SUMMER 2017

JOURNAL OF THE SHUTTLEWORTH VETERAN AEROPLANE SOCIETY

In this issue: IKANOPIT - Camel First Flight Photo Section Winners Lympne Trials Win a pair of Flying Proms tickets - see page 46! 1 PROP-SWING SUMMER 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: Camel Darren Harbar

2 Editorial Bill Grigg

here have been quite a few changes in the Shuttleworth pilot line up since we published the last group photo, longer ago than I thought and a year later than I Tintended as we didn’t manage to herd them together during last year’s training week. It may seem simple but I turned up this year, at a time agreed with someone - who shall remain nameless - who’d told me it would be the best time to catch them, to find pilots scattered all over the aerodrome. Luckily, they’d already had their photos taken by Darren and Paul Ferguson. You don’t have to get up very early to outdo me! (see photo on page 44) Although it may be slightly invidious to single out one pilot for special mention, it’s sad that this year’s group photo is missing Peter Holloway who, as previously reported, retired from display flying at the end of last season. I hope you’ll agree that, though many Shuttleworth pilots have provided us with excellent articles in our series of flying various aircraft, during his display career Peter has done rather a lot. So thank you Peter for all your much valued contributions to Prop-Swing and the good natured and willing way you’ve helped me with frank, informative (sometimes self deprecating) and very readable impressions of various aircraft over recent years, more perhaps than I could reasonably have expected. By the way, I’m sure we’d all like to continue to hear from you from time to time if the fancy takes you. Things are evolving apace at Old Warden these days and those who don’t visit very often must sometimes get a bit disorientated when they do. Not that the general ambience changes very much but this year, for instance, a section of what used to be the rear rows of spectator parking in front of the hangars is roped off as a useful addition to the static display area and traders’ pitch on show days and part of the estate has been included in the airfield as a new runway. What was a fenced off paddock to the right of the copse as seen from the crowd line has been reclaimed and levelled so that there’s more choice of areas for aircraft to take off and land into wind. At Fly Navy some in the crowd watched in trepidation as the Gladiator sank down over the CONTENTS copse to publicly christen the NE/SW approach IKANOPIT 4 over the ‘new runway’, breathing a sigh of relief SVAS & Collection News 12 as it landed safely, trundled to a stop and taxied in. Photo Section Winners 16 There was a bit more trepidation when, near the Aero Workshops 20 close of the show the Gladiator, puffing bursts of Vehicle Collection Report 24 smoke from its exhaust, sank behind the second Bulleid Light Pacific 28 row of trees (how many runways has this place Do You Read Me 29 got?), this time to make a precautionary landing in The Lympne Trials 31 an adjacent field. But by then we were getting used Agricultural Workshop 39 to this kind of thing, so we didn’t really worry... Idle Wonderings 40 Pilots Photo 44 C&S Petrol Waggon 43 Prize Crossquiz 46

3 IKANOPIT – although I didn’t and so ended up having to fly the Camel Dodge Bailey

Climbing in for the first test flight all photos Darren Harbar, unless otherwise noted

irst, some background: In mid WWI the Sopwith Company produced their 1½ Strutter, a two seater with a forward firing synchronised gun. It entered Foperational service in the first half of 1916 and was a very effective multi-role aircraft for a time. It was powered by a 130 HP Clerget, had a wing span of 33’ 6”, a wing area of 346 square feet, with a loaded weight of 2,149 lb. This aircraft was longitudinally stable and was equipped with a trimmable tailplane; indeed some felt it was too stable for a dogfighter. Shortly afterwards Sopwiths produced the Pup which was powered by an 80 HP Le Rhone, had a wing span of 26’ 6”, wing area of 254 square feet, with a loaded weight of 1,225 lb. This aircraft was longitudinally unstable and had no trimming device (which would have been an unnecessary encumbrance in an unstable single seater). With its lower wing loading, lower power loading and its longitudinal instability the Pup turned out to be a much more agile machine than its predecessor and although outclassed by later German fighters it remained in front-line service until the end of 1917. In an attempt to make a better scout Sopwiths fielded their Triplane which was essentially a Pup fuselage fitted with three narrow-chord wings and a more powerful engine - a 130 HP Clerget. The Triplane had the same wing span as the Pup, a wing area of 231 square feet, and a loaded weight of 1,540 lb. Although the wing loading was somewhat higher the improved power loading gave better climb performance. Like the 1½ Strutter this aircraft was fitted with a trimmable

4 tailplane and was about neutrally stable longitudinally. The Triplane was armed with a single Vickers gun and although well respected by the opposition and loved by its pilots there were some concerns over its structural integrity when diving. Clearly a more robust, more heavily armed and more powerful aircraft was required and what emerged was the legendary . For reasons which now seem difficult to fathom the locations of the fuel tanks and the pilot were reversed in the Camel when compared to its predecessors. In the case of the Pup and Triplane the fuel tank was located at, or close to, the centre of gravity (cg) with the pilot sitting to the rear and behind the top wing; thus fuel consumption did not alter the position of the cg. In the Camel the pilot sits under the top wing, which restricts his field of view, while the fuel tanks are located to his rear and therefore well behind the cg. This means that with full fuel tanks the cg is at the aft limit of 13 inches aft of datum (AoD), or about 34% of the Standard Mean Chord (SMC), and when all fuel is consumed the cg has migrated to the forward limit of 8.8 inches aft of datum or 27% SMC. The longitudinal stability of an aircraft is a function of the cg position, the further aft the cg the smaller the static and manoeuvre margins and all the associated longitudinal handling characteristics such as trim, stability, and control are thus affected. With the cg forward the stability increases but as fuel is consumed controllability reduces sometimes making it impossible to make a proper three point landing. So, in one flight, the character of the Camel will change from one extreme to the other. The Camel also differed in layout in that the surface areas of the fin, rudder, tailplane and elevator were all smaller when compared to the Pup/Triplane and the fuselage was slightly shorter further reducing the effectiveness of the tail as a stabiliser and, importantly, as a rate damper1.

5 Bill Grigg Looking into these changes in a bit more detail; tail volume is a measure of the effectiveness of the horizontal tail and fin volume is the equivalent for the vertical surfaces2. These parameters are non-dimensionalized by standard factors so that different aircraft can be compared directly. If this is done with the Sopwith stable and taking the Pup as the reference aeroplane we find that the 1½ Strutter and the Triplane have equivalent fin volumes and greater tail volumes, whereas the Camel has about 75% of the tail volume and 85% of the fin volume of the Pup. This indicates that both the longitudinal and directional static stability of the Camel will likely be lower than those of the Pup and the Triplane. Add to this formula an engine with 75% more power than the Pup and things are never going to be quite the same again. Indeed, these various configuration changes transformed what was considered to be a ‘delightful’ aircraft to fly (at least by the standards of the day) into a machine of which Norman MacMillan, an experienced Camel pilot, said, “Here was a buzzing hornet, a wild thing, burning the air like raw spirit burns the throat”. So it was not without some circumspection that I approached the first flight of our Camel. As regular readers will be aware this machine was the last product of The Northern Aeroplane Workshops and followed their outstanding reproductions of Sopwith Triplane ‘Dixie’ and the Bristol M.Ic. As with all such projects I tried to prepare myself appropriately and while usually I have to go digging for data, in this case I was deluged with information from all-comers who had my best interests at heart. When the assembled data filled a box file I thought we must be about ready. The aircraft had been weighed, the cg established and referenced to the SMC. The engine 6 had had several successful ground runs and I had tried a brief taxy session. By the time I flew the Camel I had flown the Pup and the Triplane a number of times and had had one particularly valuable trip in the TVAL Sopwith Snipe. The aforementioned Norman MacMillan had written a very informative article for Aeroplane Monthly in 1984 and former RNAS pilot Ronald Sykes published his Camel notes in Flight International in 1968 – these articles served as my ‘Pilot’s Notes’. I also received valuable pointers from Bob Richardson, Stuart Goldspink and Gene DeMarco of TVAL. In a rotary engine the gyroscopic precession3 of the engine/propeller cross couples yaw rate to pitch rate and vice versa such that a pitch up causes a right yaw and the magnitude of these effects is proportional to engine RPM, and inversely proportional to tail and fin volume and airspeed. Therefore, for a given aircraft configuration, the worst condition is likely to be high power and low airspeed as experienced on take-off and climb. I planned to mitigate these effects by applying power slowly during the take-off, by climbing at a somewhat higher than optimum speed and by avoiding the need for climbing right turns until experience was gained. In addition, the aircraft was equipped with a modern slip ball style indicator which is more intuitive to ‘modern’ pilots than the more contemporary inclinometer (or lateral bubble). It had been noticed during the ground runs that the Rotherham air pump did not spin in the propwash with the aircraft stationary so it was not known whether it would be capable of maintaining fuel tank air pressure with the additional ‘wind’ available when in flight. There was therefore a risk that once the take-off was commenced the pressure would fall and with it engine power before the pilot had the height and spare capacity to diagnose the cause and rectify it. To mitigate this the ground crew were asked to give me a ‘pump-up’ signal immediately before commencement of the take-off roll to maximise the time before the pressure fell should the Rotherham fail to do its job. It is not unusual to find that on the first flight of an aircraft the airspeed indicator either fails to work at all or has such large errors as to be useless. To mitigate this possibility I had ready a phone app displaying GPS speed in a conventional round-dial format graduated in the relevant units.

