Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference. - Page 23

**wonwinglo** · 13-03-2006

Have you ever been faced with making a large transparent canopy ? well if you dont know how to go about it stick around a minute for a method that costs you no more than your favourite soft drink,the material that large bottles of soft drinks come in is ideal for or task but first we need to make a plug,dont worry at mention of this, it is a simple task,just grab a block of balsa the size of your canopy and mark out first the side view,cut this out with a band saw or if you dont have such a luxury a keyhole saw will suffice,next mark the plan ( top ) view and cut away the surplus wood,finally use a surform or similar to shape the block,smooth the edges with glasspaper,if you wish you can face the bottom portion with a piece of ply,this does strengthen the plug and give that extra bit to play with whilst trimming the canopy etc.
Next take the large drinks bottle and cut off the top portion at the neck,place the carved block of wood into the bottle and ram in some rag of similar to blank off the open end,now take your heat gun ( you can use any hair drier or heat gun with care ) and play the heat evenly onto the plastic,what will happen now is the plastic bottle will shrink itself up tightly against the wood former,just be patient and do not get too close otherwise you will burn the plastic,practise will soon pay off as you get to know just how close you can get without spoiling things,leave to cool off and with your Stanley knife run a line at the base of the canopy and trim up with a pair of scissors,result one new canopy for your pride and joy.
There is another way to make smaller canopies or plastic mouldings,the results will surprise you and like the plug in bottle technique a little practise and a few failures will bring forth expertise in the task,and better still results.

Modern cosmetic gift wrapping material is ideal for making up transparent mouldings,never throw such material away as it is just ideal for modelling,in order to avoid heat spots wash the material in warm soapy water,clean and dry off with a chamois and leave to air dry.Get the best by positioning across the female mould,dont forget to allow some extra material for the depth of the draw,spacing the staples will also give more plastic to pull through without lappin onto itself in the process,a few experimental plunges will give you an idea of how deep the plug will go into the hot plastic without curling back.
This is the time established way of making small cockpit canopies,simply carve a plug from balsa wood,make a female mould from a piece of ply slightly oversized to allow for the deep draw of the plastic sheet,pin or staple the sheet to the female and heat over a gas or electric ring until the material becomes floppy,then plunge the plug into the mould,wait for a few seconds to cool and withdraw the plug,you will probably need a bit of practise and a bit of wasted material in the process but practise makes perfect and that is the secret.
To trim up firstly use a chinagraph pencil to mark the base line,then with a pair of sharp curved nail scissors carefully cut outside the line,a permagrit abrasive block will easily clean up the edges,but beware of scratching the material.

**wonwinglo** · 14-03-2006

A remarkable chance happening here at Scale-Models,a model of the Albatross C.1 that was built for a TV series called 'Wings' was spotted by the son of the builder through this forum,after years of storage after its rebuild to fly a lot more is now known about this very interesting model,the picture above shows her shortly after rollout from my tiny workshop,being such a large model that needs careful rigging and assembly,she needed to be placed sideways into my then Nissan Prairie vehicle,no room even for a passenger as the wings spread across the front seats ! after waiting a few weeks for suitable weather off I went and made the one and only post restoration test flight,that was it, I was perfectly happy and due to the logistics of assemling and carrying this monster around never flew her again,as it happens I am not short of subjects to fly and she has been resting ever since in storage until a museum could be found to display her.
This made me think as to how many similar models like this there are still around in sheds and attics throughout the land ? many models never get properly completed,others suffer the inevitable prang,others get sold off,but there must be thousands of models out there just waiting to get restored or flown again ? many builders are content to complete the model and sell it on having enjoyed the build process,others will fly them into the ground until the fuel rots the structure,and some will go into lofts to be forgotton about.
Over the years there have been special places where scale models are on show,there are specialist boat museums,and places where model aircraft are kept ready for flight,one such place now sadly now longer open was the model airfield at Goosedale,Nottingham,here you could store that monster B-29 bomber fully rigged, ready for the day when you could get assistance to lift her outside and fly her from the prepared airstrip,such luxury is beyond most of us and can entail a long journey to enjoy using our models to the fullest.
Another avenue to take is to use our local museums,there are some splendid miniatures in glass cabinets to enhance the full sized thing,but here lies a warning,make sure that your model is going to be well cared for,there have been instances where presented models have been dumped in storerooms and get damaged,you need an assurance that the model will in fact be displayed to the best advantage,and above all looked after especially if on loan to them.The museum avenue can be a good way providing this criteria is met,once more you have the advantage that you can still have the pleasure of seeing your model any time that you are passing by.

**wonwinglo** · 15-03-2006

FLYING DAREDEVILS.

