Flying Scale Models Issue 217 2017-12

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1913 PONNIER

INDOOR GRUMMAN

RACER

PROFILE SCALE DEPRON FOAM CLUB-NIGHT FLIER

SIMPLE COCKPIT INSTRUMENT PANELS SCALE EFFECT WITHOUT ENDLESS HOURS OF EFFORT!

NAUTICAL HOOKER!

THE

SUPERMARINE SEAFIRE SERIES

WORLD’S FIRST TRUE FIGHTER WARBIRD FSM DEC 17 COVER.indd 1

BUILD ONE TO 1:8 SCALE FOR RUBBER POWER PLUS: THE EINDECKER HISTORY ● 1:40 DETAILED SCALE DRAWINGS ● WARPAINT COLOURS

December 2017 No. 217 £4.99

● FULL SIZE HISTORY ● SCALE THREE-VIEWS ● DETAIL CLOSE-UP PHOTO STUDY 12

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THE ISSUE AHEAD...

Formation...

FLYING SCALE MODELS - THE WORLD’S ONLY MAGAZINE FOR SCALE MODEL FLYERS

ON THE COVER

The Supermarine Seafire series of Royal Navy Fleet fighters is our ‘Subjects for Scale’ feature this month. Of these, the tear-drop cockpit canopy, fully eliptical wing variant is perhaps the prettiest? This one is Kennet Aviation’s lon ago recued from a scrap mechant’s clutches, now fully restored to airworthy condition and one of only two Seafires still flyable worlwide.

DECEMBER 2017 NO.217 4 CONTACT

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Just for starters

6 PONNIER racer 40

An easy-to-build 40" wingspan pioneer racer for electric power, designed by Peter Rake

10 SCALE SOARING

Chris Williams reports the White Sheet Scale Fly-in and reveals the success of his latest not-so-large build project

14 WESTLAND WIDGEON IN DETAIL

A close-up detail photo study in support of our October issue construction feature for Phil Kent’s Widgeon Mk.III

18 FOKKER E.III EINDECKER

A large, 1:8th scale free flight rubber-powered replica of the famous WW1 warbird designed by Andrew Hewitt

24 SO WHAT IS PRETENSIONING?

...and what can it do for the performance of a rubber powered free flight scale model?

26 THE FOKKER EINDECKERS

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The development of this famous line of aircraft and the impact it had on fighter aircraft design the early years of WW1

34 EINDECKER SCALE DRAWING 1:40 detailed scale three-view drawings

36 EINDECKER FLYING COLOURS Warpaint of the ‘Fokker Scourge’

40 SUBJECTS FOR SCALE The SuPermaRine Seafire series

Produced, at least initially, in something of an act of desperation, progressive mix-and-match development paralleling the land-based Spitfire series evenually produced an excellent Carrier based Fleet fighter

48 SEAFIRE Mk. XVII SCALE DRAWING 1:50 scale drawings

50 SEAFIRE Mk.XVII IN DETAIL

Kennet Aviation’s restored and fully airworthy example

54 INSTRUMENT PANEL

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Follow Mike Alexander's step-by-step route to scalish instrument panels: scale realism without too much effort

60 the QUIET ZONE

Peter Rake proposes more indoor flying fun with a colourful Depron foam Grumman F3F-3 biplane

www.flyingscalemodels.com

64 GRUMMAN FLYING COLOURS

Some alternative colour scheme for your Indoor profile F3F-3

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Editor: Tony Dowdeswell Publisher: Alan Harman Design: Peter Hutchinson Website: Webteam Advertising Manager: Sean Leslie Admin Manager: Hannah McLaurie Office Manager: Paula Gray FLYING SCALE MODELS is published monthly by Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Beds, LU6 1QX. Reproduction in part or whole of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the contents of Flying Scale Models is accurate, the publishers and printers cannot accept liability for errors and omissions. Advertisements are accepted for publication in FLYING SCALE MODELS only upon Doolittle Media’s standard terms of acceptance of advertising, copies of which are available from the advertising sales department of FLYING SCALE MODELS. EDITORIAL ADVERTISEMENT & CIRCULATION: Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Beds, LU6 1QX. Tel. 01525 222573 Fax. 01525 222574. Email: [email protected] CIRCULATION TRADE ENQUIRIES: Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT 020 7429 4000. NEWSTRADE: Select Publisher Services, 3 East Avenue, Bournemouth. BH3 7BW. 01202 586848 Email: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS: Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Beds, LU6 1QX. Tel. 01525 222573. Fax. 01525 222574. PRINTING: Henry Stone Ltd., Oxfordshire (c) Copyright Flying Scale Models 2017 Doolittle Media. The paper used on this title is from sustainable forestry

CONTACT mong the choices of subjects for scale modelling, it is the pre-jet era that predominates - unsurprising perhaps, since model-size gas turbines are very much a loads-o-money proposition! On top of that, there’s a whole new string of techniques to learn. It’s nice to see the scale jets in action and one admires those who operate them though. This month’s issue of FSM majors in two widely separate periods of aviation, but both are warbirds ... and fighter aircraft at that. The Fokker Eindeckers have been hailed as the first real fighter aircraft, thanks to the introduction of a workable interrupter gear that allowed a machine gun to fire through the propeller arc without destroying the prop. blades and thus allowing the classic fighter attack technique of pointing the aircraft directly at the target, usually from the rear. Our Fokker E.III construction feature this month is for rubber power very much a minority interest in terms of outdoor scale but, nonetheless, a branch of our hobby that has its own particular challenges that are worth experiencing. A far more potent fighter is our Subjects for Scale feature this issue. In comparison with the Supermarine Spitfire, its seagoing contemporary the Seafire gets little attention, but it can make a nice change from Spits. Included in this feature is the very pretty Seafire Mk. XVII, which provides a detail photo study of the airworthy example magnificently restored and operated by Kennet Aviation. This Seafire was built by Westland Aircraft Ltd. at Yeovil, was handed over to the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm in May 1946, and finally withdrawn from operational use in 1954. Sold as scrap, the airframe languished in the Joseph Brierley & Son scrap yard in Warrington, Lancashire, together with parts of another Mk.XVII until, in1973, the fuselage was recovered by Peter J.Wood, rebuilt to airworthiness, and put on the British civil register as G-BRMG in September 1989 where she remained until 2001. That year, the aircraft went to a new owner; Tim Manna, of Cranfield for a long-term restoration, to be re-registered G-KASX (Kennet Aviation SX(336)). Given her original Fleet Air Arm colour scheme, the Seafire flew again in 2006. It is currently the only airworthy Seafire on the UK register and one of two still flying worldwide.

A

LONDON MODEL ENGINEERING EXHIBITION 2018 The South’s largest annual Model Engineering & Modelling Exhibition returns to its Alexandra Palace venue in January from the 19th - 21st. This exhibition is regarded as one of the leading model shows in the UK and attracts over 14,000 visitors and covers the full spectrum of modelling from traditional model engineering, steam locomotives and traction engines through to trucks, boats, aircraft, helicopters and robots. Over 50 clubs and societies will be present displaying their members’ work and competing to win the prestigious Society Shield. In total, nearly 2,000 models will be on display. Organisers expect to welcome the return of the British Model Flying Association, Tamiya Trucking Group, Brickish - the UK Tank Club, The Imagineering Foundation and the Polly Owners Group who provide passenger rides behind the 5” gauge steam locomotives within the Great Hall. All of the leading suppliers will also be present showcasing new products and special promotions and giving hobbyists an excellent opportunity to see and compare products under one roof. You will be able to purchase virtually anything you need for your next model or project or to get you started in a hobby. Dates & Times: Friday 19th - Sunday 21st January 2018 Open 10am - 5pm Friday and Saturday and 10am - 4.30pm Sunday. Last entry is 4.00pm Friday and Saturday and 3.00pm Sunday. Model Active Zone closes at 3.30pm on the Sunday Ticket office opens at 9.00am each morning before the event opens at 10.00am Tickets may be booked in advance at www.londonmodelengineering.co.uk or by phone on 0871 3861118.

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FULL SIZE FREE PLAN FEATURE

1913 PONNIER RACER An easy-to-build 40" span pioneer racer for electric power, designed by Peter Rake

B

efore I go any further, I have to say that my only reference for this model was a peanut scale, rubber power plan. However, since that reference source was designed by a builder known for scale accuracy, it seemed good enough as the basis of the ‘character’ scale models I favour. In fact, this is the second version of the model I have designed; the first flew so nicely that I was prompted to build a

smaller, easier-to-transport, version of the same basic design.

THE MODEL Like it’s larger predecessor, the model presented here can be built either with, or without the wing warping feature of the original aircraft. Because of the dihedral (non-scale), the model flies very much the same either using wing warping, or rudder control to steer it. The only proviso I would

make is that, if using wing warping, you rig the wings with a small amount of washout to help eliminate adverse yaw by reducing the amount the tip moves downwards. Unfortunately, because only the lower cables can be used to warp the wings (as these were on the original) and because some control movement is lost through the upper, idler cables, without the washout you can get some very strange results when trying to turn the

The model in a gentle, climbing bank induced by using combined wing warp and elevator control.

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CONSTRUCTION

The two basic fuselage boxes ready to join. The diagonal braces are only required with too flimsy longerons. (see text)

Here you see that sharp edge retained where the nose curves in. The nose ‘block’ is actually made up from various pieces of balsa.

With the top decking in place the pylon wires are ready to be joined and have the rigging loop added.

With the landing gear temporarily in place you can see just how much space there is in the fuselage for fitting the radio gear and battery.

model by warping the wings. The original model initially turned right, whichever way you warped the wings but, already aware of this characteristic, the wash out prevents that happening on this version. You’ll see from the photos that the fuselage drawing doesn’t quite match the photos. All those diagonal braces were added because I used wood that was too thin for the longerons, so the rear fuselage ended up feeling a bit too flexible for my liking. Therefore the plan has been updated to show heavier wood longerons and no diagonal braces, which is a much tidier arrangement and easier to build to boot. Just make sure that the wood used for the longerons isn’t too soft. Uprights and cross braces need be no more than medium balsa but the longerons should be either hard balsa or bass if you can’t get hard balsa. Whichever way you go, warping or nonwarping, with either diagonal braces or thicker longerons, you’ll find the model very stable and easy to fly - not a trainer by any means, but easy to fly compared with many scale models. Don’t discount the all-wood, glued-inplace, landing gear; it works well and avoids the need for wire bending and soldering. Assemble the legs over the plan, add the reinforcing and epoxy them

securely into formers F2 and F4. The slots in the formers will set the correct angles and the axle can be slipped in place and bound with elastic thread to provide some suspension. Whilst some sources (including the original drawing that inspired this model) show open spoked wheels, some photos I have seen of the full size appear to show covered wheels but although I went with spoked wheels because I prefer the look, covered, WW1 style wheels are an easier option.

