Popular Flying July/August 1977

Popular Flying 4A

FROMTHEP.F.A.OFFICE

Allpricesaresubjecttochangewithoutnoticeduetoincreasesinpriceandcurrencyfluctuations.

Popular Flying

EditorialCoototinee: ALANDUNN MIKEGRIGSON JOHNHAFFENDEN LAURIEMANSFIELD

EditorialAddress.

TerminalBuilding, ShoreharnAirport, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex.BN45FF

Telephone: Shoreharn-by-Sea61616

PFAEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President: A/Croop.GJ. C. Pm,,flEC., M.A.,C.Eng.,F.R.Ae.S.

Chairnum: D.F. FAULKNERBRYANT

Treasurer:

L.SHAW,D.Ae.,C.Eng.,M.R.Ae.S.. A.M.S.L.A_ET.

EagineeringOfficer:

F.I.V. WALKER, C.E.ngE.R.Ae.S.

CommitteeAlemhers: DOUG-BIANCHI EDWARDDAVIS LESDRAY JOHNDIENn/RD MISS Pr HOLMES ERNIEIERYRSEALE IKIJOSEPH ALEKNOWLES,CELLE LAUHIfNIANSFILED JOHNPOMECARE, Los,124-9 AN MIERVANE), BILEVEIIKS

SenoraI.General:

J. S..1. LAEDER

Py A

Founded1946

Individualmembership:0.50p.a.

ThePawling(lordrepresentativebodyindic UnitedKingdomofanuneurconstotoars andoperatorsalafiro-lightandGroup operatedaircraft.

P.F.A.(ULAIR)Lid

ErnEllCOMMENT—

NeilWilliamscaughtflyingtheArrow Active.G-ABVE.

Photoby AirPortraits

PopularFlying,July-August,1977

JULY-AUGUST,1977

2-3 .101)1±D-9AIRTEST

4-5VINTAGENEWS

6-7NietfONALOGUNCILMITTINCBLPORI

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10-12JAR()JoII!NOS

13MENIORIFS111--VHFPot:

14FLIGHTWITHOUTTntBIN11-1IOFRAI)10

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16-17AGEOGRAPHICALBRISLNIATIONOFAIRCRAII

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18-21SHUFFNiTws

22ORGANISINGASIRC-IRALLY 23LETTERS

24EVANSBOAVI.R

25AIRCRAFTFORTHLDOW_BUILD1R

26-28AMONGTITANS

29NEWWINDSCREENSFOROLD 31FINALS

Theviewsexinnsedin POPULARFLYING aretimseofthe contributor'sandnotnecessarilythoseoftheP.F.A.ThePublishers retaintherighttorefuseorwiththawadvertisementswtheirdiscretionanddonotacceptliabilityfbrdelay in publicationorfor clericalorprinter'serrorsalthougheverycareistokentoavoid mistakes.

EDITORIAL

OurunreservedcongratulationsinustgototheWessexStrutfeuthe organisationandsheersuccessoftheirfirst-everrally.whichisreported elsewhereinthesepages.Thiswasthefirstrallyofourseasonand certainlysetanexampleforustofollowthroughouttheyear.Wewould liketothinkthattheattendancetherewasanindicationofwhatwemight expectatralliestocomehut,let'sfaceityourallyorganisers,ifthemasses turnupandyoucannotcopewiththem,thenYOUReventwillhardlybe asuccess.Thiswassomethingwhichdidn'toverwhelmTonyYoungand hisbandofenthusiastichelpersatHenstridge:despitethreetimesasmany machinesandpeopleturningupthanwereexpected.Agreatjobwelldone isoureditorialopinion,evidencedbythespecialfrontpagemention.

Manyotherralliesaredue,asyouwillseefromcurcalendarofevents andbythetimethisissueisinyourhands,therallyseasonshouldbein fullswing.APEArallyisTHEoneoccasionwhenWehavetheopportuMty ofinvolvingthoseofourfamilies who hovetosufferourhobbyallyear round.Whatagoodideaitistousetherallyasasocialoccasion;blintz alongyourfamily.WivesolGirlfriends(notbothatthesametime, please),andletthemseethefinishedproductand,indeed,thevariety'of types.It'youareahomebuilder,stillstrugglingalongwiththeendnotyet insight,withthehouseclutteredupwith.wing-ribs,thelivingroomstinking ofdope,thefamilycaroustedfromtheuarageandtocapitallthesawdustfootprintsandred-dopedtrousers.justthinkwhataWonderful opportunityisofferedbyaPEArally.Youcanindulgeyourloveofhomebuiltswhilstatthesametimeappearingasafamily-lovingcreature_Just packthemallinthecar,includeapicnichamper.abottleofbeeranda coupleofdeckchairsandyourweekendwillbecomplete.Ralliesdon't justhappen,theyhavetobeorganised,hutwithoutpeopletheyaredead. Aheldofaeroplanesisnohelptoourcause, EEithoutthepeopletolookat them.Andsoyoumiuhtsaythemessageis:getup.getOHLbrinufamily andfriends,supportyourlocalrally.Also.1mightadd,supportusat Sywell.

AnyonewhohasreadRobertLowe'sseriesofarticles-'EnjoytheSky' —nowpublishedinbookletform,willrealisetheenthusiasmconveyed to progressinuhome-builderbyadayatthePFAinternationalrallyat Sywell.Bobconveystousall,throughhiswritings,justhowimportantit wasforhimtotraveltoSywell.comparehis&fortswithotherpeople's andtomeetasmanyhome-builders,inspectorsandindeed.executives,of thePFA.aspossible.Sywellisagreateventbutifyoudon'twishtocatch thedreaded'disease'thenbyallmeansstayaway.Ifyouprefernottouct involvedinhome-huiltaircraft,orlookatvintageorveteranones,or talkultra-lighttopics.Ithinkyou should stayaway.It'sverycatching. Theremustbealotofothereventsonthefirstweek-endinJuly.ICAN'T THINKOFANY.

1-7171 e? -9)? FLYINGASSCI

JODELD.9BEBE

AlRTEST byAirCommodoreG.J.C. PAUL

Reprintedwiththepermissionof

In1945whenthewarinEuropeended,France.the nationwhichhadoncesetthepaceinaviationforthe i-estoftheworld,wasleftwitharavagedaircraft industryandagenerationtowhomaircraftdesignand pilotagewasalmostaclosedbook.Oneofthewise actionsofthepost-warFrenchGovernmentwasto providespecialencouragementtostudentsofaviahon, amateurconstructors,andyoungpeoplewhowanted tolearntofly.Thecurrenthealthyconditionof aviationinFrancestemslargelyfromthispolicyof encouragement:andthesignificanceoftheJodel Bébe.,whichisthesubjectofthisair-test,isthatthe designwasoneofthefirst-fruitsofthepolicyinstituted inFrancein1946.

TheSociete.desAvionsJodelwasformedin1946by MessieursEdouardJolyandJeanDelemontez,and takesitsnamefromthem.TheD.9(Bebe)wasdesigned inresponsetoaGovernmentrequirementforanultralighaaircraftsuitableforamateurconstructionand ch.eapoperation.ThefirstBebeflewinJanuary1948, andsincethenover600havebeenbuilt.Theprincipal recognitionfeatureofJodelaircraftisthewide-chord monoplanewing,withtaperedtipssetatamarked dihedral.Thisisashapemuchfavouredbymodel aircraftconstructorsonaccount of thelateralstability whichresults;andsofarastheBebeisconcerned,any experiencedmodellerwouldfindhimselfonfamiliar constructionalground.

TheD.9Bebeisalsothemodelfromwhichalllater Jodeldesignsarederived,includingthethree-and four-seater,somewithconsiderableperformance, currentlybuiltbySocieteAéronautiqueNormande (S.A.N.)andAvionsRobin(formerly,C.E.A.,Centre EstAéronautique).Theparticularaircraftusedfor thisair-testwasG-AXKJ,oneoftwo(G-AXKIisthe other)completedbySouthdownAcroServicesLtd.at LashamAirfield,Hams.

Theprincipalfeaturesaresimplicityandcaseof maintenance.Materialsusedarewoodandfabric,with fibre-glassenginecowlings.Theboxsectionfuselage, withroundedtopfairing,iscompletelyconventional andmadefrombirchplywithsitkasprucelongerons andstiffeners.Thewingemploysasinglespar,inone piecefromtiptotip:thespariscrankedtoproducethe dihedralateachtip,andalthoughthissometimesdiscouragesamateurbuilders,thosewhohavedoneitsay thatitpresentsnoseriousproblems.Thesparpasses underthefuselage,whichrestsuponit,andthepilot's seatisactuallyonthespar.Theoriginaldesignprovidedforaplyleading-edge,andfabricovertheremainderofthewing.TheSouthdownD.9hasthe leading-edgeplyextendedtopandbottomtomeetthe spar,whichaddsconsiderablytothestiffnessofawing alreadystressedto90.OtherSouthdownfeatures includeattentiontoeasymaintenance:forexample, wewereshownhowtheaileronhingescanberemoved andreplacedwithoutopeningupthewing.

Thepowerplantisa1,500-c.c.VolkswagenbeautifullyconvertedbyMikePatiencetodesignsbyDon PeacockandapprovedbythePopularFlyingAssociation.ItisfittedwithtwinLucasmagnetoes,and gives45h.p.Cowlingsaremadeinfibre-glasslaminates.Theinstrumentpanelissimpleandfunctional withthethrottlecontrolsandmagnetoswitchesonthe left,compass,sensitivealtimeter,airspeedindicator, electricturnandslipindicator,r.p.m.indicator,and oilpressuregaugewithhotaircontrolontheright.

Thecockpitisconsiderablymoreroomythanin someothercomparableultra-lights,andbehindthe pilot'sheadisanexceptionallylargeluggagecompartmentforsuchasmallaircraft:itis21in.wide.19:3,:in. deep,and17in.highatthecentre.Whenseated normallyone'seyeis19in.fromthenearestinstrument, andthewidthatseatlevelis21iin.Thereisamap pockettoport,whichwasinfactfittedwhilewe watched,betweenflights.

Entrancetothepilot'sseatisovertheleading-edge ofthestarboardwingroot,usingthemainundercarriagewheelasastepThisissimpleandconvenient whentheengineisstoppedbutdemandscareifone wishestoleaveorenterthecockpitwhiletheengineis running.Wealsofoundthecockpitwindshieldalittle smallforourliking;iiilevelflightat70knotsthis pilot'seyeswereexactlylevelwiththetopedacofthe windshield,sowell-fittingsecurelyfixedgoggleswere essential.Wemustadnntatthispointastrong preferenceforaclosedcockpit,inwhichoneneednot weargogglesInfact,afullyenclosing,side-hinged canopycanbeprovidedforanadditionalcostofabout £60.Inouropinionthiswouldbewellworthwhile,and asTurbulentownerswillknow,isworthupto10knots ormoreinaddedspeed.Butasanopen-cockpit"funaeroplane,theBebewindshieldwouldstillbeimproved byanother2orperhaps3in.additionalheight:atany rateforlongcissypilotsoncoldmornings!

Handling

Popular -August,1977

G-AXKJseenorSywellin1975

theBebecanbeflownoff,atminimurnspeeds,instead ofbeatingthetailskidontheearthascanhappenina Turbulent.

Aseriesofclimbsagainststop-watchledtotheconclusionthatthebestinitialclimbingspeedwas45knots indicated,givingastartlingbestrateofclimbof750 ft./minThiswasatanall-upweightof637lb..or68lb. belowthepermittedmaximum.Onthisbasisone wouldexpectasea-levelrateofclimbofjustabout700 ft./min.atfullload,whichisexcellentforsuchalowpoweredaircraft.

ThestallingcharacteristicsoftheBebeseemgood, withtheexceptionthatthisparticularaircraftdisplayednodetectablepre-stallbuffet,orotheraerodynamicwarning.Asthespeedfelloff,theaircraft continuedtoflyquitehappily,untilat221knots indicated(Yes,221!)thenosedroppedratheras thoughsomebodyh-adremovedalatch,andthatwas all.Thewholeprocessoflevelengine-offstalland recoveringtolevelflightconsistentlytooknomore thanIOUft.Therewasnotendencytodropawing. Thetruestallingspeedis401mots,thepositionerrorat thisangleofattackbeing171knots.Wealsofoundit possibletocirclehappilyat30deg.bank,30knots indicatedwithnolackofcontrol,oranyindicationof beinganywherenearthestall.Thereisplentyof elevatorcontrolremainingatandbelowstallingspeed; andalthoughwedidnottryit,itisunderstoodthatthe Behéspinsnicelyandrecoversnormally

Thisparticularaircraftwastrimmedtoflyhandsand feetoffat55/60knots(I.A.S.).TheD.9mustbeabout theonlyultra-ligIntohavepositivestabilityaboutall threeaxes,andcreditforthismustgoinparttothe Jodelcrankedwing.Possiblybecauseofthis,aileron controlisheavierthaninotheraircraftofsimilarsize: andstiflensupconsiderablyasspeedincreases.Elevator controlisfairlylight,thoughheavierthroughoutthe speedrangethanaTurbulent.

TheJock!D.9isacrobatic,andhasbeensodemonstrated,thoughcurrentcertificationisnotclearonthis point.

Topspeedinlevelflightwasnotchecked;but3,000 r.p.m.gave71knotsindicatedat2,500ft.Fuelconsumptionatthisspeediscloseto2+ual.perhour, whichwouldgiveasaferangeoftheorderof210 nauticalmiles.Atmoreeconomicalspeedsthiswould begreater:anenclosedcockpitwouldalsoimprove m.p.g.andrange.

Recommendedcircuitandapproachspeedis50 knots(1.A.S).TheBebehandlesverynicelyatthis speed,andisstraightforwardandsimpletoland.Itcan beside-slippedorfish-tailed.Inaseriesoflandingswe droppedit,landedwithdrift,andtoofast—allof whichtheBebeacceptedwithoutcomplaint,but neverthelessindicatedclearlywhatwaswrong.The perfectlandingisobtainedbytechniquessimilartothe veteranTiger:andstrangelyenoughourfinalimpressionoftheJodelD.9Bebewasthatitdoeshave thatlittlesomethingpossessedbyclassicjobslikethe Tiger,andwhichlesseraircraftlack.TheD.9Bebe explainswhytheJodelformulahasremainedasuccess forsolong.

GiveforthosewhoGave

The13dbe'sroomycockpitandsimple,factionalpanel PopularFlying,July-August,1977

(Photo:AI.P.(tiarsh)

JohnBeeswax's VINTAGE NEWS

DarlingClementine

Timeisthebiggestfactor,lamentedBobRussell. pattingthesleekfuselageofhis1929Liechtflugzeubau KlemmL-25aandgazingfondlyontheoverlapping plywoodpanelswhichcoveritsframe.WhenheexplainedthatittookhimthreedaystoflytheKlemm fromPrestwicktotheCranlieldVintageairsliowitwas areminderoftheleisurelypaceofthelightaircraft producedduringthelatetwenties.Thatthree-hundred mileflighthadimpresseduponBobtheneedforlots ofsparetimeandcarefulplanningbeforeaccepting anyairshowinvitationsouthoftheborder.HerecalledtlmtonarrivalatCranfieldhehadbeen SOtired thatheallowedhimselftheluxuryofashortdozeon thegrassundelthewingbeforejoininginthefestivities.

RegisteredG-AAUP,theKlemmisguaranteedto pullacrowdofthutter-clickingadmirerswhereverit goesduetoitspristineconditionasaresultofBob Russell'spainstakingrestorationwork.Originally builtin1929theairframeisnumber145(whichmakes ittheoldestofthethreeKIemmsinthiscountryatthe presenttime)anditwasusedbythemanufacturer's salesdirectorHerrKirsch,whoflewitalloverEurope givingdemonstrationsoftheaircraft'sdocilehandling characteristics.Thisarduousworkrequiredmanylong cross-countryflightstoseekoutpotentialcustomers andG-AAUPisunique ill havinganextratengallon fueltankbuiltindirectlyunderneaththeeightgallon headertankbehindthefirewall.Withthetwotwelve gallonwingtanksfittedasstandardtheextrafuelgave themachineanenduranceoffourteenhourswhichno doubttheredoubtableHerrICisellhadoccasionto use.In1930theKlemmwassoldandregisteredinthe U.K.whereitgaveitsownersmanyhoursofsafeflying throughoutthethirties.

Tolightaviationenthusiastsofthosepre-wardays theKlemmL-25musthaveseemedastrangemixture ofoldandnew.Withitsallplywoodcantileverfolding wingsitpre-datedthe1937D.H.MothMinormonoplanesbutthesquareoutlineoftherudderandthe wirewheelstoldofanearliereraanddespitethe advancedconcepttheoverallflavourwasthatofthe mid-twenties.Suchauniqueblendledpilotand collectorBobGrantofDumfriestorescueallthree remainingmachinesinthe.UK.justpriortothewar, andtherecanbenodoubtthatitisthankstohimthat sonicoftheKlemmsarestillflying.

ItwasfromthishaventhatBobRussellpurchased G-AAUPin1969.Theaircraftwastransportedby roadfromDumfriestoanemptyworkshedonPrestwickairportundertheshadowofvasthangarsfullof Boeing707sandCanadairCL44sundergoingoverhauls.Tothedistantclamourofwindydrillsthefull extentoftheworktobecarriedoutbecameclear duringthefirstsearchinginspection.Muchoftherear fuselagehadsufferedfromdampandrequiredmajor 'surgery'.similarlythestubwingsofthecentresection andundercarriagehadsufferedfromthesainefate.On ahappiernotethe Lill-geared 55hp.SalmsonAD-9 ninecylinderradialenginewasinexcellentcondition despiteyearsofstorageandthewings,nodoubtdueto theirundercoatofcopalvarnish,didnotrequiremajor repairs.

• Taxt-IngtheKlennwWithoutbrakesthemachMecanhetricky10manoeuvreOntheground.BobRussellsdanghier on!hestarboardwingliphaslo5printasslwglades61.-1,4t•Paroundaturntotheleft.Notethewirewheels. Banger'sarelocatedinthestubwingroots.

WithenthusiasticencouragementRobsettowork onthefuselagewherenewlowerlongeronswere scarfedinandacompletenewfinconstructed.When therepairworkonthecentresectionhadbeencompletedthefuselagewasreskinnedwithnewplywood coveringandemergedfromtheworkshopin a11Ms new'conditionfollowingayearofhardwork.Inall. withwings,engineandfuelsystemsthecomplete restorationworktookthreeyearsandG-AAUPmade herfirsttestflightillMay1972justintimetotake partinthebigPrestwickairdisplayofthatyear.With hergreatyellowandsilverwings,yellowfuselageand largeblackregistrationlettersshestoletheshow, demonstratingslow,gracefulflightincontrasttoth.e brutepowerandspeedofthemodernaircrafttaking part.

Thelarge(42ft.)spanwingshaveanareaof215 sq.ft.andcoupledwiththedeeplyundercambered Gottingensectiontheyprovidesomedelightfullow speedflyingqualities.Thestallisinnocuousreally justanincreaseintherateofdescentwhilethecruising speedisasedate65m.p.h.Theninecylindersare exposedtotheelements,animportantpartofthc pre-ffightcheckbeingtolubricatethevalverocker assemblieswithanoilcanbeforetake-off.This informationisplacardedalongwithvariousother piecesofadvicetothepilotsuchasareminderto pumpupenoughfuelintotheheadergravitytankfor thedeparture.Thelowwingloadingprecludesth.e operationoftheaircraftinwindyconditionssoBob andhissonDavidkeeptheKlemmsafeinoneofthe largehangarsattheairportduringthewintermonths. Duringthesummerseasonhowever,G-AAUPis flowntoasmallairstripontheKdkerranestatesome twentymilessouthofPrestwick.Atanearbyhostelry BobRussell,sonDavidandtheirfriendsentertained theBeeswaxteamwithstoriesofthemanyadventures inG-AAUP.affectionatelynamed'Clementine'From PerthtothenorthtoDumfriesinthesouththeirlocal flyingareaisoneofgreatbeautyandtheopencockpits oftheKlemmaffordthemanexcellentviewalongwith theslowcansingspeedwhichallowsplenty of timeto enjoythescenery.Aradiowasoncefittedbut'noise' fromtheunscreenedignitionmadereceptionimpossible.LongdistanceflightsintheKlemm,therefore belongtoanothererawhenmanyofthepeoplewho indulgedinprivateflyingwereblessedwithunlimited leisuretime,andasBobRussellhadobserved,witha darlinglikeClementineoneneedsalotoftime.

PopularFlying,July-August,1977

Fokkersurgery

OnlookerswereamazedwhenJoeAustincalmly sawedthe Per sonalPlaneServicesFokkerEindecker inhalf.Aqueryelicitedtheadvicethatitwastomake moreroonlinthehangar,HoHo!Allwasrevealed whenJoechoppedanotherthirteeninchesoutofthe mid-fuselageandre-weldedthetwohalvestogetherto formashorterEIll.Thereason?Moreaccurate informationgleanedfromoriginaldrawingsand photographsshowedthatthefuselagewastoolong andsurgeryhasputmattersright.AnyonebutDoug BianchiandJoeAustinwouldBoelkeatthatsortof job!

VintageClubnewsbriefs

Thirty-twoaircraftflewintoFinmereonthesunny firstSundayinAprilfortheDaffodilrally.Fourteen tookpartinthetimedcircuitcompetitionwhichwas wonbyJohnFowlerafterafly-offagainstJohn Allison.PrizeswerepresentedbythelateDouglas Hull'swidow,Marjorie TheUnicornat Cuhlingtonbecamethecentreofvintageenthusiasts onthe22ndofAprilwhentheV.A.C.heldtheir NogginandNatternight TheV.A.C.are takingpartinavillageJubileecelebrationsduringthe GeminiPatroldayinMay.WhogetstoflytheCarnival Queen,lads7 TheTransportTrustFestival flypasthadtobecancelledduetonumerousdifficulties TheGuild'sgardenpartyatDenhamtakesits place

VintageCalendar1977

Sat.-Mon. SummerCamp Finmere. 27-29thBringyourtentorcaravanandletthekids Aug.helpwiththeBarbecuepreparations whileyouIlyyouroldaeroplane—or someoneelse.

Sunday SouthCoastBarnsiorm—ShorehanfBen/18th Sept. bridge. UinchatShoreham,thenashoreline patroltotheIsleofWight.TeaatRembridge.

