discussion Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[Guest]

I really can't understand why we let pure selfish greed and money rule everything.

We should put resources into preserving our history and respecting the past that has made us where we are today so that future generations can benefit from it and maybe learn a thing or two.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Building from plans-More exciting subjects to scratch build-Part 13

Carrying on with some historic and credible designs that would turn heads at any flying field,never before have scale modellers been so well catered for,given a few years time even the present lithium batteries will be out of date and obsolete,along will come wafer thin space-technology cells that will be slotted into even wing leading edges,the technology is already in place with a Swedish manufacturer,it just needs mass production to bring down the prices as everything produced today,meanwhile we can still indulge in some exciting modelling held back by two factors 'Time and ability' my advice is never to say something is too difficult to put into model form,those first clunky efforts can always be refined into your next model,it is perhaps a good plan to build a 'concept model' first this can be a more boxy example of something that you want to build as a scale model design,with that concept you can sort out wing areas and loading,where everything goes and control surface areas,movements and suitable materials,flying this first attempt is a useful interim should damage occur, should something go horribly wrong you have not destroyed the exact scale example,attack the subject with determination and you could be surprised as to what you have learned.

Focke Wulf FW-200 Condor.

The Big bad wolf would make a great subject for lovers of German aircraft,couple this with multi engine electric reliability and the aircraft becomes more than a possibility.

Lockheed Constellation.

Everyone loves a Connie,one of the most attractive piston engined airliners ever bult,little wonder as the design team that built the De Havilland Albatross pre war were responsible on the design team with Lockheed.

Airspeed Consul/Oxford.

Pronounced washout in the wings will assist those elliptical tips,a very under-modelled subject worthy of more attention by modellers.

H.J.Towner built one and produced plans.

Coronado.

For lovers of waterborne aircraft here is something very impressive to get to grips with,even taxying on the local lake this would look good.

Helio Courier.

Just look at this ? you would think it was a model design,Helio made it an easy proposition with such straight lines thrown in.

Douglas DC-2

A DC-2 would make a change from the Dakota,in fact more angular and easier to build as the fuselage is more angular.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Time to reflect-Control line flying.

Without spoiling the eventual biography,here is a few happy lines from times past about my introduction to powered model aircraft and how I started,my very first engine was an E.D.Competition Special of some 2 cc ( cubic centimetres ) the engine was a longstroke powered diesel,on the rear was an integral free flight fuel tank,this had a built in cut out lever which operated off a timer which was usually a clockwork affair linked with a short pushrod,when my father gave me the engine as a present it was already quite old,he had intended to use it in a model called 'Black Magic' a beautiful free flight high wing design from the post war period,I wanted badly to have an engine and he was very kind in parting with this engine,especially as even seconhand it must have cost a few precious pounds even back then.A friend bought a built up Focke Wulf 190 which was a beauty,it had been built from a Veron kit but converted by covering it with sheet balsa,it had an American Glo engine,a Veco I think ? and it flew on wires as a control liner,I watched in envy as this flew around in circles with a real growl from the un-silenced motor emitting from the big radial cowling,it had no undercarriage and had to be hand launched with the nose carefully pointing outside the circle so the lines kept taught,control line flying was very popular before radio conrol equipment became either readily available or popular it was designed by a chap called Walker and was introduced into this country by doyen Ron Moulton,what radio equipment that was around was so unreliable but that is a story in itself best left to some other time ! anyway I was given a control line model kit for my birthday,a Keil Kraft Phantom,it was all sheet wings built from what looked like floorboard quality balsa,with a simple built up balsa box fuselage,the ED.Comp Special was grafted onto the nose with the massive pot sticking up in the air with an adjustable compession ( vernier screw ),if I remember rightly my father made me a thick alloy engine mount which was bolted onto the too wide engine bearers of the kit design,the undercarriage was a massive thick piano wire affair which stood up to a lot of punishment but needed constant re-bending back into shape,she would take off nicely from the ground,and when I had nobody to help devised a simple but effective self-release device,this consisted of a wire hook which fitted into a slot at the rear of the fuselage,all I did was tie a piece of string and once the engine was started and tuned up,walked to the control handle,kept the wires taught,and pulled out the pin,off she would shoot into the air for about 10 minutes of flying with the engine flat out as there was no throttle,thats the way we flew them,fast and furious,I had hours of flying fun with that model and after school would walk back to the playing fields to fly until it was dark,then walk back home again reeking of stale ether and diesel fumes,that stuff would rot any clothing and the ether smell would linger for weeks,compression ignition engines really were the thing in those days,Glo engines were rare and the ones that came in were from America.

