SPRING 2017

JOURNAL OF THE SHUTTLEWORTH VETERAN AEROPLANE SOCIETY

In this issue: Scott Butler - First Season at Shuttleworth Arrol-Johnston on the Brighton Run Lee-Richards Annular Biplane South Atlantic Airmail 1 PROP-SWING SPRING 2017 Journal of the SVAS, the Friends of the REGISTERED CHARITY No. 800095 President: Princess Charlotte Croÿ (Twickel) Vice President: Ken Cox MBE

COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION Kevin Panter Paul Ferguson

VICE CHAIRMAN: COMMITTEE MEMBERS Alan Reed Paul Ferguson SECRETARY: Edward Forrest James Michell Bill Grigg [email protected] Matthew Studdert-Kennedy Neil Thomas TREASURER: John Edser SVAS Contact Details: Answerphone: 01767 627909 MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: Ron Panter & Rosie Hall Email: [email protected] Web: www.svasweb.org EDITORIAL PANEL Editor: Bill Grigg Shuttleworth Web Site Assistant Editor: Paul Ferguson www.shuttleworth.org

PROP-SWING is printed by Character Press Limited, Unit 16 Woodside Industrial Park, Works Road, Letchworth Garden City, Herts, SG6 1LA, and published at the office of Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society, Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade, SG18 9EP. We welcome letters and contributions for possible publication. These should preferably be typed. Shuttleworth-related subjects will be given priority. Prospective contributions, and also requests to reprint material from the journal, should be addressed to the Editor C/O Old Warden. PROP-SWING welcomes advertisements, which should be in pdf format. Rates on application for Whole, Half, Third or Quarter page. Discount for three or more identical consecutive insertions. Full page type height is 185mm; full type width is 120mm. Please contact the SVAS at the above address. PROP-SWING is published three times a year (Spring, Summer and Winter). Copy dates are 31st January, 31st May and 30th September. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Society. Front cover: The Arrol-Johnston at Crawley, halfway stop on the Brighton Run. Rory Cook driving, Chris Gray and John Richardson up front. Stuart Gray

2 Editorial Bill Grigg

irst, a reminder to SVAS life members that they’ll receive a new membership card annually from now on. This was meant to happen last year but the cards Fwere unfortunately sent out without explanation - as many of you will doubtless have noticed! The old blue and white life membership cards will no longer be valid post 31st March 2017. I am aware that we’ve mentioned this a few times before but there’s nothing like a belt and braces. Which, as an aside, reminds me of a switchboard operator at work (that dates me) who misinterpreted a message I asked her to pass on and told the recipient that there was nothing like a belt in the braces. He was puzzled but fortunately didn’t take it as a threat. I’m sure you’ve been wondering how Bob Trickett is getting on with his Sopwith Snipe - we haven’t heard from him for a while. Well, he’s just told me that since his last progress report he’s changed his job twice and moved house three times. There’s nothing like having a stable base when you’re building an aeroplane, is there. Nonetheless, there has been some progress and he says that the firm who do some of the CNC routing for him have finally sorted out the problems with their CNC router and cut the webs for the centre section and aileron ribs, as well as four webs for the main wing ribs. The rest will be cut in the next couple of months and he hopes to have a full set of wing ribs by the next issue of Prop-Swing. He’s also made a start on the tail adjusting mechanism components and by the time you’re reading this should have finished the dashboard and rudder bar and have all the centre section and aileron ribs assembled ready to be attached to the spars. Watch this space! Lastly, I keep badgering the Chief Engineer about the self-styled Dixon Ornithopter hanging from the roof of Hangar 5. For those of you new to this machine it was donated to the Collection by a chap who had been given it by the eponymous Dixon whom he knew at the London Gliding Club on Dunstable Downs. I remember in my early Prop-Swing days trying to pin him down to tell me more as he mentioned a photograph of Dixon with the machine, but he proved elusive and I fear has long since passed CONTENTS away. Anyway, it’s not an ornithopter, could never First Season at Shuttleworth 4 have flown as the hang glider it was meant to be SVAS & Collection News 9 due to its wing area versus the weight of a typical Photo Section Selection 12 man on a Clapham omnibus and has, unfortunately, Aero Workshops 18 been unsympathetically ‘restored’. I don’t think Vehicle Collection Report 22 it has a place on display in a serious aeroplane Letters 28 collection but everybody’s entitled to his or her The Road to Brighton 29 opinion and, even if you don’t agree with me, it Agricultural Workshop 33 might encourage you to look roofwards on your The Lee-Richards Model 35 next visit to Hangar 5. Idle Wonderings - All at sea 37 Scale Model Event 42 From the Archive 44 From the Smoke Box 46

3 First Season at Shuttleworth Scott Butler

Scott takes off in the Collection’s Tiger Malcolm Nash

s a lad growing up in Bedfordshire, aviation was all around me. I visited the Collection many times, gazing in awe at the exhibits in the dark hangars. I Aremember the air displays and at each show I bought a ticket in the SVAS draw for a flight in the Magister. One day, one day... I learnt to fly at RAF Henlow with the Air Cadet gliding school and after university joined the RAF. Whilst in the RAF I joined the Cambridge Flying Group and learnt to fly the Tiger Moth, as Bill Ison (CFG Chief Instructor) would say, the ‘proper way’. I was fortunate to be able to fly many other people’s Tiger Moths and subsequently displayed them and my own Turbulent. I’d continued to be a regular Collection visitor and became friends with several of the pilots and engineers. In 2015 the Collection looked to recruit a few younger pilots - well, younger in Shuttleworth terms! After selection I was interviewed by the Chief Pilot, Chief Engineer and Aviation Trustee and offered a post. That ‘one day’ was getting closer. I spent the 2015 season working as ground crew which was a great way to find out about the Collection. Not just about the aeroplanes but more importantly the team that makes it work from the push out early in the morning to the push in and lock up at night. Throughout that season I watched and learnt, pushed and pulled, assisted starts, discovered the foibles of the different engines, how to correctly handle each type of

4 Flying Peter Holloway’s Magister Mark Collins aircraft on the ground, how to catch a Deperdussin and how to double chock the SE5a so it doesn’t break its own rudder bar. Training week 2016 was the start of my Collection flying. A few weeks before that, I received the checklist and notes for the Tiger Moth, Super Cub and Magister. I was familiar with the first two but had never flown the Magister. Training week brought with it a host of new rules from the CAA regarding how displays could be flown and separation distances from the crowd which was new to all of us. Thanks to a lot of hard work from the Chief Pilot and Aviation Trustee we managed to work within these new rules and they were later able to put forward to the CAA Shuttleworth’s case for exemptions, allowing us to display closer to the crowd. Before flying a Collection aeroplane every prospective pilot has to pass a proficiency check. I flew this on the Tuesday of training week, in the Tiger Moth with Dodge. We climbed up off circuit and flew some general handling, steep turns, stalls and a spin, then returned to the airfield for a display practice. Whilst I’ve flown many hours in the Tiger, I learnt a lot on this flight. Dodge used it to demonstrate how he would assess an aeroplane before displaying it. We looked at the effects of controls and stability, how to cope with control restrictions and failures. Back at the airfield Dodge demonstrated a short display and I repeated it. We flew along the runway, smoothly pulling up into a wing over, heading south and then I felt the throttle closing to simulate an engine failure...Nose down to maintain speed, side-slip to make the extension of runway 21, then power on to go-around. In a climbing left turn into downwind, abeam Home Farm I felt the throttle close again - a left turn puts us on finals for runway 30 and I land up the hill. Whilst the Gipsy Major

