here over a 60 acre area the Skycar will be test flown with flotation gear attached at an altitude of 50 feet above the 10 feet deep specially built lake which has silt in the bottom and no rocks,this unique method of testing will ensure through test flying and development,full certification is aimed at not later than the year 2008.

This machine is the only feasible and personally affordable vertical take off and landing ( VTOL ) vehicle in the world today.

Moller are totally dedicated to the continued design and development of this remarkable step forward in creating a unique personal transport system,this is what they have to say about the Moller M400 Skycar-

You've always known it was just a matter of time before the world demanded some kind of flying machine which would replace the automobile. Of course, this machine would have to be capable of VTOL, be easy to maintain, cost effective and reliable. Well, we at Moller International believe we have come up with the solution. That solution is the Volantor named M400 Skycar.

Let's compare the M400 Skycar with what's available now, the automobile. Take the most technologically advanced automobile, the Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati, Lamborgini, or the more affordable Acura, Accord, or the like. It seems like all of the manufacturers of these cars are touting the new and greatly improved "aerodynamics" of their cars. Those in the aerospace industry have been dealing with aerodynamics from the start. In the auto industry they boast of aerodynamics, performance tuned wide track suspensions, electronic ignition and fuel injection systems, computer controllers, and the list goes on. What good does all this "advanced engineering" do for you when the speed limit is around 60 MPH and you are stuck on crowded freeways anyway?

Can any automobile give you this scenario? From your garage to your destination, the M400 Skycar can cruise comfortably at 275 MPH (maximum speed of 375 MPH) and achieve up to 20 miles per gallon on clean burning, ethanol fuel. No traffic, no red lights, no speeding tickets. Just quiet direct transportation from point A to point B in a fraction of the time. Three dimensional mobility in place of two dimensional immobility.

No matter how you look at it the automobile is only an interim step on our evolutionary path to independence from gravity. That's all it will ever be.

Moller International's M400 Skycar volantor is the next step.

We plan to begin untethered flights when we have at least one additional M400 nearing completion. All flights will occur over a specially constructed lake. This lake is part of the Milk Farm development , a commercial 60-acre development underway near the city of Dixon in California on Interstate 80. The lake will have an area of 5 to 6 acres and will be approximately 10 feet deep with a silt, rock free bottom. Most flights will occur at less than 50 feet altitude and will incorporate flotation gear attached to the Skycar.

Passengers 4

Maximum speed 375 MPH

Cruise speed (20,000 ft.) 275 MPH

Range 750 Miles

Size Large automobile

Best mileage approx. 20 MPG

Useful payload 750 lbs

Can hover with one engine failed

Uses non-fossil fuel (ethanol)

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Building from plans-Finishing blue foam Part 10.

We have completed the two halves,installed any control rods and glued and taped everything together,next job is to finish off the fuselage properly,whatever finish that is used it should be applied sparingly as we do not want to build up too much excess weight.The next job is to seal the pores of the blue foam,for this we need some micro balloons,go to your model shop and buy a big bag of them,the bag will weigh nothing,while you are there see if they have any tubs of 'Red Devil' filler this is ready prepared mico balloons and very convenient to use,failing that mix up a jam jar full of these tiny micro chippings with ordinary water,next add a spoonful of PVA adhesive to act as a binder and stir the lot up to make a smooth paste,apply this all over the fuselage and hang up out of the way to dry properly in a warm place.Next day put your face mask on and goggles and go outside to do the fine sanding,by progressively using finer grades of glasspaper you will get a nice smooth finish,do this part of the sanding dry using the mask to protect your valuable lungs,otherwise you will end up in a right mess as the filler pulls away,once satisfied the next job is to apply a very thin application of PVA adhesive,just enough to seal and knit together the tiny sanded balloons.

Get hold of some lightweight model aeroplane tissue ( SAMS sell it ) and cut some one inch wide strips,these will run lengthwise from nose to tail down the fuselage and really stiffen up the relatively soft surface finish of the blue foam,lay the tissue onto a towel in lengths and with a diffuser spray bottle ( obtainable from art shops ) spray the tissue with ordinary water ( if you do not have a spray then grab a domestic brush,dip this into water and spatter using a domestic food knife ) carefully pick up the tissue and lay it onto the surface of the fuselage blowing it into place carefully,smooth out and wrinkles carefully with your fingers,next take a brushful of very thin PVA again,and simply apply this straight onto the surface,dont worry it will soak into the tissue and bond itself to the previously applied thin coat of adhesive,keep on going until you have reached the other side,set aside to dry out.A simple jig can make life easier when handling things like this,place a piece of wire either side ie one in the nose and the other at the tail,with two blocks of balsa glued to another strip of wood place the ends of the wire into these,you can then rotate the assembly just like a spit ! it certainly makes life easier when handling a sticky assembly such as this.

