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FULL SIZE July 2011 Photography by Joe Jordan Commentary by Andrew Tickle |
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FULL SIZE July 2011 Photography by Joe Jordan Commentary by Andrew Tickle |
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Why Full Size...?
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Most of what you will see here will be from museums and air shows. Some of you are wondering what does this has to with SAM? But you know that many Old Timer flyers are also pilots. If you are one, then you know that the commitment to full size is just as big as it is to model flying. As model builders we are naturally drawn to the wood and fabric airplanes from WW1 to early WW2. They are like huge models, with huge engines. So if the public is passionately interested in air museums and air shows, then we modelers are even more so... |
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The British Westland Lysander, or 'Lizzie', was a macho airplane from concept to operation. It was a two-seat "cooperation" aircraft (whatever that is). It accepted massive radial engines of up to 900 hp! The suspiciously large wheel pants house machine guns and a huge (unspecified) number of rounds. The greenhouse behind the wing has another rear firing machine gun. And as you can see, slung between the wheels, there's a serious looking bomb. The Lizzie is a Slow Take Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft. Part of its reputation comes from the RAF Special Air Service. They used it to deliver and recover agents into Nazi occupied Europe. Note the dark paint job for night flying. Brian Ramsey emailed on his visit to Old Warden. "It was especially exciting to see a Lizzy up close (much bigger than I thought it would be) and the DeHavilland DH 88 Comet." Just look at the pilot sitting way up there. The German STOL equivalent was the highly engineered Fieseler Storch. By comparison it looked like a leggy insect. The Lizzie could out fly the Storch in any direction, and shoot it into tiny pieces. Its top speed was 229 mph versus the Storch's 109 mph. (Tech data from Jane's) Joe Jordan photo. |
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| Just a general view inside.
Look around. The gloss on these fabric covered planes is just amazing. What a labor
of love...
Joe Jordan photo. |
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| Here we are, getting away from those dangerous rotary engines. Looks like some kind of modified car engine. Complete with water cooling. Just look at the gloss on that beautiful prop. Joe Jordan photo. |
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| 1936 Miles Falcon. This airplane gets around and flies at most of the air shows in England. You can see English trends -- the full height wheel pants, used before retracts became more common, and the long cowling housing an inverted, in-line engine (similar to De Havilland's Tiger Moth and Chipmunk). Joe Jordan photo. | Here's the Dixie. Back to those dangerous rotary engines. Huge gyroscopic force. Turn left and up goes the nose into a snap roll. Turn right and it pushes the nose hard down. Joe Jordan photo. |
 1935 Avro Anson (in civilian colors) When you think of the RAF in the 1940's, you picture Spitfires, Hurricanes, the 4-engine Lancaster Bomber and the Mosquito. But the Anson has an amazing history. It was the first monoplane (You're kidding. You really mean single wing, not a biplane?) to go into service with the RAF. It was also the first RAF plane with retractable gear. It was manual, and took 140 turns. (Co-pilot's job). Not surprisingly the gear was left down for short flights. The Anson served in the RAF's Coastal Command hunting Nazi U-boats. About 10,000 Ansons were built. It served the RAF for an incredible 33 years, until it was retired in 1968. Joe Jordan photo. |
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| The Lysander ('Lizzie')
leads a close formation of three across historic Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade, England.
Oops... The left wingman just got hit by turbulence. Joe Jordan photo. |