The First Flight

The first flight of Sopwith Camel G-BZSC was undertaken at Old Warden on 18 May 2017. The takeoff weight was 1,440 lb with the cg at 11.28 in AoD (31.7% SMC). The conditions preferred for first flight were a light wind aligned with the main runway and the absence of thermal activity and stronger winds aloft which could significantly alter the wind velocity episodically. On this day, the 1,000 ft wind was forecast to be 290/05 and the surface wind was more or less calm. The takeoff direction chosen was 21 so as to provide a forced landing option on the rugby pitches because crops in the fields beyond the 03 end had grown to a significant degree. The aircraft is fitted with a long stroke Clerget which is reputed to produce 140 HP but has a limitation that full throttle should not be used at sea level. Engine ground runs had established that 1200 RPM was readily achievable with part throttle.

7 During the pre-takeoff run-up the settings for 1100 RPM (considered adequate for the first takeoff) were bloctube (BT) (6-7) and fine adjustment (FA) 3½ - 4½4. Running on a single magneto was checked and although the engine note changed there was no discernible RPM drop. The engine was throttled back to 600 RPM (BT = 2) and chocks waved away. Fuel air pressure was pumped to 2 - 2½ psi. The stick which had

8 been held back during the run-up was repositioned to approximately half way between neutral and full forward. The BT was opened slowly to ensure that the engine was responding correctly without choking and to mitigate the gyroscopics as discussed earlier. As expected the tail did not lift until about half way through the take-off roll and when it did lift the aircraft yawed slightly to the left before I was able to detect and correct the movement. Although some pitch sensitivity was noticed it was possible to maintain the correct pitch attitude. The aircraft bounced off a runway designator marking, skipped once and climbed away. The BT had reached about 5 by the time of lift off and was advanced to 6 once clear of the ground. The FA was left as set. There was as expected a modest push force needed to maintain the desired pitch attitude. The aircraft appeared to be climbing well and the track was adjusted slightly to the right so as to maximise the space for a climbing left turn through 180 degrees on reaching the rugby pitches. This left turn was made with approximately 15 degrees of bank but even so it was not straightforward to maintain the aircraft in balanced flight. Once the turn was complete I checked the ASI and the air pressure – the ASI was showing 90 mph which agreed with the GPS back-up; the air pressure was maintaining 2½ psi and the Rotherham appeared to be spinning rapidly. The climb was continued overhead the airfield to 3,000 ft (the altimeter reading appeared plausible). Various turns were essayed during the climb and in either direction it was difficult to keep the aircraft in balance. It was noted that the lateral bubble appeared to have sprung a leak and that the positioning of the conventional slip ball was such that the ball itself (if centred) was completely obscured by the altimeter setting knob. A few minutes later the tube from within the lateral bubble slipped out and fell to the cockpit floor! The friction device on the engine control quadrant allowed the BT lever to retard itself if not restrained by the pilot. At the top of the climb power was reduced somewhat and it was found to be significantly easier to maintain balance in turns at the reduced power setting. With power set for approximately 600 RPM the aircraft was brought to the stall. The stall itself was benign and full back stick could be reached. The stalling speed was between 35 and 40 mph indicated which is plausible. A brief assessment of the lateral and directional static stability was carried out using steady heading sideslips. The aircraft behaved differently between left and right sideslip tests and this is an area which will need further investigation on subsequent flights. During later flights it transpired that the aircraft has pretty low directional stability and, what stability there is, is masked by the engine effects. The descent was made with the BT set to 2 – RPM iro 6-700. During the descent engine response in a simulated go-around was assessed and was satisfactory. At descent power the fuel tank air pressure was not maintained. I had to augment the pressure with the handpump on several occasions. The approach was made from a left hand circuit to runway 21. The target approach speed was 60 mph. On base leg at about 200 ft agl the BT was advanced to 3 and the blip switch used to reduce power. A modest (right rudder) sideslip was used without difficulty. The approach was planned to achieve a touchdown well into

9 the airfield in case the glide characteristics were disappointing. The precession effects noted at high power were not intrusive in the glide. Once again it was necessary to use the handpump to restore fuel tank air pressure in the event of a missed landing. Once close to the ground the aircraft was levelled and held off while it slowed down. This was not hard to do. Earlier research suggested that the optimum Camel landing is achieved by holding off until the aircraft will fly no more and then as it sinks onto the surface full back stick is applied. This is more or less the technique I used and a near three point touchdown was achieved. There was a small bounce but the attitude remained steady and the aircraft landed again and ran straight. During the landing roll-out the power levers were adjusted to BT=2 and FA=2 and it was possible to throttle the engine as required to taxy clear of the runway. Once stopped the engine was idling very slowly but seemed slightly rough which was diagnosed as over-richness. The BT was retarded slightly and after 30 seconds the engine began to ‘fizz-up’ as the richness cleared. The engine was then shut down by setting the FA to zero and opening the BT as it ran down. The fuel selector and magnetos were then turned off. Since that first flight there have been three more to cover off the various test requirements. We had some difficulty solving the fuel tank pressurisation issue but a change of Rotherham pump seems to be the answer. I have found that if the conditions are somewhat bumpy then flight at higher airspeeds requires considerable pilot compensation to maintain steady balanced flight. While such pitch sensitivity was to be expected I had not anticipated that the aircraft would be quite so capricious in the directional sense – due I imagine to the combination of the engine gyroscopics

10 and the low fin volume. These effects can be somewhat ameliorated by restricting power to around 1100 RPM and airspeed below 100 mph or so but that is sufficient for display purposes. I anticipate IKANOPIT joining the display line-up in the near future.

Notes re numbers in text: 1. The fin and tailplane keep the aircraft pointing in the direction of the airflow ie stabilise it. If that situation is disturbed they damp out any resulting oscillation in a more or less effective way. 2. The effectiveness of the tailplane and fin is not only affected by their area but also, among other things, by the wingspan and distance from the cg. You can find more details at: http://www.eaa62.org/technotes/tail.htm 3. In a rotary engine the cylinders spin on the crankshaft and act as a big gyroscope that wants to keep working in the same plane, a characteristic known as rigidity. The other characteristic of a gyroscope, precession, is the effect where, when a force (or torque) is applied to the gyroscope, it is felt transposed 90 degrees in the direction of rotation. Hence, with the engine rotating clockwise when viewed from the cockpit, if the aircraft pitches up that is like pushing a stick into the gyro at the six o’clock position, this will move around through 90 degrees and the result will be as if the stick was pushed in at the nine o’clock position and this will cause the aircraft to yaw to the right. 4. The Clerget rotary has a primitive bloctube carburettor which is controlled by the bloctube lever (analogous to a throttle) and a Tampier (or fine adjustment) which is analogous to a mixture control. Unlike more sophisticated modern engines both controls must be manipulated appropriately to obtain the power required.