Once everything is dry apply a second ( very thin ) coat of PVA and by now you should have a nice smooth taught surface finish all ready for painting,for this you will find automobile spray cans ideal,they give an excellent finish and are durable as well.

Next time I will tell you how to use the blue foam to make tough components for your models.

 

[Guest]

Hi,

Can you give the exact address for the Sandvik Abrasive block File which you mentioned above. I would like to get one but the only source I heard about was the Woodworking Exhibition now over. Thanks

 

[wonwinglo]

Rickdev65,you should be able to get them here-

http://www.hobby.uk.com/ they were agents for Sandvik,drop them a line.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-How preserving history can have its problems-Radium threat.

This is a tale of the big bully versus the little guy. It's a true tale. And the little guy is losing really badly. What's more, the big bully may come after your aiplane or your museum next.

One of the nice things about the Pilot's Lounge at the virtual airport is that I get to stay in touch with some very interesting pilots. One of my favorite people on the planet is a guy I've flown with off and on for over 20 years. Among other things, he is considered to be one of the gurus for those seeking knowledge regarding one of the classier of aviation's classic airplanes, the Cessna 195. His name is Jeff Pearson, and he flies out of the Chino, Calif., Airport, where I go as often as I can afford it to get my big-time, historic-airplane fix. Watching those machines snort and bellow does wonders for one's perspective on the world.

​

Unfortunately, Jeff is trapped in a situation that is so hideous and Kafkaesque that I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. (Actually, I would, because it's truly, truly nasty.) What is frightening beyond his personal tragedy is the potential ramification for the entire historic-aviation community. If some very powerful bureaucrats who have had their way in the actions they are taking against a legitimate seller of U.S. military-surplus aircraft instruments continue to expand their horizons, it can lead to the condemnation and destruction of every airplane and museum in the U.S. that has or ever had any radium-dial instruments in it.

A little background is in order. Jeff Pearson moved to southern California about 25 years ago to continue his career in the aircraft parts business. While working for a company that sold and overhauled instruments, he often dealt with owners of antique and classic aircraft who needed original instruments to make their pride and joy as accurate as possible. Jeff came to know a pretty unique guy, Alec Fulks, who had a very large warehouse stuffed full of instruments in North Hollywood, not far from Burbank Airport. Mr. Fulks had purchased most of these instruments from our U. S. government as it sold them off in the massive public surplus sales following the end of World War II. Thos instruments had originally been manufactured for the Army a! nd Navy to specifications set out by the U.S. government. That's an important fact to remember. In fact it's vital to this entire sordid tale of persecution of a guy who happened to engage in the heinous practice of buying, selling and preserving original instruments and related equipment for historically significant airplanes.

​

Back in late 1910s -- a.k.a., the dim, dark past (no pun intended) -- aircraft electrical and related lighting systems were far less-than perfect or just plain non-existent. In order to help pilots see their instruments while flying at night, a very small amount of radium was added to phosphorescent paint on the faces of instruments. The radioactive decay of radium caused the phosphorescent paint to glow in the dark. Charles Lindbergh sat behind military-type, radium-illuminated instruments when he flew solo from New York to Paris. They are still installed in the Spirit of St. Louis in the National Air and Space Museum.

Radium is an unstable element, so it is in a constant state of radioactive decay. Eventually radium decays into lead, among other things. As it decays, radium emits Gamma energy (radiation) and also radon gas. Radon gives off what your neighborhood nuclear physicist refers to as Alpha and Beta "daughter" particles. With a sufficiently sensitive Geiger counter, Gamma radiation is detectable even through a metal or plastic instrument case and glass bezel. Alpha and Beta radiation is another thing. It requires ultra sensitive, highly specialized detectors that virtually no one outside of the immediate Nuclear Physics industry has even heard of.

