Crewe Model Show 27th Feb 2011

[Eric Mc]

Yes. Having a really powerful engine right on the centreline of the fuselage is the main reason for the problems. Having said that, powerful twins, such as the Mosquito can also cause swing problems. De Havilland tried to solve the problem on the later Hornet by having "handed" engines. However, the maintenance problems of having two different engines on the same airframe were considered too much for it to be adopted for other designs.

[drivin_me_nuts]

cheers guys, i've learned more about aircraft engines in the last few posts than I ever knew! On a slightly different tack - how did the evolution of the twin screw engines come about? Was there a tipping point or a defining moment when the designers or even the pilots said in effect 'we need to do something' - this isn't about plane quirks or idiosyncrocies any more.

[Eric Mc]

Contra-props first emerged in the 1930s as more efficient use of horsepower was searched for. Here's an early example, the Macchi M72 designed for the Schneider Trophy races.



If jets hadn't arrived on the scene when they did, I am sure we would have seen far more use of contra-rotating propellor set ups.

[drivin_me_nuts]

God that's beautiful. The 1930's... the peak of beautiful engineering.

OK... i've got the bug now. Eric et al, can you suggest a book to about the history/design of planes... a good read that will explain more about plane evolution. I could ask you questions all day I suspect that we both have other things we need to be doing!

Thanks

[Eric Mc]

Did you spot the radiators in the floats?

There are many, many books out there on the history of flight.

For a genuinely readable account of aircraft or aero-engine development, I would recommend anything by Bill Gunston.

[drivin_me_nuts]

Eric Mc said:

Did you spot the radiators in the floats?

There are many, many books out there on the history of flight.

For a genuinely readable account of aircraft or aero-engine development, I would recommend anything by Bill Gunston.

Thanks. I'll have a look... and no, I didn't spot the radiators.

[ceebmoj]

What is the aeroplane in the 7th photo down that is a flying wing shape.

as a side note I had no idea some one would sell models that look as good as that for £10, wish I had been there to get a couple.

[perdu]

ceebmoj said:

What is the aeroplane in the 7th photo down that is a flying wing shape.

as a side note I had no idea some one would sell models that look as good as that for £10, wish I had been there to get a couple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_F4D_Skyray

The Skyray looked like science fiction but we kids of the time just took such weird things as normal

Everything was changing back then and I for one revelled in it

[Eric Mc]

It seemed like every doodle of a draughtsman's pen got turned into some sort of hardware. Not all of it worked that well, e.g. -

[perdu]

Aha the sad old Cutlass

Weren't US Navy aviators lucky to have all that talent to play with?

Still we weren't a lot behind ourselves were we

Some amazing Brit designs got through to prototype versions

Supermarine's gorgeous 510 for instance



I loved Flight back then, could see the mags in local libraries if I was lucky

Couldnt afford to buy them though

[dr_gn]

ceebmoj said:

What is the aeroplane in the 7th photo down that is a flying wing shape.

as a side note I had no idea some one would sell models that look as good as that for £10, wish I had been there to get a couple.

The bases probably cost £10 alone.

[Eric Mc]

A lot of the British stuff was a total waste of time and money.

Read the new book "Empire of the Cliouds" for an insight into how deluded the British aircraft industry was in the 1950s.

[Eric Mc]

dr_gn said:

ceebmoj said:

What is the aeroplane in the 7th photo down that is a flying wing shape.

as a side note I had no idea some one would sell models that look as good as that for £10, wish I had been there to get a couple.

The bases probably cost £10 alone.

Was he selling his own models or were they from someone elses's collection.

[Zaxxon]

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/lightning/...

[perdu]

I thought the engraving alone on some of those models was near enough a tenner's worth

Not bad models too

I think I may detect a female influence if certain life changing moments in common have happened

Eric although I loved all the endeavour and advances for the sake of it, I'd agree we spent a fortune piffing it up the wall in real terms, but oh the glory of first to this height or farthest on a gallon of avtur we pushed for back then

And anyway fail or success I loved the Argosy or the Britannia, TSR2 just for the sake of pushing boundaries and FD2, what a glorious piece of sculpture

[Eric Mc]

I'm sure they were all having a great time - at the taxpayers' expense. Although I'd rather have my taxpayer's money wasted on a TSR2 rather than a Millenium Dome.

[Skodaku]

Love the Typhoon (?) with the invasion stripes. Really give the impression of being hand painted in the field, as they were, rather than the usual pristinely masked, surgically precise renditions seen on too many models.

Some lovely stuff on display. Thanks for posting.

[dr_gn]

Skodaku said:

Love the Typhoon (?) with the invasion stripes. Really give the impression of being hand painted in the field, as they were, rather than the usual pristinely masked, surgically precise renditions seen on too many models.

Some lovely stuff on display. Thanks for posting.

No worries!

I always have a problem with wavy invasion stripes. I know some were like that, but is always looks to me like whoever built the model couldn't paint.

[72twink]

It seems the guys applying them at the time often couldn't paint either!

[Eric Mc]

Most were reasonably straight. That picture is always flashed up as an example of how bad they sometimes could be.
Lukilly for me, Roland Beamomnt had his Tempest's stripes applied by Hawker themselves so they were pretty much perfect.