WRCS - July 2007

Warringah Radio Control

Society Incorporated
(Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984)

Newsletter - July 2007

And the winner is ... winner of the AXIS Special Category at May Scale Day, Grant Furzer's Stuka caught in flight - photo Peter Donnan

MEETINGSMEETINGSMEETINGSMEETINGS
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 10th July 2007 at Tennis Cove, Eastern Valley Way, starting at 7.30 pm. The next meeting after that will be the TRASH & TREASURE NIGHT on Tuesday, 14th August 2007

WRCS Annual General Meeting - June 2007
By the time you get to read this Newsletter, the AGM will be all over and done, we'll have a new Committee for another year but as the Mag is published and distributed at the end of each month, as at the date of going to print, I cannot give you any more info..
On behalf of all the Members I wish to place on record our appreciation for the hard work the outgoing Committee put in for 2006/07 and to wish the incoming Committee a successful year

... Ed

RACING
Sunday, 22 July 2007

Classes: Open, Sport, Stock, Novice
THIS IS A FUN EVENT WITH SAFETY PARAMOUNT

Competition Director - TBA

THE CUB REPORTER W*R*A*M
aka BRIAN PORMAN; B.P.; PORTHOLE and JIMMY OLSEN

by G.F.

Brian with friend

I have had the good fortune of having known Brian for over 60 years, he being a little older, we didn't become friends until 1949 when we became interested in control line model planes.
We flew our planes in parks around Manly-Warringah and Balgowlah Districts, generally building one and crashing one every week. As high school boys this was an expensive exercise, relying on part-time jobs after school for our modelling supplies.
In those days model aircraft supplies were generally only available in Sydney City, so we would hitch a ride from Balgowlah to the City or walk to the Spit and catch a tram.
Hobbyco in George St was the store that attracted most modellers, other stores such as Model Aircraft Supplies in Bond St and Walther & Stevenson in George St had less comprehensive stock. We usually could only afford 10 shillings ($1.00) which would buy a fair amount of supplies:- balsa sheets 3"x36" cost 1 shilling and 3 pence (13 cents) - (but that was real money ... Ed).
Flying our control line planes, we met other like-minded fellows and formed model flying clubs such as Manly Flying Saints and Manly-Warringah Model Flying Club.
One particular like-minded boy was Barry Mason, we all became friends and this friendship remains strong to this day.
In the early 1950's we flew at the Spit Park area West of Spit Road and Balgowlah Oval until noise problems (no mufflers in those days) forced a change of venue to Manly District Park (where the netball courts are now situated).

Was Brian destined to be a flyer?

Nasho's, Canberra, 1954

A few happy years of flying went by then Brian left high school and started studying Civil Engineering at University of NSW.
During his time at university he met a very attractive girl, Noeline Davies (who was working at the university). It didn't take long before Brian knew that she was "THE ONE", and after graduating they became engaged and bought a property in Newport Plateau.
Noeline and Brian married on his birthday in February 1963 and bought land at Frenchs Forest where they built a new house, over the next few years they were blessed with 3 children, Scott, Todd and Sue.
Commuting from Frenchs Forest to the City became a problem so they bought a large house in Gordon, a short walk from the railway station, giving him easy transport to his office in the City.
During his early years as a Civil Engineer he worked for various authorities ending his working life as one of the principals of the City of Sydney Council.

Brian and "friends" trying to hand-start plane in 1998 - daring and adveturous without a chicken-stick!!

Brian and friend ... once more

In 1994 Brian, Barry and myself decided, with the advent of digital proportional radio gear, it was time to get back into model planes, so we all joined WRCS.
Having some commercial lessons from Geoff Irvin, we gradually learned to fly R/C which has little relationship to control line of our early days, buying a lot of our gear from our friend George Ward.
George's late partner Iris nicknamed us the "Three Muskateers" which we adopted in our AT-6 Texan Pylon Racing Syndicate, having raced since 2001 in Adelaide, Cootamundra and Shepparton with some success (and failures).

The Muskateers having snacks outside Queenscliff (Vic) Senior Citizens Club, 1999

Brian has been a hard and diligent worker for our Club, not only as Secretary for many years but also as one of the small team of Members who present the field in superb condition week after week. WRCS owes Brian a great vote of thanks.

FROM THE WORKSHOP

We got a close look at Marty Cowan's Spitfire at the May Scale Day. The model is a Brian Taylor 1/5.5 scale MK 7 Spitfire and is powered with a Moki 1.8 engine.
It is painted in the colours of Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC, this finish was chosen by Marty as a tribute to this famous WW2 flier, a truly legendary man and hero,
Pete was instrumental in the formation of our very own RAAF's 457 Sqn which included Clive Caldwell and Bobby Gibbs (who went on to make famous the 'Grey Nurse' shark mouth Mk VIII Spitfires in the defence of Darwin).

Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC Pete Brothers learned to fly at the age of 16 and joined the RAF two years later in 1936. He first saw action in 1940 when as a Flight Commander in 32 Squadron, based at Biggin Hill, he flew his Hurricane against the fighters and bombers of the Luftwaffe.
He recalls this as an intensely busy period, during which he shot down an Me109 - his first enemy aircraft during the final days of the Blitzkrieg,
By the end of August that same year his tally of enemy aircraft shot down increased to eight and by the end of the Battle of Britain the total had reached twelve victories.
Awarded the DFC, Pete was transferred to 257 Squadron where he joined Bob-Stanford Tuck as a Flight Commander.
Promoted in 1941 to Squadron Leader, Pete Brothers' unique bond with Australia was formed in these critical heady days helping form and then taking command of Australia's 457 Squadron RAAF while in England.
A year later and equipped with Mk 9 Spitfires, 457 were posted home to assist with the successful defence of Darwin against the Japanese. In the early autumn of 1942 Pete went on to become Wing Leader of the Tangmere Wing, succeeding his old friend, Douglas Bader.
By the end of the war Pete Brothers had amassed 875 operational hours over a 44-month period.
He was credited with having personally shot down 16 enemy aircraft and damaged many more.
He later went on to command 57 Squadron during the Malaya campaign.
Upon return to the UK Pete Brothers joined the V-Force, flying Valiant-4 jet bombers.
Pete Brothers retired in 1973.

Repairing retracts

by David Pound

Scale day was a bit of a disaster for me, 6 flights with both large and small Spitfires and I could not get one good landing.
The last flight of my large Spitfire I inadvertently touched the throttle on landing 6 feet off the deck just in front of the flight box and it ballooned up ten feet and made a very ignominious arrival at the end of the field and damaged both retracts.
When straightening the mount, one of the flanges broke off and as it had a large flat area adjascent it could be repaired with the aluminum welding rods that are available. It is not real welding but a kind soldering using Aluminum but at 400celsius.
This method of joining aluminum has its limitations but if there is a large joining surface it will hold well.
In my Aluminum box there was a section of angle about the correct thickness, I think it came from a concrete step edge and it could be cut to the correct size.
When using the aluminum rods, clean off both surfaces with a steel brush and aluminum oxide sanding paper and then the coating of both surfaces to be joined is essential

As you can see this one's a bit bent,

The broken flange with a piece of aluminium angle

Both surfaces are coated

The project is clamped

The aluminium "welding is done

As you can see it has worked out well.

After heating the work to the correct temperature where the rods starts to melt onto the joint, you push against the work with the rod and when the work is at the correct temperature the rod will start to melt.
Don’t put the rod in the flame as the work melts the rod, you must again clean with the aluminum paper as aluminum oxidizes very quickly and will ruin the joint, with it cleaned a second time you can coat both surfaces with the melted aluminum rods.
I then clamped them together and heated the joint over a gas sand tove with a Propane torch.
Care must be taken not to overheat it or it will buckle and melt, heat just enough to see it flow out of the bottom of the joint.

CU in the pits
Blackfingernaill

MIKE VISITS AL'S It’s hard to get to even think about aircraft when you are thundering down the Grand Union Canal at up to 4 mph on a narrow boat! The concentration to keep on course, the frantic looks at the map to see where you are heading and trying to slurp your morning coffee and munch your chocolate digestive biscuit all at the same time. Here I am slowing down for a lock.
But then you have to tie up and go to Tescos to stock up; I did just that in Wolverton, a suburb of Milton Keynes.
I was strolling along, minding my own business when I saw a model in a shop window – a model aircraft. I glanced up and saw “Al’s Hobbies” …..could it be?
I assumed at first it must be one of a chain but when I went in it was the one!
You may recall a letter I did last year with pictures of him flying his magnificent turbine powered Cougar inverted 4 feet off the ground – well here were half a dozen of his beautiful jet models (I’ve inverted this pic as they hang upside down)




	There was also a huge FW 190 ready for this seasons displays and loads more prop aircraft too – here’s just a few of them. Then there is also a cabinet with an amazing collection of trophies from around the world including the Top Gun ones. One of the front windows is full of vintage stuff, kits, models, radio gear from the last 50 years or so, talk about memory lane! I spent a happy half an hour there and could have spent a lot of money if I didn’t have to go back to the boat. Ah well, my stuff is still in the workshop, I’ll have to wait! Yep, that’s a Veron Sopwith 1½ Strutter in the window and a few FROG kits too (did you know the FROG name came from Flies Right Off the Ground). Mike