Radiation has long been linked to cancer in humans; after all, Madame Marie Curie, for whom a measurement of radioactivity was named, died of cancer believed to be a result of her experiments with large quantities of radium. It has to be kept in mind that the amount of radium used in radium dial instruments is miniscule. The U.S. government has been sued by technicians who alleged they contracted cancers due to exposure to radium while working on U.S. military-origin radium-dial instrumentation. The United States has successfully defended itself in those cases by showing that the cancers suffered by the plaintiffs could not have been caused by radium dial instrumentation because there was ins! ufficient exposure to radium.

Double Standard.

Despite our government's approach to defending claims of those who worked very closely with radium dial instrumentation, bureaucrats in other agencies have now decided that this instrumentation is a heinous risk to people with far less intimate contact. There is no doubt that an instrument with a radium-dial face may emit radon gas if the case is not hermetically sealed; that is, if the glass is cracked or the ports on the back are not sealed.

​

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Preserving history-The plot thickens-Part 2

In 1999 Jeff called me to say that the California Department of Health Services, Radiologic Health Branch, came to the warehouse expressing concern about radium-dial instruments on the premises. This set a process in motion that seems to have no end -- even almost eight years later -- and thus far has resulted in the destruction of over one million (yes, one million) irreplaceable historic aircraft instruments and related parts, only a tiny fraction of which had any radium. It has also resulted in the razing of one of two warehouses that housed the items since the 1950s. So far, the cost of the "cleanup" has exceeded $7 million and the bill is being presented to Jeff, personally, even though it was a lawfully incorporated company that owned the instruments. Under the law, he cannot even protect his house and family by declaring bankruptcy, so our government has inventoried his house and ! its contents for possible seizure and sale.

The indications are that the folks who did this have used Jeff Pearson as a warm-up to come after anyone who has a radium-dial instrument, including museums, because Jeff didn't have and couldn't obtain the political clout to stop them. They have already started the same despicable process against an 85-year old surplus dealer in Salisbury, Md., over surplus involving radium that he purchased from the very entity that caused the material to be created and then sold to the public.

When the California Department of Health Services first came to speak to Jeff in 1999, the individual assigned to the task seemed reasonable. Jeff was told that all non-intact radium devices had to be containerized and disposed of as hazardous waste. The DHS bureaucrat (his term for himself) also kindly advised Jeff that "programs" existed through which the Department of Defense (DoD) would take care of disposing the offending items.

That made sense. Of course, the bureaucrat's word turned out to be no good. In a subsequent visit, Jeff was informed that all radium instruments had to be disposed of, not just non-intact items. First Jeff would have to complete a special training course and he would be allowed to remove the non-radium inventory. Jeff took and passed the course.

Jeff also contacted DoD officials, who had no knowledge of any "programs" by which they would assume any responsibility for the materials. This revelation was duly passed along to the DHS agent. Jeff even suggested that DHS assist in having the DoD step up to its responsibility for the instruments it created.

Unfortunately, that approach to the matter of potential radioactive instruments must have made way too much sense, because that state inspector was immediately sent to some other assignment, to be replaced by a fellow whose behavior almost defied description.

This was occurring at a facility where only 5% of the inventory contained radium-dial instruments and only 5% of those instruments were non-intact. The radon level was below the guideline for an industrial setting; however, because that was a guideline, the new bureaucrat's interpretation was effectively law. There was no independent third-party to make rulings on the bureaucrat's interpretations; the bureaucrat was prosecutor, judge and jury and his interpretation of the guidelines changed constantly.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Once Jeff had jumped through the training course that was the prerequisite to him separating out the non-radium instruments, the bureaucrat announced he could not do so: Jeff could not take out any of the inventory.

Next the bureaucrat told Jeff he was going to have to get a license to handle radioactives. Jeff got an attorney and learned that no instrument shop, repair or seller or museum holding or working on radium-dial instruments in the State of California was required to get such a license. And no jeweler, who also handles radium, was ever required to get such a license. The bureaucrat who insisted on a license also said it was unlikely Jeff could get one, so Jeff, on advice of counsel, did not immediately apply.

The new DHS bureaucrat arranged for someone from the DoD to visit. The representative, from the Navy, took a look and said, "It's all ours." He also admitted that the DoD did dispatch technicians to retrieve hazardous material of military origin discovered in the public environment and that the Air Force was going around and quietly removing radium instruments from its on-loan display aircraft and the "gate guardians" outside military bases.