Sunday TeaPatrol--hiunere. 2ndOct.Defendyourailfieldagainstthecunning teaandbunhooversofotherclubs. Patrolyourassignedsectorandnoteall registrations

Lit-upandaway..11theactionshothyMervynHunterofBohRussellfakingoffalPrestwick,Votethe'square. rwlderand Whig tip.vkidslhecuriouspositionofthepool:staticmostiselearleseeninthispicture. (Photo.courle.syG.Hunter)

AirCommodorePaul,ourPresident,welcomed delegatestothemeetinganditwasagreedthatMr. AnthonyFarrelltakethechair.Thoseattendingwere asfollows:

AirCommodorePaul (Pcmitlenn: D.Faulkner-Bryant li.xectuitteCtommitteel: F.LV.Walker (ExecutiveCummittee): L.W.Shaw (ExecutiveCeinutritteel: M.Vaisey (ExecutiveCommittee); A.Knowles (EctuutireCommittee); J. Dunford (Executive('ommittee): L.C.Mansfield (Eremitic.('rntunittetIt T. Reagani E.re,utireCommittee): W.Weiss (E)ecutive(Mmnitteet: A.Farrell. Harts.Strut (MeetingClut(mum): A.Tringham,RedhillStrut:R.Burnaby, RedhillStrut.E,Butler,HeartofEnglandStrut;M.Holloway,WessexStrut; J.Benlield,SowellStrut;D.Kirkham,McAullyGroup;J.Fell.N. Norfolk:A.fell,N.Norfolk;A.Taylor,MeAtillyFlyingGroup:J.Wills, NKentStrut:R.King,Lutonand()unstableStrut;Ci.Taylor.N.IiStrut; S.Jackson,L.MidlandsStrut:M.Robins,W.MidlandsStrut;S.McConnacher,BedfordshireStrut;C.Clark,S.HumbersideStrut,R.Yates, BostonStrut:R.Wales,SolentStrut;R,Edwards,SolentStrut;ElBatman, Gloucester&CheltenhamStrut:H.Yardley,Gloucester&Cheltenhamstrut; JTetley,W.YorksSind,K.Wigglesworth.W,YorksStrut.

Apologiesforabsencewerereceivedfrom--

C.Davies(Executive Comadoce); L.Dray (ExecutiveCitmmillee).J. Pothecary (EtrecolireCommittee): A, Newnham,AndoverStrut:M.Joseph(fortieths. Commitwe): C.Millington.MontgomeryU.L.F.G.;P.Hussey,Chelmsford Strut: L.Richardson,NE_Strut;DLiveseyHeston&Hanworth Strut:S. Lauder (OlineAltottoger).

Undermattersarisingfromthepreviousmeeting, ourChairmanhadtoreportthatA.O.P.A.haddone nothingatallattherecentC.A.A.meeting,inconnectionwiththematterofrestrictionofregistrationof flyingtrainingorganisations.asubjectreferredtoin the'finals'columnofanearliermagazine.Consequentlywecouldexpectnochangesintheimmediate future.

InhisChairman'sReport,DavidF.F.Bryant advisedusthattheExecutiveCommitteewerecontinuingintheirworkofrunningthePFAand,among otherthings,weretryingtogetamorepermanentbase thanthepresentrentedaccommodation.Tothisend planningapplicationhasbeenmadetoerectapermanentPFAHeadquartersatShoreham,togetherwith hangarage.ThecostofthisistobemetfromthePFA reservebuildingfund,whichhasbeensetasidefor thispurpose.Hewentontosaythatourdouble-decker bushadbeendisposedofandthatwehadnowacquiredanew45seater,singledeckcoach.Hetoldus thatanewExecutiveMemberwasnowsolelyresponsibleforpublicrelations.Hehadalsoattended meetingsoftheFederationAviationInternationale, wheretheydiscussed,amongotherthings,the difficultiesofover-flyingEuropeancountries,which needtobeovercome.

Onengineering,JohnWalkeradvisedthattherewas anewC.ofA.inthepipe-line,butthatthiswouldbe unlikelytohaveeffectforsometimeyet.InthemeantimeaninterimC.ofA.isbeingintroduced,buteven theconditionsofthathaveyettoberesolved.Further discussionrangedonthepointoffullharnessbeing mandatoryandtherequirementsthatmightbeneeded inPFAaircraft.

OnoutsideeventsTomReagantoldusthatthe PFAaretakingpartin:BigginHillAirFair,BlackpoolAirFair,BournemouthAirFair,aswellas Sywell.ThePFAwouldalsoparticipateintheBlackbusheEventattheendofJuly,andtheTailDraggers' RallyatOldWarden.Heurgedtheneedformore memberstohelpmanthestandsattheseparticular events.RayWalesaskediftherewasanycheckonthe expertiseofthosepilotstakingpart,suggestingthat novicesshouldberequiredtohavesomecheck-out beforeflyinginacloseformationinadisplay.Mr. Mansfieldagreed,amplifyingthepoint.

TheMagazinewasthenextitemdiscussedandMr. MansfieldrecalledthatatthelastCouncilmeetingat Hendonhehadaskedformorecopyandtheresult hadbeennoneatall.Heaskedyetagainformorecopy, butwiththerequestsforbringingoutthemagazine monthly,itwasobviousthatthelackofcopy,ifall else,wouldrenderthisimpossible.TheEditorcontinuedbyshowingthemeetingthedraftofthebook, 'EnjoyTheSky'byRobertLowe,whichhadbeen processedbyhisEditorialCommittee,wasgoing to printandwouldbeonsaleattheBigginHillAirFair,

withautographedcopiesavailableaftertheensuing publicitybuild-up.

Themagazineproductionteamwerecongratulated byAirCommodorePaul,whopointedouttheneed forcomprehensibleartidesforthemagazineinthe future.TheEditorhadnotedthatsomeStrutNews Letterswerebeginningtocarryarticleswhichshould havebeenofferedtothemagazine.Heconsideredthat NewsLettersshouldcarryitemsoflocalnewsand articlesofNationalinterestshouldbesubmittedto Headoffice.'Afterall',ashesaid,'ifeveryStrut publishedeverymatterofmomentintheirownletter, themagazinewouldbejusttwoyellowcoverswith nothingn-between'.

Onthegroupaspect,Mr.Vaiscytoldusofaslow riseinnumberstothecurrentfigureof47.Helaid greatstressontheimportanceforgroupstoinsure properlyand,ofcourse,thepassengercontingent liabilityisonethatwearestilllookinginto.

AirFrames—itwasfeltthatthishadbeenovertaken bythedesigncompetitionandweawaitfurtherreports fromthatSub-Committee.

Airfields,-thePresidentwentontoreadaprepared statementandMr.Walesproducedapaperwhichwas acceptedasAppendixItothisreport.TheAnCommodorepointedoutthatallstripsshouldcornplywith theC.A.A.SafetyMemo,anditwaswrongforPFA toapprove,orshowapprovalof,stripswhichdidnot. HealsopointedoutthatatBodmintheC.A.A. InspectorhadbeenmosthelpfulatthePublicInquiry. InsumminguptheAirCommodoresaidthattheaim oftheAirfieldSub-Committeewastobeasourceof adviceandinformationonstripsandAirfields,thatis, wheretogoforpermissionandhowtoflywithout upsettingpeople.

TheTrophiesandAwardsCommitteewasthen representedbyAirCommodorePaulwhoasked for nominationsfortheRoderickTurnerMemorialTrophy andannouncedthatMr.Josephwasretiringfrom thissub-committee,andareplacementwasneeded.

OurChairmanreportedthatontherun-uptothe PFAInternationalRally,therewasshortlytobea meeting.Hehadarrangedsharingfacilitieswiththe RotaryClubofWellingborough,whowereholdingan eventthenextweek,andwerepreparedtosharethe costofsomeofthetentsandsonieoftheloo'

Wegathetedthattheformatwaslikelytobeasin previousyears,with,wehope,improvementsinour previousareasofmal-content.

Inconclusion,themeetingfinishedupwithreports thatR.A.F.Cosfordhasbeenco-operativewiththe WestMidlandStrut,whohaveacquiredpermission tousethestationasaflyingbaseinreturnforhelping themuseumthere.DavidF.F.Bryantmentionedthat groupsmaybeinterestedintheCondorssoldoffby RollasonsatRedhill,whichweunderstandtorepresent afairpurchase.Mr.ShawraisedtheissueofStrut Notepaperandpointedoutthatthisshouldbecleared withHeadOffice,beforegoingtotheexpenseof printing.Again,allStrutswereurgedtogettheirRally datestotheofficeatanearlytime,inorderthatthe listsfromHeadOfficewouldbeaccurate.

APPENDIX AIRFIELDSINHAMPSHIRE

Thepublicinquiryintotheproposedcentreat Pophamhasnowtakenplace,andthematteiissub judice.Wehavenomeansofgaugingtheoutcome: however,wewereallimpressedbytheapparentfairmindednessoftheDepartmentoftheEnvironment's Inspector.Whetherornotapprovalisgivenforthe proposeddevelopmenttogoahead,itiscertainthat the36witnessescalledbyJimEspinmadea tremendous impressionontheInspectorintermsof impressinguponhimtheurgencyoftheneedfor

recreationalflyingfacilitiesinHampshire.Indeedin BasingstokeDistrictCouncil'sstatementofcase,they concededthattheneedexists,eventhoughtheyare dedicatedtofightinglikehelltomakesurethatitis notsatisfiedontheirpatch.

Webelievethatwemaybeattheendoftheroadas farasstripsinHampshireareconcerned.WhenAir CommodorePaulandJohnDerrickcarriedouttheir greatsearchin1972/3,theyleftverylittleacreageinthe countyuntrodden,andwecansaywithconfidence thateverypossiblesiteforastriphasbeeninvestigated.

Anopinionthatwewishtoexpressverystronglyis thatwefeelthatChrisPaulinparticularwasleftvery muchtofightaone-manbattleasfarasP.F.A.horsepowerwasconcerned,andwedonotfeelthatthe ExecutiveCommitteebackedhimuptotheextent thatitcould.Moreofficialletterstothevariouspeople inhighplaces,suchastheHampshireChiefPlanning Officer,mighthaveproducedadifferentoutcome. P.F.A.Committeeactioniseffective,astheP.F.A. backedeffortatBodnnnillustrates.Wcsetoutbelow somesuggestionsofhowtheCommitteemighthelp usinthefuture.

IfthesupplyofunofficialstripsinHampshireisto belimited,thenwehavetofindmoreroomelsewhere. Thconlyplacesavailablearetheofficialairports,all ofwhichhaveclearlydocumenteddisadvantages,listed below.Thesedisadvantagescanbeeasedtosome extentwiththegoodwilloftheaerodromeoperators andwefeelthattheP.F.A.canhelpustosecuresuch goodwill,tothepointwherethemoreadvancedradio equippedaircraftmightbeabletomovetothese airports,makingroomonthestripsforthemore basictypes.

Theproblemswiththeairportsare: thecostandavailabilityofhanaarage,thecost beingcompoundedbylocalauthorityrates; therulethatmaintenance must becarriedout bytheresidentApprovedFirm.

Problem(a)couldbetackledintwoways.The airportoperatorscouldbe(intheory)persuadedto allowustoerectourownhangarageontheirairports, payingthegoingrateforoutsideparking.Wethen needtoconvincethelocalauthoritythatwedeserve ratereliefonthesehousings,onthebasisthatweare therebyprovidingourownrecreationalfacilities withoutdepletingthepublicexchequer.

Problem(b)mightbeovercomeiftheCAAcould beconvincedthatmaintenancemonopoliesarean extremelyunhealthyaspectofthemodernaviation scene.Ofcourse,wherethemaintenanceorganisation ispayingforahangaiandtheyallowpartofittobe usedforthehousingofprivatelyownedaircraft,there mightbedeemedtobesomesmallelementofjustificationintheirinsistanceongettingallthemaintenance contractsontheseaircraft.Thewhole-airportmonopolyishowevertotallybad,especiallywhenone considershowinexperiencedmostairframelicence holdersareinthematterofwoodenstructures.

Ifweareabletoovercomethesethreeproblemsof hangaragecharges,localauthorityratesandplanning permission,andmaintenancemonopoly,thenthe airportchargeelementofthecostofkeepingaGroup typeaeroplanebecomesapproximately£500per annum,whichalthoughsteepisprobablybearableby acarefullyconstitutedGroup.

Allpartieswouldgainbythisarrangement.The airportsgainrevenuetowhichtheydonotcurrently haveaccess.Theaircraftoperatorsgainasecurebase fromwhichtooperate.Eventhemaintenance facilitieswilltendtoreceiveworkwhichtheydonot presentlyreceivebecauseoftheirproximitytowhere theaircraftarekept.

TheP.F.A.Committeecanhelptoinvestigatethe feasibilityoftheideainthefollowingways:—

consultwiththeCAAtoseeifthatbodywould supportsuchanidea; supportanymissionthatwesendtoHampshire CountyCouncilwithofficialletters: helpustodrawupapreciseformulabywhich ouractivitycanbedefined,sothatanyprivilegesthatwesucceedinsecuringmaynotbe abusedbyunscrupulousoutsiders: adviseustechnicallyonthedesignoftransportablehangaragethatwillprovidethemaximum possibleprotectiontotheaircraftinsideit: investigatewhethertheCAAisinapositionto persuadeairportoperatorsthatourcaseisa goodone,andthattheyshouldatleastgiveit atry.

Ifwearetoproceedinthedirectionofproviding moreaccommodationforPFAtypeaircraftin Hampshire,weareveryconsciousofthefactthatwe needtomakefirmpoliciesandagreethemwiththe ExecutiveCommittee,inorderthatanyapproaches thatwemaketoofficialbodieshavethesupportand authorisationofthePEAasawhole.

Onpresentpredictionswearegoingtoneedabout 50newhousingsforPFAaeroplanesduringthenext fiveyears.Thisiscompoundedfromprojectsstarted whentherewasroomavailable,andarenearingcompletion,potentialprojectstartersdividedby2,and would-bepurchaserswhoarepresentlyputoffbythe criticalairfieldsituation.

Thissuggeststhatinthelongertermweneedto considerestablishinganewcentrealtogether,andit maywellbeworthconsideringapproachingtheMoD againwithaviewtousingafieldlikeRAEAndover whichtheyuselittleornotatall.Inthepastallsuch approacheshavebeenthrowninthebin,butitmay bethatinthesehardtimesatrickleofextrarevenue wouldbewelcomed.

WewouldbeveryinterestedtoknowifthePFA hascontactsinhighplacesinMoDwherebythisand othersuggestionsmightbediscussedwithmore chanceofsuccessthanwehaveenjoyedinthepast.

1066(DITCHIN)SQUAUDRONAIRTRAININGCORPS

601EATONBRAYELY-IN

Followingpreviousyearssuccessful"FLY-IN"aeateholdingasimilar eventagainatEATONBRAY,nr.OIINSTABLE,BEDS.,onSATURDAY:SUNDAY,16th;17111JULY,1977.

TheFly-Inisbeingorganisedby1066(Hitchin)Squadron.Air ErainingCorps.withthekindpermissionofMr.If.Frenchalsoowns andmaintainsthestrip.

TheprimarypurposeofthisLLY-INistogLeIheCadetstheopportunityolsellingupandrunning.understaffsupervision,asmallgrass landingstrip. TheSquadronextendsawarmwelcometoyoutojoinusnothisoccasion. ADVISORYNOTES(FORUSEATPII.CyrsDISCRETION) Date:SATURDAYIOhandSUNDAY17thJULY,1977.

Times,Airstriplunyoperational— SAT.I100hrs.to1930hrs..SUN.0900hrs.to1930hrs.

Location:1N29-151fromLondonGlidingClub,DotsonbleDoans. tHINNI279M11omLutonAirport.

94NM353RadialRomHovingdonVOR 1NM196)RadialBornConfiehlVOR

Rummy:300NIOVERORCHARD.120MoverLOWIiEDOf "SHORT1200'SU:NOTE"

Circuit:Lefthand50011.aboveground(Airstrip30011.ANISE).

Joining:Overtly100011.AGL,descenddeadsitle,joinnormally.

SignalsSquare:Tonorthside srairstrip.

Windsock:Tonorthsideorairstr111.

Taxi-ing.AdviseA:CIasionairstriptosinglelintacolouredmarkers takeadvisoryinstructionsRomMarshaHersonceclear.

Fuel:Regretnonemailable.

Services:NOEMERGENCYSERVICESIMMEDIATELYAVAILABLE

Warnings:VTOLmachines.gliders.sailplanes,andTugsespected. NORMAL-.RULES01.THEAIR"APPLY.

VTOL:Approachairstripat25011.AOLandlandinareamarkedH. Control:ALLpilotsandpassengersNIUSTreporttoCONMOT onarrival.

Refreshments:Willbeavailabletoallaerialvisirors.

Radio:ADVISORYSERVICEONLY,122,35;CALLSIGN "ENTERPRISELUTON".

Noise:PLEASEREMEMBEROURVILLAGENEIGHBOURS ANDKEEPNOISETOAMINIMUM.

Forecasts:CanbeobtainedbycontactingLutonAirport(orLondon GlidingClub).

OvernightStays:Visitorsmustmaketheirownarrangements.

LandingFees:'NONE".

'Airstrip'Note: Short120011..Level,moananddrainedforall-yearuse.Land onlyonRunwayasmarked.NoteLowHedgeoncendand AppleTreesattheother,pleasetakecare,especiallyincrosswindconditions. FurtherinformationeaubeobtainedfromEltoLl.W.Wilson.telephone Durkin53370orTonyFarreIll01-508-8899.

THEHAWKERCYGNET

AfterpublishingaphotoofMikeHolloway'sHawkerCygnetprojectinAustralia,hehaskindlysentusafew moredetailsofhisproject.

InthegalleryoftheR.A.F.Museum.lookingdown ontotheSirSidneyCammHallwhichhas,arranged inacircle,variousdesignsofthegreatman.Isawin thecentreofthecircle,raisedintheaironsupports. hisfirstdesignforHawkers—abiplanecalledthe Cygnet.Istoodtherestaringforsolongthatpeople werestartingtostareatme.

AlettertoHawker-Siddley'sP.R.O.Dept.gota replythattheythankedmeformyenquirybutthey wereverybusyatthetimeandwouldgetintouchwith meinduecourse.

Now,tothelovelorn,that'snotgoodenough.What isrequiredis"ActionToday'',not"Don'tcallus. we'llcallyou-.

Justwhatdoyoudowhenyoufallin love andthe objectofyourdesiresappearsunattainable?Dependingonyoursex,it'seitherbeerorvaliu

DrowningmysorrowsintheKronfeldClubaweek later.ItoldmytaleofwoetoachapIhadmetthere Pointingacrosstheroom,hesaid"That'sthechapyou wanttotalkto-.SoIdid.

Afewdayslater,Ireceivedanotherletterfrom Hawker'slistingalltheyhadandwithinafewdays.I droveawayfromtheirfactoryatKingstonupon Thameswithastackofdrawingsaboutsixinches high,andmyfaithinFairyGodmothersrestored.

ThatwasintheSpringof'74.Thencametheeasy hit.Buildingit_Timeconsuming-yes.very.Butfairly straightforward. Ir youhavetheabilitytousesimple handtools,andthedeterminationtobuildanaircraft, youarewellonyourway.Ifyouhaveawifewhosays. "Edratherhaveyouinyourworkshopwithasmileon yourfacethansittinginherelookingmiserable-you arealmostHomeandDry.

Howeasyisittobuild?That'sdifficulttosay.Some ofthemachMingworkhastaxedmyabilities.but someonewhosehobbywasmachiningmightsaythat themakingoftheribswasdifficult.Straightforward huttime-consumingwouldbethebestanswer.Icould ha‘ehuiltacompleteVP1inthetimeittookmeto

maketheribsandsparsfortheCygnet.

IhaveafriendwhoisbuildingaPL2andit'seasier thanthat,butthen,anythingiteasierthanthat.

Themainreasonthatitiseasiertobuildthana PL2isthatyoucanmakevirtuallyeverythingyourself Thatis, if youhaveaccesstoalatheandasawbench. Youjustbuyflitchesofspruceandsheetsofmetaland takeitfromthere.Thereisnowaitingforaluminium ofacertainspecification,temperandsectionina quantity or-2 pieces5"longtoarriveandthenmaking amistakewithoneofthem.

Iwouldmuchratherhaveaplane or afileinmy handthanatelephone:tryingtofindoutwheremy orderformaterialhasgotto.ProvidingIcouldfind outwheretogettheminthefirstplace.

Admittedly',inthetimeittookmetospliceaV squareashandsprucebottomlongeron,tapertheends downtosquareandcutV-shapedgroovesineach facetochangethe cross sectionfromasquaretoan X-section.IcouldhavebuiltthesideofaVP.

Don'tthinkI'mknockingtheVP.Everyvisitorto myworkshopthatgetsthatlookintheireye(you knowthelookImean,theeyesgobrightandoutof focusandthefacelookstenyearsyounger)netsmy standardlecture.

Decidewhatyouwantfromanaircraftbeforeyou decidewhattobuild,andwhileyou'remakingupyour mind,buildaVP.Also,decideifthebuildingofan aircraftisameanstoanendora soUrce ofpleasurein itself.

IwillnowchangethesubjectquicklybeforesomeoneasksifthatishowIdecidedtohuildaCygnet.

Fortunately,therewasnotmuchweldingtodobut quitealotofturning,28pairsofforkandeye-bolts (2BA)forthecontrolsurfacehingesforexample.

Standing,capinhandatmyfriendlyneighbourhood aircraftmaterialsshop,IaskedifIcouldhavejusttwo feetof2"diameter4130barCertainlyIcould,they replied,andhandedmeahacksaw.

Ineededtherodforthewinghingefittingsandthe PopularFlying,July-August.1977

FrankMurphy.theHawkerSiddeleyTestPilht,,thringtheHatrkerCygnet0-011118in /951

ballbearinghousingonthetorquetubebetweenthe Joysticks.Nowyoumaycallitacontrolcolumn,but mydrawing,signedinthecornerinacopperplate,S. Cammcallsitajoystick.

This,Ihavejustrealised,isoneofthepleasuresof buildingthisaircraft.Justimagine ItisMarch,1924andtherulesforthe2-seater LightAeroplaneTrialshavejustbeenannounced. FromtheFrontOfficeofHawker'scomesbackthe instruction:"Designandbuildourentryforthe Competition-.

