wonwinglo

The Small Air Force

VULTEE VENGEANCE.




Developed primarily in response to British interest, Vultee developed a two-seat dive bomber in 1940 which was to become known as the Vengeance. The British Purchasing Commission placed an initial order for 200 aircraft from Vultee along with a further 200 aircraft to be built under license by Northrop. Additional orders then followed. Few of these aircraft actually reached Britain however with almost the entire order being diverted to the Far East for use by RAF, RAAFor Indian Air Force squadrons. A number of aircraft were also retained by the USAAF. In RAF service, Vengeance were operationally employed to good effect in the Burma theatre. As the war progressed, the RAF transferred some Vengeance aircraft to the Fleet Air Arm for use as target tugs. Additionally, some aircraft were used by the RAF in smoke-laying operations.

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was a dive bomber built originally in the late 1930's as the Vultee Model 72 (V-72) by the Vultee Corporation. Additional aircraft were built by the Northrop Corporation. The V-72 was built with private money and was intended for sale to foreign markets. The V-72 was a low-wing, single engine powered, monoplane with a closed cockpit and a crew of two. An air-cooled radial Wright Double Row Cyclone GR-2600-A5B-5 engine rated at 1,700 hp powered the V-72. It was armed with both fixed forward firing 30 caliber machine guns and flexible mounted 30 caliber machine guns in the rear cockpit. The aircraft also carried up to 1,500 lb of bombs in an interior bomb bay and on external wing racks.

Production
France originally ordered the V-72, but with the fall of France in 1940, the order was taken over by Great Britain, which ordered additional aircraft. Under lendf lease, the US Army Air Corps ordered addition aircraft for Great Britain under the designation A-31. Additional V-72 aircraft were sold to Brazil, China, Turkey, and the USSR during the late 1930s.
When the Army Air Corps became interested in dive bombing, a number of V-72 and A-31 aircraft were either ordered or re-possessed for their own use. An improved version of the Vengeance, designated the A-35, was ordered which was equipped with a Wright Cyclone R-2600-19 engine.
When production of the Vengeance was completed in 1944, a total of 1,528 aircraft had been produced.

Operational service

British and Indian service
The Vengeance was used both by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). The Vengeance was used by the RAF mostly in Burma. Additionally, two Indian Air Force Squadrons were also equipped with this type and operated on the Burma Front. The Vengeance was found to be very vulnerable to enemy fighters in front line use and was soon withdrawn for use in secondary roles such as training of attack squadron pilots and towing targets for gunnery training. In these roles all armament was removed from the aircraft. The FAA received their aircraft near the end of the war, in late 1944 and 1945, and did not see front line action before the war ended.

Australian service
Australian placed an order for 400 Vengeances as an emergency measure following the outbreak of war in the Pacific. While the first Vengeance was delivered to the Royal Air Force in May 1942, the aircraft did not arrive in substantial numbers until April 1943. By this time the crisis for which the aircraft had been ordered to meet had passed and the Australian Vengeances saw little combat.
Following a short front-line career the RAAF's Vengeances were withdrawn from service in March 1944 and the Vengeance-equipped combat squadrons were re-equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. While the RAAF still had 58 Vengeances on order in March 1944 this order was cancelled and the aircraft were never delivered. Small numbers of Vengeances remained in service with support and trials units until 1946.

The model used in the re-enactment photographs is the original Frog example.

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'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/

wonwinglo

The Small Air Force

YAK 40.
Years ahead of its time the Yak 40 has served Aeroflot well,it was to be Russias answer to a replacement for the venerable Dakota which was produced as the Lisunov LI-2 airliner.

Re-enactment model is from the VEB Plastikart kit,fine it is crude by todays standards but as model makers we must take every opportunity to use these basic kits as a blank canvas, from which to to build exciting miniatures of aircraft that may never again be repeated in model form,with the use of plastikard and a little extra care thrown in these model kits can emerge as real gems for our collections,having said that this model was virtually built from the standard kit,the rivets were removed with lots of wet and dry and hours of patient sanding,make a proper wing spar to fit between the centre section and file and shape the wings so that a better empenage fitting can be executed.
With most of the decals in these VEB kits they need treatment first with Johnsons Klear to build up the decal before soaking,otherwise they will curl up and crack before application,so it is pin down or tape down to a sheet of thick balsa wood,then flood the decal with Johnsons applied with a cotton wool bud,allow a few days to really cure out properly and then trim close with a pair of nail scissors,after application treat again with another coat of Johnsons to seal the decals.
One feature of these kits is the tough plastic used for the mouldings,do not be afraid to attack the pieces with a set of files to remove all traces of flash on the parts,if the files clog up simply take a piece of masking tape and press onto the file,the debris can then be lifted before it literally welds itself to the file making it impossible to remove,these models will benefit from a coat of white Halfords universal primer,wait until the sun shines,take the model outside and spray away,windows and the cockpit can be masked with Copydex and peeled away after final painting.


