discussion Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-dealing with Transparent Mouldings in the home workshop.

Have you ever been faced with making a large transparent canopy ? well if you dont know how to go about it stick around a minute for a method that costs you no more than your favourite soft drink,the material that large bottles of soft drinks come in is ideal for or task but first we need to make a plug,dont worry at mention of this, it is a simple task,just grab a block of balsa the size of your canopy and mark out first the side view,cut this out with a band saw or if you dont have such a luxury a keyhole saw will suffice,next mark the plan ( top ) view and cut away the surplus wood,finally use a surform or similar to shape the block,smooth the edges with glasspaper,if you wish you can face the bottom portion with a piece of ply,this does strengthen the plug and give that extra bit to play with whilst trimming the canopy etc.

Next take the large drinks bottle and cut off the top portion at the neck,place the carved block of wood into the bottle and ram in some rag of similar to blank off the open end,now take your heat gun ( you can use any hair drier or heat gun with care ) and play the heat evenly onto the plastic,what will happen now is the plastic bottle will shrink itself up tightly against the wood former,just be patient and do not get too close otherwise you will burn the plastic,practise will soon pay off as you get to know just how close you can get without spoiling things,leave to cool off and with your Stanley knife run a line at the base of the canopy and trim up with a pair of scissors,result one new canopy for your pride and joy.

There is another way to make smaller canopies or plastic mouldings,the results will surprise you and like the plug in bottle technique a little practise and a few failures will bring forth expertise in the task,and better still results.

Modern cosmetic gift wrapping material is ideal for making up transparent mouldings,never throw such material away as it is just ideal for modelling,in order to avoid heat spots wash the material in warm soapy water,clean and dry off with a chamois and leave to air dry.Get the best by positioning across the female mould,dont forget to allow some extra material for the depth of the draw,spacing the staples will also give more plastic to pull through without lappin onto itself in the process,a few experimental plunges will give you an idea of how deep the plug will go into the hot plastic without curling back.

This is the time established way of making small cockpit canopies,simply carve a plug from balsa wood,make a female mould from a piece of ply slightly oversized to allow for the deep draw of the plastic sheet,pin or staple the sheet to the female and heat over a gas or electric ring until the material becomes floppy,then plunge the plug into the mould,wait for a few seconds to cool and withdraw the plug,you will probably need a bit of practise and a bit of wasted material in the process but practise makes perfect and that is the secret.

To trim up firstly use a chinagraph pencil to mark the base line,then with a pair of sharp curved nail scissors carefully cut outside the line,a permagrit abrasive block will easily clean up the edges,but beware of scratching the material.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-What happens to all of your models ?

A remarkable chance happening here at Scale-Models,a model of the Albatross C.1 that was built for a TV series called 'Wings' was spotted by the son of the builder through this forum,after years of storage after its rebuild to fly a lot more is now known about this very interesting model,the picture above shows her shortly after rollout from my tiny workshop,being such a large model that needs careful rigging and assembly,she needed to be placed sideways into my then Nissan Prairie vehicle,no room even for a passenger as the wings spread across the front seats ! after waiting a few weeks for suitable weather off I went and made the one and only post restoration test flight,that was it, I was perfectly happy and due to the logistics of assemling and carrying this monster around never flew her again,as it happens I am not short of subjects to fly and she has been resting ever since in storage until a museum could be found to display her.

This made me think as to how many similar models like this there are still around in sheds and attics throughout the land ? many models never get properly completed,others suffer the inevitable prang,others get sold off,but there must be thousands of models out there just waiting to get restored or flown again ? many builders are content to complete the model and sell it on having enjoyed the build process,others will fly them into the ground until the fuel rots the structure,and some will go into lofts to be forgotton about.

Over the years there have been special places where scale models are on show,there are specialist boat museums,and places where model aircraft are kept ready for flight,one such place now sadly now longer open was the model airfield at Goosedale,Nottingham,here you could store that monster B-29 bomber fully rigged, ready for the day when you could get assistance to lift her outside and fly her from the prepared airstrip,such luxury is beyond most of us and can entail a long journey to enjoy using our models to the fullest.

