Issue 10 10.11.2010 ROSKILL MODELLERS CL UB NEWS Available on line at http://www.roskillmodellers.org.nz/downloads.html Inside this Issue Editorial 1 Your Committee 3 Register of Model 4 Flying Instructors: Safety Notice: 5 President s Pen 6 Club Captain s Report 8 A heli makes the front page Email Inbox 9 Photo Gallery 18 Upcoming Events 23 Editorial: Winter has gone and summer is just around the corner, Yippee. It can be a funny time of the year with model aircraft quite despairing after all the rotten weather we`ve had thrown at us and the general lack of flying. Then all of a sudden, we have a couple of really perfect flying days, together with a dry and well mowed airstrip and who cares what happened before. It`s a bit like, can you remember yesterday`s lunch?. You may note we have developed a Register of Flying Instructors who are available to Roskill Modellers Club members and have posted it on our web site and also in this newsletter. There are a number of extremely good pilots amongst our membership who for one reason or another are yet to sit their Wings Qualification. Hopefully the Register will have encouraged you towards making the first step and pointing out Instructors to approach, along with a committee member. Some of the pilots I`m thinking of will find the test a walk in the park.
Page 2 Editorial cont.: It is not that hard to hook up with one of our friendly instructors and work towards a Wngs Badge. So if you havn t got your wings yet, come down to Highbrook and practice the following:- a) Take off b) Level flight c) Procedure turn d) Horizontal figure of eight e) Left hand circuit landing approach f) Overshoot g) Right hand circuit landing approach h) Landing, power on i) Takeoff j) Left hand circuit k) Landing, power off Hopefully you will enjoy reading this newsletter, our tenth by the same editors, including an excellent article written by Co Editor Tony Vaughan on our visit to Avespecs. Just a note, Roskill Modellers Club officially cease our Officer of the Day duties at Highbrook and close for the Xmas period from 20-Dec-2010 and return 22-Jan-2011. During this time however, the airstrip will still be open for use by members of Highbrook Flyers, and as a result please continue to maintain your observance of the Safety rules whilst at the park. We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Co Editors; John Marsden, Antony Wright and Tony Vaughan.
Page 3 ROSKILL MODELLERS CLUB (INC) PO BOX 27 041 MT ROSKILL Your Committee: President: John Marsden 575 7503 jgmarsden@xtra.co.nz Secretary/Membership: Jock Clark (mode 1 instructor) 625 7104 digna@woosh.co.nz Treasurer: Tony Hales-Owen 626 3104 tonyho@xtra.co.nz Club Captain: Antony Wright 021 658596 antw@ignitearchitects.com Paul Murray (mode 1 instructor) 622 2115 Richard Lambert 534 0601 fhroff@xtra.co.nz Ken Buckley 625 4311 kenbuckley@clear.net.nz Tony Vaughan 622 0926 a.vaughan@xtra.co.nz DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this Newsletter are purely those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Roskill Modellers Club.
Page 4 Register of Model Flying Instructors: Instructors are available to Roskill Modellers Club members by arrangement. Please contact an Instructor to make a convenient time. The club has an AT40 high wing 40 sized trainer which can be used to teach you to fly RC and gain your wings. Mode One; Paul Murray 6222115 John Webber 8175111 Jock Clark 021956252 John Dykes 6265048 Mode Two; Arjen Visser 6260166 Helicoptors; TBA Paul with the club trainer
Page 5 Safety Notice: No model flyer plans to have an accident whilst enjoying their hobby and fortunately accidents are few and far between. However, they do happen and so it is proper that all of us, as responsible active individuals, to prepare ourselves just in case. To ensure there is no mystery about where to take a colleague for medical help whilst at Highbrook Airfield, we include a location map of the Accident and Emergency clinic that is closest to our park. The clinic (Radius Medical) is open seven days a week from 0700-2200hrs and is about ten mins. drive away. So don`t delay in taking a fellow flyer there if need be. Please take note of this address as it`s better to have it, and not need it, than the opposite scenario. Load it onto your cellphone as you read this. Of course, if the situation is considered serious enough, phone for an Ambulance on Ph 111. This is the very reason the safety rules of flying at Highbrook Airfield requires at least two people on site outside of club hours.
