FREE FLIGHT SCALE - 2003/04

136 MODEL AVIATION
STARTING WITH THE January 2003
issue, the Free Flight (FF) Scale column
will be published every three months
instead of every other month. Model
Aviation wants to target more of the
neophytes in modeling and get them secure
in this wonderful hobby. Specialized
columns such as mine don’t reach enough
of the majority—therefore the cutback.
What I offer is definitely geared toward the
individuals who like to build from scratch
and want their end products to look more
realistic and fly well.
We are in a time where getting a model
into the realm of flight is more important to
many than the building. Those of us who
love the art of model building (yes, I
believe that it is an art) are becoming more
and more rare. There aren’t a whole lot of
“spring chickens” participating in the
Flying Aces Club Nationals (Nats) or SAM
(the Society of Antique Modelers), yet
these people enjoy building and flying their
handiwork!
Pick up any model magazine, and you
will see the increasing number of Almost
Ready-to-Fly models. Most of them are
Radio Control (RC), but it does give one an
idea of where we are headed.
You can buy the best modern Wakefield
or Coupe and compete with the best of
them. I recently acquired a Coupe, and all
that was left for me to do was put in a
dethermalizer and the 10-gram rubber
motor. (I was so impressed with the way
these models flew, I had to have one.
Certainly I could have built one, but that
would have taken away from my primary
modeling interests, which are Scale and
Old-Timer models.)
That is one of the reasons why I enjoy
going to the United Kingdom and
competing with a group of modelers who
love scratch building their FF Scale
models, and they are powered with diesel
engines!
In the January column I promised to tell
you about my trip to the UK and to the
Czech Republic (CR). My friend Charlie
Newman talked me into going to the CR to
compete in what is called Interscale. It is a
huge, international Indoor event that
attracts modelers from many European
countries.
I had planned to take my Fairey
Swordfish to compete in the British Nats,
but I destroyed that idea. Fortunately I had
a backup, but I had to build a model for the
Indoor event. I decided to build an Avia B-
3. I thought it would be a good idea to
build a Czech airplane for a little public
relations; it didn’t help.
When I arrived at Heathrow Airport,
Charlie picked me up and we went directly
to the Hendon Air Museum, where I
photographed the newly acquired Bristol
Bulldog. I hope to build a model of the
Bulldog, and this aircraft is the only one in
existence. From there we went to an allaircraft
used bookstore. It was mindboggling.
We made it to Charlie’s home
after we were delayed by some car trouble.
We had two major events to attend on
Saturday. The first was at a place called
Woburn Abbey—the site of the annual
Tiger Moth Club Fly-In. You can’t imagine
what it is like to see the multitude of de
Havilland aircraft on this beautiful 3,000-
acre estate. We parked on a shallow hill
where we could see all the activity while
enjoying a hearty meal my host prepared.
After taking in and photographing many of
the airplanes, we headed for our next big
event, held at the Shuttleworth in the late
afternoon.
This event is called Prom Night. There
is a large stage covered by a domelike
structure, where a symphony plays. In front
of the stage is a huge grass area where
everyone gathers with tables and chairs and
a magnificence of food. There were
roughly 10 of us in our group, and each
couple brought more food than an army
could eat.
When the symphony started playing at 7
p.m., a beautiful sailplane began a flying
routine to the music. The sailplane had
colored smoke coming off each wingtip,
adding to the flying ballet! After it landed,
the symphony started another euphonious
masterpiece while a Lysander took to the
air and flew to the music. This continued
until it was too dark for flying—with a
different airplane in the air with each new
piece of music. An unbelievable fireworks
show ended this memorable event. If you
ever go to the UK, this is a must-see event!
I attended an Old-Timer contest for one
day at Middle Wallop. This flying site has
to be seen to be believed. What an expanse
of grass! From there I went to stay with
Lindsey and Jane Smith, and I had a
marvelous time with them. After several
days with the Smiths, I spent quite a bit of
time with Derek and Marilyn Knight.
Finally the long weekend of the British
Nats arrived. We normally stay at a pub
near the Nats site, but the owner’s daughter
was getting married and was taking all of
the available rooms. This time Derek,
Marilyn, Charlie, and I stayed at a
wonderful bed and breakfast.
The Nats is held at Barkston-Heath Air
Base, and the amount of grass is incredible.
The FF Scale events are held Saturday and
Sunday at 6 p.m. We flew after RC Scale
was completed. The weather was drizzly
most of the day and cold—at least for this
Southern California native. By the time it
was our turn to fly, the rain quit and the
wind was tolerable.