11 From the Chairman Kevin Panter

he hot days of summer are here at last and with them came a few pointed reminders from the Editor that I should have completed my article some time Tago. Of course the summer is a busy time for Shuttleworth so I’ll use that as an excuse for tardiness, although I’m sure it won’t wash, but it is better than the dog ate my homework! I write this after Fly Navy with three air shows already behind us; it’s also now been a year since I was appointed Chairman which endorses the fact that time flies at Old Warden! In that year, as Chairman, I’ve spoken to many SVAS members about Shuttleworth and it appears that they’re pleased with the direction in which things are going. They like the improvements in the facilities being made at the aerodrome and they think the Shuttleworth experience is successfully being enhanced. A number have also said that they’ve enjoyed rides on the vintage buses. On the flip side almost everybody I speak to has cautioned that the uniqueness of Shuttleworth should not be lost, and this is something that I think we all care a lot about. The Shuttleworth ‘spirit’ may be intangible but is as important as the aircraft and the vehicles; it’s often the ‘thing’ that draws us in and keeps us wanting to return to this special place. Some members have commented that they haven’t liked the additional sprawl at some of the larger events and this is an unfortunate side effect of becoming more popular, but at the same time they have agreed that Old Warden still retains the old Shuttleworth atmosphere. As I mentioned, the last show before I wrote this was the memorable Fly Navy - not least due to the off road experience of the Gladiator! It was a case of all hands on deck as a group of engineers started the process of recovering that aircraft and, as I looked around, there were members of the public in the rain, helping to push in various aircraft, joining pilots, other staff members, volunteers and trustees in mucking in to get the job done. (If you were one of those helping out on the day, thank AVIATION BOOKS AND you!) There aren’t many places where this MAGAZINES would happen and I think it was a further (Rare and Second Hand) from demonstration of the special atmosphere. BRIAN COCKS, 18 Woodgate, There can be times when it’s hard work but Helpston, I like to think that the Shuttleworth ‘spirit’ Peterborough, Cambs. PE6 7ED is in safe hands while we all continue to (Tel: 01733-252791) enjoy the place, from the casual visitor [email protected] to the seasoned staff member and SVAS www.aviationbookhouse.co.uk regular. Visits by appointment; Catalogues twice a year - please send, towards postage costs: £1.00 each (UK); PS If any distillers are reading this £3.00 each (Europe); £5.00 each (other) and would like to produce an actual Wants records held; attendance at ‘Shuttleworth Spirit’, I think it would be an most main Old Warden Flying Sundays excellent seller! SVAS LIFE MEMBER

12 From the Treasurer John Edser

on’t you just love to say “I told you so”; well you will remember I said that increasing fees would lead to a situation whereby, despite all of the work done Dto advertise the new rates, chaos would reign. The upshot of this change was that over 130 members who pay by standing order forgot to change their instruction to the bank so letters had to be sent to ask for a top up fee and for next year’s instruction to be changed. And I’ll tell you now, not all instructions will be changed for next year! So what with this and the issues surrounding the redesign of the membership renewal forms that were not personalised Ron, Rosie and I have had our work cut out. The AGM was not very well attended this year but as I always say, a poor attendance usually means everything is going well! Anyway, from a financial standpoint, I’m sure that you only want to know the main figures, so here goes: total income for the year to 31st March 2017 was £149,006, down from £251,854 in 2016. This was due to the fact that we received legacies totalling £118,307 in 2016, £70,000 of which, from the Winter Estate, has been reserved for educational purposes. Our donation to the Collection in 2016 was £150,000 as opposed to £183,000 in the previous year. Apart from providing all the aircraft spares our donation paid 50% of the cost of the ‘White Rose’ bus. Fundraising costs, which is the cost of merchandise stock used and 500 Club pay-outs totalled £4,343 whilst our day to day running costs totalled £27,013 - the major costs of course being Prop-Swing Milton Keynes Aviation Society printing at £10,491 and postage at A friendly group of enthusiasts who meet £7,477. This year our stationery monthly to hear quality speakers on and printing costs were also up aviation topics. We also visit aviation from £2,223 to £5,436 as a result venues and have a monthly newsletter. of the letter that had to be sent to Lectures, 7.30 for 8.00 -2nd Tuesday all members regarding the issues of each month at Kents Hill Community around pre-ordering air show Centre, Frithwood Crescent MK7 6HQ. tickets. Adding our accountancy Annual Membership is £22. Visitors fee, which has remained at £600 welcome to individual lectures for £3. since I took office in 1999 the total expenditure from our unrestricted 8 Aug: Nightfighters Over Lincolnshire, fund was £181,956, leaving us Sqn Ldr Mike Pugh-Davies (ret’d) with a deficit of £32,950 for the 12 Sep: Silver City Airways – The First year. 70 Years. Paul Ross Although not the best of 10 Oct: North Korean Aviation Tour years financially, we still have Glenn Stanley, photographer an unrestricted fund reserve of 14 Nov: Eric Brown – A Pilot’s Story £335,302 and a Restricted Fund Nicholas Jones for Education of £71,007 which gives us a total net worth of For more information: £406,309. www.mkas.co.uk or 0786 062 9494 Clearly, if we are to maintain or [email protected]

13 donations to the Collection that are in excess of £100,000 a year we need to reduce our costs. Since our major cost is that of Prop-Swing, steps have been taken to prepare for delivering it in pdf format, something which hopefully will be put into action soon.

From the Library John Benjamin

ummer is upon us and June, which started with the prospect of living up to its reputation of ‘flaming’, and as I write very soon became cooler and wetter S(which didn’t last long either... Ed ). It is with great sadness that I report that in April Frank Page decided that the time had come for him to retire. He joined the Library Team in August 2006 at the same time as my late wife Sue who many of you will remember. Frank hails from Poughkeepsie in the State of New York USA and has been living and working in the UK for many years. He served in the USAF during the Korean War in the early 1950s and although he held a Private Pilot’s Licence he was employed in telecommunications. He is an architect by profession and is married to Shirley who is English and the reason he made his home here. We shall greatly miss his wide knowledge of both aviation matters and motor racing, his great good humour and his quiet and gentle wisdom. Again, I fear that this report is very plain fare. Life in the library continues running to its settled routine - Jim and I handling enquiries and accessions while Peter concentrates on completion of cataloguing the contents of folders, a task which is drawing to a close, and is expected to be finished in the next couple of months. Due to a set of unforeseen circumstances I must report that the Exhibition is late; we hope to have completed it by the end of June. Some points of interest. We have recently received by donation the superb philatelic collection of the late Martin Smith of his 1934 England to Australia MacRobertson Air Race material, along with his associated photographs, documents and correspondence relating to the race. This is believed to be the second most complete record in existence bettered only by that in Melbourne. Mr Smith’s collection is beautifully presented and was awarded a gold medal at a philatelic exhibition in London. We estimate that it will take the best part of a year to catalogue the Martin Smith Collection after which we shall consider how best to display it. We have been approached by the Bristol Aero Collection requesting help with their restoration of another Bristol F2b Fighter. They are in need of drawings of the flying and landing wire wing attachments. They have an incomplete setof F2b drawings as does the Collection and we were unable to assist. However having discussed the matter with Jean Munn we agreed that we would invite the Bristol Aero Trust Restoration Manager to come to Old Warden to photograph our Bristol Fighter later in the year. Also, we have just received an enquiry from the Belgian Spitfire Museum regarding SE5a F904 and requesting copies of Major Pickthorn’s Combat Report and the 84 Squadron Record Book for 10 Nov 1918. They are researching the exact location of the action in which Pickthorn shot down a Fokker D.VII whilst flying our SE5a.

14 Now, I have a matter which requires your attention if you are planning to donate books, documents, photographs or artefacts to the Collection. We very much appreciate the kind intentions of our members in offering to make donations but, due to severe constraints on available space, it is most important that prospective donors contact the Library & Archives Team in advance. We will need to have a clear indication of the items to be donated and, in the case of books, a full list. This will enable us to make a rapid decision as to what we would like and are able to accept, send the necessary donation documentation for completion in advance and to make the necessary arrangements for the reception of the material. Accordingly the Visitors’ Centre staff will be unable to accept unsolicited donations delivered without prior arrangements having been made. In conclusion, we greatly appreciate the many and various kind donations we have received from members of SVAS over the years which in themselves have made the Library and Archives such a valuable research resource for both members and the general public. Thank you all for your kindness and cooperation. As ever, my thanks go to the Library Team – Jim, 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 [email protected] 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 weeks’ notice so that we can prepare the necessary material before your visit. I cannot over-emphasise this as we endeavour to work to a programme and unscheduled visits of more than 5-10 minutes disrupt our day and of course we can never recover lost time.

