Foyle
Model Flyer 2008
Welcome
to the latest edition of the Foyle Model Flyer. Believe it or not our last FMF
was way back in 2005, and thankfully we can say that the three years from our
last edition have been good ones for our club. Our membership has remained steady
and our financial position has greatly improved due to the introduction of our
flying site development fee. This has enabled us to continue improving our flying
site while maintaining a strong financial balance for future development.
During
these three years our members have been busy busy busy. Three members of the club
organised the international 2007 Jet World Masters competition which was held
in Enniskillen back in July 2007, a short report is included in this issue. We
have also had two trips organised by the club to the Scottish model air show,
and the Duxford 90th anniversary airshow, again short reports on these trips are
included. At the beginning of summer 2008 we secured grant aid from Derry City
Council for the provision of an additional grass runway. Work on this commenced
in August but was severely hampered by the continued poor weather. A big thank
you goes out to all the members who pulled on their Wellington boots, grabbed
a spade and in the true spirit of the NWMAC got stuck in. It has to be noted that
a certain member of the club tried to combine his flying skills with the construction
work but soon realised that a dumper truck cannot fly inverted nor do barrel rolls
with sufficient ease. This member shall remain nameless but I am sure we will
all take our hats of to him for his valiant attempt. If he ever gives up model
flying he has already gained a good understanding of the high jump and could take
this up as an alternative sport.
As
Christmas now rapidly approaches the NWMAC committee would like to take this opportunity
to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and new year. Hopefully Santa will have
plenty of aero-modelling goodies with him. The 2008 - 2009 NWMAC Committee is
as follows;
Chairman
Robert McCartney
Vice Chair Michael McShane
Secretary Sean Scully
Treasurer
Arthur Morrow
Safety Officer Gerry Donnelly
Flying Site Development Officer
Thomas McLaughlin
Membership Secretary Alex Collins
Acknowledgements:
We
would like to thank Niall McDonnell for his help as membership secretary over
the last two years.
Scottish
Model Airshow 18th May 2008
It
was an early start (5.30am) for the four of us (Alex Collins, Paul Smyth, Tom
Long and Robert McCartney) to catch the early fast ferry from Belfast to Stranraer
for our day out at the Scottish Airshow. Good work by Alex on the Internet had
identified a very attractive foot passenger excursion fare with Stena Line.
A
hearty breakfast was had by all on-board and in what seemed no time at all we
were docking in Scotland. After a very reasonably priced taxi drive, we arrived
at Castle Kennedy airfield, the venue for the show. The sun was already making
its presence known so it was tee-shirts all round, as it remained for the rest
of the day, perfect flying weather!
A
walk along the flight line presented us with a wide variety of models, both in
type and size (see photos on website) most of which were flown during the day,
but the model of the show for me was the massive Fiat CR42 biplane, although the
twin turbine powered Vulcan was a very close second. Its rock solid high alpha
approach on finals was so realistic. Two Broncos gave a very good demonstration
of low-level flying and the Balfour family must be the most talented family in
the UK, at least were aerobatics is concerned. They gave a number of examples
of their skills throughout the day.
The
trade stands were visited by all of us at regular intervals during the day with
perhaps Alex securing the bargain of the day, a beautifully built BT 13 Vultee
Valiant for a 91 four stroke. The rest of us satisfied ourselves with picking
up some of those items you don't know you need until you see them!
One
of the real delights of this show is meeting our Scottish friends and chatting
over times past. Thanks for lunch Don and Eunice! After the show Bill (Grimsley)
invited us back to his caravan for "refreshments" and had us in stitches
with his Hillman Imp / Elephant story! Bill, you've really got to write that one
down.
Bill
kindly drove us back to the ferry tired but happy after a very enjoyable day at
the Scottish Airshow. Here's to next year!
Duxford
90th Anniversary Airshow
At
0330 hours on Saturday 6th September four rather dreary eyed NWMAC members (Sean
Scully, Robert McCartney, Alex Collins and Tom Long) met up at Homebase's car
park and set of in the direction of Belfast City Airport for the 1 hour hop to
Stansted just outside Cambridge in England. After an uneventful car journey with
only minor slaggings having taken place, we checked in at the airport security
and boarded a Ryan Air Boeing 737-800.