About then the DHS brought in the federal Environmental Protection Agency for a walk-through. The EPA reps said that if they got involved, things "would get ugly." It was one of the few truths uttered by a bureaucrat during the entire persecution.

Jeff continued to try to have the DHS work with him to have the DoD buy back the inventory, and he went to Congressman John Calvert asking for help. In a face-to-face meeting, Congressman Calvert told Jeff this was something for the DoD to handle and then wrote to the DoD. The Department of Defense responded to the Congressman by saying that since it didn't sell the instruments directly to Mr. Pearson, it wasn't responsible. Congressman Calvert then stepped away from the situation.

Bring In The Feds

The DHS response to Jeff's continued efforts to have the DoD step up to its responsibility was to inform Jeff he had to get a license or it would turn matters over to the EPA. At the same time the DHS hit him with a cease-and-desist order barring him access to the warehouse and its inventory, even non-radium-dial instruments and it raided his hangar at the Chino Airport. Jeff had to hire a health physicist to test the Chino inventory for contamination before it could be removed. The physicist told Jeff that in over 40 years he'd never seen the DHS go this far overboard.

​

Jeff decided to apply for the license. So the bureaucrat promptly told Jeff that he would have to obtain a multi-million-dollar bond for "cleanup" before getting the license. He then said he'd give Jeff time to get the license, but meantime the warehouse was completely sealed off and no one was allowed to enter, unless wearing hazmat suits -- for a radon exposure level less than is allowed in industry. (All previous entry had been in street clothes.)

Jeff made an appointment with the DHS head of licensure in Sacramento, who informed him that he certainly could get a license and that there was no bond requirement.

Before the scheduled appointment with the head of licensure, the DHS bureaucrat apparently realized that Jeff might be able to jump this last hurdle that the bureaucrat had erected and took action to keep Jeff from ever recovering any of his inventory: He brought in the EPA, which declared the warehouse completely contaminated. Then, without any testing of the instruments themselves, they hauled every single instrument to a hazardous waste site and destroyed them. No one, neither the EPA nor the State bureaucrat, ever tested the thousands of historic aircraft instruments that were destroyed. They simply said, "We believe they are contaminated," and destroyed unused antique artifacts. Despite being in a warehouse with a radon level below the guideline for an industrial area, the EPA -- without compensating Preservation Aviation -- trashed several million dollars worth of historic airplane instruments. Only 5! % had radium dials and only 5% of those were not "intact." (The EPA admitted the quantities in writing.)

The EPA then razed the warehouse. If you go to that block in North Hollywood, an historic aviation site, all you will see is flat ground. The EPA has said that the cost of their "cleanup" is over $7 million.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Preserving history-Overblown hazards-Part 3

Overblown Hazard

In one of the few press reports about the EPA actions at the North Hollywood facility, the Associated Press quoted the EPA's On Scene Coordinator as suggesting that the radium in the instruments could be used to make a so-called "dirty bomb" by terrorists. To professionals in the field, the suggestion was ludicrous. The notion terrorists might buy or steal thousands of instruments, scrape the tiny amounts of radium paint off, and put it in a bomb is idiotic. One professional suggests it would be far more convenient -- and scientifically just about as hazardous -- to just buy talcum powder and put that in a bomb instead. Another said -- tongue in cheek -- that a pallet of instruments (with radium or not) falling from a plane would be a much more dangerous event.

​

It's interesting that the original estimate to identify, carry off and bury the contaminated instruments, and clean up residue on site, was well under $100,000. Jeff tried and tried to have the EPA and the California State folks carry out that plan -- that they themselves originally proposed -- but the bureaucrats kept changing their stories, changing their interpretation of the guidelines and lying to Jeff. The word on the street -- and I don't know if it's true or not -- is that Jeff wouldn't contribute anything to the Poor Bureaucrats' Beer Fund, so any time he agreed to a cleanup procedure, the DHS increased the amount of Jeff's inventory that would be affected until every single one of the thousands of historic artifacts were hauled off and destroyed.

Our constitution says that the government may not take private property without compensation. Jeff had figured that Preservation Aviation would take about 20 years to sell off the North Hollywood inventory and that in that time, the total value of those instruments, sold one by one, retail would run about $10 million. I don't know if that is true or not, but even if that estimate is off by three standard deviations (and I saw the staggering magnitude of that inventory) it was still about $200,000 to $500,000 a year in sales.

