Popular Flying March/April 1978

Popular Flying

Allpricesaresubjecttochangewithoutnoticeduetoincreasesinpriceandcurrencyfluctuations.

Popular Flying

EditorialCommittee:

EditorialAddress: TerminalBuilding, ShorehamAirport, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex,BN45FF. Telephone: Shoreham-by-Sea61616

PFAEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President:

A/CMDRE.G.J.C.PAUL,C.B., D.F.C.,M.A.,C.Eng.,F.R.Ae.S.

Chairman: D.F.FAULKNERBRYANT

Treasurer:

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

EngineeringOfficer:

F.I.V.WALKER,C.Eng.,F.R.Ae.S.

CommitteeMembers:

JOHNDUNFORD

TONYFARRELL

TONYHAROLD

ERNIE HORSFALL

MIKEJOSEPH

ALFKNOWLES,0.13E.,A.F.C.

LAURIEMANSFIELD

STUARTMACCONNACHER

JOHNPOTHECARY

LESRICHARDSON

MIKEVAISEY

BILLWILKS

JIMWILLS

SecretaryGeneral:

J.5.J. LAUDER

Py A

-0°

'ItvINGNs*

Founded1946

Individualmembership:0.50p.a. Thefoundingandrepresentativebodyin theUnitedKingdomofamateur constructorsandoperatorsofultra-light andgroupoperatedaircraft.

P.F.A.(ULAIR)Ltd

COVERCOMMENT-

24-25

26MAYFLY

27 FINALS

TheviewsexpressedinPOPULARFLYINGarethoseofthe contributorsandnotnecessarilythoseoftheP.F.A.The Publishersretaintherighttorefuseorwithdrawadvertisementsal theirdiscretionanddonotacceptliabilityfordelayinpublication orforclericalorprinter'serrorsalthougheverycareistakento avoidmistakes.

EACHYEAR, ataboutthistime,Iremindallourreaders of thecoming rallyseasonandurgethemtoemergefromtheirtortoiseshellsofa workshopand,eveniftheyhaven'treallystartedonthatprojectyet, comeoutandsupportusatthelocalrallies.Also,ofcourse,ourbig weekendoftheyear,wherewenotonlyneedsupporters,buthelpers.No recreation,beitponycluborhanggliders,cangrow,orevenexist withouttheaudiencetheretowatchit.Anaudiencewhichbecomes enthusiastic,becomesinvolvedandthenbecomespartofthehobby.So, wegrowtoevengreaterproportionsandwelcomenewcomersamongst ourranks.

IhaveoftennoticedatStrutRalliesand,indeed,Sywell,thatmanyof our'newcomers'arestandingaroundonthefringe,notquitesureifthey willbeaccepted,orifthisisonegreatexclusiveoccasion.Theanswer, myfriends,isthatwedependuponnewcomerstoswellourranks,to absorbourenthusiasmandtheyarethepeoplewho,withinayearorso, willbeeitherorganisingorparticipatinginTHATevent.TheChapwho comesalongwithoutanaeroplane,whohasn'tevengotoneonthe drawingboardandprobablyhasn'tevendecidedtowhatextenthecan becomeinvolved,isavaluableassettoourAssociationandwemust makehimawareofthis.

IfeveryonewhoturnedupatourInternationalRallyhadan aeroplane—thenHeavenhelpus!Therewouldbenofences,nopaygates andnomarshallers.No,itcouldn'tevengetoffthegroundwithoutthe enthusiastichelpers,whoprobablyhaven'tevenaPPL,whodogreat thingstoseethatitallhappensatSywell.Theonlyquestionis—areyoua watcheroraworker?Ateveryoutsideeventhelpersarealwayswelcome and,ifyouareanewmembertoyourlocalactivity,justlookforthe organiser—he'stheharrassedlookingguytryingtoanswereveryone's questionsatthesametime—he'llsoonfindyouanecessaryjobtodo.As yougetinvolvedinPFAactivities,soyoubegintoenjoythatfeelingof beingapartofitall.

ThisyearourAssociationwillberepresentedatBigginHillAirFair, Blackpool,Bournemouth,HalfpennyGreen,Auchterarder(Strathallan) andatmanyothereventssupporteddirectlythroughtheStruts,suchas theWestonAirDayandShoreham'sown'AirDay'.Atalltheseevents thelocalorganiserswillneedsomehelp,sojustgoalongandseethat yournamegetsonthe'credits'list.WiththeaidofthePFA'snewly acquiredcoach,whichisnowontheroad,togetherwithsomeitemsof newdisplaystandequipmentrecentlyaddedtoourinventory,wecan lookaheadtothecomingseasonwithconfidence.Addtothisthefact thatourdisplaypilotsshouldhavedonealittlerehearsingatthePFA trainingcampweekendsannouncedinourlastissueandhereweare, keenamateurswithaprofessionalappearance.

Photo:GordonRuin

MaxBruggerflyinghisallmetalMB-3 duringthe1977P.F.A.International RallyatSywell.

PopularFlying,March-April,1978

EnjoyingtheSky

AyearoffuninaV.P.1 byRobertLowe

Itwasadreadfulwinter.Aseriesofsavageautumn galesmadeitclearthatpicketingoutsideongrasswas notagoodthingforawoodenaeroplane,soIstarted someintensiveresearchthroughtheP.F.A. grapevineandeventuallyfoundafriendlyfarmer, whomaderoomformyV.P.1inacornerofthetiny hangarinwhichhekeepshisownCessna172.And so,onthelastdayofOctober1976,Iflew007from Pophamtoit'snewhomeinalittleblackhangarat theendofasixhundredyard,SouthWest-North Eaststrip,inwhatmustbethemostbeautifulpartof Hampshire.Fromthenonitrained,itblewandit snowedsothatIwasnotabletogetairborneagain untilthe13thMarch.

Mostweek-endsIwouldgoouttothestripto groommytreasureandastheweekswentbyshe becameharderandhardertostart.Isuspectedthe mags,soItookthemoffandhadthemcheckedby theexperts.WhenIre-installedthemIdiscovered thattherearethreepossiblewaystotimemagnetos andtwoofthemarewrong.EventuallyIgotthem properlyinstalledandcorrectlytimedbutstillshe wouldnotstart,soindespair1calledinAlan Newnhamwho,afterasystematiccheck,foundthat the'experts'hadputbacktherotorarmsaboutten degreesoutofphase.Thenshestarted.

Thestripwassoddenwithrainandtheweather wasnonetoogood,butafterbeinggroundedforso longIhadtoflyher.IscrambledintomyMorgan jacket,grabbedhelmetandgoggles,climbedinand taxieduptothetopofthestrip.Itwastoonarrowto turnheronthebrakessoIhadtogetout,liftthetail roundandgetbackinagain.Istrappedin,pulled downmygoggles,openedthethrottleandwent.She wasjustoffthegroundwhenmyhelmetallbutblew off—inmyhasteIhadforgottentodoupthestrap. Tryingtograbmyheadgearwithmylefthand,the throttletriedtocloseitselfandintheensuinghassle 007performedsomeunorthodoxlowlevel manoeuvrestoAlan'sconsiderablealarm.Itwas lovelytobeairborneagaininthecrispairoverthe stillwinteringcountryside.Icouldhavestayedup untilthefuelranoutbutAlanhadtogetawayso, afteracoupleofcircuits,Icamedowntofindhim almosthelplesswithlaughter.Poor007wascovered inmud.'Nevermind'saidAlan'Youmadealovely landing'.Ittookmetwohourstowashherclean. Incidentally,talkingofgoggles,Ihavediscovered thatifyouhavetowearspectaclesthemodernwraparoundskiinggogglesareabsolutelyideal.

IflewheragainonApril3rdforanhour.Ihad justgotheroutofthehangarandwasdoingthedaily inspectionwhenRonSouchcameoverinhisPacer andmadealowpass.Imadewelcomingsignals, hopingthathewouldland,buthewasprobably unhappyaboutthestrongwindonastrangeandvery narrowstrip.HalfanhourlaterIwasairbornemyselfandflewuptoHanningtonbutIalsothought betteroflandingwiththatcrosswindonarather shortstripanddecidedthatitwouldhavetowait untilconditionswerelesshazardous.Ihadtakento theairwithoutglovesandmyhandswerefrozenrigid bythetimeIlanded.I'llneverdothatagain.

April17th,1977wastheWessexStrut'sinaugural rallyatHenstridgeandwhatfunitwas.Theweather waskindandeveryonemusthavebeengladofan excusetoflysomewhereafterthatappallingwinter because,exceptatSywell,IdonotthinkIhaveever seensomanyP.F.A.aircraftinoneplace.Iheardit saidthattherewereoverahundredvisitingaircraft andIcanwellbelieveit.Therewasstrong representationfromboththeAndoverandSolent Strutsgazingwithenvyatth-Wessex'slavish facilitiesofairfield,hangarandclubroom.Some chapshavealltheluck.Iwasdelightedtofind anotherV.P.1there,oneoftheveryearliestP.F.A. No.1579—G-BAH-1,anddelightedtootoseethat it'shomespunfinishdidnotmake007looklikea countrycousin.Thecontemplationoftoomuch perfectioninotherpeoplesaeroplanesdepressesme.

Afteragoodlunchandalotoflookingatother people'seffortsItookmyplaceinthefly-pastand thensetcourseforhome.IalwaysfindthatifIget theleastbitslipshodinmynavigationIinvariablyget lostandthistimewasnoexception.Fortheoutward journeyIhaddrawnmytrackandthefivedegree driftlinesonthemap,andmarkedoffthefive minutestillairpositionsonthetrackline.Five minutesafterleavingbaseIgotadriftofseven degreestoport,correctedforitandthereafter everythingclickedexactly.Goinghome,Ithought, wouldbenoproblem.Athickishhazehad developed;Iwasenjoyingmyselftoomuchtobother aboutgettingadrift,sothatwhenIeventually reachedtheNorth-Southrailwayline,whichwasthe positionlineonwhichIshouldfixmyselfforthe finalrunintomystripIassumed,becauseIhad seennosignofSalisburytotheNorth,thatIwas Southofthetrack.AccordinglyIturnedNorthand flewalongtherailwaylookingforthepointwhereit turnssharplytotheWestbeforeturningNorthagain. Strangely,housesappearedbelowmeandthen, suddenlythroughtheduskaheadIrecognisedOld Sarum.Ididasteepturntoportandundermy downwardpointingwingwasthespireofSalisbury Cathedral.IhadonlyabouttwodegreesNorthof trackbutthehazehadbeenthickerthanIhad imaginedandhadobscuredmylandmarksandsoI hadturnedthewrongway.Ikickedmyselfallthe wayhome,andtothinkthatthelasttimeanyone paidmeforflyingitwasasachiefnavigation instructor.Themoral,ofcourse,isthatthereisno wayyoucandispensewiththeproperpre-flight preparationonthegroundormeticulous attention to detailintheair.

DuringthewinterIhadmade007entirelylegalby installingafire-extinguisherinthecockpitanda first-aidkitintheaftfairing.St.John'sAmbulance gavemealistoftheminimumfirst-aidrequirements, whicharelittleandlightenough.Iwrappedthemup inaplasticfoodbagandattachedthembyastringto theundersideoftheinspectioncover.OneotherjobI didduringthewinterwastoinstallaverticalcamera. ThismayseemacuriousthingtodobuttheR.A.F. devotedagreatdealoftimeandtroubletoteaching metotakephotographsfromtheairand,

consequentally,Ihadthoughtidlyabouthowniceit wouldbeifIcouldconvert007intoP.R.U.aircraft. Ithadneverreallybeenaseriousintentionbutone's mindgrapplesontothesesillylittleproblemsand worriesoutasolutionuntilthingsbegintocome togetherandallatonceitisdone.

Thetheoryiseasyenough.Takeanordinary 35mmcamerawith,say,a45mmfocallengthlens then,bysimilartriangles,itisclearthatbyflyingata heightof738feetabovethetargetonewillproducea photographtoascaleof1/5000.Enlargethisby4 andyouhaveascaleof1/1250whichisquite acceptable.Eachexposurewillcover175metresand onewillneedarunofatleastfourphotographs,each overlappingthepreviousoneby60%sothatonecan useastereoscopetobringupthecontoursanddetail. Eachexposuremustthereforeadvance40%of175 metresor70m-230feet.Myairspeedisabout70 knotsor127feetpersecond,sothatIwouldneeda twosecondtimeintervalbetweenexposurestogive thecorrectoverlap.Theapparentlyinsoluble problemwashowtowindonthefilmbetween exposures.Anumberofmycolleaguesatworkare keenphotographerssoIputtheproblemtothem.It seemedthatmostofthemoreexpensivecamera outfitscanprovideabulkyandveryexpensivemotor drivefortheirproductsatanallincostofabout £400.Thiswasoutofthequestion.Howeverthere usedtobeaGermancameracalleda'Robot',which incorporatedaclockworkfilmtransportandthis openedupapossiblelineofenquiry.

Ithappened,then,thatIfoundmyselfonedayin BondStreetwithtimeonmyhandssoIwentintoa wellknowncamerashoptopursuethematter.A charmingandknowledgeablegentlemantoldmethat Robotshadnotbeenmadeforanumberofyears and,inanycase,onlythelastmodel,the'Robot Royal',wouldbeofanyusetomeastheprevious modelsusedspecialcassetteswhichwouldbe difficultorimpossibletoobtain.Robots,hesaid, werebecomingcollector'sitemsandonlyrarelycame onthemarket.Idecidedtoforgetit.Howeveritwas onlyaweeklaterthatIwaswalkingpastacamera shopinmyhometownandthereinthewindowwasa RobotRoyal.Iwentinarrangedatrade-inonmy ownJapenese35mmcameraand1wasbackinmy oldtradeasaP.R.U.pilot.

Imadeupapolystyrenemountingonapieceof1" ply,glueditintothebottomof007'sfuselagejustaft oftheaftbulkhead,cuttheholeforthelensand007 hadbecomeaveritablespyinthesky.Ihadhopedto

usealongcablereleasecomingupthroughthestick toabuttonontop,butthiswouldhaverequireda greaterlengthofcablethaniscommerciallyavailable soIhadtosettleforabulbrelease,andthisleadstoa positionnearmyleft(throttle)hand—justlikethe rocketreleaseonaHurricane.Sowitheverything installed,Isetoffonmyfirstphotographicsortiefor 33years.Iwasinterestedtofindthatwith4lbsof camera26behindthenormalCofGshetrimmed,in cruisingflight,toaveryslightclimb.Icureditby reducingtherevsto2,600whichconveniently broughtmycruisingspeedtojustunder70knots. Thetargetwasmyfriendlyfarmer'sfarmhouseandI tookawidesweepround,ranupatrightanglestothe proposedphotographicline,steep-turnedonand madefourexposurescountingthetimeinterval'One andTwoandPress'.IturnedoffreckonedIhad doneaprettygoodjob—everythingseemedtobe whereitshouldhavebeeninrelationtomylineof flight.

Alas,whenthefilmwasdevelopedIhadmissed thetargetby100feet.ItseemedIwouldneedan awfullotofpracticebeforemyhandregainedit's cunning.Ofcoursewitha35mmcameraat740feet onehasfarlesslatitudeforerrorthanwehadinthe MarkIISpitfireswithtwinF36camerasat40,000 feet,andthatwasdifficultenough.Irecallthaton oneofmyearlyoperationalsortiesinaMark4 SpitfirewithasingleF20"cameraImissedthelast fewdispersalsonaGermanairfieldandmyflight commander,amostunsympatheticNew Zealander—decreedthatIshouldflyforthenext weekwithasingleF36"camera,whichhasamuch smallerfieldthananF20",underthethreatofinstant dismissalfromthesquadronifIeveragainmissedso muchastheGermanguardroomcat.Forthenext weekIfleweverytargettwiceoverandneveragain missedanypartofanytarget.Anywaymylatest resultsshowthatthereisnothingbasicallywrong withtheinstallationandpurelyphotographic matters,itisonlymyflyingthathastobeimproved andthiswillcomewithtimeandpractice.

BigginHillonthe14thand15thofMaywasmy firstexperienceofacommercialairshow.Ifoundit fascinating,butitseemedtolacktheeasy-going, relaxedbutpatentlyefficientatmosphereof Henstridge.Theflightthereonaperfectsummer's morningwassheerdelight.Mynavigationwasspoton,probablybecausetherewasnowindtospeakof, andtheonlytimeIwasbeginningtobetheleastbit uneasyaboutmypositionIwaspassedbyanIslander

RobenLowewithhisVP-1atPopham

atthesameheightandonthesamecourse,obviously boundforthesamedestination.1landedonthe newlymowngrassstripwhichwasroughandsoft, andwiththeengineonhot-airthedamnthing stoppedassoonasIwasonthegroundsothat1had togetoutandswingitbeforeIcouldtaxitomy parkingplace.Thereseemedtobearemarkable dearthofmarshallssothatIwasamongtheFougas oftheBelgianacrobaticteambeforesomeone,a strayandunofficialP.F.A.type,spottedmy predicamentandflaggedmetomyproperplace whereLaurieMansfieldhadmeorganisedinnotime atall.AfterthetremendousassemblyatHenstridgeI expectedtoseemanymoreP.F.A.aircraftthan actuallyturnedupbutIcouldwellunderstandwhy theystayedaway.Swings,roundabouts,helterskelters,cannedmusic,paradesofveterancarsand displaysbymotor-cyclistsreallyhavenoplaceinan aviationmeetingandtakeupadisproportionate amountoftimeandspace.HowevertheBattleof BritainFlight,theBelgianFougasandNeilWilliam's displayofaerobaticswereworthgoingmanymilesto see.ItwasjustafterNeilWilliam'sshowthat, wearingmyoveralls,Iwasstrollingacrosstothc club-houseforlunchwhenIwasaccostedbya gorgeousblonde,allcurvesandpassion,whoasked meifIwasNeilWilliams.Ishookmygreylocksat hercleavageandreplied'No,Dear,butIwishIwas'.

Wehadarrangedtospendthenightatthehouseof acousinwholivesnear-byandontheSunday morningwemanagedtogetlostintheKentishlanes onourwaybacktoBiggin.Consequentlywemissed theghastlycrashofthe'joy-riding'helicopter.After hearingGerryPrice'sgraphicdescriptionofitIam thankfulthatwedid.Sunday'sweatherwascold, cloudyandblustery.TheP.F.A.fly-pastwastimed forjustafterlunchsoIdecidednottolandafterit buttogostraighthome.Thecloudslookedthickand dirtydowntotheWestinthecorridorbetween GatwickandHeathrow,soIlatchedontoafriendly TurbulentandfollowedhimtoShoreham,togoby wayofthecoast.OverHaywardsHeaththeclouds brokeupandweflewoutintoclearskiesand sunshine,buttheremusthavebeenoneheckofan EasterlywindasIdidShorehamtoGoodwoodinten minutesflat,aground-speedofwellover100m.p.h.