Another avenue to take is to use our local museums,there are some splendid miniatures in glass cabinets to enhance the full sized thing,but here lies a warning,make sure that your model is going to be well cared for,there have been instances where presented models have been dumped in storerooms and get damaged,you need an assurance that the model will in fact be displayed to the best advantage,and above all looked after especially if on loan to them.The museum avenue can be a good way providing this criteria is met,once more you have the advantage that you can still have the pleasure of seeing your model any time that you are passing by.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Flying Daredevils & Barnstormers.

FLYING DAREDEVILS.

During the early nineteen twenties there was a surplus of training airplanes in America left over from the first world war,many of these wood and fabric machines were scrapped off,others found their way to airplane brokers who sold them to budding would be pilots who taught themselves to fly,there was also a gallant band of ex war pilots who had little money but loved flying,they got hold of a Jenny,toured America landing in hired farmers fields and gave people a taste of what aviating was alll about and made a good living at the same time,long before the days of personal insurance we had people getting more and more daring in performing stunts in circuses,these same people got into the air and started to walk along the wings of their machines,they were called 'Wing Walkers' not content with doing that they got more adventurous and trying to get that little bit better act like changing the wheel of a machine in flight,or hanging from their teeth from the struts,with all of the wires on a Curtiss Jenny or Standard biplane they could cling onto these parts and entwine themselves.

Yes there were accidents,many falling to their death,to get a good idea of what stunt and daredevil flying is all about then try to get to see 'The Great Waldo Pepper' which gives a good idea what aviation was all about in those far off pre-regulated days before the Federal Aviation Authorities stepped in.

These old pictures from the archives show just how daring and fanatical these people were,some went onto greater things,the most famous being Charles Lindbergh who later went on to conquer the Atlantic single handed by air flying from America to France.Others less fortunate met a timely death either in crackups ( a popular term of that period ) or just sheer bad luck,one slip and that was it,over you went,very few wore any parachute,these would have been far too bulky for the stunts that they performed.

I dedicate these pictures to the true aviation circus pioneers of the early days of aviation,the bravery ( and sheer madness ) knew no bounds,the Barnstormers who toured America from coast to coast.

Making a pickup from a speed boat,the speed of the boat and the Jenny had to be very carefully timed.

Art Bebber wrestles with a Jenny with a rope ladder hanging underneath,stunts like this were relished by the film companies who kept the pilots and circus crews in employment.

Hanging from the wingtip anti-scrape loop and balancing on top of a Jenny wing required great nerve and skill,there were many accidents.

Having crawled down the top of the fuselage to the tail,the pilot in the front cockpit is hidden in this view.To crawl down like that with the slipstream blasting takes some doing,the had nerves of steel.Note the Jenny still has its military markings having been purchased from one of many of the war surplus yards of that time,airplanes had no certification and very little maintenance,attrition rates were very high.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-The slide in society standards.

Well today I am putting aside my usual blog, and going to talk about something that caught my eye in the letters column of the 'Coventry Evening Telegraph' it is a poignant reminder of the times in which we live,here is the letter which is titled 'Let's all think about more of others '-

'I have lived in England for nearly all of my 47 years.I witnessed a pensioner travelling at nearly 60 mph on the A45 where there are roadworks and a speed limit of 40 mph.

She was grey haired,selfish,a hazard to other drivers,in fact most drivers were breaking the speed limit,not only this but she was stringing the most foul obscenities and gesticulations.

I regularly see people dropping cigarette stub-ends,litter thrown everywhere,even urinating in a hedge or against a wall.In queus,it is interesting to see people of all ages and occupations showing intolerance,using foul language,showing that they or their job or duty is of more importance or priority than anyone else's.

Have they forgotton about 'hello','good morning','please','thank you','have a nice day' ?

