Jump to content

Biggles' Mess


Recommended Posts

  • 3 months later...

And one for all Star Trek fans - James Doohan, aka 'Beam me up Scotty' was a captain in the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division who trained as a spotter pilot.

auster.jpg

Doohan served as courier and artillery spotter, aboard a Taylorcraft Auster Mark IV. In the spring of 1945, he slalomed his aircraft between telegraph poles, just to prove that it could it be done. Though the man was never an actual member of the CAF, the stunt forever marked him as “the craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Force”.

That's him flying

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I met David twice, maybe three times. Each time was at Green Acres. As has been said a very easy guy to get along with.

An aspect of the loss to us modelers was his (far to few) pieces in RCM&E. Plus the technical input to some aspects of physics relating to model aircraft. I often quote BEB's method, or use of physics to indicate the torque required to move and control a surface (elevator etc). Then there was his calc on minimum dia loops.

I guess it was also his tolerance of those who got the wrong end of the stick, explaining in a non condescending manner, the aspect under discussion.

I clearly remember a particularly blustery Greeacres event, where the mass build and launch was the Nigel Hawes Tocarno. During the mass flight BEB's model was blown over the flight line. No aires and graces were displayed, BEB apologised for the transgression, to all present including (i think) David Ashby, no excuses and all the rest that normally accompanies an explanation from the club expert. Just a sincere apology.

I do agree a great loss.

Edited By Erfolg on 18/05/2020 10:47:50

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Yesterday, while re-reading the 2018 September issue i stumbled upon Davids piece on batteries, and so on.

Again, yet another example of how good he was at explaining concepts. In this case it was with respect to battery and motor relationship.

Being a bit thick, it took a time to grasp how he kept the concept simple, so that all could understand. Having been taught by similar tutors in the dim and distant past, I remembered how fiendishly difficult that the problem could be to calculate, bringing in many factors.

The genius was in tackling the issue in terms of what is power, energy, and time. Avoiding complicating factors, writing in terms of ball park numbers.

A similar approach was taken with respect to battery position and moments. We all know, intuitively, that the further forward (relative to CG) a mass is, the easier it is to achieve equilibrium about the CG. Again the simple use of both the concept and mass, demonstrated how simple maths can reveal the prize, that was worth investigating.

I know that many (probably Engineers and Physics graduates etc) would recognise that the calculations missed out many elements, from the view point of ball park calculations (which is the best that can normally be achieved with models) the approach borders on genius, or at worst a brilliant teacher. The equivalent (in some respects) to using 3 for pie, rather than say 3,142, where it is recognised that neither is the right value in an absolute way. Yet using 3 makes a ball park result, a lot quicker, and less error prone.

I do miss Daves contribution, particularly when I hectored David to present a piece on the physics of DF.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be nice if Dave Burton's RCME articles were published as a book. A fitting tribute and a useful book for any aeromodeller to have for reference. Publishing aeromodelling books seems to have deminished recently but are we really going to let all that expertise go to waste or should it be saved for the future?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John, you are quite correct, in that BEB was a most personable individual. I will go as far to say that the vast majority of the modellers I met and spoke with at Greenacres, were similar.

I have found that the atmosphere engendered at Greenacres one where the premadonnas so often encountered on the flight line was not in general apparent. In fact that is how my first encounter with BEB occurred. Having transgressed inadvertently one of the briefing stipulations, BEB apologized to all, publicly. Non of this it was not my fault, or it did not happen, or that is a rule for you others.

Perhaps what helped in forming his attitudes to so much in live, was that he obtained his degree via the HNC route, not an easy, and a particularly long process. This may have also contributed to his wide engineering knowledge from the practical, to the application of science to our hobby (I am also guessing to his day job at Liverpool John Moores). Then to have gone on to obtain a PhD shows a man with determination.

I do miss the RCM&E Greenacres fly-in, which I will confess, BEB (and others) made me feel at ease. Thankfully the mag has other really nice contributors, and the Ashbies making it happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Picking up on recent contributions - certainly agree about GreenAcres, a largely ego-free zone, and really handy if you live in the West Mid's. But in particular, k.c.'s and John Tee's suggestion of the collected wisdom ( should I say Wizdom - - - Sorry ) in the form of W of Oz and BEB's contributions to the model flying press, in particular RCM&E, being put together either for publication as a book (small market, high-ish production cost) or as a download which for a modest sum we could all download. That is unless there are problems with the copyright owned by their estates or publishers - or any other such complications.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine the issue with Brian Winches articles is that there has been so many, covering a vast range of engine related subjects from workshop practices, engine maintenance, tuning, accessories etc. Access to the information would be the first issue, then deciding on the themes/content, followed by collating and editing what has been produced.

BEBs work would be easier. The issue with his work, is I suspect that the day job restricted the amount of work presented to the editor. I am also guessing that the editor limited how much of BEBs stuff could be published, as we are now in an era, where less people are interested in the technical aspects of the subject..

One of BEBs more recent output, I think could be useful to a lot of modelers. That is his Sea Fury (I think it was) pieces that were spread over a number of months. A single article bringing together all the aspects of converting an ARTF IC model to electric flight, and the issues to be handled is very much a today concept.

Being self centred I have a Blackhorse Gilmore special which I want to convert, so it would be useful. I just do not remember seeing how BEB handled the arming (safely) of his model.

Above all I do not think that commercially that the work involved would even break even. it would have to be done out of love. In an era where running magazines and this web site must be challenging, who can afford the even the time?

Edited By Erfolg on 09/06/2020 11:25:00

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
13 minutes ago, cymaz said:

I’ve been a long time fan of Portillo’s Railway Journeys.

 

Just been watching his visit to Bordeaux. I looked it up on Google Earth, and found this......a bit of an oddity!!

 

I wonder why it’s all pixelated and blanked out

 

 

Armée de terre = French army barracks.

Blanked out for security reasons.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...