Cheshire Falcons
Model Flying Club
This large model
Skyraider has a 5 cylinder, radial, 4Stroke glow motor and is from the Hangar of the late Ray Slack,
who designed and built the engine.
A little fettling at the strip followed by a perfect flight.. well maybe a minor retract problem!
Back in the 1980s Mal Brewer had made his name as a scratch/scale builder,
this is his beautiful 'Toucan', a 63" span ' amphibian powered by 2xOS25 two strokes
with which he won several RC floatplane competitions.
Fancy building one?
RCME will sell you the plan renamed 'Aquarius' in their RC Sport Floatplane category.
So when Mal returned to the hobby after 8 years of 'doing other things'
Chris Foss was one designer he trusted, the handsome ARTF WOT trainer was his first choice.
.Everone likes to get involved in
fettleing a new model for is maiden flight!
The flight was 100% successful with no major trimming problems, a fistful of aerobatics and a featherlight landing.
Mal reported that to his mind the snakes in his ARTF left a bit to be desired and were therefore replaced with neatly soldered Bowden cables.
When we visited The Terra Nova School during the 'Summer', Mal brought along his new
Graupner Taxi CUP II, but though we urged him to commit to his maiden flight,
he wisely preferred to do a final range check & trim at our own familiar strip.
We always like to record successful maiden flights, so here you can see:-
Clearance for takeoff trimming completed and Mal's Taxi on finals for the first time.
Mark and Chris ponder a starting problem with Mal's new 2 stroke.
Mal, a founder member , makes modelling look so easy.
Just look at this beautiful free flight 'Mam'selle' designed by
Vic Smeed, with plans published in the Dec 1955 Aeromodeller.
Mal modified the plan to accommodate RC on rudder and elevator, and it is powered by a Mills 0.75cc Diesel.
The cowl is of laminated balsa, the covering , Lightspan and that fuel tank ( to fit) was recently a flat sheet of metal on Mal's bench.
This Vic Smeed design from the early '50s is a 'Ballerina', similarly covered in Lightspan,
converted from FF to 2 channel RC and powered by an Albion 'Merlin' diesel of 0.76cc.
To peruse a page or two of Vic Smeed models, you can see a 'Google Images' search result
here
This is the Steve Webb 'Webbit', built from a Semi Kit & finished in Solarfilm.
This model is powered by an SC15 and has been tarted up with spats, a cabin area and a radial cowl.
The Webbit was flown in public, last year at the RCMS fly-in at Green Acres, West Midlands.
Ken's semiscale WW1 German Bi-plane The Albatros C1,
Now sports a rear seat gunner.
It looks so photogenic in the air
and lifelike in a 'touch and go'
Ken's Magnatilla reaches for the sky and is caught here doing a 'scale speed' flypast
before doing a quick orbit...............
Ken, by the way, has a hanger full of WWI planes,
he has loads of patience to fettle them at the strip,
here he is with his Fokker Triplane
and showing off his Eindecker with a slow pass for the camera.
and here is his lovely little 3 channel Strutter
But not all Ken's planes are of WWI vintage, he was so taken with Rays PT19 that he bought its twin,
but, did you notice, this one is No 74 not 47! so we can tell them apart!
This is the kind of summer weather when we have to listen out for thunder
It makes little sense ( for those still using 35MHz) to stroll around a dairy meadow
waving a lightening conductor at the skies!
Ken's latest market find is in the mould of a Wot 4
but with built up wings it seems as light as a feather and flies well.
Dave with his Weber 61 powered WOT 4 and Ken with his 20 size Strutter
brave the January damp to remind the herd that we have squatting rights here as well!
One beautiful July day Ken brought his lad along to introduce him to the RC scene.
Just look at the excitement of Dad's smooth takeoff
and being enveloped in castor fumes!
A last check of moveable surfaces for Phil Mac's World Models LA Flyer 40
and 'Thar she goes' into a clear blue sky.
(We dont see too many of those!)
Then someone mentioned to Phil that his Zen 30 had failed the 'orientation test'
and should ideally have a distinguishing belly colour.
Being a bit of an artist, our Phil really went to town!
Phil has now caught the el***ric bug
His P40 Warhawk may be small, but my, how it can eat up the sky!
Phil has re-decorated a very smart Gullwing
She must fly next time Eh Phil?
Howard's giant aerobat,
an Extra from Glen's Models
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