The model flew,and flew and flew until it was so heavy with repairs that it staggered into the air,after a flight thick black oil would cover the entire model,it really was a messy business.

Other control liners followed,mostly built from plans but non matched that Phantom for sheer fun,by todays standards it flew like a brick on lines by centrifugal force and sheer brute force power,but I cut my teeth on model engines and learned how to start and keep them running even when hot,those early diesels would burn your fingers after a flight and could be a pig to start,every now and again they would backfire and rap your fingers,this is when I learned about the chicken stick,a piece of broom handle with a lump of rubber on the end for starting.

I had a good arrangement with the school caretaker, who used to let me fly in the school grounds at weekends,this was pre vandal days,since then over the years the school has been torched many times,even burning down the science block,a sad state of the time we live in fuelled by alcohol and drugs.

After leaving school I then started to fly in the grounds of the Massey Ferguson factory,that had a great smooth take off area but had a fence all around,you had to be careful not to wander into that fence,I used to stick something into the ground to mark my spot,it is amazing how I did not get dizzy spinning around like that,but you just got used to it after a while,later I built a great design called the Peacemaker,this was a first class aerobatic design which literally hung on the ends of the lines,it had a bi-symetrical built up high lift wing and would actually glide into land as opposed to dropping out of the sky as the Phantom did,it is still a classic even today,sometime I will build another just for fun,I already have built a replica of that Phantom which hangs in my den unflown to remind me of my humble roots.We really just do not know how lucky we are today with such a choice of models and designs within our reach,but I will never forget the fun had with those early models,we really were pioneers.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Lets look at the Jug.

The mighty P-47 Thunderbolt was the most famous of all the Republic aircraft in WWII. First flown on 6th May 1941, the P-47 was designed as a (then) large, high-performance fighter/bomber, utilizing the large Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine to give it excellent performance and a large load-carrying capability. The first deliveries of the P-47 took place in June 1942, when the US Army Air Corps began flying it in the European Theater.

Though it was an excellent airplane, several improvements were made as production continued, with each improvement adding power, maneuverability and range. As the war progressed, the Thunderbolt, or "Jug," as it was affectionately called, gained a reputation as a reliable and extremely solid and tough airplane, able to take incredible amounts of damage and still return its pilot home safely. P-47s logged almost 2 million flight hours during the war years, during which they were responsible for the destruction of over 7,000 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground in the European Theater alone.

Later in the war, Jugs served as escort fighters for B-29 bombers in the Pacific. Mostly, though, they excelled in the ground-attack role, strafing and bombing their way across the battlefields of Europe. Early versions, up through the P-47C, had "razorback" fuselages, but the popular P-47D featured a bubble canopy which gave the pilot increased rearward visibility useful in combat.

P-47s were also used during the war by the air forces of Brazil, England, France, Mexico and the Soviet Union. Following the war, the Jug served for nine more years in the US, flown by the Air National Guard. It continued to serve for many additional years with the foreign air forces of over 15 nations around the world giving splendid and reliable service.

Nicknames: Jug; T-Bolt

Specifications (P-47D):

Engine: 2535hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59W Double Wasp radial piston engine

Weight: Empty 9,950 lbs., Maximum Takeoff 17,500 lbs.

