Flying Scale Models 12/2012

The elegant, unmistakably French fighter biplane received by the American 95th Aero Squadron in February 1918 was the first of some 297 purchased by the U.S.A. in World War One to supplement its limited supplies of SPAD 13C.1s. It was the shapely Nieuport N.28C-1 and, although it was to achieve a degree of fame in the hands of a few outstanding pilots (Lufbery and Rickenbacker to name but two), as a fighter it was flawed from the outset and rejected for front-line use by the French Air Service, considering it inferior to the SPAD, which had been ordered into full production as their principal fighter aircraft in 1917. (What a way to treat your new-found and much needed Allies!) The Nieuport 28 was the culmination of a design evolution whose origins lay in a successful series of sesquiplane fighters by Gustave Delage, of which the little Nieuport Model 11 of 1915 was the first to win fame in combat.

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Flying Scale Models 11/2012

Mike Conrad's Bowers Fly-Baby Biplane isn't meant to be a Class One scale model, there is no pretence of having absolutely scale fittings, it doesn't have a cross axle (to prevent tripping in the grass - although you can fit one if you wish) and it has ailerons on both the lower and top wings. It is what one would term as a 'character' scale model, look at it closely and you can pick a few scale holes in it, but in the air it is a 'Fly Baby' through and through. It has that hard-to-define authority when flying. But over to Mike.
It is usually early on in January that the urge to build a new model suddenly strikes me. But, of course, it takes me at least another month to decide which full size subject to tackle. Mind you, who am kidding? It was always going to be a biplane and, however much I looked at the World War I selection, I really could not find something that had not been done before.

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Flying Scale Models 10/2012

There are some prototypes that defy the rules of aesthetics, yet still manage to deliver a fascinating aircraft. The Blackburn R-l is one such type. It is a miasma of rigging, portholes, double struttery, tanks, louvres, and grills. Yet, overall, the effect is magnificently individual. The Blackburn R-l 'Blackburn' was conceived in 1922 as a carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft for both fleet spotting and gun spotting duties. Blackburns entered service at Gosport in April 1923. It was loosely based on the earlier Blackburn Dart-it spanned 45 feet 6 inches (13.87m), weighed 3,929 lbs (1786 kg) and was fitted with Napier Lion engine. Designed for a crew of three comprising pilot, navigator and rear gunner, the pilot's high seat was on top of the wing. The navigator sat inside the fuselage, with the gunner firing from the rear of the fuselage cabin. The pilot's position was so high that landing must have been exceptionally difficult, even though portholes were provided. The two-bay wings folded for storage on the carrier.

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Flying Scale Models 09/2012

I've always had a bit of a thing about Taubes, ever since seeing an old free-flight plan for the Rumpier Taube back in the early 1970s. So, when asked to design a few more fairly small models, and since Taubes were a topic that had come up recently, I armed myself with the Albatros Datafile and set about drawing a plan for an electric powered, R/C model. In order to keep it relatively simple, the Rumpler Taube was the type chosen. Although there is nothing particularly complicated about the build, there are rather a lot of wing ribs to cut. Therefore, I strongly suggest you arm yourself with the set of laser cut parts before starting to build the model. However, for those who insist on 'going it alone', the second sheet of the plan provides all the patterns that would appear as a cut part set laid out on wood size panels. Copy this sheet, cut out the panels and LIGHTLY spray-mount them to the wood to create your own print-wood style kit. Once the parts are cut out, because you only lightly stuck the patterns in place, the paper can be peeled away.

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