FUSELAGE As a swift study of the plan sheets will reveal, the fuselage is built as two separate basic box structures. The forward, sheet-sided part and the rear, built-up section are then joined and the longerons trimmed off flush with the sheet sides. I find this to be the surest way to arrive at a straight, twist-free fuselage and the procedure has worked extremely well on countless models. Begin the front section by gluing in place the ply doublers around the wing joiner tube holes. Just make sure you end up with one left and one right side. Also, bind the pylon wires to F2B and F4, but don’t glue the bindings at this stage. Next, assemble parts F1, F2 and F2A, ensuring that each part is glued in place

at 90 degrees to its adjoining part. Don’t be tempted to use CA glue for this assembly unless you also intend to employ fillets of either epoxy or PVA to reinforce the joints. This is one of the most highly stressed areas of the entire model, so needs to be glued really securely. Now, use this assembly and F4 to join the two fuselage sides. Once again ensure that the previous assembly is securely glued and that the entire structure remains perfectly square. Temporarily fit the undercarriage legs into their slots and make up the 1/8” balsa fill pieces to fit around them against F2 and F4. Glue these in place AFTER the undercarriage legs have been removed It’s much easier, and neater, to cover the fuselage if there isn’t an undercarraige in the way, so we don’t want the legs inadvertently glued in place at this point. F2B and F3 can now be added, followed by the 1/16” balsa decking. Add the rough shaped block balsa nose (suitably hollowed to fit around the motor) and glue in place part N. Now you can solder up the apex of the pylon wires and glue the bindings. Note the differing arrangements for the rigging cables, a simple wire loop for the fixed rigging or the slightly more technical loop required if you want wing warping. At this stage, you can now epoxy in

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CONSTRUCTION

Making sure all the ribs are an easy sliding fit onto the spar. Spar has yet to have its’ end notched and tapered.

place the brass wing joiner tubes. The rear fuselage is simplicity itself. Build two identical side frames over the plan, allow these to dry and then join them over the plan using matched pairs of cross braces and parts TS. Ensure it all remains perfectly straight and square and allow this sub-assembly to dry. Now join the front and rear fuselage sections, once again ensuring it all remains straight. Add the upper surface fill pieces and the triangular stringers. Finish shaping the nose block, sand overall and your fuselage is now ready to cover.

TAIL SURFACES With the possible exception of the laminated rudder outline, construction of the tail surfaces really couldn’t be much easier - just a matter of gluing laser cut (you did buy the cut parts set from the publisher?) parts and strip wood together over the plan, a bit of sanding and then joining the elevators. As for that laminated outline, although looking quite flimsy it is actually very strong for its weight. The wood used needs to be no harder than medium balsa, but the strips should be well soaked in hot/warm

The wing after assembly, but prior to having the rigging blocks fitted.

The fairly simple structure of the model is revealed here. Surprising modern looking, isn’t it?

water before they are glued together (woodworking glue), then pulled into shape around a former and held there until both glue and water have completely dried out. Many people laminate outlines around a ‘fence’ of pins pushed into the plan. However, I don’t advocate that method because it’s far too likely to cause creases in the inside lamination. I’ve also seen it suggested that the inside layer be very thin ply to avoid that, but I’m not keen on that idea either because it must complicate the finish-sanding of the completed assemblies. My preferred method of laminating outlines is to make a foam (1/8” depron or thick card) former with the edges either waxed (rubbed with a candle) or protected with Sellotape so the wood won’t stick to it. Thereafter, the well soaked (still dripping wet) strips are glued together, taped to one end of the former and pulled around it - taping at intervals as required. By pulling the laminated strips, keeping them under tension, there is less likelihood of any cracking. Then, you just weight the former down flat and allow the glue to completely dry before removing the

The Ponnier makes an unusual, interesting and rather attractive model.

8 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

laminated shape from the former. Alternatively you can pin down the former before wrapping, securing the strips against the former with scrap pieces of balsa - also waxed to prevent sticking.

WINGS Now, when you see that every rib is different and that two of them require pretty precise drilling, I bet you’re glad you decided to go with the laser cut short kit made available by the publisher. If not, you need to be aware that the wing mounting tube holes in R1 and R2 are at different heights in each rib, the reason behind this, is that once the tubes are glued into place, they will automatically set the dihedral once the panels are plugged onto straight wire joiners that pass right through the fuselage tubes. So, as you can imagine, those holes need to be precisely positioned in the ribs if that is to work out as intended. Before you can actually begin building the wings, you’ll need to laminate up the pre-curved tip pieces. The exact curve isn’t that important - just that it roughly approximates the undercamber of the wing section itself. Once these are dry, position them over

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the plan, trim to length and use them to determine just how much of a notch you need to cut into the end of the spars to fit over them as the wings are built. Tapering the end of the spar is also easier at this stage, rather than after it’s built into the wing. A point worth checking, bearing in mind how variable wood sizes can be, is that all the ribs are an easy, sliding fit onto the spars. If your spar is a tight fit, it’s worth sanding it lightly until the ribs can easily be slid into position without the risk of them breaking. Don’t worry about weakening the spar because the actual flying loads are taken by the rigging, not the spar. Yes, it does mean that rigging the model is essential, and that the rigging is functional, not just elastic thread. I realise all that is pretty obvious if you intend to have wing warping, but not everyone will want to go that far. So, for wing warping it has to be nylon coated trace or beading wire, but 12 lb strain monofilament fishing line is fine for the three-function (rudder/elevator/throttle) model. Whilst on the subject of rigging, it’s worth taking a closer look at the rigging blocks mounted in the wings, and examine how the rigging attaches. Firstly, you need to decide if the R8 you have is strong enough to withstand the loads without distorting. If it’s pretty hard balsa it should be okay, but anything less should have reinforcing strips added to the inner face to prevent the rib bowing. Now for the the blocks themselves; if you intend wing warping, I would suggest drilling the blocks sufficiently to pass a bolt through so the cables can be securely fixed at the wings. For the non-warping model they only need to be drilled so the rigging cables can pass through them. You’ll see why later on, in the finishing section. With these areas taken care of, the actual build of the wings is pretty simple. Pin down the leading edge, bass trailing edge and pre-curved tip, gluing as required. Now, slip all the ribs except R1 onto the spar, position these as required to match the plan and glue them to the leading edge and into the trailing edge notches. Glue the spar to the tip and the ribs to the spar and allow to dry. Now pack up the tip as indicated on the plan and glue R1 in place. Fit the wing joiner tubes and the root bay sheeting and your wings are ready to trim and sand.

COVERING & FINISHING The prototype model is covered using Litespan, but any reasonably lightweight covering will be just fine. Solarfilm, So-lite or even tissue paper are all viable options. The only problem you might find with tissue is that it makes the wings a bit too rigid to warp easily. Study the photographs to see where the control cables exit the fuselage at the tail and add small reinforcing patches, slotted for the cables, at those points. On my model each one is immediately forward of an upright or cross brace so they can provide further support. As regards the nose of the model, I would suggest sealing, filling, sanding and finally spraying with automotive wheel paint (Silver Wheels) to avoid having to cover around those fairly heavy compound curves.

CUT PARTS SET FOR THE 1913 PONNIER

RACER

Get straight down to construction without delay! This month’s full size free plan feature is supported by a laser-cut set of ready-to-use balsa and plywood components. This provides the parts that, otherwise, you would need to trace out onto the wood before cutting out and includes wing ribs and tips, tail centre parts, fuselage doublers, top deck,formers etc.

IT DOES NOT INCLUDE STRIP AND SHEET MATERIAL OR SHAPED WIRE PARTS

Price £32.00 plus carriage: £11.50 (UK); Europe £26.00

Order set CUT/FSM532 Shipping Note: For shipping to destinations outside the UK and Europe, you will be charged our standard flat-rate price of £49. This covers most destinations and secures your order with us. However, we will contact you accordingly with an accurate total shipping charge prior to dispatch and either issue a refund or a PayPal money request for the balance.

Visit our secure website:

www.flyingscalemodels.com to order yours

FINAL ASSEMBLY When assembling the model, the rigging on the fixed wing version should run from the upper pylon, through the rigging blocks in the wings and terminate at the lower rigging points on the fuselage. Then the wings can be gently teased into place so there is equal dihedral, no warps and any wash out you require (not essential but does no harm) before finally gluing the cables into the rigging blocks.

FLYING As indicated earlier, the model is a steady, stable flyer, but only if balanced correctly; slightly (very slightly) nose low when supported at the point indicated on the plan. A 2S power pack should be ample for this model and because of the sheer bulk of the fuselage, you should be able to fit a relatively high capacity pack. Use of a 3S pack won’t actually make the model fly much faster, but there will be a tendency to climb all the while. It may be a model of a racer, but we are talking about racers that flew at not much more than 100 mph (if that). So, slow, steady and sedate looks far better than frantically flitting about, trying to fight its desire to climb. It’s much more enjoyable too. As I pointed out, there is very little difference in the way the model turns using warp control as opposed to rudder control. Both result in a slightly banked turn in whichever direction. However, you may well find that with wing warping you apply the control input and then wait for something to happen. For this reason I always use warping as an auxiliary function and set up the model for normal three-function operation with rudder as the primary steering control. I

Order direct from:- Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK. Tel: 01525 222573/ [email protected].

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On Silent Wings with Chris Williams

SCALE SOARING I

CHRIS REPORTS THE WHITE SHEET SCALE FLY IN, 2nd JULY AND REPORTS THE SUCCESS OF HIS LATEST NOT-SO-LARGE BUILD PROJECT

n an age where miracles are few and far between, the forecast for this event vied with the Parting of the Red Sea in its significance. With the wind in the right direction, and no rain, it was more like the Parting of the Forecasts compared to that to which we have been accustomed. There was a good reason for this, of course. My pal Smallpiece had sacrificed himself by selfbanishment to France, whereupon he was forced to eat all that French food, secure in the knowledge that his absence would ensure that the Weather Gods would look kindly upon us. First up under the Scale Soaring microscope was that old slope fiend Pat Teakle, who can always be relied on to turn up with something new. This time around it was a K8 from the Cliff Charlesworth plan, and before long he

was holding it in the breeze, gently releasing and re-grabbing to “see if she wanted to fly”. Any reluctance to commence the maiden flight was well founded, as the forecast wind had somewhat run out of steam, and flight planning has to be conducted with caution. Eventually she was launched and immediately proved why K8s are so popular by gaining height despite the ministrations of Mr Gravity. Another fly-in stalwart, Steve Fraquet, had brought along a trio of gliders, one of which hadn’t been seen in public for a good many years. This was his 1/4 scale Castel C25s, a glider of French origin, brought along no doubt in Smallpiece’s honour. His main efforts, however, went into his venerable Slingsby Petrel, a model that thrives in marginal conditions. Later in the day, however, the Petrel suddenly

exhibited a marked reluctance to commit aviation. A launch from Motley resulted in a semi-stall and ground loop cum-wingover, from which, to its credit, the model emerged unscathed. A bit of head scratching followed, with the conclusion that it must have been just one of those things. A re-launch followed, with similar results... Motley, I must say, looked a little downcast: had the beer that reaches parts other beers can’t reach, failed to reach his throwing arm? “Give it to me”, I said, let’s have a proper launch. Now, having damaged the muscle in my hand-launching arm some time back, this was a bit of a boastful move on my part, but I gave her all I had, and the Petrel became airborne, albeit with inches to spare. The strange thing is that Motley has hardly said a word to me since, although I can’t think why.

Motley launches Jim Saunders' electric SB10.

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Pat Teakle’s latest project, the Charlesworth K8.

