Issue No.30 AUSTRALIAN MODEL NEWS October 2014 From the Editor Contents 3. FRANK CURZON 1931 - 2014 Ill health is still dogging me and I’m now battling a bout of shingles, probably brought on by my run 4. “ALL AUSTRALIAN” DAY AT down condition from the earlier couple of months. KNOX MAC It’s a nagging complaint that has made it difficult to keep up with the preparation of this issue. 7. ALAN KING - AUSTRALIA’S FIRST WORLD CHAMPON Anyway, Spring has sprung and there has been a lot of flying taking place as the weather improves. 8. VICSCALE AT ALBURY The Australian team performed well at the World Scale Championship with David Law placing third 11. DAVID BALFOUR’S and Noel Findlay placing 8th, Noel Whitehead’s BOEING 80A 19th place was good enough to put the team into 2nd place in the Team standings. That’s the best 12. LARGE SCALE RACING AT result since the mid 1970’s and the team members BENDIGO are to be congratulated on their performance. Free flight does not get a lot of attention these days 14. ROB ESPOSITO’S and in this issue you will find an article on the A-36 “APACHE” opening of the first privately owned free flight field at West Wyalong, the field being selected by the 16. MACROBERTSON AIR RACE NSWFFS and purchased through the extraordinary 80TH ANNIVERSARY generosity of long time free flight adherent Adrian Bryant. 18. SHEPPARTON MAMMOTH 2014 My thanks once again to those who contributed articles for this issue, without their help production of this issue of AMN would have been very difficult 21. THE ROCKY RALLY indeed. 22. WEST WYALONG John Lamont. FREE FLIGHT FIELD OPENING 26. SAM 600 AT COHUNA 28. GARY SUNDERLAND’S Australian Model News is published bi-monthly to fea- NAKAJIMA KI-27 ture model aircraft building and flying, together with other associated events, in Australia and New Zea- land. Contributing material and requests for inclusion on the distribution list may be forwarded to — COMING EVENTS John Lamont RINGMASTER FLY-A-THON Unit 5, 1326 Main Road, Eltham, 3095 Ph: 03 9431 0044 SUNBURY MAC E-mail: [email protected] ANNUAL AUCTION Visit our website at - INVITATIONAL SCALE CLASSIC https://sites.google.com/site/australianmodelnews/ AT COOTAMUNDRA TWIN CITIES MAC SEAPLANE EVENT On the Cover. VICTORIAN Rod Mitchell’s Lockheed P-2 Neptune fire bomber. FREE FLIGHT SOCIETY INDOOR SCALE EVENT page 2 Australian Model News YÜtÇ~ VâÜéÉÇ Middlesbrough, UK, 1939. 21st April 1931 - 3rd August 2014 Born in Yorkshire in the UK, Frank was an aeromodeller at an early age and continued his interest in aircraft and modelling throughout his career in the RAF. After serving overseas with the RAF Frank eventually took up a posi- tion with the Australian Defence Forces in Melbourne and Frank, Audrey and their family settled permanently in Melbourne. For many years a member of the VFSAA and a success- ful scale competitor Frank had, over the last few years, departed from scale competition and ceased building the large scale models with which he had been a very suc- cessful competitor, instead turning his hand to smaller electric powered scale models which he continued to fly for his own enjoyment. A long time member of the Lilydale club and a more re- cent member of the Yarra Valley club Frank will be re- membered for his willingness to help anyone seeking assistance and for his wide knowledge of aircraft, particu- larly the designs of the early 20th century. It almost seemed that the more wires and struts on the aircraft the more Frank liked it and he produced models of many unusual and complicated aircraft. Some of these models proved difficult to fly, as probably did the full size origi- nals, but Frank was never perturbed and was always ready to move on to the next project. Many modellers will remember Frank for his work with Radio Control Model News and the interesting and con- structive scale column that he produced for more than one hundred issues of that magazine. I lost a good friend and aeromodelling lost a fine scale builder and enthusiastic flyer with his passing early in August after a short illness. Australian Model News page 3 All Australian Day at Knox MAC The Knox control line club held their annual “All Australian” Day late in July. The event is for any Australian designed model and this year brought out a fine display of replicas of the models that we flew in the 50’s and 60’s. The kit models by Hearn’s Hobbies, Aeroflyte and Montgomery Models dominated the show but there were a few individual designs by Les Heap, Les Organ, Gordon Burford and Geoff Pentland, all of whom have now passed on but are still remembered. Bob Allison had several models, one of which was a replica of Don McLaren’s “Wildfire” that flew in 1951. Robin Hiern’s “Super Zilch”, designed by Jim Saftig, was a ring-in from the US but I included a photo of the model in memory of the many Anderson Spitfire powered Zilch’s built by Monty Tyrell and crashed regu- larly at Surrey Park in the early days of stunt flying. Awards. 