The Yak-40 was the first and the only jet powered airliner in its class in service in large numbers anywhere in the world, preceding the ERJ-135 and 328JET by three decades,it is not generally realised how advanced this design really was.
The design of the Yak-40 resulted from a mid 1960s Aeroflot requirement for a replacement for the thousands of Lisunov Li2s (Soviet built DC-3s), Ilyushin Il-12s and Il-14s (2-engines prop liners) that were in service during the fifties. Aeroflot attached great significance to the Yak-40 program, as the aircraft was intended to operate regional air services that accounted for 50% of Aeroflot's passenger traffic.
The genius A.S Yakovlev (after whom the design bureau is named) led the Yak-40 design team, and first mention of the program's existence was released on October 21, 1966, when the first prototype made its maiden flight. The type entered production in 1967 and entered service with Aeroflot in September 1968.
The Yak-40's most noticeable design feature is its trijet configuration, with three specially developed Ivchenko AI-25 turbofans. The three jet engine layout was chosen for increased redundancy and good short field, hot climate zone and high altitude performance, which is very important in many areas of Russia like Siberia, Far East, Caucasus, Urals etc.
The unswept, high aspect ratio wing is also designed for good field performance. An APU and built-in stairs allow autonomous operation at remote airfields.
And for those who like to see what these aircraft were like to fly there is available a flight simulator package available,just to see the detail it goes into here we are-
Features
This project consumed 2 years of intensive development. It has several unique features:It is one of a very few aircraft on the market which incorporates the state-of-the-art technology of smooth moving needles in virtual cockpit (they are 3D modeled, not gauge bitmaps), therefore they move smoother then in 2D.It doesn’t matter that this is Russian Metal. You can easily switch entire VC flight deck to international layout with single click. This will change not only texts on labels, but also control panels of different systems, scales in appropriate gauges and logics of airspeed, altitude, vertical speed indicators etc.It has a very handy module Deck Navigator which is actually a custom programmed tool which acts similarly as active camera and lets you easily jump to different seats in VC (i.e. changes view position). It works in 2D cockpit also and changes views, recalls subpanels etc.It has smart loader/refueller/ground service tool which can change load configuration, fuel, changes weight/balance characteristics in real time (i.e. – fill on of the tanks with fuel and machine will experience bank immediately). Loader configures passengers and cargo load also and shows up CoG position (for operating movable stabilizer). Ground service module permits requesting and connecting of external air for startup without APU and external electrical power.It has custom programmed thrust reverser of engine No.2 which can be operated in flight like in real thing for correct landing procedure.Flight dynamics were fully refined, tested/tuned and approved with 5 real life pilots currently flying Yak-40. Even handling in icing conditions (changing of flight dynamics) and movable stabilizer were incorporated into model’s logics and dynamics.
Flight Deck
2D panel consists of more then 20000 bitmaps and represents actual environment of the Yak-40 flight deck with incredible detail.
More then 200 clickable and fully operational switches and knobs
4 modes of deck lighting: Day, Night with white floodlight, Night with red spotlights and Mixed (Night with both floodlight and spotlights).
6 Full screen panels: Captain's seat, Co-pilot's seat, Center Pedestal, Overhead, Left and Right consoles.
Zoomed-up subpanels represent all vital instruments in easy to use and convient way and even permit precision flying in external view
The complete Type-3 layout with international SO-72 transponder, Feet and metric altimeters, SD-75 DME indicators, Kurs MP-70 VOR-DME system (2 units), 2ADFs, authentic GMK-1G course system with latitude and magnetic correction.
The Electrical system consists of 6 inverters (4 switchable and 2 automatic), 2 batteries (which can charge from ground electrical power and generators and discharge), control panel for 28V, 36V and 115V subsystems and circuit breaker panels.
The Hydraulics system consists of two subsystems (primary and emergency) and is equipped (in panel logics) with 2 hydraulic pumps, hydraulic reservoirs, hydraulic feed station, control gauges and switches. The system feeds with hydraulic pressure the movable stabilizer, brakes, the thrust reverse mechanism, the nose gear steering, flaps, landing gear and the combined retractable stairs/door of the main exit.
Engines can experience danger vibrations, icing and overheat conditions if the pilot fails to accomplish the flight manual procedures in a correct manner.

