Tom Wright 2

After three years the model still performs well. Tom.

Hi Alan The spruce frames you suggest should indeed reduce the effect of torsional and bending loads applied to the moment arm during landing. Perhaps a single braced frame would be sufficient ? I also think it would be possible to reduce wing weight so the numbers resulting from your two versions should provide interesting reading.I think the design approach adopted to take best advantage of the proposed change in regs would depend on the pilots requirement for a reasonably efficient go places machine or just to potter around the circuit / local. My own thoughts these days focus on low stalling speed, strong inherent stability,combined with positive low speed control and reliable power plants. If wing loadings of 2 lbs/ per sq / ft can be achieved while meeting structural integrity requirements then perhaps electric power becomes a viable possibility for a machine that flies on 5 hp or so .....sorry I digress but after building and flying a foam based electric powered model with 20 sq ft wing area thoughts go back to my original Micro biplane with an empty weight of 150 lbs. Re the use of formers do you intend to use then as a complete substitute for the foam or adopt a hybrid solution? Machines in the 390 kg and 35 kts stall speed category suggest the use of Fowler flaps slots and slats to keep wing size down to fit a compact overall design, but then the idea utter simplicity is again compromised.At the end of the day if a machine can be deemed safe in the hands of a reasonably competent pilot then much has been achieved. Tom.

Joan Hello again, and thanks for sight again of Jim's alternative approved modifications.Perhaps at this stage his intention was to use the basis of the the work we put in and use this to start an independent business as opposed to the agency he held with MBA. Jim and John's competitive spirit and determination remind me of the early aviation pioneering days which in this case resulted in the Cobra, I hope Jim is still around as so many of the modern pioneers are now gone. This aircraft may have represented an improvement on the original design the reversion to conventional structures could be seen as a more expensive and time consuming diversion from the original idea, surely the clever thing would be to retain the simple foam cores and find a way of improving the covering method, other additions and improvements to comply with up to date airworthiness requirements which are well documented. As you know Russ went on to design and produce the two seat Sherwood Ranger which was an integration of conventional design and Microlight philosophy. My last flight in a Microlight was in the prototype which to me felt very similar to flying a Tiger Moth, again it raises the thought of reinventing the wheel but can it be done at a lower cost and be made suitable for pilots holding only Microlight pilot qualifications? I am now well out of touch with the Micro light scene other than occasionally seeing stunning examples of modern designs ,but the price tags do seem to be a bit eye watering and suggest to me that the movement has moved much closer to the PFA . Perhaps the powered para wing has been the obvious more recent answer to getting feet off the ground at minimum cost , and at the same time addressing hangerage /storage issue along with economical pilot training,although I appreciate that the lure of the "real" aeroplane format has an undeniable appeal. I am constantly reminded that a scale RC Tiger Cub model has not yet been built , but must admit even at my age a full size project inspires more interest , but if I could hanger a half scale model at the field then who knows. Regards Tom.

Allan. Your comments bring back memories of the debates we had about trying to balance simplicity, cost , performance and structural integrity. The recent change in regulations could indeed result in the opportunity to implement some interesting development work which I think should include thoughts on the undercarriage and the classic tendency to swing left during the take off roll. As for sheeting the wing this was done back in the day by a glider pilot in Lincolnshire, personally, as you suggest, I would have looked at wide ply rib caps, and part l/e sheet and a covering material that can be attached in line with airworthiness requirements. I would be surprised if additional wing strength was required it would be more a matter of improving the covering durability and appearance. Clearly with a foam cored wing the UV protection and the water drainage element would also need to be addressed ,but all the possibilities including GF could result in a diversion from the original simple concept to say nothing of significant extra material cost and construction time . Perhaps a cap to stand the covering off the core and then a GF band applied over the top surface might be worth looking at. We did at one stage have Dacron wing bags made that were pulled over the wing and then heat shrunk. The pit fall here is attempting to reinvent the wheel but I think modern materials and fresh thinking offer the prospect of some worthwhile improvements. Tom.     Edited By Tom Wright 2 on 14/07/2014 16:21:20

Hi Alan. Glad to hear of your work on the two aircraft, the built up wing versions sound interesting .If I remember correctly each wing half weighed 20 lbs so if a built up wing can be built lighter and take the same drag and positive / negative G loads and maintain at least the same torsional strength it would be all good. The foam wing cores had very good shock absorbing qualities which proved to be protective in the early days when some pilots had less or even no qualifications in terms of flying a three axis tail dragger . The original wing section I think tended to be a one speed affair employed for simplicity were as my original Micro Bipe design had an under cambered section, had you thought of employing a different section for the built up wing version ? Tom.

I will be there there on the Saturday Rich, hope to catch you before a certain young lady takes you off to see your all time favourite entertainer . Tom.

Pete ,thanks for posting the video over here. I think it might be an idea to have name ID badges at the fly ins as some well know names on the forum can be difficult to identify in the flesh without risking a wrong guess. Pilots that have been attending the regular events over the years tend to group together leaving a lot of the other forum guys feeling out of the loop. I spoke to quite a few that were to shy to say Hi simply because they we not sure who was who. Just a thought and thanks again for the video. Tom.

John it would be good to see some alternative colour schemes , lets see what Pete comes up with as he is about ready to start his Ajay build . A single axis version should work just fine, but I think the dual axis Ajay will be the ideal progression for the guys who have already cut their Auto gyro teeth on single axis , anyway the model is IMHO as easy to fly as any single axis I have flown and has the advantage of faster spin up for ROG and eliminates the problem of getting optimum mast angle which can be a problem with single axis particularly when slight variations creep into a build. Just my thoughts, but of course it's up to AJ to decide what variations will be made available, in short I like the model as is . Tom.

David from NZ sent me this photo of his CFL build, best of luck with the maiden .

Thanks again Rich for giving it a go , I have now recovered the blades to match the rest so it looks much better and fit to bring to Winterton Look forward to the video that is if you can edit out my rubbish attempts to get shots while you were flying.the model. Tom.

Thanks Rich, is it OK to post your photos on other sites? Tom.

A bright idea Chas . Tom.

Deyric Glad to here you are still getting some rotary time in , I think the the full size you saw at Weston was a Caldius. Bill Nice to hear from you again, and hope you are now fully recovered from the medical stuff. What happened to your head cam ? Stuart We sure miss your photographic expertise , hope the house restoration is making good progress. Tom.