P.S.You'vegotsixmonths,thecompetitionisin September-.

Thinkofthefranticactivitytheremusthavebeen. Virtuallybuildingtheaircraftasthedrawingscame outoftheDrawingOffice.Thefrustrationsasa modificationwasissuedjustasyouhadfinishedapart. Alltheexpectationsasthebigweekapproached,your hopestobedashedbyenginetroubles.Nicethings that Flight and Aeroplane hadtosayabouttheaircraft poorrecompense.

Now,53yearslater,Isometimesjustsitandlookat thedrawings.Seeingwhodraughteditandreadingthe occasionalhand-writtennoteaddedtothemoreimpersonalprint.

1don'tseemtohavedescribedtheaircraftmuch. Briefly,itisa28ft.spanbiplane,ormoreproperlya sesquiplane,withthelowerwinghavingaspanof about23ft.andonlyhalftheareaoftheupperwing.

WithanA.U.W.of9501b.(450empty)andonlya 36HPBristolCherub,ithasalowwingloadineanda highpowerloading.NotanaircrafttogetintoaHigh lift-Highdragsituation,however,withitslowlanding speedandthefullspanaileronsonbothwingsthat,by turningahandwheelinthecockpit,canbemadeto droopasflaps,thenecessitytoovershootshouldnot happentoooften.

Allthecomponentpartsaremadeofwood,includingtheundercarriagelegs,mostlyspruceandply butwithsomeash.Thepartsarejoinedtogetherwith fittingsmadeof"Holessurroundedbymetal-.The metalsspecifiedareeithermildsteelorDural.Ihave substituted4130and2024-T3inthesamegauges.

Theyaremostlymadefrom18and20gaugesso thatmostofthemcouldbecutoutusinghandshears ratherthanahacksaw.

EverytimeIlookatsomeoneelse'sproject1get worriedbytheenormoussizeoftheirfittingscompared withmine.Forexample,therearsparliftwireis2BA. Atthefrontspar,the2BA.liftsparisbackedupbya secondwire—of4BA.

ThesparsareofBoxsectionandhavesprucewebs. Thedrawingsshowthatoriginallythewebswereof plybutaMod,wasissuedchangingthemtospruce— fabricwrapped.

Aviationhistoriansmay-beinterestedtonotethat thedrawingsweremadeforlowerwingshavingthe samespanastheupperwings.

OnlytwoCygnetswcremade,andonlyoneremains. EarthboundnowintheR.A.F.Museum.In1949, Hawkerstookitoutofstoraeeandmadeitairworthy. Intheearlyfifties,FrankMurphy,thentheirChief ProductionTestPilotusedtoflyitonspecialoccasions. Frankhasbeenmagnificentinsupplyingextrainformationontheaircraftandwhenthebigdaycomes, hisHandlingNoteswillbeagreathelp.

Theacquisitionofanengineisamajorobstacle, butsurelysomebodyreadingthisknowswhereIcan buyaBristolCherub.

Asanalternative,Iwilluseanotherflattwinthat wasdesignedaboutthesametimeastheCherub,but whichhasbeendevelopedcontinuallyovertheyears andisstillinproduction,weighsaboutthesameasthe 100lb.Cherubandinitscurrentstateofdevelopment

PopularFlying,July- August,1977

willproduceupto701-IP.Initsownsphereithasa world-wideandwell-earnedreputationforqualityand

Myotherhobbyismotorcycling,andafter25years haveprogressedfrommyfirstbikc,a1939250ccAJS totheultimate—aBMW.Iridea75/6modelandI've gotaspareenginesoI'mgoingtodetuncittoabout 40HPatabout500rpmandI'mgoingtomakea reductiongearandI'mgoingtoflyBMW!Ifyoudon't thinkIcan,rememberthattheWrightbrotherswent toKittyhawk,notsomuchforthcwindastogetaway fromthosewhosaiditcouldn'tbedone—sothere!

AsIseeit,thereductiongearsuffersfromtwosets oftorsionalvibrations.Onesetisfedintoitbythe crankshaft—inthiscase,I/rev.Theotherisfedinby theprop.itself.Iwillexplainthisinthehopethatsome boffinwillwriteandsayitcanberegardedasminimal. (Minimal—anengineeringtermmeaning"Let'spretendit'snotthere").

Consideranaircraftinflightattopspeed.Thewings areataverylowangleofattackandtheairflow,we willconsiderasparalleltotheprop-shaft.Apartfrom cowlinginterferencetheload(thatis,thedrag)is constant.Remember,ataconstantrpmthetorque inputfromtheengineisequal,ordirectlyproportional tobemoreexact,tothedragoftheprop,nottothe lift(thrust).

Nowletusputtheaircraftintoafullpowerclimb atjustabovethestallingspeed.Theangleofattack willhavechangedbypossibly15degrees,notonlythe angleofattackbutthedirectionoftheairflowrelative totheprop-shaftaxis.Thismeansthatwhentheprop. bladesareat6and12o'clock,thedragoneachblade isthesame,sincetheyaremeetinetheairatthesame angle.Withthebladesat3and9o'clockhowever,it's adifferentstory.

Letussaythatthe3o'clockbladeisdescending.Its aneleofattackisgreaterthanitwaswhenitwasat 12o'clock,duetotheairflownotbeingparalleltothe prop-shaft.Thisisn'ttoobadsincetheincreaseindrag willstillbeontherelativelystraightpartofthedrag curve,sotheincreaseindragwillbeproportionalto increaseinangleofattack.

Consider,however,therisingbladeatnineo'clock. Itsdecreaseinangleofattackwillbethesameasthe increaseofthe3o'clockblade.However,thedecrease indragwillnotbeproportionalsincethedragcurve willnolongerbestraight.Itcouldwellberightatthe bottomofthecurve.

Wethushaveasituationwherethesumofthedrag onthe6and12o'clockbladesisdifferentfromthe sumwiththebladesat3and9o'clock.Drag—Torque sotwicearev,wefeedatorsionalvibrationbackinto thereductiongear.The3and9o'clockbladeswill havedifferentairspeedsaswell.

Trythis.Climbatfullthrottleneartothestall.Note theRPM.Pushthecontrolcolumnforwardsothat youareatzero`e',thiswillbringthepropshaftback inlinewiththeairflow.Seehowmuchyourrevs,rise evenbeforeyoupickupspeed.Wouldsomeoneprove mewrong—please?

Sincetherearesomanyvariables,designingareductiongearis10%designand90%development,and sincemytrainingispracticalratherthanacademic (No.1SchoolofTech.Training,RAFHalton)Iwill continuesecureinthefirstlawofdevelopment:"The eyeofthechiefengineerismoreexactthanthefinest ofmeasuringinstruments".

PeoplearealwaysaskingmeifIamgoingtoflyit backtoEngland.It'snotabadidea.Theoldestdesign todothetrip.Imustlookoutthedrawingforthe37 gallonlongrangetank.Nowat2gallons/hr.and 65mphcruise SydneytoSywell—viaLympne, ofcourse.Ofsuchstuffaredreamsmade.

JYROJOTTINGS fromPeteLovegrove

Thereis,atthetime of kriting, anupsurgeofinterest inultra-lightgyros.Iamdelightedaboutthis,apart fromtheslightproblemoflindingthetimetoanswer telephonecallsandwriteexplanatoryletters.So,being aresourceful(i.e.boneidle)fellow,Iamgoingto answerallthequeriesatoncebyputtingdo•nsome 'squareon&informationwhereitcanbereadbyone andall.Ifyouarcalreadyanexpertgyroplanistand knowitall,thenyoualsoknowwhatafantasticsport itisandwillbearwithMewhilstItrytogetafewmore chapsstarted!Therearequitealotofdesignsabout, forultra-lightgyros.But,fortheamateurwhopossessesonlyaminimumoftoolsandpersonalskill.I stillthinkthattheBensenB8isthebestbet.Itsairframeismainlyabolt-upstructureand,frankly, exceptforsome Very minorpoints,thereisnothingyou candotosimplifyitfurther.Itcarriesnosurplus weight,which is thereasonwhy(a)itlookssohare andvestigialadesign.(b)peoplefeeltheneedtodress itup XXithunnecessaryextrasand(c)yousoseldom seea135actuallylookingthewaythemandesignedit tolook!

Beadvised:builditexactlytotheplans.Addonly whattheCAAsayyoumust.inordertogetaCerrticateof Airworthiness.Thelighteryoubuildit.thcbetteritwill Hy.Thisappliesevenmoretoagyrothanitdoestoa lixed-wingaircraft.becauseofthedragcharacteristics ofrotary-wingmachines.SomeoneintheStatesonce saidsomethingtothiseffect,"Lettheotherfellow's gyrobeadmiredforitsgimmicksanditsprettiness, whileyougoupandByringsaroundhim".Thatis perfectlytrue:flyingiswhatitisallabout.Sokeepit simpleandlight.(Yes,GeoffWhatley.Ididremember thatlesson.It'sjustthatIpersonallycannotresist addingonbitsforexperimentalpurposes!).

Usethecorrectmaterialseverywhereontheairframe anddonotstartsubstitutingnon-aircraftpartsanywhere.Tellyourself,asyoubuild,thatthepieceyou areshapingorboltingon,isonedaygoingtobe2000 feetabovetheground,withyourlifedependingupon itsintegrity.HenriMignet—thePouDeCiclman— pointedoutthatlittlemaxim,backin1933andit'sstill goodadvice.So,please,nocommercialbollsor materials.YouwillonlystopyourselfgettingaCofA whenthetimecomes.Andifyouareoneofthose foolishpeoplewhoflyillegallyinthebackwoods,you mayjustfindyourselffallingfrom1000feetbecause yousavedyourself£10onbolts.Thinkaboutthat!

Forthemast,you MUSI use2L63tubing(2"2";,)" wallwithcornelradii),orAmerican6061-16.The keelandaxleboomcan,ifyouwish.beofalessstrong materialsuchasH30-WP.forexample_Michael LangtonistheagentforBensenpartsandkitsandhe canbefound,along\yin)amagnilicentB8,at"Hazeldime-,MarshLane,Taplow.Bucks.Hehaseven managed (0 find Some newMcCullochs,butgoodness knowswhere,sincetheyarelikegold-dust!Evenifthe 4"marineplywoodtailsurfacesseemratherfloppyto you.usethem.Theyarefullyadequatefortheirjob andhaveneverbeenknowntofalloff.Donotgoto thickerplywoodforextrastiffness_

CampbellAircraftusedtomodifyaElexellocaster forthenose-wheel,ThisunitistIolongeravailable.It ispossibletofabricateasteeloraluminium-alloyarch whichwouldactuallybelighter.Anddobesatished withthatpieceofplywoodforthenose-wheelbrake (knownintheStatesasaGoodyearbrake,becauseit lastsa goodyear beforeitreally WPM'S01H!). Theonly

pointherewhiclvisofdistinctadvantageistousethe Bensen"SuperBug"linkagebetweenrudderpedals andthcnose-wheel.Morepeoplehavecometogrief whilstchangingthepositionoftheirfeetonthctwo setsofpedals.thanforanyotherreason.Fortunately, itonlydamagestheirmachinesandnotthem.The prop-guardlooksratherslickandtakish.butexperimentsintheUSnaveshownthatittendstoassistthe passageofstonesintothepropellor,ratherthan inhibitthem_Somyadviceis,forgetit.Itisnotauseful stabiliser.

No \A. totherotorhead.OnsomeoftheBensen plans,theoldspindleheadisshown.Thereareno Bensendrawingsavailableforagimbalhead,butthat iswhatyoumusthave.Thespindleheadisobsoleteand dangerousandnoCAASurveyorwillgrantaCofA toagyrowhichhassuchahead_Sovonhavetwo choices:(a)youcantrytogetsomeacceptableplans foragimbalheadandMichaelLangtonmaybeable tohelpbythetimethisarticlegetspublishe±or lb)youcangototheStatesandbuyalinishedgimbal headfromBensenorRotordyne.Rotors(i.e.thetwobladedassemblywhichspinsuptopandkeepsthe machinea-flying)areabitofaproblem.Ifyouare going to(Isea McCullochengine,givinganempty weightforthegyroaabout240lb.,youcanflyquite nicelyonwoodenblades,builttotheBensendrawings_ Youinayflyevenbetteriftheengineisthe90FIP Mac,ratherthanthe72HPonc.Theonlyproblem withthewoodenbladesisthattheytendtogooutof trackabit,betweenoutings,becauseofthesuscept-

FLYINGFORFUNfromAtoZ

Altimeters,ASIs,AGS,Adhesives,Alternators. Betas,Brakes,Bolts,Batteries,Baffles,Brackets,Bushes. Condors,Carburettors,Cables,CylinderTempKits,Controls, Crankshalls,Canopies,Cowlings,Cylinders,Compasses. Dope,Drives,Ducting,DrainValves.

Engines(Continental,Gipsy,Lyconling,Ardem),Extinguishers,ExhaustPipes.

Filters,FuelCocks,duelPumps,Fittings,FlyingWires,Fabric.Fork Ends,Fasteners.

Generators,GMeters,Gyros,Cilue,Grommets,Gaskets,Gauges_ Harness,Hinges,HomebuiltlersService.

Instruments,InvertedSystems,InformationPackages.Inspection Panels.

3odels,JubileeClips,los.

KitsforVWconversionsandCylinderTemperature.

Leads,LogBooks,LandingLights.

Alagnetos,MaTinsis,MasterCylinders,MixtureControls. NavigationLights,Nameplates,Notices,Nuts,Needles. OilPressure,OilTemperatureGauges,0Rings.

Plans.Propellers,Plugs,Plywood,Pins,PitotHeads,Plexiglass, Pulleys,Pistons QuickReleaseFasteners.

RegCounters,RateofClimbIndicalots,RodEnds,Rings,Racing specialists.

Stampes,SmokeSystems,Starters,Shackles,Spruce,Spinners. Switches,Spats,Screws.

Tigers,Turbulents,Tyres,Tubes,Turnbuckles,'Tailwheels,Tanks, Tape,ToWingHooks. Underearrianes.

VoltageRegulators,Ventilators,VacuumPumps,Valves. Wheels,Wires,Windscreens. XeroxCopyingservice. Your CriqUiricsarc alwayswelcome. Zerohourengineoxerhauls.

Audwrite,rollor riSII

ROLLASONAIRCRAFTANDENGINESLIMITED BRIGHTON,HOVE&WORTHINGJOINTMUNIC.AIRPORT, SHOREHAM-BY-SEA,SUSSEX.BN45FJ

Telephone:Shoreham-by-Sea(Sussex)62680

ihilityofwoodtotheeffectsofmoistureandtemperature.However.Ionlybuilttwosetsandi)evergot aroundtocoveringthemwithmadapolamordoing anyoftheothertrickswhicharepossibletodayto preventtheeffectsdescribed.Iamsurethat,propelly builtandprotected.agoodsetofwoodenbladeswill flyanygyro,withaMacorVW.Butjustbuiltvery simplytotheplansandinstructions,theydonotwork wellwiththeextraweightofaVW.

Thereareseveraltypesormetalrotoravailable.One iscurrentlybeingbuiltinBritainfromthematerials leftwhenHordern-Richmondstoppedmakingblades forCamphells.IdonotthinktheCAAwillsmileon Mese;letmeleaveitatthat.FromtheUSA,onecan getBensenmetalrotorsorRotordyncmetalrotors. Thelattergivealovelyperformance.butthepricefor eithertypeisgomgtobearoundE500ROW,whatwith inflationandthedevaluedpound.However.ifyou havethecash,theirperformanceisworthMeinvestment.Stan-Zeebladesmaystillbeavailablefrom CanadabutIhavenorecentinformationontheir availability.Theywerealittlecheaperthantheother twoandperformedaboutaswellastheBensenmetal rotor.Ihaveflownseveralwoodenrotors,several Bcnsenmetalrotors.aStan-Zeemetalrotor,two experimentalmetalrotorsandseveralRotordynemetal rotors.andtheRotordyneunitswere,andare,way outahead.IdonotincludetheHoltman27'rotorin theassessment.becauseofitslargersizeandhighcost Again,awordofwarning.Rotorbladesongyroplanes, whilstnotloadedashighlyasthoseofhelicopters,do carrysomeheftyforces.Theyalsoaresubjecttoan incrediblerangeofvibrationsandoscillatorymodes. So.ifyoubuildwoodenblades,sticktotheplans.Do notworryrwermuchthatthetwocross-sectionsslitow0 ontheBcnsendrawingsdonottallyexactly;match oneofthemandyouwillbeOK.

l_etusmoveOnnowtoengines.Thechoiceforthe rankamateurisreallysimple.TheBensendrawings showtheMcCullochtwo-stroke72I-1Por90HP engine.TheinstallationforthisengineisslitowninCull detailbut.althoughthereareBensendrawingsand informationonanequivalentVWinstallation,itwas nottreatedwithanyenthusiasmandyOUwillbeleft strugglingonthedetails.IntheStates,opinionseems tovary-rememberthattherearethousandsofgyros overtherebutthe72HPMacseemsagoodhet,in comhinationwithaTroyer46/diameter30"pitch propellorGetthatlotgoingwellandyouworMwant tobotherwitha90HPMac.Becarefulaadvice aboutpropellors.Itispossibletogethigh staticthrust fromgroundtests,say.around290lb,yetgetan abysmalperformanceintheair.The45"diameter24' pitchpropellorcommonlystuckonaMac721-IPisin thatpoorcategory.Morerecently.Ihavehadexperienceofa2.2litreVWwitha52'diameterprop whichgiveslessstaticthrustthana16litreVWwith a50/26prop.butintheair,thatisanotherstory....

Anexcellentmanual forthe McCullocItsissoldby Delong,619East8thAvenue,Eugene,Oregon,USA 97401.IfyougoforaMac,douscAvgasandtheright ammultofhigh-gradeoilinit.andiftheoilisShell Aerooranyothermineral-basedtype,retardthespark

GiveforthosewhoGave

byabout2.Thereisalotofargumentaboutthetype ofoiltousebut,with.McCullochdmin-sawoil.use mixofabout1in24.Anybrand-nameaviation-grade odof40WwillbeOKwithamixofaliout1in12. Avoidcheapandnastyoilsatallcosts(sorry!)because theMacdoesnotlike(hemandyoucanhuyalotofoil forthepriceofrepairingaburnt-outMac.

Asregardstheoverheadcontrolstickversusthe conventionalcontrolarrangement.theargumentseems tohavediedaway.Thereasonisthatonehastodo basictrainingonahxed-wingaircraft.sowhat'sthe useofconfusingyourselfbyhayingagyrowitha differentsystem,whenyouhavetochangeovertoit. SinceIseemtohavecometothequestionoftraining. letmesay.thatwestillonlyhaveoneinstructoratthe moment.butthatlookslikebeingrectifiedsoon.The ruleshavebeenchanged,too,soMatyoucandothe syllabusmorereadily,inasimplercombination or fixed-wingandgyrotraining.

TheFirstGyroplaneGatheringsincePre-WarDays

JohnKitchni.ofCampbellGyroplancsLtd..has obtainedpermissionforgyroplaneenthusiaststo congregateatthcRNAYairlieldatWioughton,near Swindon,on July 16thofthisyear.

Onthatday,theNavyareholdingtheirFamilies Dayactivities,whichincludeanair-showIron)1400to 1630hours.Aftertheshowisover,theairfieldis entirelyatOurdisposal.TheOnlyrequirementisthat machinesshouldbebroughtinbyroad:weshall not beallowedtollyin.

WeshallbefreetoIlyasmuchaswewant,subject onlytotheconstraintsot!goodpilotingandairmanship.IamtryMgtoprevailonJohntoorganisea gyrogliderandtow-carsothat,forafewhobtocover thecostofthepetrol,peoplecanhavetheexperience offlyMginanopengyroplane,toseeforthemselves whywegethookedonit

Doncaster Sailplane Services for

HOMEBUILDERSSUPPLIES

G.1..1aircraftbirchply0.8mmto5mm. Fabric-2weightsforsupportedandunsupported areas.

Dope—tautcningandcolour,etc.

.lointingcompound—forwood:metal. Spruce,DouglasFir,WhitePine,Ash,grade A. A.S.!.V.S.I.compasses,etc.,etc.

5.514and5.510steelsheetandT45tubes. Controlcablemadeuptoorder.

VT1.StrutTubes,UndercarriageStock. Cavalierplansandallrawmaterialtobuild. Fibreglassandresin,releaseagent,pigment.etc. Sends.a.e.forpricelist

Entrytothedisplay,etc.,isbyprogrammeat15p. Foodwillbeavailablefromlunch-time.Yourmachine cansafelybeleftparkedintheaircraftstaticpark. Howaboutit,then.Let'sseehowmanyofuscan gettogetherforahelluvachin-wag,andabitofairtime,onourmutualobsession!

Ifyouhaveanyquestions,getontoJohnKitchin-heisourgyroplaneinstructor,bytheway—oilBoxford(nearNewbury)297.

OnefortheFuture

1supposeeveryonewhohasbuiltanaircraftinhis backyard—andafewwhohavenot—cherishesan ideaatthebackofhismind,forthespecialmachine hewillbuild'oneday'.

Beinganordinarysortofacloth-head,which explainsmycrazeovergyroplanes,Itoohavea specialfornextyear,ortheyearafter My specialwasarrivedatbyreasoning,ratherthanby 'frontofthelireonacoldwintersday'doodlingona sketch-pad.Beforethe39-45War,therewereplenty ofgyroplanesscuddingabout,notallofthemasgood andeasytoflyassomepeoplewouldhaveusthink! However,theydoseemtohavehadonethingin common;theycarriedquiteabitmoreweightper horse-powerthananyofthemachinesinexistence today.Theyusedslower-revvingengines,andquieter propellers,sohowdidtheydoit?

Theonlycommonfactorandbasicdifference betweenthemandtoday'scraft,thatIcansee,isthat theywerealltractorsandweareallpushers.The latterincludetheAvian,theAandS18A,theCougar, theMcCullochandallofourlittleultra-lightgyros. Ataguess,Ireckonthatallthispost-Warstuffwas directedbytheroutewhichIgorBensentook.He startedhisultra-lightdevelopmentfromtheHefner rotaryparachute.Theformatofanymachinewhich wasadirectevolutionfromthat,wassuchthatthe

designercouldputtheengineanywhereheliked,so longasitwasonthemastbehindthepilot!OnceIgor haddoneit,everyoneelseapparentlysaid,"Great! Thegyroplaneisrebornasapusher,withsuperb visibilityforthepilot.Let'sgoP.