From the Tent Paul Ferguson

ince the last issue the Photo Section has held its start of season meeting where the results of the Print Competition were revealed. There was an excellent entry Sof 64 images from 13 members and many thanks are due to Ian Frimston for being our judge once again. The five winners were all present to receive their awards - only five because one person won two! Congratulations to the winners - you can see all their pictures, and names, on the following pages. The meeting also discussed the rules for the next competitions and these will be published shortly. The year end closing date for the print competition worked well so will be 31st December again this year and the digital competition will follow on. In March the Section ran a trip to Coningsby which was open to all SVAS members and a party of about 20 were taken on guided tours of the BBMF hangar in two groups. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and another trip out will be organised later in the year. You can contact me at [email protected]

15 Photo Section Competition Winners

In flight 1st: Hightailing red tail Ivan Hallsworth

In flight 2nd: Fast and low Paul Braham

16 In flight 3rd: Red and white in the blue Nigel Freestone

Ground Activity 1st: Night pick-up Tad Dippel

17 Ground Activity 2nd: This time! Mark Collins

Ground Activity 3rd: Night Start Tad Dippel

18 Guinness World Record Success! Ciara Harper

he Shuttleworth Collection and IPMS Brampton have recently been officially confirmed as Guinness World Record Title Holders for ‘The Most People TConstructing Aircraft Models’.The record was previously held by the RAF Museum for 250 models and has been smashed with 369 Airfix models built at The Collection as a community challenge that took place on Sunday, 20th November 2016. The Collection teamed up with event organisers IPMS Brampton Scale Model Club who, courtesy of Airfix, provided nearly 400 plastic 1/72 scale Albatros D.V kits free of charge. Incidentally, Airfix are the oldest UK manufacturer of scale plastic model kits.

Visitors taking on the challenge of ‘The Most People Constructing Aircraft Models’ Darren Harbar We at the Collection are delighted with the result. It wouldn’t have been possible without Alec Smith and the IPMS Brampton Scale Model Club or Airfix’s generosity and it was a real community event with visitors of all ages – and both sexes – involved, including air cadets and scouts. Everyone had a lot of fun and we’re looking forward to the next challenge! The official certificate for the Guinness World Record is now on display in the Visitor Centre at Old Warden. There’s more information on events featuring model making available at www. shuttleworth.org or IPMS Brampton Club’s own website: https://sites.google.com/ site/ipmsbrampton/

19 Volunteer Skilled Woodworker Wanted Our long time SVAS volunteer ace with making anything in wood, Tony John, has reluctantly had to retire for health reasons which has left rather a large void in the organisation at Old Warden. Before his Old Warden volunteering days Tony was a contract manager in the field of architectural joinery and involved in all aspects from structures to veneers. As well as being a very nice bloke who’s always prepared to help anyone when he can, at Shuttleworth Tony turned his hand to crafting diverse wooden items from display cabinets to a replacement front end for the Hoffer Schranz tractor which is indistinguishable from the original metal casting. As you may imagine he’s sorely missed and we wonder if there’s an SVAS member skilled in working with wood who’d be prepared to volunteer to help us out? Our preference is for volunteers who are able to commit at least one, up to several days a week as they feel able – Monday to Thursdays only. Regular commitment is essential because we will come to rely on you. If you are interested and feel able to give the necessary commitment, please submit a little bit about yourself by way of a CV to [email protected] We hope it’s clear that we’re not asking for someone to fill Tony’s shoes but for someone who has a good pair of shoes of his own.

From the Aero Workshops ‘Crankcase’

hings have been and are very busy for the engineers with keeping the airworthy aircraft fettled and ready to perform during the display season, so some of Tthe less urgent jobs have lingered on. These include the re-covering of the Blackburn Monoplane’s fuselage and empennage, the Hind’s, Blériot’s and Wren’s engines and now the 504 is being ‘rested’ as its 110 le Rhône has been running inconsistently. The 110 le Rhônes are a bit of a headache, well, quite a lot of a headache, to keep running properly all the time. The trouble is that they’ve all been around for about a hundred years and, apart from their having been maintained by various people swapping parts and manufacturing replacement ones over the years, there’s no definitive workshop manual or an original, un-tampered with engine available which can be measured to confirm the exact originally intended tolerances and settings of the valve gear. The valves are actuated by a complex train of gears and cams starting with an eccentric on the crankshaft which operates two sets of cams which act upon the pushrods. Added to that the exhaust valves are only nudged open by the pushrods and rely on centrifugal force to open them fully. It doesn’t take much to be slightly out of adjustment or worn in the chain to achieve less than optimum performance.

20 Fortunately the engine in the Bristol M.IC has responded well to small and cautiously applied and monitored adjustments but this has not proved to be the case with the 504 power unit. It’s become evident that resolving its problems satisfactorily will take considerable research and time and very unfortunately the Avro will have to remain grounded in the meantime. However, the Spitfire is getting ever nearer to flying. Probably most readers

Spitfire, first start up in April Darren Harbar will know that AR501 was pushed out on its own wheels for the first time since the restoration began, blinking metaphorically in the unaccustomed sunlight, on 28th March last for a photo shoot. On the same day the refurbished propeller was delivered - to the obvious pleasure of a beaming Ian Laraman. Then, on 2nd April, the engine was started for the first time, since when low power engine runs and systems tests have been successfully carried out. As this is being written the wing root fairings and wingtips are due to be fitted so that painting can be completed and various labels eg ‘trestle here’ can be applied. The starboard aileron (now aka to the Spitfire team as ‘the ever elusive aileron’) still hasn’t been delivered but paperwork is being readied for a Permit to Test. High power engine runs are awaiting the final fitting of the above A very happy Ian Laraman Darren Harbar mentioned fairings and the installation

21 of some anchor points in the compass base to tether the aeroplane to the airfield. Incidentally the completion of painting and engine runs are at odds with each other and require careful planning as the engine is quite capable of covering the painted surfaces with oil, and matt paint and oil aren’t happy bedfellows. As visitors to the May Saturday show may have witnessed, the Tomtit subsided gently onto its port wing – fortunately onto some long grass - while taxiing in slowly after landing from its display. The cause was failure of a fitting on the fuselage end of the port undercarriage cross bracing wire. Close inspection showed that the small metal fitting seemed to have been slowly cracking over a number of years and a replacement has been manufactured in the workshop. It was decided to ‘unrest’ the Comper Swift after our Spring status chart recorded it as being “rested in 2017” and it was due to perform in the May Sunday show. However, The bit that broke on the Tomtit - in situ fate decided otherwise and a worn rubber coupling in the magneto drive failed to couple so the Swift carried on resting. SVAS to the rescue! - our member John Hopkins delivered a sample of correctly sectioned rubber when visiting the June show, enabling the Swift to be restored to full health – for which Mr Munn is very grateful. The SE5a is currently sans engine as during a routine test a couple of months ago slightly low compression was found on three cylinders. Experience has shown that it’s very wise to be cautious with this engine as a relatively minor problem can escalate into an expensive and time consuming job. This is because the steel cylinder liners are screwed into the block from the bottom and what they screw into is essentially an aluminium water jacket. It’s important that the mating between the steel and aluminium should be perfect to allow proper heat transference and if an exhaust valve isn’t seating correctly (as may be a probable cause of lowered compression) heat build up can distort the top of the cylinder exacerbating the problem and making it difficult to unscrew the liner One of the SE5a cylinder blocks

22 from the precious 100 year old aluminium thread. In fact, if that does happen, it’s usual to destroy the liner and remove it in bits. What complicates matters even more is that the liners have overlapping flanges on their bottom ends, necessitating fitting them in a strict sequence so, depending on which From Gladiator to cereal killer Rory Cook liner you need to replace, you might have to take out its neighbours to gain access to it. Anyway, a stitch in time has saved a possible nine and with the valves all snugly lapped in and, while the engine is dismantled, some new piston rings fitted and other minor refurbishments carried out, the SE should be airworthy again in the not too distant future. The Sea Hurricane and Mew Gull have both been performing well after the repairs to tail wheel and engine respectively, mentioned in the Spring issue, and the Gladiator, with its refurbished Mercury engine cylinders went well at the 4th June display until developing a misfire during its third sortie. A precautionary landing was made in a field adjacent to the aerodrome from which the aircraft was able to be towed back. There was fortunately no damage at all to the airframe and the cause of the misfire is still being investigated. Finally, the Camel has successfully flown in Dodge Bailey’s hands - as you will have read in his report earlier - and the engine will have to be part stripped to check that all is well before it can go on the display line.