HenstridgeandBigginbothshowedupthe inadequacyofmybrakes.AtBigginItaxiedhappily offthegrassontothegentlyslopingconcrete approachtotherunway,onlytofindthatmybrakes wouldnotholdmefromrunningslowlyforward.In

frontofmcwasGerryPriceandheaveasImighton thebrakelevers,007'sflailingpropellercreptnearer andnearertohisrudder.1wasabouttoknockupthe switcheswhenacoupleofheroesgrabbedmywing tipsandfrustrated007'smurderousintentions. Somethinghadtobedoneaboutthosebrakes.Itried roughinguptheliningswitharaspbutthe adamantinesurfacesonlybluntedthetoolsoonce again1consultedmymechanicalcolleagues.They concludedthatgo-kartsgoveryfastonverysmall wheelsthathaveverysmallbrakedrums,andso,in ordertoabsorbtheheatgeneratedbybrakingat100 m.p.h.theliningshavetobeveryhardindeedand requireabigbootandalargehydrauliccylinder. Suchliningsarequiteinappropriateforbrakes operatedbyhandleversthroughBowdencablesat lowtaxyingspeeds.Forourpurposeswerequirethe softestpossiblelinings.ThelocalFerodoagents removedandreplacedthemwithsoftliningswhich theyrivetedinplace,andnowmybrakesworkso wellthat1canturninthewidthofmystripandthey willevenholdmeagainstfullthrottlewhenrunning upontheground.Themessageisclear.Anyoneelse whohasgo-kartwheelsshouldgetthehardlinings changedforsoftonesassoonaspossible.

Weatherkept007fromShorehamon6/7Juneand fromHurnon11/12June,butwemadeitto Shorehamonthe26thJuneforthe'AirDay'.Ilike Shoreham,itissoeasytofind.HereIfoundmyself parkednexttoTonyFrancis'IsaacsFury,andwhata beautifulaeroplaneitis.Elegant,restrained perfectionandlackingfornothinginit'sequipment offinish.AsonewouldexpectofShorehamthe organisationwasexcellent.Wetookourplaceinthe P.E.A.fly-pastledbyJohnPothecaryinhislovely ComperSwiftwithJennyPothecarywhipping-byin herCub.Theorderlyprogrammewasenlivenedby twounscheduledincidents.Thefirstoccurredwhena maverickhot-airballontowedaFordTransitvan intoaditch.Thesecondturnedouttobethebest showofadayofexcellentflyingdisplays.Wewere allsittingbyouraeroplaneswaitingfortheR.A.F. Vulcantofinishcarvinguptheskysothatwecould startupandgohome,whenthenucleusofastudent demo,alllonghair,beads,bangles,beardsandearrings,appearedcarryingahang-gliderwithatiny propellerontheback.Icouldhardlybelievemyeyes andwentovertoaskthemiftheymeanttoflyit.A bearded,bespectacledgentlemaninacrash-helmet saidthat,yes,thatwasthegeneralidea.Themotor, whichlookedasifitcameoutofachainsaw,was

G-BDAH(PTA7007)atSywell

mountedatthetopoftheAframeanddroveatiny pusherpropellerbehindthetrailingedgeofthewing throughalongandslendershaft.

Thehelmetedcharacterhookedhimselfontothe contraptionandkneltunderneathitwhileoneofhis matesrope-startedtheengine.Thenherosetohis feet,ranafewyardsandhurledhimselfflatinhis harness.Themachineslowlysanktowardsthe grounduntilthenoseofit'sdensmusthavebeen brushingthegrassand,then,miraculouslyitbegan toclimb.Hetookituptoabout300feetandthrewit abouttheskyinabreath-takingandwhollydelightful exhibition,untilhispintofpetrolranoutandhe camedowntoaperfectlycontrolledlanding.I resolvedneveragaintomakedisparagingremarks abouttheskyinabreath-takingandwhollydelightful canonebe?

IhadintendedtoflyuptoSywellonFriday1st Julybuttheweatherkeptmefrettingathome. Saturday,however,dawnedfinebutmisty.Visibility steadilyimprovedandItookoffat10.45toenjoy, en-routeafineandveryunusualviewofHenley regatta.OnarrivaloverheadSywellatabout12.15,I counted23aircraftaheadofmeinthecircuitwhich seemedtoextendalmosttoKettering.Howeverweall seemedtoslotinquitehappilyandIwastaxyingto thebowserat12.30.WhatcanonesayaboutSywell whenallthesuperlativeshavebeenusedbefore?For methiswasthebestofthemall,possiblybecauseit wasthefirstonetowhichIhadflowninmyown aircraft.Theweather,asusual,washotandbrilliant andIenjoyedmyselfhugelyflying,lookingatother peoples'aeroplanesandtalkingtootherpilotsand builders.IwaschattingtoaV.P.1builderwhena gyroplaneclatteredintotheairand,afterit'sinitial leapupwards,begantosinkslowlyuntilit disappearedbehindthehangarstoaresounding crash.'Excuseme',saidmyfriend,'Thatmaybea V.W.engine',andhurriedawaytomakehisbid.

Frommypointofview,Sywellwasasgoodasit couldpossiblybeandtheonlysuggestionthatI wouldofferisthat,forthebenefitofthewalking public,theaircraftshouldbemarshalledbytypes ratherthanindiscriminatelyinorderofappearance. Thereareprobablygoodreasonswhythisisimpractible,butifitwerepossibleitwouldsurelyprove moreinstructive,bothforthepilotsandforthe buildersandprospectivebuilders.Iflewhome happilyontheMondaymorning.

Saturday30Julyfound007atBlackbushe,another commercialairshow.Thestarsofthiseventwerethe originalSopwithPupandthereplicaFokkerand SopwithTriplanes.Therewasashortageofbatmen andatotalabsenceofbeerinthepilot'srefreshment tentwhichprobablyexplainedthesmallnumberof P.F.A.aircraftpresent,butitwasnicetomeetTony Haroldagain,thefamousartistandBarnstormer. GroupCaptainAlfKnowlesledhistinysquadronin theP.E.A.fly-pastafterwhichIsetcourseforhome 007'slastpublicappearancebeforeherCofA expiredwasatPophamon14August.Thiswasan AusterRally,butwehadtogotocelebratethelifting oftheiniquitousinjunctionagainstflyingat Popham.TheweatherwasdreadfulandIhadtowait anhourinthehangarfortheraintostop.Eventually itclearedenoughformetotakeoff,buttwomiles fromPophamthecloudscamedownandIhadto descendto200feetinheavyraintomakeittoJim's field.Itwouldhavebeenquiteunsafeforanyone whodidnotknowthecountrylikehisownback gardenandaflightfromHenstridgewiselyturned back.ItwaslovelytolandagainonPopham's bowlinggreensurfaceonwhichaV.P.1willsettleso softlythatonehardlyknowssheisdown.Itrained

PopularFlying,March-April,1978

alldaybutImanagedtoflyacoupleoftimesbefore takingoffforhome.Ijusthadtomakeasmany landingsaspossibleonthatperfectsurface.Bynow, ofcourse,itwillbegenerallyknownthatJimEspin haswonhisbattlewithbureaucracyandthePopham AirCentreisatlastinbeingwithfullMinisterial approval.

Soended007'sfirstyearofflying,inspiteof appallingweatherithasbeenaveryhappyand successfulyear—andIcan'twailforthenextone

EDITORS NOTE: BobLowe'sarticlereferstohis firstyears'flyingofhisVP1andneedstobereadasa finaletohisseriesofmanyarticlesoverthreeyears onit'sconstruction.Thesearenowavailablein bookletformfromthePEAOffice:-'EnjoytheSky' —thestoryofahome-builtaeroplane—Priceflpost free.

ENGINEERINGNOTE:ThepermanentJiltingof ucameratoanaircraftsuchasdescribedrequires learancethroughthePEAOfficetocomplywiththe conditionsoftheCofA.

HOMEBUILDER SUPPLIES

FORMETAL,WOODEtGRPAIRCRAFT

SONERAIIICANOPIES,COWLINGSEtFOLDED SPARS. WINGKITSMADETOORDER.

CAPACITYFORMACHININGEtFOLDINGUPTO8ft.LONG.

MATERIALSAVAILABLEINANYSIZEAND QUANTITY.

TRYOURUNIQUESKINFASTENERHIRESCHEME

WHITELISTINGYOUREXACTREOUIREMEN7S

SWALESSAILPLANES

AIRCRAFTMANUFACTURERS

LONGSTREET,THIRSK

ipHourwTHIRSK10E145123096

Assim Thebasiclayoutofafrp-1cockpit

GE11INGTHEBRE(A)KES

OneofthetasksIhadtocarryout,whenI acquiredmyJodelD117,wastofixthebrakes.The methodofservicinggiveninRollason'smanualfor theJodelistojackupthewheel,slackenoffthetop bleedscrew,slackenoffthebottombleedscrew, connectaVickerstwo-waypumptothebottombleed screw,andpumpinfluidintilairfreefluidissues fromthetopvent.Closethetopvent,pumpupuntil thewheellocks,thenclosethebottombleedscrew andremovethepump.Releasepressurethroughthe topventuntilthewheelturns,thenlockthetopvent andtestthebrake.

Simple,Ithought,thenfoundthatIcouldn'tjack upthewheelwithmycarjackbecausethebrakepipe runsdirectlyundertheaxle.Ihadtwotubularpillars weldedtothejackhead,andwitharemovablebridge piece,managedtojackthewheelupwithoutsquashingthebrakepipe.

NothavingaVickerstwo-waypump,Itriedto makedowithapumptypeoilcan,filledwiththe correctbrakefluidofcourse.Iappliedthe recommendedprocedure,withoutconspicuous success.Overaperiodofafewmonths,Imusthave triedtosuccessfullyfixthebrakesthreeorfour times.AllIsucceededindoingwastodepositthebest partoftwoquartsofbrakefluidoverthehangar floor.

OperatingfromCroslandMoorhadadditional anxietiestothosenormallyencountered,theperitrackslopesdownintothehangar,andtherunway slopesdownfromcrowntothresholdbyabout3 millibars,withasheerdropbeyond.Ididn'tfancy tryingtoback-trackdownthatslope,withastiff breezeonmytail.Notwithoutbrakesthatis,andnot inanaeroplaneI'dneverhandledbefore,and particularlynotinoneIhadjustpaidmyhardearnedmoneyfor.

NowtheJodelhastwobrakepedalsinsetbetween therudderpedals,eachwheelbeingbraked independamly.Thefeethavetoberemovedfromthe rudderpedalstobrake,butbythattimeyoushould haverunoutofrudderanyway.Thepedalsoperate Scottcylinders,theseareconeshapedchambers, sealedatthebasebyaflexiblediaphragm.A pipe,fittedwithacartypeShraedervalve,connects withthechamber.Operationofthepedalpressesa coneshapedshoeintothediaphram,thusdisplacing fluidfromtheclosedcylinderthroughtheconnecting pipetothewheelbrake.

Thewheelbrakeisahub,onwhichfitsabrake bag,ratherlikeaminiaturecycleinnertube.Around thisaresegmentalbrakepads,guidedandsprungso astocompressthebrakebagonthehub.Whenthis brakebagisexpandedbythefluiddisplacedfromthe cylinder,thepadsarebroughtintocontactwiththe brakedrum,whichisintegralwiththewheelonthe Jodel.

Releasingthepedalpressure,allowsthesplingsto retractthepads,compressingthebagontothehub, displacingthefluidbackintothecylinder.Inorderto compensateforwearonthebrakepads,thequantity offluidinthesystemmustbesuchthatthebrakebag remainsslightlydistendedatrest,thusmaintaining thepadsincloseproximitytothebrakedrum.Itis thisdistensionwhichisessentialforcorrectoperation ofthebrakes.Theslightestleakwillallowfluidto escape,resultinginineffectivebraking.

Havingstrippeddownthebrakesandcylinders, andsatisfiedmyselfthattheywereingoodorder,no puncturesinthebrakebags,andnorupturesinthe diaphragms,Ireassembledthebrakescarefully,

byJohnKirkham

tighteninealljointstoensurenoleakswouldresult.I thenrefilledthesystemsintheapprovedmanner.

ATriumphHeraldbrakecylinderandpedal assemblywasobtainedfromthelocalscrapyard, completewithacoupleoffeetofbrakepipe.Aheavy dutySchraedervalvecapwiththerubberseal removed,anddrilledtoslipoverthe3/16"pipewas fitted,andanErmetobrassnipplesoldered onfromtheendofthepipe.Afewstrokesofafile, andthenipplewillpassintoavalvecap.Asmallring cutFromasuitablysizedneoprenetube,madean effectivegasketfortheendofthebrakepipe.

FillingtheHeraldcylinderwiththeappropriate brakefluid,andpressingthepedaltofill[hepipe withfluid,Iconnectedthepipeto[heventpipeofthe Scottcylinder,sealingbymeansofthevalvecap. OperatingtheHeraldbrakepedalpumpedasolid columnoffluidpasttheShraedervalvecore,into[he brakesystemlockingthebrakehardon.The Shraedervalveinstantlysealedthesystem,andI coulddetachtheHeraldcylinder,withnopossibility ofallowingfluidtoleakout.

Aquickbliponthevalvepinallowedasufficient quantityoffluidtoescape,toenablethewheeltobe turnedwithoutbrakedrag.Alighttouchon[he brakepedalwasallthatwasneededtoproduce instantpressure,lockingthewheel.Successatlast, nofiddlingwithbleednipples,andonlyafewspots offluidonthehangarfloor.

Thesolidfeelonthebrakepedalsiswonderfully reassuring,particularlywhencarryingoutfullpower magnetochecks.TheJodelnotbeingfittedwitha handbrake,thischeckmustbecarriedoutwithfoot brakeshardon.Orchocksunderthewheels„of course;Imademyselfapairoflightweightfoldin chockstoo,carriedin[hecockpit,forparkinginstiff breezes,oronslopingperi-tracks.

IbelievetheJodelbrakesystemisthesameasthe J3Cubsystem,sopresumablyasimilartechnique couldbeemployedonCubs.

(ReprintedfromNorthWesternStrutNewsletter)

VOLKSWAGEN AIRCRAFTENGINEPLANS forAmateurConstructors

30sq.ft.ofdrawingsandaI5,000-wordmanual providedesignsandinformationenablingonetoconvert anyV.W.engineupto1600 cc. Fullyapprovedfor amateur-builtaircraft,theseplansareofferedwithlifetimefreeadviceforonly£9.50posipaid.

DonaldG.Peacock, ParadiseCottage,Kenipsford,Fairford,Glos. TelKempsford246

PerformanceoftheWingforBeginners

byMikeStapp

Alothasbeenwritteninthe'Ilearntaboutflying fromthat'veinandthisisunashamedlyanotherof them.Theyhopefullyenableusalltoliveabit longer.Iwasaverygreen'newpilot',aged18,trained onthedearoldChipmunk,thensparkling-new.I naturallythoughtIwasthe'beesknees'intheairand waskeentohaveagoatanythingwithwingson.I heardofaFlyingClubwhichstillhadafewMiles Magisters,theagedwoodentrainerwhichsurvived theWarinsomenumbersandlookedlikeagoodidea forwiderexperience.NobodyintheClubflew Magisterswithmuchenthusiasm,Inoted,andsome hadhadnastyaccidentsintheirpost-warcareers.

However,Iwasfixedupforacheck-outwitha veryexperiencedpartywhohadonceownedan ancientMilesHawk.Mycheckconsistedofacouple ofcircuits.Itookoffquiteeasily,andflapswerenot usedforthissincetheywerevacuumdrivenand eitheruporDOWN.TheMaggiewassomewhat lower-poweredthantheChipmunkIwasusedtowith arathercoarse-pitchpropeller,twofactsIgavescant attentionto.

Ilearntthatwhenloweringflapstoapproachfor landing,thewholeaeroplanepracticallystopped deadinmid-air:theareawasenormous!Aslongas onegotthestickwellforwardandsetupawelltrimmedapproach,thiswassafeenough,theactual pathbeingquitesteepcomparedwiththatof Chipmunks.

Iwaswarnedinserioustonesaboutwindgradients andtheneedtokeepthespeedUP,evenifthe attitudelookedverysteepindeed.Maggieshadbeen knowntospinoffanapproachifthiswasneglected. Theresultswerenottidy.

Allthisseemedverysensible.Afterthesecond completecircuit,Iwasdeemedfitforsolo.I rememberedmypilot'slastwords,asheleftthefront cockpit.Hesaid'giveitplentyofroomandyou'llbe O.K.'.

Itaxiedout,feelingverypleasedwithmyself.The circuitwentverywellandIapproachedthegrass fieldoversomequiteturbulentwoodlandwith supremeconfidence.Asithappened,thelandingwas notoneofmybest.Infact,Ifloatedabitfurther acrosstheaerodromethanbefore,naturallybeing lighterwithoutthefrontseatoccupied.The aerodromewasnotnotedforitssize.Ibouncedabit andcouldprobablyhaveflattenedoutintoapassable landing,buttheWORDScametome,asinthose wonderfulAmericanwarfilms,completewith echo-effect:Ahead-updisplayofmyChipmunk instructorwasshouting'Ifyoumakea..-upofa landing,DON'TEVERmessaboutwithit,GO ROUNDAGAIN!"YESSIR',...openedthe throttleandheldtheMaggieclosetotheground,to gatherspeedbeforeclimbing,likeagoodFlight Cadetshould.

Thetroublewas,thatwhenIwentintoaclimb,it didn't.Theairspeedsanktoanerve-chillinglowand Ihadtolevelofftorecoveritalloveragain.The troublewasobviouslytheflaps,whichwerestill down.Ihalfthoughtofraisingthem,tosoarwith somegraceskywards,buttheVOICEcametome again:'DON'TYOUEVERletmeseeyoutouch thoseflapsbeforeyou'vegotatleast'X'kts.and 200ft.'Ofcourse,Ihadn'tgoteither,oranything likeandthisMaggiewasinm.p.h.andIdidn'trecall beingtoldwhatm.p.h.weresafetoraiseat.Itwas

PopularFlying,March-April,1978

occurringtomethatsomeveryhightreeswerefast appearingontheskyline,infactawholeunbroken rowofthemandtherewassomevitalfactaboutmy aeroplane'sperformanceofwhichIwastotally ignorant.

'TheremustbeSOMEspeedatwhichthis...,thing willclimbwithflapsdown',Ithought,andIseemed tohaveratherlessthan30sec.inwhichtofindit.A steep,hairturnclosetothegrounddidn'tseemavery goodidea,astheVOICEhadutteredallkindsof threatsaboutheightloss,stallingandthelike.To attemptitwithflapsstilldownwouldhaveledto crucificationifIeversurvivedthe[urn.What[he VOICEhadn'tbriefedmeforwasrunningoutof aerodrome,withseveralfactsaboutperformance stillindisarray.Itwouldundoubtedlyhavesaid'You fool,youshouldn'thavegotyourselfintosucha.... stupidposition,shouldyou?'Infact,Ihadplaced myselfintheapparentlyexperthandsofanauthority onMagistersandthoughtthatsufficient.

Now,itdidn'tsomehowseemquitethewhole story...

Ihadtotryanairspeed.Bythefastest experimentationyoueversaw,Ifoundthata Magisterwillclimbatablood-chillingslowrateata speedflickeringaroundIhehigh40sontheASI,the flapslikebarndoorsin5sections.