Neither the EPA or DHS paid Preservation Aviation for the inventory that it had purchased in good faith from a man who had bought it in good faith from our government. Nope, the EPA gave Jeff, as a private individual -- not a stockholder of a corporation in good standing -- a bill for $7 million.

The Thick Plottens

Because Preservation Aviation had some of its inventory in a T-hangar at Chino Airport (mostly new in boxes or in military storage cans), and Jeff had zero political clout, the same folks who had persecuted him in North Hollywood came out to Chino. Except this time it was a raid by more than 30 federal employees, EPA bureaucrats and believe it or not -- FBI agents. As AVweb reported, they sealed off a row of 10 T-hangars. Jeff had instruments in his hangar in that group of 10. The EPA also dragged the County of San Bernadino in because it owns the airport. T! hat eventually proved to be valuable to the hangar tenants because the County had the resources to tell the EPA that it was being stupidly paranoid. Nevertheless, at first -- after testing showed a mere 20 pico-curies per liter of air of radon in the T-hangar containing the instruments -- the EPA declared that everything in all of those 10 T-hangars was "contaminated." They wanted the six airplanes in those hangars, as well as everything else in them -- motorhomes, cars, motorcycles, tools and the hangar buildings themselves destroyed and hauled off to a hazardous-waste disposal area. The EPA had the effrontery to try and use the residential 4 pico-curies per liter guideline for that one hangar and then extrapolate the "contamination" (that was only a product of its fevered imagination) to all 10 hangars.

​

The County had the clout to compel the EPA to back down and -- to try and keep this recital to a reasonable length -- after a lot of arm waving, the EPA backed down and finally agreed that someone actually determine whether there was actually any contamination in the hangars, rather than just go with the EPA's previously used "we believe" standard for contamination.

The County was required by the EPA to hire a company that could evaluate the radioactive hazard in those hangars and clean it up. The County hired a company approved by the EPA. It came in and found no significant contamination. The EPA went ballistic and had the company fired. A second cleanup company was hired. It went through the T-hangars instrument by instrument at a horrendous cost and it, too, confirmed that the EPA's assertion of "widespread contamination" was absolutely bogus. In Jeff Pearson's inventory it found fewer than 2% of the instruments to have radium dials. It found only seven instruments to be "non-intact." On the floor of Jeff's hangar it found 13 spots of "elevated" radioactivity (by the EPA's standard, not any law). Of those, one -- count 'em, one -- had an origin tied to radium. A piece of tape was applied to that spot and the contaminat! he stuck to the tape when it was pulled away from the floor, removing that tiny bit of contamination. Five spots were found to be Potassium 40, a by-product of deicing fluid. The testing equipment then broke, so no one knows what the other spots were. To the EPA's chagrin, no radium or excess Alpha or Beta particles were found in any of the hangars.

Several other areas of Potassium 40 contamination were detected in the other hangars. The EPA required no remediation.

Double Standards.

Three of the six impounded airplanes had radium-dial instruments installed. The EPA took no action beyond noting that they had such instruments. Several radium-dialed instruments were found in other hangars than Jeff's. The EPA's response to this was, "Unless the instruments in question belong to Mr. Pearson, they can be returned to their owners."

​

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Preserving history-Aviation fights back-Part 4

Museums are more like industrial sites than homes. So are warehouses. Industrial radon exposure guidelines should be used for collections of radium dial instruments because people do not spend nearly as much time around inventory in warehouses or museums as they do in their homes. Millions of homes in this country have radon levels that exceed EPA recommendations. The standard mitigation is ventilation. If ventilating an area that has some excess concentration level is acceptable for industry and homes, it should be for warehouses, hangars and museums. If a radium-dial instrument is removed from an antique airplane, there has to be an acceptable level of contamination established, rather than junking the airplane. After all, those airplanes fly very few hours in a year and people are simply not exposed to the small level of contamination that may exist, especially if the instrument had b! een intact.

The Department of Defense said, in Jeff Pearson's case, that it did not have the budget to deal with an appropriate cleanup. In other "cleanups" it apparently did. Jeff will never be able to pay the millions that were incurred by overzealous, self-righteous bureaucrats, arbitrarily enforcing nonexistent standards so the money will be paid by some branch of the government. Therefore, it's a book keeping transaction and bureaucrats at one agency trying to protect their budgets should not be allowed to get in the way of doing the right thing. Here, it seems to me, is that the right thing is for the DoD to buy back radium-dial instruments that are actually a hazard and pay for such cleanups that are actually necessary and not the result of some bureaucrat's opinion that he "believes" there is contamination.