NowItlunkthatwasamistake,evenforBensen. Hemightbeexcused,becausehehadaveryspecial aiminmindandhedidachieveit,thankGoodness. Butforeveryoneelse,no.Thepre-Wargyrosall appearedmoreefficient,withtheirtractorpropellers, sowhynotreturntothatconfiguration'?

Secondly,theairframeofagyroplanecanbeeasily bemademorestream-linedoverall,withtheengineat thefront.Itveryconvenientlymountsonthefrontof the'box?,andthefueliscarriednicelyinagravityfeedtankimmediatelybehindit.Lastly,andmost importantofall,thepilotiscomfortablyhousedinside agenerousenclosure.Suchanarrangementmay,it couldbeargued,affordthepilotlessvisibilitythan thepresentpusherset-up,buthowmuchvisibility doesapilotneed?Thereisnohigh-wingandnolowwinginthelineofsight,sosurelytherecanbeno problem?Onemustbewellaheadofanypilotinthe fixed-wingfield,onthatscore.

Beingaconventionalsortofdesignformat,a tractorgyroplanecanuseallthesamedesignrules, inspectionprocedures,etc.,asafixed-wingultralight.Woodormetalaieequallysuitableonamachine whichbecomeslikeaparasol-wingmonoplane,with thewingremovedandarotorattachedtothecabane.

Oneortwoseats?Ofcourse,thatbecomesanopen question.Thereisabsolutelynoreasonwhyatractor gyroplaneshouldnotbeatwo-seater,withouthaving recoursetolarge,andverynoisy,engines.

Well,I'dbettergetdowntothedrawing-boardifI wanttobuildnu?tractorgyroplanenextyear,orthe yearafter,or

WEOFFER ENGINEMACHININGSERVICES

TOPFAMEMBERS

CYLINDERBLOCK: Reboring;BearingHousingsLineBored; CrackTesting;Honing.

CRANKSHAFT: Regrinding;StrokeCorrectionRealignment;CrackTesting;Nitriding.

CYLINDERHEAD: Refacing;ValveRefacing;ValveSeatRecutting;ValveSeatInserting.

CONN-RODS: CompleteReconditioning;Boring,InterferenceFitSmallEnds;Realignment.

PLUSENGINESPARES:

Pistons;Liners;RingSets:Valves;Guides: Springs;ShellBearings;ThrustWashers;Oil Filters;AirFilters

Memoriesofthe POU

NowIexpectyouhaveguessedbytheenclosed photographsthatIbuiltaFleawayhack.YesIdidin 1936.Thephotosarenotverygood,aboutayearago mywifewassortingthroughaboxofoldphotosin searchofsomethingandshecameacrosssomesnaps ortheFlea.Ihadbeenaskedseveraltimesforphotos ofitbutthesnapswerebadlybentandcrackedsothat hacltostickthemonstiffcardboardinordertotake closeupphotosofthem.Iputthefilmoutforprocessingandenlargingbutitwasaverymassproduction effortalthough[henegativesareveryacceptable.

WhatdecidedmetobuildaFleawasthefactthatI alreadyhadgotaverygoodengineaDouglas750cc OHV.whichwassaidtohavebeenpreparedforthe sidecareventsintheIsleofManTTraces.The buildinggavemegreatpleasureandtheenginebearer wasverytrickytomakeasitincorporatedthehousing ofthereductiongear,howeverthelayoutprovedvery satisfactorydespitethefactthatIdid41iweldsonit.It seemsunbelievablebutneverthelessquitetrue_The restorthebuildingofitwasprettystraightforward, mybrother,anengineerlikemyself.madethepropellorandmadeanexcellentjoborit.Hishobbyis woodworking.

AftertheFleawascompleted.Ipractisedtaxyingit inanearbyfield,hutIhadtowaitawhile,foracertain verylargeheldtobemown.Thisheldwassomeeight milesaway,but[Ilesizeofitwouldenablemetotake offandlandinthestraight.So.onacertainSunday morning,theFleawasloadedontoalargeplatform lorry,totheheldwewent.Ididquiteabitoftaxying andthen,gettingusedtothefeelofthings,decidedto takeherofftheground.ThisIdidverycautiouslyand tomysatisfactionanddelight,thisIdidseveraltimes. flyingjustclearoftheground.

Mignet,inhisbooksaidithadgoodqualitiesfor hedgehopping,sothenextattemptIgothertonear takeoffspeedandyankedonthestick.Ohdearup sheballoonedandI,inmyfright,slammedthethrottle shutandshedroppedhernose.Shedidn'tactuallydive steeplybutshecamedown too steeply.sothatlanding onthenot-too-smoothsurface,shedecidedtojustturn overandwhenshewasintheverticalpositionshe seenledtohesitate,notbeingabletodecidewhether tocompletetheturnover,orcomebacktherightway up.Shedecidedtocompletetheturn.Although. obviously,itallhappenedinafewseconds,itseemed morelikeseveralminutesandalotwentthroughmy mind.Icrawledoutquiteunhurtandwavedmyarms tomywife,whowassomedistanceaway,shewas runningtowardsmeandassoonasshesawthatIwas alrightshepassedout.ALthesametimepeople appearedon[Ilesceneinanamazingmannerand startedtomanhandletheFleatoturnheruptheright waY.

1yelledtothenlnottotouchitforafewminutes andwhenDorothy'canle-towe,withthekindhelpof thesepeople,carerullyturnedtheFleaoverinthe reversewaytothatwhichsheherselfInddone.IWils mostagreeablysurprisedattheamountofdamage,the propwasbrokenandthetopoftherudderwasslightly damaged.MybrothermadeanotherpropandIquite easilyrepairedtherudderandshewasbacktoher originalform.

Inmyenthusiasm,Ihadn'tthoughtofanyanxiety Imighthavecausedmyifeandparents.butwithout anypressurefromanyorthemIdecidedtodiscontinue withthisactivity,butbeforedoingsoImadeupanew undercarriageratherlikethatseenlaterontheearly PopularFlyinu,July-August,1977

bySydButler

Minor.Acolleagueormine(wehadcontactedMignet whodespitethesuggestionthatsomeexperthadmade ofincreasingtheheightofthefrontwingpylonsaidto keepthepylonasitwasandgaveusdetailsonhowto modifytherearwingandtitelevators),ThisIdid:incl someonewhowasanxiousLobuytheFlea,boughther. Iwasn'tparticularlysadtopartwithher,asIhad achievedwhatIreallyhadsetouttodo,whichwas theactualconstruction.OfcoursetheFleaepisode cametoanend,almostasabruptlyasitstartedand waskihelledassomethingverydangerous,ifnota killerIwonderhowmanytimesaccidentswere hlamedontheaircraft.whenthefaultlayelsewhere. Takeforinstancemycase.Isupposeitwouldhave beenmarkedupanotheiFleafailureoraccident,when therealcausewastheblokeat[hehelm.Idon'tthink shehadthehelpfromtheuppercrustthatmighthave proxedverybeneficialIrealiseitis'oldhat'nowhut mentionoftheepisodeisstillmade.

Readingthroughthebookspreviouslymentioned. anumberofreferencesweremadeortheFlea,allvery uncomplimentary,andIwouldquestion[heaccuracy oftheremarks.IimaginethewritersWereofafarlater agegroupthanthatoftheactualFleabuilders,andthe informationthusobtainedandpassedon.several timesperhaps,becomessomewhatdistorted.Thisin factoccurredinmycase.in[hebook BritishHowelmin Aircraftsince1920, mynameappearsinthelistorFlea buildersbuttheremarksareinaccurate.Ihaveno specialorsecretreasontodefendtheFlea,onlythe desireforfaircommenl.Onething['orsurecamefront [heFleaaffair.itshowedbeyonddoubttheimmense interestinultralightplanesandwasnodoubtthe reasonforseveralnewtypesbeingbroughtout.Some didn'tstaythecourseandtheSecondWorldWar obviouskputamaidamperousuchactivity.

FLIGHTWITHOUTTHEBENEFITOFRADIO—CodeofPractice

Pilotswhoflyanaircraftwithoutradio,orwho operateinamixedradio/non-radioenvironment,can encounterdifficultordangeroussituationsunlessa rangeoffundamentalgoodairmanshippracticesare borneinmind.

TheCivilAviationAuthority,theNationalAir TrafficServicesandtheGeneralAviationSafety Committeehaverecentlyco-operatedtoproducea CodeofPractice.AllpilotsflyingoutsideControlled orSpecialRulesAirspacearestronglyurgedtocomplywiththisCode,particularlyinsituationswhere eithertheaircraftisnotequippedwithradio,orthere isnoradioatthelocalordestinationairfield.The CodeofPractice—whichisreproducedatAppendix `A'—doesnotsupersedetherequirementsoftheair navigationlegislation,northepracticestaughtfrom aCAAapprovedsyllabus;itsaimistohighlight aspectsofgoodairmanshipandcertainassociated legalrequirements.Alistofsomeofthemoreimportantoftherelevantprovisionsinthelegislationis attachedatAppendix'B'.Athoroughknowledgeof theRulesandtheCodeofPracticeshouldhelp enhancethesafetyofaircraftoperations.

Pilotsareinvitedtokeepthiscircularreadily available—andtoconsultit—whenevertheyflyor intendtoflyintheopenFIR.

Furthergeneralpublicityonthissubjectwillbe forthcominginduecourse.

APPENDIX"A" THECODEOFPRACTICE BEFORETAKEOFF

I.TellATC,AFISoraresponsibleperson,ofyour intentions,andnoteanyinstructionsorinformation giventoyou.

Onalocalflight,checkthatthevisibilityisat least3km(moreifyourcircuitspeedisabove100kts), thatthereisacloudceilingof600ftoverthehighest obstaclewithin4nmoftheaerodromeand800ftat theaerodromeitself.Ifyouknowyouraerodrome wellthefirsttwofigurescouldbereducedto2kmand 300ftbuttheceilingattheaerodromeshouldstillbe 800ft.

Onacrosscountry:—

Checkyouhaveup-to-datemapscovering theintendedrouteandalternateaerodrorne.

Checkthattheweatheronrouteandat destinationwillgive5kmvisibilityanda 1500ftcloudceilingorbetter.

Checkyouhavefullinformationonthe destinationaerodromeandalternate,especiallyaerodromeheightandlocalprocedures.

CheckNOTAMS.

Obtainpriorpermissionifrequired. Prepareanavigationflightplanandaimto arrivebeforesunset.

FileanATSFlightPlanorbook-out.For alertingsearchandrescuepurposes,Flight Planisparticularlyimportantforflightover waterorunpopulatedterritory.

ENROUTE RemainVMC.

Staybelowcloudunlessmapreadingfromabove cloudispracticable(ieifthereare3oktasorless ofcloudandthevisibilitybelowismorethan5 km.).

Turnbackordivertingoodtimeiftheweather deterioratessoastoimpairnavigation.

ONARRIVAL—(Unlessotherwiseinstructedbefore takeoff)

1.Flyovertheaerodromeabovecircuitheight (2000ftaboveaerodromeheightispossible)to

inspectthesignalssquareandthewindsock,and toestablishthepositionofanyotheraircraft operatingattheaerodrome.

9.Makeanormalcircuitkeepingagoodlookouton bothsidesoftheaircraft.Bankthewingswhile looking.Donotattemptastraightinapproachor ashortenedcircuit.

Jointhecircuitonthedeadside. Ensurethatyouaredowntocircuitheightbefore turningcrosswind.

Makethefirstcrosswindlegclosetotheupwind endoftheactiverunway(ortheaerodrome boundary).

Ifyoucannotavoidovertaking,passtotherightof theotheraircraft.

Ifthereisnopavedrunway,stopandturnleft, checkitiscleartotaxiin. Parksoasnottocauseanobstruction. Closeyourflightplanorbookin.

ANDREMEMBER—ALLTHETIMEYOUARE INTHECOCKPIT—EXERCISEAGOODLOOKOUT.

APPENDIX"B"

RelevantLegislation

AirNavigationOrder1976

Article32—"Pre-flightactionbythecommanderof aircraft".

RulesoftheAir&TrafficControlRegulations,1976 Rule16—"WeatherReportandForecasts"

Rule17—"Rulesforavoidingaerialcollisions"

Rule23—"VisualFlightRules"

Rule24—"InstrumentFlightRules"

Rule32—"RightofWayontheground"

Rule34—"AerodromesnothavingAirTrafficControlunits"

Rule40—"SignalsintheSignalsArea"

Rule42—"MarkingsonUnpavedManoeuvring Areas"

Rule43—"SignalsVisiblefromtheGround"

Rule44—"LightsandPyrotechnicSignalsforControlofAerodromeTraffic"

Rule48—"WarningSignalstoAircraftinFlight" ByCourtesyoftheAeronauticalInformationService ofTheCivilAviationAuthority.

VOLKSWAGEN

AIRCRAFTENGINEPLANS

forAmateurConstructors

30sq.ft.ofdrawingsanda15,000-wordmanual providedesignsandinformationenablingonetoconvert anyV.W.engineupto1600cc.Fullyapprovedfor amateurMuiltaircraft,theseplansareofferedwithlifetimefreeadviceforonly£9.50postpaid.

DonaldG.Peacock, ParadiseCottage,Kempsford,Fairford,Glos. Tel.Kempsford246

PopularFlying,July-August,1977

Projects

AnearlyPress-datemeanslessnewsthanusualthis time.Theusualpleaforyournewsholdsgood—please letushaveanyinformation,eitherofyourprojects, sales,newacquisitions,andthelike.Sendthemto Tangstone',Riseley,Swallofield,Berkshire.

IANBURNETT

PFA/232."Flagship"oftheU.K.homebuiltfleet. theTurbiG-APFAhasforsakentheMidlandswhere ithaslivedforsometime.ItisnowownedbyW.J. EvansatDunkeswell.

1208.CyrilMacartney'sLutonMajorprojectreceivedthemarksG-I3ENHon21-2-77.Whenwelast hearditwasnearlycompleteatCarrickfergus. NorthernIreland,andonlylackedmotivepowei.We hopeit Won't belongbeforeweseeitatSywell.

1537.M.T.Dugmorekindlysentusdetails or the VP-IprojectG-BDARwhichheisbuildingtogether withS.FogginSwindon;Wilts.InMarchthisyear theairframewasbasicallycomplete.butforfittingof cablesandcovering.Thetailassemblyisalsocomplete,andaVW1600isallreadyforfitment.Wehope toseetheresultsintheflesh_atSywellasatrailerwas beingconstructedforroadtransport.

01-10062.LatestCavaliertoreceivesuitablemarks isG-REPD,whichwasregisteredtoP.&Mrs.E.A. DonaldsonofWoburnSandson23-3-77.

02-10078.DaveRileytellsusthattheBetaproject registeredtohimwasnotstartedandheacquireda 'readytoflymachineintheshapeoftheTurbulent G-ASHTinstead.TheBetaplanswereinfactsold. The Turb.meanwhilewasduetomovetoGransden earlierthisyear.

32-10070.TonyWatson'sFalconarF-11G-BDPL hasbeencompleteatPeterCadbury'sPrestonCandoverstrip,Hams.forsometime,butwehaveno newsofanyfirstflight.We understand fromother sourcesthat progresswas heldupbycertification problems,andhopethatitwillsoonbeafamiliar sightontheRallycircuit.

70-10193. Ourcommentsontheoriginsofthe Ospreyprojectwiththisnumberhavebeenpartially anto3ered.ItturnsouttobeaPereiraOsprey2,andit wasregisteredasG-BEPBon29-3-77toMessrs.J..I. Sz A.J.C.ZwetslootofSandy,Beds.

48-10212.FirstTurbulenttoappearinthenewc/n seriesis NigelPonsford'sG-BENPwhichwasregisteiedon21-2-77.Constructionisproceedingin Harrogate, Yorks.

OtherProjects

G-ARBYNipper. SoldtoS.C. D.WardatSywell, 1-2-77.

C-ASXINipper.SoldtoD.R.C.HunteratStrathallan,10-2-77.

G-AVRJCosmicWind.Weweresomewhatsurprised tolearnthattheCosmicWindG-AYR.1wassoldto theUSAinFebruary.

Be2CReplica.Our remarksconcerningthis andtheBBCseries"Wings- inPFrecentlywere ratherprematureasmostofyouwillnodoubthave realised!Themachineisstillin theUSAwithWalter MartinofPennsylvania, andthefilmsequencesused intheserieswereshotintheStates.Otheraerial sequenceswereofcourseDavidBoddington'ssuperb models.

G-AXZAWHEAirhuggy.AfinalGyroitem—AirbuggyG-AXZAwassoldtoA.TroughtonofArmagh on9-2-77.

NewProjects

77-10240HawkerCygnet.A.V.Francis,18Churchill Road,Kensworth,Dunstable.Beds.

34-10241Cassutt.M.Crossley,10bUnderwoodRoad, Caterham,Surrey.

60-10242TaylorTitch.P.D.Wheatland,SKentDrive, Clayton-le-woods,Nr.Leyland,Lancs.

29-10243Fred.H.Pugh,150HildaPark,Chester-lestreet,C'o.Durham.

55-10244TaylorMonoplane.G.Beaumont,90MarkheldAvenue,LowMoor,Bradford,Yorkshire.

1579.WeheardtheotherdayofanotherVP-1which hasapparentlyjoinedthegrowinglistofairworthy examplesintheU.K.ThisisR.Wright'sG-BAEH, whichweunderstandwasbuiltiaRomford,Essex, andapparentlyflewintheSwindonarea.Wenaturally awaitfurtherdetailswithinterest.

PFA/7025.G.MeDill'sVolksplanereceivedthe marksG-BEKMon12-1-77.Themachineisbeing builtatGlenothes,Fife.

PopularFlying,July-August,1977

77-10245HawkerCygnet.R.D.Bernam.15Burnham Walk,Rainham,Kent.

43-10246ColibriMk2.B.Perkins,32St.EdythRoad, SeaMills,Bristol.

55-10247TaylorMonoplane.A.E.Mann,51Elmway, HildaParkEstate,Chester-le-street,Co.Durham.

74-10248Vari-Eze.W.M.Farrell,24Ballygraigy Road,Larne,Co.Antrim,NorthernIreland.

55-10249TaylorMonoplane.R.C.Hobbs,Clove Cottage,MittenRoad,Bembridge,loW.

VP-1G-BDAR/PFA1537basicallycomplete

AGeographicalPresentation ofAircraftLoadingData

Thecalculationofthepositionofanaircraft's C of Gforagivensetofloadingconditionsisasimple process,involvingonlyelementaryarithmetic.Itcan betediousandevenwiththeaidofaslide-ruleor calculatortakesanappreciabletime.Inconsequence, apartfromaroughmentalcheckonweight,aproper loadingcalculationisfrequentlynotcarriedout.The purposeofthisarticleistoshowhowtheweightm-id CofCYlimitscanbepresentedonachartinsuch a waythatthepermissablecombinationsofcrew,fuel, andbaggageweightcanbeseenataglancewithout anycalculation.

Theconditionsthathavetobesatisfiedarethatthe all-upweightislessthantheallowablemaximumand thattheCofGliesbetweenthepermissiblefore-andaft-limits. ir eachoftheseisconsideredinturn,the acceptablecombinationsoffuel,crew,andbaggage weiehtcanbepresentedascurvesonaplotoffuel againstcrewweight.Thecombinationofthethreesets ofcurveswillthendefineanenvelopeembracingthe permissibleloadingconditions.Thesecalculationsare setoutbelowforanimaginaryaircrafthavingthe followingcharacteristics:

Maximumofall-upweight: —1,475lb.

Maximumfuelcapacity:

—16gall(115lb)

Oilcapacity gall(9lb)

Maxim11111baggageweight:

—50lb

Emptyweightofaircraft: —950lb

CofGofemptyaircraft:

--17.6inaftofdatum

CofGofbaggageshelf: •51.0inaftofdatum

CofGofcrewseats:35-0inaft ordatum

CofGoffueltank:1.0inaftofdatum

CofGoiltank:24.0inforwardofdatum

PermissibleCofGlimits:

—17.6to23.0inaftofdatum

'nesecharacteristicsaresimilartothoseofthe Condorandarethereforetypicalofanaveragesideby-side,two-seat,tallyheelaircraft.Inthecalculationsbelow, C, Fand13denotethecrew.fuel,and baggageweiehtinlb.Theoiltankisconsideredtobe fullinallcases

MaximumAll-upWeight

Iftheaircraftisloadedtoitsmaximumall-up weight,then

C---F-B•9509H475

Thismayherearrangedtogke CF:13-516

ThisisplottedinFigure1fornobaggageandfor 50lbofbaggage.

AftCofGLimit

theCofGoftheloadedaircraftisonitsaftlimit_ the slim ofthemontents ortheindisidualitemsabout thedatummustbeequaltotheweightoftheloaded aircrafttimesthedistancefronttheaftlimit to the datum.Settingthisoutinfullgives:

C•35.0F -0--B51-0-!950-17.6-924-0 (C1B.'940-9)230

byMikeCatton

givpecsrFormingthesumsandearrangingtheterms

12-0C22-0F-28.0B5553

ThisisplottedinFigure2forbaggageweightsof0 and50lb

ForwardCofGlimit

Performingthesimilarcalculationfortheforward limit,wehave

C35-0r,F1.0-13•51.0-[950-17.6-9-24.0 —(C•FB-19509)17.6

Thissimplifiesto

17.4C-16.6F—33.413374

wInchisplottedinFigure3forbaggageweightsof0 and20lb

LoadingEnvelope

Thethreesetsof curves cannowbecombinedinthe mannershowninFigure4togiveenvelopedbounding thepermissiblecombinationsofcrew,fuel,and baggageweights.Solongasthecrewandfuellie withintheboundaryappropriatetothebaggage weight.theall-upweightandtheCofGwillbewithin theirallowablelimits.