Later in the day, a sudden cessation of lift caused the Petrel to undergo an emergency reunification with the slope, halfway down the hill. This time, there was some scathing, with a bent tailplane joiner, but at least it forced Steve to get his LO100 out and fly that instead. Another fixture at this Scale Fly-In is the annual appearance of Chris Wynn (the other CW) with his Backstrom Plank flying wing. Previous highlights have included the unnoticed ripping off of the receiver aerial in a landing, making the subsequent flight one fraught with interest. Also on the bill, the dramatic pilot ejection just after launch, the model having been hit by a sudden mini-tornado. Is it any wonder that his appearance with said machine causes the levels of anticipation to rise: how could he top his previous achievements? After the customary and traditional bout of pre-flight ‘relief’, the Plank was duly launched into the

uncertain conditions. Can you remember as a child, spending all your pocket money on one really big firework, only to see it fizzle damply out? The Plank’s flight must have lasted all of six seconds: a flight that culminated in a ground loop that ripped the rudder hinges asunder. Never mind, we consoled him, at least you have another twelve months to affect a repair! On the home front, one of the machines I had brought to the party was my allyellow Zugvogel , with which I was really having a ball. It was in the midst of all this enjoyment that it suddenly seemed as though unseen forces were at work, I was commanding a ‘turn left’, but it seemed that the model wanted to turn right. At the same time I became vaguely aware of a chorus of shouting behind me. It turned out that Mr Teakle, flying his allyellow Skylark, had inadvertently started to fly my Zugvogel, hence the unseen

Chris Wynn gives Steve Fraquet’s Castel C25s a launch at the White Sheet fly-in.

forces. The Skylark, left to its own devices, was heading for the hill, intent on glidercide. (Glidercide: it’s like suicide, but requires more glue). Happily, order was restored before disaster could strike, although Pat did have to endure the walk-of-shame. It must be some forty years or so since I first set foot on the hallowed slopes of White Sheet Hill. One prominent change has taken place over the years, and that must surely be laid at the door of Climate Change. It is a simple fact that until about fifteen or twenty years ago, the chances of the wind blowing in a suitable manner on one of the White Sheet slopes were pretty good. These days I usually put the odds of a good forecast for any particular day at around 30:1. Indeed, since I retired nearly five years ago, I have been doing far less slope flying than I was when I was a working person. (Smallpiece says it’s all my fault, that I should do the decent

Steve Fraquet’s propels the Backstrom Plank into it’s short-lived flight.

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Motley’s (Geoff Crew) 1:3.5 scale Flamingo appears to be about to get a missile strike!

thing and go back to work. I rarely take his advice) So, when the committee of both the White Sheet club, and the nearby Wessex Soaring Association, recently put forward the notion that E-Assist gliders should be allowed in the respective clubs, the motion was overwhelmingly accepted in both cases. In consequence, a goodly proportion of the models at this event were of the E-Assist variety, allowing much more flying to take place in the periods

Steve Fraquet’s LO100 in typical attitude.

when the wind dies and rising air is not in abundance. So, light winds, plenty of sunshine, a shed load of good-natured banter: this was a day to remember, and with one scale fly in event left this season, can we dare to hope to do it again...?

ANOTHER PROJECT COMPLETION... I mentioned last time around, the start of the (then) next project, which was to be another micro-glider, this time a 7th scale

version of the Slingsby Gull 4. The biggest challenge with a small glider lies in the business of weight reduction, something far more of an issue than it is with the larger machines. I opted, with the little Wolf, to make a one piece wing, the better to gain the weight advantage of not needing a wing joiner system. This worked out well enough, but the Wolf has no dihedral, whilst the Gull has some six degrees of it; so what to do? The initial wing

Antonia Gigg’s electric DG 1001M at the scale fly-in.

Building in the dihedral to a one-piece wing.

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The first half-shell of the Gull fuselage

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construction was commenced by building the wing, minus the top spar, flat on the board. Then, with the centre of the wing weighted down, the rest of the wing was bent upwards each side by inserting a tapered support under the lower spar. The top spar was added, then the ply webbing plates to tie the spars together. Once the sub spars had been placed, top & bottom, the wing was as laterally stiff as you could ever wish for, so chalk that one up as a success. The Gull’s fuselage is of an oval section and is fully sheeted, so here lay another challenge. This time, the half-shell method of construction was employed, with one half of the fuselage being built over the plan, to be then removed and the other side built onto it. I had some doubts about the durability of 1.5mm balsa for the sheeting thereof, but it actually worked out quite well. The model was finished with film on the flying surfaces, and Solartex on the fuselage. The fuz was then primed with two-pack primer, followed by two-pack topcoat. Overall weight came out at around 38 ounces (sounds so much better than two-and-a-bit pounds); heavier than the Wolf, but with a slightly

Page 5

larger wingspan. Initial flights, consisting of a series of hand launches were somewhat disappointing, with a disproportionate amount of wing waggling going on. Moving the CG forward seemed to cure this, but it wasn’t until the ideal amount of CAR (coupled aileron-and-rudder) was attained, that the model suddenly seemed to come ‘on step’ to use a nautical term (or its it seaplane/floatplane - ED?). The spoilers, for all the difficulty in their installation and the fact that I could only get them to come halfway up, used in conjunction with the up-going ailerons, allow for consistent land-at-your-feet operation. It’s hard to express in words as to what it’s like to fly these diminutive delights. It’s a totally different, but equally enjoyable experience, especially on the slope where you can literally float them slowly by right in front of your nose. Someone remarked: “it’s a bit like playing a ukulele isn’t it?” Yes, I would never swap a guitar for a ukulele, but surely it’s better to have both, right...? I

Pat Teakle's Skylark at the White Sheet event.

Author launches the Gull 4.

[email protected]

The Gull in action at White Sheet hill...

DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 13

WIDGEON IN DETAIL Tony OK

31/10/17

14:14

Page 2

Our thanks to Mike Souch of AeroAntiques for making this photo-feature possible

IN DETAIL

WESTLAND WIDGEON MK.III A

s promised in FSM October issue we present this close-up detail study for anyone tempted to build a model of the Westland Widgeon Mk.III, from Phillip Kent’s plans presented in that issue - or at any other prefered size for that matter! Part of that extended feature covered

1: The upper panel of the semi-enclosing engine cowl viewed from the rear.

the ‘in-progress’ restoration of full size Widgeon Mk.III, at the time when the work was being done by Aero Antiques of Southampton. That work is now complete, but the aircraft is currently tucked away in disassembled state so was not available for the ‘In Detail’ photo-shoot we wanted to do.

1

2

3

4

2: The upper nose cowl panel, again showing the panel line , viewed from the left side and showing the exhaust collector. 3: The exposed front of the engine, viewed from the right hand side. 4: Extreme rear end of the exhaust pipe on the left fuselage side. 5: G-AUGI, restored in Australia to full flying conditiopn by Brian Turner.

5

14 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

Fortunately Mike Souch of Aero Antiques kindly offered photos of the Widgeon previously restored in Australia by Brian Turner for collector Stan Smith and which hade been used as a reference source of the A.A. restoration. I

WIDGEON IN DETAIL Tony OK

31/10/17

6

14:15

Page 3

11

12

13

14

7

8

6: Front cockpit, right hand side. 7: Front cockpit windscreen. 8: Cockpit baggage compartment. 9: Front cockpit, left hand side. 10: The rear edge of the front cockpit. 11 & 12: Two views of the cabane struts, viewed from the right hand side. View under the wing centre section showing cabane strut attachment and feed line from fuel tank. 14: Further view of the wing centre section looking toward the trailing edge. 15: Front of the upper engine cowl. 16: The front of the lower engine cowl. 17: Front cockpit floor. 18: Front cockpit left hand side. 19: Front cockpit right hand side. 20: Instrument panel close-up - nice a simple! 21: Pilot’s cockpit windscreen; differs from passenger’s in front. 22: Cockpit soulder harness attachment points. 23: Pilot’s seat, rear cockpit. 24: Internal view of upper cockpit (Pilot’s position).

9

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19

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21

22

23

24

DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 15

WIDGEON IN DETAIL Tony OK

31/10/17

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Page 4

25

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28

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30

25: General view of tailcone, Hinge lines are not cuffed.

31

32

26 & 27: Rudder and elevator control horns and control wire links. 28: Wing-fold lock release. 29 & 30: Wingfold hinge. 31: Propeller hub. Eight stud attachment. 32: Propeller and lower engine cowl.

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

33: Undercarriage front strut attachment. 34: Main undercarriage anchor point. 35: Undercarraige struts, and spacer geometry. 36: Spoked mainwheel. 37: Aileron control cable at extreme inboad position of wing panel. 38: Inner wing trailing edge, showing the control horn on the upper surface. 39: Pitot head on wing leading edge. 40: Wing strut anchor point and tie-down ring.

16 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

WIDGEON IN DETAIL Tony OK

31/10/17

14:16

Page 5

41

42

43

44

45

41: Aileron control cable exit from fuselage. Links to wing undersurface. 42: Front cabane strut anchor point, also showing run of exhaust pipe, that curves down, then assumes horizontal run to rear. 43: Front end of external run of elevator push rod along fuselage underside. Linked to control column. 44: Untermediate point of external elevator push rod linked to rear cockpit control column. 45: Fuselage rear underside, showing rear end of elevator push rod and rudder control cables. 46: Upper elevator control cable exit point on fuselage top deck. 47: Front cockpit mounting stirrup. 48: Front cockpit foot step. 49: Cockpit entry door right hand side. 50: View rearward along fuselage showing rudder cable crank. 51: Pilot’s footstep. 52: Tail skid. Also shown control cables under tailplane. 53: Wing strut anchor point, lower fuselage.

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DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 17

EINDEKKER MODEL Tony OK

30/10/17

14:52

Page 2

PLAN FEATURE

FOKKER E.111

A large, 1:8th scale free flight rubber-powered replica of the famous WW1 warbird designed by Andrew Hewitt

T

he Fokker E.III was one of the world’s first pure fighter aircraft and has remained famous for being the first fighter aircraft to employ a synchroning mechanism that allowed the machine gun to be fired through the arc of the propeller. Thus, the pilot had merely to aim his aeroplane and not struggle trying to point his gun at an opponent in a manner clear of the propeller arc. The aircraft, thus equipped, became

able to despatch opponents at an alarming rate and developed a reputation far beyond its abilities. It was not until a specimen was captured and examined, that a full assessment of its true capabilities exposed many poor flying qualities. The Fokker gave the poor pilot the impression it was trying to kill its occupant at the first opportunity! Demonstrations were given of how to deal with the Fokkers, and more modern aircraft such as the Morane Bullet,

followed by the nimble Nieuport 11 and DH 2 pusher, saw the end of ‘The Fokker scourge’. As a flying scale model subject, the Fokker E.III Eindecker makes an attractive proposition, possessing a simple, light structure and bags of character, but it does have a short nose, no dihedral and all-flying tail surfaces that make it very twitchy, just like the real thing! The trick is to build it as light, true and stiff as possible and trim it carefully.

The prototype was sprayed using matt enamels, thinned 50%. Non-working rigging is from shirring elastic.