By
0900 we were tucking into a rather tasty Ulster / English fry, (arguments over
who invented this delicacy will no doubt rage for millennium to come but thumbs
up to whoever it was), and with the hire car collected we headed for Duxford airfield.
Navigating through the English countryside turned out to be one of the easiest
journeys yet and took a mere 30 minutes with no hiccups. Upon arrival at Duxford
we were given parking directions by a number of army cadets and headed straight
for the museums.
First
stop was the British Air Museum which was absolutely astounding with a multitude
of British aircraft on display. Included in the display were a Shorts Sunderland,
BAC Concorde, Avro Lancaster, De Havilland Mosquito, Avro Vulcan and a Hawker
Hunter.
It
took nearly two hours to do a whistle stop tour of this museum and our cameras
were rarely away from a good shooting position. It has to be said that our available
time for this museum was simply too short by far and did not do it justice.
Next
up was a flight line walk which took us past no less than nine spitfires, a Boeing
B-17 Flying Fortress, 3 x DC3's, a Messerschmitt Bf109 (1109-M1L Buchón
(Pigeon)), a Hawk and a Piper Cub (invasion colours). All this was accompanied
by nostalgic theme tunes such as Dambusters and other WWII era classics which
were piped through the PA system. From time to time a few fighter pilots, wing
commanders and even a station commander, all in authentic WWII uniforms, popped
up creating a total 1940's experience. The flight line walk led us straight to
the American Air Museum, which again was mind blowing. Once top secret aircraft
such as the SR-71 Blackbird, B52 Stratofortress and F4 Phantom were displayed
in a domed shaped hangar with easy access to get up close and personal. An absolutely
beautiful Super Sabre was also on proud display. Again hours could be spent in
this museum and our available time just wasn't enough. My personal favourite was
the PT17 Boeing Stearman which hung from the ceiling as if in flight.
After
a very short visit to the Battle of Britain exhibition the roar of aircraft overhead
could be heard so a quick dash outside was made. Display after display of both
WWII and more modern aircraft stunned the crowd for nearly 3 hours and was only
interrupted once by rain. In saying that there were many static aircraft on display
with fine wingspans which double well as umbrellas. One of the many highlights
of the air-show was an Avro Vulcan which did a number of impressive low level
flypasts. Also extremely notable was a beautiful display from the 3 DC3's two
of which were in invasion colours. A dogfight between a Messerschmitt, Spitfire
and Hurricane enthralled the spectators, needless to say it was deemed to be a
victory for the allies.
Duxford
airfield was packed with countless trade stands offering everything from rather
tasty Cornish pasties to beautiful aircraft prints valued at £3,000.00.
These prints were signed by fighter aces from WWII and were simply stunning. We
would have purchased a few of these prints for our mantelpieces but we were worried
about our luggage allowance on the plane back home. Instead we settled for a few
keepsakes which were hand luggage size and priced to meet a more economic orientated
wallet.
Upon
completion of the air-show we headed back to Stansted Airport stopping of for
a Kentucky Fried Chicken on the way. Again another problem free journey was had
and a very tired foursome arrived safely back at Homebase's car park around 11.00pm.
Everyone agreed that it was a great experience and that it would be really nice
to return to Duxford for another trip just to spend more time in the museums.
Maybe one for the future!
2009
Trips
It
is intended that we run trips to the following shows in 2009
Salthill
Airshow (June) and The Royal International Air Tattoo (July). The RIAT airshow
has been acknowledged as the world's largest military airshow and is not to be
missed.
Anyone
interested in either of these trips should contact Sean Scully for further information.
ARTF's
I
hope the member concerned does not mind me using the following incident concerning
his model, but I think there is an important message here that the membership
needs to be informed about.
The
member concerned test flew his large scale fully aerobatic ARTF model at the Club's
site recently. The model, from the Black Horse stable was very well finished and
powered with a 50cc petrol engine. Large powerful servos were used throughout
and the whole on-board radio system was expertly installed and backed up with
a Powerbox Management System.