Achartsimilartothiscanbedrawnupforany aircraftwithonlyonerowofseatsItwillusuallybe foundthattheaft C ofGlimitcannotbereached withoutexceedingtheall-upweightlimit.Forsome aircraft,suchastheAirtourer,oneofthe C ofG limitsmayvarywiththeall-upweight.Insuchcases thecalculationsfollowthesantelinesbutarcmore laboriousandtheboundariesarecurvesinsteadof straightlines.Theprinciplecanbeextendedtocover an-craftwithtworowsofseatssuchasaTigerMoth oraCessna172.WhencheckingtheCofGthe occupantsareassumedtobealloccupyingthefront seatsandaneffectivecrewweightisusedgreaterthan theactualweighttoallowforthegreatermomentarm of[Ilerearseatpassengers.Thus,referringtoFigure 5.theCofGcalculationswillbecorrectiftheeffective crewweightistakentobetheweightofthefrontseat occupantsplusI_R/LFtimestheweightofthercar seatoccupants.andthecurvesareplottedforthis weightconcentratedinthefrontseats.Theactual weightmustofcoursebeusedwhencheckingthe all-upweight.

SOLENTSTRUT

Solent,beingincloseproximitytotheAndover Strut,hascentreditsrecentclubnightdiscussions aroundthepublicenquiryintoJimEspin'sapplication todevelophislandatPophamintoanAirCentre. TheMarchmeetingwasalsothestrut'sAnnual GeneralMeeting,withnoothermembersstandingfor electionforthecomingyearthestrut'sprevious officerswereunanimouslyre-electedforafurtherterm ofoffiice.TheirCommitteeisthereforeasfollows: StrutCo-ordinatorMikeCatton,SecretaryBryan Edwards,TreasurerRayWales.andPublicRelations EddieBaker,thevenueforstrutmeetingsisasalways TheRedLionatTotton,Southampton,onthesecond Wednesdayofeachmonth.TheCo-ordinator,Bryan Edwardscanbereachedby'phoneonTotton7176.

PortraitofaStrut,No.2

RomfordStrut has,wearetold,amembershipof fiftypeople,ofthisnumberfifteenhavesincejoined ourAssociation(wewouldliketobelievethatthe remainingthirty-fivearealreadymembers—Ed.).

Upontheintroductionofthestrutsystem,agroup ofP.F.A.membersformedthestrut.TheirStrut Leader&Co-ordinator,CedricDrinkwater,previously servedintheR.A.F.asaflightmechanicuntilundergoingpilottraininginRhodesiaandMiddleEastin 1943.Afterhistraining,Ced.wentontoflyP4I ThunderboltsintheBurmacampaignandreturnedto civilianlifein1946.Afterre-establishinghimself in the communityhegainedhisPPLin1966andjoinedour Associationin1970.In1972Ced.carriedoutthetest flightsonhisnewlybuiltLutonMajorG-AYXOafter afifteenmonthbuildingprogramme.

Theenthusiasmgeneratedamongststrutmembers setthescenefortheformationoftheForrestFlying Group.Here,theconstructionofaCP301Emeraude G-BCCRwasundertakenbyfivemembersincluding Ced.Drinkwaterwhoalsotestflewtheairciaftin January1976,sincethattimeithasbeenflownby manyofthegroup'smembers.TheLutonMajorisno longerflyingduetopoorperformance,re-coveringof JodelD.112G-AZVLinDacrontogetherwithan interiorfacelift,isbeingcarriedoutbymembersof theForrestGroup.OthermembersofRomfordStrut withprojectsincourseofconstructionare:Hon. TreasurerKenStewartwhohascompleted60%ofhis

byJIMWILLS

Sprite,Hon.SecretaryIanWalshwhohascompleted 50%ofanabandonedVP.2projectthatheacquired, planstopoweritwitha65hpLycoming0-145-Band hopesforaFIE'bytheendof1977.Non-Strut P.F.A. memberslivingwithinfortymilesorsoofStapleford willfindmuchtotalkaboutwithstrutmembersatthe monthlymeetings,thesearcheldintheLectureRoom, StaplefordAirfield,Essex,at8p.m.onthefirst Tuesdayofeverymonth.StrutCo-ordinatorCedric Drinkwatercanbecontactedat19,MerlinRoad, Essex,'phoneNo.Romford62606.

REDHILL

FromRedhillStrutcomesnewsthatMikeHallam hasrelinguishedthepostofstrutco-ordinator.which hehasheldforseveralyears,duringthistimehiswork onbehalfofthestruthasassistedinestablishinga successfulfootholdonthefly-inscene.Beforehanding overtohissuccessorDickBarnby,Mikepresentedthe strutwithatankardtobeawardedannually, 1 understand,tothepersonwhoepitomisesthestrut'sobjectives.OurcongratulationstoBillWilksonbeing thefirstrecipient,forhismeritoriousservicetoboth thestrutandtheP.F.A.,whilstatthesametimemaking remarkableprogressontheconstructionofhisMJ7 Mustang,duetobecompletedintheverynearfuture. TonyTringhamhasvolunteeredtotakeonthejobof StrutRepresentativeontheP.F.A.NationalCouncil, thanks,Tony,welookforwardtoseeingyouatfuture meetings.

STAPLEFORDFLY-IN

TheFly-inatStapleford-Tawney,heldbycourtesy oftheaerodromeoperators,ThurstonAviation,on Sunday,May1standorganisedjointlybytheRomford,ChelmsfordandHerts.Strutshadadelayedstart duetolowcloudbaseintheformofmistintheearly morning.BecauseofthistheBreakfastPatrolhadto beabandoned,apitythis,asmanyaircraftcouldbe heardsomewhereoverheadfronttheground,someI believereturnedtobase,nevertoreturn.Withthcmist liftingbyabout10a.m.,home-basedmachinesbegan takingoff in searchofotherintendingvisitors.Itwas atthispointthattheeventualsuccessofthedaywas marredforallfutureyears.

ThepilotofagroupoperatedTigerMothG-ANDE engagedinalowlevel'dogfight'withaBeaglePup overanareaknownasNoble'sFarm.Thisepisode broughtmany'phoned-incomplaintsfromlocal residentsandthefarm'sownertothe'fieldopeiator EricThurstonontheotherendofthe'phone.Ofthe offenders,thepilotofthePupflewawayafteraverbal slangingmatch,whilethepilotoftheTigerMothwas groundedforImonthbytheairfieldoperator.Ithas beenestablishedthatneitherthepilot,orthegroup concernedaremembersofP.F.A.Aftermuchworkby theCo-ordinatorsofRomford,ChelmsfordandHerts. Strutsatestablishingagoodworkingrelationship betweenEricThurston,theoperatorofStapleford Aerodrome,andP.F.A.struts, itisnowapparentthat noP.F.A.fly-inswillinfuturebepermittedatthis field. Asapostscripttotheepisode,the'cowboy'or hooliganwhoflewtheTigerwaspre-warnednotto endulgeinthiskindofbehaviour—aftertheeventthe writernoticedthathewasquiteproudlyboasting amongsthisfriends.

Comingtothebrighterside,fo1that'swhatitwas afterthemistlifted,theweatherwastypicallySywell weatherandencouragedsome56arrivalstotheevent,it PomilarFlying,July-August,1977

RandardStrutLeaderCedricDriolovarer

wasencouragingtoseemany 'regular'P.F.A. stalwarts attendingbothbyroadandair."Some-wereMiss PatHolmes(111:74),JohnPothecary(Cub),Maurice White(Jodel),CvrilOakins(T.Mono),JoeThomas (Turbulent),FrankTilley/LesHepper(Jodel).

Bydesign,orcoincidence,theR.A.F.putina welcomeappearancebyoverflyingthefieldatabout 5,000ft.,withnoneotherthanaDC.3lookingvery smartwiththefamiliarDay-GloOrangeCoastal Commandmarkingsgleaminginthemid-afternoon sunlight.

Prizes,duringtheafternoonwereawardedfor:

SPOTLANDINGtoTonyBuckland(WassmerBaladou) G-ATSY.

MOSTMERITORIOUSFLIGHTLoMr.Gale(N.E.Strut) fromTeesideinEmeraudeG-AXXC.

BTSTHOSIEBUILTAIRCRAFTDIMr.Littlechild(Jodel D9, G-AXYU).

BESTYINTGAEAIRCRAFTTOMr.Niblock(Auster AigletG-AMZIfromBiggin).

Onstaticdisplaywasthefuselageandempennageof KenRaven'sRandK.R.2.appropriatelyregisteredas G-BEKR,withassistancefromfellowK.R.2builder KenCutt.ThismachinewastrailedfroinWivenhoe, Essexandremainedtherethroughoutthedaydrawing asteadygatheringofinterestedpeoplekeentoinvestigatethisnewmethodofconstiuction.

PortraitofaStrut,No.3

NORTHKENT.oneoftheearlieststruts,was formedinJanuary1971byahandfulofmemberswho livedinthenortheastKentareaandmainlyflewfrom Rochesterairfield.Thefirsthomebuilttobeflownby astrutmemberwastheLutonMinor-ARXPbuiltand ownedthen,asnowbyBillHymasofCorringham, Essex.Withintwoyears.thenextmachinetoflywas thebeautifullyfinishedTaylorMono-AXYKofCyril Oakins,followedshortlyafterwardsbytheTurbulent -AWWTofDerekLevermore,1973alsosawthe resurrectionofTurbulent-ATBSbyit'snewowner, JoeThomas,whobecameastrutmemberatthesame timeandhasbeena'regular'eversinceJoe,beinga C.A.A.certifiedwelderbywayofhisprofession,has helpedmanyofthestrut'smemberswithweldedparts fortheirmachines.

Fromthestrutsearliestdaysin1971itisrecorded thatJohnClementswasbuildingaV.P.I,andnowin 1977itisalmostacertaintythatittoo,willmakeit's maidenflightduringthisyear,possiblyaSywell ottender?Wehopeso.Otheraircraftincourseof constructionbystrutmembers,someofthesenearing completionareLutonMinor,Cavalier,IsaacsFury2, PietenpolAircamper,BD-5andWoodyFisher.

Amongstthestrut'smembers,therearefourteen, seriouslyengagedinbuildingtheirown.

Thehistoryofhomebuilding,definesthepeople whocontinuetoworkontheirprojects,despiteseeminglyinsurmountableproblems,e.g.spaceinwhichto build,procurementofdifficultcomponents,constant liquidityproblems,designproblems,etc.,asserious builders,nothingbutnothing,willstopthemfrom achievingtheambitiontheyhavesetthemselves.

TheCommitteeofNorthKentStruthavedecreed that,ateachmeetingheld,thosememberspresent donateasmallsum(30p)each,todefraytheexpense ofclubroomhireandcostsofproducingandmailing newsletterstomembers.

Infairnesstothosewhoattendmeetingsregularly, newslettersaresenttothosewhoattendedthelasttwo meetings,inaddition,thoseattendingarerequiredto indicatetheirproject,P.F.A.No.toaetherwithname andaddressforrecordandmailingpurposes.

Informativeyears,meetingswereheldmonthly,this wasalteredafteratime,tohi-monthlyandproduced enoughsubscriptionsfrommemberstoatleastpayfor theroomhireatapublichouseinRochestertown

centre,italsogavemembersanextramonthinwhich toprogressontheirprojectsbeforechatting,overa pint,withothers.Yetanotherchangewassoonto follow,withthemeetingplacemovedtoShootersHill, Woolwich,where,bycourtesyofLondonFireBrigade 'EDivisionSocialcommittee,thestrutwasgiven permissiontousetheSocialClubsituatedattheside ofthefirestation,meetingshereareheldat8.00p.m. onthefirstWednesdayofalternatemonths:February, April,June.August,OctoberandDecember.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFTmagazine

The new issueofVintageAircraftmagaripeseesthefirst ofanewseriesofarticlesfeaturingthe-GoldenAge-of Britishaviation.Inthisserieswewillberecapturingthe flavourofthetwentiesandthirtieswithauthenticperiod articles,thelirstofwhichlooksattheearlyyearsof GravesendAirport.

ReguharfeatureswillcovertheTorbayAircranmuseum, rebuildingaPT-19ACornell,LewisBenjaminonhis ArrowActiveII.DavidOgilvyonflyingtheSkyfame AnsonIandtheMilitaryAircraftOwners.Association. AddtotheseourotherfeaturesincludingA. J. Jackson's VintagePhotoForum,NewsReview,Air-Mailand MustangRebuildandyouhavetheidealreadingmatter forallloversof%intageaeroplanes.

July-SeptemberissueavailableatSywellrally Price50pplusISpp.&p.front

VINTAGEAIRCRAFTMAGAZINE

137OnslowGardens,SouthWoodford,LondonEISINA England

ANNUALSUBSCRIPTIONSI£2.50forfour Issues.

LONDON SAILPLANES LTD.

TRINGROAD,DUNSTABLE BEDS.

Tel.—Dunstable62068

OPENMONDAYTOSATURDAY-9A.m. To6 P.M.

StocksofmostmaterialsfortheHomeBuilder Fabric,343,575,Linen7F1/5CandDacron Dope(ClearandColour),PinchinJohnson, TitanineandRhodius

Spruce,PolishPineandAsh

ControlCablesmadeuptoorder

Adhesives,AeroliteandAerodux

Fibreglass,ResinandMicroballoons

SteelTube,SheetandRod

GL1AircraftPlyfrom0.8mm.to3.0mm.thick Widerangeofinstrumentsinstock

C.A.A.welding.Machiningandre-sprays

Sends.a.e.forpricelist

WESSEXSTRUTRALLY HENSTRIDGE 17thAPRIL1977

Fromourneweststrut.Wessex,comesdetailsof theirinauguralfly-inmeeting.ThiswasheldatHenstridgeAirfieldonSunday17thApril,theattendance.in thewordsoftheirCo-ordinatorTonyYoung,was overwhelming,hopingforanattendanceofsome40 aircraft(withlingerscrossed).nolessthan106visiting aircraftweresignedinbytheirpilotstoHenstiidge. Withnoradio,orpriorpermissionrequired,andwith nolandingfees,theday'sactivitiespassedwithout incident,withatonetime.19aircraftinthecircuit andatanother.aformationof4Jodelsapproaching tojoin.Ofthemanyvisitors.RobertLowe.withhis wellknownVP.IG-RDAHbroughttheVP.I's presenttotwo.Oneprize.forthelongestdistance flown,wasawardedtoMr.Rhindwhoflewinfrom MartleshamHeathinaCherokeeWarrior0-B13XW. later.almostattheendofthedayitwasfoundthata visitorhadflowninfromFranceinanAusterbut.alas. hadnotsignedinuponarrival.Ah.well,mustbea moraltheresomewhere.

Th.isreportcannotdojusticetotheuntiringand devotedeffortsoenthusiasticallyperformedby members'Wivesandfriends,whoservedvisitorswith Teas,Coffee,SoftDrinks,Ploughman'sLunches,etc. Toyoufolkespecially,onbehalfofourAssociation's nembership,weofferourgratefulthanks.ofthe401h ofcheesepurchasedfortheoccasion,amousewould nothavetakenthetroubletostoptoeattheremainder, andthesugar,halfacupfulremainedatthefinal whistle—onlyhalfacupful?Asrefreshmentswere beingservedinthehangar,oneoftheresidentsob jected,scoringadirecthitinthesugarbowl—fron hehangar'srooftrusses—'Nosugar,thanks'.Or staticdisplaywastheLutonMinorofColinDitTord

Whynot—

Ourpersonalandcomprehensiveserviceisalso availabletomeetmostotherindividualorcommercialinsuranceneeds, E3mblis10010ver50years

who,withpaperworkallsignedupaftera10year buildingprogramme,onlyawaitsasteadygreenfrom theofficeinordertomakethemaidenflight.Alsoon handwiththeirtemptationtableofaircraftgoodies, wereourtimehonouredfriendsR. Jaywell.who, frompersonalexperience,areextremelykeentohelp thehomebuilder.Itwaseithercuriosityoradesireto becomeinvolved,thatdrewvisitingmotorists(non P.F.A.)totheparkingareaat50p.per,car,for£80plus wascollectedonparkingalone,afterdefrayingexpensesofproducingsouvenirplacques.cups,tiesand MCMentos, thestrutI-rindswerehealthierattheendof theday.

AtthefirstmeetingofthestrutinDecemberlast,22 membersweresignedup,andbythesecondmeetingin January,thenumberroseto36,atpresentthenumber standsat72.Duetotheextensivesupportthattheir fly-inexhibited,theorganisersintendtoholdanother atthesametimenextyear,i.e.FirstSundayafter Easter,andtomakeitanannualeventthereafter.The struthaveproducedtheirowntie,availablefromthe secretary,MartinHolloway.whichdepictstheP.F.A. motifunderwrittenbytheword'Wessex'.Althougha newstrut,itsmembershavemanyprojectsunderway, someofwhichareatanadvancedstageofconstruction.Isitpossiblethatthereisamemberinthe areawhoisnotawareofthestrut'smeetingplace?—or perhapsyouareplanningholidaysintheWest Country,thentheplacetobeisTheLydfordHotelat 8p.m.ontheLASTMONDAYofALTERNATE MONTHS(July.Sept.,Nov.,etc).TheCo-ordinator. TonyYoung.canbereachedat'LittlePaddock', CharltonMackrell,Somerton,Somerset,'phone CharltonMackrell274.

Competitions,heldduringthemeeting,andthe winners,wereasfollows:

SpotLandings'

I.Mr,KpeghScheibeSF28

2.D.Shrinsphin ShortLanding: CherIOUH.P.

I.ChrisWhile

2.RoyYonne Under1001-1,P BarryMorin

D.Shrimplon Nnyinalions:

4Mr.Collins

2.MissParHolmes SealedTimeofAnilal

I.CliffLoscll

2.Mr.Cosserd Loneesi.Disionee Mr.Rhind

Nipper3

AugerYINAlpha Robin0R400-140

CurrieWot Nipper3

AusterJ1AIIPiero FournierRI4

PiperClipper PiperCorinnariche250

CherokeeWiprior

SOrcilli Awardlor100thAirerolitoanise: MauriceKirkAusler.11Autocrat

Phones:54967--52396

AIRCRAFTTHATATTENDEDTHEHENSTRIDGERALLY

Acronca HumphreysYeovilton

AusterJ1AutocratBrooksTredegarInt, AusierJINAlphaTuckerHenstridge

Gottid-Taylorcrall

PlusDSpecialGould

AusterJ1NAlphaLessit

AusterJ1AutocratFarrell

MilesMessengerBuck

AusterJINAlphaN4athie

Tipsy Shepherd

Ainter11AutocratCollins

AusterHNAlphaHibherd

AusterJAutocratKirk

Atisler5 Mann

PiperCommunehe250Coward

PiperSuperCub95KnaPt

PiperColt

PiperColt Burgess

Cessna172SkyhawkCox

PiperColl Pickfiord

JodelDR1050Dubee

PiperColt Palmer

PiperSuperCruiserS011ell

Morane-SatilnierRaIlyeClubGoodwin

Turbulent Dobie

PiperVagabondRomanes

Cessna1511 Haynes

Cessna172 March

Cessna17_ Squires

Cessna150 Parker

RolkowJunior Wallis

BeagleTerrier2Moore

JgdelD117 Bullen

PiperPacer Cooper

AeroncaChampion7ACConan

PiperCherokee140Burgoyne

JodelD119 Clarke

Cessna172 Mogg

Minicab Davis

PiperCherokeeIHOChalke-Po

PiperCherokee180Cummins

JodelDR1051SicileWest

TipsyNinper3Corbett

TiPsYNipPec3 Lewis

PiperCherokee1130

PiperCherokee180Soutar

BeagleHuskyD518(1Youny

FournierRF4 Holmev

JodelD120 Berrnw

EAABiplane Maidment

RallycClub Cairns

TipsyNipper3Shrimptun

Cessna182 Butcher

Henstridne

Henstridge

Panshanger

Weston-s-mare

PLUMSI. Vincent (France)

Henstridge

LittleFagnekton

Dunkeswell

Taunton

Shoreham

Bristol

UpperHeylbrd

Headcorn

Blackbuvhe

Ilenstridge

Dunkeswel

ThreeLegged

Cr(1115

Type

Cessna15(1 BeaglePup1

JodelDII RallyeClub

PiperVagabond

DruineCondor

Cessna15(1

BeaglePupI RallyeClub

Beagle

Bulldog I)112

FournierRly5 Jodel D 112

LutonMinor Fidel9117

CurrieWm

JodelD112

FounnerSI53IMilan _ToddDR1050Sicke Record

ComplonAbbas

Swansea

CC/Motor'Abbas

Swansea OldSarum Fairoaks

FogelDR1050Sicile RecordHuttonBItickbushe

AntlerJ1NAlphaHammondLee-on-Solent

FournierRF5 Si-milled:1ndComptonAbbas

NoordmnHarvardHuttonBooker

JodelD117 ThumDunkesweli

AA1YankeeTrainerBarrowHenstriclge

Cessna150 HaldenbyBernbridge

EvansVPI BeathWrouningo

PiperSuperCUL)ElliottBigginHill

PiperClipper LovellThrumon

GardanMinicabTrOllopeWarminster

FujiEA200-160VineDunkeswell

ScheibeSF28 RobinDR400-160DelvesShorehamKoeghSouthCerney

RobinDR400-1411YoungBristol

LL11011Minor

DiliordGlastonbury

Cessna195 BrooksIkunkesmtil

Cessna_ WebherExeter PiperCherokeeWarriorRhine!Martleshain

Heath

Minerva220WoodStayerton Rallye Minor GarnerDraycottF:11.111

I.uton ChipmunkT10 Wise BigginHill Cherokee1411SmithStapiefiord

Piper Piper

Piper Evans

6-BDEB (3-BDEB

G-BDKNI (3-BEIL

Tawncy

1lenstridge

DunkeswelI

Thruzlon

FarlciehFarm

Euro

Dunkeswell

Dunkeswell

Dunkeswell

Thru51(111

Yeoyinon

LutonMinorG-BBCY,newestojthebreed

AeroncaC-3G-AEFTflownin romYeovihon

AerialviewoftheWessexStrutRallyshowingalargeproportionofthevisitingaircraft(Photo:PeterR.March)

ORGANISINGASTRUTRALLY byTonyFarrell

December1976MetwithPaulforadrinkat StaplefordandtalkedaboutChelmsfordStrut'slast fly-in.Weagreedthatthestripusedwasnotsafe enoughforalargefly-in,butStaplefordwouldbe ideal.PaultohavewordswithMr.Thurston(Airfield Operator)andMr.Chicken(FlyingClub)andifthey areinfavour,arrangeameetingwithCedricof RomfordStruttoorganiseajointStrutfly-in.

