Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference. - Page 38

**wonwinglo** · 29-04-2006

Peter Holloways beautiful Miles Magister wearing the pre war all yellow finish,the aircraft a composite airframe flies alongside the collections Miles Magister at air shows.

Angelsonefive operate this Tiger Moth giving flights to paying customers..

Another view of the DH.82A Tiger Moth used at Old Warden for pleasure flying.

This unusual biplane at least in the UK is the Polikarpov PO-2 which is on extended loan to the trust.

Rugged construction of the PO-2 a popular Polish training machine,at the time of my visit the tail skid had been damaged.

**wonwinglo** · 30-04-2006

Light aircraft-Shuttleworth Collection.

A very important part of the Shuttleworth Trust is the collection of rare and interesting vintage light aircraft held,once again many of these machines can be seen flying at the air shows held throughout the year at Old Warden,my thanks to the members of the Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society for allowing me access to these classic machines and the ladders and steps provided to assist photography.

Cockpit of the ANEC II which was recently rebuilt by the Shuttleworth Trust.

Rear view of the ANEC II showing its unusual lines.

Starboard view of the ANEC II.

This view shows the high aspect ratio wing of the ANEC II.

Cockpit detail of the Comper Swift 'Scarlet Angel' held by the Trust,this record breaking aircraft was flown from the UK to an Indian tea plantation in India during the 1930's.
One of only a few left in the UK with others abroard.

**Bunkerbarge** · 30-04-2006

Just look at the cockpit of the Anec II, you are basically holding onto a broom handle to fly the aircraft. Talk about seat of the pants flying!!!

**wonwinglo** · 01-05-2006

Finished in wartime camouflage is the Hornet Moth,a 1930's touring aeroplane that was also pressed into service with the R.A.F and the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War 2.

Cockpit of the diminutive Hawker Cygnet designed by Sir Sidney Camm for the Lympne Aeroplane Trials in the 1930's.

The Cygnet was a design exercise in terms of an ultra light aeroplane powered with a low horse power engine.The design looks just right as the designers other more well known machine the Hawker Hurricane.

Cockpit of the Desoutter high wing cabin aircraft,the design has Dutch ancestry in the Koolhoven company.This restoration has not been without its problems,on the first post restoration test.flight the wings started to twist and the control cables started to stretch,the Shuttleworth team had to get their heads together to solve the problem.

Richard Shuttleworth used the Desoutter to travel to and from his other haven,the Brooklands racing circuit,the National Flying Services badge appears on the nose of the aircraft.

**wonwinglo** · 02-05-2006

The Desoutter presented a few problems for the trust after its test flight the pilot reported severe aileron flutter,this was later traced to the wing trying to twist in flight,this had the effect of slackening the control cables which had to be modified,the aircraft can be a tricky machine to handle.

Unusual use of the National Flying Services initials on top of the fuselage on the Desoutter.

DH.53 Humming Bird was also a contendor in the pre-war Lympne ultralight aeroplane trials,the aircraft has been rebuilt several times during its career.

Cockpit of the diminutive Humming Bird.

English Electric company Wren,yet another machine built for the Lympne ultra light aeroplane trials pre war,Test pilot Peter Twiss whose normal mount was a Fairey Delta 2 once flew this machine.

**wonwinglo** · 03-05-2006

The Southern Martlet is a very pretty little biplane fitted with a Genet Major 1A engine.

Strut mounted simple air speed indicator on DH.60X Cirrus Moth G-EBWD,this aircraft holds the record for the longest time the same aircraft has lived on the same airfield,she was once the personal mount of Richard Shuttleworth.

Another view of the same DH.60X Moth G-EBWD.

DH.88 Comet 'Grosvenor House' undergoes some deep maintenance in the Shuttleworth workshops,the aircraft suffered a collapsed undercarriage and the design and geometry of the gear is being re-designed in order to make it more reliable.

No collection would be complete without the venerable Tiger Moth,seen nestling here in the private owners hangar at Old Warden.

**wonwinglo** · 04-05-2006

Yet another view of the Hornet Moth,the impressed camo scheme does not look very good on this aircraft.