5 Flying the Magister in formation Darren Harbar is a reliable engine it’s important always to be able to land the aircraft safely back on the airfield if the engine does falter. That afternoon I took the Tiger up for a solo display practice, my first flight as captain of a Collection aeroplane. I’d completed a few passes when I saw something white whistle past my head. I climbed away to be told by our Air Traffic Controllers that I’d hit a bird. Quick check of the (few) engine instruments, all looked good, engine running fine, no signs of damage to fabric. I completed the circuit and landed with no damage done: unfortunately the buzzard I’d hit wouldn’t fly again. The next day I was down for a conversion flight onto the Magister. Each conversion flight must be authorised by a fellow pilot who is familiar withthe aeroplane. They talk you through the pilot’s notes and the controls. I then try and have a chat with one of the Collection engineers and see what they say as the aeroplanes are theirs, we only borrow them. The Magister shares the same Gipsy Major engine as the Tiger Moth and Chipmunk, making engine handling and management readily understandable. The main gotcha on the Magister is the flaps, operated by a pneumatic system powered from the engine. The pilot’s notes emphasise not to sideslip with flaps down as this blanks the tailplane, leading to a pitch down - not really what you want as you come into land. I read the Shuttleworth pilot’s notes, dug out my copy of From Blériot to Spitfire and absorbed David Ogilvy’s thoughts, then chatted to Magister owner Peter Holloway. I enjoyed my first flight in the Magister. As a trainer it’s a slight step up from the Tiger Moth with (for its age) new technologies such as flaps and brakes. It doesn’t perform very differently to the Tiger, though the cruise speed is a little higher at 110

6 Landing the Maggie Tad Dippel mph, but the roll rate and roll control authority are quite poor. After all those raffle tickets I bought as a lad I didn’t imagine that on my first Maggie flight I’d be the captain! That afternoon I flew a formation trip init, with the Tiger Moth leading a Magister on each wing in echelon. We went off circuit to the north, flying some different formations, then back to the airfield to practice a display. On the Wednesday I flew the Super Cub and then practiced a barnstorming display in it on the Thursday. By the end of training week I had flown three different aircraft types and was ready to start the season. What a great day the season Premiere was! I couldn’t believe the size of the crowd, all there to see my first display.....or maybe it was to see the nine guys in the red jets... My first display was in the Magister, part of a three ship group of trainers. We flew several passes, filled our eight minute slot and landed uneventfully. Nothing special in most people’s eyes but to me it was something I’d been longing after for many years. At the Military Pageant I flew the Tiger Moth, this time as part of a seven ship of trainers. Fellow pilot Peter Kosogorin briefed a plan that had two formations, monoplanes and biplanes, keeping something in front of the crowd all the time. It gave us a chance to fly past in different formations, first in vic then echelons of three, later joined by the B2 in line astern and swan, finishing with a tail chase. On the Wednesday before the Agricultural Show we received the plan for the show and I was down to fly the Desoutter. It’s a gem of an aircraft, from an era quite different from today’s and internally more akin to a carriage than an aeroplane. I first read the Collection’s notes and guidance and then the ultimate guide to the aeroplane

7 Displaying the Desoutter in the Race Day display Tad Dippel - the Prop-Swing article in which Peter Holloway not only describes the flying of the aeroplane but, most importantly, how to enter and leave it without either injuring yourself, damaging it or being photographed in an uncompromising position by the resident photographers! Afterwards I spoke to Andy P who talked me through the Cirrus Hermes motor and the airframe. The weather on the day looked lovely with clear skies, but the wind was blowing across the main runway as it did for several shows last year. My conversion slot was late morning to display that afternoon. I signed for the aircraft, did my walk round pre-flight inspection and waited. The crosswind was just on the limit so I discussed it with the other pilots and decided it would be prudent to wait for another day. The wind dropped during the afternoon and John Munn displayed the aircraft in the show. As the evening went on the wind dropped even more and I negotiated a slot with the duty pilot to fly after the show. As the last display act landed I taxied out for my conversion flight, aided on either side of the fuselage by our ground crew as the castoring skid makes manoeuvring on the ground a challenge. With pre-take off checks complete, a wave from the ground crew saying that they were clear, I was ready. I would have about 15 minutes to learn a bit about this aircraft, practise a display and land it. As I climbed away from the field I turned the aircraft left and right and yawed and pitched it; gauging the feel and response of each control. To the north of Old Warden village I slowed right down till the aircraft stalled at 43 mph. It nicely tells you it isn’t happy and is about to stall, but does drop a wing when it finally does. Time to descend: back to the airfield and join for a display practice. I joined from in front of the House to pass up runway 03, right

8 Scott in Biggles mode! Neil Atterbury to left of the crowd. The roll rate is quite sedate, making for wide turns at either end of the display line. After a few passes I positioned for downwind and ran through the pre- landing checks, started slowing the aircraft down to 60 mph then 55 mph approach speed and turned onto finals. I wheeled the Desoutter on, keeping a level attitude as those long stroke oleos gently took the weight. Then I smoothly increased the power and made a climbing left turn into downwind and set up for my actual landing. Once down I turned off the runway and waited whilst the ground crew ran across to help me taxy in: 15 minutes flying and a lot learnt. For the Race Day final show I was down to display the Desoutter, a splendid and appropriate mount for the MacRobertson re-enactment. Race number 7 in 1934 was the Danish Desoutter OY-DOD, represented by me in our aircraft. I departed third in the stream, completed the two demonstration laps and after holding with the other entrants landed back on runway 03. What a great way to finish my first season as a Collection pilot. It’s a superb team at Shuttleworth and I’m honoured to be a part of it.

From the Chairman Kevin Panter

pring is always an exciting time at Shuttleworth - there is plenty of action and anticipation as projects move toward completion and the place gears up Sfor the forthcoming season. While the most visible projects are of course in the Engineering Hangar at Shuttleworth there have been several behind the scenes underway over the winter as well. One of the most obvious changes is the acquisition of the Leyland White Rose bus by the Collection. The SVAS has contributed 50% of the funding towards the purchase of this bus following the success of the other two Leyland buses already 9 resident at the Collection. The White Rose looks set to be as popular as the others and AVIATION BOOKS AND MAGAZINES also looks very suitable for hiring out to (Rare and Second Hand) wedding parties so should be seen at many from events this year. BRIAN COCKS, 18 Woodgate, Many of you will remember the Helpston, Shuttleworth Discovery app that was Peterborough, Cambs. PE6 7ED developed by the SVAS a few years ago and (Tel: 01733-252791) resulted in augmented reality being seen [email protected] www.aviationbookhouse.co.uk at Shuttleworth for the first time. While Visits by appointment; Catalogues this app has been popular, it only featured twice a year - please send, towards four aircraft and needed additional display postage costs: £1.00 each (UK); boards for the augmented reality effects £3.00 each (Europe); £5.00 each (other) to work. These boards were not popular Wants records held; attendance at with the engineers who can do without most main Old Warden Flying Sundays additional work shuffling around extra SVAS LIFE MEMBER ‘hangar furniture’ whenever an aircraft is to be moved. Fortunately, technology moves on apace and Alan Reed and Matthew Studdert-Kennedy have been working to ensure that the Collection can offer a new educational package making the most of a new technology that will allow a transmitter to be integrated into existing display boards. This system will be demonstrated during the SVAS AGM on the 21st May before it goes live to the public later in the year. The SVAS has also invested in a new email program over the winter in order to send out monthly email bulletins with goings on from Shuttleworth. Some members have already been receiving these and have fed back that they are enjoying the more regular communication and I hope that this can continue. If you don’t yet receive these bulletins and would like to, please go to the SVAS website www.svasweb.org and create an account to sign up for the updates. We’d also be pleased to hear from you at the SVAS office if you think that you would be able to help out with the production of these emails.