Fractionallylessanditdidn't..,fractionallymore anditdidn't.Ihadtohopethatthiswouldbeenough intermsoftimeanddistancetoclearthetrees.There reallywasn'tanywhereelsetogo,therowwasso longandtherewerealotofothertreesdottedabout whichIcouldneverturnbetween.Iplayedmyluck andclearedthetreesbythemerestfraction.One gooddown-draughtandIwouldcertainlyhave crashedrightthroughthem.

Thenextproblemwastogettheflapsup.The airspeedwasstillnowherenearsaletodothatand thelikelyresultwasadreadfulsinkintotheground, whichwasstillnotentirelyunobstructed.

Iwasn'tconfidentthatthisrateofclimbcould possiblylastandwasverygladindeedwhena convenientvalleypresenteditself,justtooneside.I diveddownintoit,theairspeedincreasingnicely, raisingthehatedflapswithprofoundrelief.Isoared outtheotherendofthevalleywithanewleaseof life,tocompletethecircifit.Needlesstosay,the landingwasimpeccable,afterthemostcareful approachIevermade,lotsorroomtosparethis time.

Onlookershadthoughtmyfirstsoloontypequite aneducation,mydescentintothevalleycausingthe mostspeculationaboutmyprobablelife-span.I shooklikealeafasitcametomethattherewas somethingIjusthadn'tappreciatedaboutflying.I reallyhadthought'youjustopenupwiththe power....anditflies,soalliswell'.Ofcourse,with hindsightandmanyyearson,weallknowthatit dependsonwhatyoufly.Aviationisfullofvariables andquestionsofdegree.Conversiontotypeisstill themostdangerouslyneglectedareaofflying training,intheopinionofmany.Lookingbackto myMaggieFlight,fromaninstructor'sstandpoint,I canseehowluckyIamtobealive.Onlymyveryslim experienceandtheVOICE,whichIdarednot disobey,savedme.Ofcourse,theconversion candidateneedstoseeeverythingthetypewilldo, relatedtothoseheismostfamiliarwith.Thearmed serviceshavealwaysdonethat,asIwaslaterto realise.Icertainlylearntaboutflyingfrommy 'instantperformance'lesson...solo!

Aka JohnBeeswax's VINTAGE NEWS

AVagabondfromMarakesh

Theharshbreezesoflastwintersangthroughthe barebranchesofalineoftreesedgingasmallfieldon theoutskirtsoftheoldtownofWokinghamin Berkshire.Atthefarendofthefieldaperkypaleblue PiperVagabondstarteditstake-offrunintowind andwithsurprisingagilityclimbedrapidlyawayon trackforFinmere,somefiftymilestothenorth.For IanCaHier,itspilotandowner,thiswasaproud momentandtheendofastorywhichbegan,by contrast,intheheatoftheMoroccansunsometwo yearsbefore.

IanjourneyedtoMoroccoin1975whenhelearned ofaVagabondforsaleatMarakesh.RegisteredCNTVY,theaircrafthadbeenbuiltin1947andwasa PA-17version,withfulldualcontrols.Thebusiness ofpurchasingatlastconcluded,Ianflewherfrom MarakeshatthefootofthehighAtlasMountains northtothecoastatRabat,forstorage,pending transporttoU.K.ThesecondvisittoMoroccowasin thespringof1976whenhedismantledtheVagabond andtookherbyroadtoTangiersforshipmentto England.AtTangiershemetanunexpected problem—thelocalcustomsofficialswouldnotallow anaircrafttobeexportedbysea.Anaircrafthadto beflownout.Admirablelogicbutitmeanta headacheforIanCallierwhohadtoreturnhome emptyhanded.Amonthlaterhewasbackin Moroccoonhisthirdvisitandthistimewiththehelp ofhisfriendGeoffMasterton,theaircraftwasreassembled,the65h.p.enginewasgiventhe'loving caretreatment'andCN-TVYwasflowntoSouthend viaSpainandFrance.InfactjustintimeforSywell 1976whereitstoodontheEnglishturfforthelast timewithitsforeignregistration.

Manyrebuildingandrecoveringprojectstakeat

leastseveralyearsbutIanreducedthistimetoless thantwelvemonthsbydoingalltheworkathomein thefamilygarageandthelargeloungeoftheirhome inWokingham.Bycuttingouttravellingtimetoand fromadistantworkshophewasabletoaccomplisha completerecoveringoftheaircraft.Fortunatelythe airframewasinexcellentconditionapartfromsome workrequiredontheundercarriage,andthework proceededsmoothly.TheoriginalA-65engine, whichhadbravelyhauledthelittlehighwinged monoplanefromAfrica,wastimeexpiredand replacedbya'brandnew'zerotimeA-65.Complete withnewtancolourupholsterytocontrastwiththe skybluecolourschemeanddarkblueandgoldtrim, sheisacredittoIanCallier'shardworkandtenacity inthefaceofunforseenproblemswithforeign officials.RegisteredG-BDVA,thePA-17willbe basedatFinmereandhisairtrafficcontrolduties permitting,IanCallierwillflyherintoSywell '78—butthistimemoreofaprincessofPipersthana VagabondfromTangier.

IanCallier'sVagabondCN-TVYseenatSywellin1976beforetherebuild.

Photo:P.Clifton

lanCallieropensupthe65h.p.continentalofhis PA-I7Vagabondpriortotake-offfromthisfield adjacenttohishomeatWokin,gham.Theaircraftis busedatFironere.

Photo:IanCallier

DougBianchi

Sadly1977sawthepassingofoneofourgreatest aero-engineers.ThedeathinDecemberofDoug Bianchicameasasevereblowtoeveryoneconnected wthvintageandhistoricaeroplanes.Hissenseof humourandkindlymannerendearedhimtoallwho methim,andhewasalwaysapproachableforadvice onanylightaircraftsubject.Nomatterhowbusyhe was,hewouldalwaysfindasparemomentfor amateurhomebuilderswithaproblem.Indeed, advicefromhisconsiderableknowledgewhichhad Flom builtupover42yearsinaviationwasalways freelyavailabletoallmembersoftheaviationscene andespeciallytoPEAmembersforwhomheserved aslongtimecommitteememberandchiefinspector aswellaspresidentoftheVintageAircraftClub.

OnecouldnotenterthelargehangaratWycombe AirParkwithoutsensingthehappyfamily atmosphereofhiscompanyPersonalPlaneServices anrthehasleftaformidableteamofexpertsto continuehiswork.

HeadedbyhiswidowMrsEdnaBianchias ManagingDirectorandablyassistedasCo-Director byhissonTonyBianchi,achampionacrobaticand testpilot-engineerwithaloveofaeroplanesinherited fromhisfather,P.P.S.looksforwardtothefuture withareputationforoverhaulandre-buildingof vintageaircraftunmatchedintherest ortheworld.

DingbalRenaissance

Extensivedamagetothefrontendfollowinga crashlandingatHeadcornin1975causedmost peopletoconcludethattheaccidentwouldsignify theendoftheuniqueTaylor-Watkinson`Dingbar G-AFJA,builtandfirstflownin1938.However, theyreckonedwithouttheskill,enthusiasmand determinationofRoyNerou.Stungbythethought thatifhedidn'tactimmediatelythelittlelowwing monoplanewouldbelostforever,hedroveto HeadcorninKentandcollectedallofthewreckage andstoreditinhislargeworkshopathishomein AudsleynearCoventry.Duringthedismantling processhemadethehappydiscoverythattheworst damagewasconfinedtotheenginebearersand centresection,andtoaddtohisluck he managedto getintouchwithMr.CyrilTaylor,(whowithLric Watkinson,haddesignedandbuilttheaircraft).

FromMr.Taylor,Royreceivedacompletesetof originalplansandthereuponsetaboutbuildingan entirelynewcentresectionandenginemount.This workisnowwelladvancedandhehopestocomplete there-buildbytheendofthisyear,includingsome

worktobedonetothewingsandtheconstruction ofanewpropellerforthe30h.p.Carden-Fordwater cooledengine.

OurcongratulationstoRoyNerouforsavingthis fascinatingpre-warultralightwhich,byitsmodular constructioncapableofbeingbuiltinasmallgarage or livingroom,wasaprecursorofmanynewhomebuiltaircraftflyingtoday.SuchisRoy'sdedication tothepastimeofrebuildingandflyingvimage aircraftthathehasthreeprojectsonhandatthe moment,hismajorinterestbeingtheconstructionof acompletelynewChiltonMonoplane,detailsof whichwillappearinafuturearticle.AsRoystresses, thiswillnotbeareplicabutacontinuationofaseries firstbuiltandflownin1937.

ClubNews

SocialactivitiesoftheV.A.C.duringthewinter mon(hshavebeenontheincreaseunderthe leadershipofsocialsecretaryArthurMason.ForemostwastheannualwintersocialatBanburylast Novemberfollowedbyaseriesofnogginandnatter nightsatvariouspubsinthesouth.BobElliot producedanotherpopularfilmeveningatGreat HaseleyinFebruarywitheinefilmsandslidesofthe pastfewseasonsofrallies.Infact8mmfilmsof V.A.C.activitieshavebecomesopopular(especially spotlandingevents,listeningtotheOoh'sandAah's, onerealisesthattheaudienceisre-livingthelandings alloveragain)thatthecommitteehavedecidedto sponsoran8mmeinefilminvolvingclubmembers andhaveorganisedaproductionteamtocarryou thiswork....GeminiPatrol,Takeone...Action.

TheDingbatfuselagestripped downandawaitinganew centresection.Notethe radiatorwhichisslungunder thecentresectionspar.Engine isawatercooledCarden-Ford whichproduces30h.p.

Photo:RoyNerou

STRUTTINGAROUND WithJimWills

REDHILLSTRUT

Whocouldhaveforseenthedramaticchangeinthe weatherthathadtopassfortheBritishsummerof 1977?;despite two attemptstoholdafly-inbythe RedhillStrut,theweatherintervenedonboth occasions.AttheAugustfly-inatSlinfoldtheonly aeroplanetoarrivewastheNipperflowninbyIan McLennanfromRedhill.AttheBolneyfly-in,a monthlaterinSeptembernotoneaeroplanearrived, howeveranumberofmembersmanagedtoshelter behindahedgerowfromthehowlingwindandheld animpromptuStrutmeeting.Even themost dedicatedgotlittlepleasurefromanafternoonspent onaremotewet,coldandwindsweptSussexfield waitingforaeroplaneswhichneverarrived.

Sadly,theCurrieWotG-AYNAhasmetwitha slightmishap.Atthetime,itwasbeingflownbya visiting'727pilotwho,itseems,terminatedhisflight bybouncingacrossRedhilluntiltheundercarriage wasforcedthroughthelowerwings.

MonthlyStrutmeetingshavecontinuedtobea greatsuccessandhaveaveraged25membersper meetimg.

NORTHEASTERNSTRUT

AbitofaflapwascreatedwithintheNorth EasternStrutaftertheBrutonfly-in;thecontroversy centredaroundtheawardoftheWhitleyBay GuardianTrophyandtheFlyingCommittee's decisionthatthiscouldonlybeawardedtoaNorth EasternStrutmember.Whenthissubjectwaslast debatedinJuly,nofirmdecisionwasreached,itwas raisedagaininOctoberwhereitwasagreedby memberspresentthatthecompetitionwill,infuture beopentoanyhome-builtaircraftattendingthe BruntonRally.

Thewinningownerwillbegivenasmalltoken plaquetotakeawayandkeep,whiletheTrophyitself willbesuitablyengravedandkeptinthemeeting roomatTheBlackHorseforalltosee.Thiswaythe TrophyremainsthepropertyoftheNorthEastern Strut,anddoesnotendupinsomeone'satticin Cornwall.TheTrophymaybecompetedforin successiveyears,butmaybewononceonlybyan individual.

WESSEXSTRUT

WessexStrutaretoholdtheirsecondfly-inat Henstridgeon16thAprilthisyear,theorganisersare lookingforwardto,andpreparingforalarger numberofvisitorsthanlastyear.0n27thMarchat LydfordHotel,theWessexStrutwillbemeetingto finalisetheirplansfortherally.

WESTMIDLANDSSTRUT

WestMidlandsStruthaverecentlybeenadvisedby theR.A.F., that,duetothereorganisationof facilitiesatR.A.F.Cosford,theclubroomtherewill notbeavailableforthenextthreemonths. Temporaryaccommodationhasbeenarrangedatthe AirTrainingCorpsbuildinginCherryOrchard, Lichfield.TheStrut'sCo-ordinator,Malcolm Robbins,issomewhatrelievedbythismove.He explainsthatmorethanhalftheworryof'keeping theshowontheroad'hasbeenduetoR.A.F./Strut

liaison,whichhasbeenratherone-sidedtosaythe least.

Therecentdecisiontoactivatetheairfieldfor Militaryuse,withallitsattendantrestrictions,has alsoeffectivelyclosedthedoortoPFAtypeflying fromCosford.Toobviatefurtherdiscontinuities,the Strut'sOrganisersproposenottoreturntoCosford afterthestatedthreemonthperiod,butinstead,to establishthemselveselsewhere.

SOLENTSTRUT

StrutmemberRitchieRamon,capturedthe highlightsoflastyear'sBritishsummerbyshooting an8mmfilmonouractivitiesatthePFARallyat Sywell.Thefilmwasshowntomembersatthe Strut'sNovembermeeting.Itservedtoremind membersofthetargettobeaimedfor,especially thosewhoarestillintheprocessofbuilding.During themeeting,aproposalwasmadethatadonationbe madefromtheStrut'sfundstoPophamAirCentre, forthepurchaseofequipment.Afterdiscussion,it wasagreedtomake£50available,forthepurchaseof equipmentyettobedecided.JohnReedhasdonated aFortinbarometertothePophamAirCentreitdoes howeverrequireMercurytomakeitserviceable.

VintageenthusiastRonSouch,hasrecently returnedfromSwitzerlandwiththeremainsofa LeopardMoth.Currentlyworkingontherestoration ofhisGypsyMoth,Ronenvisagesthetimewhenthis isfinishedandhopestostartworkontheLeopard. Whenseenrecentlyintheduskwiththelightbehind it,itwasclear,fromthestateofthefuselagethat Ronhasamajorjobonhishands!

ANDOVERSTRUT

Andover'sStrutCo-ordinator,JimEspin,whohas foughtfortherighttoestablishandoperatean airstripforrecreationaluse;hasnow,afteralengthy enquiry,receivedofficialplanningpermissionto develophislandatPophamasanAirSports Centre.Jim'sthanksgotoallWitnesses,Helpers, LetterWriters,andWellWisherswhohelpedto makethisvictorypossible.Thefly-insthattookplace everysecondSundayofthemonthatPophamduring theinterimperiodoftheenquiry,arenowended. Fromnowon,EVERYSundaywillbeafly-in,all52 ofthem!

TheAnnualDinneroftheAndoverStrut,on9th December,wastohavebeenheldintheAirCentre clubroom.Intheevent,ittookplaceinthehangar, toabackgroundofChristmaslightsandmusic.50 membersandguestswerepresenttoenjoythe festivitieswhichcontinueduntil4.30amonthe followingmorning.Eachmemberwasinvitedto bringabottleofliquidrefreshmenttoaugmentthe homebrewconcoctedandbroughtalongbyFrank NuthallandJim&AlanStone.NowthatPopham AirCentreiswellandtrulyestablished,meetingsof theAndoverStrutwillbeheldthereonthefirst Tuesdayofeachmonthat8p.m.

POPHAMAIRCENTRE

MentionedbrieflyinAndoverStrut'snews,isthe PlanningPermissionrecentlygranted,toallow PophamtobedevelopedasanAirSportsCentre. Legaljargonbeingwhatitis,thePlanning

PermissiongrantedbytheDepartmentofthe Environment,consistedofan8page,18paragraph lettertoPopham'sowner,JimEspin,settingoutthe details.Withtheintentofgettingthemainpoints across,Jimhassiftedthroughtheletter,extracting andcompilingsectionsfromPages1,7&8.This extractionisreprintedherefortheinformationof members.Becauseoftherestrictionsimposed,those amongstuswhointendtolandthere,wouldbe advisedtocommitthecontentstomemory.Please rememberthatthecentreisopeneveryday. Telephone—Dummer423.

Asapointofinterest,thisdocument,producedby theDepartmentoftheEnvironment,includesthe phrases'asanAirSportsCentre',and,'forthe purposeofRecreationalFlying'.(mycapitals). Whilstnotwishingtotakethesephrasesoutof context,theirveryexistenceonanofficialdocument suchasthis,showsforthefirsttime,anawarenessby officialsofourneed,andanappreciationforour sportingactivity.Intimetocome,perhapsthe Department'sleaningtowardourrequirements,may promptotherlocalauthoritiestoadoptalesshostile attitudetoourrecreationalhobbyandencourage themtoseekwaysofprovidingSportingfacilitiesfor ALL.

FormaldecisionbydeptoftheEnvironment:19th Oct.1977

15.Forthereasonsgivenabove,theSecretaryof StateherebydirectsthatEnforcementNoticesAand Bbequashed.Heherebygrants,planningpermission fortheuseof30acresoflandknownpartlyas SheepdownCopseandpartlyasCocksfordDown, Popham,Hampshireasanairsportscentre,to includethetakingoff,landing,storageand maintenanceofultralightandvintageaircraft, subjecttothefollowingconditions:thetakingoffandlandingofaircrafthereby permittedshallbeforthepurposeof recreationalflyingandfornootherpurpose; noaircraftexceeding1,750lbsinweight shallbebroughtontothesiteforanypurpose; notwithstandingtheprovisionsofClassIVof ScheduleItotheTownandCountryPlanning GeneralDevelopmentOrder1977,noralliesor otherpublicdisplaysshallbeheldatthesite; accesstothesiteforthepurposepermitted shallbeonlybywayoftheexistingaccesson theA30roadatapointapproximately367yds fromtheeasternboundaryofthesite,andall otheraccessesshallbesoclosedastobe availableforuseonlyinemergency.

TheSecretaryofStateherebygrantsplanning permissionfortheretentionandcompletionofthe partiallyconstructedprefabricatedbuildingsubject totheconditionthattheexteriorofthebuilding shall,within6monthsofthedateofthisletter,be rendered,paintedorotherwisefinishedindarkgreen orbrownorsuchcolourorcoloursasmaybeagreed withthelocalplanningauthority.

16.Forthereasonsgivenabove,theSecretaryof StateherebyupholdsEnforcementNoteCand refusestograntplanningpermissionfortheuseof theappealsiteforthestationingofaresidential caravan.

CHELMSFORDSTRUT

ChelmsfordStrut,writesSecretaryPaulBussey, hasamembershipofabout27members.He

continues,'Wehaveabout13aircraftunder constructionatthepresenttime,theseincludeTaylor Monoplanes,Freds,IsaacsFury,Cavalier,Sonnerai, EAABiplane,PL4'sandaMinicab.

TheFuryprojectofGrahamJoneshasbeen shelvedforatime,duetoGraham'sbusiness commitmentsabroad.