A doctor surgeon from Whyalla found his battery dead in his Piper Saratoga at Parafield Airport, South Australia, on the night of August 26, 2001. He proceeded to hand start the engine by turning the prop. While this is actually not illegal, it should be approached with the utmost of caution and is really only used in remote areas where there is no help or decent pub within a long walk.
The pilot, by himself, did not chock the wheels or check that the handbrake was engaged … anyway, the engine fired up at about 2,000 rpm and the aircraft started taxiing on its own. The only problem with that was there were four Piper Warriors and a twin-engine Seminole (the sliced plane in picture) in its way.
At a steady rate of forward movement the Saratoga proceeded to destroy anything in its path ….the result is the University of South Australia lost one plane and the use of the other four for some time to come, all because of a flat battery at the cost—$1.5 million.

AEROBATICS Since the Garigal Cup many members have been enquiring about aerobatics competitions. The competitions are held over a weekend with between 5 - 6 flights per competitor.
There are four classes sportsman, advanced, expert and masters, with beginners starting in sportsman. Anyone
is welcome at the competitions, just turn up with any aerobatic type aircraft ( extra's, edge, ultimate etc) . Its a really friendly group of guys who are only too happy to give any newcomers some help.
Everyone was a beginner at one point in time, even the world champion!
The upcoming dates for competitions are :-

July 7,8
August 18,19
September 8,9
November 3,4

Gunnedah (5hrs from Sydney)
Queenbeyan (3hrs)
Parkes (4hrs)
Belconnen Canberra (3hrs)

All the current schedules can be downloaded on the national website at: http://www.australianpatternassociation.com.au/ For any further information members can contact Shane Austin on 0412 453351 or at austin_s@tpg.com.au.
Shane participates regularly and successfully in these competitions

HINT #1 - by Blackfingernail Do not put too much Lithium grease on the air retract valve slide bar or you'll spend 6 hours trying to find out why the retracts are not working and find that the valve outlet tube is blocked with excess grease.(God, I love retracts ... where would my weekends be without them!)

Robert Henry Maxwell "Bobby" Gibbes
(1916-2007) Bobby Gibbes was born at Young in NSW and educated at All Saints College in Bathurst, his exploits as one of the last of the great fighter pilots of a bygone era had the makings of a Boy's Own book.
Wing Commander Gibbes was one of Australia's most colourful wartime characters and one of the most highly decorated pilots of World War II, earning the Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Flying Cross with bar. Gibbes is credited with shooting down 12 enemy aircraft and shared in the destruction of another.
When World War II started he became an air cadet and by June 1940 he was a pilot officer in the RAAF. To do so he had to lie about his height and leg reach which was slightly under the required minimum. He also deliberately messed up his bomber pilot training to ensure he was given a fighter pilot posting.
He joined No.3 Squadron in North Africa in May 1941 and there became a double ace - and later the longest-serving commander of the squadron. Two actions sum up the man.
On December 21, 1942, he landed his Kittyhawk in difficult terrain in the North African desert to rescue Rex Bailey, a squadron colleague who had been shot down. Gibbes got rid of his belly fuel tank to reduce weight and tossed out his parachute to make room for the other pilot in the cockpit before losing his port wheel during the rough, hair-raising take-off - which meant an eventful one-wheel landing when they got back to their base.
On January 14, 1943, he was shot down 220 kilometres behind enemy lines and walked for 72 hours. He outfoxed the patrols of Rommel's Africa Corps by heading west - away from his base - until he was found by a British patrol. He met the patrol with the words "G'day mate, got any water?"

Returning to Darwin in 1943, as the Wing Commander of the famous "Grey Nurse Squadron" he suffered severe injuries and burns to his hands when his Spitfire crashed on a training flight. Jeannine Ince who was a Red Cross volunteer helped treat him in hospital, they fell in love and married in December 1944.
His was a household name during and after the war - and he was never backward in bucking authority. Gibbes was was one of eight senior RAAF officers involved in the "Morotai mutiny" in April 1945, when they resigned their commissions in protest at what they considered a move to sideline them from the main fighting theatre against the Japanese. They were persuaded to withdraw their resignations but Gibbes was later court-martialled for smuggling three bottles of scotch whisky into his quarters.
After the war, he became an early pioneer of New Guinea, launching Gibbes Sepik Airways across the inaccessible highlands, and then creating the region's coffee and hospitality industries.
Gibbes returned to Australia in 1975 and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2004 for his services in New Guinea.
Ever an adventurer, he was in his 60s when he single-handedly sailed his 12.8-metre catamaran Billabong from Southampton to Sydney. When he was 80 he built a licensed aerobatic Cri Cri aeroplane in his lounge room, although when he discovered he had miscalculated its size he had to remove a wall in his Collaroy home to allow the plane to "spread its wings". Gibbes flew the aircraft until civil aviation authorities revoked his licence when he was 85.
In 1994, he wrote and published his memoirs, "You Live But Once".
Gibbes died on 11th April 2007 at Mona Vale Hospital after a stroke survived by his wife of 62 years, daughters and grandchildren.