18 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

EINDEKKER MODEL Tony OK

30/10/17

14:52

Page 3

CONSTRUCTION 1

3

2

4

5

1: Useful study showing wing and tail surface structure prior to tissue covering. Note wing trailing-edge (which appears non-existent here) is, in fact, 1.5 mm diameter carbon rod. Tail surface outlines are from aluminium tube. 2: Fuselage rear detail showing tail skid and dummy control wires. 3: Static scale propeller (left) and flying version (right). After carving, this latter was covered in glass cloth for strength. 4: Cowling, dummy engine and flying propeller. Engine cylinders are 3/4” diameter balsa dowel wrapped with thread to represent fins. 5: Thin lithoplate nose panels feature machine-finish ‘swirl’ pattern, achieved by using wire wool, a length of 1/8” diameter hardwood dowel and a Dremel. See text.

The initial idea for this project was to produce a rubber powered model, that would fly just as realistically as the I/C engined scale models. To achieve this, a large model (by free flight rubber power scale standards anyway) was thought necessary, with a light wing loading and plenty of power (large rubber motor). It has exceeded expectations with its duration, while scale appearance in flight is pure magic. If you have not built many scale rubber powered models, or handled very large rubber motors, it may not be ideal to start with this beast, or you could build it with some dihedral (2 degrees) to tame it. However, a fully wound 12-strand rubber motor certainly helps focus your mind and makes every flight a big event!

TAIL SURFACES The tail surfaces are very small on the Fokker and must be accurately made to ensure success - no warps whatsoever! To help ensure this, the original model was built with aluminium (1/16” diameter) tube

outlines. This sounds heavy, but it is not; the stiffness created by the tube gives fantastic results in both scale appearance and rigidity. Firstly, cut out some cardboard (or maybe Depron) tail shapes, then simply bend the aluminium tubes around the shapes. Where the tube is not long enough, add on another piece of tube using a short wire inserted into each end and super-glue together. Simple! To get accurate radii, just bend the tube around suitably sized paint tins, or pens, etc. The tail spars also act as trimming pivots in aluminium tubes mounted on the fuselage; thus we do not want them to get broken. To prevent this, I use hardwood 1/8”(3mm) dowel, which has to be a tight fit inside the tail mount tubes to allow for trimming adjustments and must not move during flight! If these become a little loose, give them a thin coat of PVA glue to restore their fit. The tail ribs are balsa, sanded to a streamlined section and then capped

with thin 1/32”(0.8mm) sheet strips and, again, sanded. This method is very quick, light, stiff, and far superior to laminated construction. Cover using Jap tissue (try Flitehook at www.flutehook.net), applied with thinned-down PVA glue - two coats of thinned dope and they are ready for final painting. The fin is built just the same and looks very impressive when constructed; it’s a shame to cover it all.

WINGS The wings are very straightforward but must, again, be built accurately; the scale wing section is very thin and must remain rigid because the shirring elastic rigging is only there for appearance. To prevent the wings twisting under flight loads, I have incorporated four main spars of 1/8”(3mm) square hard balsa. Choose these carefully to get hard, light spars. The leading-edge is more of the 1/8”(3mm) diameter hardwood dowel, as used in the tail spars. For the trailing edge I used a 1.5

DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 19

EINDEKKER MODEL Tony OK

30/10/17

14:52

Page 4

mm (1/16”) diameter carbon rod. This gives the wing a slim edge and is also bomb-proof. To ensure a strong bond to the ribs, thin carbon caps are applied from the rear spar over the rib, over the trailing-edge and back to the lower rear spar on every alternate rib. The wing ribs are cut from medium quarter grain 1/16”(1.5mm) sheet, with the riblets from 1/32”(0.8mm). The wing tips are a lamination of 1/32”(0.8mm) strips; aluminium tube is not used here since all my models use their wing tips to break their fall! A scrap ed balsa tip is easier to put right than a bent tube. During

construction, pack up the lower spars to the correct height (for the undercamber), add the main ribs, then top spars followed by the leading and trailing-edges. Now you can trim and add your tips, followed by all the riblets. The rigging points are paper tubes formed around a wire and are cut to full depth of the wing section. The wing dowel tubes are 16 s.w.g. aluminium tubes, cut to length, then bound and epoxied into position on the spars as shown. Following this, all the gussets and wing-walk sheeting is added. This type of construction is quick and requires very little sanding, which I

KKER

FO

E.III

30) FSM/2heet plan are N A L (P is one s

of th copies le from Full size availab odels , cale M little Mill Flying S ia, Doo d e M e oolittl rnhoe, rvice, D e, Totte n a Plans Se L e tl 6 1QX. Doolit hire, LU s rd fo d 3 Be 5 22257 Tel 0152 dia.com e m le tt li ; o o d s@ .K £2.50 enquirie p&p (U s lu p 0 12.5 £4.00; Price £ Europe 6.00. World £ Rest or

20 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

always find a big pain anyway! The last item to be added is the ply facing rib. Covering the wing is a little difficult. Use Jap tissue and cover the underside first, sticking the tissue to every rib. Then cover the upper surface. Water-shrink the surfaces by spraying with a fine mist of water. When dry, apply two coats of 60% thinned dope and pin down the wings for drying to prevent any warps. If any warps do develop, these may be corrected with a kettle full of steam and some soon-tobe-burnt fingers, but you can make yourself a coffee or tea afterwards!

Fuselage In rubber-power Scale terms this is a largescale model and requires careful material selection to achieve the best

EINDEKKER MODEL Tony OK

30/10/17

14:52

Page 5

CONSTRUCTION 6

7

6: Secret of the Fokker E.III’s early aerial success was its synchronised machine gun that fired through the prop. Note cockpit detailing, pilot figure and weathering. 7: Extreme rear fuselage underside, showing tail skid and dummy control wirer for the all-flying tailplane.

results. The longerons have a very difficult job to do and so need to be hard, straight grain wood. All spacers and diagonals are medium and light, especially those rearward of the motor peg. The fuselage is a simple box. Build two sides one over the other to make them identical. The formers require careful material selection to prevent a heavy model. Note the 1/64”(0.4mm) ply doublers at the wing dowel and undercart positions on F3 and F4. Before joining the two sides together add the 16 s.w.g. wing dowels to F3 and F4. These must be accurate or your model will not fly well! Join the two sides together using F2, F3, F4 and F5. The latter is to prevent the wing roots going through your covering during every landing - very annoying. Add all the spacers and diagonals to stiffen up the structure. Add the rear rubber motor mounts predrilled for the large aluminium tube motor peg and ensure these are square and true to the structure. The aluminium tail tubes can also be added, ensuring they are dead square. The fin tube locates on the rear skid pylon apex. The undercarraige is a little complicated, resembling a not-quite-right three-poster bed! Note that the front main legs are free to spring as per full-size, riding up and down in slots in the fuselage sides, only the lower cross-piece being bound with fuse wire and soldered to the front ‘V’ struts. The rear ‘V’ struts are connected to the front with three legs and are braced with fine wire after the front and rear assemblies have been bound and epoxied to the fuselage bottom. The legs are faired with balsa, sanded to shape and then covered with heavyweight tissue or silk for strength. The top forward decking is a simple structure added around the pylon and rigging wires. Each wheel is a sandwich of three discs, the two outers being 1/32”(0.8mm) ply with a soft sheet core. A 16 s.w.g. brass tube forms the bearing and a thin card cone forms the scale shape. The tyre is a length of rubber tube, cut to size and

superglued together to form the tyre. A lightweight tube can be hard to find; I searched Yellow Pages for a local rubber company and was soon blessed with a huge selection of materials. Alternatively, you may search in the Web.

Cowl and dummy engine The crankcase for the dummy engine forms the front of the rubber motor location. The tube is formed from two laminations of 1/16”(1.5mm) sheet around two circular formers which, when dry, are cut away. The front of this short tube is covered with F1 cut from 1/16”(1.5mm) ply. Ensure that the tube is square; no side-thrust or down-thrust has been found necessary on my model. The engine cylinders are formed from 3/4”(19mm) diameter balsa dowel, which is wrapped with string and coated with PVA glue, before all the cylinders are cut to length. The cylinders are then glued to the crankcase and aluminium tubing is used to represent the push rods. The front of the crankcase forms the rubber nose block; this is simply a series of discs of both ply and balsa. Ensure that the nose block is a tight fit into the tube and use a brass bush for the front bearing. The propeller is carved from a block of firm balsa - remember that you will have to add considerable nose weight anyway, so make the propeller very strong.Take your time carving the propeller, cover it with glass cloth or silk and balance it as best you can. A badly out-of-balance prop of this size could cause damage to your airframe and all the vibration would seriously reduce the performance. Because of the need for nose weight I have used the large diameter prop shaft and the biggest thrust race I could find. The cowling is made of balsa rings and sheeting. Firstly, glue together C1 to C5, then add the three short legs C6 to the back of C5. When dry, add C7 and sheet between C5 and C7 with 1/16” sheet. On the back of C7 are two small formers (C8), which are only there to accept the aluminium side cheeks, but also provide a good location for the cowl onto the nose

of the fuselage. The cowl is then carved and sanded to shape, doped with sanding sealer and covered twice with tissue for a hard, smooth finish. The aluminium effect finish is achieved by doping with very thick aluminium dope, leaving it to dry, then sanding smooth with wire wool. This trick will amaze you, and fool all your friends. The dummy engine is painted, then glued into position with epoxy onto the front of C7.

FINISHING Cover the fuselage with Jap tissue and give it three coats of thinned dope. You can now apply the aluminium litho panels to the nose area. Use the basic panel lines given to cut the shapes and trial-fit each until the correct fit is achieved. Before attaching the panels with contact glue, apply the ‘swirl-finish’ effect to each panel. This is achieved with a piece of 1/8”(3mm) hardwood dowel wrapped with a small amount of wire wool, held in place with a small rubber band. This is now placed into a Dremel drill and spun all over the panels in a random method; quick and easy! This method is also applied to the cowl, and you cannot tell the difference between the balsa cowl and litho panels. The remainder of the model is now sprayed to match your chosen documentation (see pages 36-37 for colour schemes). Use matt enamels thinned 50% and a fine spray to minimise weight gain. The wheels are retained with a washer soldered on. You can now go to town detailing your model to your heart’s content; use the references given. The rigging is simply black shirring elastic, which is hooked onto the undercarraige, passed through a wing tube and then onto the pylon. Four per side are required.

TRIMMING AND FLYING Make up a rubber motor from 48 gm of 1/4”(6mm) or 1/8”(3mm) flat rubber, into a 12 or 24 strand motor (if using 1/8”). Pretension the motor to be about 17 inches (430mm) long. The motor peg end has a

DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 21

EINDEKKER MODEL Tony OK

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Page 6

short length of aluminium tube, which locates over the 3/16”(5mm) motor peg in the rear fuselage; the propeller end has an ‘S’ hook. If you are unfamiliar with the Pre-tensioning technique, this is fully explained in pages 24-25 of this issue. Balance the model to the location indicated. My prototype required 1.25 ounces(44 grams) of lead in the nose - I thought I had done really well until then! Also, make a tail position indicator from card which is ‘U’shaped and fits over the rear fuselage and snug up against the fin and elevators. Mark on this card the zero positions. The tail feathers will have to be checked for every flight. Test glide down a slope for best results; a good flat glide can be achieved. Record the tail settings on the card and then progress with powered flights using about 80 100 hand turns. Aim for a gentle right turn - I required 1/32”(0.8mm) right rudder to obtain this. No thrust-line changes have been required. For high-powered flights, you must use a winding tube, or you may destroy all your work. Ounce a good glide trim setting has been achieved, all powered trim adjustments must be made to the thrust-line, not the tail. This is achieved using packing behind the nose block - 1/64”(0.4mm) ply is good for this. Best of luck with your Fokker; it does look stunning in the air and is simple to mend! I

SPECIFICATIONS

Name: Fokker E.III Type: Rubber-powered Free-flight Scale Designer: Andrew Hewitt Scale: 1:8 Wing span: 44.5” / 1131mm Motor: 48 gm of 1/4” or 1/8” flat rubber, 12- or 24-strands Construction: Built-up balsa/ply with aluminium tube and carbon rod Covering: Doped Jap tissue Finish: Sprayed matt enamel

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13/09/2017 11:35

PRETENSIONING Tony OK

30/10/17

14:53

Page 2

RUBBER POWER TECHNIQUE

SO WHAT IS PRE-TENSIONING? ...and what can it do for the performance of a rubber powered free flight scale model?