Threenewlybuiltaircraftbelongingtomembersof thestrut,shouldbeflyingin1978,hopefullyintime forThePFARally.ThesearetheVWpowered Sonnerai1,theEAABiplaneandaFred.Aircraft completedandflownbystrutmemberstothepresent timeincludetheTaylorMonoplaneofChrisLodge, theLutonMinorofBillHymas,(BillwasaFounder MemberofNorthKentStrutbackin'71!).Addedto thislistisJimBarber'sTaylorMonoplane,flownfor thefirsttimelastyear,inthehandsofJackPickerill andpresentlybaseatAndrewsfield.

During'77,ChelmsfordandHertfordshireStruts combinedontwooccasions.Onthefirst,Romford Strutwasalsoinvolvedintheorganisationofthe StaplefordRallyonMay2ndwhichwasreportedina previousissue.Onthesecondoccasion,PFAwas representedbytheChelmsfordandHertfordshire StrutsattheBuntingfordandDistrictMechanical RestorationSociety'sA10RallyatColliersEnd. Here,anIsaacsFuryandaFredwereondisplay. StrutmeetingsareheldonthefirstWednesdayof eachmonthattheWrittleCommunityAssociation's premises,LongmeadsHouse,Writtle.Meetingsthere areveryinformalandnewslettersareproduced occasionally,(thisisthefirstI'vehadduringthelast 9months!)Strutmembershipfeeis£2.00peryear. MembershipenquiriescanbeaddressedtoBrian Simsat'Woodville',CavendishRoad,Hockley, Essex.

SOUTHHUMBERSIDESTRUT

Fromarecentlettertoarriveonthewriter'sdesk fromtheSouthHumbersideStrut,Iquote: 'attendanceatmeetingshasfallenbelowacceptable limits,wefeelthatthestrutshouldberemovedfrom thelistofPFAStruts.TheStrut'sCommittee decidedthatcontactshouldhemaintainedwiththe membershipinourarea,inthehopethatwecanbe re-formedwhencircumstancespermit'.

WeintheEditorialOffice,weresorrytoseethe letterfromSouthHumbersideStrut,above. Thankyou,Colin,fortheworkthatyouhaveputin ontheStrut'sbehalf,whileatthesametimeworking towardscompletionofyourTourbillon.Wewishyou aspeedyandsafefirstflight,followedbymany happyhoursofenjoyment.Itisnotgenerallyrealised bymembers,howtimeconsumingthejobofastrut officialcanbe.Forwhatevergoalsastrutaimsto achieve,it'smemberslooktotheirofficialsto organiseand/orlead.Havingsaidthis,itisunfairto expectofficialstodoalltheworkthatisconnected withrunningastrut,thosewhoaremembersare expectedtoco-operateinallthingsstrut-wise.To you,themember,itmeanstakingthetroubleto attendyourStrut'smeetings,supportingyourstrut byofferinghelpatoutsideevents,supportingthe PFAAnnualRallybyBEINGTHEREandoffering tohelponbehalfofyourStrut.ItmaybethatYOU havedecidedtobuildyourprojectintotalisolation andwithoutoutsidehelp,verycommendable!butat thesametime,veryexpensive.Relatedtoourhobby, thejoyofcreationisexceededbythatofsharing; sharingnotnecessarilythemachines,thatisamatter forindividualstodecide,butmistakes.Helpyourself now,JOINASTRUT!

NORTHKENTSTRUT

NorthKentStruthavebeenmeetingatTheFire BrigadeSocialClubatWoolwichforthepastfour years.AtthebeginningoftherecentFireService NationalStrike,thepremiseswereclosedfor durationofthedispute.WithaDecemberStrut meetingimminent,themeetingplacewaschangedto theKidbrookeHouseCommunityCentre,Mycenae Road,Blackheath.TheStrutattendancedidnot sufferasaresult;attheDecembermeeting20 membersandtwoWiveswerepresent.

TriggerhappyDavidWise,exhibitedyetmore slidesfromhiscollectiononGeneralAviationand MilitaryAircraftfromyesteryear;thesewere followedbyslidesofthePFARallyatSywell,taken andshownbythewritertoillustratetonewermemberspresent;thetypesofaircraftthatarebeingbuilt withinourmovement.Ken,brotherofDavid Gaskin;visitedthemeetingespeciallytoshow membersacinefilmshotbyhimatanOldWarden display;Davidwasnot'onform'onthisoccasionso theaerialfeatsremainedsilent.Duringtheforseeable future,theStrutwillcontinuetomeetatKidbrooke HouseCommunityCentre,MycenaeRoad, Blackheath,onthefirstWednesdayeverymonth. TheMembershipSecretaryisColinWood,55 BradfieldAvenue,Teynham,Sittingbourne,Kent.

NORTHERNGYRO—PLANESTRUT

Wearepleasedtoconcedetoarequestbyagroup ofGyro-Planeenthusiasts,thattheymightbe permittedtoformaStrutwithinthePFAsystem. ThenewstrutistobeknownastheNorthernGyroPlaneStrut,whooperatefromMelbourneField, EastYorkshire.InthefirstinstancetheStrutisonly asocialformationofactiveGyroenthusiaststo interchangeideas,problemsandperhaps,solutions toproblems.Atthepresenttime,thereareno LicencedAircraftEngineerswithinthePFAwiththe necessaryrecognisedexpertisetosupervisethe constructionofaGyro-Plane;thereforeaGyro cannotbebuiltunderorwithintheframeworkofthe PFA.Atpresent,rulesunderwhichtheAssociation operate,(Engineeringwise)applytofixedwingultralightaircraft.

Perhapstheplaceandtimeofthebirthofthe Strut,wasatMelbourneonthe15thOctober1977, whenallthelocalGyroenthusiastsgatheredtomake aSaturdaytoremember..Theweatherwasnotatit's best,mostofYorkshirebeingcoveredbyadense blanketoffog,theonlybrightspotbeingover Melbourne.FromaGyropointofview,theflight linewasimpressiveandcomprisedHenryBeever's CampbellCricketG-AYHI,EarlTesto's'Old Faithful'aBensonB8Dualseatgyro-glider,Ted Sawyer'snewBensonB8Gyro-glider,andKen Willow'sGyro-FlightMidgedualseatgyro-glider. TheWomen'sLiberationMovementrosetothe occasionwithatleastsixladiesventuringintothe worldoftheGyrobytakingflightsonthedualseat Gyro-gliders.TedSawyer's'TeaBus'wasingreat demand,withtheladieskeepingacopioussupplyof hotbeveragesflowingfromitsinterior,althoughit tookabravemantoventureinside.

Themenwhohavebandedtogethertoformthe Strut;togetherwiththeirmachinesare:Henryand DavidBeeverswiththeirCampbellCricketG-AYHI, thismachine,fittedwithRotadyneblades,hasbeen foundtoperformbestwithapositivebladeangleof some13degrees.ErnestSimmonds,aLicenced Engineer,(fixedwing)andalsoaFlyingInstructor forGyro-Planes;hasaGyroFlight'Hornet'.Earl

Testo,hasaBensonB8DualSeatGyro-glider, currentlyflyingwell.TedSawyer,hasanewBenson B8,thishasnowhadanairingasaglider.Eamon Kenny,fromLeeds,hasaBensonB8nearing completion,agimbalheadandcontrols,coupled withapaintjob,shouldseeitfinished.Thismachine isalsosportingadualseatatpresent;Eamonhasa 1600ccVWatpresentlurkinginthebackofhis workshopwhichcouldindicatetheshapeofthingsto come.TheStruthopetoproduceanewsletteratbimonthlyintervals,MelbourneFieldisthemeeting placeandwillalmostcertainlybeactiveonany Saturdaythroughouttheyear.AphonecalltoHenry BeeversatPocklington(075923315)onSaturday mornings,willalwaysbringdetailsofanyplanned activityoverthatparticularweekend.TheStrutCoordinatorisVernonW.Kelk7,AmbertonRoad, Leeds,LS83AJ.Telephone:Leeds(0532)654395.

NORTHWESTERNSTRUT

TheNorthWesternStrutcoversasubstantialpart oftheBritishmidlands,ortobemoreprecise;an areaboundedonthewestcoast,byLiverpooltothe South,andBlackpooltothenorth,extendinginland totheBradfordarea.Inanareaofthissize,itisnot toosurprisingtoseethattheStrut'snewsletter reflectsfourdistinctareas,eachhavingitsownArea Correspondent.

FromN.W.S.Northernarea,IanJennison informsusthatDavidHunter'sTaylorMonoplaneis nowvirtuallycompletewithonlyalittlework remainingtobedoneonthecowlings,theenginehas beenrunandallseemstobewell.Davidshouldbe aroundtheBartonskieslaterthisyear.AnyStrut memberpassingthroughBlackburnthesedays,(at night-time)maynoticeaglowintheskyover Winstanley'sGarage.ItistheVP2,jointprojectof BrianWinstanleyandDaveMasterson,takingshape amidfeverishactivitytobereadybythesummer. DavidSparke,reportingfromN.W.S.Manchester andSouthEastarea,informsusthatthebignewsis thatMalcolmJohnson'sCavalierhasemergedfrom itsworkshopinStockport.Thesleekredwhiteand bluemachinehasbeentransportedtoBartonand assembledreadyforitstaxitestsandfirstflight.By thetimeyouarereadingthis,themachineshould havecompleteditstestflyingprogramme.(Welook forwardtoseeingitatthePFARally).

MembersqftheNorthernGyroplaneStrut atMelbourne

POPULARFLYINGASSOCIATIONSTRUTS

ANDOVER

JimEspin,'Biwings',ChapelStreet,NorthWaltham,Hants. Tel.Dummer423.FirstTuesdayeverymonth.PophamAir Centre,Nr.Winchester,Hants.

BEDFORD

StuartMacConnacher,IPloverWay,Bedford,Tel.Bedford 58985.FirstWednesdayalternatemonths(Feb.,Apriletc.). TheShuttleworthCollectionLibrary,OldWardell Aerodrome.

BOSTON

R.A.Yates,CayleysAim,60SaundergateLane,Wyberton, Boston,Lincs.Randommeetings.

CHELMSFORD

BrianSims,Woodville,CavendishRoad,Hockley,Essex.Tel. Hockley2065.FirstWednesdayeverymonth.Writtle CommunityAssociation,LongmeadsHouse,129OngarRoad, Writtle,Chelmsford,Essex.

EASTMIDLANDS

StewartJackson,12BedfordClose,Kegworth,Derby,Tel. Kegworth2053.FirstMondayeverymonth.FlyingHorse PublicHouse,Kegworth,Derby.

FENLAND

R.W.Thompsett,11GrantlyCourt,GaytonRoad,Kings Lynn,Norfolk,Tel.(Day)KingsLynn2972.FirstSunday everymonth,HolbechSt.JohnAnfield.

GLOUCESTER&CHELTENHAM

BernieBattman,5BlacksmithLane,Churchdown,Glos.,GL3 2EU.Tel.Churchdown714119.FirstTuesdayeverymonth. TheWorkshop,StokeOrchardAirfield,Gloucester

HEARTOFENGLAND

J.C.Miller,5MartinClose,EasternGreen,Coventry.Tel. Coventry462012.SecondFridayeverymonth.CoventryAero Club,BagingtonAirfield.

HERTFORDSHIRE

RichardHamblin,31WestburyClose,Hitchin,Herts.Last Fridayeverymonth.WhitehallFarm,Benington.

HESTON/HANWORTH

DavidLivesay,12KenwoodDrive,Walton-on-Thames, Surrey,Tel.Walton26938.FirstTuesdayeverymonth,Prince ofWales,136HamptonRoad,Twickenham.

IPSWICH

JimEmpson,27aWarringtonRoad,Ipswich,IN3RE.Tel. Ipswich58185.MonthlyOct.-April,MarlboroughHotel, HenleyRoad,Ipswich.DatesfromJim.on.

IRISH

NoelO'Neill,57CleveleyPark,Belfast,BT84NB.Tel.Belfast 645827.

LOTHIAN HughMcGovern,27BroomhallPlace,Edinburgh,Tel.031 3342397.FirstMondayeverymonth.EdinburghFlyingClub, TurnhouseAirport.

LUTON& DUNSTAPLE

TonyFrancis,18ChurchillRoad,Kensworth,Dunstable, Beds.LU63LU.Tel.Dunstable65623.SecondWednesday everymonth.LondonGlidingClub,TringRoad,Dunstable, Beds.

NORTHEASTERN

GeorgeTaylor,23ParkParade,Roker,Sunderland.Tel. Sunderland73502.ThirdWednesdayeverymonth.Black HorsePublicHouse,Coxhoe,Durham.

NORTHKENT

JimWills,1Humberroad,Blackheath,SE37LT.First

Wednesdayeverymonth.KiiibrookeHouse,Community Centre,90MycenaeRoad,Blackheath,SE3.

NORTHWESTERN

LastThursdayeverymonth.LancashireAeroClub,Barton Aerodrome,Nr.Eccles,Lancashire.

NORTH-WEST NORFOLK

JohnFell.MecklenbergHouse,92ChapelRoad,Dersinghatn, Norfolk.Tel.048540340.SecondWednesdayeverymonth. May-Sept.LittleSnoringAirfield,Tel.Thursford312.Oct., Nov.,Jan.-April,NorfolkHero,StationStreet,Swaffham. Tel.21645.

NORTHERNGYROPLANE

VernonKelk,7AmbertonRoad,Leeds1.583ALTel.Leeds 654395.EverySaturdayafternoon(weatherpermitting). MelbourneAirfield,EastYorks.

OXFORD

JohnStrong,37WoodhillDrive,Grove,Wantagc,Oxford. Tel.Wantage4904.SecondWednesdayeverymonth,TheFox PublicHouse,StantonHarcourt,Oxford.

REDHILL DickBarnby,MyrtleCottage,LowrieIdHeath,Crawley, Sussex.Tel.Crawley24093.SecondFridayeverymonth,The TieerClub,RedhillAerodrome.

ROMFORD

CedricDrinkwater,19MerhnRoad,Romford,Essex.Tel. Romford62606.FirstTuesdayeverymonth.StaplefordFlying Club,StaplefordAerodroine,Essex.

SOLENT MikeCation,IChalkHillRoad,liorndean,PortsmouthP08 9NY,Tel.Horndean594847,SecondWednesdayeverymonth. RedLionHotel,['tenon,Nr.Southampton,

SOUTHERN

LaurieMansfield,Hazelbank,DitehlingCommon,Hassocks, Sussex.Tel.BurgessHill3160.ThirdWednesdioeverymonth. AirportRestaurantShorehamAirport

SOUTHERN ROTORCRAF

JohnKitchen,IlightStreetFarm,Boxlord,Newbury, Berkshire.Tel,Bo‘lord297

SOU TH WALES

BobWharton,63HeolGabriel,Whitchurch,Cardiff.Every Fridayevening,PegasusFlyingCluh,RhouseAirport.

SOUTHYORKSHIRE:

Mrs.AnitaPhillips,4MeredithCreseent,Balby. Doncaster855143,Tiny,'Wednesdayeverymonth,Dolll:aster GlidingClub.

SNAVELL BernardMiles,14St.CrispinRoad,FortsBarton, Northampton.

WESSEX TonyYoung,LittlePaddock,CharltonMackerell,Somerton, Somerset.Tel.CharltonMackerell274.LastMondayevery month,Bi-monthly(Jan.,Mar.,etc.),LydfordHotel,Lydford onFosse,Somerton,Bi-monthly(Feb.,Apriletc.)various venues.

WESTMIDLANDS

MalcolmRobins,15HallRoad,UPoxeter,Staffs.ST147PN. Tel.Unoxeier4051.FirstWednesdayeverymonth, ShrewsbutyAVMsHotel,Rugeley,Staffs.

WESTYORKSHIRE KeithWigglesworth,`Glayxa',5MeadWay,High-Burton, Huddersfield.FittstTuesdayeverymonth,YorkshireAtero Club,YeadonAirport.

ThefollowingServiceBulletinhasbeenreceivedfromBudEvans,concerningtheVP-I&VP-2.AllPFAaircraftmuslbe modifiedtocomplywiththisbulletin.PFAEngineering.

VPSERVICEBULLETINNo.I-EffectiveallVPsatearliestconvenience,adda3/16boltandlargeflatwashersthrough thetailskidforwardattachblockeachsideoftheaircraftadjacenttothelowerlongerons.Thismodistopreventthe possibilityofsplittinginthehardwoodblockwhereitisnotchedtofitoverthelowerlongerons.

3ACBolt(2) Centreline

WILLATIGERFLYONTHREE

TheotherDayIwasreadingaletterfromStu's MothClubwheresome'Erb'wasstatingthataTiger wouldnotflyonthree.Thisstatementtookmeback afewseasons.Salmonhavepassedmyhomemany timesontheirwaytospawnsincetheboysofthe MontgomeryshireUltraLightFlyingClubreported strangenoisesoccasionallycomingfromtheengine roomofourTiger.Themountaineers-cumaviators wouldstate,"ChristIwasclimbingforabouthalfan hourwhentherewassomehellofabanganda hissingnoise."Atthispointintimeasthestrikers say,thepilotwoulddropthenoseandthrottleback andtrimtoaglide.Afterafewhundredfeetthey wouldtrytheenginewhichwouldbehaveperfectly normal.Theywouldlandinhaste.Groundchecks wouldthenbemadeandIwouldtaketheoldgirlup foranhour'saerobaticsallwithoutresult.Thereport ofbangsbecameclosertogether,tousitwasobvious thatitwasavalvesticking.

IntheRAFthiswouldhavebeenasimplecase,the aircraftsnagged,putinthehangar,theengine strippedandcheckedand'Bob'syourgoodold uncle'.Wellnow,thisbeingcivvystreetandthatwe operatefromthetopofamountain,oursocalled maintenancefirmoperatingfromanairfieldinthe Midlands,Ihadtobesureofmyfacts,especiallyas theTigerhadjusthadherCofAdone.Imention thatwordbecausewehadtopaywithGoldNuggets. 1havelearntastheyearspass,thatthemost dangeroustimeforapilotisafterhisaircrafthashad itssocalledCofA.Thisgrandformwhichissigned byallthosewhocanwrite,checkedandrechecked andpaidforwithblood,usedasalevertoextractthe lastcentoutofyoursock,heldasaweapontoclear everyoneconnectedwiththeaircraftexceptthepilot, ifahorriblesnagdevelops.Afterallthis,God!It couldn'tbeavalve.Imustbesure.

Oneearlymorninginthesummer,Itookofffrom themountainand setofftotheEastina steady climb.Theairwasstableand cool, the bitwas betweenmyteeth.At3000ftIheardalittlevoice say 'MakeherhaveitJimlad', I gavetierfullthrottle andkept herheadingtowardsthegreatMessiah's (whocouldwrite)headquarters.At7000ft.therewas analmightybangand this greathissingnoise.Itwas likethehangardoorsmashingtoinagale,onlyit keptonsmashingto.Atlast shehasdoneiton me. Ofcourseitis avalveyouclot,dropthe nose, throttleback,trim,wait,itscooling,tryherat5 thou.Therebacktonormal,right, headfor the palace.