Wing Span: 40ft. 9.25in.

Length: 36ft. 1.75in.

Height: 14ft. 8in.

Performance:

Maximum Speed: 433 mph

Ceiling: 41,000 ft.

Range: 1900 miles with drop tanks

Armament:

Eight 12.7mm (0.5 in.) wing-mounted machine guns

Up to 2500 lbs. of externally-mounted bombs, rockets, or other free-fall ordinance

Number Built: 15,677

There are only nine of these birds still airworthy with a few grounded in museums throughout the world.

A tough dependable machine.

 

[Guest]

Are they pictured with original cockpit glass/hoods?

If they are, that plane had awesome visibillity.

 

[wonwinglo]

*** Yes these are original bubble hoods,the one at the rear is a razorback,great airplane tigertc.

Are they pictured with original cockpit glass/hoods?If they are, that plane had awesome visibillity.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The TSR-2 Saga,original photograph has been found.

Well here is one of the actual photographs from my TSR-2 encounter,I ask you does this really look like something that a spy would be interested in ? hardly,and once more the aircraft was out to grass with no security whatsoever,this is the same aircraft XR222 that is now in the IWM museum at Duxford,at the time it arrived at Cranfield with the College of Aeronautics it was still incomplete,work was literally abandoned overnight on the TSR-2.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Getting it right-Setting up a Model Shop.

One of the things that I have done in the past apart from having my own model shop once,is to assist others as a consultant in setting up a successful series of model shops,the task is frought with hidden dangers as you can well imagine,notwithstanding the present trend towards online businesses I still feel that there is room for a successful model shop in most major and not so major towns,many fail simply through a few simple things and cannot sustain their business over a long period of time,before you embark on your ambition of a lifetime ask yourself a few very simple questions-

1/Are you prepared to sometimes spend hours waiting around for customers ?

2/Are you prepared to invest heavily in stock ?

3/Is your product knowledge up to scratch or does it have any grey areas ?

4/Are you prepared to specialise or prefer to stock a few of each item probably leading to grey areas of stock levels ?

5/Are you prepared to give customer backup,such as training to use the goods that you sell ?

6/Will you run an online business alongside your normal shop business ?

7/Will you just show boxes,or have a few areas set aside with built up models ?

8/Will you offer a model building service ?

There are many other questions that I could ask but we will deal with each of these in turn as follows-1/ All the customer ever thinks that you do is stand behind a counter,he does not see you running around for stock after hours,doing your bookwork,packing goods,cleaning the shelves or even sweeping the floor,but the fact remains that for every sale whether it be for a few pence or a few hundred pounds takes many hours of your valuable time,whilst the customer will think because there are only an handful of people in the shop you have all the time in the world to chat,the fact remains that you need to strike a balance,during the day you probably get visits from representatives and callers,all of these will have to be dealt with in what little time you have.I have seen so many businesses fall into this trap,most do not give enough time to explaining things to customers,whilst others go over the top,my advice is to be realistic and give the best honest advice,never fluff your way through,you will soon get caught out.

2/Your initial stock is most important,you do not want too many lemons,lemons is a trade term for any poor moving stock,everyone gets a few but the important thing to remember is not get too many on board in the first place,initially you will need to sit down with every catalogue that you can get your hands on and place initial orders,do not be pressurised into placing minimum order amounts,this way you will almost certainly buy things that you do not require simply because you are attempting to make up the order,the best way to buy initial stock is to sign on with a very large cash and carry warehouse that deals in model shop items,this way you can buy as much or as little as you want to,this method of buying is called 'Cherry picking' buy sensibly with no gimmicks.

3/Is most important and I have seen many fall down in this direction,know your product well,if necessary buy one to make up,pull apart and get to know it,find the weaknesses and where and why you need to buy spares,the item will not be wasted as it can be used as a display item or a demonstrator.Dont forget to make sure that you can in fact buy spare factory spare parts,anything will wear out eventually and break with hard use.Make sure that you are conversant with every aspect of what you intend to merchandise,if you dont know about it then do not attempt to sell it,gen up and keep up to date,read everything that you can on the item or items.

