TOPIC: New Models for 2020

The promise of a steady and secure supply of motors has inspired folk to retrieve their jet models from storage. Bob Pickenell, long time 'Jetexinista' sent me the following:







Bob writes:
"The all-sheet model is called the Duo monoplane, a kit by Dare design, USA. I won the kit in a raffle, would you believe. It flies quite well but needs a little more urge than you would expect looking at it.
The other two are both vintage Skyleada kits. The Comet 1 obviously needs a goodly amount of propulsive encouragement and I have added a non standard hook to use a bungee to set things in motion. When it's in the mood and the motor is up to it the whole staggers round in a quite realistic manner at about head height.
The JetProvost was a bit of a disappointment and I got through a number of motors trying to sort it out. It's still on the back burner awaiting inspiration, subsequent to these pictures I modified the tail assembly to something a little more correct, scale wise, and took the opportunity to tweak the tail incidence. Hopefully this may help"

The Comet, quite a large model originally for Jetex 100, will be perfect one of Piotr's new TSP L-3 motors. The Jet Provost, a late Skyleada kits is not one of their better designs, and Bob is not the only person I've heard of who has problems with it. The plan doesn't look quite "right" to me, but I can't put my finger on it. Any ideas?



What else have jet modellers got out there they are preparing for happier times when we can meet together?

I do like that Comet.
Before I left the UK in 2005 I worked on the flight simulator for the Comet's distant grandchild the Nimrod MRA4. I did have a go at making, out of yellow insulating foam, a flying model of a Nimrod, for Rapier power. But it was about as successful as the fullsize MRA4. I ended up contributing it as a leaving gift to someone escaping from the project. The model was 'wallpapered' with photo copies of a particularly persistent problem report, to serve as a humorous reminder, and that made it even less aerodynamic.

The Indefatigable Daniel, taking time off from 3D printing face masks for the NHS , sent me three photos of his latest build.

First, the completed Ohka, without pilot:



Next, the X-15, built I presume from the Aerographics kit. This, another Steve Bage design, was (I seem to remember) for L-1 and was, like the Ohka, launched by catapult and tricky to trim. Steve had to play with the angle of the motor before he got a complete flight out of it.


And then there's this one, lovely in its skeletal form:



And no, I don't know what it is either! Any ideas?

Note added after email from Daniel: its a Ryan Firebee (ah, I remember it now! ) a plan by (who else?) Steve Bage who passed it to Daniel even though he hasn't built one himself.



Interesting prototype, and, if Daniel matches the protptype's colour scheme, not one that will get lost in the grass!

What else are folk building in these very strange times?

I'm over the moon to see some interest in my old Rapier Plans. Daniel seems to be making a concerted effort to build my entire back catalogue!
I'm especially pleased to see the Firebee take shape because as Roger said, i never built that one myself. Some of the early cruise missiles/drones make great subjects for Rapier Power, Richard Crossley of course did the V1. It was the Ohka that got me interested in missiles as a subject matter for Rapier designs. I like the look of the Martin Mace too, perhaps one day i'll do that one. One advantage, for those who don't like forming canopies, there is no need when you build a missile!

Daniel might have another couple of my designs lined up for his building board, but I wont spoil the surprise!

Daniel has made splendid progress with his Firebee. For him, 'self isolation' obviously means, 'working very hard at my modelling. A lesson to us all .....



I hope he has stocked up on orange paint!

PS.. on the subject of the X-15... yes it's a very tricky subject. I did get some complete flights out of it but it's not easy!. The original version incorporated a rather unique variable thrust line motor operated by a timer. I had the rather crazy idea that i could mount the motor in the tail in the scale rocket motor position and use a variable thrust angle to compensate for the changing CG position as the rapier fuel burned away.

Mechanically it worked as intended using a viscous dethermaliser timer. Sadly i was never able to get it to work properly in flight. It proved impossible to accurately enough match the change in thrust angle with the reducing weight of the motor. In the end i gave up and put the L1 in a mount on the belly of the model close to the CG, as per normal.

See photos attached. I think that the idea could have worked if I'd tried it in a less ambitious subject.