AttheairfieldIwaspleasedtofindthegodat home.Hiscaravandooropenedtomytouch, throughthedenseWoodbinesmokeIcould see him roostingathistableatthefarendoftheroom.He wassuppingsteamingteafromalargeNAAFImug. Itlookedasthoughhehadjustgivenanaudienceas twosixteenyear-olds, hisslaves,boltedasIentered. Thetablewascoveredwithforms,themost prominentarticlewasanex-GPOpenstuckinanold schoolinkwell.Thatgreat toolofhistradethathad sentmanyabraveaviatorintotheelements,without himknowingthetruthaboutwhatwaskeepinghim upthere.Speakingofhistradetherewasnotatool in sight.Iwastoldoncenottomentionthatwordin hispresenceashecouldhavea turn.Hewasnever knowntobuyany.Hehadafriendinthemotortrade whousedtolendhimahammerandacrowbarat timeswhenhewishedtodosomethingdelicate.

Iknewthat Iwas onastickywicketatthestart,by

byClaudeMillington

thewayhewelcomedme.Itwasnotlike thelasttime wemet,whenIcrawledinwiththebagofnuggetson myback,ourpaymentfortheCofA.Thenhewas allsmilesasherelievedmeofmyload,andgavemea cupof coffeeinadirtycup.He said'thatisyour discount',so Ithankfullygulped itdown,oilandall.

Hisgreetingnowwas,"WhattheBloodyHelldo youwant'.Itriedtokeepthingsrespectfulandsaid, 'Iamverysorrytotroubleyoubut Ihavea valve sticking'.Hewasveryquick,heyelled'you wanta bloodyMOnotme'.'Nosir,its ourGipsyMajor, notme.Shehasonethatgoestightinaclimb.'He yelled 'it'snotavalveitsaplug'.Irequestedthathe toldmehowhegottwoplugsstoppingtogetheral regularintervals.Wewerethenatwar,backintothe oldroutine.Withhisbattlecryof'Areyoutrying to teachmemyjob?'ringinginmyears,heyelledto oneofhissixteenyear-oldslaves.'Gettheplugsout ofthatBloodyTiger'.Itiredvainlytoshowhimhow a valvesticksopenusingmyhands.Wordswereof noavail.Ifoundoutthathandsignalswereuseless too.IfIhadstayedinthecaravanmuchlongerthe discussionwouldhavedevelopedintophysical combat.IsaidthatIwouldgodowntothetownand havesomerefreshment.AsIwalkedaway, he shouted'Itwillbedonebyfive'.Iwonderedifhe meantmeortheTiger.AtfiveIreturnedtosee everythingpeaceful,theTigerwasparkedonher chocks.Hewelcomedmewith'She'sperfect,your plugswereBloodydirty,I'llsendthebill'.Hethen leftthescene.

Igotaladtogivemeaswingandafteralongrun up,Itaxiedoutandtookoffforhome. I climbedflat outuptoseventhou,andtheoldgirlnevereven grunted.IthoughtthatImustbewrong;nota cough,thevalveshouldhavestuckbynow.Theair waswarmerafterthesun'swarmthalldayandasI packedtheTigerawayinthehangaronthe mountain,Istilldidnotbelievethatitwasplug troublethathadcausedthefun.

TheSundayfollowingtheplugcleaningexpedition wasflyingdayanditsohappenedthatthelandowner whoownsourairstripwantedatripintheTigerover hisMother'shome,whichwasabout30minsflying timeaway.Thedaywasgreat,therewereonlytwo slightproblems,onebeinganEastwindofabout 6kts.TheEastwindcausestheotherslightproblem,it bringstheMidlandmurk.Onthemountain,when thewindisintheEast,itmeansthatyoutakeoff downhill,whichisgreat.Theoldgirltakesoffas soonasyouapplyalittlebackpressureonthestick afterliftingthetailintotheflyingposition,amatter ofabout50yards,accordingtothestrengthofthe wind.Inahowleryoucanleavethegroundinthe lengthofthefuselage.Landingdownhillisatreat forthenewcomers.Thefirsttwohundredandfifty yardsdropsabout300ft,soina6ktwinditisabout theglidingangleoftheTiger.Theremaining200 yardsisflat,soifyouputherdowninanicethree pointpositiononthegradientshesettlestoastopon theflat.YoumustlandtheTigerinathreepointer, 50ktoverthehedgeat'about10ftandkeepheroff, keepheroff,stickbackinyourgutsasthenosetries togodown,checkyourheight,abitfast,wagyour tail, abithigh,relaxonthestick,letthenosego downalittle,shewillnotstallwiththenosedown, speedupyourvisualreactions.Youarenowflying onfeel,justyouandher,sheistellingyouthat sheis

Airundre.AlanWheeler'sTigerMothG-ADGVwinneroftheTigerMoth TrophyatSywellin1977

goingtodrophernose,sogetthestickback,don'tlet her.There-agreaser,holdthestickrightback,look ahead,keepherstraightwiththerudders.Feelher slowing,weareontheflatandcomingtoahalton Mecloverspottedgrass,great.

Oneotherthingtogetusedtoisthehillcurlover, whichiscausedbytheairfollowingthecontourof themountain,itpullstheaircraftdownonthe approach.Onceyougettoknowthelittleupsand downs,theeffectcanbeusedtothepilot'sadvantage. Italsoteacheswhatyouraircraftiscapableofand thatyougettoknoweachotherverywell.

NowthosewhoknowtheColonel,knowverywell thatheisnotasmallchap,nearly7ftandweighs about18stone.Onethingabouthim,hehelpsto keepthetaildown.Thatmakestwoofus,asIam hangingaround14stoneandwithfuelandtheodd cowpathangingabout,theoldgirlknowsthatshe hastodoalittleliftingwhentheColonelandmyself areonboard.

ThisSundaymorningwewereallsettogo.Igave theengineagoodrunup,nosnags,completedafull checkandtaxieduptothetopofthehillfortake-off. IglancedintothemirrorasIopenedthethrottle,the Colonelwasallsmiles.Thetaillifted,sheaccelerated pastthepointofnoreturn,alittlebackwardpressure andwewereataboutsixfeetfromtheground,when shegaveahellofabang,accompaniedbythat horriblehissingnoise.Thefirstthingthatflashed throughmymindwastogetovertheshock.Ihave hadtodothisonceortwiceduringmyflyinglifeand thebestwaytodoitIfind,istotakeaverydeep breathandrelaxwithitasyoublowout.Thisallows yourfacultiestooperateattheirpeak.Ibelievethat everyonewhosuddenlytransformsfromapower pilottoagliderpilotinadvertantly,suffersshockand thefirstthingtodoistogetoverthisassoonas possible.Italwayssurprisesmehowquicklythatthis canbedone.

Now,howdoIknowthatwewereatsixfeet?

Well,atthestarboardsideoftherunwaytothe Eastattheendonrisingground,thereusedtobea cattleshedwithopenendsandthesidefacingthe runwaywasopenexceptforahayrack.During flyingactivities,theyoungcattleusedtostandinthe shedchewinghayandasyouwentclimbingpastand glanceddownatthem,youcouldseethewhitesof theireyes,happilychewingandtakingagreatinterest inevents.Thisday,however,aswebangedand hissedourwaypast,Ilookedupatthemandnoted thattheyhadallstoppedchewing,infacttheyall lookeddeadworried.Duringthepasthundredyards Itookstockofthesituation.Theairspeedindicator wasbeingbuffetedbytheturbulenceoftheground effect,itwasreadingfrom50to55.Thestickwas tellingmemore,shewassoftbutstillhadalittlelife inher.Infrontwasabarbedwirefencewithblack

thornestickingup.Usingtheold techniqueof'ifyouthinkyouare goingtomushonsomething,aim atit',weclearedthefirstobstacle withacoupleorsofeettospare. thisleftthesmalldinglefullof coverfortheColonel'spheasants andahugesolidlookingOaktree whichmeantthatwewouldhave totrytodoaturntothe starboard.Thatwasmanagedby usingtherudderwithrespect, justenoughtobringthenose roundalittle,withoutlosingliftbyapplyingbank, andnottoomuchtomakeusskidintotheheartsof Oak.

Afterpassingthetreebeautifully,daylightwiththe contourofthehillsweepingdowntoport,Ieasedthe nosedown.Therewasthefarm700ftbelowus,the airspeed80/90,great,steepeningtheturnnowand headingbacktothereseedingbehindthehangar, withtheexcessairspeedinhandandusingthethree goodcylinderstheTigerflewupthegradientandwe toucheddownbehindthehangaratthesameheight aswhenwestartedouttake-offrun,sotheoldgirl hadkeptherheightforthecompletecircuit. KnockingtheswitchesoffIsatandlookedatthe instrumentpanelwhichslowlytransformedintothe ghostlyfigureoftheMessiah,withhisphantomhigh pitchedvoiceshouting'itstheplugs'.God!WaittillI gettoaphone.

Imadecontactwiththealmighty,hedidn'tspeak. Hecouldn'thavegotawordinforhalfanhour,at least,whilstlexplainedthesituation.Ifinishedthe discussionbystatingthat'Iwantyoutobeonthe mountainonMondaymorning,donotsendthe younglads,Iwantyoutobethere'.

Ireturnedtotheairstrip,thingshadcooleddowna littleandIwasabletochecktheengine.Numberone cylinderwastheculprit.Afterremovingthehead therewastheexhaustvalvestickingupallsolidlike.I don'tthinkthatithadeverbeenlookedat.Wehadto getapunchandaheavyhammertoknockitout. ThiswasnordoneuntilMonday,whentheMessiah shouldhavebeentheretowitnesssame.Hedidnot turnup,histwoyoungslavescamecompletewitha newcylinderhead,wecheckedthemfitting same,aftercheckingalltheotherheadsandthenthey left.TheMessiahneverhadthegutstosendabill.I lastheardofhimheadingforSpaininhiscaravan,I hopetotakeupfruitpicking.

WhentheMossysquadronswerefirstformed duringthewarmanyaircraftwerelostowingtopilot crampandfatiguewhichoccurredshortlyafteran aircrafthadlostanengineforonereasonoranother. Thepilotwouldopenflatoutonthegoodengineand fighttheresultantswingwithhisleg,andthenhis legs.Hismuscleswouldslowlytighten,hewouldget completelybunchedandshortlyhewouldloseitwith fatalresults.Agreatfriendofmine,whoisstillatop ratedflyer,usedtotourthesenewlyformed squadronsshowingtheladshowtoflyaMossyon one.Thishewoulddobyeasingthegoodengine backuntiltheaircraftgotsoft,butcouldbehandled withoutcausingfatiguetothepilotandstrainonthe goodengine.Mostofthepilotswereamazedhow muchpowercouldbetakenoffandthattheycould stillbeinchargeofthesituation.Myfriendwould state'rememberastheactresssaidtotheBishop,feel isawonderfulthing,youwanttotryitsometime'.

from IANBURNETT

‘lisProect ews

P.F.A.Projects

276ConfirmationthatthisTurbiprojectisinfact ZS-UHAcomesfromG.KnighttheBuilder.The constructionofthisDruine-KnightTurbipassed throughmanyphasesandinfactendsuplooking morelikeaCondor.Theaircraftisnowownedby KobusBrandintheCape,thephotographwastaken atBrakpan/BenoniintheTransvaal(altitude5400ft) wheremostoftheflyingwasdone.MrKnighthas sincereturnedtothiscountryandisnowworkingon atwoseataircraftasanentryinthePFAdesign competition.

537WeweresorrytohearthattheTaylorMono prototypeG-APRT(orshoulditbeYAK?)was damagedinaforcedlandingnearCardiffon29.8.77, whilsten-routefromWestontoSwansea,andwe hopethatittakestotheairagainsoon.

1410Anothercasualty,againintheWestofEngland, wastheTaylorMonoplaneG-AVPX,whichswung onT/OatStavertonon5.6.77—beingbadlydamaged oncollidingwiththeVAS1installation.Rarelyseenin theSouthofEnglandinrecentyearsG-AVPXhas spentsometimeauInverness,andforthisreason alonewehopethedamagemayberepaired.

1428Ontheplusside,anotherMonohasemergedto fillthegap,andwehopeappearthisseason-thisisJ. Barber'sG-BDJB,whichhadappearedat AndrewsfieldbyOctoberlastforfinalassembly.

1543B.J.BoughtonoftheFersfieldFlyingGroup tellsusofthesuccessfulcompletion,afternearlysix years,ofthisVP-IprojectregisteredG-BCTT.The aircraftisoverallsilverwithredtrimandisoperated fromaprivateairfieldinNorfolk.PFAmembers wishingtofly-inandmeettheFersfieldFlyingGroup shouldtelephoneMr.BroughtononThetford2203 fordetails.

502TheTurbulentG-ARRU,whichhasbeenwith BrianMillsatEversdenforsometime,aftermoving upfromElstree,wasofficiallyregisteredtohimon 24.10.77.

509Muchtravelledinrecentyearsafteraquiet 'formative'periodatStaverton,theTurbG-APUY hasnowacquireditselfnolessthanfive owners—Messrs.C.Jones,D.B.Winstanley,P.A. Holland,D.HunterandP.D.Pelosi—towhomit wasregisteredon18.10.77.Asfarasweknowitstill livesatBarton.

1588MikeClarkwaskindenoughtosendusafew detailsofprogressonhisIsaacsFuryprojectGBEER,whichheisbuildinginWirnbourne,Dorset. Bytheendoflastyearitwasstructurallycomplete, withremainingworkincludingfabriccovering, completionoftheu/cassembly,installationofthe engineandprop,manufactureofthefueltank,and allminoritems.Themachineisalreadyhangared, andshouldhopefullybecompletedbytheendofthis year.

1593MoredetailshaveemergedontheBabyGreat LakesG-BBGL,whichflewlastsummer.Whilsttest flyingfromBartonon8.7.77,theenginefailed,and

TheFersfieldFlyingGroup'sVP-IG-BCTT

theairframewassubstantiallydamagedintheforced landing.Theoriainalownerisnowreportedtohave re-acquiredtheremainsforpossiblerebuild—more detailsplease.

12-10019Anothermachinewehopetoseethisseason istheSZEPHFC.125G-BCPX,whichhadbegunto appearatNetherthorpeforfinalassemblyinlate 1977.

29-10141FREDG-BDSA,soldbyRichardYateslast year,isnowresidentatHumberside/Kirmington.

64-10152Firstofonlytwonewprojectstoreport thistimeisBillPenaluna'sSteenSkyboltG-BFHM, registeredtohimon28.11.77.Constructionis proceedinginNewbridge.

21.11.77.Yetanothercasualtylastsummerwasthe LutonMajorG-ASWH,whichforce-landedin Dorseton3.7.77—againwehopeitsrecoveryisswift. Finallywehaverecentlyheardoftwoprojectswhich havebeen'lost'forsometime.TheTurbulentGARTF,whichstoodaroundatBagintonfora numberofyearsanddisappearedafteritsCofAran outin1973,hasreappearedatHinton-in-the-Hedges, Oxon.,andwehopeitmaysoonberebuilt.Lastbut bynomeansleast,wehaveatlastdiscoveredthe locationofthefamous(orshoulditbenotorious!) MinorG-AFIR--forthepastcoupleofyearsithas beeninstorageatSiverstone—perhapssomeonecan enlightenusonitspresentwhereabouts,andwhether wearelikelytoseeitagainsoon!

NewProjects

58-10317CurrieWotD.Lord,6ShirleyDinve,Hove, EastSussex.

55-10318TaylorMonoplaneC.J.Bragg,2Windsor Avenue,Corringham,Essex5S177NU.

60-10319TaylorTitchG.Wylde,1Thorngrove Road,Wilrnslow,Cheshire.

55-10320TaylorMonoplaneB.J.Hall,HydeLodge, GipsyBridge,Boston,Lincs.PE227BP.

29-10321FredA.R.Oliver,40BoundaryRoad, RAFMarham,KingsLynn,Norfolk.PE339NZ.

62-10283SecondnewprojectisEvansVP-IG-BFEIX whichwasregisteredtoD.F.GibsonofChilwell, Notts2.12.77—itwillnodoubtjointheotherPFtypemachinesatHucknallinduecourse.

OtherAircraft

Aquickresumeofotherultralightdevelopments recently.OnlyNippertochangehandshasbeenGAWDDwhichwassoldtoT.RobertsofFindhornon

BookReview

"UsinganAircraftRadio''isatotallynewbooklet introducedtofillagapinthetrainingmaterial availabletostudentandprivatepilots.Writtenbya flyinginstructor,ittakesastudentpilotfromhisfirst hesitantuseofanaircraftradiothroughto confident,andcompetent,useasaprivatepilot.It canonlybenefitgeneralaviationtoraisethepresent mixedstandardofR/Tamongprivatepilots.

Thebookletpresentsinalogicalordervery comprehensiveinformation,someofwhichisnot generallyavailableinprint.Lessobvioustopics coveredincludeanexplanationofthevariousways ofjoiningthecircuit,altimetersettings,correctuse ofatransponder,radiofailure,flightabroad—even makinganon-radioflightinaradioorientedworld. Thebookconcludeswithaguidetopreparingfor R/Ttest.

In[heexamplesofR/Texchangesthephrasesused havebeenselectedasbeingrealisticandeffective.It isimpossibletoincludeeveryone'sfavouritephrases, butsuggestionsforimprovementstobeincorporated inalatereditionwillahvaysbewelcome.

Giveninformationpresentedinasuitableformitis surelypossibletoraisetheaveragestandardofR/T, therebymakingflyingmorepleasantandsaferfor everyone.

Thisisanexcellentlittlebookandwellworththe money.PublishedbyAirInformation,andavailablefromtheP.F.A.Officeprice£1.50plusp.&p. 20p. F.I.V.W.

29-10322FredP.Cawkwell,93ParkRoad,Bingley, W.Yorks.BD164BY.

60-10323TaylorTitchG.Kerrin,13RomneyRoad, Haves,Middlesex.

29-10324FredG.Harris,ZellyCottage,Blacksmiths Lane,Denham,Bucks.

80-10325SE-5aJ.H.Tetley,11BeechfieldClose, DanesMead,ThorpeWilloghby,Nr.Selby,Yorks.

74-10326Vari-ezeJ.Towers,TurnersArms, Ycarby,Redcar,Cleveland.

"DerAdler",Notasonemightthink,aGerman vehicleforDanDarebutthetitleof[lieGerman equivalenIofHighI

Herewehaveselectedreprintsofapropoganda magazinewiththevirtuethatmanypageswerein colour(ashasthepoliticalandcultural contemporarySIGNAL).ArmsandArMolirpress arenowofferingatL4.95awellboundselection of thesewartimegems.From1939to19,42theeditions reprintedwereintendedforUSAconsumptionand wereprintedinEnglishandmostsubsequentissues alsohaveEnglishsub-paragraphs.

Thisbookisofgreatinteresttohistoriansand modellersalike,foralthoughunitsarenotmenttoned, itispossibletotieupcodesshownwithknown Staffelmarkings. or particularinterestareaerial •photosofthebombingofWarmwell,Gosportand Hornehurch,togetherwithbeforeandafterpictures ofLympne,FiltonandWoolston.