From the Treasurer John Edser

own in the old treasuring department there’s really not much of interest going on at the moment other than the weekly visit of the postperson (PC correct) Dwho comes to the door with a sack the size of Santa’s, except the presents are envelopes full of renewal slips. Ron and Rosie in the membership department are obviously snowed under at the moment but coping well. The current highlight of interest seems to be the uptake on the new family memberships – I’ve noticed that quite a number of members have now joined their partner, loved one or sibling as family members where previously they were not a member. Of course the real fun will start when we receive the Bank of Scotland statement showing the standing order payments and all those who forgot to update their payment to the new amount – I can’t wait! 10 More exciting news is that Milton Keynes Aviation Society now Ken has retired as a trustee A friendly group of enthusiasts who meet we have to change the signatories monthly to hear quality speakers on to our three bank accounts and aviation topics. Membership is £22pa but four deposit accounts. If you visitors may attend individual lectures for have ever tried to get information £3. We also visit aviation venues and out of a bank you will probably members receive a monthly Newsletter. understand what a simple task this Lectures, 7.30 for 8.00 2nd Tuesday of the is. Just to add to the excitement month at Kents Hill Community Centre, NatWest have closed their banks Frithwood Crescent, MK7 6HQ both in Biggleswade and where I live and apparently the Bank 11 April: Britain’s First Space Rocket. of Scotland do not inhabit the Robin Brand address that appears on the top 9 May: 'Suicide Club' to 'Bloody Butchers' of their statements. I’m not sure WWI Air War in Mid East. Stuart Hadaway what happens if you ever need 13 June: Trident. to actually visit or speak with Alistair Hodgson, Curator of DH Museum anyone! 11 July: Invasion 1940 – What if? As has been the case now for Tony Eaton several years we have supported For more information: the Collection with a donation that www.mkas.co.uk or 07860629494 is in excess of our annual surplus. or [email protected] This year has been no different as more parts were required to complete the Spitfire rebuild plus the spares for other aircraft and vehicles. In addition to this the opportunity arose to acquire another Edwardian bus, the White Rose, to add to the other two period buses owned by the Collection. All three buses now represent a unique collection with the White Rose offering a uniquely enhanced and themed wedding package on site. As with the other buses we have contributed 50% of the purchase cost which together with the cost of spares brings our total donation to the Collection in 2016 to £150,000. I’ll let you know the result of the standing order situation in the next episode.

From the Library John Benjamin

ell, January is already gone and early spring flowers are showing in my garden: it must be my age but time really does seem to fly. I fear this report Wis very plain fare. Routine work continues - new donations amounted to 254 in the last year; and 132 folders of documents and photographs have been catalogued. It doesn’t look to be very much but it does take time. Total records in the database now amount to 13,139 and total folders catalogued are 377. An interesting recent donation included a series of books about Czech pilots who served with the RAF in WW2; unfortunately the texts all appear to be in either the Czech or Slovakian languages: we would be most interested to hear from any SVAS 11 member(s) who could translate them for us. In the latter part of last year, just to keep us on our toes, we indulged in a simple strategic planning exercise addressing what we would need to expand the library and consequent space requirements. A useful exercise in ‘blue-sky thinking’. Our major short-term task is the 1917 Exhibition and planning and execution are now in hand. The themes remain unchanged - Technical, Naval and Military. As ever, my thanks go to the Library Team - Jim, Frank and Peter for putting up with me and without whom little or nothing would happen. We continue to welcome your comments and suggestions - contact us at our email address library@ shuttleworth.org - we look forward to hearing from you. Also, please don’t forget to let us know in advance if you plan to visit the Library and the topic(s) of interest to you. We would appreciate a minimum of three week’s notice so that we can prepare the necessary material before your visit.

From the Tent (including Photo Section Selection) Paul Ferguson

hoto Section members have had a busy winter. When I requested pictures for this issue for the Prop-Swing pages and to illustrate the Scott Butler article I Pwas delighted to receive 87 images from 9 photographers - many thanks to them. In the last issue I mentioned that we had been disappointed by the entry for our print competition – not any more! We extended the closing date to the end of 2016 and ended up with an excellent final entry of over 70 mounted prints. The Photo Section start of season meeting will be held in the Pilots’ Briefing Room starting at 11am on Sunday 9th April when all entries of the print competition will be on display, the winning entries will be announced and awards presented. The agenda will also include discussion of the competition rules for future print and digital competitions. I’ll be sending out an email reminder of this meeting before the date but if you have any issues you wish to raise or suggestions please email me at the address below. The Section visit to Coningsby is scheduled for 29th March. The date is fast approaching so if you are interested in this and have not already done so, contact me asap at the address below to see if any spaces remain. Another date worth noting is 3rd April, the closing date for the Collection’s competition for the 2018 calendar. Full details can be found at http://www.shuttleworth. org/news/calendarcompetition/ Contact me at [email protected] 12 savours the evening light on Race Day Alan Simpson

A rare, almost top view of the Avro Triplane on 3rd July Paul Braham

13 Another Race Day sunbird - Dragon Rapide Beth Braham

Lynx creates a grassy overcast on 5th June Mark Collins

14 Mercedes sprinting on Race Day Paul Braham

Night shot of Lysander Tad Dippel

15 Marketing & Communications Update (Spring 2017) Ciara Harper

Marketing & PR evelopment work on the website is underway to allow visitors to separately view events at The Collection, Swiss Garden, or The House. The option will Dremain to view all, but individual access should speed up the website loading time for those with mobile devices. Press coverage of The Collection has been active over the winter months. Collection pilot Stu Goldspink travelled to BBC Radio 4’s London Studios to talk about flying vintage aircraft as part of a series on science. Kevin Panter, SVAS Chairman, was on Huntingdon Community Radio to talk about both the Scale Model Event on 19th February and Richard Shuttleworth. Assistant Chief Engineer Andy Preslent can be found on the cover of the March issue of Old Glory which features a six page article on our traction engine Dorothy. The Spitfire restoration project appeared in the Bedfordshire on Sunday newspaper (complete with a few mistakes on the part of the journalist!), and World of Interiors featured the Sopwith Camel adorned with the most unusual fabric combinations ever likely to be seen on this type of aircraft! (or, one hopes, any other - Ed) Evening airshows have returned to the calendar this year and will feature mainly Shuttleworth Collection aircraft, without the added ground show entertainment of Sunday displays and with a more laid back pace. Camping should be available at these events. With fingers crossed for good weather these evening shows should make for good photographic opportunities and a chance to picnic and chat. Attendees may also find themselves on our social media as we intend to pick up some of the stories of the regular faces that make up our audiences - subject to willing participants of course.

Social Media Our social media channels have benefitted from an increased number of subscribers over the past season, mainly for The Collection. ‘Page Likes’ for Facebook as of 1st February 2017 are, for The Collection 19,784 and, on Twitter, The Collection has 4,027 followers. As always followers are very good about sharing their images, experiences and knowledge online in a very positive way with the day after an airshow being a highlight of course. It’s always really interesting to see the show favourites and it helps with planning future shows and events.

16 Education Since the departure of our full-time education officer, SVAS volunteers have been looking after visiting schools and activities. Led by Matthew Studdert-Kennedy, the wonderful team of guides and vintage bus crews make the experience fun and memorable for the children. At our Sunday airshows a range of educational activities will be held in a dedicated marquee and we expect to be supported again by IPMS Brampton with Make & Paint, and Coventry University. If anyone is keen to be involved, please get in touch - [email protected]

The Annual General Meeting of the Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society will be held on Sunday 21st May 2017 at 11.00am in The Princess Charlotte Room. To: 1. Approve the minutes of the meeting held on the 7th May 2016. 2. Receive the auditor’s accounts for the year ending 31st March 2017. 3. Re-appoint Messrs George Hay as auditors. 4. Elect members of the Executive Committee. 5. Receive reports from the Executive Committee. 6. Transact any other business.

By order of the Executive Committee, the Secretary.