Unfortunately, and all politics aside, our government doesn't exactly have a history of doing the right thing, so we can expect more of the disaster that Jeff Pearson went through, with the loss of irreplaceable historic aviation artifacts simply because they were near or in a building that had radium-dial instruments. It's already happening to the gentleman in Salisbury, Md. How would you like it if an EPA bureaucrat met you at your hangar and informed you that because the Stearman next door has radium-dial instruments, your airplane is going to be scrapped and hauled to a hazardous-waste disposal site and that you won't be paid for your property -- on the contrary, you'll have to pay for the disposal?

The bureaucrats have already come for some of us. Unless we stand up against them, they will keep picking us off

 

[Guest]

Barry,

Thanks but the links do not seem to give much information. In fact one of them just returned me to your blog!

rickdev65

 

[wonwinglo]

***The page will not give any information on the sanding tools,that is only a lead,these people stock 85,000 seperate items impossible to put on their web pages ! :computer: now you need to contact them either by phone,snail mail or e-mail :write: ( do all three ) 020 8761 4244 help@hobby.co.uk Hobby Ltd,Knights Hill Square,London,SE27 0HH.

Dont take no :nono: for an answer from them,they are Sandvik agents and as such should be able to supply from stock,speak to someone in charge such as a supervisor.:angel: Keep at it and do not give in.

Barry,Thanks but the links do not seem to give much information. In fact one of them just returned me to your blog!

rickdev65

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Building from plans-Making parts from brown paper using blue foam.

Having dealt with how to make a fuselage from blue foam from scratch,there is another important use we can apply this material to,that is by using it to make excellent lightweight and strong shells,anything from a complete hull,fuselage,cowling can be made with a material that can be found in any domestic home,what is this material ? simply brown paper,properly applied can be made into tough workmanlike forms,everyone who went to school will remember 'paper mache' whereby shreds of newspaper were mixed with glue to make forms around a plastercine mould,well our system is similar but smoother and even better than the time established papier-mache techniques.

Firstly carve a plug from blue foam exactly as described in earlier posts here,there is no need to split this one but just carve it whole the shape that you want,once this has been fully sanded up get some domestic cling film ( the type used to wrap sandwiches etc ) and carefully pull this around the plug smoothing out any wrinkles until you are satisfied,probably best to use a jig to hold the plug at this stage,two pieces of wire pushed into place either side ( nose to tail ) and held into a simple wooden jig will suffice,this way you can turn it like a pig on a spit.Next job is to obtain some medicinal bandage,the cling film acts as a release barrier between the foam anf the dry brown paper/adhesive build up,buy a big roll from the chemists the wider the better,apply a coat of Polyvinyl Acetate adhesive ( PVA glue ) to the plug covering well, and with the bandage held slightly at an angle carefully and tightly bind this around the former,the adhesive will squeeze through so just smooth this out with a wide paintbrush,leave this icky sticky mess to dry out throughly overnight.Now while you are waiting for this to dry get hold of a few sheets of thin brown paper,ordinary wrapping variety will do fine,so ut it into strips about one inch wide,you can if you so wish cut some with a taper to them especially if your former is wide at the front and narrow at the rear.

Now with a large bowl water by your side quickly dunk the strips as you use them one at a time,while you do this apply another coat of PVA to the former and apply the strips one at a time slightly overlapping at the edges,smooth out the brown paper with your fingers ( a rubber latex glove is ideal for this ) once properly dry repeat this process again,this time overlapping in the middle of the last join,keep going until you have at least four layers of paper,by now it should be rock hard and ready for removal from the former,now for the exciting bit ! take a Dremel or similar tool with a circular saw attachment fitted,mark a pencil line either each side or along the top,carefully rest your hand against the former and run the circular blade along the mark,keep going until you get to the end,do this the other side cutting into the tough shell of the brown paper.Now with a thin table knife prise open the two shells,you will now have the basis for either a lightweigh fuselage or boat hull that can be fitted out,next time I will show you how to fit out these parts and then the important job of joining the parts together.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Out of office message.

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/aviation_videos.htm

Wonwing is out of office at the moment but has left you a link to the most remarkable pieces of flying that you will ever see,give yourself a bit of time to enjoy the superb flying,and perhaps a little sorrow at the awful crashes,but we must live and learn from our mistakes and make sure that they do not happen again.