During
the test flight which I witnessed, the model was not subjected to any particularly
stressful manoeuvres, an axle roll perhaps being the most. However as the flight
progressed the model was displaying some "unusual" pitch and roll attitudes.
Our
member landed at the earliest opportunity and upon inspection noted that one wing
panel had completely collapsed! In effect he had a bundle of wood enclosed in
a bag of heat shrink covering.
When
I had a look at the wing panel I noted that the grain in the spar webbing was
running longitudinally with the top and bottom spars rather than at right angles
i.e. up and down between the spars. As we all know wood, especially balsa, is
much stronger when loads are applied latterly across the grain than along it.
The purpose of inter-spar webbing is to keep the top and bottom spars apart when
under flight loads. I concluded, rightly or wrongly, that the webbing had collapsed
under load allowing the top and bottom spars to come together. A consequence of
this was that the wing ribs also failed, assisted by the fact that the wing ribs
had been hollowed out in the manufacturing process to save weight.
Those
of us who remember those pre-ARTF days when you had to build your own models from
kit or plan, would be aware of the need for spar webbing to have the correct orientation,
but how many of us, irrespective of experience would inspect any prospective ARTF
purchase to this level of detail, very few I'm sure.
Our
member was lucky, he was able to land the model without the wing failing completely
in flight which would have surely resulted in the whole model being written off
and possibly much worse if it had of impacted with person or property.
No
doubt our member will make the distributor well aware of this design/manufacturing
fault and appropriate action will be taken. No blame can be attributed to him
as the model was very well assembled and high standard avionics expertly installed.
So if
you're in the market for a new ARTF do not assume that all is well with the airframe.
It is easy to be impressed with the high-class colourful finish that many ARTF
models have. Cast a discerning eye over the airframe and make sure all is well
within.
Robert
McCartney
Chair NWMAC & Area Chief Examiner
2007
Jet World Masters
A
year after the Jet World Masters when all the dust has settled, we thought it
might be nice to look back at the event and reflect on what was achieved. Some
of the things that went on behind the scene might also be of interest to members.
There
is no doubt that the 7th Jet World Masters was the largest model-flying event
ever held in the province. Some interesting statistics are as follows:
·
85 pilots representing 27 countries spanning the entire globe attended.
·
There were 249 competition flights averaging 10 minutes each, this means that
there was an aircraft in the sky for almost 42 hours solid.
· Some 400
participants in total attended made up of pilots, team managers, helpers and supporters.
·
Including spectators the event generated around 7000 bed nights, resulting in
a significant boost to the local economy by an estimated £400,000.00 over
10 days.
· There were only 3 crashes, two during practice and one during
the competition which resulted in the model being written off. This is in comparison
with the previous event in Hungary where 6 models were written off although only
67 pilots were entered, (a decrease from nearly 9% fatalities to 3.5%).
·
The event was completed ahead of time even with the poor weather conditions.
As
with any major event problems will arise, our first was encountered a few weeks
prior to the event when our Pit Boss, Ros Wilkinson announced that she would be
unable to attend. Thankfully Bridget McConnellogue stepped into the breech and
did an excellent job. Her good-natured cheerful disposition was remarked upon
by many of the competitors as she tactfully hurried them along in order to keep
the competition moving.
The
problem we had with one of the marquees being blown away and two of the team ending
up in hospital is well documented elsewhere. What is perhaps not so well documented
is the knock-on effect this had on the competition. The marquee we lost was to
be used for static judging, team managers meetings, scoring computation and in
part as a model hangar. When this disappeared into the next field, we had to find
alternatives. We were able to squeeze all the models into the remaining marquees
but there was no-way that static judging and team managers meetings could be accommodated.
Alan Cathcart and his fantastic team at St. Angelo Airport came to the rescue.
Alan gave us the use of one of the airport's large hangars for static judging
and for team managers meetings and persuaded London Helicopters to loan us one
of their portacabins for a scoring centre. After a bit of re-organisation static
judging got underway and proceeded smoothly thanks to all who operated the shuttle
system between the marquees and the hangar.
While
all this was going on publicity for the event had to be looked after so I did
a number of radio interviews for Radio Ulster, Q105 and Q101, Sean did an interview
for Highland radio and Sean and I did a TV interview for the BBC NI Newsline 6.30,
phew!