4/ The big danger here is if you stock say trains,cars,aircraft,boats,helicopters,diecasts then you are going to stretch your resources to the very limit,better to specialise in a few subjects and do them well rather than dabble in too many lines,this is a trap for the unwary and can be a big cause of failure to get a business up and running.Your initial capital will need to go a long way especially with model related items,use it sensibly aiming at quick turn over quality merchandise.

5/ Customer back up is vital,if you cannot do this in house then at least make sure that you can fall on other organisations to carry it out,for example I used to offer flight training packages to customers in time slots that I could accomodate,training was booked up fully for 3 moths at a time,allowing for cancellations etc,bear in mind that two hours of your time is a valuable resource,do not under estimate how much time and energy it will take,never make sacrifices in quality of service,for example two hours of flight training is stressful and hard work,weather and other things play their part,think of all of these things.

Not many shops are fortunate in having their own car tracks or flying fields,that luxury is the domain of very few organisations,and also do not forget that you can only be in one place at a time,use your energies sensibly !

6/ Running an online business alongside the shop is probably the most successful thing that can be done today,however if you are in the shop selling then you will need a webmaster to run the on-line side as well,in doing so it is a full time specialised side to the business and is very labour intensive,but it can mean continued success for your business.

7/ Most people want to see what you are selling,I hate some of this modern packaging that stops you examining what you are buying,make sure that you have at least one of the items opened up and on display,this is also important.

8/ I used to offer a model building service,this was undertaken by a good friend who like myself had been building models all of his life,someone that I could rely upon to do the job,this is important as you do not want to let your customer down,in America people are assembling kits as a daily job,they usually work in conjunction with model shops,if you can clinch a sale by offering the model to be built up then find a good person with whom you can co-operate with.

Right so there are the basics of setting up a shop,please no more offers of asking me to manage it for you ! those days are over for me as I am now retired and my first and foremost job is a carer for my good wife,I am more than happy to share my knowledge and experiences having established a few successful businesses for people,to my knowledge the above is unique advice as model shops are specialised businesses requiring great care and patience.

Next time I will explain a few other important aspects that are easily overlooked.

( The picture above shows a model showroom designed by myself,it uses some of my own built up models,the business is now flourishing I am happy to say,see what I mean about displaying built up items ? )

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The moods of an old airfield.

For those like myself who just love the feel of these old airfields and their history,this is a beautiful piece-

Flight from an Old Airfield

Bright morning sun, a sky of cyanine,

Head pillowed on a parachute I lie.

Deep in this long neglected, summer green,

Watching white cu. drift through half closed eyes.

Here once, a pale blue ensign caught the breeze

When Lancasters flew the glory days.

The tumult of their thundering Merlins'

Rumbles across the fields and far away.

All's peaceful now, those desperate years long past

Where crumbling huts and quiet runways lie,

An empty hanger, rusting in the grass,

Deserted Nissens open to the sky.

The silent watch tower stares, through shattered eyes

Its signals square now rank and overgrown.

No duty pilot scans the anxious skies,

Or friendly Pundit call the stragglers home.

So many winter rains and summer suns

Since they hauled down its flag and marched away.

Now long abandoned, overlooked, all duty done,

A part of Englands history in decay.

Yet there are echoes on the wind that some will hear,

Faint voices singing half forgotten songs.

Young laughter drifting across the years,

Long shadows of the old days lingering on.

Soon upward soaring larks I must outclimb

and, for a moment, glint in the summer sun.

As dauntless Lancasters did in that bloody time,

I'll to head north of east and soon be gone.

As my departing clamour ebbs away,

Silence will, once more wrap this quiet place.