T

his is a way of accommodating a long rubber motor in a relatively short fuselage to circumvent the problem of a long unwound rubber motor distributing itself unevenly fore/aft inside the model. It is a technique regularly applied to ‘open’ competition free fight models where you can use as much rubber motor as you like (as distinct from the ‘restricted’ Wakefield and Coup d’Hiver classes the comepition rules for which permit so little rubber that motors are invariably taut between anchorages). But it is entirely appropriate for free flight scale rubber powered models. (Fig.1) Many rubber designs with folding propellers (using the conventional ‘spring-and-woodscrew’ stop system) side-step the problem by retaining the final few turns (which provide little or no power) on the motor. This is easily accomplished by suitable adjustment of the stop. A complete row of knots can be expected to be even, but a partial’ row can be left at either nose or tail with resultant repercussions on the glide. (Fig.2) Models with free-wheeling (i.e. all small kit designs), feathering, free-wheel-folding, and some with conventional folding propellers employ pre-tensioned motors. The rubber is plaited, or twisted on itself, so that when unwound it forms a ‘rope’ in which individual strands (being spirally disposed) are longer than the overall length of the motor. The effective length of the motor, and hence its capacity for withstanding turns is still, effectively, the length of the strands. To be pedantic the maximum turns are reduced slightly due to the residual turns used to pre-tension. The easiest method of so treating a motor is to make up a motor of twice the intended length and half the required number of strands (it might not be superfluous to say that a loop is two strands). (Fig.3)

Pretensioning A number of turns are applied to one end of this motor whilst the other is held stationary. The two ends are brought together, attached to a propeller, and allowed to unwind whilst the middle is held. The motor forms itself into a plaited skein. The main snags with this system are that the preliminary turns may not be uniform

and that the ‘doubled over’ part of the motor may not be its mid-point. This can lead to a motor that sometimes still ‘bunches’ inside the fuselage. The system also only works with motors of four strands or multiples thereof. (Fig.4) A better and more versatile system is to make up two separate motors of the normal specified length, but of half (or plus or minus one) the number of strands. For a 14-strand motor make up an 8 and a 6 strand motor. These are attached to the same rear fitting, wound in turn attached to the same propeller, and allowed to unwind together. It is important that the two separate parts of the rubber are, at this pretensioning stage, wound in the SAME direction, not in opposite directions as the diagram here implies. (Fig.5) This ensures the two ‘halves’ have the same length and same turns. Even an odd number of strands can be managed by including a separate strand (with a loop on each end) in one ‘side.’ (Fig.6) In all cases, the number of turns required has to be determined by experiment as it depends on the number of strands as well as motor and fuselage length. It should also depend on the propeller type. A freewheeling propeller should have the motor just tight enough for the propeller nose block to remain in place on the glide, but slack enough for the propeller to ‘knock out’ rather than break on landing. A (free wheel) folder model (note necessarily applied to a F/F Scale model, should have a tighter motor, as the nose block must stay in place during the jolt of the propeller being stopped at the end of the motor run. Allow the Pretension turns to unwind under tension to produce evenly distributed tensioning turns. This gives a motor longer than will result under normal conditions, so after tensioning and before flight, apply a small fraction of ‘contest’ turns and allow the motor to unwind in the model. If the tension is not as required then repeat with more or less turns as appropriate. Then record the number for future applications. Finally it is generally considered inadvisable to leave a motor tensioned FOR periods of several days or more. The rubber takes on a permanently wavy form - a hardly desirable feature. I

24 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

FIG.2

FIG.3

PRETENSIONING Tony OK

30/10/17

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Page 3

FIG.4

FIG.5

FIG.1

FIG.6 DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 25

EINDEKKER TYPE HISTORY Tony OK

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Page 2

TYPE HISTORY

The World's first true fighter

The Fokker D

uring the first months of World War One, the introduction and development of aircraft armament had high priority. At the start of hostilities, Germany did not have a suitable lightweight machine gun for use in aircraft, but modified infantry weapons were soon in use from a variety of makeshift gun mountings. It was appreciated that a machine gun firing forward in the direction of flight would be the best solution and this gave rise to the appearance of armed pusher aircraft. Another approach to the problem was the construction of twinengined aircraft, since the observer/gunner in the nose of this type of machine did not have any airscrew

avoidance problem. Various methods were tried by both sides and one of these used by the French, where a machine gun was free-fired through the area of the rotating airscrew, provided a practical, if somewhat dangerous solution. Metal deflector wedges were bolted to the wooden airscrew in line with the muzzle of the machine gun and this prevented damage to the blades from the few rounds that would otherwise have struck them. This device, known as the ‘Saulnier Armoured Propeller’ was fitted to several Morane Type L Parasols and used operationally. One of the most successful pilots to use this set-up was the famous pre-WW1 pilot Roland Garros, who managed to shoot down a number

of German aircraft in a few short weeks before he in turn was shot down behind German lines, to be captured, in April 1915. Garros managed to destroy his downed aircraft before capture, but the remains included the propeller with its armoured deflector wedges, left sufficiently intact to reveal the principle of the ‘SystemGarros’ to German technicians. Investigations into how best to utilise this rather crude device revealed, to the surprise of Germany authorities, that Anthony Fokker had previously conducted experiments in this direction and that he already had a mechanically synchronised gun that worked. Fokker was immediately asked to fit his ‘Interrupter System’ to an aircraft and he

Ground crew at Sivry, France in 1916 display the kind of clothing used by WWI aviators for protection against cold at altitude.

EINDEKKER TYPE HISTORY Tony OK

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Page 3

er aircraft!

Eindeckers The development of this famous line of aircraft and the impact it had on WW1

installed it into one of his Fokker M5K single-seat scouting aircraft that he was already supplying to the Imperial German air service. The new, armed single-seat Fokker M5K/MG aircraft prototype was then taken to the Front and demonstrated to selected units. Pilots with experience of rotary-engined aircraft were given the chance to fly the new machine and gave it an enthusiastic endorsement. Redesignated E.1, the 80 hp, sevencylinder rotary powered aircraft, with wing warping for lateral control, went into production, with 15 examples operational by the end of July 1915. Success was immediate. Initially, one example was allocated to each twoseater combat unit on the active parts of the battlefront and in the hands of aggressive pilots, was soon shooting down the slower, less manoeuvrable Allied aircraft. The long months of the ‘Fokker Scourge’ had begun. It was soon realised that a more effective means of maximising the new machine’s superiority was by operating the single-seaters in groups, resulting in non-permanent formations known as Kampfeinsitzer-Kommandos, which were formed and dissolved as the tactical situation required. It was soon appreciated that fighting in single-seaters was a specialist job and while many of the early Fokkers were flown by twoseater pilots who did this work in addition to their normal two-seater duties, the dedicated single-seater fighter pilot now emerged. Some of these pilots began to amass considerable victory scores and their names became known in households around Germany as news of their achievements and decorations became known. Such air superiority could not be left unchallenged and sparked the beginning of the never-ending fighter technology race that persists to this day. The Allied reply came in the form of nimble biplanes, the British de Havillanddesigned DH2 and the French Nieuport 11, to herald the end of the operational life of the Fokker E-type monoplanes, of which there were 140 on the Western Front at the commencement of the Battle of the Somme on July 1st 1916. Outnumbered and outperformed, only a

Unteroffizier Knieste with E.I. The upper surface bracing mast, LMG 08 machine gun installation and forward fuselage detail are well shown.

The man himself, Anthony Fokker looks well pleased with himself in front of this E.III. Machine gun is offset to starboard.

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few lingered in the newly formed Jagdstaffeln which came into being in August that yea, briefly serving alongside the new Albatros, Fokker and Halberstadt fighter biplanes.

MORE GUNS, MORE POWER An early attempt was made to improve the performance of the E.1 by employing the higher powered Oberursel U.1 rotary engine that offered 100 hp to produce the E.II type with shorter wing span and higher wing loading, but this was not a success. New wings of 9.52 metres span were then fitted to produce the E.III which became the most numerous version of the Fokker monoplane line,

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with 110 examples at the Front by the end of April 1916. The Final offspring was the E.IV, a redesign to accommodate a twin-gun armament installation, with wingspan increased to 10 metres. The fuselage front end was revised and a more enclosed cockpit position added, together with 160 hp Oberusel U III 14 cylinder double-row rotary engine. However the greater torque and gyroscopic effect of the bigger, heavier engine actually restricted manoeuvrability. The optimum performance had been achieved with the E.III. and there were also problems associated with the synchronisation of

28 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

the two guns and also of three guns, installed on a few E.IVs of which, only 29 are recorded as being with Front-Line formations.

CONSTRUCTION Although there were differences in engine installation, cowlings and wingspan, construction remained very similar throughout the series. The fuselage was a steel tube structure, braced with wire and covered with fabric, It was rectangular in cross section from the pilot’s position aft in both plan and side elevation, terminating in bearings for the tubular main spar of the elevators. The rudder was hinged vertically at this

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Although it is still in German national markings, this captured E.III is caught in the act of being tested by an allied pilot for evaluation.

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The installation of the nine-cylinder Oberursel U.1 100 hp rotary engine in a Fokker E.III.

The fragility of WWI aircraft is well illustrated by this unhappy E.III which has nosed over. But such damage could be easily rectified by skilled riggers.

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Man and machine ... Unteroffizier Dietrich of Feldflieger Abteilung 24 with his personal Fokker E.I. Note the hawk (Habitch) motif on the rear fuselage side which must have been one of the earliest examples of personal identificiation art on a WW1 fighter aircraft.

A brand new Fokker E.III. The undercarriage struts are fully revealed here, together with the Vstrut anchor for rthe wing warping mechanism.

Leutnant Diemer poses in the cockpit of his Fokker E.III 420/15. Some of the undercarriage is usefully revealed here.