During the meeting there will be a demonstration of the SVAS led iBeacon project which will allow information on individual exhibits to be accessed through visitors’ smartphones or tablets. Following the meeting members are invited to take a brief tour of the site on the newly acquired ‘White Rose’ bus, weather conditions permitting. This vehicle was 50% funded by the SVAS. It would be very helpful if members could register their interest in taking a ride on the ‘White Rose’ in advance so that we can work out how many trips may be required. Please email our Secretary, James Michell, at svas. [email protected] Those without email can, of course, phone the SVAS number at Old Warden but please do that only if there’s no email alternative as Ron and Rosie are currently very busy in the office. The Committee looks forward to seeing as many members as possible at the AGM. Any member wishing to raise a matter at the AGM is requested to do to so in advance by contacting the SVAS via our Old Warden addresses shown on page 2 by the beginning of May.

17 From the Aero Workshops ‘Crankcase’

eginning this update again with the Sopwiths, as I write the Camel has its Permit to Test and as soon as suitable weather and available pilot coincide test Bflying will begin. With the usual delay between theProp-Swing copy date and publication this might have happened by the time you read this... The paperwork for the Triplane has been completed and a Permit to Test was received on 8th February so, all being well, it shouldn’t be too far behind the Camel. Dealing with other aircraft where something (or in some cases, nothing) of any significance has been happening, in alphabetical order (of manufacturer, rather than model, which is how they’re listed in my notes!) we find the following. First, the Blackburn Monoplane: the wings were re-covered relatively recently and late

Alan Buckley has been working hard on the Blackburn re-covering last year similar treatment was started on the fuselage and empennage which were stripped for inspection and repair where necessary. The only significant replacement in the structure has been of one tailplane spar, but due to pressure of other work the re-covering has yet to be completed. There’s been no progress yet with the Blériot’s rough running engine, again due to more pressing matters, but the engine in the Wren is receiving attention before it’s re-installed in the now completely re-covered airframe. Three cylinders of the Gladiator’s Mercury radial were showing low compression

18 so Toby is currently working on three replacements from the spares box. The cause of compression loss is suspected to have been due to glazing of the bores. The Hind’s engine is still stripped waiting for a decision on what’s to be done about replacing the main bearings, so don’t hold your breath waiting to see the aeroplane back on the flight line any time soon. Repairs have been completed to the damage to the Sea Hurricane’s lower rear fuselage fairings and bottom of rudder following last year’s tailwheel yoke fracture due to a firm arrival, and an airframe inspection has confirmed that everything is now OK. At the time of writing the repaired parts hadn’t been A cylinder reassembled, waiting for the tailwheel yoke to be rebuilt. I can confirm that a new yoke is, even as I write, being wrought by the Chief Engineer as I had to go and drag him away from bending a very hot piece of tube when he was due to have been talking to me about this article. Give him his due, when I asked if he realised what time it was, he didn’t lob the tube at me and say, “Catch!” The Mew Gull’s block has been line bored and new bearing shells fitted. The spare Gipsy Queen crankshaft from the stores was found to be in good condition and

The Hurricane’s lower rear end in bits

19 CURRENTLY ESTIMATED COLLECTION AIRCRAFT UNDER MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR AIRWORTHY COMPLETION DATE ANEC II YES AVRO 504K YES AVRO TRIPLANE YES YES BLACKBURN MONOPLANE NO Fuselage being re-covered Mid 2017 BLERIOT XI NO Rough running engine - attention required not known BRISTOL BOXKITE YES BRISTOL FIGHTER YES BRISTOL M.1C YES COMPER SWIFT YES Resting for 2017 CARDEN BAYNES SCUD NO Still awaiting structural inspection results not known DEMOISELLE NO Rebuild project in train not known DEPERDUSSIN YES DESOUTTER YES Resting for 2017 DH 51 YES DH 53 NO Rebuild still subject to assessment not known DH CHIPMUNK YES DH COMET YES DH HERMES MOTH YES DH TIGER MOTH YES ENGLISH ELECTRIC WREN NO Re-covered , awaiting engine work Mid 2017? EON PRIMARY GLIDER YES FAUVEL AV36 YES GLOSTER GLADIATOR NO 3 cylinders require replacement not known GRUMMAN FM-2 SOLD during 2016 G-CAMM YES NO Engine still being overhauled not known HAWKER SEA HURRICANE NO Tailwheel yoke being rebuilt May-17 YES KIRBY KITE YES LILIENTHAL BIPLANE Non flier, hangar roof LILIENTHAL MONOPLANE Non flier, hangar roof MIGNET HM 14 Non flier, hangar roof MILES MAGISTER P6382 YES PARNALL ELF YES Resting for 2017 PERCIVAL MEW GULL NO Engine rebuild under way Mid 2017 PERCIVAL PROVOST YES PIPER SUPER CUB YES POLIKARPOV PO-2 YES SE5A YES SOPWITH CAMEL NO Awaiting flight testing Mid 2017 SOPWITH PUP YES SOPWITH TRIPLANE NO Awaiting flight testing Mid 2017? SOUTHERN MARTLET YES SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE NO Major rebuild still underway Soon! WESTLAND LYSANDER YES PRIVATELY OWNED & RESIDENT AIRCRAFT AERONCA C3 YES ARCHAEOPTERYX NO Major rebuild still under way not known AVRO 19 YES BLACKBURN B2 YES DH CIRRUS MOTH YES DIXON ORNITHOPTER Non-flier, hangar roof HAWKER CYGNET G-EBJI YES HAWKER DEMON YES YES FIESELER STORCH YES MILES MAGISTER N3788 YES PILCHER TRIPLANE NO In storage RYAN STA YES Sold, leaving OW at the end of May 2017 20 Gipsy Queen crankshaft and camshaft a suitable replacement for the corroded and scrapped old one, so it’s being cleaned up ready for installation. The opportunity has been taken to check the tolerances of the camshaft and etch primer it to prevent future corrosion. Lastly, Ian Laraman has given us a status report on the current position with the Spitfire (as at 7th February). The wings are fitted with all wing bolts now in place and all controls and control cables are installed and rigged. The air system has been successfully tested for function and absence of leaks. The undercarriage legs, wheels and brakes are fitted, with the hydraulic system tested for freedom from leaks. The undercarriage cables are rigged with the undercarriage function and indicator light operation checked and all found to be working satisfactorily.

The Spitfire engine was installed by early February 21 The new wiring loom is installed and has been tested as far as possible at this stage, the engine is in, pitot/static system leak checked and the engine ancillaries and hoses are being installed. Still to be done: the propeller is away being assembled at Skycraft Propellers; the exhausts are to be fitted; the radio transponder installation is to be completed and tested; the cowlings and intake scoop have to be fitted; the modified oil filter (mentioned in a previous report) is still to be fitted; the fuel system, magnetos and battery have to be fitted – and, due to a recently discovered problem, the starboard aileron is being rebuilt. After those tasks are completed the painting and markings will have to be finished off, the coolant system must be bled and tested and then it will be time for ground runs to prove the engine and all the systems are working correctly. If all goes well it will be up and running fairly soon – and that’s a quote from one who should know and is not unknown for being cynical about predictions of likely completion dates! That’s the Collection aircraft dealt with but in addition the engineers are working on the Avro 19 which is having a new radio fitted and the paintwork is being, and I quote, “tarted up”. They are also overhauling the engine from David Bremner’s Bristol Scout and giving a top overhaul to the cylinders of the ex Peter Holloway Storch now, of course, no longer at Old Warden but in Norway with Leidulf Heskje, who has also acquired Peter’s Ryan STA which will leave the UK at the end of May. The Ryan will, however, be available for both May shows so if you’d like to see it flying at OW again, be there! Lastly, quite a few people have been asking about what’s happening to the DH 53 Humming Bird following the tragic accident a few years ago. I too have been worried about the fate of this historic little machine and am pleased to say that as a relatively long term project it is being restored to flying condition. There are still many details to be sorted out but progress is being made.