Its ghosts can live again their gallant days

Of brave assults and resolute endeavour.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-In the news this week-Eurofighter & Osprey.

This week saw the introduction to service of the first of the Eurofighters for 3 Squadron Royal Air Force,bringing the deliveries to over 50 aircraft worldwide.

An overall production contract for 620 aircraft was signed in January 1998 with 232 for UK, 180 for Germany, 121 for Italy and 87 for Spain. Initial orders have been placed for 148 aircraft - Germany (44), Italy (29), Spain (20) and UK (55). Prime customer is the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), representing the four governments.

Series production of the aircraft is underway at EADS Military Aircraft (Germany), BAE Systems, Alenia Aeronautica and EADS CASA (Spain). The first four series production aircraft for the four participating nations took maiden flights in February 2003 and the Eurofighter Typhoon received type acceptance on 30 June 2003. First series production twin-seat aircraft were delivered to the German Air Force in August 2003, to the Spanish Air Force in September 2003, to the UK Royal Air Force in December 2003 and to the Italian Air Force in February 2004. First single-seat Batch 2 aircraft were delivered to the four participating nations in early 2005. Over 50 aircraft have been delivered.

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.

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.

 

[Guest]

Barry,

I very much liked the poem. Thanks for sharing, it did bring back the atmosphere of old abandoned airfields.

 

[wonwinglo]

*** Yes Richard,aviation poetry is quite rare,I have written a few myself over the years,glad that you liked it.

Barry,I very much liked the poem. Thanks for sharing, it did bring back the atmosphere of old abandoned airfields.

 

[Guest]

Barry, Firstly, as you can imagine that model shop article was VERY intresting reading for me, i cant wait for part two!

The other thing i wanted to mention was the pictures (plan view) in your blog? Where do they come from? Are they scans from an aircraft reconission book such as janes or something?

Love the TSR shot, im assuming that you devolped it yourself? Just intrested because the contrast looked quite low?

 

[wonwinglo]

*** Right Squiffy,I like questions because it proves that people read my journals,this article was indeed done with you especially in mind,the plans are my own drawings done over the years mostly from tiny silouettes with indian ink,quite a few of them have been cribbed on the internet but I do not mind one bit as long as people find them useful,in fact one appeared on a dealers site,yes the TSR-2 is a faded HP4 home produced print,somewhere I have the negatives so can easily re-do them some day,thats the good thing about digital they never fade,scratch or self destruct.

Your site looks good and I know how much work that has been lovingly devoted to it,best of luck with it.

Barry, Firstly, as you can imagine that model shop article was VERY intresting reading for me, i cant wait for part two! The other thing i wanted to mention was the pictures (plan view) in your blog? Where do they come from? Are they scans from an aircraft reconission book such as janes or something?

Love the TSR shot, im assuming that you devolped it yourself? Just intrested because the contrast looked quite low?

 

[Guest]

I dont mean to pester with the whole "20 questions" thing :-S

Those pics are AMAZING! You have a real talent there! If you had told me youd drawn them on CAD i would not be surprised! How do you get such perfect scaling and lines? Everythings always in propotion! thats a definat talent there!

I moved to digital photography quite a few years back so never really got into the whole 35mm thing, although ive done my fair share of devolping! Its good fun seeing your image come out slowly in the trays!

I hope you dont mind, but heres a rather blue version of the TSR pic with a little burning added to the bottom. I couldnt burn in the top as theres was nothing to play with so i tried to add some clouds.

EDIT_ oh yeah...so whens your book coming out?

 

[wonwinglo]

I like it Squiffy ! that is really quite an artistic rendering,thank you.

The drawings are no secret,I just use a pair of draughtsmans dividers and scale them up with pencil construction lines,then load either a brush or pen with old fashioned Indian ink and fill in the details,them rub a piece of bread across the whole lot to get rid of the pencil marks,works every time.With modern technology they can be scanned and scaled up.