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'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/

wonwinglo

The Small Air Force

SHORT SEALAND.



This very rare model was made by Frog,long before they introduced their standard scale range they produced a series of topical aircraft including the Beaver,A-26 Invader,B-47 Stratojet,Rapide and this Sealand,the scales were all over the place,virtually to fit the box.
I made this model during 1953,straight out of the box and only the red is paint,the rest is the white plastic,note the inscribed markings and the decal transfers which were too large and did not line up,well once again she will be left as she was,she defies her age and makes me wonder how many similar models still survive like this today ? think of it,several house moves and still intact.
A very pretty aircraft of which two survive,one in India and the other G-AKLW in Ireland with the Ulster Folk museum.
Besides this I also have in my collection a wooden scratch built example of the Sealand in 1=72nd scale.

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'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/

flytilbroke

I like that bit about the Shorts Sealand. I did a search and the first thing was Warbirds of India - [Naval Aviation Museum, Dabolim, Goa]

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Retired is the best job

wonwinglo

The Small Air Force

MILES MAGISTER (HAWK TRAINER 3)

Made from the Frog kit but modified with new wheel spats made from milliput,the markings are for a pre-war Iraqi trainer aircraft seen here in more peaceful skies.

The Magister is one of those aeroplanes that looks better in some angles than others,for example this one.

Purring overhead over a desert airstrip,Miles Magister YI-GFH as supplied pre-war to Iraq.

"Magister" is Latin for "Teacher", "Tutor", or "Mentor", and represents a whole line of aircraft built by the Miles Aircraft company
The offices and factory were set up for wartime production of training aeroplanes at Woodley Aerodrome. This small airfield was the hub of operations for Miles Aircraft Ltd. between 1934 and 1947. One of their most successful products was the M.14 Magister, a single-engined basic trainer for the Royal Air Force.
Miles Aircraft Ltd. were known as a highly innovative company, with extensive research interests, including involvement in the British project to break the sound barrier in 1946. The company was granted over 100 patents during its short life.
A few examples survive today in flying condition including two at Old Warden aerodrome,Biggleswade in Bedfordshire.

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'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/

wonwinglo

The Small Air Force

LUFTWAFFE 46-WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN,THE SALAMANDER PROJECTS.
This is not fiction but historical fact,hard pressed to maintain a balance between performance and wing loading the Heinkel company sought to further develope the He.162 into a far superior aircraft,the straight wings were replaced with forward sweep examples thus giving far greater latitude to the centre of gravity,the clumsy double tail fins were replaced with an all moving 'V' tail,the fuselage and undercarriage remained the same,this particular project was one of many projected by Heinkel under the pressure of the demands of the Luftwaffe.
When the Americans occupied Germany they discovered underground factories usually hidden in forests producing a wide variety of aircraft,amongst these were examples of mock-ups and component parts used experimentally,if it had not been for the termination of war and the lack of vital oil resources then these projects would have been further developed into lethal weapons of exceptional performance for their day.
My scratch built projects of these important milestones by the Germans serve as a reminder of what things could have looked like if and when completed into a complete aircraft.