30 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

position, its bottom hinge being attached to an inverted pyramid of steel tubing that supported the tailskid. No tailplane or fin was employed, the rudder and elevator being aerodynamically balanced. The forward fuselage was clad in aluminium sheet and bulged fairings were fitted to the sides of the nose to fair the circular shape of the engine cowling into the fuselage. The cowling was left open at the bottom to provide entry of cooling air and to prevent accumulation of oil or petrol that might create a fire hazard. The top decking of the fuselage varied with different models and on the E.IV it extended aft of the cockpit to form a short ‘turtledeck’. The axles for the undercarriage wheels were pivoted at the front apex of an inverted wire-braced steel tube trestle, the compression leg, working in a slot in the fuselage, being sprung inside the fuselage by means of shock cord. Undercarriage drag loads were taken by steel tubes extending from the bottom of the compression leg, to the rear apex of the undercarriage trestle. Wings were of two (wooden) spar construction with metal tube drag struts and wire bracing, of parallel chord with raked tips. Ribs and riblets were of wood. The wings were fitted to the fuselage sides almost on the thrust line, the front spars being braced with steel cables from a small steel tube pylon just ahead of the cockpit and from the axle pivot point on the undercarriage trestle. The rear apex of the undercarriage trestle carried a rocking lever actuated from the control column, which operated

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Head-on view of the prototype E.IV, werk No.298, delvered from the Fokker factory on September 27th 1915, showing the experimental three-gun armament installation. Note - no cooling frets in the cowl front at this stage.

A clear view of the sparse cockpit interior of an E.III reveals the absolute minimum of instrumentation. What looks like a blank instrument panel in front of the control column is a box for empty cartridge belts. The control column surmounted by a ring and twin hand grips was typical of tghe type carried over to other German fighter aircraft, of which the Albtros D.I and D.II were examples.

the wing warping cables to points on the rear spars on the wing under-surface. Balance cables from similar points on the rear spars on the wing upper-surface ran through two pulleys attached to the wing-bracing pylon. On the E. lIl, the main fuel tank was cylindrical in shape and mounted aft of the pilot, extending across the fuselage, its capacity being 100 litres. This tank was

pressurised by a hand pump on early models, but later a windmill-driven pump fitted to a strut on the undercarriage trestle became a standard fitting. Fuel was transferred by cock selection from the pressurised tank to the gravity tank situated in front of the ammunition box. The gravity tank held 22 litres and, in addition, had an integral compartment for 25 litres of castor lubricating oil.

Leutnant Muller and his Fokker E.IV pictured at Bonn Hangilar April 25th 1917 - very late for any ‘Eindecker’. Cowl for the double-row 14 cylinder Oberursel engine and upper undercarriage anchor points are well illustrated. Note the dangling wheel chocks.

Airscrews fitted were usually of the Garuda type and were of 2.20 metres diameter on the 80 hp E. I and 2.5 metres diameter on the higher powered Fokker E. lIl.

SURFACE COLOURING Fokker ‘E’ monoplanes were covered in natural, unbleached linen fabric which, when clear doped, presented a beige

The cut-outs in the front of the engine cowl immediately identify this machine as an example of the later Fokker E.IV.

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Oberleutnant Kurt Student with his Fokker E.IV, which features the standard twin-gun armament of production examples. Student became General of Paratroops during WW2.

An E.IV in standard format pictured in early 1916.

Another view of the three-gun armament installation on an E.IV as viewed from the cockpit.

appearance. National insignia in the form of the Iron Cross was carried above and below the wings, on the fuselage sides and on the rudder against white backgrounds. Some early aircraft did not always have the fuselage cross and some of these machines did not have white-painted backgrounds to their national insignia. Few Fokker ‘E’ monoplanes carried unit markings for the simple reason that such decoration was not yet in general use. Some aircraft did begin to employ markings that signified the particular Army to which they were assigned and during the Summer of 1916, there was a general increase in the use of individual markings, which were mostly confined to the wheel covers or to a simple numeral or letter marked on the fuselage. Fokkers flying for the III Armee had their wheel covers painted half black and half white and similar machines on the strength of ArmeeAbteilung-Gaede had the rudders over-painted black. Later, these aircraft also carried various black and white fuselage bands to further indicate their assigned Armee. Wheel cover decoration was commonly used in the V Armee area on the Fokker E.IV monoplanes used by its Kampfeinsitzer-Kommandos during the summer of 1916. I

The bare bones of the prototype E.IV, showing the installation of the 14 cylinder double-row Oberursel engine and the experimental three-gun armament installation.

32 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

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SCALE 1:40

EINDEKKER SCALE DRAWING Tony OK.qxd

FOKKER MILITARY E.

EINDEKKER SCALE DRAWING Tony OK.qxd

ER M.14

E.11 & E.III

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EINDEKKER FLYING COLOURS Tony OK

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FOKKER ‘EINDEKKER’ FLYING COLOURS

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SUBJECTS FOR SCALE SEAFIRE Tony OK

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SUBJECTS FOR SCALE

THE SUPERMARINE

SEAFIRES

Produced, at least initially, in something of an act of desperation, progressive mix-and-match development paralleling the land-based Spitfire series evenually produced an excellent Carrier based Fleet fighter

W

hen Britain declared war on German on September 3rd 1939, after the German invasion of Poland two days earlier, the only ‘fighter’ monoplane aircraft in operational service with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm was the curiously and inelegantly shaped Blackburn Skua, the product of a British Air Ministry specification issued in 1934. It was followed, later in 1939 by a similarly shaped deivative, the Blackburn Roc. Both aircraft were two seat types, the Skua with a main fixed forward firing armament of four 0.303” calibre machine, plus a single rearward firing Lewis or Vickers K gun operated by the second crew member, while the Roc was an adaption of the same basic airframe as a ‘turret fighter’ created to the same

misguided notions that resuted in the Boulton Paul Defiant. In addition to the ‘fleet fighter’ task, the Skua was also required to double as a dive-bomber. Neither Skua, nor Roc could muster a top speed of more that 225 mph, whereas the Gloster Sea Gladiator biplane, the first deliveries of which were received in December 1938, could make it to 250 mph. However, it is only fair to say, that Blackburn supplied what they were asked for! Having led the way in the very early years of development of aircraft for Carrier borne warfare during and immediately after WW1, the Royal Navy had seriously lost its way in naval aviation, whereas in USA and across the other side of the Pacific Ocean in Japan, logical, progressive development of dedicated

carrier-borne combat aircraft had, by 1939 produced the Grumman F4F Wildcat and the Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’. In comparison to what the Fleet Air Arm had on charge, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps’ portly little bruiser of a fighter aircraft was the logical development of naval fighter design that benefited from the practical experience of a string of designs tailored to the specific needs of aircraft carrier operations, offering a powerful punch of six 0.5” forward-firing guns in true ‘pursuitfighter’ layout and with a maximum speed of some 330 mph!

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING BETTER France had ordered an export variant of the Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat in late 1939 to

Seafire Mk.XVII superbly restored to flying condition. Seen in action during the Flying Legends air show in 2006.

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equip its existing aircraft carrier Bearn, plus two others, Joffre and Painleve then under construction, but when defeated France signed an armistice with Germany in mid June 1940, that entire order of some 80 aircraft was taken over by the British government, for the Royal Navy. Nevertheless, the drive for a home-grown true fleet fighter prompted the ‘navalisation’ of the Hawker Hurricane of which, that celebrated Royal Navy test pilot Capt. Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown commented “... short of range, with ditching properties of a submarine, harsh stalling characteristics, very mediocre deck land ingview and an undercarriage that was a likely as not to bounce it over the arrester wires....” Nevertheless, Capt. Brown went on to acknowledge that the Sea Hurricane, although by no means ideal, did acquit itself with distinction during its brief naval first-line career.

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Seafire prototype? Well maybe, but this Spitfire Mk.VB, complete with Vokes tropical air filter in the lower engine cowl was one of three converted to Seafire Mk.1B standard by installation of a V-frame under-fuselage arrester hook and launch sling attachment points.

DOWN TO THE SEA IN SPITFIRES The successful improvisation that the Hawker Sea Hurricane represented did at least produce a revision of naval aviation thinking in the Royal Navy, the obvious extrapolation of which led to attention turning to the adaption of the Supermarine Spitfire for Fleet carrier operations. But whilst the performance and flying qualities were fully acknowledged, the practically of operating the aircraft in the Carrier environment was questionable. Would its air of fragility be consistent with flight deck operations? Only one way to find out really and so, in late 1941 a Spitfire Mk.VB was modified to mount an A-frame arrester hook under the rear fuselage, thus becoming the prototype Seafire Mk.1B and after initial land-based dummy deck landing tests, was taken aboard HMS Illustrious for seaborne deck take-off and landing trials, including catapult launches, which generally proved successful, while at the same time highlighting the poor decklanding view over the long nose that immediately prompted a long curving flight deck approach, later to be found equally and universally necessary with the Vought F4U Corsair. Further Mk.VB Spits were then re-engineered to Seafire Mk.1B standard for evaluation and trials. The second semi-navalised variant of the Seafire and the first to be built from scratch as such, was the Seafire F.Mk IIc which was based on the Spitfire Mk.Vc, but incorporating catapult spools and a single catapult sling attachment lug on either side of the fuselage, just behind the engine bulkhead. Three subtypes were produced, the F Mk IIc and FR Mk IIc (fighter reconnaissance), powered by a Rolls Royce Merlin 46, and the L.Mk IIc powered by a low altitude Merlin 32 specifically manufactured for naval use with a ‘cropped’ supercharger impellor to provide greater power at low altitudes than the standard engines and driving a four bladed propeller. The Mk.IIc was the first of the Seafires to be deployed operationally in large numbers, although this early version still lacked the folding wings needed to allow it to be used on board some Royal Navy

An early Seafire Mk.IIC starts its take-off run aboard HMS Hunter during Operation Avalanche, the Salerno landings in Italy during September 1943.

A Seafire Mk.IIC, with four blade propeller, on test to trial an ordnance load of 60 lb. rocket projectiles. The installation was never used operationally.

The prototype Rolls Royce Griffon engined Seafire Mk.XV created from a Seafire Mk.III airframe mated to a Griffon VI engine and with the enlarged tail surfaces of a Spitfire Mk.VIII.

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The final variant, the Seafire Mk.47. Its speed and rate of climb had few competitors among contemporary piston engined fighters, providing a defensive superiority over early naval jet fighters where critical Mach numbers hardly exceeded this ultimate Seafire.

carriers, which had deck lifts insuffieiently large enough to accommodate the Seafire’s full wingspan. The Seafire F.Mk III was the first true carrier adaptation of the Spitfire design and incorporated manually folding wings allowing more of these aircraft to be spotted on deck or in the hangars below. The wing-fold incorporated two straight chordwise folds on each wing panel, with one break immediately outboard of the wheel-wells from which the wing hinged upwards and a second hinge at each wing tip allowing the tips to fold down; when the wings were folded, the wingtips

Gotcha! With wing flaps fully deployed, the fourth Seafire Mk.47 catches the arrester wire during deck landing trials.

folded to point outwards..

FROM MERLIN TO GRIFFON The need to keep up with, and preferably keep ahead of enemy fighter aircraft performance demanded ever greater engine power, leading to the introduction of the Rolls Royce Griffon engine to the Spitfire series, commencing with the Spitfire Mk. XII introduced in the Autumn of 1942 and the Mk.XIV a year later. In parallel, Griffon power was applied to Seafires too. After the Mk III series, the next Seafire variant to appear was the Seafire F.Mk XV,

which was powered by a Griffon VI, rated at 1,850 h.p. and was an amalgamation of a strengthened Seafire III airframe and wings with retractable tailwheel, larger elevators and broad-chord, pointed rudder of the Spitfire VIII. The final 30 Mk XVs were built with the blown ‘teardrop’ cockpit canopy and cut down rear fuselage as introduced on the Rolls Royce Merlin powered Spitfire Mk XVI. A problem that immediately surfaced was the poor deck behaviour of the Seafire Mk.XV, especially on take-off. As with the Griffon powered Spitfires, at full power the slipstream of the propeller

Seafire F.XV formation of three aircraft flown by pilots of No.803 Squadron, Royal Canadian Navy.