Left: Ken Hyde and Alan Buckley have now finished re-covering the Blackburn Right: Dave Tassart of Dave’s Custom Covers making a template for the Comet 23 Report from ‘Warden Park Garage’ Neil Thomas

Will Holden and John Chalmers in ‘Warden Park Garage’ Bill Grigg aving taken responsibility for the static display of vehicles I’ve been looking at possible improvements to the presentation of the motoring artefacts both Hlarge and small. The larger things, cars, motorbikes and cycles are of course more difficult to swap around to keep the displays fresh, especially during the summer flying season where aircraft access is very important and the intermingling of road and air vehicles in a themed display is lower on the agenda. We’ll be looking at off-season arrangements in more detail later. Any changes that do occur at present are due to various vehicles being taken away to our workshop at Home Farm for attention. The ensuing shuffle can mean that visitors may find a certain vehicle they want to see is not on display when they come. I must apologise for that but I’m sure you appreciate that it’s unavoidable in a working collection. The smaller items on display include petrol pumps, vehicle jacks, lathes, drills and the like that can be seen in our replica garage interior – ‘Warden Park Garage’ - in a corner of Hangar 5. Also here are many artefacts that a garage of the 1930s to 1950s may have had in stock. We hope to rotate items in this display to bring a constantly varying selection closer to the viewing barriers and are still discussing the best way of doing this.

24 Minor repair work and maintenance on motorbikes and bicycles is carried out in the ‘garage’ and recently we have been working there on fettling the BSA M20, Norton, BSA A7 and the ABC. To enhance the display in future two people will be dressed in period costume to represent employees of Warden Park Garage. John Spick and span team at work - Neil, hands in pockets Bill Grigg Plummer and I will be those employees, though a wage has not yet been agreed. If anything’s sure it will be a nice round figure! Many thanks to the spick and span team working on these displays.

Vehicle Collection Report Bill Grigg

popped over to the Vehicle Workshop at Home Farm in the Quantum on 20th June to see what they’d been up to since the last report. There, Tim King was I very pleased to tell me that he, Stuart and Rory had taken the De Dietrich to Brooklands the previous weekend for their ‘Double Twelve Motorsport Festival’ where it was driven along the newly re-opened finishing straight and the banking with other pre-1907 cars. (1907 was the year that Brooklands opened, lest it slipped your mind.) Tim says he’s glad to have got the De Dietrich going well and off his bucket list – after five years! – and he was doubly pleased to be the first person to drive it at Brooklands since Richard Shuttleworth raced it after having fitted the two seater bodywork over eighty years ago. In the workshop the full restoration of the Crossley’s going well. The car has been completely stripped down and to date the chassis and both axles have been completed. They’ve been very fortunate in that an appeal to the veteran and vintage car movement enabled them to get their hands on some original bearings for the front hubs. Coincidentally they were supplied by Tom Griffin who’s an SVAS member. Tom has one of the few other 15 HP Crossleys similar to ours and his had a cracked hub. While he was getting new hubs made up he took the opportunity to specify that they should accommodate more modern bearings and so his originals were going spare. This was, as they say, a result, as lack of suitable bearings had threatened to hold up the restoration.

25 Rory Cook taking his father for a spin around Brooklands on the De Dietrich Debbie Land There are no major problems with the Crossley’s engine - the crankshaft and bearings are in good condition - and the bodywork is due soon to be sent away for repainting. The Morris Oxford has also been completely stripped down for restoration and in this case the engine shows signs of a very hard life (if you saw it the last few times it was driven along the display line you’d have been forgiven for thinking it was a two-stroke, seeing the amount of blue smoke emanating from the exhaust pipe). It was, said Stuart, quite worn out (euphemism). Paul Yates and Roger England are currently engaged on chassis restoration. The Panhard is being spruced up with some new yellow paint applied from the brush of Stuart Gray and rumours of cracked pistons prompted a strip down of its engine. Sure enough two pistons One of the damaged Panhard were badly cracked from the gudgeon pin holes to pistons Bill Grigg the bottom of the skirt and all showed significant signs of scuffing. Two have been sent off as templates for a set of new ones to be made. Apart from the pistons the rest of the engine is in good condition but the car does need a new set of drive chains. The Scott Combi restoration is progressing well and those parts that require repainting are soon to be sent to a professional paint shop. 26 The incomplete Bond Minibyke and its Villiers engine Bill Grigg Lastly, the vehicle collection has benefitted from an interesting donation in the shape of a low cost motorcycle, the Minibyke, conceived by Lawrie Bond (he of the three wheeled Minicar) in 1949. It’s made of aluminium, the frame which houses the fuel tank is an aluminium tube, so lightweight at 90 lbs, and is powered by a 98 cc Villiers Mk1 engine. There is no suspension except the tyres. More research is necessary as it seems to bear chassis number 10001 (they must have expected to sell a lot with the potential of that five digit number) so it could be the prototype or first production example. When all the information is gathered together for a display board it’s to be displayed ‘as is’ until time can be found for a restoration. That’s all for now but expect to see the Crossley, Panhard and Scott back on display next year. By the way, I mentioned the Quantum as I gave Neil Thomas a lift back to the main site from Home Farm and he experienced a graphic demonstration of the effects of stiff suspension when I forgot the speed bumps when looking out for aircraft instead of at the road when crossing the runway.

It hasn’t escaped the editorial notice that some of the stories we introduce in Prop- Swing fail to reach a satisfactory (or even unsatisfactory...) conclusion in a later issue - which isn’t necessarily due to an editorial want of trying! However, I’m pleased to say that Roger England has sent us a report of the successful completion of the Bulleid Light Pacific locomotive’s overhaul and return to service following Neil Thomas introducing the subject in the Spring 2016 issue – see overleaf Ed

27 Bullied Light Pacific No 34081 92‘ Squadron’ Roger England

ine years since its boiler was found to be in need of overhaul, 92 Squadron passed its steam test on 11th January 2017. It had taken nearly seven years Nof concerted effort on the part of the Battle of Britain Locomotive Society’s volunteers (BBLS) to raise the money and completely overhaul the engine. In total some £250,000 was spent, mostly on the boiler. My own involvement, having started with degreasing and needle gunning, had shifted over time to becoming the ‘paintmeister’ and it was this that occupied me more and more during the second half of 2016. By November we had hired a large space heater to try to keep the ambient temperature at a reasonable level as the fourth top coat of malachite green was applied with my trusty Purdy paintbrushes. With the lining and signwriting completed the locomotive was ready for action by mid December. Inevitably, there were a few teething problems but fortunately all minor in nature - the odd valve leaking a little steam; the whistle giving a somewhat strangled note; the brakes not as efficient as we liked – all easily resolved. With the ten year boiler ticket in place, 34081 was put through her paces under load and performed well as she plied the line between Wansford and Peterborough on the Nene Valley Railway (NVR). It was then time for her to go into scheduled service on that railway and, in particular, be the star of the ‘Bullied 50’ event at the NVR at the end of February 2017. As the only running Bullied engine in malachite livery, 92 Squadron was in great demand by other Heritage Railways. Arrangements were made for her to visit the Severn Valley Railway in mid March - an event that attracted more visitors than we could have imagined. Then the Swanage Railway invited 92 Squadron to their 28 ‘Strictly Bulleid’ Gala which would see five working Bullied locomotives operating over the weekend 1st and 2nd April. This was something special as not since 1965 had five working Bulleid locomotives been seen together. To say it was a successful event would be a major understatement as platforms at all the stations on the line were packed with enthusiasts, and every spot where a photographer might take a good shot was similarly crowded. The locomotive behaved impeccably and was declared by most of the drivers to be the best of the Bullieds. It had been decided by the BBLS that 92 Squadron would run without its nameplate and badge until a formal naming ceremony which was scheduled for May. The current Commanding Officer of 92 Squadron duly officiated and unveiled the badgeand nameplate, watched by members of the Society. The Society had booked a Spitfire to fly over Wansford station after the ceremony but low cloud stopped it taking off from Duxford. However, all was not lost as a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight did the honours instead as, apparently, the BBMF have more leeway in poor weather. Now in regular service at the NVR, 92 Squadron is contracted for a period of five years, although visits to other Heritage Railways will be scheduled. Already the engine has visited the Mid Hants Railway in June this year and is scheduled for the Great Central in September. With the ever escalating cost of overhauls, the Battle of Britain Locomotive Society will continue with its fundraising activities, including having a stall at all the Shuttleworth air shows throughout the next ten years when the next overhaul will be due. Whilst nine years may seem a long time for an overhaul, it’s a lot quicker than the 23 years it took a much smaller band of optimists to restore the rusting hulk of 34081 after it was rescued from Dai Woodhams scrapyard at Barry in 1975.

