Wingtips - Belconnen Model Aero Club · Another aerobatic model was the P-51 Mustang (inset) capably flown by 11 year old Marius ... ARF from VQ Models. Scale Day continued Page 3

WingtipsApril 2013

Editor: Brian OakesIn this issue:Scale Rally photo feature pages 2 & 3Featured Model of the Month page 4Answer page 5Scale Day results page 5Committee Contact Details page 5

The club has been host to visitors from Coffs Harbour:Janette and Merv Green, seen above with an Extra,one of the models they brought with them. They arehouse-sitting in Canberra for about 2 weeks and bothof them fly the Extra and helicopters.

Photo: Featured Model of theMonth. See page 4

Below, Ben Reay seen at the field recently wearing acamera. Why? See page 5.

Page 2Scale Day at BMAC field:14 April 2013

Words and pictures by Brian Oakes

Below, Peter Gowland of QMAC provided a spectacularaerobatic display with his Pitts 12, an ARF from KMP.Peter tells me he was a BMAC member decades ago,and was taught to fly by Grant Manwaring!

Another aerobatic model was the P-51 Mustang(inset) capably flown by 11 year old MariusBaumgartner of CMAC (above). The Mustang is anARF from VQ Models.

Scale Day continued Page 3

Above: on final approach is GrahamParkins’ Pietenpol Air Camper. At right is Chris Youngwright of

Namadgi with his 1909 Antoinette,perhaps a SIG kit, he’s not sure. It’s principally an indoor model, so Chriswisely didn’t attempt to fly in the wind on the day.

Left, the Spitfireabout to land is ChrisNugent’s Mk XIV,made from a MickReeves kit. Far left isChris’ son Graham,8, with the 1973magazine thatfeatured the model.

At right are thehard- working

chefs andcaterers: left to

right, RoyBray, Ian

Harman andMax Rixon

Below is John Amarego’s Tiger Moth, flying withconvincing reality. To supplement the reality, John used3D printing to make a pilot in his own likeness. (The realJohn is the one without the hat!)

Page 4

Featured Model of the Month

Auster AOP.9

Jim Henderson explains about his model of the BritishArmy cooperation aircraft, the Auster AOP.9.

The full-size AusterThe Auster AOP.9 was the last of the line of Auster armycooperation aircraft. Auster Marks I to V were usedextensively by the RAF and RAAF in World War II, withthe AOP.6 introduced into RAF service post war. All weredesigned to be flown from ploughed fields and muddysurfaces using low pressure tyres and strengthenedundercarriage.The cabin held three seats: pilot and passenger beingside by side and the observer behind, facing eitherforwards or rearwards. The Auster could be convertedinto a two-seat light transport with an interchangeablerear floor.Deliveries of the AOP.9 started to the RAF in February1955, and the aircraft were in action in the MalayanEmergency from that year, flying an average of 1,200sorties per month. Operation Firedog in Malaya ended on31 July 1960 and, by that time, 656 Squadron’s AOP.6and AOP.9s had carried out 143,000 sorties.

The modelThe model was scratch built from from a Radio ControlModel World plan over a 9 month period. It has a 2030mm wingspan and weighs 4.6kg. It’s powered by a Turnigy50-65 / 400kv motor and 6S battery swinging a 15x8propeller. One interesting feature is that the cabinframework and the wing struts are structural componentswith two independent wing halves and no wing joiner, asin the full-size aircraft. This places high compression loadslaterally on the cabin structure. I calculate that, in a 30degree bank the compression load at the wing root is 3kg,but the vertical force is only 0.7 kg. Because the two winghalves are independent, correctly rigging the dihedralangle of each wing half relative to the tail plane is critical toavoid the model diving alarmingly to the left or right.[Don’t ask Jim how he knows this. Ed.]The model is covered in Solartex, camouflage painted withan airbrush over the base olive drab. All decals andserials are air brushed using templates.

Above: the Auster airborne. Below: an example of thespray-painted roundels.

Below: the wing strut and cabin framework are structuralcomponents. Also visible, one of the model’s split flaps:when fully deflected they produce drag but little extra lift.

Page 5

BMAC committeePresident: Chris Elliott 0402 273 [email protected]: Wayne Harris 6254 [email protected]: Darryl Barbour 0421 037 [email protected]: Jim Henderson 6255 [email protected] Officer: Rob Clayton 6258 [email protected] Officer: Roger Pinder 6242 9699

[email protected] Flying Instructor: Steve Mercer 6254 [email protected] Editor: Brian Oakes 6248 [email protected] Members:Henk Jansen 6262 [email protected] Hamilton 6287 [email protected] Voigt 6254 [email protected]

”Wingtips” the Belconnen Model Aero Club Newsletter published15 April 2013

AnswerHere’s the answer to the questionabout Ben on page 1. It’s quite simplereally. The first few flights of hisHobbyKing Moray Mini Racer revealedunpredictable flight characteristicsafter hand launching, so Ben wanted avideo record of the next launch to try tofigure out what was going wrong.Nothing did on this occasion. Thephoto below shows it landing quitenormally. The Moray, by the way, is afoam racer of 800mm wingspan that,with a 4 cell lipo battery moves veryquickly indeed.

Scale Day resultsARF Military 1st, Steve Millar: Hurricane 2nd, Byam Wight: Gruman F9F Panther

3rd, Bob Raadts: Pilatus PC9

ARF Civilian 1st, John Armarego: Tiger Moth 2nd, Peter Gowland: Pitts 12

3rd, Trevor Watt: Ryan

Scratch/Kit Military 1st, Brian Oakes: Airco DH-22nd, Jim Henderson: Auster AOP.93rd, Chris Nugent: Mk XIV Spitfire

Scratch/Kit Civilian 1st, Brian Oakes: Blackburnmonoplane

2nd, Pat Lynch: Great Lakes Trainer3rd, Graham Parkins: Pietenpol Air Camper

Pilots’ Choice Brian Oakes: Airco DH-2.

Most Memorable Flight Byam Wight: GrummanF9F Panther.

Number of entrants: 19. Number of models: 28.