During the early nineteen twenties there was a surplus of training airplanes in America left over from the first world war,many of these wood and fabric machines were scrapped off,others found their way to airplane brokers who sold them to budding would be pilots who taught themselves to fly,there was also a gallant band of ex war pilots who had little money but loved flying,they got hold of a Jenny,toured America landing in hired farmers fields and gave people a taste of what aviating was alll about and made a good living at the same time,long before the days of personal insurance we had people getting more and more daring in performing stunts in circuses,these same people got into the air and started to walk along the wings of their machines,they were called 'Wing Walkers' not content with doing that they got more adventurous and trying to get that little bit better act like changing the wheel of a machine in flight,or hanging from their teeth from the struts,with all of the wires on a Curtiss Jenny or Standard biplane they could cling onto these parts and entwine themselves.
Yes there were accidents,many falling to their death,to get a good idea of what stunt and daredevil flying is all about then try to get to see 'The Great Waldo Pepper' which gives a good idea what aviation was all about in those far off pre-regulated days before the Federal Aviation Authorities stepped in.
These old pictures from the archives show just how daring and fanatical these people were,some went onto greater things,the most famous being Charles Lindbergh who later went on to conquer the Atlantic single handed by air flying from America to France.Others less fortunate met a timely death either in crackups ( a popular term of that period ) or just sheer bad luck,one slip and that was it,over you went,very few wore any parachute,these would have been far too bulky for the stunts that they performed.
I dedicate these pictures to the true aviation circus pioneers of the early days of aviation,the bravery ( and sheer madness ) knew no bounds,the Barnstormers who toured America from coast to coast.

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

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

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

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

**wonwinglo** · 16-03-2006

Well today I am putting aside my usual blog, and going to talk about something that caught my eye in the letters column of the 'Coventry Evening Telegraph' it is a poignant reminder of the times in which we live,here is the letter which is titled 'Let's all think about more of others '-
'I have lived in England for nearly all of my 47 years.I witnessed a pensioner travelling at nearly 60 mph on the A45 where there are roadworks and a speed limit of 40 mph.
She was grey haired,selfish,a hazard to other drivers,in fact most drivers were breaking the speed limit,not only this but she was stringing the most foul obscenities and gesticulations.
I regularly see people dropping cigarette stub-ends,litter thrown everywhere,even urinating in a hedge or against a wall.In queus,it is interesting to see people of all ages and occupations showing intolerance,using foul language,showing that they or their job or duty is of more importance or priority than anyone else's.
Have they forgotton about 'hello','good morning','please','thank you','have a nice day' ?
I think that everyone or everything ,from the spiders,flowers,my dustman,doctor etc,should be treated ith respect,due care and attention being given before my own inerests.
That is what I have learned from wonderful England and its people over 40 years and I would like to think that it is only a small minority who upset or spoil my day'
Such letters are on the increase as good living people are exposed to these degenerates in society,why should they have to put up with such foul behaviour ? a lot of the blame must go to television who see it fit to allow foul language on their programmes at any time of the day,once more the acceptance of this by society in general is a signs that we are slowing sliding as a nation,not everyone wants to hear this in their living room and above all accept it as a matter of fact,if we are to maintain standards then we must be seen to be doing something about it,are we slowly going back into the dark ages ? the letter above is a good indication of the concern by many towards this scourge of modern society,I agree we should show every consideration towards each other, and not tolerate these people who try and pull us down with their poor standards whether it is verbal or in the way that they act towards society.

**Bunkerbarge** · 16-03-2006

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

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

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

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

duncan · 16-03-2006

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

**wonwinglo** · 16-03-2006

I disagree Duncan,I think that we should discuss these important things,as hobbyists we are fortunate in seeing another dimension to our everyday lives,ie we have something constructive to do and enjoy,we are creative and hate destruction,I once saw the results of a friends aircraft models that were stolen from his shed,I could have cried for him,the engines had been torn out of the noses and the culprit had bounced up and down on the airframes,this reject got off with it because the judge said that there was not enough evidence,its not about politics but real life,lock up your sheds and get a camera or alarm installed otherwise it makes life easier for them.
The Chrislea Ace was way ahead of its time,when the company first did the small production run they made two versions one with conventional rudder/stick and the other with a control spectacle with interlinked rudder controls ( ideal incidently for parapheglic flyers ),they sent one off visiting all of the clubs in the UK,the result was the instructors hated the spectacle and made it known to the Chrislea company,most of the production went abroad including Australia and New Zealand, where they also favoured the tail dragger version which suited the rough strips,there was also an ambulance version which had the rear portion lift away to install a stretcher case,why dont we build good solid un-sophisticated machines like this anymore ? they have stood the test of time,I like the Auster range as well,tough as old boots with their welded steel frames,great aeroplanes.

**wonwinglo** · 16-03-2006

G-CCGH Spitfire XXVI Replica made its first flight at Shoreham on today 16-03-2006,built by Kevin Pearce who started her three years ago,she is said to be the most accurate mini replica Spitfire flying.
Thanks to Captain McKay for the photograph who was on the spot to record this historic event for us here.

**Bunkerbarge** · 16-03-2006

Barry,

When you say mini what scale is it?

duncan · 16-03-2006

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