Page 6 President s Pen: Whilst on the weather theme, I guess winter building projects will be coming to fruition shortly and gracing our airfield. By now, due to the increasing fine days, you`ll be like a wound up spring, keen as mustard to get your creation into the air and seeing the results of all that balsa bashing and cold nights spent hunched over the heater in the workshop. My own project this season has been a Hangar 9, P47 Thunderbolt of 165cm ( 65in ) wingspan. We nicknamed it `Mayfly` as in "It may fly???" before maidening it the other day and true to H9 form, it exhibited some excellent ground manners and performed really well in the air too, what a relief. Highbrook Airstrip is a marvelous facility so close to `home`. Indeed, we are very grateful for being given permission to use the park, although, all it takes is one relevant incident for us to receive our marching orders. I`m sure that won`t happen during `club` days, however, we all need to be vigilant during the rest of the week. As the airfield is available to Highbrook Club members seven days a week, please follow the rules and ensure for safety`s sake you don`t fly alone. We all have our network of flying friends and I bet no one needs too much arm twisting to go flying together at a coordinated time. If all else fails and we have our Wings Badge, then we may like to jolly the `navigator` ( Wife ) along instead, as a second person. Indeed, after my incident at Highbrook, I d like to thank Paul, Jock, John W, and Chris for their very efficient help and kind consideration. As has been notified in previous news letters, the next step at Highbrook is having the drainage completed prior to next winter. Again, we are very thankful to the owners for organizing this work free to our group and we have been told they are also going to build a metal access road down to the airstrip gate at the same time, fan-tast-ic!
Page 7 President s Pen: cont. Earlier this year a few non committee members joined our `Officer of the Day` team which we are very grateful for their assistance, particularly when the committee were tied up at Model X etc. We would like to recognize and thank Roy Snelgar, Rodger White, Fernando Lopez and John Webber for their help. It is with regret we are losing Roy as he is shifting back to Wellington ( he`ll quickly become a strong air expert), accordingly, the club wish him all the best and a very warm welcome awaits Roy if he has the opportunity to visit us in the future. Chris Milne has recently offered to join our team in Roy`s place and brings with him a wealth of modeling Experience. Welcome aboard Chris. Just thought I`d mention a rather funny experience. Picture the President arriving at our airstrip early one morning (that was a change!!!) during the middle of freezing winter, to be confronted by the sight of a member (who will for this article remain nameless, but we`ll call him Graeme) approaching the pits area dressed only in gumboots and his Y fronts. Quite frankly friends I didn`t know what to think other than these early morning flyers are a different breed indeed!!! Thankfully, it turns out our intrepid flyer ( along with the second flyer remaining firmly ensconced on terra firma ) was retrieving his plane from the mangroves, and I`m pleased to say he successfully collected it without the plane sustaining much damage ( I don`t know about Graeme`s reputation). Ever since, my wife tells me I ve a woken with nightmares of this sight. Our `water baby` is lucky no cameras were on site, although thinking about it a bit more, we probably wouldn`t publish this shot in case of offending any decent readers of this esteemed publication. May all your landings be greasers. John Marsden. President A couple of random quotes Creditors have better memories than Debtors Benjamin Franklin. The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief. William Shakespeare
Page 8 The Club Captain s Report: From winter mud and gumboots to summer sunshine and 30+ sun block in two weeks we must be in Auckland. I went down to Christchurch for a long weekend last month and when I came back summer had arrived. Coming over the Highbrook bridge, after being away, I looked across and saw no cars on the hill, I thought, maybe there's nobody there. To my surprise there were about 10 cars parked down by the fence. I took three of my electric planes to Christchurch with me to have a fly at the Mcleans Island Scale Flyers club while I was there and I ended up coming back with four planes, adding the little electric Cessna to my collection. Luckily I was able to take the lipos with me on the plane, I said they were for my laptop. It was great to see all the different types of planes being brought out for a fly at Highbrook and also the number of people. With more people down at the field we should remind everyone about safety. In the general flying rules it is stated that if you are going out to the flight line you must take an observer with you. So don t be offended if the Officer of the Day asks you to have an observer with you when you are flying. As always, I will see you all down at the field for a chat. Antony Wright. Antony s little Cessna