Hereinwefindtheoriginalofthe`1-le113'myth. InrealnythesewerethetwelveproductionHe100's paintedindifferentstaffelmarkingsusedfor defendingHeinkelsairfieldatRostockbutclaimed withinthepagesofDerAldertobeinuseonthe battlefieldsofBelgium,NorwayandFrance. Similarlydealtwithisthetwinengine187.

ThebestphotosarethosetakeninNorthAfrica, withratheradearthofEasternfrontpictures.

Oneinterestingpoint—themagazinerepeatsthe nisindentieationoftheRussianSB2,in1942itwas stillcalled,asinthedays of SpanishWar,the 'MartinBomber'.

Withover200pagesand40colourpicturesthisis verygoodvalueforallinterestedinWorldWar11.

BUILDINGASCALE MUSTANG

PartTwo

Upuntilthispoint,althoughIhadsome interestingbitsandpiecesmade,theywereallquite small.However,thefuselagesideswerebythistime beginningtotakeshapeandthephysicalsizeofthe jobwasbeginningtomakeworkingconditionsrather cramped.Thisstateofaffairswasmadeworseonce assemblystarted,whentheenginefinallyarrivedina packingcaseabout5ft.by4ft.by3ft.Mycarwas evictedtothedrive,whereitwastoliveforthenext threeyears.Duringassemblyofthefuselagethe practiceofcompletingmetalfittingsaheadofthe requirementreallybegantopayoff.Thefinal positionofsomeofthesepartsmeantthatfitting afterassemblywouldhavebeenimpossible,and workwouldhavebeenheldupwhiletheyweremade.

Theglowengenderedbypossessinganenginewas slightlydiffusedbythefactthat,althoughthebitsto gobehinditwerecomingalongnicely,therewas nothingtoboltontothefrontofit.Theplanscalled forathreebladeHartzellpropellermadeoutofa constantspeedtype,modifiedtobeground adjustable,orawoodenpropofunknownand unspecifiedpitch.Fatemadeupmymindbetween theHartzellandthewoodenone,whentheperson whosuppliedtheenginewrotetosaythathecould gettheoriginalHartzellfittedtotheprototype.

Needlesstosay,Iaccepted,andinduecourseit arrived.Thecostwasaboutoneandahalftimes whatIhadestimatedawoodenproptocost;asthere wasnoknowingwhatwasrequired,Imighthave gonethroughthreewoodenonesatleastbefore findingthecompromise.TheHartzellwasagood dealatthetimeandstillis.Theendofthisstorywas thattheprototypewasfittedwithanotherengineand anelectricC.S.propwhichmal-functionedandthe aircraftcrashed!

ThedemiseofSturgonairmeantthatthecowlings, whichIhadhopedtogetfromthem,werenotgoing tobeaNailable,neitherwereallthesmallAGSpart, whichthedrawingscalledfor.FortunatelyIfound JerryBoeveinHolland,Michigan,wasmaking similarcowlings,soasetwasorderedfromhim.The storybehindhowtheseeventuallygottomecouldbe

By BillWilks

thesubjectofseveralarticles,butleastsaidsoonest mended.Sufficeittosaytheytook18monthsbyair. AsfarasAGSwasconcerned,IfoundthatSport AviationSupplyinBritishColumbiaweremost helpfulandevenrepliedtoletters,somethingvery rareinNorthAmericainmyexperience.Forthe secondtime,winterwasuponus,sometalwork againtookpriority.Threejobswereoutstanding; undercarriage,enginebearersandthecanopy/screen frame.Thereisnotmuchtobesaidaboutthe undercarriage,exceptthatitwasalotofwork.The partswereallofhandleablesizesocouldbetacked upawayfromthemainjob.Theothertwoitems wereverydifferent.Itwasnecessarytoborrow,and transporthome,theweldinggear,andmakethe wholelotinonego.Thiswayofworkingwasvery differenttothatadoptedsofar.Ihadtakenthejob asapleasureand,althoughworkingeveryevening, hadnotnormallyworkedafter10p.m.onthebasis thatthejobwasbeingdoneasrecreation,andit mightaswellbeapleasure.Now,afewjobscame alongwhichrequiredfinishinginonegoforvarious reasons.Theenginemountandcanopyframe assemblywerethefirstofthese,andformebecame morelikeworkandthuslessenjoyable.

Thecanopyframehadtobemadetosuitthe bubble,andconsequentlyeverythingelseforwardof thebubblemadetosuit,oncetheprofilewas established.Thescreenframe,oncemade,couldbe usedtomakethescreenitself.Afriendarrangedthis in5/16'thickplexiglass.Fittingupthescreenand canopywas,infact,undertakenoveriheChristmas period.Theenginebearerspresentedthenextbig problem.Ajigrepresentingtheenginemountings wasmadeandcarefullypositionedinrelationtothe fuselagebymeansofspiritlevels,plumbbobs,chalk onthefloor,andfrequentincantations.Theframe itselfwasthenliterallycutandweldedtofillinthe gaps.Virtuallyawholeweekendwasspentonthis jobasthetubesalljoinedatacuteangles,and shapingtheendscarefullyisessentialifthejobisnot tobemadeentirelyofweldingrodatvitalpoints. Variousimperfectionsinthedesignshowedupafter itwasmade,whichhadtobesortedout.Particularly thetoptensionmembersweredesignedastwo

triangles.Unfortunately,becauseoftheangleat whichthesetriangleslay,therewasatendencyunder tensiontolozengeinaplanelayingacrosstheframe. Itwasthereforeessentialtoputmoretubesinto bracethetwosidesinplan,andfurthertubestotake outthestressesthusimpartedtoasuitablepointon thelowerhalfoftheframe.Thecompletejob,all tackedtogether,wastakentothewelder.Sometime later,afterthiswasdone,Ipersonallyfinishedthe joboffbyweldingonmountingsforthecowlings beforestoveenamelling.Thelastwinterjobwasthe instrumentpanel.Quiteasimplejobwithaflycutter inthepillarMill,constructedfromapieceofL72 bentat900atthebottomtostiffenthewholething up.Itispossiblyworthwhiledigressingatthispoint onthemethodusedwhenbendingL72aluminium. Anyattempttodothisinthenormalstatewill inevitablyendupwithcrackingthematerial.The crackingtendencycanbeovercomebyheatcreating andperforminganybendingoperationwithinabout twohours.Themethodadoptedwastotakethejob toourlocalheattreatmentshopandgetthemtoput itintotheirtemperingfurnace,whichisusuallyatthe righttemperaturebylatep.m.,collectthejobfrom themafterwork,rushhomeanddothedeedas quicklyaspossiblethereafter.Iwasabletodothisas theheattreatmentpeopleknewmebutthereisno reasonwhyanyoneelsecouldnotmakesimilar arrangements,evenifnotknowninitiallytothefirm.

Thelastjobofthatwinterhadbeentoorderthe woodforthemainsparsothat,hopefully,itwould bereadyforthespringglueseason.Beingoweda weeksholiday,Itookitallinonegoandmade anothertriptoSlingsbytocollectthepreviousstuff.

Thedesigncalledforanumberof120mmx10mm sprucestrips,thelongestbeing24ft.long,the shortestabout10ft.,nineinall,laminatedtogether. Obviously,thelongerpieceswerejoinedandthe jointpositionswerearrangedbySlingsbysothatthey werespreadevenlyoverthespan.Firstjobwasto scarfandjoinallthesepieces.Scarfingsounds simple,buttodoitwellisverytimeconsuming,and thisrelativelysimplejobtookthreeweeksof evenings.The24ft.benchreallycameintoitsown forthefirsttime.Theshapeofthesparwasdrawn outfullsize,andajigfabricatedfromwoodblocks screweddowntothesemarks.ThusIwasabletoglue upthetopandbottomlaminates,andfollowthisby completingtheinternalstructure,andoneplyfacing, whilestillinthejig.Thissimpledescriptionbeliesthe mechanicsofthejob.Inordertoglueupeach laminateitwasnecessarytomixup2kg.ofelue, mostofwhichwassqueezedoutontothefloor,and

useeveryclampIcouldlaymyhandson.

Thedrawingcalledforataperinplantostart outboardofthegearmountingandcontinuetothe tip,reducingfrom120mmto60mmeachside.This meantmovingalotofwood,andapowerplanewas hiredfortheweek-endtodothejob.Attheendof thatweek-endthesparwastherightshape,Iwas partlydeafandthefloorwasdeepinchips.Finally, thewholejobwasboxedinwithmoreplywoodafter theinevitableinspection.

Thegeneralconstructionofthewingis complicatedbythefactthattheinboard4ribsbehind thespararemadetoformthehousingforthetanks, indeedthetopskinisthetank,and,infront,theribs areinitiallycantilevereduntilthemetalskinis attached.Outboardofrib5torib15atthetipis normalWarrenGirderwithplyskin.Atrib10,the skinchangesthickness,andconsequentlythisoneis doublestrengthwithaplyprofiletoaccommodate thejoint.Similarly,rib5wasalsousedwhentheply skinchangedfrom4mmto3mmunderside,and frommetalto3mmplyonthetopside.

Theribsthemselvesweremadeinanadjustablejig whichwasInotmtedontopofthedrawing,which itselfwasprotectedbypolythenesheet.Steamhadto beusedforthetopsection,10mmby10mm,hutthe restcouldhebentenoughtoachievethedesired shapewithoutstress.Thethreedistinctoperationson eachribwerefirstly,makingtheactualframe, secondly,fittingplystiffenersateachjointonone side,thirdly,thesamethingonthereverse.Afinther importantpointOncetheribwasnnishedwasa pencilmarktorepresentthecentrelineofthesection. Thus,eachribtookthreeeveningsoverlappingeach other,whenceIwasmakingduceatanyonetime. TheNo.Iribs,behindthespar,wereusedasmasters forallalignments.Oncetheyweregluedtothespar thewholeassemblywassetuponblockssothateach sidewassquareandlevelinbothplanes.The aforementionedcentrelinesonribs5-15werethen alignedonthespar,workingoutwards.bymeans or amonsterscribingblock,thusthecentrelineofeach ribwasparalleltothemasterrib.

Thisratherfragilestructurewasstiffenedup considerablybytheadditionofthefrontandrear spars.Wingcoveringwasspecifiedasamixtureof2, 3and4minplywiththegrainsetat450 tothemain spar.Veryinteresting,particularlyasthistypeof materialdoesnotseemtobeavailableoverhere.

Thesolutionwassimple,butlaborious.Cutthe cornersoffasheetofnormalplyandscarfthose cornersbackontothatportionofthesideleftover, andyouhaveasheetofplywiththegrainat45°.

GeneralviewoftheMustangwingbeforecovering

Becausetheamountofbendinginvolvedwas greaterforthetopskinthanforthebottom,thiswas gluedinpositionfirstand,naturally,allfurther operationswereundertakenwiththewinginverted. Thegeneralbusinessofmovingthingsabout,and particularlyturningthewingover,wasaconstant problem.Neighboursmaybeverycleverchaps,but nowaywouldIbehappywiththemmovingbitsof aeroplanearound.Theproblemwassolvedbyalocal P.F.A.memberwhowasalsoastockcarracer.He broughtallhispalsaround,alleducateddoersrather thantalkers.

Theaileronsareoperatedbycable,theserunning fromthecontrolcolumntoabellcrankmountedon thesparbetweenribs10and11,thencebya push/pullrod.Thecablesrunthroughthetankbay andareguidedbyapulleytorunthroughribs6-10.1 hadtofitanextrapulleytoensurethattherunswere notrubbingonanyribs.Closetothelefthandbell crankismountedasimplepitotmadeoutofIOD tube.

Finaloperationonthewoodenpartofthewing wasfittingthebottomskin.Aproblemherewas whattopreservetheinsidewith.Obviouslythe normalvarnishwasappliedtotheribsandtopskin, butthebottomskinpresentedproblems.Ihadfound thatsomeplywhichgotdampduringstoragehad startedgrowingthings,sonodoubttheinsideofa wingunprotected,woulddothesame.Thesolution1 cametowaspaintingwithathincoatofgluefirst, priortofixinginposition.Nofunguscouldever growonAerodux,ofthatIamsure.

Todigressfromthenutsandboltsofmaking thingstoanotherimportantpoint.AtnotimehadI anyinformationontheCofGposition.Obviously nothingwasforthcomingfromSturgonair,equally, somefiguresweregoingtobenecessarybeforeany permissioncouldbeobtained.1hadnotevenany figureforweightsexceptthesomewhathopeful figureof1240lbs.dryfromthebrochure.The CanadianDepartmentofTransportinLondon eventuallyturneduptrumpsintheformofaletter fromtheEdmonton,Alberta,divisionwhichhad beeninvolvedwiththeoriginalprototype.Hereat lastweretheCofGfigures,andalsoadryweightof

nolessthan1662lbs.Muchlateron,whenassembly oftheaircraftwasallbutcomplete,BrianDunlop andIdidconductasecretweighingsession.The resultsledustobelievethattheaircraftwouldbe under1500lbs.andsoitturnedout.Infactwith21 gallonsofoiltheweightwas1504lbs.,andtinswasa greatreliefasattheprototypeweightthegrosswas goingtobeover2000lbs.Althoughcertificationdoes notformpartofthisepisode,thedifficultiesofan over2000lb.aircraftwouldprobablyhavebeen greaterthanforanunder2000lb.one,ifonlyfroma phsycologicalpointofview.

Whynot—

Quotationswithoutobligation

Ourpersonalandcomprehensiveserviceisalso availabletomeetmostotherindividualorcommercialinsuranceneeds.

Bill'sMustangfuselageseesthelightofday

Followingthearticlein[heAugust1975editionof theP.F.A.magazine,TaylorMonoplanebuilders mightbeinterestedtoknowthatG-AXYKhasnow flownover500hours—some660flightsinaperiod covering6.1years.

TheenginewasanewVolkswagenI500c.c. industrialunit,andIhavenothingbutadmiration forthispowerplant.However,afteraperiodoftime 1discoveredthat[hevalveguideswereshowingsigns ofexcessivewear.Thisparticularunitappearstorely onoilmistaloneforvalvestemlubrication,andon morethanoneoccasiontherewasevidenceof drynessandevenrustonthevalvestemsandrocker assembly.Thiscouldnotbeallowedtocontinueand Ibegantotoywiththeideaoftryingtomodifythe rockerassembly,whenIfoundthat[he manufacturersmusthavealsobeenawareofthis problemandhadproducedarockerarmwitha seconddrillingtothetappet.Oilfindsitswaytothe tappetandtothetopofthevalvestem(viathethread ofthetappet).Thefittingofanewsetofrockerarms (withtheseconddrilling)appearstohavearrestedthe valveguidewear,butinthenearfutureIintendto renewthevalveguides,asperDonPeacock's suggestions.Thevalveguidesalsoappeartohave beenmodified,fortheynowhaveashoulder.An8 m.m.parallelreamer,givesthecorrectamountof clearancebetweenthevalvestemandguide.Irecall thatonoccasionstheinternalborediameterofguides dosometimesalterwhentheyarefittedintocylinder clearance.Inpassing,Iwouldmentionthatthevalve sizesonmyunitaresmall;therearesomany combinationsavailable.Thesmallvalvesizesmight accountforthetroubleIhadinitiallyincuringthe over-richmixture,havingusedtoolargeamainjet forthisparticularengine.However,bytrialand errorImanagedtogetitright!

ForsometimeIhadbeenawareofthenoise problemassociatedwithopenexhaustcompression ignitionengines.Manycombinationsofpipe-work havebeentried,butthelatestset-upappearstobe verysatisfactorybothfrominsideandoutsidethe cockpit.Itisineffectasmallsilencer,and1have triedtodesignitintotheprofileoftheaircraft.The silencerinuseisacylinderofstainlesssteel—12" longand2i"indiameter—andisdividedintothree chambers.Thesilencerismountedunderneathand acrosstheengineusingthetwolugsofthesump casingasfixingpoints.Theexhaustgasesfromeach cylinderdischargeinitiallyintothenormalV.W.

perforatedcones.Thesearelocatedinthefirst chambersofthesilencerateitherend.Themiddle section,whichis5"long,hasa2"diameter perforatedtuberunningbetween[hetwoouter chambersandthesilencerisfinallyexhausted throughaIfdiameterpipewhichprotrudessome7", butisalsolocatedintotheinnerchamber.Thegap betweentheoutercaseandthe2"perforatedtubeis filledwithsteelwool.Thisisineffectaminiature modifiedversionoftheV.W.silencer.Thereare manychangesofdirectiontogettheexhaustgases fromtheexhaustportstotheconesinthesilencer, butitcanbedone,especiallyiftwoofthepipesare slightlyflexibleneartheirends.Stainlesssteelflexible tubewasusedinthisinstance.Theset-uplooksugly, butitworks;andtheremustbeareductioninpower, butIcannotdetectit.

Theairframe,undercarriageandpropellerappear tohavechangedlittlesincetheaircraftwasfirstbuilt, andthisrathersurprisesme,forIbelievethatno matterhowmuchcareistaken,ifyouflyfairly regularlyyouwillsubjecttheaircrafttostressesthat werenotintended,usuallyintheformofabad landing.Theaircraftisbeautiful,there'snodoubt aboutthat,andif[heclimaticconditionsarecorrect sheliterallysings.Shehastaughtmeagreatdeal aboutflying,andwillgiveagentlereminderifItend togetsloppyoroutoflineregardingmyabilities. WhenshefirstflewIthoughtitwasonlyaquestion oftimebeforetherewasatleastasquadronofTaylor Monoplanesbuzzingabouttheskies;Iamstill waiting.Thisisrathersadbecausetheeffortinvolved iswellworthwhile.

NowIhavetheopportunitytowidenmyexperiencestillfurther,forIliveinEssexandhavebeen introducedtoano-nonsensefarmerwhoenjoys flyingasIdo.Iwouldreiterateallthathasbeen writtenaboutflyingfromsmallstrips—i.e.thecare neededintake-offandlanding,andtoassessthe prevailingconditionscorrectlyanddecidewhetherto flyorwaituntiltomorrow;—thereisalways tomorrow.Iwouldjustaddthatfromtheairthe striplookslikethedeckofanaircraftcarrier-the onlydifferencebeingthatthefieldisnotmovingand thewindcanbecomingfromanydirection.(Poetic licence,butitcertainlyisdifferent!)

Lastly,itwillbemostinterestingtoseehowlong myMonoplaneisabletocontinueflying.Onlytime willtell.

DearSir, re—ProjectNo.58/10258—CurrieWot Furthertomyletterof24thJuly,1977 (see PopularFlying Sept,/Oct.77),Iwouldliketothank Mr.Walkerforhiscomments.WhileIdonotseekto shoothimdowninflames I feelhisreplyfallsalittle shortofthepointsraised.

Iacceptthatthe P.F.A. doesnotsay plans are approvedbutsurelytheyshouldbeawareofthe accuracyofthosetheysellthemselvesand,where anomaliesareknowntoexist,atleasthavean amendmentnotetoissuewiththedrawings.

Asadirectresultofmyletter I havereceived considerablehelpfromotherswithWotexperience andinoneinstanceatotalofeighteenerrorsand shortcomingsinthedrawingswerepointedoutto me!

