Samuel Wragg

Thank you all for taking time out to share your advice which has given me something to think about. I think Percy hit the spot straight away with his first post. I have a Canon ixus 155 compact that like Percy says, it just slips in your pocket. This little compact has traveled the world and has taken some great images along the way. I just assumed that a Dslr camera would give me better sharper images, but what I want the camera for this is appareñtly not so. The reason I bought my daughters pentax k3 is because she's keen on art/photography and wants to make a career out of her passion of creating arty images. Naturally I wanted to give her a start I have already considered that if I bought a Pentax we could exchange lenses. The reason I identified the Nikon was based on the availability of my choice of one size fits all lens. This past summer out on a photo shoot we was in Lincoln cathedral where the BBC was filming. I managed a sneaky peak at the HD camera that was set up on a tripod and was took by suprise..... it was a canon body fitted with a telephoto Sony lens......... I think I will have to review my choice and include Sony / Zeiss and Leica compacts Sam

Fellow enthusiasts. After buying my daughter a Pentax K3 & Tameron 18-300 lens for her birthday to help her on her way, I now have decided to treat myself as I enjoy this subject. I have narrowed my chioce of camera body to the Nikon D5500 or the Pentax K2. Your thoughts would be most welcome. Sam

Hi there, If you Google Dick Fisher Redshift you will find an article written by Ashley Hoyland giving details. As far as I understand the Redshift IFM system is more of a regulator than a pump. It uses crankcase pressure through a one way valve to pressurise the tank at about 8 lb to drive fuel to the regulator. On the other side of the regulator exaust preasure pulses allow a metered amount of fuel to the carb. The ED Carb is a brilliant carb if you can get one. I keep scouring ebay and have managed to aquire 2 unused carbs, I believe Weston UK have started to produce them again. Hope this helps Sam

I've found that normal rubber tends to squash out under compression whereas the rubberized matting that I use holds its shape, Sam

Hi Martyn I think Steve D has answered your question and yes it's nice to be building again......very therapeutic just what the doctor ordered. The rubber matting was got from? Well I don't want to incriminate myself Its impregnated protective rubber matting for work benches / toolboxes probably obtained from engineering suppliers. sam

For me the main criteria in flying is NOISE and keeping it down to a level that's exceptable. So with this in mind I have decided that my alternative choice of engine to propel Lightning will be my old trusty Super Tigre G90 fitted with an OS carb and pump unit. This engine is the same physical size and weight of a 60 apart from the cylinder head being 4mm higher. Using this engine will enable me to keep the noise down by propping it up to keep down the revs and yet produce the equivalent thrust. This engine dates back to 1997 and has many competition wins to its credit mainly the 1997 Nationals. So I believe its a worthy alternative...... A championship winning design powered by a championship winning engine, a nice combination don't you think? First task is to install the firewall and isolate the engine mount, unfortunately I couldn't find a suitable aluminum mount drilled and tapped to accept the engine bolt pitch so had to use a nylon alternative which created problems as the bolt holes are blind plus you cant really tap nylon as over time the treads will almost without doubt become stripped! This was my solution Some 3mm mild steel plate was drilled and tapped M4 then glued on the underside of the engine mount and for added security and was held in place by an M2 cap head set screw. To isolate the engine mount I cyano on a piece of 3mm thick rubber then cut shape To fasten the mount to the firewall I use M5 rubber Rawlbolts. I had to cut these to a suitable length about 2mm from behind the flange making sure the cut was done in one clean movement and re-join using cyano. * note I would have used M4 as an alternative but it meant a trip B&Q* The final assembly before fitting Once happy that everything fits and lines up as is should, the engine mount is fastened to the firewall, when happy the engine is in its correct position the firewall is tacked into place by using a small mixture of resin and micro balloons to thicken the resin dabbed on with a long stick When satisfied that the resin has cured and nothing has moved the engine and mount are removed from the firewall so that it can be permanently fixed in place by using resin mixed with cotton fibers forming a small fillet between the fuselage and the firewall

Hi Colin Almost certain it was the ME110, Sam

Posted by KingKade on 19/11/2015 21:45:03: Sam, you only have 3 forum posts? Surely youve been around longer than that? Subsribed! Yes I have In answer to your question, see my resurrection of Magic and Wolfgang Matts Arrow blogs on this section. Due to technical issues I've had to re-join this forum. On with the build. For i,c lightning to keep with the retro theme I would have liked to fit the original engine that was fitted to lightning 1 all those years ago as I still have the engine in my collection. My Redshift is still in good working order and was purchased around 1976 after reading Peter Chins initial report prior to his full review of this engine at a later date. On buying this engine we be came long time friends with Ashley Hoyland (the other half of the Redshift team). This engine was one of the first off the production line and was used competitively then later on in its life after much arm twisting, Dick Fisher agreed and fitted a pump system to the engine that he had been testing prior to being made commercially available. Images of my original Redshift Sadly common sense dictates otherwise and Redshift will have to stay in her box because for this engine to power Lightning as designed I would struggle to keep within the defined noise criteria. So, its option 2 in choice of power plant Sam