Page 9 Email Inbox: Tony Vaughan Club night 03, 13th September 2010 - AVSPEC visit It is not very often that aircraft enthusiasts get a chance to get up really close to aircraft which were legends in their time and played a vital role in preserving so much of what we take for granted. For the average young person, WWII is just history, but for many of the older members of our model aeroplane clubs, the visit to AVSPECS, Lot 59 Kitty Hawk Lane, Ardmore evoked strong memories of experiences during the war and the period immediately after. Some of us who were around Hamilton or Ohakea after the war will remember the great lines of surplus aircraft lined up around the airfields and in adjoining back yards; Kittyhawks, Corsairs, Airpseed Oxfords, Mosquitoes and the list goes on. Well, most of these were broken up and smelted down for their Aluminium but a few got through and have had new life breathed into them, thanks to the efforts of wealthy enthusiasts and the expertise of AVSPECS and a number of associated New Zealand specialist companies. Our visit to AVSPECS was arranged through the good offices of Ken Buckley but special mention must go to Richard Waterus from AVSPECS and Chris Berral who were our hosts for the evening and answered our many, many questions during the course of the evening. The tour of the facilities started most appropriately in front of a new build de Havilland Mosquito. Richard welcomed us and gave us a brief history of AVSPECS and what was being restored at the time of our visit. Mosquito FB 26 KA114 belongs to collector Jerry Yagen from Norfolk, Virginia, USA and is the second of three new fuselages built by Guy Powell. The prototype was sent to the Mosquito Bomber Group Windsor, Ontario, Canada to complete a static display model as an exhibition piece. All of the fuselage, wings, tail plane, rudder, and flaps were built by our local and world Mosquito authority Guy Powell, as the crowning point of 18 yrs collecting of old Mosquito bits ( 6 container loads) and researching the numerous techniques to make the moulds to fabricate brand new airframes. Guy s goal is to see genuine Mosquito taking to the air again, seventy years plus since the maiden flight on 25 th November 1940. How lucky we are to have people with such passion and resources to preserve our History. The final costs are enormous as Jerry Yagen s rebuild has taken a number of years with each RR Merlin costing $US 65,000 to blueprint, as new engines. The third Mosquito is a new build around the metalwork of RNZAF NZ2308. Originally built in Australia and rescued as a rotting wreck by Guy, who hopes to complete and fly it over the Tasman to its place of origin, Bankstown, Australia.
Page 10 Email Inbox: Tony Vaughan Club night 03, 13th September 2010 - AVSPEC visit cont. Incidentally, there are reputedly eight other Mosquitoes around NZ in various states of decay and preservation but the writer is particularly pleased to see the one being preserved for static display at MOTAT, as he last recalls seeing it being towed through Marton township in the early fifties with the outer wings hacked off to clear the power poles. It was subsequently parked in a paddock where young lads would visit and climb into the cockpit and peer through the super thick bullet proof glass. Production Engineering at the other end of town had a supply of old Kittyhawks awaiting the smelters which we played amongst. I even scrounged one of the machineguns to put on an oversize trolley we had. Who would believe it now? What a wonderful non PC childhood. Around the remainder of the space in the first hangar containing the Mosquito, was a rather rare Curtiss P40 C Tomahawk AK 295, belonging to Rod Lewis of San Antonio Texas. Sporting refurbished radiators and oil coolers from Replicore in Whangarei, a small firm originally established by John Rummery a Vintage Car enthusiast. A mathematics teacher by training John developed vintage radiator restorations to a standard that is now certified by Air New Zealand for its quality. The P40-C has quite a few distinctly different features than the Kittyhawk, namely in the undercarriage and the engine cowl but what a great example this one is.
Page 11 Email Inbox: Tony Vaughan Club night 03, 13th September 2010 - AVSPEC visit cont. Parked immediately behind the Doug Brooker s Spitfire was CAC Sabre Jet A94-922, another from Jerry Yagen s collection. Still a pretty aircraft to this day and a lot bigger than one imagines until you get alongside of it. I believe it is up For Sale? Any takers? More New Zealand History adorns the walls where the remains of Paul Holmes Stearman can be seen. The fuselage, sans fabrique, is undergoing a slow rebuild and repair on the floor. Pleased Paul got out in one piece. Alongside the remains of the Stearman are two dismantled Spitfires awaiting restoration; an Mk VXI TB 252 belonging to Tony Banta, Livermore, California and an Mk XIV NH 799 from the Provenance Fighter Group in California. Not a lot to see as they are crated but it is heartening to think that our young men carrying out these restorations are held in such high regard worldwide, that people beat a path to their door. After the visual feast at AVSPECS, just a short distance down the road a number of enthusiasts visited a Venom, which was undergoing its final preparations to be flown to Whangarei.