Do You Read Me The Aviation Historian The Aviation Historian, PO Box 962, Horsham, RH12 9PP Magazine 245mm x 170mm Perfect Bound Quarterly - £44.00 for a yearly UK subscription to the printed version. A digital version is also available. Further details of all options and overseas rates at www.aviationhistorian.com

ince the first issue of The Aviation Historian was reviewed in Prop-Swing the magazine has gone from strength to strength and the nineteenth issue has now Sbeen released. The same compact size has been retained and I really like the way I can have all the issues standing upright on one of my bookshelves. This new issue has as the cover feature a piece on the Fleet Air Arm’s 1945 Far East Ferry Route. With the European war almost over the FAA needed aircraft in the Pacific quickly. The RAF and FAA co-operated to deliver primarily Hellcats and Corsairs over a 5,600 mile air route from the UK to initially Ceylon. In complete contrast a major article looks back sixty years to the 1957 publication of the British Government’s infamous Defence White Paper in which Minister of Defence Duncan 29 Sandys announced a shocking new direction for the nation’s air defence. If proceeded with this would have seen the development of a network of surface-to-air missile batteries to replace a conventional manned-fighter force. Professor Keith Hayward FRAeS, in the first of a series of articles, examines the document’s political, economic and industrial fallout. Other articles cover items as diverse as the SR-71 Blackbird in East Anglia and its operations from Mildenhall 1974-90; flying the Avro/ 748 for Skyways-Coach Air from Lympne; the and the 1955 revolution in Argentina; and Monsieur Moineau’s Monstrosity, the Salmson-Moineau SM-1 that was fitted with an odd sideways-mounted engine! These plus more make another varied and very interesting issue. Our own Philip Jarrett contributes a piece looking at a successful sales tour to the Balkans in 1931 featuring the sole Hawker Hornet. However, he has found evidence that, although recorded in some usually reliable sources, the Hornet did not take part in the tour. It seems the Hornet was involved in a mid-air collision with a Siskin in 1930! The production version of the Hornet was to be the . Phil also has a regular Lost & Found column discovering unknown images and rediscovering long- lost details of aircraft, people and events. The high quality of articles seen in the first and subsequent issues has been maintained and is complemented by good paper and excellent photo reproduction. BD

Wings over Mesopotamia: Air War in Iraq 1914-1918 by Mark Lax, Mike O’Connor & Ray Vann Cross & Cockade International 138pp softbound illustrated 297 x 210 mm ISBN: 978-0-9555734-8-4 £25.00

he war in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), a province of the Ottoman Empire, does not appear to have received the attention which it deserves, probably due Tto the fact that it was not a successful campaign. Accordingly, researching that theatre of war has been a most time-consuming task. It is, therefore, very pleasing to be presented with a most excellent and complete account of all aspects pertaining to the war in the air. The book contains a plethora of details of people, actions, locations, equipment and logistics. It is most generously illustrated with photographs and high quality maps and is based on four articles from the Journal of the Australian Society of World War I Aero Historians, the original articles having been considerably expanded. We are accustomed to seeing exceedingly high quality books and magazines em- anating from Cross and Cockade: Wings over Mesopotamia is the best yet! It is a must for the bookshelves of those of us who have an interest in World War I military aviation; and is most heartily recommended. It may be obtained from Cross and Cockade’s website at www.crossandcockade.com JEB

30 The Lympne Trials Paul Ferguson

he Lympne Trials for light aircraft took place from 1923-6. Old Warden is home to both original and replica aircraft that took part and this is a resume of Tthe events with particular reference to the aircraft that have connections with the Shuttleworth Collection. After WWI there were huge stocks of surplus warplanes and engines for sale at knock down prices as well as numerous pilots looking for ways to get back in the air. Some managed to make a living out of joyriding which met a public demand to experience flight and generated enthusiasm to learn to fly among the younger generation but they faced great financial obstacles. Learning to fly cost around the annual earnings of an average worker so there was pressure to find a cheaper way into the sky. A number of aircraft manufacturers tried to tap into this market but economics were against them. Then, in 1922, the Daily Mail offered a prize of £1,000 for the longest glide exceeding half an hour in a competition to be held near Eastbourne. It attracted 35 entries but only about a dozen made it into the air. Among them were entries from Britain, Holland and France. Germany, where gliding thrived, was excluded as it was not a member of the FIA although a German glider did take part. Two gliders were entered but the company may have taken lightness too far as one of the DH52s broke up in mid-air, fortunately without injury to the pilot. More successful was the George Handasyde entry, designed by and Fred Sigrist and built by ANEC. It was flown by Fred Raynham who set a British record of almost 2 hours and seemed certain to win the main prize until the last day when Maneyrol from France flew for 3 hours and 21 minutes in his Peyret to win the contest and break the world record. The competition did not result in much further interest in gliding in the UK but inspired a number of manufacturers to investigate the lightest possible powered aircraft. One such company, , proposed to the Air Ministry, and was given a contract to build, an ultralight aircraft that became the Wren which first flew in April 1923 powered by an ABC motorcycle engine. In fact one of the problems facing designers was a lack of suitable engines. Then, also in 1923, Bristol announced the Cherub, a flat twin to produce about 18 hp and this encouraged production of the ANEC I. Unfortunately the ANEC was finished before the Cherub so it was fitted with a Blackburne Tomtit, another adapted motorcycle engine. In April 1923 the Duke of Sutherland, Under-Secretary of State for Air, announced a competition for light aircraft and offered a £500 prize for the machine to travel farthest in one flight exceeding 50 miles on a gallon of petrol. Almost immediately the Daily Mail offered a £1,000 prize with the same rules except that the Mail’s prize was available to all comers while the original was offered to British contestants only. Other rules required a pilot weight of 168 lbs (lighter pilots had to carry ballast to achieve that weight) and limited engine size to 750 cc. Most participants relied on modified motorcycle engines such as ABC, Blackburne or Douglas. There were other

31 DH 53 ‘Humming Bird’ No 8 at the Trials, later registered G-EBHX prizes for the fastest time over 2 laps of the course, the largest number of circuits flown with a minimum of 400 miles and maximum altitude attained. Before being permitted to fly, each competitor had to show that their aircraft was capable of being transported one mile on the ground by not more than two people within a period of three hours. The sting in the tail was that the aircraft had to start and finish the test fully assembled and, in the course of it, pass through a 10 ft wide gate and traverse a 15 ft wide road, occupying less than half its width. Folding or detachable wings were essential.

32 The Engish Electric Wren, joint winner in 1923 The Royal Aero Club organised the meeting and a triangular course of 12.5 miles was set up at Lympne aerodrome in Kent. Some of the original entrants dropped out or were eliminated in the ground tests but the flying trials commenced on Sunday 8th October 1923 and, by the time they finished six days later, nine aircraft had done sufficient flying to be eligible for the main prizes. For much of the time the weather had been poor and many of the aircraft suffered engine reliability problems. Sadly, the Peyret flown by Maneyrol, who had won the 1922 gliding prize, suffered a structural failure and he was killed. The Sutherland and Daily Mail prizes were shared by a

33 ANEC II, lower photo taken after the 1924 Trials when strutted undercarriage fitted and original Bristol Cherub replaced by an ABC Scorpion Wren and an ANEC, both aircraft managing an amazing 87.5 mpg. The speed prize was won by the Pixie II at 76.1 mph. The Pixie was designed by Harald Bolas who cleverly realised that each prize required different characteristics and so Parnall produced two similar aircraft: the Mk I had a 28’6” wingspan and a 500 cc Douglas engine to optimise economy and for the altitude prize a 750 cc Douglas was substituted. The Mk II had the 750 cc engine but shorter wings of 18’ span. The ANEC won the altitude prize by reaching 14,400 ft.

34 Original Hawker Cygnet No 6 at the Trials, Shuttleworth’s replicas above Among the less successful aircraft were two DH53 Humming Birds. The aircraft were recognised for their overall performance but the design was not focused enough to win any competition category and the aircraft also suffered badly from engine problems. The DH53 was nevertheless the only type to enter production and eight were acquired by the RAF. The prototype was registered as G-EBHX and later had its Douglas engine replaced with a Blackburne Tomtit as used in the production aircraft. This aircraft later joined the Shuttleworth Collection and suffered the accident in which Trevor Roche tragically lost his life.