December1976 —Firstorganisationalmeeting.Messrs. ThurstonandChickenallinfavour—Mr.Thurstonto acceptasmallblocklandingfee,sothatwecanoffer freelandings—Mr.Chickentodonatecompetition prizes.Dateagreedtobe1stMay1977.Paultodeal withpublicity.Tonywithmarshalling,etc.,andCedric withpotsandothermatters.

January1977-- Secondmeeting.PopularFlying, PilotandLightAviationadvisedandCAAnotifiedfor notampurposes.PotsonorderandshieldforSpot LandingCompetitionforpermanentdisplayinclubhousetobeobtained—donatedbyMr.Chicken.1066 (Hitchin)SquadronATC—theSywellcadets—have agreedtomarshallforus.EventstobeBreakfast Patrol,SpotLanding,BestHomebuilt,BestVintage andMostMeritoriousFlight.

March1977— Thirdmeeting.Inattendance:Malcolm fromtheTowerandPeterfromThurstonAviation Ltd.Flighthasfoundoutaboutourfly-inanditisfirst ontheirlistof'AirDisplays'—CAAhasalsonotamed itasanAirDisplay.Severalinformation-seeking telephonecallsreceivedbyThurstons—onefromthe ManchesterAircraftPreservationSocietysayingthat twoeoachloadsofpeoplewouldbecomingandcanwe accommodatethecoaches?BecauseofthisThurstons wereconcernedaboutthenumbersofgeneralpublic likelytobepresentandwhatactionwecouldtaketo controlthemandwouldwepleasetakeoutInsurance coverfor£500,000.Generaldiscussiondisclosedthat thegeneralpubliccouldnotbeexcludedunderthe termsoftheairfieldlicenceandwouldbephysically impossible,theerectionoffencingwouldimplythat onesidewassafeandtheotherwasnotandevenat Sywellthefenceswerenotimpenetrable. It wasagreed thatawhitetapeonshortstakeswouldbeerectedasa purelynominalbarrier,thatallStrutmembersandthe cadetswouldwatchoutforanypotentiallydangerous situationforpeopleoraircraft.Apublicliabilitypolicy for£500,000wouldbetakenauwhatsomeoneestimatedwouldcostabout£30.

April1977 —Twoweekstogoapanicmeetingis called!Lowestquoteforinsurance£125providedwe doourbesttoexcludethegeneralpublic.Whatthe 0000 istheuseofa PUBLIC Liabilitypolicyifyou havetoexcludethepublic???Firstthought—cancel thewholethine.Secondthought—itistoolate! Severalthoughtslatertheplanwasthattheonlycars allowedontheairfieldwouldbePFAandSFCmembers,alltherestwouldbesenttoalocalfarmer'sfield andwewouldsharetheincomewiththefarmerand hopetorecoversomeoftheinsurancecost.

1stMay1977—Thedayishere!THICKFOG!Is ourlucknevergoingtochange?IarriveatStapleford andcannotseetheothersideofrunway11/29—andno windtoblowitallaway.ThecadetsarriveandIput themongateandcarparkdutiesastheyhaveno 'planestomarshall.Briefingforthebreakfastpatrolis donebutwithlittlehope.At0930wehearaircraft overheadtryingtofindthefieldunderthefogbutno joy.

By1000thefoghasliftedalittleandahome-based 'planetakesofftoseewhatitislikebutheisinandout ofcloudat400feetandreturnstobase.One'plane arriveshavingfoundasmallholeto let downthrough. Anotherhome-based'planetakesoffandwouldyou

believeit—hestartsdoingaerobaticswithacloudbase of500feetclosetothelocalvillageandofcoursethe complaintsstartfloodingin.1amtoldthatMr. Thurstonhastakenthebruntofthecomplaintsand onmywaytoseehim.Iaskapilotwhohasjuststarted hisenginenottodoanylowflyingoraerobatics.Five minuteslaterwhenIanttalkingtoMr.Thurston,we noticethat'planeishavingadogfightwithanotherat zerofeetimmediatelyovertheresidenceofthemost vociferouslocalcomplainer!Fordownrightstupidity thatpilot(?)takessomebeatinganddeservesevery minuteoftheonemonthgroundingimposedonhint.

Bynowthecloudswereupto1000feetandwere beingbrokenbythesunandourairbornevisitorswere arriving.Thecadetscarriedouttheirdutiesas marshallswiththeexpertisethatwehavecometo expectofthem.Thecompetitionjudgeswithpads, pencilsandfrownsofconcentration,commenced patrollingthefield,pouncingoneachhomebuiltand vintageplaneasitarrived.Thegirlsintheclubhouse werefeedingthemultitude.Thecarparkswerefilling upandingeneraltheatmospherewasnowasitshould beataPFAfly-in.At1200thespotlandingjudges movedtothedutyrunwayandreturnedat1400with thewinnerdecided.

At1500ColinStevens.alocalcouncillorandmemberoftheairportliasoncommittee,presentedthecups tothe WinEersandshortlyafter,aChipmunkgavean excellentacrobaticdisplayinthecorrectbitofsky, whichmadeaverypleasantendtotheday.

StaplefordFlyingClubwerehappy—theiraircraft hadkeptflyingduringthedayandtheclubhousehad donewellfromthecatering.ThurstonAviationLtd. werehappy,havingdoneseveraljoyridedetailsduring theafternoon.1066(Hitchin)SquadronATCwere happy—theyhadmarshalledaircraftinpreparation forSywellandthankstothegenerosityoftworesident pilots,eachcadethadflown.Astothethreestruts— theyweretired,broke,buthappywiththewaythe fly-inhadgoneoncetheinitialproblemswereover. Lessonslearnt (otherstrutsmaycaretocopy)

1.Establishwellinadvancethepreciserequirements oftheairfieldowner/operatorandbudgetaccordingly.

?.Ifthelocalresidentsaresmallinnumber,aletter throughtheirdoor,afewdaysbeforetheevent, apologisinginadvanceforanydisturbenceand invitingthemtocome,wouldprobablybeagood publicrelationsexercise.

RestrictpublicitytoPFandtheotherstruts,unlessyouarepreparedtocopewithlingenumbers. Useanymeansyoucan—short a wreckingthe planeorpilot—tostopthelocalcowboyflyingif theweatherismarginal.

Finally,thecost,ifweexcludetheinsurance,was veryreasonableandwellwithinthestruts'fundsbut whenoneisfacedwithabillof£125atthelastmoment itbecomesadisaster!Lettheexecutivecommitteebe warned—atthenextCouncilMeetingitwillbe suggestedthatthePopularFlyingAssociationshould negotiateblanketinsurancecoverforallapproved strutrallies.

DearSir, LUTONMINORS

Asonewhoworkedhisbuttontheprototypeand otherLutonMinorsintheworkshopsofthegreatly respectedCaptainC.H.Latimer-Needham.mayI joinothers,whobothknewandrespectedthedesigner oftheMinor.inbeingdisgustedandshockedatthe obliquechillmadebyMr.ArthurOrd-Humeinthe May-JuneissueofPopularFlying.

Yoursfaithfully, HAROLDBEST-DESTRElix II&13STONEHILLSHOUSE, STONEIIILLS, WELWYNGARDENCHN, HEREFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND

DearEditor, HIGHLANDSTRUT—Fly-in6th&7thAugust Weshouldliketoinformyouthatweareorganising aFly-inatFearnAerodromeuphereintheHighlands ofScotlandonAugust6th&7th.Fearnis57-45' Northand03-57'Westandis13-1-nauticalmiles NorthNorthEastofDalcrossinInverness-shirewhere therearere-fuelingfacilitiesavailablefrom8a.m.4.30p.m.onSaturdaysandSundays.Radiofrequency is122.6.

Campingfacilitiesaretobemadeavailableonthe aerodromeandforthosewhocannotbringtheirown tentstherewillbeeitheracornerinacaravan,orat somebody'shouse.Forthewealthier,transportwillbe laidontotakethemtolocalhotelsorboardinghouses.

DearSir, LANDINGATDUXFORD

Inrecentissuesof "PopularFlying" mentionhas beenmadeofthecomplicationsofobtainingpermissiontofly-intoDuxfordAirfield.Thesituationhas nowchangedandIampleasedtobeabletoinform youthattheairfieldmanagementisnowestablished andweareabletoadopttherecommendedoperating proceduresbeingopenonaPPObasison(0223) 833963/871100.

SincetheinceptionoftheDuxfordprojectsixyears agoaformidablecollectionofVintageandHistorically interestingaircrafthasaccumulatedatthisformer BattleofBritainairfieldTheCollectionishousedon th.eImperialWarMuseumsiteattheairfieldandhas beensuccessfullyopentothepublicforjustovera year.Whilstmanyoftheexhibitsareflownregularly, ithasnotbeenpossibleuntilnowtohavetheairfield opentovisitorswishingtofly-inatshortnotice Duringthisinitialperiodofconsolidationforthe MuseumandtheDuxfordAviationSocietyastrong organisationhasevolvedformaintainingandrestoringtheaircraftcollections.

AsrecentasAprilthisyear,negotiationsbetween theMuseum,theCa111bridaeshireCountyCouncil andthepreviousairfieldcontrollers—theDefence LandAgents—weresuccessfullycompleted,securing afuturefortherestofthewartimeairfield.

Thelandingfee,includingadmissiontotheMuseum site,is£2.50andwehopetobeabletoarrangea discountforvariousVintageAircraftclubs.Whilst awareofoneoftheaimsofthePopularFlyingMovement—toreducethecostofflying—weatDuxford mustfindincometomaintaintheairfield.Itishoped tobeabletoorganisemoreeventsduringthesummer monthsforthispurposeandwouldwelcomecontact fromanyindividualsororganisationinterestedin holdingrelatedeventsontheairfield.

Breifly,forthoseinterested:PPOonly,Ctstothe north-westR/HonR/W25,L/1-IonR/W07.Runway —6000ftconcretewithgrassareabecomingavailable in1978.Intensivegliding—winchandaero-tow. Mon.-Fri.:Minimalfirecover—tenderonstandby. Sat.-Sun.:Advisoryradioon123.5withfireand crashfacilities.

Yoursfaithfully, MIKEBARNETT.

PRO.DuNfordAviationSociely

PopularFlying.July-August,1977

EventsforSaturdayaretobeginat2.30p.m.witha spotlandingcompetition.Thisistobefollowedbya treasurehunt.andtofinishoffthedaytherewillbea barbecueandsing-song.Prizesaretobeawardedfor thelongestflight:mostmeritoriousflightandpossibly oneortwoothers,dependingonthenumbersattending theFly-in.

OurStrutisquitesmallbutitisactive),..iththree aeroplanesunderconstructionandoneJodelD117 flying.Moredetailswillfollow.Ourimmediateaimis tohavetheFly-inadvertised.

CAVALIER SQUADRON NEWS

byDavidBuckle

ANewsLerterontheCavalier102.5isnow availablefromT.Laudicina,1766LaurelDrive, Palatine,Illinois60067,U.S.A.ThisNewsLetterwill eventuallycontainreprintsofthepreviouswood aircrafiersandKandSaircraftNewsLetters.

AttachmentofTipTanksbytheDirectBondingMethod Itisunlikelythatthismethodwillreceiveapproval. Buildersarethereforeadvisedtousethemethodof attachmentassh.ownontheplans.

InadvertentFuelTransferontheGround

Anisolatedoccurencehasbeenreportedonfuel transferandapparentvapourlockwithsubsequent enginestoppageduetomismanagementofthefuel systemonthegroundduringrefuelling.

Withthefuelselectorlefton"Both-,cross-feeding occurredandfueloverflowedfromthestarboardtank. Thestarboardtankwasthenselected"On"andthe boostpumpswitchedoninanattempttostopthefuel overflowingfromtheventline.Theenginewassubsequentlystartedandranforafewsecondsbefore stoppingduetoapparentfuelstarvation.

Theproblemwouldnothavearisenwithcorrect managementofthefuelsystem,butbuildersare advisedtoeliminatethepossibilityofthisoccurence byfittingnon-returnvalvesinbothfuellinesand/or inbothairventlines.

HarryYardley'sG-BDKJflewfromStokeachard inMarch,afterwaitingseveralmonthsforthefloods tosubside,andisthethirdtoflyofthethirtyorso underconstructionhere.

RidleyKendal'sG-BCRKwhichflewfromUsworth lastyearnowsportsatinelooking3-bladeprop.and wheelspatsandhasloggedquiteafewhours,withno problems.

EVANS POWER

TheNov./Dec.1972editionofPopularHying arrivedandasalwayswasscannedfromfronttoback withinafewminutes(thewifesayshours)andthere itwas."NewV/W1600enginewith2SR4mags., allyplate,sprockets,chain,carb..DonPeacock's plans,etc."—justwhatAlanandIneededtocorrect aseriouslyaftcofgonourTaylorMonowewere building.AquicktelephonecalltoWembleytosay 'Don'tsellit,we'reonourway'',thenanotherto Alan,"Putthattellyoff,we'regoinguptoLondonin aminutetobuyanengine'',whichbroughtforthone ofhismanyvehementoutbursts!

Hower,anhour-and-a-halfafterleavingSouthamptonwewereexaminingourfindinapoliceman's garage,alongsideavintageRoverawaitingrestoration. (Thisverypleasantgentwasthegreatestoptimistofall time. havinghopedtobuildanaeroplane,restorea vintagecaratthesametime,nottomeationknocking tworoomsinto one, whilstbeinganactivephilatalist aswell!Hesawthelightanddecidedtheaeroplane mustwait).Wewereabitworriedbecausethecylinder headswereremoved—(heproducedthemfromunder hisbed,carefullywrappediaplastic)andtheengine hadbeenaroundforacoupleofyears.buthereadily agreedtoourpartiallyliftingonepot,andwiththe aidofabrighttorchwesatisfiedourselvesthatitwas infactunused,andhadnotsufferedanydeterioration duringstorage.Anhourlater(duringwhichanother P.F.A.typefromSouthamptonphoned.buthe'd missedtheboat)wehadsealedthedealwithtypical P.F.A.'ershospitality,andwe(thatisthey)humped thepreciouscargointothebootoftheViva,butnot withoutanotheroutburstfromAlan—he'dletgoabit late2--andcarefullymadeourwaybacktoSouthamptonwithwhatwasthenabargain,andbytoday's prices,agift.

Whiletheheadswereawaywiththatmaster perfectionistR.W.G.—whoincidentallykindly loanedusa1200propforbench-testrunning—we rememberedreadingPeteLovegrove'sarticleonnew V/Wstighteningup,sowedecidedtohave-003" removedfromthecylindersandentrustedthistoa verygoodlocalmachineshopwhodidourrespective traderebores,etc.,buttheyhadthemisfortuneto breakthefinsononecylinderandhadtosupplyand boreareplacementfreeofcharge!

Havingre-assembledtheengine,1approacheda goodfriend,BillBessant(modellersmaywellknowof hisprowessinspeedeventsafewyearsago)whohad awellequippedmodelengineer'sworkshopandhe agreedtodoalltheallyband-sawing,andturningfor themag.conversionandenginemounting.Witha MyfordML7,turningallywasapieceofcake,but EN8andI6Twereaverydifferentkettleoffish,and manymonthsof"Myfordcuntcountryandwestern music-later,allthebitswerereadytofittheengine, andallwithoutapennycharge—arealfriendwhose generositystilltweaksmyconscience.

Wedismantledthemags.andfittednewbearings, strippedthecart).andfittedanoverhaulkit.Again manymonthslaterwehadtheengineassembled completewithmags.andfittedonanexcellenttestrig builtby.Alan'sbrother,completewithinstrument panelwiththrottlelever,oilpressuregauge,tacho. etc.Nextproblemwasaprophub,butmypalBill sighedreluctantlywhealtentativelysuggestedhechew hiswaythroughthebilletofEN24TtoDonPeacock's shape(nothingpersonal,Don),anditwasatSywell 1974thatthecloudsparted.IwasadmiringChris Lodge'sbeautifulMono,andrelatingmyproblem'

whenhegavemetheaddressofanotherNIonobuilder, BobLockwood,whoturneduptrumpsandwithina fewweeksthehub,completewithcentrebolt,lock washer,propretainingringandboltsarrived,andat averyreasonableprice.

ByAutumn1974wehadenjoyedtheimmense pleasureofbeingabletoswingtheproptotheexciting "Choff-Choll"fromtheexhaustports,butwithas yetnoinductionorcart).fitted.Alan(I'llblamehim) decidedtoaddtotheexcitementbysquirtingsome "Easy-Start-intheinletportstotestourignition systemand,sureenough,oneswingproducedseveral louder"Choffsinarow.Notsatisfied,hegaveher agoodlongsquirtandahealthyswingontheprop resultedinarortystringof"Cloffsfollowedbyan agonisingcrunch!Anyattempttomovetheprop madegraunchingsoundsinsidetheengine,andinspectionrevealedachewed-upbrasswormgearon thefrontendofthecrankshaft.Apparentlythedistributordrivingshaftishelddowninplacebythe distributor,andwithoutthelatterinplace,theshaft canrideupanddamagethewormgear.Doubtless thenormalhand-turningoftheenginewouldnot producetheproblem,butthelessonwaslearnt,and wehadtheenginecompletelystrippedbeforegoing homethatnight—duepennanceforourboyish pranks!Werenewedthedamagedgearandcarefully rebuilttheengine,drillingforlockingwiresaswe wentalong,andfeltthatatleastwehadnowinspected everyminutepartofthe"innards".

JustbeforeXmaswehadmadeandfittedtheinduction,andwithcarb.insitu,exhaustsfitted,tachodrivecoupledup.andasuitablymodifiedonegallon canhighupontheinstrumentpanel,wewereready fortestruns,sotoobviateannoyancewemovedthe ensembletoaworkshopinanareawherethelocals weresoactiveallnightthatwecouldn'tpossiblywake themnextday!However.justiacase,wefitteda separate(second-hand)exhaustsystemtoeachpipe, hopingtokeepthedecibelsdowntocarlevels,onlyto findthatthepropwasthebiggestoffenderoverabout 1500rpm.Wecarriedoutsoniefivehoursoftest— running-in—continuallycheckingformag.drop,and graduallyextendingrevs,andperiod,alsoexperimentingwithcart).jetstocureapersistentlyrich mixture.Thiswasnotwithoutitsmoments.likewhen mysleevecaughtthethrottleleverandtheunrestrainedthrustwouldhavehadthelotoverbutfor Alanprostratinghimselfovertheexhausts—hestill hastheburntanoraktoproveit.Ourconstantmag. checksboreunhappyfruitonedaywhenonewent completelydeadonus—we'dalwaysthoughtthisone wasjustashadeweakerthantheother,andphilosophicallytoldourselvesthatwewerepleasedthatit hadpackedupontheground.Itwastakentoamag. specialistforanewcoiltobefitted,andoncewehad strippedittoremoveialltheironfilingstheyhadlefton themagnets,itwas100%!There'sawealthoftruthin theoldsaying"Ifyouwantajobdoneproperly,"etc.

Formanyreasons(notleastbeingthepossessorof keystoafriend'sBeaglePup,alsotomyoldCessna 172whichwasnow1FRequipped)1decidedinJune 1975tosellmyhalfoftheprojecttoAlan,whohas subsequentlyverykindlyloanedtheenginetoRobert LoweforhisVPI,inwhichitisperformingwell,but wheneverIseeG-BDAH,somethinginsidemesays "Hey,that'smyengine!".

Heintz"ZENITH'

The-Zenith-isawellengineered.twoseat,lowwing,tricycle,allmetalaeroplane.thatwillcruiseat130mph on100hp.Thedesignissimple.usingwrappedsheetmetalandflatsideswheneverpossible.Theonlydouble curvatureisinthecowlingareaandwheelspats,bothofwhicharefibreglass.

Severaloptionsareavailableincludingtheclassicdualcontrolcolumn(DC)insteadofthestandardcentral column,aclassichnandrudder(FR)insteadofthestandardallmovingverticaltailshownonthecutawayabove. Extratanksareavailableinthelongrange(LR)optiongivingatotalof43USgallonsfor125hpandover.Of interesttoeveryoneinthesedaysofhighpricehangarageistheremovableoutboardwing(RW)optionthatgives atotalwidthfortowingof81t.ThisoptionisnotrecommendedfortheLRversion.Anightflying(NF)optionis alsoavailable.

TheZenithmaybebuiltstraightfromtheplansona"lindyourownmaterials"'basis,butZenairalsopiovides severalpackagesthatcaneasetheproblems.ifyourBankManagerdoesnotmindtoomuch.Theseincludea materialpackagethatprovidedallthemetalrequired(aluminiumextrusionsandsheet)fortheairframe,allpreshearedtosizereadyforbendingandworking.blindrivets,pianohinges.etc.Thispackagewillrequiretheconstructortodoanyweldingandmakeallformingblocksrequired.Alsoavailableisa45"opremanufacturedairframekitconsistingofthesamepartsasthematerialpackagebutwithallpartsbent,lighteningholesformedand flanged,allsolidrivetingdoneandthecompletesparrivetedtogether.Thecompleteu/ccanbeboughtweldedand readytoboltontotheairframe,ascanthecanopy.

Specification:

Allweightsandperformancehguresaremeasured valuesattakeoffweightoftheprototypeequipped withaContinental0-200A,IOUlipengine—drivinga McCauleyECM-72-50.fixedpitchmetalprop.

WingSpan:

WingArea:

VerticalTailArca:

HorizontalTailArea:

EmptyWeight:

T/0Weight:

WingLoading:

Max.Le%.elSpeed:

CruisingSpeed(75"„atS.V)

CruisingSpeed(75"„at8000ft.)

StallingSpeed:

R.O.C.:

Rangenoreserves(75"„power):

134mph(116kts)

Plans:

Informationpackagewith3viewand spec.: 83.00

StandardcompleteZenithdrawings:$150•00

Options:DC,LR.NE: 83.00each

FR: 810-00

RW: $8•00

AllpricesCanadiandollars

!DetailsandPlansfrom: ChrisHeintz, ZenairLtd., 236RichmondStreet. RichmondHill. Ontario,Canada. L4C3Y8.