Page 12 Email Inbox: Tony Vaughan Club night 03, 13th September 2010 - AVSPEC visit cont. Such a distinctive sound the centrifugal compressor spooling up. How common place it was to see or more likely hear their stable mate, the Vampire, in the skies around NZ after the last of the Mustang Squadrons were retired. Anyone remember the a Meteor flying around NZ? To conclude, what a wonderful experience this visit was, in so many different ways. Seeing first-hand the construction of a Mozzie up close and hearing how they replicated the rubber suspension in the main legs, no hydraulics. To see gleaming new Merlins and imagining them running up in unison and appreciating how Spartan the cockpit was for the pilots and crew who flew them on unimaginably dangerous missions. This visit ranks amongst the very best and we are eternally grateful to have had the privilege to see what we did. For more information on what goes on at AVSPECS, please visit their website and see the numerous photos of restorations past and present, it is an eye opener. Special thanks to AVSPECS and Richard Waterus. Tony Vaughan 3/9/2010 (Photos by Glen Sayers) Antony s photos below also at AVSPEC
Page 13 Emails Inbox: Guy Clapshaw The following are some reports that relate to recent club activities. Club night 04, 27th October 2010 - Chris Bruce The final club night of the season was a most stimulating talk by Chris Bruce, an aeronautical engineer with experience ranging from agricultural aircraft in New Zealand, light aircraft missionary flying in Papua, New Guinea, and now work on the engineering side of Air New Zealand on such aircraft as the Boeing 747-400, the 767, and the new toy in the box, the long range 777 twin jet. But he's also an active R/C modeler and regular Highbrook flier, so was able to talk our language when describing the intricate control systems of modern commercial jet aircraft. Chris's descriptions of the difficult flying conditions in New Guinea were exciting. Many strips have no overshoot - you either get it right the first time or you walk home! A few members brought along models for discussion afterwards, which added to an extremely enjoyable club night. This is always an opportunity to learn how the other fellow does it - or maybe you can impart your knowledge to the discussion. This is the final winter club night of the season, winter weather is behind us and the name of the game now is flying - maybe even some evening flying after work - but more similar club nights will commence again in the autumn. Oh, and while I have your attention, Ken Buckley took this opportunity to inform us the club's Christmas luncheon will be at Alexandra Park on Tuesday 30th November. See you at Aly Park if you're not at Highbrook before then! Regards, Guy.. ----------------------------------------------------- E.W. (Guy) Clapshaw.
Page 14 Emails Inbox: Ralph McCleery Beagle
Page 15 Emails Inbox: Ralph McCleery Beagle cont.
Page 16 Emails Inbox: Ralph McCleery Beagle cont.
Page 17 Emails Inbox: Ken Buckly Extra after Sundays mishap. Hi Antony.. After my landing mishap (mismanagement?) on Sunday, some thought the old Extra looked a bit terminal. The attached pixs show all the bits reassembled with a variety of clamps and rubber bands. Application of thin cyano and "kicker" had everything back in place - now to add some reinforcement! There were only 2 pieces actually broken - both "liteply" fuselage sides. All the other damage was glue joints that parted - seems to have been built mainly with cyano and the firewall/undercarriage area was all epoxy that held together very well. The nylon undercarriage and wing bolts both broke, saving further damage - although the undercarriage did take out a section of the wing trailing edge as it departed. Ken B
Page 18 Photo Gallery: General weekend flying
Page 19 Photo Gallery: General weekend flying
Page 20 Photo Gallery: General weekend flying
Photo Gallery: General weekend flying - Sunday 07.11.10 - Ralph s photos Page 21
Photo Gallery: General weekend flying - Sunday 07.11.10 - Ralph s photos Page 22
Page 23 Upcoming Events: Also check the web page for events. Sunday 7 th Nov.. - Club Flying. Wednesday 10th Nov. - Com. meeting. Sunday 14 th Nov. - Club Flying. Sunday 21 th Nov - Club Flying. Sunday 28 th Nov - Club Flying. Sunday 28 th Nov - Club Flying. Tuesday 30 th Nov - Club's Christmas luncheon at Alexandra Park. For all members and "She who must be obeyed!" Time TBC in email. Sunday 5 th Dec. - Club Flying. Sunday 12 th Dec. - Club Flying. Sunday 19th Dec. - Club Flying. Something to put in your calendar for next year. Watch this space for future notifications. 2nd Annual Highbrook Open Day Sunday April 17th 2011.