35 The ANEC I, joint winner in 1923 The Air Ministry was at the time responsible for both military and civil aviation and produced a report on the trials which concluded that light planes could be useful for initial pilot training but that the adapted motorcycle engines were not capable of being run at high power continuously so dedicated aircraft engines needed to be developed. Nevertheless, the event was successful enough for the Air Ministry to sponsor another competition in 1924. The rules were changed to attract aircraft with more all-round ability. They were to have two seats and the maximum engine size was increased to 1100 cc. Points were awarded based on a complicated formula that favoured the greatest speed range between maximum speed measured over 150 miles around the course and minimum speed measured over 500 yards. Points were also awarded for the distances to take off and land over 25 foot and 6 foot barriers respectively. De Havilland decided not to enter, preferring to concentrate on the development of the more practical Moth series that would appear in 1925. At Lympne, preliminary trials eliminated a number of entrants including the ANEC II which survives with the Collection. Its failure was due to its inability to take off with two people on board. Seven aircraft gathered for the trials that took place from 29th September to 4th October. They included two Hawker Cygnets, one with a British Anzani and the other with an ABC Scorpion, both of which gave trouble. The designer of the ANEC, W S Shackleton, had moved companies and designed the similar Beardmore Wee Bee I, fitting it with a Bristol Cherub engine, the engine he had wanted to fit to the original ANEC I. This aircraft’s speed range was around 40 to 80 mph and won it the Air Ministry first prize with 588 points. Second place went to the Bristol Brownie I with 562 points. The Cygnet II was third and won the prize for take-off and landing performance.

36 The Air Ministry again produced a report that acknowledged that lack of power was the main weakness. This was due to the engine size limit in the rules rather than the engines themselves which had to sacrifice reliability in order to produce the required performance. The Ministry concluded that no suitable ab initio types had been found in the trial so in April 1925 they published rules for another competition for 2 seaters which, instead of limiting engine capacity, specified a maximum engine weight of 170 lbs. There was insufficient time to develop new engines for 1925 so a more limited meeting was held mainly attracting aircraft from previous trials but, as an indication of the future, it was attended by two DH60 Moths although the weight of their Cirrus engines prevented them competing. The next full Lympne trial took place from 12th to 17th September 1926 by which time the arrival of the Moth meant the Air Ministry had lost interest in ultra- lights but the Daily Mail stepped in again to enable the contest to go ahead. It involved the aircraft flying almost 2,000 miles around Kent, Surrey and Sussex in six days carrying a minimum load of 340 lbs. A figure of merit was calculated as follows: Useful load (lbs) X miles flown/ fuel consumed (lbs) Only ten aircraft started on the tour including a DH60 Moth that had been fitted with an Armstrong Siddeley Genet lightweight engine but it was a non-finisher along with 5 others. Of the remaining four, Cygnets were first and second with the Bristol Brownie third and the Parnall Pixie in fourth place. All four were fitted with Bristol Cherub engines which had achieved high levels of reliability just as enthusiasm for ultra-lights was waning. The winning Cygnet had an empty weight of 421 lb and carried a useful load of 430 lb over 1994 miles and used 389 lb of petrol which gave it a figure of merit of 2,203. The second Cygnet’s figure of merit was 1,808. The trials in 1926 were the last of their kind. Although the rules had been amended

The Beardmore Wee Bee, winner in 1924, photograph signed by winning pilot Maurice Piercey

37 Designer W. O. Manning and pilot Flt Lt Walter Longton with the Wren over time it had proved difficult to draft them in a way that encouraged practicality. The attempts to promote fuel economy resulted in light and flimsy structures that were expensive to produce and maintain and the constraints on engine capacity led to unreliability, not ideal for inexperienced pilots. The modifications to the position of the wing centre section that the Air Ministry required to the Moth design of 1925 as it developed into the Tiger Moth of 1931 highlight the importance it placed on facilitating the escape of the second occupant in an emergency. Ease of egress was not a feature found in many of the Lympne ultralights. Our replica Cygnet certainly 38 induced an initial mild sense of claustrophobia in our august editor who had the rare privilege of flying in it some years ago as a passenger.

Photos (colour): DH53 and Wren, Andy Simons; ANEC II Andrew Shaw; Cygnets Beth Braham.

Photos (black & white) all via Philip Jarrett.

Agricultural Workshop Activities James Michell

his report is rather different to the ones I have written in the past as it is mainly about things that have not been, or are not happening, in the workshops. T At the end of April, the Collection was invited by the Bedfordshire Steam Engine Preservation Society to bring Dorothy along to take part in the National Traction Engine Trust’s Steam Apprentice Club Weekend that was held in the parkland in front of the House. Over the course of the weekend children aged from about six up to eighteen were taught the skills of engine management, including cleaning out, lighting the fire, oiling and of course driving and steering. Earlier this year, the Collection received a letter from a student at a local school asking whether he would be able to do the volunteering part of his Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver Award with the Collection. As James is still at school, it meant that the only option would be something at weekends, but flexible enough for him to fit inhis GCSE studies as well, so he joined the team and has taken on the project of restoring the horse shafts that go with the elevator. After a winter of working on Dorothy, work has recommenced on the elevator. The elevating section was retrieved from Home Farm where it has lived on the farm trailer for the past year. First job was to remove the continuous belt that lifts the straw with spikes. Once that was off, the remaining metal attachments could be removed. The boards that form the sides of the elevator are 26 ft long, but also 2 inches high and an inch thick – that’s a single plank. There are holes through these boards for bolts that hold the top and bottom rails on: all the bolts came undone and are reusable. On dismantling it has become apparent that there is a significant amount of timber that will need replacing, though much of the original can be reused or repurposed. Those who braved the showers at the May evening air show may have seen that at one point Dorothy disappeared from view in a cloud of steam. This was due to one of the water gauge glasses breaking. A modification to the gauge glass fittings is currently being carried out and Dorothy should be back in action soon. Finally, those eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that the September air show is entitled ‘Shuttleworth Heritage’. This is to mark the 175th anniversary of the formation of Clayton & Shuttleworth and it is hoped that exhibits on the day will include a variety of examples of products from the company works.

39 Idle Wonderings – still at sea Bill Grigg

Blohm und Voss Ha139 V-1 D-AMIE ‘Nordmeer’ on Schwabenland’s catapult ready for launch. The catapult is on the port side facing aft and on the starboard side of the ship can be seen the rails and the dolly, atop the superstructure aft of the funnel, on to which the aircraft was loaded after recovery from the sea. After fettling, the crane swung the Ha139 across and onto the catapult for relaunch. hen I was trying to find some photos to illustrate the DLH catapult ships for last issue’s ‘Wonderings’, Mick Oakey and Nick Stroud of The Aviation WHistorian kindly offered to check their archive for anything relevant. Unfortunately they had nothing showing the ships in the period when they were using Dornier Wals but they did come up with these splendid views of Schwabenland’s ‘business end’ when she was using Blohm und Voss Ha139s on the South Atlantic mail route for less than a year before the service was interrupted by the outbreak of WWII. The three Ha 139s were built to a 1935 DLH specification for a faster aircraft with a longer range to replace the Wals on the trans-Atlantic mail routes. Blohm und Voss successfully tendered with an atypical foray into the civil market – it appears they thought the experience could provide valuable data for a possible military version – with a proposal for a four engined float plane with inverted gull wings. Ha139 V-1 (D-AMIE ‘Nordmeer’), the first prototype, first flew in late 1936, and during 1937

40 A fine stern view of Schwabenland with ‘Nordmeeer’ dangling from the crane, the jib of which could be lowered between the two sets of rails to allow free passage to the aircraft’s port wing. It’s apparent that the dolly on the starboard side rails could be rotated with an aircraft on it (see photo of the ship with a Wal definitely not fore and aft in the Spring 2017 issue) but I have yet to find photos or a description of the exact procedures involved in recovery and handling on board. If you can tell us more I’d be very grateful for the information. DLH trialled it and the second prototype, Ha139 V-2 (D-AJEY ‘Nordwind’) over the North Atlantic between New York and the Azores. The two main problems revealed by the trials were poor directional stability and inadequate engine cooling which were corrected with increased fin and rudder area and an increase in number and relocation of the radiators from the float pylons to in the wings, under the engines, after which the trials continued in mid 1938 with the first two aircraft joined by a third, larger and heavier version, the Ha139 V-3 (D-ASTA ‘Nordstern’). Thus the three Ha 139s didn’t begin operating with DLH in regular trans-Atlantic service until very late in 1938 and on the outbreak of war they and the ships were taken over by the military. Which is another story... Incidentally, I had another look at that film on the DLH web site (which I couldn’t find straight away from the directions I gave in the Spring 2017 article, thoughI could then!) in the hope of finding more clues, and note that although it shows a Wal being recovered by Westfalen (she of the huge crane aft), the first launch bit 41 of film is a non sequitur as it is from Schwabenland and shows the crane jib neatly lowered out of the way. Finally, the first ‘Wonderings’ has prompted an awful lot of people to dig out their, or their inherited, Dinky Toy aeroplanes and/or memories thereof. No wonder there are so many around for sale on a well known internet site; it confirms what we really already knew, every schoolboy had some in the fifties! Which cunningly leads to me being unable to resist showing a photo of my modified Viking - with undercarriage. Is this the only one...