The sharply swept forward wing which would enable a larger and heavier engine to be fitted on the developed He.162

On approach the sweep forward looks quite pronounced giving a false optical effect of excessive dihedral

The larger wing planform can be seen here as the aircraft climbs out from Penermunde on a test flight

About the model-
Basic Revell kit fuselage and undercarriage,the wings and tail were made from laminated plastikard sheet,the enlarged engine assembly was made from balsawood treated with dope and talcum powder,rubbed down and painted.
To attain the slim aerofoil shape the plastikard was laid onto the bench and scraped until the desired effect took shape

__________________
'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/

wonwinglo

A neat little package arrived today at Wonwing towers from China,soon after opening the contents and after a few hours work she was all ready to get her into the air,but that will have to wait for the time being as it is blowing a gale outside and this little bird needs calm blue skies,so what do you get for just under a £100 ? well quite a lot actually and hardly worth buying the bits as separate units,I will fly her and fly her then one day strip everything out and put the gear into something else,you get a 5 channel mini receiver with mini crystal,3 sub mini servos,ESC and a powerful in-runner motor,4 channel transmitter with matching crystal,a 3-cell Lipo battery with its own charger with power cut-off,a spare propeller,spare gearbox for the motor,screwdriver,spare screws and a spare wing bolt, and the foam airframe which is not bad either.
The only mods that I made were to place some washers under the screwheads,re-adjusted the quicklinks and freed off one stiff wheel.
EXTRA 300 by Sapac



Extra 300 being rigged.

Note the massive ailerons for 3-D flying

Cannot wait to wring this one out

In-runner brushless motor provides the power with a massive 13 inch propeller

So there you have it a delightful well designed model, ready to loop,roll and prop hang and provide me with hours of quiet,clean flying fun,all that I need now is some calm weather.

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'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/

Bunkerbarge

That's a pretty impressive package for under 100.00 quid.

I have had a play with my foam Cessna since I got new batteries for it and I don't hold out much hope. When I operate the control surfaces the motor slows down!!

I will give it a blast when the weather improves and if it buries itself I won't have lost a fortune. Back to the Flying Styro 109 then! The trouble is that is going to take a bit of putting together and I am seriously short of time for that.

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“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

wonwinglo

I have got another one on the way as well Richard,a Pitts Special biplane,getting ready for the spring and revamping my electric fleet for more aerobatic fun.
Have never heard of the motor slow down problem before ?

__________________
'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/

wonwinglo

Air training for front line: 16 hours. For Red Arrows: 132
Pilots from the RAF's elite Red Arrows aerobatic team are allowed eight times as much flight training time as their frontline colleagues serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While Harrier, Tornado and Jaguar combat crews are limited to 16 hours a month in the cockpit on cost grounds, the nine pilots on the display circuit enjoy an average of 132 hours in the air and a further three in simulators.
Those hours do not include time spent by the Red Arrows flying at air shows in the UK and abroad.
The figures emerged from parliamentary questions asked by Mike Hancock,LibDem MP for Portsmouth South, and were confirmed by Adam Ingram, the ArmedForces Minister.
One RAF source said: "How can we claim to be stretched operationally when we can commit nine Red Arrows jets to the Sunderland air show and yet deploy only seven Harriers in support of our troops in Afghanistan?
While the display team are first-class pilots and great for PR, many of them wonder what the public thinks of a service which appears to put more effort into showboating than committing aircraft to the sharp end.
Since 1965, the Red Arrows have performed more than 4000 displays in 52 countries, including 90 in the UK and Europe this year.
The 12 Hawk jets used by the pilots are maintained by a 70-strong dedicated ground crew which travels with the squadron.
An RAF spokesman said: It would be unfair to compare the training needs of a display team flying in tight formation at high speed only a few feet apart with the hours needed to keep a Harrier or Tornado pilot up to scratch in retaining essential skills.
We would send more Harriers to Afghanistan if it was felt there was a need for more to support the ground forces there.
The bottom line is that the pilots all come from operational squadrons to begin with and will take the skills they learn back to the front line when their tour with the Red Arrows ends.
The 15 RAF Harrier pilots based in Afghanistan - two per aircraft and one reserve - flew 1188 sorties between January and September, including 513 in direct bomb or rocket attacks to help the Paras win pitched battles against Taliban insurgents last summer.
The aircraft remain at Kandahar military airfield while crews from the UK's two operational Harrier squadrons are rotated on tours lasting about four or five months. The seven Harriers represent almost 30% of the available jets.
Meanwhile, the Nato alliance is spending £30m a year to import bottled water for British, American, Canadian, Dutch and German troops battling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan when it would cost less than £500,000 a time to set up local bottling plants.
According to the Afghan government, which is facing drought, crop failure and the need for international aid to feed more than three million of its citizens this winter, the expensive importation of drinking water is a symbol of the lack of international co-ordination in restoring the country's shattered economy.

__________________
'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/