The British rules basically mandate that
a model must rise-off-ground (ROG). You
can hand launch, but your score would not
be high enough to win against those whose
models do ROG. The different sources of
power are broken up as follows. Power
includes diesel or glow, electric and CO2
are grouped together, and there is rubber.
Surprisingly, not many modelers who fly
rubber-powered Scale models participate.
The British love biplanes, as I do, and it
was something to see these machines flying
against the clouds and the setting sun. They
looked full scale.
Doug McHard—one of England’s
greatest FF Scale modelers—showed up as
a spectator, and I had a nice visit with him.
He showed me his latest diesel-powered
model: an S.E.5a built from plans he drew
long ago for the December 1957
Aeromodeller. He also had a rubberpowered
Me 109 that he flew for me. Doug
passed away unexpectedly while I was in
the CR.
The day after the British Nats was
finished, Charlie, John Minchell, and I left
to drive to the CR. We took the ferry from
Dover to Belgium, which was roughly a
four-hour boat trip. When we arrived in
Belgium, we got into the 5 p.m. traffic. It
was no different from here in Southern
California.
Fernando Ramos, 19361 Mesa Dr., Villa Park CA 92861; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT SCALE
I met many
modelers from
across Europe and
saw their fine
models fly in
competition.
04sig5.QXD 1.23.03 3:20 pm Page 136
John’s four-cylinder Renault wagon
didn’t respond well to the stop-and-go
traffic, resulting in overheating and
massive steaming. We had enough water
among us to put in the radiator, so we
drove a short distance to a village where
we found a place for the night. We were
lucky that the village had a Renault garage,
where we took the car the next morning.
While the car was being repaired, we
took a taxi to the air museum in Brussels. It
turned out to be great, and we hadn’t
planned on visiting it. We returned to the
garage, and we were off. We had planned
on staying the first night in Germany, but
our plans changed with the car problem.
We drove straight through Germany to
Prague, CR, and we spent seven days
touring this incredible city and its
surroundings.
Each day we took an electric tram to the
city; we stayed in the outskirts where
everything was considerably cheaper. We
must have walked at least five miles a day
touring the many sights, museums, and
other points of interest. The food we ate in
abundance was first-rate. In this country
which was under communist rule for a long
time, there were no visible scars from the
oppression. The cost of living there isn’t
high; a pint of beer was 40 cents, and I was
paying 60-70 cents for a Sprite.
On our way to Prostejov, the site of the
Interscale, we stopped for a day and an
evening in Trebic, where Charlie’s good
friend Pavel (I can’t remember how to spell
or pronounce his last name) lives. He is a
professional model builder. Pavel builds
his models—mostly jets—from fiberglass,
and they become the prototypes for plastic
model kits.
Pavel took us to a private airfield where
he and many others keep their ultralight
aircraft. He has a sailplane like an
April 2003 137
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ultralight. He took us to a small facility
where several individuals were making
their own ultralight aircraft. The all-grass
airfield and runway would be the envy of
all of us here in California.
We left for Prostejov the next day,
driving through some beautiful
countrysides and small villages. The
weather was delightful in the CR; it rained
for only part of one day. The contest was
held in a large sports complex, and all of
the modelers in attendance stayed in a nice
hotel in town. There were approximately
10 participants from the UK, including
Derek and Marilyn Knight. I was the only
American—and only the second one to
ever attend Interscale.
The contest included rubber, CO2, and
electric events, and it featured indoor
electric RC Scale. I met many modelers
from across Europe and saw their fine
models fly in competition. My CO2-
powered Avia B-3 flew extremely well,
but it did not ROG. It was powered with a
Gasparin 73 motor. The highlight of my
trip there was meeting Stefan Gasparin. He
came over to congratulate me after my
flights; it can’t get any better than that.
Space doesn’t permit me to detail
everything that occurred.
From Prostejov we went to the city of
Brno, where we attended an outdoor
contest held at another wonderful all-grass
airport. That meant more fun and more
new friends. From there we headed back to
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Germany, where we thought we were going
to spend the next night. We were unable to
find any vacancies, so we drove straight to
Belgium, then to Dover. After a hearty
breakfast, we headed for Charlie’s house.
After John left, Charlie asked me if I was
interested in doing some more flying. Of
course I was! The next day I left to come
home.
It was a gratifying trip. I was gone a
whole month. This is really too long to be
away from home and live out of a suitcase,
but I am ready for my next trip to the UK
this summer. For those of you who have an
interest in modeling and full-scale aircraft,
a trip to the UK should be on your wish list.
You won’t regret it! MA
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