Now,Iamasgreenastheproverbialgrasswhenit comestometal-workandtheonlywoodworkIhave everdonewassomethirtyyearsagoatschoolwhen I failedmysawingtest!Whilemyinspectorhas approvedmywingribsand I amratherpleasedwith myfinandrudder I cannotbeexpectedtoknowthat atubewillnotgointoaf x16goneuntilIbuy thesetubes,cutthemupandfindoutthehardway. PerhapsIcouldhavereamedthemout—exceptthatI don'tfancyreaming22"oftube—andinanycase1 amnotatallconfidentthatmyreamingwouldbe acceptabletoP.F.A.Engineering—ifIhadareamer inthefirstplace!

WithregardtomyformingaCurrieWot SquadronasMr.Walkersuggests, I feelthisshould betakenonatthistimebysomeonewithfullC-W experienceandIdonotyetfitthatpicture.However, bythetimeI'vecompletedmyaeroplaneIshallbean expertonthetypeandthen...?

Asfarasstudyingthedrawingsbefore commencingworkIwouldsaythatIspentnearlyten monthsdoingjustthisand,withintwoweeksof orderingmyfirstmetalworkfoundtheerrorswhich sparkedallthisoff..Inmyinnocence(orignorance),I didnotsuspectthemetalworkspecifications.

Anyway,Idonotwishtoprolongtheagonyand wouldagainthankMr.Walkerforhistimeand comments.Also, I shouldliketoextendmygratitude toRoyMills,MikeTurnerandHerbertSchuntzelfor theirverykindhelp.ThisiswhattheP.F.A.isall aboutisn'tit?ThehelpandadviceIhavereceivedgo toshowthatifyouhaveaproblemitisworthwriting tothemagazineaboutit.

Allpowertoyourelbows,Gentlemen.

Yoursfaithfully, 27BayviewRd.,Peacehaven,D.M.Harrington,5698/12

SussexBN98QD

DearSirs, SCALEMOSQUITO

Iwouldliketotakeadvantageofthe'letters' sectionof Popular Flying toseekinformationonthe Mosquitoaircraft.

Ourlocalveryambitioushomebuiltenthusiast wishestoassessthefeasibilityofbuildingan approximatelytwo-thirdsscaleversionofan outstandingWorldWarTwotwinenginedaircraft, andsincetheconstructionistobeinwood,the Mosquitoistheobviouschoice.

Hewouldbeverygratefulthereforeforany drawingsorinformationwhichmightassistinthe project.

AsintermediaryIwouldaskanyonefeelingthey couldhelptodropmealine.

Allpostalexpenseswillberepaidbutplease,no drawingsordetailedinformationuntilafterhaving madeinitialcontact.Wedonotwanttoendupwith severalsetsofidenticaldrawings.

Whoknows,youmightseeusatSywell'82withit! WhilstwritingmayIalsomentionthatweare lookingformaintenanceoroverhaulinstructionsfor theHirth504-A-Zaeroengineasfittedtothepre-war BuckerJungmann.

Yourssincerely, JohnPhelps

9,RueAuxFoulons, 78650,Beynes, France.

ASTATEMENTOFPOLICY

ManytimestheP.F.A.hasbeenaskedtostateit's policytowardsthecommercialexploitationofnew unprovenaircraftdesignswhichappearonthe marketfromtimetotime.

TheP.F.A.doesnot,andwillnot,supportor encouragethecommercialexploitationofdesigns whichare,intheirjudgment,unproveninanyway. IndoingthistheP.F.A.recognisesthatalldesigns mustfirststartasagermofanideaorfutureproject, andwillencourageandgiveassistancetoenablea projecttobecomeaprovendesign.Butitdoesnot feelthebestinterestsofit'smembersareservedby condoningthesalesofplans,kitsetc.,whichmay ultimatelyendupasanaircraftwhichisunacceptable fromasafetyviewpoint.

TheP.F.A.existstoservetheinterestsofit's membersbyservingtheinterestsoftheamateurpilot andinstructorwho"Fly for Fun".Manymembers havereceivedtheirintroductiontoaviationinits broadestsensethroughtheP.F.A.,andtheP.F.A. willcontinuetosafeguardit'smembersagainstthe exploiters,thedisingenious,andeventhejustplain overenthusiastic,againstsuchexploitation.

Whenbuildingiscommencedbyanamateur,the P.F.A.issuesasetofinspectiondocumentswhatever thedesignmaybe,butthesedocumentsareintended tobearecordofworkmanshiponly,andtheissuing ofinspection documentsdoesnotinferapprovalof thedesign.

THE COMMITTEE

AircraftfortheHomeBuilder

VWRENEGADE

TheRenegadeisreallyaredesignedCassuttRacerforlowerbudgets,usingthewelltriedVWengine.Thisputs theRenegadeinthesame'Vee'classofracersastheSonerai,describedinAircraftfortheHomebuilderin PopularFlying, Vol.21,No.5andVWpoweredversionsoftheLutonBeta.Severalotherracershavebeen designedandbuilttothe'Vee'formulasintheUnitedStatesincludingaveryneatonebySteveWhitman. HopefullythisclasswillcatchonasitprovidesracersatmuchlowercostthanFormulaOne.

Steeltubingisusedforthefuselagebecauseofitsabilitytocarrytheloadsofthelandinggear,wingandengine mountfittings.Steeltubetrussstructuresprovidemuchgreaterresistancetodamagethananyotherformof constructionastheyabsorbenergyonebagatatimeratherthancollapsingsimultaneouslyasa monocoque type structure.Itisalsoveryeasytorepair.Thesparsarelaminatedsprucewithribsaonepieceplywoodweb, skinningbeingfibreglasspanels.Thewingisstressedfor6G's.Membersshouldnotethatatthetimeofwriting theRenegadeisnotaP.F.A.approveddesign.

TheSouthernAeronauticalCorporationofMiamiLakes,Floridacanprovidefullplansandvariouskitsof partsandwelcomeenquiries,butpleaseinclude51.00USininternationalpostalcouponsorUSfundsasthecost ofinternationalpostageissohigh.

ELEMENTARYALTIMETRY

byJohnPothecary

ReadingIvorFixe'sexcellenthomilyonPilot navigationintheNovember1977issuepromptsme toenlargeonhisreferencetotheuseofthealtimeter. 1amsureyouallrealisethatthecommonorgarden pressurealtimeterfittedtolightaeroplanesisan instrumentwhichmeasuresairpressureandhasa subscalewhichcanbereset.Movingthesubscaleone millibarwillmovethehandsofthealtimeterapprox. 28U.Moremillibarsmovesthehandsclockwise(fig. 1).

QNHTheatmosphericpressureatastationreduced byaformulatosealevel.Settothisyouraltimeterwill readaltitudeabove(orbelow,eg.Rotterdam)sea level.

QNETheheightindicatedonlandingwithyour altimetersetto1013.2or'standardsetting'usedat aerodromeswhereforreasonsofaltitudeitisnot possibletosettheQFEonthesubscale(fig.2).

HowdoIusethese?

Itwouldbewisetocheckfirsttheaccuracyofyour instrument.ObtainandsetyourairfieldQFEand checkthatyouraltimeterreads±50ft.ofzero, otherwisetheinstrumentmustbeconsideredu/s. YoucanalsosetQNHandcheckthatyoureadyour altitudeabovesealevel.

QFEisusedincircuitflyingandforverylocal traffic,onceawayfromyouraerodrometrafficzone (limileradiusand2000flabove)QNHshouldbeset inordertobesureofclearanceaboveterrainand manmadeobsrtuctions.

Oncrosscountryflightsyoushould,ifpossible,set theregionalQNHwhichisaforecastfigureforthe nexthour:"Youcouldbeerodingyoursafety marginsifthepressuredropsenroute(fig.3).Aswe liveinanimperfectworldtheremustbeexceptionsto thesegeneralisations.Whenyouareflyingunder SpecialRulesAreasandTerminalControlAreasyou shouldsetyouraltimetertotheQN1-1ofthe controllingairfieldofthatarea.

"Preparedthreehourspreviously.

Firstthedefinitions:

Height: Elevationaboveanairfieldorotherterrain

Altitude: Elevationabovesealevel

Flightlevel: Readingonthealtimeterwithsubscale setto1013-2mbs,i.e.ifaltimeterreads4500ft[hisis flightlevel45writtenintheflightplanatFL045. Maybereferredtoas'PressureAltitude'.

Indaysofoldwhenmorsewasthebestoronlyway ofcommunicationmostrequestswereintheformof acode;the'Q'code.

Examplesbeing:

'QDM'meant'whatismymagneticcoursetosteer toreachyou?'.

`QRM"Areyouexperiencinginterference(ofa radionature)?'

Thosethathavesurvivedandareofinteresttous inthiscontextareasfollows:

QFETheatmosphericpressureatagroundstation, eg.anaerodromeorarunwaythreshold.Settothis youraltimeterwillread height above(orbelow)that station.

Mostairwayshavealowerlevelnotifiedasaflight level,andsoinordertokeepclearyouwouldneedto setQNE;wheretheairwayissteppeddowntowardsa controlareaorzonethelowerlevelmaybenotified asanaltitude.

Diagramshowingneedforzerocorrectionto altimeterforsurfacepressurevariations. OnarrivalatPrestwicktheindicatedheightoverreadsby770feet.

FIG.1

FIG. 2—Variation ofpressurewithheight

FIG.3

Whenyouareflyingabove3000ftyoushouldset thealtimetertoQNEandforsafety'ssakeobeythe quadrantalrule(fig.4),3000ftisthetransition altitudeovermostoftheUK,(butdon'tforgetyour terrainclearance).Exceptiontothiswhichonly concernscontrolledairspaceareintheLondon, ManchesterandScottishTMA's.Whenflyingwithin aMilitaryAirTrafficZoneyouhavetousethe aerodromeQFE. EVENLEVELS

Beforeconcluding,afewmoredefinitions. StandardAtmosphere

Assumesasealeveltemperatureof15°C decreasineI98°Cper1000ft,apressureof1013.25 nibsandadensityof1225gpercubicmetre.

Pressure Altitude: Thereadingonyouraltimeter when1011.25issetonthesubscale.

Nowasweascendthepressurewilldecreasebut notnecessarilylinearly,hencetheinstrument probablydoesnottellthetruthbutrestassuredits nearneighbourshavethesameerror.Densitymay alsovaryasrelativelywarmairwillexpandand whilstpressureremainsthesame(becauseofthe columnofairaboveit).Itbecomeslessdenseand thereforeourairbreathingengineshavea'lower quality'dietandthereforetheirperformancesuffers. Dragandliftwillalsodecrease;becauseweneedto measurethisdegradationofperformancewecan introduceonefinalterm,DensityAltitude,whichis thataltitudeinthestandardatmosphere correspondingtotheprevailingairpressureand ambienttemp.Youcandothissumonyour computerortothepressurealtitudeyoucanadd118 ftforeverydegreeCthattheambienttempisabove standard.

IntheCrossChannelSpecialRulesAreatheCross ChannelQNHissetat1000ftoverlandand500ft Dyer thesea.Onceacrossthewaterremember differentrulesmayapply,seeAERADEurope SupplementVol.2forlatestinformation.

Vari-EzeUp-Date

Asitisaboutayearsincemypreviousarticleon theVari-Ezewaspublishedin PopularFlying, I thoughtreadersmaybeinterestedintheprogressof thisunusualaircraft.

ThefirstsetofplansweresoldbyBurtRutanin July1976,11V-E'swereflyinginJuly1977and20 byOctober1977.FiveappearedattheEAAOshkosh Convention,havingflownoffthe75hourcertificationperiodrequiredintheStates.Incredibleprogress,surelyprovingthatitisVariEzeandquickto build.

Progressinthiscountryhasbeenmuchslower,due toproblemsofmaterialsavailabilityandapproval. However,thingsarebecomingmuchbetterwith approvalsobtainedforBritishFoam,GlassCloth, someEpoxyandvariousmetals.Asourcefor canopieshasbeenobtained,buttheundercarriage muststillbeboughtfromtheStates.

Thematerialsarecostly,andtheaircraftwillcost moretobuildthantheaveragehomebuilt.However, itsperformancecannotbematchedbyanyother home-builttwoseateranditsoperatingcostswillbe lower.ItqualifiesfortheminimumCofAcharges, minimumlandingratesandyoucande-rigiteasilyto hangaritathome.

Notwithstandingthedifficultiesthereareabout10 peoplebuildingV-E'sinthiscountryandatleastone shouldbeintheairwithinthenextfewmonths.

Somuchforthebuildingprogress,soI'llturnto themodificationsanddevelopmentstotheaircraft.

Toimprovevisibilityontheapproachandso improvetheaccuracyofapproachandtouchdown,a spoilerhasbeenfittedwhichsteepensthedescent path.Thespoilerisfittedflushinthebellyofthe fuselageandwhendeployeditgivestheaircrafta descentanglesimilartoaCessna150onhalfflaps.If

PopularFlying,March-April,1978

Anexampleonourowndoorstepwasseenat Sywellon2July1976.Sywellis429ftabovesealevel butonthedayofourIndexofPerlotmance measurementsthetemperaturewas31°C,17°Cabove standard.Thereforedensityaltitudewas118x17+ 429+2435ft,notsurprisingwehadsomelongtakeoffruns.

byOliverSmith

theaircraftexceeds95KTSitwillautomatically retract.

Afteraseriesofnearaccidentsonfirstflightswith someofthefirsthome-builts,Rutandecidedto increasetherollauthoritytonearerthatofa conventionalaircraft.Incidentlythesenearaccidents wereallfoundtobeduetoincorrectCofGpositions andbuildingerrors.

First,smallspoilerswerefittedtotheengine cowling.Thisimprovedmattersbutwerenot consideredsufficient.Rutanthereforehasfitted aileronstothemain(rear)wings.Withthissetup thecanardcontrolsonlyinpitchandnotpitchout rollaspreviously.

Therollrateisnowequaltothatofaconventional aircraftandthenewcontrolsystemgivesother benefits.

TheCofGrangeisextended,reducesadverse yaw,dualstickscanbefitted,theaircraftcanbeside slippedanditmakesforbettercrosswindlandings. Testingthenewsetuphasshownnodifferencetothe performanceoftheaircraft.

AvarietyofengineshavebeenfittedtothehomebuiltsincludingContinentalsfromC75to0-200,a Turbo-chargedHondaCivicandastrippeddown Lycoming0-235.Weightoftheengineinstallationis criticalandthelargercapacityengineshaveto dispensewithstartersandalternators.

Toconcludeontheaspectofperformance,Burt Rutangave,inhisOctoberNewsletter,detailsofhis tripfromMojave,CaliforniatoOshkoshWisconsin. Withhiswifeand55lbsofluggageonboardthey flewthe2,000milestripatanaveragespeed, excludingstops,of175m.p.h.andatanaveragefuel consumptionof37milespergallon(U.S.)What otherhome-builtcoulddothis?

FIG.4— You areadvisedtomaintaintheseflight

AnentrantforthePFADesignCompetition

The'Mayfly',asIhavenowchristenedtheproject, wasconceivedmanymoonsagothoughthepresent shape,structureandconstructionarealotdifferent thanIfirstenvisaged.Butthroughoutthe developmentofthedesigntwofactorshaveremained dominant;easeofconstructionandcheapness.Now whenIthinkofeaseofconstruction,twothingsare considered:(1)itisphysicallyeasytobuildthecomponentortheassemblyand,(2)itiseveneasierwhen thereisnotalotofitsizewise.Takeawingfor example:Youcaneithermakeitwithtaperingbox sparsand,ifit'sataperingwinginplan-form,you canmakeeachdifferentsizedwingrib,fiddling aboutwithjigs,capstripsandtinylittleplywood gussets,eachadifferentshapeoryoucanmakelife easierforyourself(andyourpocket)byhavinga simpleplankspar,aconstantchordwingwithallthe ribsstackcutonabandsawfromMahogany plywood.Then,ofcourse,thesmallerthewingspan, thelessribsyouhavetocutandthelessmaterialyou havetobuyandsoonandsoforth.

So,followingthebasiccriteriathatsmallnessis essentiallycheapandeasy,whatwastobecome 'Mayfly'founditswayontothedrawingboard. Havingsaidthat,mind,fromthedesignerspointof view,Ididfindthatabigdrawingboardandareally goodtop-raildraughtingmachinemadelifeahellof aloteasierfordetailingtheaircraft.ButIearnmy breadandbutteronthedrawingboardsoIcan't reallyincludethecostofdrawingequipmentintothe costoftheproject'sdesignandconstruction.'Mayfly'wasn'tdesignedspecificallyforthePFADesign Competition;itjusthappenedtofallinlinewiththe competition'soutlinerules(oratleastIthinkitdoes). However,despitetheprojectsnameandmy, seemingly,light-heartedapproachIdotakethe designseriouslyandwhentheaircraftisflyingand thedesignfullyapproved,ifitlivesupto expectations,thenIbeliveitcouldbejustthething forboththefirsthome-builderandtheblokewho hastowatchhispennies.

I'vegottobuildtheprototypeinmy6-yearold son'sbedroom,muchtohisdelight,andhisroomis only9'6"by100".Andifyoucanbuildaflying machineinaroomthatsizeyoucanbuildoneanywhere.Theaeroplaneitself,asyoumayhave gatheredbynow,isquitesmallandshouldprove veryeasytobuild,assumingthataboutthreeyears carefulthoughtanddesignworkhasn'tbeenawaste oftime.Itslengthisonly12'0"andwingspanjust 16'0".Itswingareaisonly64sq.ft.butwhatit lacksinareaitmakesupforwithaaerofoilsection producinghigherCls.InfactIintendusingavery slightlymodifiedN.A.C.A.23018sectionwhich, althoughinturnhasahigherCdtheoverallCdusing thissectionisn'tashighasusingamoreconventional sectionlikeN.A.C.A.23012whichtogivemethe sameClrequiredpoundforpoundwouldnecessitate awingspanofover20'0"and,sinceasIsaidmy basiccriteriaforthisdesignissizeandexpense,or rather,minimisingnIlookcloselyatoverallCl/Cd ratioswhichbringsmebacktoN.A.C.A.23018 (slightlymodified)sectionandifIcarryonburbling awaylikethismuchlongerItooshallbedisappearingupmyownorifice.Construction-wisethe fuselageisasimplewoodenboxstructurewithfour sprucelongerons,aspatteringofverticalandcross

stiffeningandthreebuilt-upbulkheads.Lengthfrom enginebulkheadtosternpostisjust8'0"andwitha maximumfuselagedepthofatouchunder24"only twosheetsof8'0"by4'0"3mmmahoganyplywood isrequiredtocoveritallround.Theentiretail section,i.e.fin,rudder,tailplaneandelevator,is constructedfrompolyurathanefoamcoveredwith glass-fibrewovencloth.Apartthatis,fromtheload bearingandtransmittingsparsandtailplane attachmentpointallofwhicharesolidsection Spruce.