I think that everyone or everything ,from the spiders,flowers,my dustman,doctor etc,should be treated ith respect,due care and attention being given before my own inerests.

That is what I have learned from wonderful England and its people over 40 years and I would like to think that it is only a small minority who upset or spoil my day'

Such letters are on the increase as good living people are exposed to these degenerates in society,why should they have to put up with such foul behaviour ? a lot of the blame must go to television who see it fit to allow foul language on their programmes at any time of the day,once more the acceptance of this by society in general is a signs that we are slowing sliding as a nation,not everyone wants to hear this in their living room and above all accept it as a matter of fact,if we are to maintain standards then we must be seen to be doing something about it,are we slowly going back into the dark ages ? the letter above is a good indication of the concern by many towards this scourge of modern society,I agree we should show every consideration towards each other, and not tolerate these people who try and pull us down with their poor standards whether it is verbal or in the way that they act towards society.

 

[Guest]

I'm afraid we are now living with the results of the liberalisation of society that we all strived for through the 60's and 70's.

Parents seem to blame everyone else but themselves for thiers kids shortfalls but it originates from them. There is no discipline at home because too many parents are all busy chasing thier own selfish careers so the kids are farmed out to nursery's, school clubs, grand parents etc.

Parents seem to think that buying the latest "Game Boy" or sending the kids to piano lessons is doing thier bit as a parent but they don't even bother to eat thier meals together as a family nowadays.

It is not the schools fault, society's fault, the police's fault or any other institution we care to think of to blame. It lies fairly and squarely with selfish and bad parents.

 

[Guest]

...in other words ourselves. We let it happen. We are the parents of this generation. We get the government we deserve because we voted for it. We reap the rewards... and the pitfalls alas. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Political correctness also has been taken too far when we are not allowed to be parents bringing up our children the way we like. The "screw-thy-neighbour" syndrome permeates through-out today`s society. Me, me, me, me ! "Have a nice day" used to mean what it said, now it as bad as "I dont care" or "up yours". The slobbish way people dress is another example of what is wrong today. The obesse child time-bomb might shake them up in a very few years. Anyway can we please keep to modelling ? We could go to a political or social reform forum for this kind of talk. Barry ,your observations on the cockpit of the Chrislea Super Ace that Bob posted in the gallery. I wasnt sure if it had rudder pedals. What was the curious non standard layout ?

 

[wonwinglo]

I disagree Duncan,I think that we should discuss these important things,as hobbyists we are fortunate in seeing another dimension to our everyday lives,ie we have something constructive to do and enjoy,we are creative and hate destruction,I once saw the results of a friends aircraft models that were stolen from his shed,I could have cried for him,the engines had been torn out of the noses and the culprit had bounced up and down on the airframes,this reject got off with it because the judge said that there was not enough evidence,its not about politics but real life,lock up your sheds and get a camera or alarm installed otherwise it makes life easier for them.

The Chrislea Ace was way ahead of its time,when the company first did the small production run they made two versions one with conventional rudder/stick and the other with a control spectacle with interlinked rudder controls ( ideal incidently for parapheglic flyers ),they sent one off visiting all of the clubs in the UK,the result was the instructors hated the spectacle and made it known to the Chrislea company,most of the production went abroad including Australia and New Zealand, where they also favoured the tail dragger version which suited the rough strips,there was also an ambulance version which had the rear portion lift away to install a stretcher case,why dont we build good solid un-sophisticated machines like this anymore ? they have stood the test of time,I like the Auster range as well,tough as old boots with their welded steel frames,great aeroplanes.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-A great first flight.

G-CCGH Spitfire XXVI Replica made its first flight at Shoreham on today 16-03-2006,built by Kevin Pearce who started her three years ago,she is said to be the most accurate mini replica Spitfire flying.

Thanks to Captain McKay for the photograph who was on the spot to record this historic event for us here.

 

[Guest]

Barry,

When you say mini what scale is it?