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swung the aircraft to the left (as opposed to the Merlin powered Seafires and Spitfires too, which swung to the right). Often, even with the rudder hard over on opposite lock, this starboard swing was enough to force a Seafire XV to swing to starboard to a degree that sometimes led to a collision with the Carrier’s island. The undercarriage oleo legs were still the same of those of the much lighter Merlin engined Spitfires, so that the swing was often accompanied by a series of hops.

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The Seafire F.Mk XVII featured the tear-drop cockpit canopy and was the last of the series to retain the original classic fully elliptical wing planform and might arguably be regarded as the prettiest of the entire series. Like the Mk.XV it used a new ‘stinger’ type arrester hook at the extreme rear and benefitted from a reinforced main undercarriage that used longer oleos and a lower rebound ratio. This went some way towards taming the poor deck behaviour of Mk XV, reduced the propensity of

the propeller tips to ‘peck’ the deck during an arrested landing and the softer oleos stopped the aircraft from occasionally bouncing over the arrestor wires and into the crash barrier.

A Seafire Mk. XVII in postWW2 service with No. 781 Squadron.

LAST HURRAHS The Seafire F.Mk 45 and FR.Mk 45 was the next version of the Seafire entered service in 1946, and introduced the revised, more ‘squared-off wing tip planform as first applied to the Spitfire Mk.21 but reverted to the deeper dorsal-

COCKPIT: seafire Mk. XVII

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SEAFIRE MK. XVII ANATOMY

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THE AWKWARD SQUAD!

The Blackburn Skua fighter/dive bomber (left) and Bla turret fighter (below) were the Royal Navy’s first mono slower than the Gloster Sea Gladiator biplane that had service prior to both. The only way is up!

READY FOR ACTION; Seafire Mk.XVs spotted on the rear flight deck of HMCS Warrior.

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nd Blackburn Roc monoplane fighters; at had entered

Above & Below: Seen on the hard-stand at Duxford, Kennet Aviation’s superbly restored Seafire Mk.XVII, magnificent. One of only two airworthy Seafires remaining and the sole flying example in UK.

fairing rear fuselage shape. The Seafire F.Mk 46/FR Mk.46 was, effectively, a Spitfire F.Mk 22 modified to naval standard and featured the cut down rear fuselage and ‘teardrop’ canopy, but the wing was not modified to fold. The final version of the Seafire was the Seafire F.Mk 47/FR.Mk 47 of which there was no true prototype. Instead, the first two production examples served as trials aircraft. As the ‘definitive’ carrier based Seafire, the Mk. 47 incorporated several refinements over earlier variants. After the first four aircraft, with manually folded wings, the Mk. 47 incorporated hydraulically powered wing

folding, the outer wings folding upwards in one piece, butnwithout the outward folding wingtips of earlier marks. The Seafire 47 saw action with 800 Squadron on board HMS Triumph during the Malayan Emergency of 1949 and during the Korean War in 1950. However, in 1951 all Seafires were withdrawn from front-line service. In all, 90 F.Mk 47s and FR .Mk 47s were built, all by the parent Supermarine Company as opposed to wartime production by several subcontractors. VR971, the last of the 22,000 aircraft built under the Spitfire/Seafire program, left the production line at Supermarine on 28 January 1949. I

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SUPERMARINE

SEAFIRE F Mk XVII

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SCALE 1:50

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IN DETAIL

SUPERMARINE

SEAFIRE Mk. XVII KENNET AVIATION’S RESTORED AND FULLY AIRWORTHY EXAMPLE 2

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1-4: The tear-drop cockpit canopy, showing the guide rails and rounded windscreen. 5: View at the wing trailing edge, showing the long wing root-tofuselage fairing. 6: Access hatch, left side, behind the wing fairing for electric and radio sockets.

11

7: Fuselage panelling right side, at wing leading edge, showing the catapult sling attachment. 8: Detail of fuselage panelling, wing/fuselage fairing and wing tread panel. 9: Oil cooler air intake under fuselage nose. 10: Engine exhaust stack, right hand side. 11: The big, streamlined propeller spinner and four blade prop.

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12: The fin and rudder, showing the aerodynamic balance. Tape lines reveal that the rudder is fabric covered. Note also the elevator trim tab. 13: Close up of the rudder trim tab. 14: Close-up of the formation light on the rudder above the trim tab. 15: General view of the tail surfaces. 16: View of tailplane and elevator. showing the trim tab and hinge line cuff, plus the elevator aerodynamic balance. Latter also seen in photo 17. 18: Close detail of the elevator trim tab, right side. 19 & 20: One of the main undercarriage legs. Wheels retract outward. 21: The arrester hook fairing below the rudder, here released, in the down position.

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22 & 23: Two views of the retractable tailwheel, showing the fairing doors and the arrester wire guard just ahead of the tailwheel. 24: Further view of the fixed arrestor wire guard just ahead of the tailwheel. 25: Rear fuselage panelling 26: The arrester hook, extended, and its fairing under the rudder. 27: The main wing fold, just outboard of the main undercarriage. 28: Wing tip in the folded position.Note pitot head

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29 & 30: Two further views of the wing at the main fold position. 31: One of the two wing mounted cannon. 32: Right wing radiator viewed from rear. 33: Wing underside, showing surface panelling and aileron hinge line. 34 & 35: Two views showing the wing lock mechanism. 36: Side view of radiator showing adjustment flap. 37: Radiator viewed from front. 38: The aileron hinge showing that the hinge line is reaeward of the aileron leading edge.

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TECHNIQUE

SPORT SCALE INSTRUMENT PANELS

FOLLOW MIKE ALEXANDER'S STEP-BY-STEP ROUTE TO SCALISH INSTRUMENT PANELS SCALE REALISM WITH OUT TOO MUCH EFFORT

A

ny sports-scale model, be it free flight, control-line or radio control, that features a cockpit area which is open to prying eyes (and fingers!) is crying out for a decent dummy instrument panel. Such additions give an air of authenticity to any model and elevate it from ‘toy’ status to something approaching a full-size aeroplane in miniature. The stick-on type of printed dash-panels are a pretty poor substitute for a properly made representation of an instrument panel - I think so, anyway. These are okay I suppose, for the modeller in a hurry to get his latest creation airborne. At the other end of the realism scale are those instrument panels that need a second mortgage to buy. They are very nice to look at but, as I said, the cost ... well I’ll say no more. These panels that I put into my sports

scale-models cost very little to make - just a couple of very enjoyable hours of your time. An initial outlay of under a tenner, plus some bits and pieces from the odds and ends box allow me to produce several panels, depending on the size of panel and number of instruments in it, etc. It is money and effort well spent, especially with all the admiring looks one receives (the model, not me!) and they certainly transform the ‘office’. The following photos and sketches are pretty well self-explanatory so I will try to keep these notes to a minimum, adding constructional hints and tips as we go along. Photo 1 illustrates the materials used, most of which come from the scrap box and include clear celluloid from old packaging, 1/64” ply, some coloured card (silver Christmas handkerchief packet and black artist’s paper), a SLEC stick-on panel, some proprietory instrument faces and lenses, the wicks from disposable gas

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lighters and glass-headed pins in a variety of colours. So, with this little lot duly assembled, let’s make a start.

Step one Cut a piece of thin card to former outline and draw on it the positions of the various dials (photo 2). These can be copied from a three-view, photograph, or drawing of a full-size panel, or you can simply make up a design of your own.

Step two When satisfied with the positioning of the various instruments in the panel surface, the design should be transferred onto thicker card. Simply place the thin card instrument panel over a thicker piece of card, pin down to prevent movement and cut out the holes for the instrument faces using sharpened 1/4” and 1/2” outside diameter metal tubing, cutting through both layers of card. Use a sharp scalpel

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blade to trim the panel outline. When complete, the thicker card panel forms a template - you could use the thin card original, of course, but it won’t be nearly so durable and it will be called into use quite frequently.

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FIG. 1.

LIP

Step three

LENSE

Next, using the card template, mark the position of the dials on a piece of 1/64” ply with the grain vertical. Take a second piece of 1/64” ply, this time with the grain horizontal and, using the template and the tube cutters again, cut out the holes for the instrument lenses. By using pieces of ply with opposing grain directions, the finished panel will be unlikely to warp after gluing at a later stage. At this point, one has to decide on what type of finish one wants for the completed instrument panel, e.g. natural varnished wood, matt black painted, or an aluminium finish - I have produced these panels will all kinds of finishes. For the painted versions, incidentally, it’s best to use matt black (or any other colour that appeals); artist’s paper rather than paint. Cut out a false fascia, again using that template. For a natural varnished wood finish I use Clearcote since it does not yellow with age as does varnish - even the polyurethane yacht ones do - and these panels can live to a ripe old age. Whatever you use, avoid cellulose dope. For an aluminium finish I use silver card and a fascia from this material can be seen at the bottom of photo 3, placed below the front and rear ply panels and the card template. Now mark the positions of warning lights (glass-headed pins), push-pull switches (gas lighter wicks) and panel-to-bulkhead fixing screws on the fascia.

BEVEL AND SHOULDER

FIG. 2.

LENSE

CHAMBERED REBATE HAS TO BE CUT

1:64” PLY PANEL

FIG. 3.

LENSE OPENING (HOLE)

NOSE FRONT

Step four The desired dial faces are cut from their printed sheets using the sharpened tubing and are then glued in their respective positions onto the rear half of the instrument panel using the front half as a guide to get them perfectly beneath the appropriate holes in the latter (photo 4). Use thinned PVA adhesive for this, not cyano. Don’t glue the front and rear panels together yet. Now is the time, however, to varnish the front panel half if

3

1:64” PLY PANEL CHAMBERED REBATE TO ALLOW LENSE TO SEAT FLUSH

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6

7

FIG. 4.

TUBE ACTS AS GUIDE ANVIL + SUPPORT

PANEL

TV AERIAL PLUG (INNARDS REMOVED)

TEETH ON BEVELLED EDGE OF PLUG ‘CAP’

FIG. 5.

INSTRUMENT PANEL BEZEL

A INSTRUMENT FACIA

C

PIN HEADS FOR S/T HEAD

BRACKET

INSTRUMENT BODY

B

OR NOTHING A BRACKET TO REAR OF INSTRUMENT

C

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PANEL

you have elected to go for this finish - it will be too late to do this after commencing the next Step in the sequence! Three or four coats of Clearcote rubbed down between coats with 800-1000 grade wet and dry paper used dry should suffice. Ours will be an aluminium finished instrument panel and photo 5 shows the silver card fascia in place to check alignment but not yet glued.