Vehicle Collection Report Stuart Gray

ince the last Prop-Swing, the Vehicle Group has been busy with necessary winter maintenance on some of the vehicles and continuing with work on our Srestoration projects. The volunteers have been split into three groups, firstly the Workshop Group over at Home Farm whose activities are mainly the ongoing restoration projects and major maintenance and engineering work. This comes under Steve Hartles who has taken on the role of Workshop Manager and schedules the workshop activities and record keeping. With the advent of a computerised record keeping system it has been a key task for us over the last twelve months to bring all our vehicle maintenance records and history up to date to be stored centrally so that no longer will we have to trawl through old files and paperwork to try and piece together what has been done in the past. 22 Ray Millar working on the cycles in Hangar 5 Another major task that has been necessary and is ongoing has been to bring all our vehicle records up to date with the DVLA. We discovered that some of our vehicles and valued registration numbers were not known to them as a result of some of the vehicles not having had their previous registrations transferred from the old style log books to the new style V5 documents. Bill Brooks, one of our volunteers, has taken this on as well as his other tasks and so far has managed to retain all the numbers that we claimed, including the registration number F-7, issued to our Mors car. The potential value of this registration number prompted the DVLA to arrange to visit the Collection to inspect the car and our records, with the result that they were completely satisfied and returned the number to the car. We continue to work on retrieving the registration numbers that have been ‘lost’ from some of the cars in recent years. The second group is our Bus Group who are focused on developing our bus operations for the Collection. Our aim is to provide a regular courtesy service and bus experience to our visitors throughout the main season as well as support to educational school visits, private functions and weddings. Experiencing a ride on a genuine Edwardian bus will become synonymous with a visit to the Collection as much as the expectation of experiencing history in the air. Our collection of buses gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience one of only ten double deck pre WWI buses in the world as well as our 1921 Charabus which is the only surviving example of its type. These vehicles have proved to be extremely popular attractions with visitors to the Collection. 23 First run for Tim King and Rory Cook on the De Dietrich Our Bus Group comes under Mark Lewis and they are carrying out an internal refurbishment of the Charabus which should be complete by the time this report is published. Training of a number of volunteer drivers and conductors continues as we

The De Dietrich at Brooklands in 1932 24 now have a pressing need in order to fulfil our plans for the coming season. Our Tuesday Group of volunteers under the direction of Neil Thomas works on the hangar presentation of our collection of bikes and cars, with some light maintenance as required. Mainly they focus on the regular cleaning and polishing, not an easy task during the winter in unheated hangars and with so much brass to keep clean. Finally, we are fortunate to have recruited Ray Millar who is well known in the Veteran Cycle Club and who, for the past few months, has methodically worked his way through our collection ensuring that our cycles take their proper place on display. We have a significant collection of immense historic importance with some rare examples, including one local Ivel cycle. We hope to have the majority of our cycles being ridden during some of the major events this year by Ray and other members of the Veteran Cycle Club. Last year the Trustees allowed the Vehicle Group to enter the prestigious London to Brighton Veteran Car Run with Richard Shuttleworth’s Arrol Johnston, following the completion of some major maintenance including the fitting of new solid rubber tyres and a new radiator, as well as some necessary engine work and a new clutch. The run starts from London’s Hyde Park and in early November we set off. All I need to report here is that for the first time since Richard Shuttleworth completed the run in this car we were successful. Debbie Land, usually found in the vicinity of the SVAS stand and organiser of our the Flight Line Tours during air shows, joined the team and has produced a gripping account of our journey to Brighton which is published elsewhere in this issue. The Engineers’ weekend saw the completion of four years’ work on our 1903 De Dietrich car. This has been the subject of a thorough rebuild by the team, led by Tim King, who has done an exceptional job. It’s an example of an Edwardian luxury car which was later adapted for racing: with the original rear entrance tonneau replaced by stark two-seater bodywork Richard Shuttleworth competed in historic races at Brooklands on more than one occasion. We are lucky to have this car in the Collection and as it’s one of only two 24 hp examples worldwide, the other being in the National Motor Museum. The car has been returned to its original low tension ignition system by Tim. As the weather improves we shall carry out more test runs with it before the season starts and we have already had support from the Trustees to enter it in the London to Brighton Run. If you have a chance to come and support and spectate on the day you will not be disappointed. Watch out for the De Dietrich on our Race Day in October. At the time of writing two other cars, our 1912 Wolseley and 1935 Austin Seven open tourer, are nearing completion of restoration work. Both have been test run and seem to run well. The Austin Seven has also had a thorough rebuild, including the engine, transmission and full repaint in Westminster Green which was its original colour. By the end of February we shall have this car back on display in the hangars. Likewise the Wolseley, another significant car in the Collection, has had its wheels rebuilt and the engine has received considerable attention. In addition the water damage to one of the rear doors mentioned in the previous report has been

25 The Wolseley engine is now all back together professionally repaired and the upholstery sympathetically replaced with a close match to the original, with handmade lace to match. This luxury saloon still has its original upholstery for the most part and we are investigating cleaning options. Richard Martin, assisted by Martin Oldham, continues with the full restoration of the Scott Combi motorcycle. This is turning out to be complicated, particularly with regard to the engine which requires very specialist knowledge and understanding: the work is continuing well. With the completion of work on the three cars that have filled our workshop for the last year, we have some pressing work to undertake before the season gets underway. For many years the McCurd lorry has suffered from cracks in one of the cylinder blocks and this has been removed for attention. Likewise, we have our 1898 Panhard in the workshop for urgent inspection of the engine which it’s thought could have cracked pistons. One of the most used and popular cars in the Collection is our 1912 Crossley. According to our records it has never had any significant work done. With the failure of the gearbox the car has queue jumped into the workshop with the intention of a nut and bolt restoration by the whole team which we aim to have complete by the start of the 2018 season. Finally I have to report that the Collection has acquired another Edwardian bus, a 1923 example of a Leyland SG7 single deck bus as supplied to the White Rose Motor Buses Company based in Rhyl. This bus comes from the same previous owner 26 The newley acquired Leyland SG7 of the other two, Mike Sutcliffe, who offered it to the Collection at a price that was considerably below its market value and which represents in part a donation to the Collection. The purchase of the bus was also considerably supported by the SVAS. The significant attraction of adding this bus to the Collection is in its potential use for on-site weddings and special functions at the House. In addition, with the overall popularity of the buses, it will provide a third bus should one need to remain out of service due to breakdown or refurbishment. Please take the opportunity to enjoy a ride back in the early twentieth century at Shuttleworth this season! Vehicle postscript: Archie Boyle, Dorothy’s regular driver, tries something bigger! - Mallard at the National Railway Museum 27 The Editor Reading your article ‘Idle Wonderings’ LETTERS inspired me to dig out my wife’s small collection of Dinky aircraft, (photos attached). There would have been more but when I was 15 I decided I was all grown up and sold all my toys! The ME110 is indeed marked ‘twin engined fighter’, the Shooting Star has the side marking upside down just like your F-90, the Short Mercury (now flying on 3) is just marked ‘seaplane’ and has a fictitious reg. (G-AVKW) which ‘GINFO’ tells me belongs to a de-registered Stampe!