Further to the Lee-Richards Model

or some time I’ve been in irregular correspondence with FIan James, one of our long time members who unfortunately is no longer able to get to Old Warden, and Philip Jarrett’s article on the Lee- Richards annular model prompted him to recall this photograph he’s had for a while of a Lee-Richards model. Ian tells me it was made by C F Edwards from Chippenham who, with his wife, often visited modelling events at Old Warden. In his day as a non-com in the RAF says Ian, Edwards was a star in the field of free- flight scale modelling and even joined the gallery of caricatures of ‘Aerobods of Note’ in Model Aircraft drawn by the “late, great Ray Malmström”. – Ed

Clayton and Shuttleworth Petrol Wagon

The following is an extract from an article in The Engineer, December 10th, 1915.

The Smithfield Club Show No.1 The most novel exhibit of Clayton and Shuttleworth is the 3 to 4 ton petrol wagon. The engine is a four-cylinder machine, and it develops 45 brake horse power when running at a speed of 1000 revolutions per minute. It is fitted with a Claudel-Hobson carburetter. The worm reduction gear of the friction type. Power is transmitted from the propeller shaft by means of a worm and worm wheel to the differential casing. The propeller shaft is enclosed in a steel tube 42 having ball joints at the rear end of the gear box, this relieving the springs of all driving strain. This tube takes the whole of the torque or drive of the rear axle. Roller and ball journals and thrust bearings are used throughout. The gearing is made of special steel and phosphor bronze. Four changes of speed and reverse can be obtained by means of a suitable gear. The road wheels are of the Clayton all-steel pattern with gun-metal bushes. Tests on this vehicle have shown it to be very efficient in every way, and the makers consider that it has good prospects before it.

500 Club Winners

£ £ January E Hull 119.60 February I Anderson 119.60 S Payne 59.80 D Atkins 59.80 A Sandles 44.85 J Onion 44.85 N Griffin 37.38 R Lewis 37.38 H Hooker 22.43 J Postlethwaite 22.42 C Hatcher 14.95 G Boyle 14.95 March A Gardiner 120.20 April E Pearson 120.20 M Blanchet 60.10 J Carpenter 60.10 J Finnimore 45.08 H king 45.08 C Gullen 37.56 D Hawkins 37.56 I Forman 22.54 P Waylett 22.54 H Waters 15.03 P Wyatt 15.03

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Photo: Darren Harbar Photo: Darren Dave Bramwell, Paul Shakespeare, Jean-Michel Munn, Chris Huckstep. Rob Millinship, Jim Schofield, Clare Jean-Michel Munn, Chris Huckstep. Rob Millinship, Jim Schofield, Clare to R: Dave Bramwell, Paul Shakespeare, Shuttleworth Pilots, L Frank Chapman, Peter Kosogorin, Simon Davies and Paul Stone, John Hurrell, Mark Sharp, Bob Morcom, Scott Butler, Dodge Bailey, Tector, missing, Stu Goldspink 44 but, as we asked Darren to take one specially, Stu gets a big one to himself.

AND...

Alan Tarrant

45 Prop-Swing Prize Crossquiz

or Training Week back in April Dodge Bailey compiled an enjoyable quiz for the pilots and ground crew in the local pub after flying, the answers to which Fwere the names of Collection aircraft. Someone suggested using the questions in Prop-Swing, then maybe in a crossword. With a few non-Collection answers added, we’ve ended up the first - and possibly last - Prop-Swing Crossquiz. All the solutions are aviation related. The prize for the first correct entry pulled from the hat on 12th August is two tickets for the Flying Proms on 19th August, with second and third prizes of a 2018 Collection calendar. Entries must be received by noon on the 10th August to qualify. Please send your completed grid (copies perfectly acceptable to keep Prop-Swing intact) or a numbered list of answers, clearly identified with your name, membership number and contact phone number either by email to [email protected] (email headed Crossquiz with grid or list attached) or by post to SVAS, Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade SG18 9EP, marking the envelope ‘Crossquiz’.

Good Luck!

46 ACROSS 1. Some of their ‘Bloody paralysers’ were built by Clayton & Shuttleworth in WW1 (7,4) 4. Patriotic Bristol turboprop (9) 8. This innovative aircraft designed by a petter was named after a military polymath who died in 395BC (8) 9. Fish hunting hawker (6) 13. Storch, then our Lysander, are initially this (4) 14. Its manufacturer was inspired by Voisin, and sued by Farman, but nevertheless supplied this type of aircraft to the British military in 1911. (7) 15. Knighted designer of early triplane and long lived trainer (3) 16. Headlamp maker designed this aircraft with a ‘cloche’ in the control system. (7,2) 19. This much missed hawker had its ups and downs at Old Warden (7) 20. Iconic aircraft taking its name from a British single-seat, (scarily braced) monoplane, designed in 1927 to research high-speed flight (5,4) 22. Sounds like something rather nasty in the French sky (3) 23. This aircraft set a record of 4 days 10 hours 20 minutes which stood for 70 years (3,4) 26. After a flight in the prototype of this aircraft the company chief test pilot stated ‘They should rename this company Death Boxes Ltd!’ (5) 28. This aircraft put the wind up Jerry over the ocean (3,9) 30. This Berkshire primary may have German ancestry (3) 31. Designed by Hawker, but named by Sefton Brancker who thought a Strutter had whelped. (7,3) 32. This aircraft was derived from the Bluebird (2) 33. This hawker sounds an empathetic little dear (4) 34. This aircraft was made in the 1920s by a company formed from the Blériot and SPAD manufacturing companies (4) 35. Twin boomed frog is neither map … (8)

DOWN 1. Wessex hawker? (5) 2. Soldier descended from Hercules (4) 3. Originally known as the SS-37 the Air Ministry drew up specification F14/35 for it after production had already started (9) 5. This incarnation of Legolas has no need of bracing wires (7,3) 6. A sesquiplane designed for two – this type of aircraft was the overall winner of the Lympne Trials in 1926 (6) 7. Like many RAF trainers this aircraft’s name has an educational theme. Titular head of Eton College perhaps? (7) 10. Originally known as ‘the fighter’, when later it was officially named its designed snorted ‘Sort of bloody silly name they would give it!’ (8) 11. This elegant Collection aircraft is finished in the markings of a Squadron whose motto was ‘Aim Sure’ and whose badge is described as ‘An ungulate’s head affrontee erased at the neck between wings elevated and conjoined in base’. (6,4) 12. Designed by a young FGM, this aircraft was no wildcat but named after a heraldic swift. (7) 14. More recently described as ‘Mr Toad’s Wild Ride’; prejudice in the minds of the Air Ships prevented this impressive aircraft being deployed on the Western Front. (7,3) 17. Following a disappointing combat debut with 48 Squadron during WW1 this aircraft went on to become the MRCA of its day. (7,3) 18. This gentleman’s conveyance was heralded at the first ‘conduite interior’ manufactured in Britain (9) 21. Wooden Latin teacher in military uniform? (8) 24. Found at many an airfield’s gate (8) 25. Early bird building brothers (7) 27. Follow me for a general purpose quarter ton 4x4 (4) 29. This aircraft was named after a British Admiral. (5)

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