| Mike as you know I have one of your fathers Albatross C.1 models in my collection,it was purchased in a damaged state at Old Warden many years ago after the filming had been completed,I remember that day well,we had come across country from Hull to attend the Scale day at Old Warden,we had been touring and the scale day was our last port of call,imagine the car loaded to the hilt and I still had to find some room to get the Albatross in ! anyway after a repair to the lower wing I fitted a Webra 61,the model had quite a complex assembly in that she had to be fitted together with all of the struts resting into the pins and the rigging wires pulled taught,the top wing has a steel joiner plate with the aileron control rod joined with a connector,I only made one beautiful long flight with her,she was so majestic in flight and needed a lot of combined aileron and rudder to bank,the landing was a breeze,you just throttled back and she settled into the longest glide of any biplane that I have flown.Why did I not fly her again ? well I just did not want to risk this film star,she was dismantled and laid up the idea being to display her one day perhaps in a museum,as happened she withstood my shop to house move and has been stored ever since.
These models must have moved around a bit,I only wish now that I had purchased the B.E.2C as well but being at the end of my holiday cash was short,and there again the space problem in the car ! I saw both types at the Avon Cosmetics model day held near Northampton,I dont think they flew due to high winds but somewhere I have a negative of them on the ground,there was also an article done on them in the RCM & E magazine,how incredible that you have found yourself here with one of the models present owners ?
We now know that the wing damage was done after she had been passed from one transmitter to another over a few fields after take off,unfortunately one transmitter had still been left on,consequently she crashed,the sturdy construction must have saved her bar the wing.
__________________ 'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !' www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/ |