Interesting information for you. In 1980 as an apprentice 4 of us was given thee task of making a pair of cannons from the original drawings for the me110 that is on display at Cosford. From memory these cannons are rear facing from the side of the fuselage behind the trailing edge. On the guns is our 4 names inscribed on a plaque Glynn Downing, Andrew Barraclough, Steve Potts, Samuel Wragg. Out of the 4 of us who was tasked with the project, two of us are still alive. It would be nice to see the guns again especially the plaques Samuel Wragg

To me Lighting is “the” model that epitomises everything about F3a pre-turnaround Era. She has simple classic lines that just look right, as they say if it looks right, it is right. Over the years I have had 3 lightning’s dating back from 1978 to 1996 and my soft spot for this model is just as strong as it was when I first saw her ‘in the flesh’ all those years ago. Lightning No1. I remember watching Dave fly lightning at a comp for the first time thinking, Wow what a model! Sadly I accepted that I would never have the chance of owning/flying lightning. All that changed at a competition early 1978. It was either at Acaster Malbis, or at a site above Harrogate? All I remember the site was on the top of a hill situated on moorland scrub, it was cold and windy with Big golf Balls on the next hill (listening stations). There was my dad and I sheltering between rounds in the club house when in walked Dave H with a Lightning kit and plonked it on the shelve saying that the kit was for sale…….. I wanted it. I remember pestering Dad to buy her but he wouldn’t give in no matter how hard I tried. It wasn’t until after I had just flown my final round of the day when Kath Watson approached us and complimented me on my flight and the progress I was making. That was the catalyst required and Team Wragg was the proud owner of a Lightning kit for the sum of £30 purchased off the man himself. Lightning was subsequently built, powered by a Pumped Redshift 60 (I still have the engine), ED carb, ED Quiet pipe turning a Zinger 11x7 ½ prop and fitted with Kraft electric retracts. I remember she flew as straight as an arrow and that team Wragg was on their way up…….. Little did we know? I still clearly remember it was 1978 World cup final day and we was to unleash the Lightning at her very first comp at West Raynham airfield in Norfolk. Little did I know this was to be my last competition for 18 years and the last time I would fly a model for 9 years? Sadly Lightning was shot down by radio interference on my first round. Gutted sifting through the wreckage to salvage what was salvageable the remains of Lightning was left dumped in a waste bin in a lay-by on the A47 and my flying days was over. Lightning No2. One Sunday morning in early 1987 I was travelling home from looking at a second hand car when I passed a Hobby shop in Doncaster. Something inside me stirred, so doubling back I parked up to have a look through the window, surprisingly the shop was open so in I walked just to have a look, or so I thought. Up until this point I had lost all interest in the hobby since that fateful day back in 1978. Whilst looking at the kits on the shelves the owner asked if I wanted any help. I told him I was just looking as I used to fly pattern many years ago and for some reason asked if he’d got any aerobatic kits. He said he hadn’t any kits but may have something that may be of interest and off he went to his stock room. Some minutes later he came back with a pair of Lightning fuselages under his arms. My eyes popped out of their sockets in surprise when he said I could have the pair for £20 as they were of no use to him. I just couldn’t resist the temptation and bought the pair of fuselages. So; out of the blue I was bitten by the modelling bug again. That week I ordered a set of wings and tail and to my surprise the other half of team Wragg went out and bought a new radio set seeming technology had moved on. I soon picked up flying from where I left off resulting in Lightning 2 joining the throttle benders union. Anyway, we was back up at our old flying field having the times of our life flying lightning until I ran out of fuel resulting in a dead stick landing which fell short and that was the end of Lightning 2 as she clipped a dry stone wall and broke in two. Lightning No3. This lightning was made out of the remnants of lightning 2 and flew up until 1997 when she just finally gave up after years of constant full throttle flying but nevertheless she started me back into competitive aerobatics again in the previous year at my first Gbrcaa comp at Elvington in the season of 96. Jaded and burned out I’d stopped competing in 2006 and after that I very rarely flew. By 2012 a chance meeting with Steve D he spoke of the Ukcaa and the emergence of the classic designs. By chance a few months after I came across the Ukcaa web site and followed the link to the Model Flying forum where I read about Martyn’s build of Magic. Yes you can guess once again something stirred and off I went up into the loft where my Magic sat and guess what? There sat waiting was a lightning kit I’d completely forgotten about…… The flying bug had struck once again. So as you can see over the years Lightning has had a role in my flying and this is why we intend to build I.C and electric version of the model as a tribute to this classic design Enjoy