The Viking’s reg. (G-AGOL) appears correct and belonged to construction no 2 aircraft, it later became VX238, does that make it a Valetta? I would get out more... Keep up the good work, Peter Martin Dear Bill, Your article in Winter 2016 Prop-Swing was very interesting as I had a model Lockheed XF-90 in the mid 50s! I had never heard of this aircraft previously but I recall the Mercury toy plane range as well as the Dinky Toy models. Your remarks about the ‘Twin Engined Fighter’ Me 110 also intrigued me as I 28 suspect the country of origin was possibly the same as the Amiot 370 as the model looks more like the French Potez 63 than the ‘110’?! Dinky brought out some toy aircraft that were of pre-war vintage in the 1950s, the Short Mercury seaplane being one of them, and the Tempest II and Meteor 3 were of the mid 40s period. My childhood toys were disposed of (sadly) but I have managed to get back a Flying Fortress and the seaplane and the 50s Hunter and Swift models. Subsequently an Avro York and Viking became part of my current collection. Thanks for the nostalgia! Yours faithfully, Alan Crow

I know that I’m far from alone in appreciating the appeal of these ancient artefacts, but it’s good to hear from SVAS members similarly afflicted! I wrote thanking Alan for his letter and said I couldn’t agree about the twin engined fighter - and he nicely replied conceding that, apart from the wingtips, I did have a point. By the way, apro- pos of nothing in particular, my Tempest and Viking have nice shiny pointed spinners whereas a lot of them, including Mrs Martin’s (above) had a nail like pin holding on the props - Ed

The Road to Brighton Debbie Land

ow, what does a girl do when asked the question, “Would you like to join us on the Arrol-Johnston on the London to Brighton run?” From the first Ntime I saw that vehicle, the romantic in me has always thought that the 1901 Dogcart represents a significant stage in the evolution of motoring style; the wooden body evoking thoughts of carriages in days gone by but with the horse power on board rather than up front. There was only one answer! But, first things first - just how did a vehicle like this end up in the Vehicle Collection? The Arrol-Johnston Company built vehicles designed by George Johnston (a locomotive engineer) in Dumfrieshire from 1895. The 6-seater Dogcart was first built in 1898 with a 10 hp horizontally opposed flat-twin engine mounted beneath the floor, and started by pulling on a rope. Each cylinder contains two pistons with a combustion chamber in between and, like ours, all these cars were fitted with chain final drive and a high-wheeled, solid-tyred, horse-carriage type of body. The brakes are arranged in the form of shoes which press on the back of the solid rear tyres, and the suspension comprises full elliptic leaf springs at the front, and half-elliptics at the rear. The Dogcart was produced until 1907 and during this time the engine went through a number of changes, the Collection’s vehicle having a slightly more powerful 12 hp version. The company survived until December 1931 and, when it went into liquidation, Richard Shuttleworth took advantage of the situation and purchased the vehicle for £12. He also bought a lathe. After talking his friend, Billy Blake, into driving the 29 Approaching the start line on Serpentine Drive 300 miles in a flat bed lorry with him, they set off early one morning and reached the factory at around 4 pm. Having settled the financials, they loaded the lathe onto the lorry, bought some lamp candles for the car which Richard was to drive and left Dumfries, homeward bound. Unfortunately, with no forward planning, they couldn’t find a suitable hotel for the night so decided to continue the journey all the way back to Old Warden. With light traffic they were able to make progress at around 14 mph, only requiring to stop for more supplies of lamp candles and oil (including a little breaking and entering where garages were closed - but Richard always left a note in payment). They arrived

Leaving Hyde Park with Steve Hartles at the wheel

30 Crawley, ready for the second leg: Rory driving with Debbie and Richard up front back at Old Warden some 23 hours later needing some well-earned sleep. In 1933, Richard decided he would enter the vehicle in the London to Brighton Run, alongside 80 other starters. At that time the route was slightly different to today and on the 12th November, at 9:30 am, he crossed the start line at Moon’s Garage, Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria with four passengers on board. They successfully crossed the finish line at the Aquarium Garage on Marine Drive, with Richard driving the 60 miles at an average speed of 9.8 mph. So, given the success of the car 83 years earlier, and taking into account that Shuttleworth had not entered the event for a number of years, the Vehicle Workshop Manager, Stuart Gray, decided it was time to give her another opportunity. Accordingly, a team of volunteers set to work on preparing all aspects of the vehicle ready for what is considered to be the most prestigious veteran car event in the world. The team was led by Steve Hartles and included John Butlin, Tim King and John Richardson. They soon determined that the key areas requiring attention included a leaking radiator, which was subsequently replaced, and clutch linings that were breaking up. The decision was taken to re-line and ensure that the new linings were bedded in by the time we headed south to Hyde Park Once this work was completed, and having ensured the engine was running well, the team also needed to ensure that all drivers could ‘feel’ the car and had gained sufficient experience to safely navigate the route. A number of required engine test runs around Old Warden provided the ideal opportunity. All that remained was to load the Arrol-Johnston onto a trailer, select the attire for the journey (there were only two wardrobe choices - honest!), plan the route to Hyde Park for the start and to climb on board. Sounds straightforward doesn’t it? In fact I had to get up almost before I went to bed…! picked up my first passenger, Peter Baughan (Collection video producer) at

31 Crossing the finishing line on Madeira Drive - with a wave from Stuart, Debbie and Rory around 1:30 am, second passenger Chris Gray (Stuart’s son) at 2:45 am and, through absolute precision planning, hooked up with Stuart and his passengers (Rory Cook and John Richardson) just after 3 am. Having collected Richard Martin at Hatfield at around 3:45, we arrived at Hyde Park as the gates opened at 5 am -it already felt like it was lunch time! Once the car was unloaded, the team set about starting the engine. One of the issues to overcome with veteran cars is starting them in cold weather (due to lack of petrol vaporisation) and it was an extremely cold morning, so it took a number of attempts at priming the engine. Eventually she burst into life and the team for the first leg of the journey climbed on board and headed down Serpentine Drive to the start. The initial crew was Steve Hartles, Rory Cook, John Richardson and Chris Gray. The cold morning turned into a fine dry day as Steve drove across the start linein Hyde Park at 07:28, with Rory taking over down route to Crawley. Arriving in Crawley town centre, the back-up crew met up with a Shuttleworth supporters group and John Butlin brought his family to watch the grand arrival. After the Arrol-Johnston had pulled into the town square, Steve provided a report that the car had performed well with no technical concerns and had managed the big hill with no issues. The only real problem had been that they encountered some delay getting into Crawley due to heavy traffic. Following a quick top up to the oilers and a handover of the paperwork it was time for a change of crew to complete the run. Rory initially remained as driver with Stuart, Richard and myself joining him for the final leg to Brighton. The weather held for us and, although it was extremely cold, the excitement and cheers and waves from supporters lining the route were heart-warming (many had sat out on the verges to watch the cars for the best part of the day – brrrrr!!!) Further down route we had a stop for fuel (a drop of unleaded fitted the bill) and Stuart took the wheel. Roads were fairly clear until we neared Brighton with hills to

32 Loading up for the journey home climb (slowly) and one of the worst encounters was having to join the fast moving traffic on the three lane A23 but this, and the roundabout at the end of the carriageway, were negotiated without incident. We finally pulled into the straight on Madeira Drive just before 3:30 pm, where it was pleasing to join a good number of other entrants who had successfully completed the run. Crossing the line was a time for elation and for reflection on how Richard Shuttleworth must have felt undertaking the same journey all those years previously. Stuart had a quick word with the run commentator at the line and then we headed down Madeira Drive to meet up with the rest of the crew and our video maker/photographer, Peter, who captured the special moments for the record. Once the car was loaded back on to the trailer it was time for a well-earned team dinner in celebration - with beer and a small gin for me, before heading back north and home with the biggest smile on my face. A fantastic effort by the team from the Vehicle Section and a huge privilege to be part of a piece of history made for the Shuttleworth Collection. (Still photos from a video taken by Peter Baughan).