 

[Guest]

I strongly agree that all these points should be discussed and acted upon . My point is that we model as a form of escapism from all the harsh realities of life (except for a few professionals). I feel there are forums dedicated to life, the universe and 47. What is the old truism about sex,politics and religion , never to be discussed in public.!! The title of this forum is Scale Models and I hope we stick to that subject.

 

[wonwinglo]

***Well judging by similar Spitfire replicas it would be aprox three quarter full size,this one has managed to cowl the engine nicely,some others which have Lycoming powerplants have the pots sticking out of the side,have yet to find out which powerplant is installed in this one,the other factor is fitting in a standard sized person into what must be a tiny cramped cockpit ! no room for beer bellies in this one.

Barry,When you say mini what scale is it?

 

[wonwinglo]

Too sensitive Duncan,I was just making a point about life,a diversion from modelling can sometimes be good and refreshes the parts others do not reach,lets not get into the rut that those other forums have got into and afraid to speak our mind because it is not about modelling,I think on this one we will to agree to disagree my friend.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-All about Wooden Aircraft Wings.

Delightful shot showing the wing and internal structure of a replica Bleriot monoplane.

WOODEN WING CONSTRUCTION.

In order to understand better how to incorporate scale detail into our models it is a good idea to carefully study the way full sized machines are built,once more when we can see how the parts are put together we can get things into perspective and reproduce them in miniature.One of the best places to see old aeroplanes is in museums or places like the Shuttleworth collection at Old Warden,Bedford,UK.here you will see aircraft in various states of restoration that reveal their inner skeletal construction,take your camera and sketch book with you to record these precious details for future use in your models.

Lets take a look inside a typical early biplane wing in the drawing above,firstly the spar will one of two forms,it can be a basic spindled wooden spar that has been drawn through machinery to ensure that it is dead true,once the blank has been cut the spar is further lightened by removing more wood from the portions between the wing ribs,the wood is effectively scooped out to save precious weight,next we have a box spar,this is normally built up from sections of timber carefully glued together in a jig,the box can take the form of four pieces but not always,longitudinal strength is gained from the glue up process which is done under controlled conditions,the timber must be fully seasoned before hand and be of the finest quality available.

The wing spar is the part which every small rib and gusset is placed to build up the wing,spars are stressed to be adequate for the particular application of that aeroplane,ie a fully aerobatic machine would have a much stronger and highly stressed component to withstand the stresses and strains,everything around the spar is required to build up the wings particular shape which consists of a leading edge normally made from timber,a trailing edge constructed from laminations of wood or on very early types of aircraft piano wire attached to the trailing edge with small fittings,the leading edge and trailing edge are spaced out via the wing ribs which are slid over the spars,tacked and glued into place with brass brads.On later aircraft torsional internal bracing was added to further strengthen the structure,this could be made from piano wire with swaged ends at just the right tension,or alternatively metal rods with threaded ends are placed criss cross within the structure of the wing,these are attached to metal fittings which are in turn bolted to the spars,these rods cater for the rearward forces placed on the wings especially in a dive,all aircraft have a maximum dive speed that must not be exceeded otherwise the structure would break up.

The wing ribs are normally made up in simple jigs and consist of a upper capping strip,a lower capping strip and torsional internal members retained with what are called 'biscuits' sometimes plywood ribs are used with upper and lower capping but the ptrinciples are the same in both cases.

The drawing shows four types of wing rib together with a selection of strut constructional methods,the struts are normally laminations of good quality timber held together under pressure in a jig with clamps,once dry they are individually planed and shaped into an aerofoil section,all woodwork is then treated with marine/seaplane varnish to make the wood waterproof.Once the struts have been completed woodwise metal end fittings are bolted into place,these fittings are normally stove enamelled to stop corrosion and avoid moisture attack from the wood itself.

If you look carefully at any biplane the structure is all based on the triangulation principle,even relatively lightweight structures can be made to be sturdy for the purposes of flight,combine lightweight materials with correct build techniques and the results are outstanding.