1. Doug Grinham Montgomery Models “Ramrod” Monty Tyrell in 1950 with another “Super Don McLaren with his original An- 2. Bob Allison Geoff Pentland “Tempest” Zilch” mishap. derson Spitfire powered “Wildfire” 3. Alan Mathieson-Harrison Hearn’s Hobbies “All Australian” in 1951. Dave Lacey’s “Vulcan” designed by Les Organ and powered by a Frog 500. Another Dave Lacey model, this is a replica of Les Heap’s “Cyclone” and again is powered by a Frog 500. page 4 Australian Model News Bob Allison’s HH “Skylark” powered by an Indian Mills 1.3cc diesel. This was one of the earliest control line kit models by HH and sold for 25/- ($2.50) in 1950. David Nobes’ pristine replica of the Montgomery Models “Ramrod”. Peter Byrne’s replica of the HH “Super Skylark”. Designed by Jack Hearn in 1950, the kit sold for 33/6 ($3.35). Sounds cheap now, but not in those days! A Gordon Burford designed “Wombat” by John Hallowell. Alan Mathieson–Harrison placed third with this replica of the Hearn’s Hobbies “All Australian Mk.I” powered by a Sabre 49 for which it was originally de- Bob Allison‘s replica of Don McLaren’s Anderson Spitfire powered “Wildfire” signed. has a McCoy 35 up front. Doug Grinham’s HH “Cadet’\”. Dave Lacey’s HH “Demon”. Australian Model News page 5 Bob Allison placed second with this replica of Geoff Pentland’s Tempest Mk.V . David Nobes also had a nice replica of the HH “All Australian”. KMAC President, Peter Koch, set out to build a replica of each of the Aeroflyte control line models and so far has constructed five, “Avenger”, “Valiant”, “Vulcan”, “Typhoon” and “Taipan Trainer”, none of which has yet been flown. Peter’s models were in the line-up on the day but it was not until I was reviewing my photographs for this report that I realised I had neglected to take a group shot of the five models. This photo was taken a couple of weeks later at Peter’s home, hence the tiled background instead of the grass in my other shots. Doug Grinham’s winning “Ramrod” replica . Robin Hiern’s well worn “Super Zilch” is powered by an OK 60 sparky. page 6 Australian Model News Alan King Australia’s First World Champion This year marks the 60th anniversary of Alan King winning the 1954 Wakefield Trophy. Alan was born at Bairnsdale, Victoria in May 1928 and educated at the Bairnsdale School of Mines to become an industrial chemist. Moving to Melbourne in 1947 to live with his widowed mother Alan was within walking distance of the Hub Hall, the meeting place for the Eastern Suburbs MAC, and soon became a member of ESMAC. Alan was a very skilled builder and flyer of free flight models and a leading competitor at rubber and power model events, winning numer- ous State and National titles and producing many high-performance models in both categories. In 1954 Alan travelled to the USA to compete in the rubber and power sections of the World Free Flight Championships at Long Island, New York, winning the Wakefield Trophy with his rubber powered models and placing fifth in the power section with a K&B 15 powered version Alan in 1948 with an of his famous “Flying Pencil” design. earlier Wakefield design. (Photograph from Jim Fullarton) Alan with a larger version of his “Flying Pencil” powered by a Alan King launching his Wakefield model at Long Island to win the Trophy. Dooling 29. Alan moved on to England, where he worked, married and started a family. It was on the boat returning to Australia in 1960 that Alan first showed signs of the lung cancer that was to take his life only six (Photograph from Jim Fullarton) months later. My thanks to Andrew Fullarton for his proposal of this article and In 1954 the Wakefield Trophy was the premier world event for rubber for providing the copy of a note from Allan Lim Joon that formed powered models, contested by individual flyers in teams from coun- the basis for the text. tries all around the globe. The Trophy is now awarded to the winner of the F1B event for rubber powered models at the FAI World Free Allan Lim Joon was a noted modeller in the 1940’s and 50’s and Flight Championships and Alan King can rightfully be acclaimed as our also participated in the 1954 Wakefield Trophy, placing third, with first Australian World Champion.