Step five We can now fit the clear lenses for the dials to the front panel half. The 1/2” holes will need to be opened very slightly (the lenses are 12.5mm diameter) and a bit of glass paper round a pencil is as good a method for this as any. You can use a mini-drill, but be careful - the amount to be removed is very small and we are dealing with 1/64” thick ply. The lenses have a bevelled shoulder (see photo 6) and stand proud when placed in their respective holes in the panel. If left like this, when the panel halves are glued together, there will be a number of humps and bumps which will look a mess. To overcome this, bevelled rebates are formed around the inner edges of the holes and the small tool I made to do this job is shown in photo 7. It is made from an old TV aerial plug with the edges of the screw-on cap roughened up with a junior hacksaw blade so as to form some semblance of teeth. See also Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Step six

Fig. 4 illustrates the rebate tool in action. The bevelled rebate is slowly cut by the action of twiddling the gizmo back and forth between the fingers. As I said before, we are working with 1/64” ply here so no big effort is involved - patience and a light touch is the name of the game. Photo 8 shows this stage with three holes done and two to go - the bevelled rebates can be seen clearly. A very light sanding finishes the job. Incidentally, you need only do this for the larger 1/2” holes - the smaller ones will receive discs of celluloid later. We’re ready now to glue the two panel halves together, checking that everything is perfectly aligned - try a dry run first with the front panel half placed over the rear

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half. Then, using PVA, glue and clamp the panel halves together as in photo 9.

Step seven While the panel is drying you can prepare the dial bezels. You can do this by the method about to be described or simply make four holes in the panel at the corners of the dials and insert pin heads more on this later. The photos illustrate the technique I prefer, using scrap plastic packaging of suitable colour - shiny silver (chrome) bezels look great on a varnished panel, for example. First produce a template from 1/32” ply. Cut the hole in the plastic before cutting out the bezel outline; if you do this the other way round you’ll certainly split the edges. Photo 10 shows a hole cut in the black plastic scrap using a metal tube cutter with the ply bezel template above. Then, using small clips and a suitable plastic rod or similar to ensure alignment of the holes in the plastic sheet and the template, drill the four

9

corner holes and trim the edges of the bezel around the outside of the template using sharp scissors (photo 11). A selection of completed bezels is shown in photo 12. The panel halves should be dry by now so it’s time to glue on the front fascia card - ours is silver to represent an aluminium finish. Before gluing, it is worth checking that the card you’re using is not too thick as there might not be enough of the lens lip protruding over which the bezels can fit - they are a push-on fit. If insufficient lip protrudes, you can either forget about the bezels and follow Fig. 5b, or make a new front fascia from thinner card. When all is well, glue the fascia in place, clamping until dry - but be careful not to use overly strong clips or clothes-pegs because they may dent or mark the fascia which is, after all, to be the finished face of the instrument panel.

Step eight The next job is to cut out the lenses for the

10

11

12

13

smaller dials from a piece of scrap celluloid, using the same cutting tube that we used to cut the original holes in the ply panel halves. Photo 13 shows these celluloid discs being inserted using a simple gizmo made from a length of suitable diameter dowel with a plastic thumb pad (the stopper from a washingup liquid bottle) on the end to make the job more comfortable. You simply place the lens in the hole and push in hard with the tool - they usually snap in with a click, a perfect fit! Use a needle point to apply a minute (and I mean tiny) amount of cyano around the edges of the hole and lens this to ensure that the discs don’t drop out later as the result of vibration.

Step nine With all the lenses fitted, it’s time to position the bezels. I use further little homemade tools to help here, one to push the bezels over the lips of the large lenses and prevent them curling up, and another (the

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FIG. 4.

14

FIXING SCREW HOLES

TWO LAMINATIONS OF 1:64” PLY

DIAL POSITIONS 1/2

1/2

1/4

1/4 1/4

1/2 grey till-roll tube with red cap) to press the card edges flat around the base of the large dial lenses. With the bezels in place, drill through the corner holes and push dressmaking pins in place, cyanoing at the rear of the panel (photo 14). The excess can be then be snipped off leaving about 1/16” protruding at the back of the panel as a sensible gluing area for the adhesive. The bezels are not glued to the card front but are retained by the pins.

1/2

1/4 1/2

FRONT PANEL GRAIN REAR PANEL GRAIN

15

Step ten The next job is to fit the coloured glassheaded pins (warning lights) into hollows made in the panel surface at the premarked positions. To make the hollows, I use a piece of 8 s.w.g. piano wire off-cut with a sharpened end placed in a needle file handle - a drill bit is a tad too vicious and tends to chew the card up a bit. The pin heads need to be buried with half standing proud to look about right.

Step eleven To represent push-pull type switches I use the wicks from used throw-away gas lighters. The different coloured cases of these also make excellent lamp lenses when cut up into pieces. Cyano is applied at the rear of the panel and the excess length of wick trimmed off flush. The heads of the wicks are left protruding at the panel front by approximately 1/16”-3/32”. Go easy then cyanoing these wicks in place - if too much cyano is applied they turn translucent and the effect of the ‘solid’ colour is lost. It only needs a drop, not flooding with the stuff. Photo 15 shows the finished instrument panel. The rear of the panel is by now rather like a porcupine, bristling with cut off pins. In order for to it will sit flush against the cockpit front former you need to make

allowance for these protrusions and the best way to do this is to make another card template of the panel and position it in the cockpit against the former. Now, take the completed instrument panel, position it and push it firmly against the card template. On removal, you’ll find a series of indentations in the card and, using a 1/8” drill, it’s a simple matter to drill through the marks on the card and into the former, thus removing sufficient wood for the panel to sit nice and flush. I never glue my instrument panels in place; all too often a model gets written off with no damage to the panel and it’s good to be able to remove it easily and

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transfer it to a different model. Instead, I hold them in place with tiny self-tappers (available from Mick Reeves Models) as shown in photo 16 of a varnish-finish example. Back to our aluminium version; if anyone is wondering what the holes in front of the panel in the cockpit floor are for (photo 17), they are to house the Rx on/off switch and on-board glow ignition switch and socket. That’s it. It has taken longer to describe the making of these little panels than to actually put one together! Have fun and fly safe. I

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n this month’s Quiet Zone we are looking at another indoor model; another profile scale, printed foam type. However, unlike those you may have seen in the past, this one is relatively large at 15” wingspan. As you’ll see, my model prototype still uses just two channels, operating rudder and throttle, but that’s just because I needed to keep it as light as possible to cope with the small venue we used for indoor flying. At this size, it’s quite capable of being fitted with a Vapor style ‘brick’ receiver and and make use of three control functions to operate rudder, elevator and throttle. The prototype uses a very cheap (I’m particularly good at cheap) 7 mm geared motor unit. If I recall correctly, this particular unit came directly from China and is the one fitted to the Hi-Fly RTF model that resembles an Ember. For my purposes it has far more than enough power, so will be equally at home in a ‘brick’ equipped model. True, you’ll need to change the plug to suit the equipment you’re using, but at around £4 including the prop, it’s pretty hard to beat for value.

I

THE MODEL

R/C SCALE ELECTRICS with Peter Rake PETER RAKE PROPOSES MORE INDOOR FLYING FUN WITH A COLOURFUL DEPRON FOAM GRUMMAN F3F-3 BIPLANE

As you see, an attractive model but missing one lower wingtip.

60 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

As with all these models, I use sliced Depron that I cut with a hot wire. You can buy 1 mm Depron (SAMS), but it tends to be heavier and much stiffer; great for tail surfaces and fuselage sides, but not so

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good for the curved plate top wings because I have yet to be able to curve the stuff without it creasing horribly on the underside. So, instead of a nice even curve, you end up with something that is more like a series of flat sections joined together. The main problem with this is that it is virtually impossible to arrive at two wing panels with the flat sections in the same place. As you can perhaps imagine, this leads to some extremely untidy joins and very poor gluing surfaces. That said, you can go too far in the other direction too. The top wing of my model is actually made from sliced Depron Aero. When compared with normal Depron, the Aero variety is lighter, softer and has virtually no noticeable grain direction. The model flies very well indeed and requires only minimal power to have it circling nicely within our hall. However, it does look a little strange with the flight loads (yes, even these minimal flight loads), which cause the top wing to develop ‘gull wing’ dihedral because what grain there is, is insufficient to keep the wing panels flat once they start lifting the model. Despite this, the model has proved itself to be quite tough. I’m sure you’ll notice that it is missing a lower wing tip. This is the result of a minor encounter with a largish co-axial helicopter. Imagine, if you will, me flying happily, doing elongated circuits of the hall, Busy watching that my model did not hit anything (or anyone) as I made the turn nearest me. The little Grumman turns onto the straight stretch only to discover this B****Y great helicopter hovering there. Well, it looked big to me as my poor little F3F-3 fell foul of its rotor blades. Without elevator control I couldn’t quickly dodge under or over it so I had to fly through the maniacal mincing machine. Almost made it too, but only almost! I’m sure you know how it goes: model falls to the floor; wing tip flutters gently down and helicopter goes on flying as if nothing had happened! I picked up my model, muttering unprintable things under my breath, checked it out and carried on flying (fully aware of the danger now it was too late). To be honest, you would know there was a wing tip missing, but the model remained perfectly stable and controllable despite the missing part.

THE BUILD Once you have the parts printed and cut

The very inexpensive motor unit, along with the Plantraco receiver. Both are simply glued in place.

A ply control horn glued into the rudder and carbon rod pushrod keep the tail light. ‘Blenderm’ surgical tape hinges trapped between the laminated halves provide free operating hinges’

62 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

Simple carbon rod centre section struts are fitted once the top wing is secure on the interplane struts. Then just tweak for correct dihedral before gluing into wing.

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out, the actual build is really pretty easy. Use a thin piece of carbon rod glued between the fuselage sides to stiffen the fuselage and glue the top pair of wings together with around 1/2” of dihedral under one tip. You’ll need to sand the roots of the wing panels to achieve a good joint. Glue the interplane struts together, once again trapping lengths of carbon rod between the halves, with stubs extending each end to glue into the wings, and it’s time to start putting things together. Drill through all the strut positions marked on the wings and glue the lower wing panels to the positions marked on the fuselage. Set them up with similar dihedral to the top wings and allow to dry. The next task is to glue the i/p struts into the holes in the bottom wings and glue the top wing onto them. Don’t worry about the centre section struts for the moment, but make sure you get the top wing central and aligned with the lower wings before letting the assembly dry. Throughout this, large areas (fuselage sides and strut halves) are glued using a thin layer of RC Modeller’s Glue while wing joints and carbon to foam joints are made using Uhu Por. Now you can feed the c/s struts (carbon rod) through the holes in the wing and glue them in place at both wing and fuselage. Let that dry and you just have to fit the tail surfaces and install your radio gear and linkages. Correct balance is best achieved by using temporarily attached weight to determine the best location of the battery and carrying out test glides until the glide is straight and flat. I usually do this over the bed. That’s it, the model is built and ready to fly. If you’d prefer pdf files of the parts, rather than printing from the published images, a simple e-mail request will have the files arrive in your ‘in box’. If you’d like to contact me, either for the pdf files or any other reason, you’ll find me at [email protected] I

DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 63

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AS YOU LIKE IT!

SOME ALTERNATIVE COLOUR SCHEMES FOR YOUR

64 FLYING SCALE MODELS DECEMBER 2017

GRUMMAN FLYING COLOURS Tony OK

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UR GRUMMAN F3F-3 PROFILE INDOOR SCALE

DECEMBER 2017 FLYING SCALE MODELS 65

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