Tel:(416)-884-9044

AMONG TITANS

byJohnC.Jenner

Oneday,yearsago.IwenttotheAlps,around Christmas.withtheideatodosomeski-Mgand furthermoreeatanddrinkmywaythroughChristmas andNewYear'seveinarelaxedmanner.Theselofty planshowever,werenottobe,becauseafterthefirst dayofmyarrival,Idrovepastasnowcoveredmeadow atthebottomofavalley,inthemiddleofwhich taxiedaPiperCubonskis.blowinggreatvorticesof snowbehindit.Naturally,Istoppedandwatchedit takeofffromtheFarendofthemeadow,makeatight turninthisrathernarrowvalley,anddisappearinthe oppositedirection.Apostmanonabicyclepedalledby andIstoppedhimtoaskwhatthisPiperhadbeen doinghere.Hesaidthatthiswasarescueaircraft,that hadjustpickedupthevictimofanavalanchehighup inthemountainsanddeliveredhimheretothelocal hospital.Lookingupattheforbiddingpeaksand slopes,coverediniceandsnow.whichtoweredupto 10,000feetatbothsidesofthevalley,Imusthave seemedpuzzledtothepostman,becausehesaidthat ifIdidn'tbelievehim,Ishouldgoandvisitthelocal airfield,some25kilometresaway,whereIcouldhear moreabouttheserescueservices.

SoIdidthenextmorning,andIfoundasmall hangarwithasign"Alpin.eAirServices"overthe doors,inwhichstoodtwoPiperCubsandaCessna andinacorneralittleofficewasscreenedoff,inwhich I foundapotbelliedstove,adesk,atelephoneanda bearded,ferocious-lookingcreaturewithleather flyingbootsandjacket,whichintroduceditselfasSepp Bergamotte,afterIhaddemurelyrequestedhimtolet measkafewquestionsasonepilottoanother.When Itiredaway,hestartedtopourmeaclipofcoffeefrom anenamelledpotonthestove,andthenconfirmedthe taleofthepostman.Isaidthatonallmyskitripsof previousyears,andonmysummerforagesalongthe gletehers,Ihadneverencounteredanypieceofland thatevenremotelyresembledanemergencylanding field,bythestandardsingrainedintomeinthe hospitablelandsofEssexandLincolnshire.Sepp smiledbenevolentlyandsaidthataslongasthe Chamoiscouldholdontoa60degreeslope,aPiper Cubcouldcomfortablydosotoa40degreeslope, andheapparentlyfeltthatlneededsomepractical persuasion,whenhespontaneouslynickedmetocome alongthenextmorningonatripwherehehadto delivera100kilogramloadoffirewoodtoacrew or workmen,constructingarescueski-lodgenearthetop ofanalp.

Outofthewindowweht mysolemn plansforski-ing andmerry-making.andthenextmorningIfound myselfat0800hoursatthefieldillmyskitunic. raringtogo.likeadouinahuntpack.Seppwas alreadywarminguptheCub.whichhadwideskis underneath.itswheels,heldinplacebyaningenious arrayofsteelwiresandcoiledsprings,andslung underneaththefuselagewasaloadoffirelogsinasort ofsteeltubeframe,coveredwithsailcloth,which,Sepp explained.couldbereleasedbyahandleinthecabin, shouldwefailtomakealanding.Healsosaidthatthis

particularCubhadaLycoming150HPengine,which enabledittotakeuptotwopeopleandaloadof material.Heinstalledmeintherearseatandwe taxieddownthesnow-coveredfieldtocommenceour take-offiwhichwasverysmoothonthesoftsnow,and afterski-ingalongforabout150yards,hecameslowly backonthestickandwewereairborne.

Nowwewereslowlywindingourwayupat80miles perhouralongthevalleyswiththepinetreesalmost withingraspingdistance,andwhenwegotabovethe tree-line,greatcataractsofgraniteandiceslippedby, closeunderneathus,whileSeppyelledsomethingover hisshouldertoindicatetheupdraftsofair,wherethe windhowledaroundthesteepslopesandseemedto changedirectionalmosteveryfewminutes.Finally Sepppointedatourtargetformytastearathersteeply decliningslope,whichlookedlikethespawning groundforallavalanches,andhestartedadescent towardsit.Whenwecameoverthcslope,thealtimeter indicatedsome8,000feetontheQNH,butIcouldnot makeoutanactualheightestimatebecausethesnowcoverwasfeaturelessandeventhefewrockssticking outhereandtheredidnotprovideanaccurateclue, butSeppannouncedthatwewereappioximatelyat 500feettrueheightandflewasteepcurvearoundthe field. (I detectednowatthefarendoftheslope,the cabin(nnnusroofandafewpeoplestandingnext toit,wavingwildlyatus.

Thisslopenow,hadadeclineofsay20degreesat thetopcurvingdownhilltosome45degrees,whereit abruptlyendedataverticalabyssofjaggedrocks, whichwentoverinotherslopes,allthewaydownto thevalley,deepbelowus.Seppnowflewdownthe slopeandaboutonemileoutfromtheledgeoverthe valley,turned,lowered10degreesflap,putonsome powerandstartedtoclimbupuntilhewasflyingat thesameangleofthesteepestendoftheslope,slowly descendingintoit, as ifh.eweregoingtoscaleit, whichineffecthediduntiltheskisbrushedthesnow. whenheputonMorepower to keeptheaircraft climbinguptheslope,untilfinallythecabinappeared overourcurvedhorizonandhemadestraight ror it untilhe wasafewyardsawayfromthewaitingmen, whenhemadea90degreeturnandstoppedthe machinewiththeleftwinghangingdown.Isighed withreliefandgotoutfast,lestthewholecontraption wouldslidedowntheslopeandfallintothevalley, butnothingofthekindhappened,andSeppgotout withapicketandaropeandthemenhammeredthe picketdownhitheShowendtherope\VOSattached to thelittleskiunderthctailskid.Twomoremen arrivedwithasledandstartedtounloadthelogsand Idiscoveredthatinsidetherooflesscabinwasalittle hutwithastove, lour bedsandsonicsort or kitchenette, whereweallhadsteaminghotblackcoffee.

Thesemenworkedall summer andwaiteratthis building,whichwastobeahostelforskiers:andafew timesperweek.Sepporoneahisotherpilots,would comeupheretodeliverfood,woodandbuilding materialsfortheroofandtheinterior.Thewallswere beingconstructedwithgraniteblocksobtainedfrom theneighhourhood.Itwasanatavisticwayofbuilding adwelling,hutIfeltgreatadmirationforthese workers,ifonlyforthefactthattheystuckwiththe jobundersuchlonesomeandappallingconditions. whichwouldhaveledanylow-landbuildingconstructorsuniontocallforanimmediatestrike.

AfterhallanhourweboardedourCubagainafter havingtakenaboardthepicketandtherope.themen grabbedthewine-strutswhileSeppstartedtheengine. Theythenturnedtheaircraftarounduntilitfaced straightdowntheslope,whichseemedveryshortHOW. becauseofitscurvature.Weopenedupfullthrottle andatasignfrom _epp,themenletgoofthewingstrutsandwestartedtomoveslowly,atfirst,inthe thicksnow,butsoonthetailwantedtoliftandwe werecareeringdownthesteeperpart or theheld towardsthevillageatthebottom3000feetbelowus. Thiswasahairysighttobehold,buttheskisnow rustledoverthetopofthesnow,while1prayedthat Seppknewwhathewasdoing.sincethehaatledge cameupveryfastandifwewerenotairbornebefore that,wewouldstallintotherockygravebelow.My eyesbecamerivetedatthequiveringneedleofthe airspeedindicator,whichreachedthe40milesper hourmark.Justbeforetheendoftheledge,Sepp jerkedthenoseup.Whichgo( Us airborne,thenhe pusheditdownagaintopickupmorespeed,whilethe granitemenacepasseduncomfortablyclosebelowus. Thenhestartedtoclimboutofthevalleyuntilwe cameontopofthesurroundingsummits.andturned backforourairfieldattheotherside.AlthoughIhad beenterrifieddotingtheapproachandlandingand evenmoresoduringthetake-off,Inowsettleddown, absorbingthealmostunbelievablevistasofthelandscapearoundus,butusubconsciousalertnesstowards anever-presentdangeramongthesebuildingblocks or theGodssurroundingus,neverleftrile.

Backonthelittleairport.weparkedtheCuband wentintoSepp'sofficeforanothercoffeeHeasked mewhatIthouutilofthetrip.Ifeltthatstraight "stiffupper-lip-techniqueswouldnotfoolthisold. experiencedeagle.soIconfessedthathenearlyscared thepantsoffme,butthatIneverthelessfelttheurge tolearnmoreabouthiskindofflying.Solieagreed uponmecomingalongwithhimforaslongasI wanted,butthatIlehadtochargemeamoderatefee perhour,whichIthougluwaswellworthit.Somy sedateskiholidayturnedintoawildsafariamongthe upperregionsoftheAlpinedesert.whereonlyGod's morefavouritecreatureslive,theeagles,thecrows, thechamoisandtheguineapigs,hibernatingintheir holes,untiltheedelweisswillbloomagainnextspring.

Thenextdayacallcamefromthemountainpolice thatapartyofskiershadbeensurprisedonaveryhigh ledgebyanavalanche,andalthoughnobodyhadbeen killed,someofthemhadreceivedinjuriesfromfalling rocks.Urgentsuppliesofmedicalitemsandfoodwere required,toenablethepartytosurviveuntilarescue columnofexperiencedguidescouldworktheirway up.tobringtheseunfortunatetouristsdown.This ledgedidnotprovideanyopportunitytoland,anda droppingactionwasforeseen.Theunder-bellycompartmentoftheCubwasloadedupwithmedical suppliesandfood,allsecurelypackedinfoamplastic towithstandtheimpact ordropping,andwegotairborneagainingloriousweather.Thiswasnottolast long,sincetheweatherinthealpsispronetochange fromallclear,tothedeepestpeasoupwithinafew minutes.Whenwereachedtheslopeinquestion,the sunwasstillshiningandwecouldseethetractofthe avalanche,fullofgreyishsnowandboulders.Tothe rightofitwasabunchofblackspecks,representing therecipientsofourreliefmaterial.Weweretoohigh todropatthefirstturnoverthearea,sowemadea wide360degreeturnwhichtookusaboutthree minutes,butwhenwewereheadinginforthetarget areaagain,darkgreycloudshadjumpedoverthe summitatthefarendandwererollingdownfast towardsthegroupofwaitingpeople.Atthesametime thewindpickeduptoalmostgaleforce,andsnow startedtocomedownbythetons.Seppkeptheading

PopularFlying,July-August.1977

doggedlyl'orthetargetarea,steadilydescending,until wecouldbarelyseethegroupofmenonlysome50feet belowus.whilewechurnedintotheheadwindwith zeroforwardvisibility.AtthispointSepppulledthe releasehandleandtheunderbellypackleftus,falling inthesnow.onlyafewyardsfromthemenonthe ground.Thenhepushedfullthrottleandclimbedup straightthroughthesnowstorm,withcarburettor heatwideopenandourwindscreen_becomingopaque withsnow_WeregainedVERontopagainafterafew minutes,wherethewelcomesunclearedourwindscreeninduetime.Whenweturnedforhome,we couldseethatthedroppingareawasonegreyishcloud blanketofonlyaboutonesquaremile,aroundthe edges orwhich(herewasclearvisibilityallaround.

Anotherday.weflewsuppliestoaparty orworker: inapowerline.tobetracedacrossthealps.Onthe vayhackwepassedlowoveraverysteepslopeloadec withsnow,andsuddenlywesawalargeavalancheof snowandrocksrollingdownwithathunderou. leseent,slightlyaboveouraltitude.Greatcloudso driftsnowintermingledwithlarge.blackrocks hurtleddownjustbelowusandcreatedupdrafts0 airwhichrockedourPiperinalldirections.andt brutal,thimderousrumbledrownedthesound or our ownengine.ThesotuldwavesofourownLycomith, enginemusthavesetoffthisgreatfallofelements, andwegropedformorealtitudewithfullthrottle.It

lastedatleast10minutesbeforewesawtheavalanche subsideandfinallycometorest.

IhadbeenwithSeppnowfortwoweeksandhad learnedalotaboutalpineflying,whichisquiteunlike normalmountainflying.Thealpsconstantlyprovide surpriseelementsoverandabovetheviolentupdrafts atthewindsideandtheequaldowndraftturmoilatthe leeside.Thewordvalley,fortheareainbetweenthe granitetowersissometimesmisleadingand"canyonwouldconvey the ideabetter.Andlikeincanyons, reasonablecrosswindsataltitudecanbeconvertedto strongdrafts atthe bottom,fromoneendtotheother. Sepphadhisowncodetopredictthistrickywindbehaviour,andonceheknewthegeneralmet.forecast. hewouldtellmewherethewindwouldblowfromand howstrong itwouldbeateach,valleythatwehadto flythrough.Butitwasnotonlywindbehaviourhewas concernedwith,becauseanearlymorningorlate eveningflightwouldfindlargeportionsoftheslopes andvalleysblockedfromsunlight,whichcouldcreate rapidfogformationandlowstratuscloud.While higherup,thesunplayedfreelyonthesnow,which reflectedbacktheheat,todisperseallvapourand producethosewonderfulsightsofthepinkandpurple glowofthealps.So,returningsomewhattoolatefrom aflightinthehigherregions,presentedussometimes withtheuncomfortablesightofourairportbeing "beyondsunset"andbeingcoveredwithanice blanketofcottonwool.NotthatthisdisturbedSepp toomuch,sincehekneweverypinetreeinhisterritory almostbyitschristianname.Whenwecamebackone dayundertheseconditions,withnothingtoseebuta solidblanketofcloud,outofwhichstuckonlytwo topsofpinetrees,barelydiscernable,Seppleanedback andyelled:"thosetwotopstherebelongtothe Baumnussfarmandbothofthemarelinedupwith thecentrelineoftherunway,about300yardsout,soif weskimthemandthenletdowninanorderlymanner, weshallhittherunwayjustbeyondthethreshold".

Thatiswhathedidunfailingly,butIfeltdecidedly olderafterthat,andwonderedwhyIwasfooling aroundwiththismaniac,anyway.

TowardstheendofmystaywithSepp,wehadan interestinebutscaringencounterintheair.Wecompletedintheafternoona"moneydrop"toapartyof electricalengineers,highupinthealps.Heavybeams ofsteelandrollsofelectricalcablewereflowninto thisgroupbyhelicopter,fortheconstructionof pylonsforapowerlinewhichwastorunrightacross thetopsofthemountains,sincetherewerenoother accessroadsavailable.However, on thesesteeply accidentedslopes,nohelicoptercanlandasthe downdraftofitsownrotorbladeswouldcarrythe machinedowntheslope,makingitimpossibleto touchdownandsettleSothesematerialswere wincheddownonasteelwirefromonehundredfeet orso,unhookedbytheworkers,afterwhichthe helicopterwouldascendandwhirlaway.However,for somereasonunknowntome,theseengineerswould wanttheirpayenvelopetoarriveattheendofthe workingweek,althoughIamatalosswherethey hopedtospendtheirmoney,asthenearestthingto thelivingworldwasaswarmofcrows,feastingonthe leftoversoftheirmeals.Buthavingtheirweek's earningsintheirpocketsseemedtoaddtotheirmental security,andSeppshrewdlyguessedthattheyamused themselveswithpoker-partiesintheevenings.

However,thepowercompanyhadacontractwith Sepptodothislittlechore,andIaccompaniedhimon oneofthesetrips,whenweswoopeddownonthis slope,deliveredthelittlebag,gotthereceiptsigned andtookoffagain,allinthelovelymonthofMay. Aftertake-offwehadtoclearajaggedledgeofgranite andSeppkeptquitelowoverit,whenwesuddenly

discoveredthatwehadcompany.Sailingalong,afew yardsoffourstarboardwing,wasahugeeaglewith awingspanofeasilytenfeetormore.Weweredoing 90milesontheclockandheappearedtodothesame, becauseheformatedperfectlyonus,slightlyabove, withslowbutpowerfulwingmovements,soastokeep hisadvantageofheight,incaseheshouldhaveto attack.Moreorlesslikeaninterceptingfighterplane, everysooftenheturnedhisheadbacktoobserveus anddetermineourflightcondition.Seppleanedback andshoutedinmyearthatwemustbegettingnear hislairandtherewereyoungtobeprotectedbyhim. Hesaidthatwemustnotmakeanyviolentmovements. butjustglidealong,orelsehemightinterpretustobe anenemyinvader,turnin,andsmashourwindscreen. Butasfatewouldhaveit,wegotintoaviolentupdraftandhadtodiminishpowerandlowerthenose, whichbroughtustowardstherockycrevasseandthe eagleveeredrightwithus.Seppthenturnedleftand awayfromtherocks.butourfriendnowleftourwingtipandflewconsiderablyaheadandaboveus."We mustbegettingoverthenest"yelledSepp,andalmost immediately,"LookOut!-,forwhilehespoke,th.e eaglehadturnedaroundandlaunchedhimselfintoa dive,hiswingshalffolded,aimingstraightforour cockpit.Sepppushedthestickfullyforwardtodive outofthelineofhisattack,buthiswingsmusthave hitthepropellertips,asashoweroffeathersstreaked pastthewindshieldwhilethebirdpassedoverthetop ofus.SepprecoveredandturnedtheCubtoseewhat happened,butthepropwashmusthavethrownthe eaglefarbehindus,becausewedidnotseehim,until suddenlySepppointedhimoutfarbelowus,justabout tolandinfrontoftworocks,betweenwhichhe disappeared.

Backatthebase,Sepptoldmethateaglesarea ratheraggressivelotandseemedtohavenofearfor thesizeandappearanceoftheiraerialopponent,as longastheycouldmatchthespeed.Hetoldmeabout aglider'scockpitbeinenotonlysmashedbyaneagle. butwiththebirdactuallyattackingthepilotinsideit, whofinallywrenchedthethroatoftheanimal,but gothorriblyscratchedbyitslargeclaws.Duringthis struggletheglidermadesomememorablemanouvres, sincetheeaglefilledupallthesurplusspaceofthe cockpit.Becausethefrontpartofthecanopywas entirelydemolished,thepilotpushedthemortal remainsofhisattackeroutfrontandexpectedthemto fallawayintheairstream,whichitdid,butoneofthe largewingsgotcaughtbetweenthe glider's wingstrut andthefuselage.Thedeadbirdwasdraggedalonglike agiganticfeatherduster,causinganungainlydragat theportside.Notwithstandingthisaerodynamic handicap,thepilotwasluckyenoughtofindastrong updraftandworkhisplaneupagaintotheheight neededtoregainhisbase.Thecockpitlookeda shamblesandsodidthepilot,withbloodalloverhim andhisjacketandtrouserstorntopiecesbythesharp clawsofhisadversary.Whenhecircledoverhishome base,therewasagreatspeculationonthegroundas towhowashanaingunderneaththeglider,asthe grey,flappingmassformedaneeriesighttobehold. Ofcourse,afterlanding,manyphotosweremadeof machine,manandbeast,andsomeofthemgota permanentplaceattheclubbarwiththecaption"Der AdlerTag-.

AfteramonthIhadtoleaveSeppandhiswonderful Alps,toattendtomyownduties,butIhadlearneda greatdealandahealthyrespectforthissolittleknown aspectofflymg.AsapostscriptIhonestlywantto statethatIpersonallyprefertonegotiateaminor storm ill zerovisibility,overthecliffsofDover,than topitmyskillagainstthe unpredictable weatherconditions,surroundedbytheunforgivinggraniteofthe Alps.

NewWindscreensforOld byGeoffFarr

I'vejustfittedanewwindscreenandsidescreensto PoppaFoxtrotandthisisthesecondtimethisyear. ThefirstsethavebeenthrownawayandifItellwhy. itmightsaveyoufortyquid.ICsnotthatIamexpectingyoutocontributetothefortyquiditcostme,but if.youarecontemplatingtacklingasimilarjoband canpreventyoumakingthesamemistakesasIdid, youcanbuymeapintatthenextstrutmeeting.

TostartwiththematerialchoSenforthejobwas - Texan-.Thisisaclearpolycarbonatesheetmadeby GeneralElectric.Thereisanothermaterialcalled 'Makralon-.Itisthesamestuffproducedbyanother Company.Texancanbe:

I.Sawn,usingalinetoothedsaw,sayacarpenters' panelsawwhichhas10teethtotheinch 2Planedwithasharpsmoothingplane.

3.Drilled,usingordinarymetaldrills,butuseahand braceordrillanddon'tputtoomuchweightonthe drill.

4Joined1.151112achemicalsolvent.

5BenttoacurvewitharadiusnotexceedingI(X)x thickness.(Itwillbendmuchmorethanthisbut thisisthemaximumrecommendedbythemakers.)

Whenthematerialarrivesitisinasheet6'6"x4' andiscoveredonbothsideswithpaper.Don'tpeel thepaperoffuntilyouhaveto.becauseitisusefulto makeyourpencilmarksonanditprotectsthesheet whileyouworkonit.Ifyouarechangingsidescreens the2mm.thicknessisadequate.Butifyouarefitting anewwindscreenyouneed3mm.Thislastgemof informationwasdiscoveredduringa140m.p.h.. shallowdrive,whenthewindscreenstartedtobuckle in.

Itdoesn'treallymatterwhetheryouaregoingtouse boltsorselftappingscrewsforyourfixingsyoumust observethefollowingsimplerules.

I_Drillyourholeslargerthantheboltsorscrews.

"IPlaceametalwasherundertheheadofyourbolt or screwandaneoprenewasherunderthemetalone. Anotherneoprenewashershouldbeplacedunder theTexan.

3PlaceablobofEvoSticksiliconebathsealantin yourdrillholebeforeyouputtheboltthrough

4.Useonlyrustproofboltsandwashers.

5.Uselowtorquewhenyouscrewupyourboltsor serews.

Allthesethingswillhelptospreadtheloadandprevent stresscracksradiatingfromtheholes.Thestress cracksincidentallycantakemonthstoappear.