Once
the flying part of the competition commenced we thought we could start to relax
a bit, No Chance! After the first day Tom Wilkinson the Flight Line Director went
home sick leaving Aidan (Lafferty) to step into the breach, Aidan did a sterling
job achieving up to seven flights per hour, a rate that had not previously been
achieved. This was even more impressive as the weather was very uncooperative
and heavy rain showers were continually interrupting the competition. After the
competition I checked with the Met Office and their records showed that the rainfall
for July 2007 was 174% of the average!
The
next bit of fun and games was when five countries lodged a protest against two
members of the German team for not being registered in the correct class. The
three man jury was convened and a rigorous investigation undertaken which involved
interrogation of our records. Thanks to Sean the organising committee was found
not to be at fault. The protest was upheld and two members of the German team
had their static points deducted. This naturally led to some ill feeling between
the Germans and the other countries involved including allegations of sabotaging
of models.
After
all this the competition needed some merriment and so we looked forward to the
IJMC's traditional "Nations Night". Keith Channing and his band did
a great job in getting the fun going and several new members of the "Combat
Drinking Club" were elected by the end of the night. Thankfully those rather
obese leprechauns that turned up at the Irish Night earlier in the week stayed
away!
With
the competition running ahead of schedule and very poor weather forecast for the
Saturday, we decided to bring the closing ceremony forward to Friday. This proved
to be the correct decision as Saturday's weather was simply awful.
In
conclusion the JWM was a complete success with all three rounds of the competition
successfully completed. Everyone had their correct accommodation which in itself
was a massive undertaking considering that accommodation was booked for more than
450 people in over a dozen different accommodation centres, also most of the visitors
did not have English as their parent or in some cases even second language. All
the models arrived on time, passed their custom inspections, and were shipped
home safely. Only one model incurred any damage in transit but this was minor
and was sorted on site allowing the model to successfully enter the competition.
The sport of model flying in N. Ireland had its profile greatly increased both
with the international model flying community and the local and national public.
Most important is that everyone had a great time and many new friendships were
made. Anyone who saw the flights by the father and son formation team could not
have failed to be impressed. The whole event was captured by Traplet Publications
and the DVD is available via their website.
On
a personal level I would like to thank Aidan and Sean who during the two years
of planning leading up to the competition and at the competition itself, showed
immense dedication, skill and professionalism with the numerous tasks they were
asked to do. I want to also thank Bridget McConnellogue, Thomas McLaughlin, Gerry
Donnelly, Alex Collins and Ross McKenzie who dug us out of some quite deep holes!
Would
we do it again? Don't ask!!
Robert
McCartney
Project Manager
7th. Jet World Masters
A
Word from our Chair
With what has possibly been
the worst summer for model flying weather wise in living memory now gone, we can
look forward to a hopefully much better flying season in 2009. While last year
was a disappointment flying wise we can still look back on 2008 as one of achievement
for the Club. The new secondary grass runway should be operational by next spring
and will be a significant addition to the assets of the Club permitting greater
flexibility in accommodating various wind directions. My thanks to everyone who
helped out in its construction. Particular thanks should be extended to Sean our
Club Secretary, who developed the grant application to Derry City Council securing
a grant of £1000 towards the work.
Last
year we had two Club trips to the Scottish Model Airshow and to Duxford. It is
likely that at least one of these will be repeated this coming year with the addition
of a trip to the International Military Air Tattoo at Fairford, one of the largest
airshows in the world. I would highly recommend these trips as the two last year
were very enjoyable. Keep an eye on our website for details.
One
of the disappointments of last year was the poor level of club membership participation
in our organised events. We had good entries from flyers from other clubs but
we really should have a much higher number of entries from the NWMAC, particularly
for the aerobatics competition. The objective of all our competitions is "fun"
and as witnesses will testify the standard is not very high! So come on put your
name forward next time, I guarantee you will enjoy the experience. In the interest
of the pursuit of fun the Committee is considering organising a "Combat Day",
again keep an eye on our website for further information.
You
should also very shortly be receiving your membership renewal form. I would ask
you to renew your membership promptly. Remember no membership, no insurance, no
flying.