Agricultural Workshop Activities James Michell

he event season is at an end, it has been a time for maintenance since October. The traction engine, Dorothy, went into the back of the workshop for a period Tof winter maintenance. Following the overhaul and repair of the drive gears during 2015, the engine is now easier to drive as there is no longer any slack in the gears to be taken up before she moves off. This winter’s maintenance has concentrated on the overhaul of the linkages that control the valves. Over time the pins have worn

33 and the holes are no longer round, so they have been reamed and new pins made to fit. The engine has Clayton & Shuttleworth’s unusual cross-over valve gear for the left hand, high pressure cylinder. The eccentrics for the high pressure cylinder valve are between the throws of the crank and the motion is transmitted to the valve on the outside of the cylinder block by means of a cross-over lever through the centre of which the high pressure piston rod passes. Refurbished high pressure cylinder valve The wooden board and tool box alongside the boiler have also been removed for sanding and re-varnishing. Concentrating efforts on Dorothy has meant little progress on the elevator, although we were very pleased to see the front wheels back from being repaired at Morrell’s Forge and Blacksmiths. There, the rough edges of the wheels were machined. Showing true ingenuity, as the wheels were too large to fit on the lathe, the compound slide from the lathe was bolted to the table of the milling machine! Profiles for the rims were then cut from mild steel, heated and clamped to the rim and then butt welded at the seam. Dowels were then drilled and countersunk through the mild steel into the cast iron and welded. The rims were then machined to their original profile. The wheels are currently awaiting top coat and will then be returned to their rightful place on the elevator along with their axle stubs.

Rebuilding the elevator wheels at Morrell’s Margaret Morrell 34 The Lee-Richards Model Philip Jarrett

or some time, up until the early years of this century, a mahogany model of a rather curious aeroplane was displayed in a case in one of the Shuttleworth Fhangars. At that time it had a label describing it as follows: “Contemporary model of Cedric Lee Type Annular Biplane. 1914. Reputedly flew and was entered for 1914 Gordon Bennett Race. (Subsequently cancelled due to First World War.) Donated by Mrs V. Phillips, St Ives.”

Since then, the model has been removed and then put back display, but in the meantime the label seems to have gone astray. It is now in Hangar 1 and this has resulted in several visitors asking for more information. It would take far more space than is available here to tell the full story of these machines. Suffice it to say that it was evolved from a biplane conceived and built by John George Aulsebrook Kitchen and later sold to Cedric Lee and tested without success in 1910. Lee was joined by George Tilghman Richards, and they then built and flew models and, in 1912, a full-size manned biplane glider which was catapult- launched in the Westmorland Hills. Lee and Richards parted company with Kitchen late that year. The results of these trials and the windtunnel testing of model monoplanes and biplanes at the East London College and the National Physical Laboratory led to the construction of the first powered Lee-Richards annular monoplane, with an 80hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine, which made its debut at Shoreham in late November 1913. This crashed at the end of an otherwise successful maiden flight, and

35 was followed by two more monoplanes during 1914. These were flown with some success by several pilots, both eventually being crashed. The Gordon Bennett Race was scheduled to take place on 27 and 28 September 1914, and the Cedric Lee company submitted to the Royal Aero Club an entry of two annular aircraft to represent the British Empire in the event, which was to take place in France. By early May 1914 the two machines were reported to be ‘well in hand’, and it was said that both were to be powered by the 90 hp Austro-Daimler six-cylinder watercooled engine and spanned only 15ft. Until the model now with the Shuttleworth Collection turned up, the actual configuration of these aircraft was unknown. Assuming the caption to be correct (apart from the misleading suggestion that a machine of this form ‘reputedly flew’; this was probably a reference to the previous monoplanes), it seems that the model portrays the intended entry for the Gordon Bennett Race. It is quite different from its forebears, being a biplane with a complete annular upper wing incorporating ailerons on extended tips and tailplanes at the trailing edge. The lower wing is only semi- circular, and has no control surfaces. The nature of the model suggests that it was actually made for wind tunnel tests, but confirmation is lacking. If that was so, the propeller was probably added later as an afterthought.

(Anyone wishing to learn more about the Lee-Richards annular aircraft can refer to this author’s two-part article ‘Circles in the Sky’, published in the September and October 1976 issues of Aeroplane Monthly magazine.) 36 Idle Wonderings - all at sea Bill Grigg

ome recent additions to the nautical section of the editorial toy collection have a strong aviation connection which, emboldened by the positive response to Slast issue’s toy aeroplane musings, I think qualifies them for inclusion in Prop- Swing. They’re 1930s products from the German firm, Wiking and represent two of the Deutsche Luft Hansa (DLH) catapult ships, Westfalen and Ostmark which were used in the first established regular transatlantic airmail service. I already had a more

Left: Wiking Westfalen and Ostmark Right: Mercator Schwabenland recently produced model of the Schwabenland from the Mercator range of 1:1250 ships (the Wiking ships are to a smaller scale and, as you’ll see from the photos, rather lacking in detail). In 1932, in an experiment to try and accelerate the trans-South Atlantic mail service, DLH chartered the Westfalen, a Nord Deutsche Lloyd freighter launched in

37 Westfalen with the ‘drag sail’ deployed 1905 and converted her to a depot ship for the Dornier Wal seaplanes intended as mail carriers. She was specially fitted with a large crane at the stern to lift a flying boat aboard, after which, refuelled and fettled, it could be moved forward on a dolly mounted on a set of rails past the superstructure to a bow mounted Heinkel K-6 pneumatic catapult, capable of accelerating a 15 ton aircraft to 94 mph (151 kph), for

Hoisting the Wal aboard 38 A Wal on the catapult re-launch. To assist with recovery of the aircraft a large, retractable canvas ‘drag sail’ was hung from a sort of giant towel rail fitted to the stern for the aircraft to taxi onto. The ‘sail’ was stiffened by crosswise battens which had a degree of flexibility so that when the Wal taxied centrally on to the rear end its weight lowered the middle of the

Catapult launch from Westfalen’s bow 39 sail and the sides rose slightly thereby holding the aircraft more steadily. This device obviated the need for the ship to come to a dead stop during recovery and was a great help in reducing the effect of heavy seas. Tests proved the system sound and Westfalen with Wal Monsun steamed to Bathurst in British Gambia, the intended staging point on the east of the ocean, for a final launch and recovery test at sea. This took place successfully on 2nd June 1933 after which the Westfalen steamed to a fixed rendezvous some 400 miles out in the Atlantic. Monsun took off from Bathurst on 4th June, met the ship, was taken aboard and refuelled, and then catapulted off on the 6th when Westfalen had reached a point within range, to reach Natal in Brazil the next day. The flight was completed without incident. The overall DLH plan was for the mail to be flown from Berlin to Seville by Heinkel He 70, then by Junkers 52 to Bathurst. There it was to be transferred to a Wal which would follow the procedure proved viable in the foregoing test run. Once in Natal the mail was to be transferred to a Ju 52 of Syndicato Kondor which would carry the load to its final destination, Buenos Aires. The scheduled time for the whole route was four days and the first mail run and, incidentally, the first flight of a regular trans-Atlantic airmail service, was made in February 1934. There were twenty four flights in 1934 but early in the year improvements were already being planned and another converted ship, the Hansa diesel freighter Schwarzenfels, launched in 1925, but now renamed Schwabenland was chartered and stationed off Bathurst as the eastern depot ship with the Westfalen relocated

40 to Fernando de Noronha (the archipelago about 350 km off the Brazilian coast) at the western side of the trans-ocean leg. With Schwabenland the aircraft were both recovered and catapulted off abaft the superstructure. At the same time an improved aircraft, the ‘10-Ton’ Wal with longer range than its predecessor, was introduced to service and with a depot ship in sheltered waters at each side of the Atlantic operations mid ocean were no longer necessary, enabling the carriage of a greater payload per flight. At the end of April 1935 operating experience had enabled the service to be speeded up so that Rio was reached in three days and Buenos Aires in three and a half. Later that year, on 6th October, the service was extended across the Andes to Santiago and thenceforth the carriage of mail from Europe to the Pacific coast took just four days. By 1936 the Ostmark, the first ship specifically designed for the service, was completed and replaced the Westfalen. She was smaller than the previous two but, being bespoke, had her superstructure and crane aft to enable the fitting of a longer catapult which allowed the Wals to be both swung aboard straight onto the catapult and then be launched carrying heavier loads. An unusual feature of the ship was that in place of a conventional centrally stepped foremast Ostmark had a hinged mast on each beam that could be swung out sideways to allow room for the Wal’s wings during a launch. Piloting the Wals demanded a high level of skill and fitness and the passing of a test to obtain a Licence for High-Seas Navigation. Apart from an ability to withstand the forces of a two second long launch from the 38,000 hp catapult, the optimum cruising altitude was around 30 ft to take advantage of the 10 mph speed increase gained from ground effect. Flying that low over the sea for long periods must have taken a lot of concentration! It should be noted that the French were contemporaneously pursuing the establishment of an efficient air mail route over the South Atlantic. Although DLH set up the first regular service, Air France were not far behind and throughout the period right up to the outbreak of WW2 a spirit of friendly rivalry existed and co-operation between the two companies enabled them to make economies by pooling resources where circumstances allowed.