Yes just seeing that photographic image appear is really something,do you remember the technique if a part does not appear ? you get a paintbrush and work on the area whilst still under the developer,somehow it activates the developer and brings out the edges of the image,those fumes were lethal from the fixative,now we can do everything in daylight.

 

[Guest]

Barry,

I am ashamed to say it never occurred to me that you had drawn up those plans yourself. With your other talents though it should have been obvious.

You never fail to amaze with the length and breadth of your skills with all things artistic and technical.

I must admit I had skimmed through the plans before but now, knowing what has gone into them, I will look at them with renewed interest.

 

[wonwinglo]

Richard,most of the drawings start life as tiny silhouettes or three views,this is the reason that some look a bit ragged,as I have scaled them up in a paint programme to make them useable for modelling,I am doodling all of the time with drawings.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Be thankful for the venerable Spitfire.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/03/05/spitfire-memorial060305.html

The sound of Merlins once again echoed across Southampton water, as a re-enactment of the Spitfires first flight took place yesterday,the original airfield at Eastleigh now called Southampton was the very hallowed ground from which the prototype K5054 took off on a bumpy grass airfield that day 70 years ago.It is difficult to imagine what would have happened if we had not had the Spitfire to do the job that it did so well in the Battle of Britain when the defence of our country was at stake ? one thing is for sure and that is I would probably not be writing these words today with the freedom we now take for granted,we owe a lot to the designer of this aircraft R.J.Mitchell for whom we as a nation owe a debt of gratitude beyond anything else,so why have we not yet honoured this great man whilst pop stars and wannabees continue to get their dongs ?

One can only imagine that busy design office at the Vickers Supermarine factory with Mitchell at the helm,thousands of hand drawn detailed drawings each of which had to be reproduced as a working piece of metal in a very short space of time,every small factory was pressed into use to get the job done,whether it was a small brass bearing or a complete wing spar the task of fitting everything together in the small low wing monoplane was vital.

To get a good picture of how the Spitfire factory worked in Southampton then can I recommend John Isaacs 'Aeroplane Affair' for a really god read,it reveals some interesting facts about the men who built these aircraft,and not all of them were skilled either,there were some disasters such as the day a set of Spitfire spars were rendered scrap with wrongly drilled holes,as can be imagined the culprit was given instant dismisal but had to wait until clocking off time to retrieve his clothes,why ? because all coats etc were hoisted well out of the way high in the ceiling after everyone was installed in the factory.

The jet engine just came too late to see any real service towards the end of the war,even if we had the right metals to do the job it is doubtful whether the jet would have done the fine job of the Spitfire and Hurricane,the piston engine,especially the Merlin was fast approaching its peak in terms of performance,no matter how you boost a piston engine,there is a limit eventually reached before you blow them up,hence the all important glycol cooling system on these aircraft which quickly boils on the ground if take off is delayed.

So not only the Spitfire itself buts its vital partner the Merlin became the winning combination,it seems odd calling a war machine beautiful,but it really was a classic in its time having come from such a good pedigree as the Supermarine S6 racers,everything about the design was just right for the job,a fighter must be able to slide around the sky but at the same time be still stable enough to get out of extreme manoeuvres.

The test of time has also faired well with the Spitfire,during the fifties only an handful of these machines were flying,now there are scores of restored aircraft lovingly restored in custom made jigs that have been made airworthy,whilst it is only the wealthy who can afford to buy or even operate these machines,as enthusiasts we can be indebted to the people who are involved both restoring and flying them.

Will there be any Spitfires still flying seventy years on ? you know I think that there will,with technology and expertise and provided that the authorities do not place any silly bans on flying them,then everything should be in place for the next generations celebrations.

 

[Guest]

Barry,

How memorable to have the flight in the air at just the same minute exactly seventy years hence. Very moving.

I have actually been to Eastleigh a few times when I worked in Southampton but there does not seem to be much in the way of a memorial to such a significant place , which is a bit of a shame.