Inplaceswhereyoucannotavoidtheboltpulling hardatthesideofthehole(suchasthetwooutside boltsattheextremeendsofacurvedwindscreen),it willpaytoobtainsome of thechemicalsolventand locallystrengthentheplacewithasmallpieceor piecesofLexanbonded With the solvent.Thedrillhole isthenmadethroughtwoorthreethicknessesof material.Ialsodecidedtofixastrengtheningribdown thecentreofthewindscreen(Sowouldyou,ifyouhad beentherewhenth.ewindscreenbuckledin.)Thiswas verysimplyaccomplishedbycuttingaribIinchwide andbondingittotheinsideofthescreen,whereit

PopularFlying,July-August,1977

nowperformsperfectlyandpreventssuddenrushesoh adrenalin.Themethodofapplyingthesolventisquite simple.Youobtainfromthechemistsaveryfine hollowneedle(theoneIuseisnumber19)anda plasticbottletoattachtotheneedle.Carefullyplace thetwopiecesof"Texan-togetherandruntheneedle gently,downthejointusingverylittlehandpressure onthebottle.Youwillseethattheliquidwillruninto thejoUttbycapillarity.Givethejointaminutetodry andruntheneedlearoundtheothersidesofthejoint. Itisagoodideatohave a dummyrunonsomepieces ofscrap,becauseifyouareclumsyanddropaspotof solventwhereyoudidn'twantit.itcculdcostyou !bits.)quidforanothersheet,thenyouwouldn'tbuy meapint.

Oh!!Onelastthing.IfyoumakeLIpig'searofone ofyourmaintenancejobs,don'tkeepittoyourself, tellmeaboutit,itmightsaveinofortyquidandthen boyyouapint.

PrimaryVFR LowCost,Compacdt NavcomandTSo

Transponder: RT-553Navcom, RT-777Transponder....

Total$1840 Options(add$). RT-553withAuto Omni$75,RT-553A (720CornChanne1s) $100

SplitNav-ComVFR IndependentSetsfor SimultaneousNavTa5nd rn CoOperation:R51 Corn,R-552Nav, CID-552NavIndicator RT-777Transponder...

Total$2630

Options(add$).RT-551A Channels) (720Corn $100,R-552(withGS DMESwitching)$65,

GlideslopeReceiver $560,CID-554(with GlideslopeIndicator)$75

, PrimaryIFR

BudgetPricedAvionicsPanelforMinimumIFRCapability:A-550AudioAmplifier, RT-551Corn,R-552Nav,CID-552Nav IndicatorRT-553Nav/comRT-777Trans— ponder...Total$4060Options(add$): AM-550AudioAmplifierwithMarker BeaconReceiver$265,RT-551A(720Corn Channels)$100,R-552withGS/DME Switching$65,R-554

6, 9

NavwithIntegralGlideslopeReceiver$560, CID-554NavDisplay withGlideslope Indicator$75,RT-553 withAutoOmni$75, RT-553A (720Com Channels) $100

TainingIFR MinimumPanelInstalationfor InstrumentFlightTraining:AM-550 AudioAmplifier&MarkerBeacon

Corn(360 Channels),RT551ACom(720 Channels),R-552 Nav,R-554Nav (withGlideslope NavDisplay, CID-554Nav Displaywith GlideslopeIndicator,R-556E ADF,RT-777 Transponder.... Total$7140

Pricessubjecttochangewithout notice

PrecisionIFR(TSO'd IncludesDME,IntegratedHSIandEncoding Altimeter:AM-660AudioAmplifierwithMarker BeaconReceiverRT-661Corn(360Channels), RT-661ACorn(720Channels),R-662Nav,R-664 NavwithGlideslopeReceiver, CID-664NavDisplay withGlideslopeIndica NSD-360Navigation SituationDisplay, R-556EADF (non-TSO'd),RT-777

Transponder, 1U306Encoding Altimeter,R1-88$ DME....Total$15625

Options(add$): NSD-360Slaved& Lighted$979,1U306 EncodingAltimeterLighted$75

RT-667Transponder Fitsstandardinstrumentcutout.An availableoptiontotheflatpack transponderinallsysterns-add$50

OFTHEf?AMBERGGROUPOFCOMPANIES

Caechcraft

Finals

TheBigginHillAirFairseemsnowtobegenerally acceptedasoneoftheeventsthatgiveusachanceto showourmachinesofftothepublic.Atthesametime ourpeopleonthegroundhaveanopportunityof pressingpublicityhand-outsintotheopenhandsof visitorspassingourstand.Ohyes!,wenowhavesome goodhand-outmaterialproducedbythePublicity Dept.,andwemusttakeeveryopportunityofmeeting thepublicatlargetodisseminateourinfoontheneeds andbenefitsofultra-lightaviation.Theobject,of course,istopickupafewnewmembersintheprocess. BacktoBiggin:thewholeofthePFApartofthe enterprisewasunderthecontrolofTornReaganwho, wearinghisexec.committee'hat'ofoutsideevents organiser,assembledthetroopsfortheevent.The flyingsidewasdelegatedtoAlfKnowlesonthe SaturdayandRobinOwenontheSunday,anda creditableperformancetheybothputup.Yourscribe wasaskedtotakechargeofthestandontheground side,takealongthestockand,incidentally,Ialso tookalonaacaravantoproviderestandsuccour.A goodmovethistranspiredtohe,savingtoomuchfoot sloggingoveracresofairfield,lookingforloosand sandwiches.Onthelatterpoint,wehadtothank MesdamesSueGriason(Friday)andJaneMansfield (Saturday)foracontinuoussupplyofwadsand coffee.Unfortunately,Sundaywasa`nilscore'day, asnoladysupportertookonthejob.However,we hadprovedtheneed.

OntheSaturdayandSunday,theRedhillStrut turnedoutinforcetomanthestandandtosupport theirCommitteeman,TomReagan.Thistheydid withgreatenthusiasmandIhadhopedtopublish names,buttodosoissurelytoleavesomeoneout. However,Redhilldidagreatjobandmostwenthome quitehoarseinthethroatfromsomuch'selling'the PFA.Thanks,Boys.Icanonlyconcludebysaying thataletterfromtheairdisplayorganiserspassed throughtheOfficeimmediatelyafterwards,complimentingPFApilotsfortheirdisciplineandshowmanship,withouthavingcausedanytime-factor problemsinthesmoothrunningoftheevent.Imieht addthatfromtheground,ourimagewasconsiderably enhancedbytheAirDisplayCommentator,nonethe lessthanouroldfriendJohnBlake,sometimesbacked byStuartMcConnacher,whoenthusedintothe microphoneonthesubjectofallPFAactivitieswhilst ourmachinespassedthepublicenclosure,helped,I mightsay,withyourEditor'sblurboneachandevery pilot/craft,whichhadearlierbeenextractedfromthem forthispurpose. ***

AtHaywardsHeathCountyCourtrecently,the pilotflighttestingaPFAaircraftclaimedagainstits ownerfordamagetohischronometer,following ditchingoftheplaneinthesealastsummer.The Registrartooktheattitudethat,asthetime-piecewas alegalrequirementforthistypeofflight,theonusfor damagewouldfallupontheownerofthemachine. Thecasewassettledamicablywithahalfshare betweeneachpartyforthereplacementofthechronometerpluscosts.

Thisparticularaeroplanewasinsuredfor£100,000 againstthirdpartyclaims,whichdidnotcoverthis eventuality.How'sYOURinsurance? *

Lastissue'sleadingarticle,whichwaswrittenby NorthWesternStrut'sBobHarper,startsbysaying thatthetitlePopularFlying'hasalwayspuzzledhim. IfheisreferringtotheMagazinetitle,IthinkImay beabletoenlightenhimalittleand,forthatmatter, therestofourreaders.Asafewmayremember, PopularFlying,July-August,1977

'PopularFlying'wasthetitleofanaviationmagazine publishedfrom1932until1939,whenitchangedits titleto'Aeronautics'.Fromitsinceptionuntilabout 1937,thismagazinewaseditedbyCapt.W.E.Johns thewriter,ofcourse,ofallthe'Biggles'books.(Don't tellmethereisANYONEwhohasn'theardofthose!). rathersuspectthatPopularFlyingwasalsohis brainchild.However,inabouttheearlyfiftiestherights tothetitlewereacquiredbythePFAandourmagazine,whichthenwasappearingasaduplicated broadsheet,commencedtoappearundertoday's title.

Now,thosearethefactsasIhavebeenabletoglean them,buttherearedoubtlesssomefactsaboutthe acquisitionofthetitlebyourAssociationofwhichI amnotaware.Perhapsoneofourlongerstanding memberscouldfillintheblanks?Let'shavesome letters,please.

*

We'vedoneitagain!AMembertakesthetrouble towriteascreedforusandwegethisnamewrong. Irefertolastissue'sreportontheRSARallyin France,whichshouldhavebeencreditedtoGeoffrey P.Jones.Sorry,SIR.

*

Inthelast'Finals'wereferredtoarallywhichwas comingupatOldWarden.Well,it'sbeenandgone andwewent.ItwasorganisedbytheShuttleworth Collection,represented,ofcourse,bytheirDavid Ogilvy.Theyhadinvitedallthelightaviationbodies intheCountrytoattend,withasmanyoftheir membersandmachinesaspossible.Itturnedouttobe agreatday,thewindalittlestrong,butnotstrong enoughtokeepawayawidevarietyof'tinjobs',stick andfabrictypesandmany,manyhundredswhodon't owneither,butcamealongjusttojoininthegeneral enthusiasmwhichsurroundslightandultra-light aviation.Asymposiumwasheldwithanumberof speakers,includingourownChairman,whoflewupto themeetinainhisre-enginedWot,aivingthispieceof equipmentitsfirstairing.SomePFAstockwastaken alongandabrisktradewastransacted.Awelcome sightwasStephenSaywellwithhisportabletrade standloadedwithaviationgoodies,sellingmostlyat veryreasonableprices.Saywellsseemtobegetting alongtomostofthePFAralliesnow,pitysomeother aviationtradersdon'ttakethehint.Afterall,itadds totheinterestonthedayandmustbeagoodP.R. exerciseonbehalfofthefirmconcerned.Weevensaw AOPA'sengineeringchief,DickStratton,examining someofStephen'sjunk(sorry--stock). **

OntheRallysubject,again,wearehearingthis yearforthefirsttime,problemsthathavearisendue toinsurancerequirements.Itisveryunfortunatewhen, ashorttimebeforetheevent,muchtoolatetostop everyonecoming,theorganiserororganisersare forcedtodipverydeeplyintotheirpocketswithlittle hopeofrecovery,totakeoutsomenewlyacquired formofinsurance.Thishashappened,toourknowledge,twicesofarthisyear.Itisnotunreasonablefor theowneroftheparticularpieceofgrassthatyou intendtouse,toaskyoutoindemnifyhimagainstany claimthatmightarisefromanaccidentthatmay happen.Ontheotherhand,ifwearetoinvolvesuch cover,thewholeoperationcouldgettooexpensiveto puton.Toallowforthis,wewouldhavetochargea landingfeethatwouldputusbackwiththe'bigboys'. Itseemsreasonablethatatleasttherallyorganiser shouldhavesomecoveragainstanyliabilitythatmay emergetobehisresponsibility,afterall,smallchildren havebeenknowntogetdangerouslyclosetorotating fans,Howdootherstrutrallyorganiserscopewith this,orhavetheynoteventhoughtaboutit?Let's havesomelettersonthisone,please. L.C.M.

POPULARFLYINGispublishedin Januaryandthereafterinalternate months.Alladvertisementstobesent to:AdvertisementManager,Popular FlyingAssociation,TerminalBuilding, ShorehamAirport,Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex.

Semi-displaypercolumninchL5-00. Lineage(minimumthreelines)perline 50p.Discounts:seriesofthree5%. Seriesofsix10%.Agencies10%.

FREE!

MembersarenowentitledtoFourFree Adverts.peryear,subjecttobeingofnon-businessnature andtospacebeingavailable. QuoteMembershipNo.

For£1-50wewillincludeaphoto ofAeroplanesforSale.

ThePFAdoesnotnecessarily guaranteeorendorseanyproduct offeredthroughouradvertising.

Members'attentionisparticularly drawntobuiltandpartly-builtAircraft.Theyshouldsatisfythemselves thatthemachinehasbeenclearedto P.FA.standardsiftheysubsequently intendtooperateitthroughthe P.EA.Airworthinessfacilities.

HOMEBUILDERS—FOEMaterials, Machining,Welding,Fabrication andInspection—calluson: 0494-35342. PractaviaLtd.,WycombeAirPark, Bucks.

PLANS!PLANS!PLANS! AEROMODELLERPLANSSERVICEis

Worldrenownedforitsvastrangeof subjects.Flyingmodelsofalltypes plustheuniquescaledrawingsseries whichincludesmanyP.F.A./E.A.A. subjects,e.g.CURRIEWor,ISAACS FURY&SPITFIRE,PinsS2A,THORP TI8,TAILWINDetc.Sendforlatest AeromodellingPlansHandbookNo.1 price30p10ppost.

Model&AlliedPublications

PlansService,P.O.Box35

HemelHempstead

HeftsHPIlEE

MAGAZINES wanted—Vol.6,No.2and Vol.8,No.5of PopularFlying. Offen pleasetoStuartMcKay,16Thatcher. Drive,Maidenhead.Berks.SL63PW.

AVAILABLE—SeveralQualifiedFlying Instructorsofferingtheirservicesona part-timebasistoP.F.AAffiliatedtraininggroups.ContactMikeVaisey(Group Secretary)orMichaelJoseph,c/oShorehamOffice.

FRANKLINENGINES foryourhomebuilt,60and125hp will soonbeavailable. FordetailssendS.A.E.toPractaviaLtd., WycombeAirPark.Bucks.Tel049435342.

FREDBUILDERS.Beup todate.Send S.A.E.forfreelistofcorrectionstodrawings.EricClutton,92NewlandsStreet, Shelton,Stoke-on-Trent,Staffordshire.

ARTIFICIALHORIZONS £8,Direction IndicatorsES,T&SIndicators£4.All vacuumtype,l950vintageandsold'asin' withoutcertificates.Buyerspaypostageor collect.Pleasereplyquicklyaswifewants tothrowtheminthedustbin!! J. Wiltshire,2OrchardRoad,Mortimer, Reading332572.

S.T.O.L.Performanceon1500VWandup.Foldingandroadable—onown wheelsortrailer.Easytofly.Cheaptobuild.Longestsinglecomponent12'9" long.Plansconsistof26highly-detailedsheetsplusriggingnotes,construction notesandmaterialslists

PerSet—E15

InformationPack—75p

ERICCLUTTON,92NEWLANDSSTREET,SHELTON STOKE-ON-TRENT,STAFFORDSHIRE,ENGLAND.

FLYIN... ToBAGBY (EASTPOINT),N.YORKSHIRE

SATURDAY—SUNDAY 23rd—24thJULY,1977

GrassField—NoRadio— NoLandingFees—FreeCamping MYSTERYPRIZES!!!

GrandSaturdayNightKnees-up.. Entertainment—Prizes--Food RealYorkshireAle... BringandBuyStall. Aerobatics.

Further(Ietails: JOHNWHITING 0845 23235 PHILIPLASSEN' 08456 242 DAVIDBUCKLE 0642 36538 AllcircuitstoSouth. Landindirectionof"T". Caution—Gradient AircraftwithRadiocall... Leeming124.4 54"12'N0110'W

WANTED—2seatJodelinexcellentcon dition,lowengineandairframehourso sameaircraftwhichrequiressom attention.Tel.B.Vickers,021-353-9459.

WANTED— ContinentalProp(damaged tips)foruseonbenchtestingmyVW1700. MikeTurner,48ChesterWay.Kennington.London,SE1I.

PAZMANYPL4 diawings.instruction manual,plusseveralroughedoutoak formers.£40-postage.J.Waller.Wickham832754.

HANDMADE JACKETSwithaircraft motifinpureHarrisorShetlandWool. AranandFairisleknitweartoorder.SAE fordetails.ElaineAnneKnitwear.13 LowerBayble,IsleofLewis,Scotland.

REQUIRED forstrugglingaviationmuseum,timeexpiredaero-enginesandparts regardlessofcondition.WillcollectanywhereonUKmainland.JohnDavidson, 4MarslandAvenue,HeyesLane,Timperley,Altrincham,Cheshire,WAI56EP. Tel.061-969-0350eveningsonly.

EXCHANGEPittsNoseCone,Wheel SpatsandSpinnerforotherPittspartsor anythinguseful.Iwouldliketohearfrom otherPittsbuilders.PleaseringJohn O'hara.016723552.

MAGNIFICENT,Full-ColourPrint ofHawkerFury byGeoffShaw.

Writeto:

CornishPublications (PopularFlying), P.O.Box8,Plymouth.

SPRITEBUILDERS. Inordertomake mreourrecordsareuptodateandtha SpriteBuildersreceivethelatestmodifica ionsanddesigninformationwerequire allplanpurchaserstocompleteaques ionaircrecentlymailedout.Someques ionaireshavebeenreturnedtousdueto changesofaddressthathavenotbeet lotifiedtous.WouldanySpritebuilder whohasnotreceivedaquestionaireand wishestocontinuetoreceiveinformation pleasecontactPractaviaLtd.,Wycombe AirPalk,Bucks.Tel.(0494)35342.

MAGAZINEwanted—January1939copy of PopularFlying tocompleteset.£2paid forgoodcopy.Box101,P.F.A.Office.

ERCOUPE

Sevenoftheseextremelyrobustand economicalTRAININGAIRCRAFTFORSALEwithagood back-upSPARESHOLDING(ExCornwallFlyingClub).ENGINE HOURSTORUN:G-ATWP1300: G-ATRY75;G-AROR1000;GARHC600;G-ARHB350;0ARLIE800(twoarethelastmodel producedwithrearwardslidingcanopies).FourequippedKingNav./ Corn.,TwoConn.only.Onehas ADF.OnecompleteairframepartiallyrebuiltbutengineTIXandno instrumentsThreecurrentlyinC.of A.Twomostworkdoneforrenewal ofC.ofA.Oneuntouchedbutnot muchworkrequiredfor C. ofA. Inadditiontonewsparestherearea furthertwodamagedaircraft(Pilot error!)withmanysound.reusable partsOFFERSINVITEDforfleet "ASIS-,butwewouldalsobepreparedtocarryoutC.ofA'sandany otherworksuchasresprayingand reupholsteringatourSTANDARD MAINTENANCECHARGEOF ONLY£2.75pPERHOUR.We wouldtakeearlyCESSNA150sor 172inpartpayment.

TELEPHONEMr.ROBERTSON: DOBWALLS584

WANTED— PushrodforWalterMicron Engine.ContactBillGordon,Forge Cottage,CerneAbbas,Dorset.Tel03003 298.

MARVELCurb.typeMA-3SPA£50. PhoneG.H.Farr,Crewe811332.

NORTHWESTERNSTRUTNEWSLETTER.Duetorisingcostsweare forcedtolimitthenumberoffreecopies foroutsidedistribution,thereforeother StrutswillreceiveacopyonlyonapplicationoftheSecretariestotheaddress below.Individualswillbechargedthesarne asourownStrutmembers-£1-20per foureditions.JohnSweetingham,3b GlenmorcAvenue,Liverpool,L184QF.

WANTED—PiperJ3,PA-11orPA-18 Cub(ornearrelation,e.g.Vagabond, Cruiser,Clipper,etc.).Airworthyaircraft withcurrentCofAandenginehoursprefer-ledbutwouldalsoconsidercomplete aircraftsuitableforrebuild/restoration.

D.R.Shepherd.WagtailFlyingGroup. 23Southwoods,Yeovil,Somerset,BA20 2QQ

PPLwithaccesstofarmstripwishesto formgrouptopurchase/buildlightplane. Alternatively,interestedinjoiningestablishedgroup.Streeter,55WarrenStreet, Derby.Tel.(0332)73219.

VWENGINESVarient2r2x1200'sfor sale.£30.thelot.Tel.JPhilpott,0980 52138.

ICEWARNINGMODULESCart).or Airframeicingdetectorbyflashing warninglightinyourcockpit.Canalsobe usedforCylinderoverheatingwarning. etc.ContactAem&EngineeringServices, AkenHouse,6KepwellBankTop,Prudhoe,Northumberland.Tel.Prudhoe32087

SECONDHANDLucas5R4Magnetos £15each.UnusedsetofEvansVP1Plans £20o.n.o.A.Malcolm,01-720-1321.

PLANS:

JULY1-2-3SYWELL

MONO.Thepopularsingle-place,low wing,allwoodmodel.30to60h.p 100m.p.h.,with1300VWengine. Span21'length15'.Brochure,35pplus 10pp.&p.;Plans.£12,plus50pp.&p Constructionphotos.From:Mrs.J. Taylor,25ChesterfieldCrescent,Leighon Sea,Essex.

PLANS:

July24-Aug.1BrienneLcChateu

30Finningley

30-31Blackhushe

July30-Aug.6Oshkosh(Wisc.)

31OldWarden 31Bodmin

AUGUST6-7Denham

TITCH.Asupersingle-place,lowwing. acrobatictoureMacer.Simpletobuild woodconstruction10r40to95h.p. engines.Superbplansforthissuperbaeroplaneincludefullsizeribsheets,material listandnumerousadvisorynotes.Span 18'9";Length16' w.Brochure.45pplus 10pp.&p.;Plans.£16,plus50pp.&p.; Constructionphotos.From:MrsJ. Taylor,25ChesterfieldCrescent,Leighon Sea,Essex.

WANTEDCirrusBombardierenginefor AusterAOP9,alsoanysparesforsame aircraft.Flt.Lt.N.C.Alderson.Officers' Mess,RAFWattisham,Suffolk.

RALLYDATES,1977

VP-I.Simplybuilt—VWpowered.Only oneverticalandonehorizontaltailempennage.Onepiecebentupaluminiumgear. Simple3-bulkhead,woodfuselagewithno metalfittingsorclothcover.Noengine mount.Simplewing,plankspars,ribsstack-sawedfromI"ply.EvansVP-1 roadtowswithouttrailer,andstoreseasily ingarage.ForPlanandBrochureprices seeP.F.A.officeadvertisement.

1977BLACKBUSHE AIRFESTIVAL

Sealedtimeofarrival

ConcoursdeElegance

BestWarbirdPFAAward

BreakfastPatrolonSunday,31st 30th-31stJULY

VARIEZE:Abulkorderwillbesub mittedshortlytoaU.K.canopymanufacturer.priceisexpectedtobeapprox. £90.Ifyouwishtoavailyour-selfofthis opportunityandhelpkeeppricesdown forusall,pleasecontactB.Yates,3 MidlandCourt,StangroveRoad,Edenbridge,Kent.

28LeicesterEast 28-29OldWarden

29Weston-super-Marc 29HalfpennyGreen

SEPT.1-3Cranfield

2-4ComptonAbbas

4Waterbeach

10St.Athan,S.Glamorgan.11Southend

10-18CastleHoward,Y'shire.

18ShorehamtoBembridge.

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