Here we see a Gipsy Moth with its wings folded,note that on the leading edge of the root section are placed 'Jury struts' these prevent the wing from collapsing on the ground when the wings are unpinned at the front,these struts are then removed once the wing is re-rigged ready for flight.

World War 1 Fokker wings with simple ply and spruce capped ribs,the leading edge wrap may seem strange but is very strong once in place,diagonal rib taps strung from the inboard ribs to the tip are purely for stopping the ribs twisting during the doping process,the wingtips are several laminations of spruce steamed and glued,the white areas are where cloth tapes have been wound around.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Airscrew Construction.

AIRSCREW CONSTRUCTION.

There are different types of airscrews made of various materials,these materials are wood,steel,magnesium alloy,magnesium alloy and synthetic resin used in conjunction with laminated wood or layers of specially woven fabric.A large proportion of airscrews are still made of wood,next comes aluminium alloy,next comes aluminium alloy,and there is a small proportion made of magnesium alloy,steel,and compressed and impregnated laminated wood.

Wood originally formed the material for all airscrews;they were reliable,cheap to manufacture,they could also be made easily by skilled labour and had the advantage of not giving trouble due to fatigue.Wood had the disadvantage,however of being subject to distortion owing to climatic conditions,and was easily damaged by stones picked up on airfields or even water errosion on seaplanes and flying boats.

Further when wooden airscrews are damaged they are normally scrapped as they are not easily repaired,owing to the disadvantages of wooden airscrews,efforts were made to devbelop metal types,such as a hollow steel blade,built up of thin sheet which were either riveted or welded together.These blades had a certain amount of success,but were liable to distortion and fatigue trouble.A more successful metal blade was that made of aluminium aloy;this was a solid thin blade,and was designed as to be flexible ,advantage being taken of the centrifugal forces to offset stresses due to the imposed bending moments.This blade had limitations,however,because it could not withstand high engine powers,a thicker and more rigid blade was necessary.The aluminium alloy airscrews for increased engine powers were developed,these had a detacheable blade clamped into the hub and capable of being set at any desired pitch on the ground before locking.With the development of the variable pitch airscrews came a vast change of design methods of hub attachments,the difficulty of holding blades into the hub so they were satisfactory under the high centrifugal loads and bending moments ,and at the same time be free to rotate,was considerable.The airscrew design went through various changes,and although blades of different material were tried,the development of the aluminium alloy blades seems to have met with the most success,the forging process being controlled so that the maximum strength is obtained at the root end of the blade giving good grain flow.

Magnesium has always been an attractive material owing to its lightness,but it was slow in being used due to failures,although when its properties were understood better,the results which followed showed that it was a promising material.

Laminated,impregnated and compressed wood is a material generally well suited for airscrew blades,embodying the advantages of a wooden airscrew without the disadvantages.

Reinforced synthetic resin blades have been made and used on various types of engines,and with the improvement in manufacture and materials took their place as an accepted and approved material.

 

[Guest]

A hard one here Hmmmmmmmm Duncan at first i agreed with your comments but on 4th or 6th thoughts this is a chit chat forum or any subject you like!! so despite my first opinions i have to side with Barry on this one. To Add to Richards Comments we as a fairly large family have a rule ! we all sit down to dinner together! I find that we have the most interesting conversations and the kids seem to be able to talk to us without being interupted by the latest tele series or playstation game or even going out with their friends I find this time to be of special value to me and my family who all throughout their busy day come together at least once to share something! (I may be old fasioned but hey i like it)

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Building models from plans-Part 15

More drawings as inspiration for you to try something different as a model subject,there are no excuses now to not build multi engine subjects with reliable electric power in abundance,study the drawings,get out the roll of plain wallpaper and get scaling up !

Fairchild Gunner.

Curtiss JN-4D Jenny/Canuck

Boeing Stearman PT-13/PT-17 Kaydet.

Avro Lancastrian.

Latecore 631.

Avro Lincoln.

LK-425.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Out and about-Wellesbourne airfield.