 

[Guest]

Loads of entertainment there Barry but I'm not so sure I should be watching the airliners section just before a TransAtlantic flight next week!!

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Congress attempt to ban royalties on military models.

A leaked document sent to industry has come to the notice of scale-models-

Congressman Andrews' "Military Toy Replica Act"

Dear Industry Colleague,

As you likely know by now, Congressman Robert Andrews(D-NJ) attempted to attach an amendment to the 2005 Defense Bill banning the licensing and collecting of royalties by defense contractors for replicas of military models. This amendment passed the House, but was ultimately defeated when the Bill was sent to the Senate for ratification. However, the issue is still very much alive, and I wish to update you at this time.

I have still been working closely with Congressman Andrews' office, as Mr. Andrews is not only very much in favor of our side of the issue, but he wishes to continue this quest on behalf of the hobby and toy industry. Within the next week, Congressman Andrews intends to offer a stand-alone bill to Congress, very similar to the amendment which did not pass when attached to the Defense Bill in 2005. Offering a stand-alone bill presents the issue formally to Congress, and potentially has much more of an impact on the members of Congress than an attachment to the defense bill. It brings the issue to the forefront, directly to those who need to know about it and who subsequently vote on the issue. Therefore, it is imperative that both the hobby and toy industries garner political support for this bill, titled the "Military Toy Replica Act" (there is no actual house bill number assigned to it yet).

Attached to this letter are 2 documents:

1. A copy of the "Military Toy Replica Act" as it will be introduced to Congress the week of February 27th or thereabouts. (see below)
   
2. A copy of the "talking points" regarding the issue, in order to provide you some guidance when calling the proper representatives in your district.

What to do next:

Call, DO NOT WRITE, EMAIL or FAX your members of Congress, both House and Senate.

Calls to these offices are taken immediately; faxes, emails and letters will not only arrive too late, but are often left for last for review. Ask for the aide in charge of military affairs, and begin to explain the Bill as well as the talking points to promote its passing. You are free to forward the attached copy of the Bill to anyone, it is open information at this time. These calls take but a few minutes each. If you receive voice mail, leave all the details of the Bill, the reason for the support needed and your name and number for a return call. Follow up later if necessary.

What is needed to get the Bill passed:

Congressman Andrews is a Democrat, so it is important to garner Democratic support among the members of Congress, but it is imperative that we obtain Republican support or even Republican co-sponsorship for the Bill. Ideal Republican candidates are those in Illinois(a large number of toy/hobby companies are located in Northern Illinois) such as Rep. Hastert, and Cong. Hefley of Colorado, who crossed party lines to support Congressman Andrews' amendment last year. However, any and all Congressional members in all districts can and should be contacted by those within our industry in order to have success at passing this proposed Bill.

Is there a deadline for contacting representatives?

Contacts need to be made at once, within days, as the Bill will be introduced very soon. I would ask you to contact me at this email address if you a positive response from any call. This is true particularly if it is a Republican, as Andrews' office will want to contact that member for co-sponsorship or general bi-partisan support.

Any questions on this process can be directed to myself at this email address. On behalf of the hobby industry, I thank you for your help in this effort. If we all work together on this issue, we will be successful.

TALKING POINTS ON THE "MILITARY TOY REPLICA ACT"

Congressman Andrews' Bill would require the Department of Defense to include a provision in their contracts with all defense contractors prohibiting them from requiring licenses and fees from businesses that manufacture, distribute or sell models and model kits.

These contractors have approached manufacturers and distributors within the hobby industry, pressuring them to sign licensing agreements and pay fees for the use of military designations and likenesses.

The designations for military vehicles (such as "F-16") are determined via a system established by the Department of Defense and the designs are implemented through the use of taxpayer funds.

In previous agreements, the contractors have sought 2-8% of the costs of each unit from manufacturers. On a typical $8 model kit, this amounts to about 40 cents, which, when multiplied over 15,000 units, equals $6000. This increased cost, which is necessarily passed on to the consumer, is negligible to these multi-billion dollar corporations, but it is enough, when marked up to a retail price, to drive down demand and put small "mom & pop" hobby and toy shops in jeopardy.

This Bill does not amend trademark law, rather it adds a new requirement to Department of Defense contracts to ensure that the model industry is not eliminated.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Parts from Blue Foam-Fitting out and assembly.