Postage stamps commemorating the DLH mail service issued by The Gambia and Brazil

41 As an aside, for a while I was wondering how they managed to get the Wal from aft where it was craned aboard on Westfalen and along the tracks to the catapult forward of the superstructure - without grievous harm to the port wing and/or the funnel. Then I saw an aerial photograph of Schwabenland with a Wal on a dolly on the rails on the starboard ‘recovery’ side where they swept up and along the top of the superstructure, alongside a mast. The Wal was at an angle to the line of the rails with the tail hanging out over the sea, which meant the port wing didn’t reach quite as far as the mast. That suddenly made sense as on Schwabenland the aircraft were catapulted off the stern so they had to be turned through 180°, having been picked up facing forwards. A similar swivelling dolly would solve the funnel/wing problem on Westfalen. Here’s a brief summary of the three ships’ fates after war interrupted the service: Westfalen was sunk in 1944 by a mine in the Skagerrak. Schwabenland, carrying two Wals, was used as part of a 1938/39 German Antarctic expedition searching for a suitable site for a whaling station. She was then taken over by the Luftwaffe on the outbreak of war to be equipped with Blohm & Voss BV 138 flying boats. In 1944 she was damaged off Bergen by the British submarine Terrapin and beached. Later she was refloated but damaged again in an air attack and never went to sea again. When the war ended she was taken over by the Royal Navy as an accommodation ship then in 1946 loaded with poison gas ammunition and scuttled in the Skagerrak. Ostmark was sunk off St Nazaire by HM submarine Tuna in September 1940 before she could reach Germany to be commissioned for naval service. There’s an interesting bit of film about this DLH mail service on the Lufthansa web site which is well worth a look. Go to: https://www.lufthansagroup.com/de/presse/mediathek/filmarchiv.html - then click on the block ‘TODAY historie’ and then the second video, ‘Luftpoststrecke’ (Westfalen photos kindly supplied by Philip Jarrett).

Scale Model Event, 19th February Bill Grigg

ince it started eight years ago, the annual Scale Model Show has gone from strength to strength and this year’s was arguably the best yet. Many of those Sbrave souls who supported the first show, some of whom endured sitting with their models in the inhospitable environs of a Shuttleworth hangar in winter as then the exhibits were spread around the site, have returned year after year together with a number of new exhibitors and now the whole thing is staged in the cosiness of a cleared (except for the Spitfire!) Engineering Workshop. The show usually falls in the no-man’s land just after the Spring Prop-Swing has gone to the printer’s and about three months or more before the Summer issue so, unfortunately, it has hitherto got little mention in these pages. This year’s event

42 An overall view of the exhibition in the Engineering Hangar was on 19th February and has given us a timely chance to praise the efforts of the organising team of Jim Norris, Ken Hyde and Rory Cook, led very much from the front by our Chairman, Kevin Panter (he also advertised the show on local radio -

Don Cook studying marine life

43 Peter Holloway, Rob Millinship and Kevin Panter getting down to the nitty gritty there’s no end to his talents). There were a lot of visitors this year who all seemed very happy as well they might have been for there were models to please all tastes from rockets to ships via military vehicles, cars, commercial vehicles, trains, various figures and, of course, lots of aircraft. The standard of modelling was very high and, as always, encouraged me to do better (I’ve got quite a way to go!); the exhibitors were a friendly lot who were willing to talk about their efforts and modelling in general. As there were also trade stands selling kits, tools, modelling supplies and painting and finishing materials it made for a pleasant and interesting trip to Old Warden, even for non-modellers, as a break from the dull winter days. If it goes on like this they’re gonna need a bigger hangar.

From the Archive harles Malcolm, Chairman of the Old Warden Model Aircraft Club, brought in this photograph of the Collection’s Railton. It came from his wife’s father Cwhose father, Edward Charles Clarke (known as Charles) was at one time chauffeur to Mrs Dorothy Shuttleworth after WWII. The caption on the back reads: “R. O Shuttleworth’s Railton Sports. Built by R O just before WWII and finished off by Blanchflowers of Kettering approx 1949-50. Used for a time by Mrs D C Shuttleworth and driven by my father, her chauffeur. Sold to enthusiast, where this picture taken at Railton Owners’ Club meeting. Re-purchased by Mrs S’s granddaughter Charlotte and now in its rightful place in the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden”.

44 From the C & S Archives Taken from The Engineer, June 13th 1879

Clayton & Shuttleworth Straw-Burning Portable Engine

Illustrated is a 12-horse power portable engine, which will be exhibited at Kilburn during the Royal Agricultural Society’s Show, by Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth.

45 The engine is very similar to one exhibited at Islington in 1877, and its construction is so clearly shown in our engraving that no minute description is necessary. The prolongation of the fire-box gives a very long furnace, into which the straw is fed by hand. The sliding fire door drops by its own weight, and is lifted by the leaver shown, on which the fireman places his foot. The piston is 11in. diameter, with a stroke of 14in. ; the main firebox is 2ft. 10½in. high by 2ft. long, and 2ft. 10in. wide; the extra box is 2ft. 6in. long; the ash-pans hold water, in which the ashes are quenched. The engine in all respects manifests that attention to detail and workmanship for which the firm is celebrated.

From the Smokebox Kevin Panter

ver the past season we’ve been successful in our attempts to cook using the smokebox of the traction engine - after all Dorothy is essentially a large Aga Ooven on wheels! As this has generated a lot of interest (not just from the ground crew looking forward to lunch) we present the first (and probably last!) recipe in this very occasional series.

Les Pommes de Terre en Robe des Champs á la Dorothy This simplest of lunches can be baked in mere hours using your own converted Clayton & Shuttleworth roller. The smokebox of Dorothy reaches around 125°C/257°F when the engine is idling in normal operation which will, of course, increase if the engine is working, but this is just a guide and all baking times should be adjusted for your particular engine. It should also be noted that it can take 1½ hours for the engine to come up to temperature and a further few hours to cook so the preparation for lunch has to be thought of well in advance! ★ Take as many potatoes as are required for lunch and individually wrap each one in kitchen foil. This will help to minimise any sooty garnishing to the finished potato. ★ Place the wrapped potatoes on a wire rack in the smokebox, spaced out evenly to allow as much hot air as possible to circulate. ★ Jacket potatoes will require three hours to become perfectly cooked and for even cooking remember to turn them halfway through the cooking time. ★ Once cooked, the potatoes will remain hot in their foil wrappings for some time, although most are consumed straight away (not surprising, considering how long you’ve had to wait for lunch! Ed). ★ Any suitable filling can be used, and so far baked beans, chilli (both heated on the coal fired stove in the living van) and, of course, cheese have proved popular.

46 47 AND...

Internal affairs - Provost Christopher Baker

I didn’t think this is what they meant when I volunteered for wing walking! Mark Collins 48