Thewingsarefabricatedintwopanelsagainwith solidsectionSprucesparsbutwithplywoodribs.The leadingedgeiscoveredwith1-OmmthickBirchply asarethewingouterendribbaysandtworibbays fromtheroots.Becauseofthechunkyconstruction thewingsrequirenointernalbracing.Fullspan aileronsfabricatedinmuchthesamewayasthe elevatorandrudderwillalsobefitted.Thisfeature simplifiesthecontrolsystemwhichapartfromthe rudderisallpush-pullrodsandbellcranks.

Asfortheundercarriage,afterlookingatmany ideas,somemyownandsomeothers,Icametothe conclusionthatforthistypeofaircrafttherereally isn'tanythingmuchsimplerthanthatoftheV.P.1. Thematerialsandcomponentsrequiredarereadily available,theloadingsetc.,arenearlyidenticaland theunitweighsinwithinmyallowanceforthe undercarriage.

Theengine?Well,whatelsebuttheV.W.Inthis caseitsgoingtobea1600cc.Thefueltankisinthe usualplacejustbehindthefirewall/engine bulkhead.

Inconclusion,nodoubtmanyofyouwillseethe similaritybetweenmydesignandthedesignfeatures oftheV.P.1andinnowayhaveIbeendaftenough tothinkthatIcouldre-design,re-developormodify BudEvansgreataircraft.Ihavesetouttodesignan aircraftthatsatisfiesmyrequirements,whichare governedentirelybyexpenseandeaseof constructionandalthoughImustconfessIhavebeen greatlyinfluencedbytheV.P.1andsomeother designs,Iliketofeelthatmydesignisoriginal.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT magazine

Idealreadingmaterialforloversofold aeroplanes.Nowestablishedasthe leadingmagazineinitsfield.

VintageAircraftbringsyouAirTests, MuseumReports,WorkshopReports, andmanyotherfeatures;notforgetting ourhistoricalarticlesinthe'Golden Age'series.

SamplecopiesSop+lOpP&P from VINTAGEAIRCRAFTMAGAZINE 137OnslowGardens,SouthWoodford,London1:18INA England

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FinaIs

AttheChristmasCouncilMeetingatHendon,the PFAChairman,DavidFaulknerBryant,calledonce againforalisttobepreparedofprivatestrips throughouttheCountry,eveniftheyweretobeused foremergencypurposesonly.Thediscussionranged throughalltheusualpoints,abouthowtheprivate stripowneroruserwantedtokeephislittlebitofthe U.K.veryprivateandcouldhaveitallruinedforhis veryprivateusebysomeidiotsteaminginandreactivatinglocaloppositionwithafewlowpasses. (Yesyou'vealleithersufferedorheardaboutthis.) However,thefeelingwasthattheremustbeafew privatestripownerswhowouldn'tmindtheodd visitoranditwasdecidedtocompileaveryexclusive listatPFAHeadquarters,strictlynotfor publication,butjustavailabletothosewhoenquire byphoneforalandingplaceinaparticulardistrict. AllPPO,ofcourseandguaranteednottobe publishedwithinthesepages.Aregisteristobe started,—anyoneliketoadviseheadofficeof suitablelandingplacesintheirarea?Membersare remindedthatmostinsurancesrequireaprior inspectionfromzeroaltitude,soinanycase,you shouldhaveachancetomakefriendsontheground priortoenemiesintheair!

AlsomentionedattheChristmasCouncilmeeting, we,theeditors,areup-datingthePEAHandbookfor anewprint.Now,thePFAEngineeringOfficer couldproduceusacompletenewedition,re-written throughout,butwedoubtwhethertherewouldbe anynewC'sofAissuedbetweennowandSywell. Whichmeans,init'sbroadestterms,thatPFA engineeringisalreadyoverloadedanddoesusthe greatserviceofclearingwhatdoeseventuallyappear inprint.Meantime,weareendeavouringtoproduce notonlyanupdated,butalsoagreatlyenlarged handbook.Todothis,weareaskingourMembersto drawourattentiontoanytechnicalhandoutsthat theymayhavecomeacrossthatcouldprovideuseful information.Wehavealreadyhadourattention calledtoatyremanufacturersleafletondetecting faultytyres,toalistofANnutsandbolts,shackles etc.,notpreviouslyshown.Doanyofyoubuilders haveanyotherusefulhandoutsthatwearenotaware of?Justsenditto'PEAHandbook',careofthePEA Office,andwe'llsortoutthepermissionsand copyrights.Butactfast,aswearenowintheclosing stages!

thelocalstation,wewereaskedfor£26.50forthe necessarytickettoWales.TWENTYSIXPOUNDS FIFTY?wechallenged,but£26.50itwas,sowetook outafewmorehard-earnedsheetsforthebenefitof thebookingofficeofourlocalstation.

ThejourneyfromPaddingtontoSwanseawasan educationinitself,theHSTwasnotonlyfast,but verycomfortableanddepositedusontothelocal 'chuffer'toCarmarthen.Here,havingdiscovered thattaxisdidn'texist,wewendedourwayintothe towntospendthenightatasuitablehostelry.Next day,wefoundthelocationoftheAuctionroomand setouttoinspectthevintageaircraftthathadbeen advertised.Thiswas,infact,aCivilianCoupe,atwo seathighwingcabinmonoplane,builtbytheCivilian AircraftCompanyandfittedwithanArmstrong SiddeleyGenetMajorengine.Onlytwowerebuilt beforetheCompanyceasedtradingandthis particularone,G-ABNT,istheonlyoneincaptivity.

CivilianCoupeG-ABNT

Themachinestoodinaloftwiththefrontoff,so that,lookinguponecoulddiscernsomethinglikea LutonMinorwhichhadbeenstoredforfortyyears. Subsequentinspectionprovedthatthestructurehad notsufferedtoobadlyfromstorageand,infact,the GenetMajorenginelookedasthoughitmightturn overoncemore.Thewingswereallplywoodcovered andhadobviouslyseenconflicthereandthere.

Someofust akeourhobbiesjusttoo

far.Iam thinkingoftheenthusiastatacertainpreserved railwayline,whoranalongsidetheaccelerating locomotivewithahand-heldtape-recorder,keeping forposteritythechugs,blowsandgroansofa particularengineasitdepartedthe(alsopreserved) station.Onewondersonwhichchillywinternighthe willassemblehisrelativestohearhisownaccountof how loco999999drewouttotheaccompanying wheezesoutofthefamilyhi-fi.Therearemanyother examplesofinterestsinhobbiesgoingjusttoofar, but, on reflection,wecan'thelpfeelingwemusthave joinedthem.

Justhownuttycanyoube,forinstancetotravel fromtheSouthCoastofEnglandtoCarmarthen,in WelshWales,justtoseeanaircraftauctioned?And allthisinthedeadofaverycoldandsnowywinter. Wemustbeoutofourminds!Wehadreadinseveral aviationjournals,thataparticularvintageaircraft wasabouttobeofferedunderthehammer,so nothingcouldholdusbackfromattendingand seeingforourselves.Thefirstblowcame,whenat PopularFlying,March-April,1978

Thestory,asweunderstandit,wasthatthepresent ownerandvendor,boughtitin1931andflewitfora shorttime,beforetakingoffthewingsandstoringit attherearofhisbusinesspremises,whenceithas stayeduntiltoday.Ashehadretiredandsoldthe business,hesimilarlyneededtodisposeofthe aircraft.Wemightaddthatalllogbooksandsoon, writtenuptothedaythatthemachinehadbeen stored,wereincludedinthesale.Accordingtothe plateinthecockpit,themacinewassuppliednew throughPhillipsandPowisAircraft.

Anyway,togobacktoyourscribe'svisittothe auction,ourcolleagueexclaimed'don'tsayyou've broughtmeallthewayfromtheSouthCoastof Englandtolookatthisheapofrubbish—countmein forabout£300.Wetookacloserlookandsaid,no wewouldgoto£700.So,wewaitedforthe auctioneer.Onthehourthegreatmanarrived, wastedlittletimeinpre-ambleandgotinvolvedinthe seriousbusinessofsellingavintageaeroplane.The biddingstartedat£150,hestitatedalittleandthen gotintoafastswing,passing£1,000,passing£2,000 andfinallyslowingalittle,stoppingat£3,500forthe finale.

So,weconcluded,wehadseenauniqueaeroplane sale,hadtravelledtoendsofthisearthtowitnessit, butwere'ntwealso'nutters'togotosuchlengthsto followourinterests?

Well,ittakesalltypestomakeaworld,asthey say.ItalsotakesallsortsofnutstomakeaPFA.

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

Semi-displaypercolumninchE500. Lineage(minimumthreelines)perline 50p.Discounts:seriesofthree5%. Seriesofsix10%.Agencies10%.

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For£1.50wewillincludeaphoto ofAeroplanesforSale.

ThePFAdoesnotnecessarily guaranteeorendorseanyproduct offeredthroughouradvertising.

Members'attentionisparticularly drawntobuiltandpartly-builtAircraft.Theyshouldsatisfythemselves thatthemachinehasbeenclearedto P.F.A.standardsiftheysubsequently intendtooperateitthroughthe PF.A.Airworthinessfacilities.

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Model&AlliedPublications

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WANTED goodwoodworkertobuild TurbulentsatRye,Sussex. Accommodationprovided.Writeto NormanJones,CastleWaterEstate, HarbourRoad,Rye,Sussex.

VWMOTOR 1300ccsecondplugholes precisiondrilled.IncludingPeacocksplans £100.Tel.J.Russel,Chelmsford66019.

WANTED plansofVari-EZEandcontact withanyonewithprojectunderway.Also Volkswagenengineconversionplans. DanielSheekey,31ATrenthamStreet, Southfields,LondonSW18.

2"BALLBEARING pulleys(nineonly)£1 each.PropellerboltsHTCdplated5/16 BSF3flong,sixfor£2.Engine Temperaturegaugetype6A/1305350°C 21;diameter£5.Allpostpaid.Don Peacock,ParadiseCottage,Kempsford, Glos.Tel.Kempsford246.

VW1700E (exRF5)engineforsale completewithmagcarb,starteralternator etc.450hrs.torun£350.Tel.P.Hayne GlosterAeroGroup,Cheltenham27765.

PLANSFOR SALEAllunused,Fred£10: TaylorMonoplane£8:EvansVP1£15.D. J.Walcroft,11BrimmersHill,Widmer End,HighWycombe,Bucks.Tel.:Holmer Green5115.

WANTEDStrobeorBeaconassembly suitableforfuselagemountingonJodel.C. A.Parker,Northampton890512.

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

PerSet-L15

InformationPack-II

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

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1973&1975SYWELLREVIEWS 40peachinc.p.&p.

FROM- THEP.F.A.OFFICE

FORSALE. Twofactoryrecon30BHP VWshortengines,alsopairof1500/1600 reconheadstappedfort2mmsecondplugs. Wanted,Gyroplansofanytype.Tel.Alan Grieves,027243460 or 446544.

WANTED. PFAtypeaircraftrequired. Preferably2seaterandroadablefor operationfromstrip.Abandonedproject considered.W.Davies,TheOaks, WoodyattsLane,Madley,NHereford. FORSALE. A.65dismantled£400. SensenichM76AK42£160.P.A.12Wings, tanks,ailerons,suitBreezy£175.Jodel 0.112outerleg£45.Jodel0.117Silencer £5.Motorola360VHF/VOR£200.31 LycomingRPM£15.IanCallier:Tel. Wokingham784068.

EXCHANGE LutonMinorLA4Awith almostnew1600VWengine,CofAuntil May.ForalmostcompleteTaylor Monoplane,Turbulentorsimilarsmall wingspanaircraft.Detailsto R. Cole,52 KinrossAvenue,Lipson,Plymouth,PL4 7EX.

FOR SALE.BensonB.8Gyrogliderflies butrequiresattention£200.BensonB.82 seatgliderexcellentcondition£400.Cricket typegyrocopter2000ccVW,Machine dismantled,notcrashed£900. J.B. Donger:Tel.Hoddesdon66280Evenings).

WANTEDConstructorwillingtobuilda VP-1fuselagecompleteforafee.Allbits andplanssupplied.PreferWestCountry butanywherewilldoifnecessary.R.Beath, 154NorthRoad,CombeDown,Bath, Avon.

WANTED PL4aircraftcompleteornearly complete.C.F.Parker,FarPark,Perton, Compton,Wolverhampton,Staffs.WV6 7HD.

EVANSVP-1

Simplybuilt-VWpowered.Onlyone verticalandonehorizontaltailempennage.Onepiecebentupaluminiumgear. Simple3-bulkhead,woodfuselagewithno metalfittingsorclothcover.Noengine mount.Simplewing,plankspars,ribsstack-sawedfrom4"ply.EvansVP-1 roadtowswithouttrailer,andstoreseasily ingarage.ForPlanandBrochureprices seeP.F.A.officeadvertisement.

TAYLORMONOPLANE

Thepopularsingle-place,lowwing,all woodmodel.30to60h.p.100m.p.h., with1300VWengine.Span21',length15'. Brochure,35pplus10p.p.&p.;Plans, £12,plus50p.p.&p.;Construction photos.From:Mrs. J. Taylor,25ChesterfieldCrescent,LeighonSea,Essex.

TAYLORTITCH

Asupersingle-place,lowwing,acrobatic tourer/race,.Simpletobuildwood constructionfor40to95h.p.engines. Superbplansforthissuperbaeroplane includefullsizeribsheets,material listandnumerousadvisorynotes.Span 18'9';Length 16' 14".Brochure,45pplus 10pp.&p.;Plans,£16,plus50pp.&p.; Constructionphotos.From:Mrs.J. Taylor,25ChesterfieldCrescent,Leighon Sea,Essex.

ERICCLUTTON

92NewlandsSiltel, .Sloke-on-Trent, ST42RF, ENGLAND.

WANTLD.ImpulsecouplingtofitBendix Scintillamagneto,clockwiserotation.S Harker,29FarndaleRoad,Nunthorpe, Cleveland.

WANTED5ewtand10cwt.IurnbuckFs. A.Morris.Bagshot74314.

WANTED.Oldmodelaircra 0 engines, especiallysparkignitionanddiesel,oldkits eic.GoodpricespaidorswapforGosport Flyinghelmet.RPalmer,5MoorEnd Close,EatonBrav,Beds_CL162HP.

FORSALE.Converted1200ccVWengine withheadsalreadydrilledIbrsecondplug. Crankcheckedandcertified.Groundrun butnilflyinghours.R.Braggs:Tel Polperro779(evenings).

FORSALEC90GPLIforconversion£250. Varied()plans-Section1£40.ASIAlt,T+S, A.H.,8dayclock,from£8.Alsothird shareinpartbuiltVariezeformaterialscost only(approx£350).BasednearCroydnn, SurreyApplyB.H.Yates,Tunbridge Wells38786.

WANTED0-200enginemounts(Lord type)completeimitionwiringharness, alternator,orserviceablerotoronly,air filterassembly.C.IRepik,Whitehill Lodge,ExeterRoad,NewtonAbbot, Devon,Tel,:3533.

WANTEDpairof5.00x5wheels,brakes andverticalmastercylinderstosuit.Inlet spiderandcrankshaftgearwheelinternally andexternallytoothedforC90.Tel.0_ Smith,Spennymoor814594.

FORSALE lode!WassmerD120—only 1000hourssincenew,ContinentalC90 engineataveryreasonableprice.Tel. Preston718559.

JANOWSKIJ-IDonQuixote. Does anyoneknowthewhereaboutsofTont Woodandprogresswiththe1-17Isanyone elseinterestedinpossibleconstruction?

ContactMikeWalling,5Brookfields, (Hallowell.Powys.Tel.(0873)810966.

MATERIALSFOR%PI. Almostcomplete kitofspruceWineribscutout.Rudder tubeandbushes.StrutbushesControl Column.Plansandnecessarypaperwork. Willnotsplit.Takeitallforahaggly1,200.

Tel.016541943(Croydonarea).

PPE wishestohearfrontothersinterested informinganultralightflyinggroupor alternativelywouldliketojoinan establishedgroup.PleaseTelephone:John Rasdall,Nottingham211137_

DIARYDATES

MINICAB planscompleteandunused£20. 6x600alloywheel,believedexAuster. Offers?GrahamHarris:Tel.Denham 3630.

JODELD.120 forsale:Wassmer1965. Engine250hoursplusextension.VHF radio.£2,150.P.GPhelps,Flat2,103 PitmastonRoad,BirminghamB289PW.

FOR SALE,one-fifthshare of AusterTin GroupIpswicharca,farmbased,L.A. Brome:Tel.Home0473-33-881,Office 0473-64-3742.

FORSALE SteenSkybohplanscomplete £20.TigerMothpropZ8010£300,Terrier nosecowl,needssomeattentionbutnot dented,£15.RexCoates,11Orchard Court,fhornburyAve.,Osterley, NEddlesex.Tel.01-568-9546,

FORSALEEvansVP-I (PEA1578). Fuselagealmostcompletewithcontrols fitted,undercarriageandfueltank,rudder ribscutout,tailplanemadebutnot covered,wingribscutoutaminspars(4) bracingstruts(4),plyanddopeetc,engine 1600ccVW,newmagnetos,engine mountingplates.OpentoOffers_Dave Rhys,2SunLaneTeignmouth,Devon,Tel. 3760.

THESHUTTLEWORTHCOLLECTION is50yearsofagein1978.Therewillbe pageants,displaysandrallies.SendSAE fordatesanddetailsOldWarden AerodromeisavailableonaPPRbasisfor carefulpilotsandanexplanatoryleafletis availableonrequest.Writetothe ShutileworthCollection,OldWarden Aerodrome.Biggleswade,Beds.ForPP ringNorthill(076727)288.

FORSALE Pushpullthrottleandcable assembly,412Revcounter0-3500 £5. ContactO.Smith,Spennymnor814594.

WANTED. Battcryoperatedmulti-channel radiofor R.Bragger:I-el. Polperro779(evenings).

A Practicalguidetodesign constructionandreearofALL typesofwoodenpropellers[2.50 p.

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Engines(Continental,Gipsy',Lycoming,Ardem).Extinguishers,ExhaustPipes. Filters,FuelCocks,FuelPumps,Fittings,FlyingWires,Fabric,Fork Ends,Fastener,. Generators,GMeters,Gyros,Glue,Grommets,Gaskets,Gauges. Harness,Hinges,HornzbuildersService.

Instruinents,InvertedSystems,linformationPackages,Inspecrion Panels' Jodels,JubileeClips,Jets.

KitsforVWconversionsRidCylinderTemperattire.

Leads,LogBooks,LandingLights.

Magnetos.Manuals,MasterCylinders,MixtureControls. NavigationLights,Nameplates,Notices,Nuts,Needles. OilPressure,OilTemperatureGauges,0Rings.

Plans,Propellers,Plugs,Plytyood,Pins,notHeads,Plexiglass Pulleys,Pistons.

Quick ReleaseFasteners.

RevCounters,RateonClimbIndicators.RodEnds,Rings,Racing specialists. Slarnpes,SmokeSystems,Starters.Shackles.Spruce.Spinners. Switches.Spats.Screws.

Tigers,Turbulents,Tyres,Tubes,Turnbuckles,Tailwheels,Tanks, Tape,TowingHooks.

Undercarriages.

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VoltageRegulators,Ventilators,VacuumPumps,Valves. Wheels,Wires,Windscreens.

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