Right having got the fuselage parts made from blue foam and the covered brown paper laminations all completed,the last stage we discussed was when the halves had been prised from the pattern with the cling film membrane assisting removal,this was then scored along the edges with a rotary Dremel tool.

The next important stage is to add formers inside the two halves and join them together,to get the shapes of the formers obtain one of those carpets layers shape tools,these consist of dozens of wire pieces which when pressed into a corner replicate the shape,in our case simply press into the fuselage half,transfer the shape to a suitable piece of material for the part,draw around and cut out.

Glue the formers in place with PVA adhesive,if you want to then tack at strategic points with a glue gun to assist in holding them in place while the adhesive dries out.You can either build the formers as two halves,or as a single piece,the later will assist locating the two hales together but just make sure that the former is not over-sized otherwise you will not get a clean join at the seam.Dont forget to install any control rods,snakes or runs at this crucial stage,make sure that if the model is intended for IC motors that the nose formers are made internally large enough to accomodate the fuel tank,also plan the throttle runs alongside the tank at the same time.

For the servos you can install some stripwod rails,this enables the servos to be slid fore and aft to obtain the correct centre of gravity of the model,right so you are now in a position to join the two halves together,first do a dry run and make sure that everything fits properly,get out the medical bandage again all at the ready,a good idea is to tack glue the front,middle and rear with some gel cyno,a quick zap with some kicker ( accellerator ) should do the trick,now impregnate the bandage all over with PVA adhesive and with a stiff brush push the adhesive through the open weave of the bandage,lay the article onto its side and allow to dry out properly,the next day you should have a really strong and rigid part,whether it is a simple cowling or a complete fuselage this method of construction is superb.

 

[Guest]

Barry,

Those shape tools you mention are an exellent, although, mainly forgotten tool capable of creating the specific shape required.

They are absolutely perfect for making model boat stands as I have done on a number of occassions, although I think the last time I used it was when fitting floorboards around a door frame moulding.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Is this the best news ever news for Osprey ?

After a shaky start with numerous niggling problems,the Osprey looks all set for a real task to prove once and for all this innovative design which a lot of people have such great confidence in,this could be just what is needed to put this machine well and truly onto the aviation map-

The Marine Corps plans to send the innovative Osprey aircraft into combat zones within a year and will take a step toward that this week by activating a squadron of the tiltrotor craft.

obviously, due to operational concerns we don't want to tell exactly when they will deploy,said spokesman Master Sgt. Phil Mehringer at Marine Corps Air Station New River, where the squadron will be based.but it's certainly going to happen in the near future. Definitely, within a year.A ceremony is planned Friday to formally activate Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, which will carry the Vietnam-era "Thunder Chickens" nickname of the helicopter unit it is replacing. There are about 250 people in the New River-based squadron and at least a dozen aircraft.

Ospreys will replace the aging, Vietnam-era fleet of CH-46E twin-rotor helicopters that are so worn that they can't carry a full payload. The Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies like an

airplane, can carry more cargo and fly five times farther at speeds around 300 mph.

The squadron preparing to be activated has trained for several months training and will continue training before its deployment, Mehringer said.

It's the standard training package that any Marine aviation squadron would conduct prior to deployment,he said. "This one is a little longer in that all of the Marines coming together are new. They are starting this from scratch.The Marines have been testing the Ospreys at New River for several years as part of a testing squadron.

The program's future fell into doubt for a time after four Marines died in a 2000 crash in North Carolina and 19 were killed in a crash that year in Arizona.

The North Carolina crash near Jacksonville in December 2000 was caused by a ruptured titanium hydraulic line. The Arizona crash was blamed by investigators on pilot error.

Last year, the Pentagon approved full production of the Osprey in a $19 billion program and the corps has been showing off the aircraft.

Just last week, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld flew from New River to nearby Camp Lejeune in an Osprey to attend a military ceremony and the aircraft flew over the base several times.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-First Typhoon delivered today to 3 Squadron.

Exciting news today as the first Typhoon was delivered to the R.A.F at Coningsby.

ZJ922 (BS013) coded "QO-C" dep Warton for Coningsby today 16:43Z c/s "Typhoon 01" in full 3 sqn mks (the double letter code is

believed to have been used during WWII by this sqn).

also now in 3 sqn mks is ZJ918 (BS009) coded "QO-L" which may be delivered tomorrow (certainly within next few days).