Pou De Ciel 'Flying Flea' Sky Louse,this one is in taxying condition,a survivor of the laymans attempt to get airborne,the machine had dire aerodynamic faults which would flip the aircraft onto its back,the aircraft would be unable to recover and landed inverted with the obvious consequences for the pilot.The Air League of the British Empire and the authorities were forced to place a ban on these aircraft which were being built in lofts and garages throughout the land.

The unique Miles Falcon Major belonging to Peter Holloway on maintenance with Warden Engineering,a subsidiary of the Shuttleworth Trust.

Tipsy Trainer 1 in the private owners hangar,a very fine example of this delightful small aircraft..

The chummy cockpit of the Tipsy Trainer,note the 'Hand over' type of control column.

**wonwinglo** · 05-05-2006

Avro 19 (Anson )

The Avro 19 was the post war attempt at a commercial light feeder,the Royal Air Force also used the type as a standard navigation trainer and communications aircraft and she flew with the services well into the late sixties until being retired,only a few aircraft survive to this day with two in flying condition in the UK,this aircraft G-AHKX was rebuilt to flying condition by British Aerospace at Woodford and is now in the custody of the Shuttleworth Trust who continue to maintain her in flying condition.

The Cheetah engines a distinctive feature of the Anson series,note the oil coolers and sturdy undercarriage plus the domed spinner..

The famous A.V.Roe logo displayed on the cowls.

Centre section and engine nacelle detail.

Another view of the cowlings with Armstrong Siddeley logo declaring Cheetah XVII series engines fitted in G-AHKX.

**wonwinglo** · 06-05-2006

Building the De Havilland DH.86 Express airliner.
Having scratch built all but one of the lovely biplane airliners produced by Mr de havilland,I decided to start the spring building season with the missing machine to add to my collection,here is my photo diary to show the progress,the pictures speak better than any words.

The parts laid out all ready for assembly,the fuselage and engine nacelles are made from Jelutong and the wings and tail from Basswood,note the card templates at the back for constant checking of the shapes as they are carved.
Whittling is a black art and we need a constant reminder that every single kit starts out as a pattern in some way similar to this enjoyable process.

Note how the fuselage sides have been angled and the cockpit area carefully shaped,treat each separate part with care moving onto the next for attention,the final sheen can be obtained with a silicone finishing paper ( pale grey in colour,obtainable from any good DIY store ) run with the grain at all times,for small components use a tree that holds the piece whilst shaping,whereby the part can be removed at the very last minute.

The lower wings and engine nacelles are glued into place using Aliphaetic resin adhesive,carefully checking the alignment with the plans,this adhesive has enough time to work with and above all a quick grab.

The struts are fashioned and added,use a pair of dividers to arrive at the correct lengths,constantly checking the distance between the wings to make sure that they are correct.

Fair and smooth any joints with Squadron grey filler,combine strength with the way the parts go together,whatever you do get the dihedral angle correct,nothing spoils the look of a model than incorrect rigging.

Smooth down all of the joints and hold your creation up to the light,see how the shadows cast across the model to reveal any small flaws.
Here we can simulate what this great biplane looked like flying over,a lost shape in the skies as the last example flew back in 1958,so we have re-created a tiny bit of aviation history.

**wonwinglo** · 07-05-2006

PERCIVAL Q6
Building a solid model of the Percival Q6 Petrel.
To mark the fact that one of these rare machines is being rebuilt to fly again one day,I decided it was certainly worthy of a small scale model for my collection,there are no kits so it was a scratch build operation but I like this type of model building anyway,it taxes the old grey matter and keeps old skills alive,so lets sharpen up the knives and make a start.
The pictures explain a thousand words,the two woods used in this case were Obeche for the fuselage and Jellutong for the wings and tail plus engine nacelles,as usual make card templates for every part,use these to constantly check the parts as carving takes place,take off a little at a time carefully whittling away until the basic shape emerges,any intricate areas can be tackled with a set of Swiss files,remove all tool marks with medium glasspaper,working to towards silicone carbide paper to get a good finish,Holts primer makes a good surface filler,two coats should adequately fill the grain.
I usually wait until a few models are built up and do a batch spray on a few models gradually building up to the colour stage which can be done anytime once the paintscheme has been researched.
With this type of model you can continually add any detail as required,for me they convey the shape of long lost machines with character and style that many modern day aircraft lack.