With a touch of spring in the air I decided to make my first visit this year to my delightful and friendly local airfield,Wellesbourne Mountford it is only 8 miles from Warwick and serves as a generl aviation field taking some of the lighter aircraft away from busy Birmingham International and Coventry airport,here are based an ever changing variety of aircraft,these are mostly stored outside due to a lack of hangar space,the original hangars being used for warehouses as that is more lucrative,a walkabout produced a variety of aircraft parked up which kept my digital camera clicking,here are a few of the more interesting machines with a bit of their history-

F-GBPB Kingair 90 at Wellesbourne 19-03-2006,this is French registered and lives outside on the old peri track of this former wartime airfield.

N70AA Queenair is ex G-REXP registered to Nutricious Inc,seen here at Wellesbourne on 19-03-2006.The type was one of the early twins imported from the U.S.A and is quite rare these days,many British aircraft like this are operated with American registrations,the aircraft being registered by a trustee company,this saves money in paperwork charges applicable to aircraft on the British civil register.

N208NJ Caravan used by the former MG Rover company,seen here at Wellesbourne 19-03-2006.

This high wing single is a very capable machine,fairly rare in the UK but used as aerial workhorses around the world,especially out in the bush,they are easily capable of being fitted with floats from operation from water.

N4024W Caravan also at Wellesbourne 19-03-2006,another example !

G-BZXZ/XX629 Bulldog at Wellesbourne on 19-03-2006,former R.A.F arcraft made surplus and snapped up for the civil market,such machines are allowed to use their former serial and colours provided that they are recorded with the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority).

No newcomer to Wellesbourne,the former LX-ACP Cessna 210 now under UK registry as G-CDMH at Wellesbourne 19-03-2006,this aircraft is un-usual in being a Robertson STOL conversion with high lift wing leading edges and other modifications.

G-BUJN Cessna 172 also used by MG Rover,seen outside their offices at Wellesbourne 19-03-2006.

Not sure of the status of these aircraft since the demise of the company recently ?

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Out and about-Wellesbourne airfield-Part 2

A few more pictures taken whilst visiting Wellesbourne on 19-03-2006 -

G-BXDM/WP840 Chipmunk 22 at Wellesbourne 19-03-2006,the aircraft lives at R.A.F Halton being used by the Aeroplane club.

Former film replica Spitfire with wings assembled but sans front end at Wellesbourne 19-03-2006.

This was one of several used in the film 'Battle of Britain' and made from a pattern of a real Spitfire,this one also had an electric motor used for ground taxying in the film.If you look carefully you can see where every rivet and panel line has picked up from the original.

Storm damaged G-BNIV Cessna 152 still languises at Wellesbourne together with two Bulldogs owned by the 'Squires Air Force'.This aircraft was thrown into the air when gales tore it from its picketing hooks,once a light aircraft is blown over like this they are scrap.

Two new arrivals ex Heathrow at Heliar are Serials 1101 and 1158 Robinson R.44's seen at Wellesbourne on 19-03-2006.This is how the Robinson R-22 & R-44 helicopters arrive in this country,large packing cases which support the front pod,another box for the boom and yet another which holds the rotor blades,the helicopters are assembled within a few days then flown out to Booker,High Wycombe for their avionics fit.After this they are either delivered or collected by their owners.

 

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Aviation in Argentina-A special report for Scale-Models..

Photographs taken in Argentina March 2006 -

These pictures were taken by Captain Hitchman on his visit to Argentina searching out rare and historic aircraft,there are a few gaps as I am still trying to ascertain some of the identities for the more obscure machines,Argentina appears to be a goldmine for antique aircraft,note the number that appear derelict or minus engines or panels.

Gloster Meteor.

Boeing PT-17 Stearman.

Stinson Sentinal.

Davis V-3 Le Bond engine.

Aero 45.

Republic Seabee.

Fleet Finch with Kinner radial engine.

 

[Guest]

What is LV- RAA ? Nice shots, any more?