REPLACING THE BATTERY IN A TIPLEY TRACKER

by David Pound

My Tipley Tracker is about 3 years old and has been used once or twice a week for that time, and I noticed as I was hunting for my now dead Mustang that I was losing distance.
The signal was down to about 200 metres so I guessed that the battery was wearing down.
On ringing Tipley they quoted $90 for labour, $15 for the battery and with GST and post that would bring the cost of battery replacement up to $125, so I decided to do it myself.
I spoke to Mark Connors (who originally obtained the trackers) and he had tried to replace one on his tracker and mucked it up.
By the way, some other Members bought the "Merlin" Tracker for about $180 cheaper then the Tipley Tracker and the "Merlin" has a removable battery so you get no replacement problems.
As I had nothing to lose if I mucked it up because in its present condition it was useless, I purchased a 750mah 3.5v Lithium battery from Dick Smith for $14.
This is a full AA the battery, the original battery in the tracker was about half AA so although the new one is larger it should last longer.
On stripping the cover from the tracker I was careful to leave the end with the flashing LED intact, the existing depleted battery is about the size of a postage stamp and as thick as a 50c coin.
It was attached at both ends with a silicon substance that was removed with a soldering iron.
Around the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals on the battery it melted off the terminals without problem and then I unsoldered the battery connection.
The battery was attached at the other end to the LED light and circuit board with the silicone substance and I pushed a blade carefully between to separate the battery from the circuit board (with the battery removed you have a red and a black lead to attach the new battery to).
You must be very careful not to move the black negative terminal too much as it is a single strand of thin covered copper wire and will break off the circuit board very easily. This is what happened to Mark's tracker (and to mine).
At first I had trouble finding where it was attached on the circuit board but with a powerfull magnifying glass I could see that it was attached to the wire coming from the crystal to a corner of the circuit board.
I used a small length of aerial wire to replace the broken original negative lead as it is multi stranded and will not break too easily. It is a bit tricky to attach as it is a very small soldered joint but with my set of magnifying jewellers glasses I could see it well and had no problems.
I wound thin white plumbers tape around the circuit board first and then wound some more between the board and the new battery, placed some foam padding to try and avoid any damage to the circuit board in case of a crash, and then again wound even more plumbers tape around the whole thing and then wrapped it all in more foam insulation with sellotape to keep it all together.
If you are thinking of replacing your Tipley Tracker and need advice, I will be happy to guide you through it, it should take about 15 minutes to do.

CU in the pits
Blackfingernail

HINT #2 - by Blackfingernail All CA nozzles block up, to clear them, soak overnight in Acetone.

	WORTH A VISIT? Warbird Aviation - Air Combat Flights Archerfield Airfport Hangar 550 Brookfield Road Brookfield, Brisbane (07) 3274 2639 or 0408 748 902
Australia's first Warbird adventure flight company has been operating since 1989

T28 Trojan, Yak52 and Boeing Stearman aircraft operate from Archerfield Airport 15 minutes south of Brisbane (they also operate from Coolangatta and Maroochydore Airports by arrangement).
If 2 passenger wish to fly re-enacted combat, 2 Yak 52 aircraft painted to resemble American and Japanese WWII planes can perform air combat with tail chases, rolls, loops, inverted flight and high 'G' turns.
Alternatively passengers can get a smooth and gentle flight along the most spectacular beaches in Australia.
More info: www.warbirdaviation.com.au

Lost model trackers are useless unless you switch them on ... at least that's what Ron Clark discovered recently. After quite a bit of time and effort he found the model sitting on top of a tall tree. Ron was given assistance by 2 members. The first one ended up bleeding severely from scratches to his legs and nose while the other climbed to the top of the tree to retrieve the model only to look down and see Ron sawing off the branches under him!! Good one Ron!

In his recent letter Mike Minty complains that it has started to rain in the UK. Obviously he hadn't heard about the Sydney weather in June that made the field so continuously water-logged that Biplane Day had to be cancelled!

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