Alwyn Gee Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Took up RC flying around November 2009 just prior to retiring. I took the electric route for practicality as all models and equipment had to be kept in the house. I joined a local club in the Edinburgh area for training and after a few month attained my Bronze Certificate. I'm now a member of three local clubs and enjoy flying a mixture of Semi-Scale fixed wing aircraft of the ARTF variety. Many years ago in a previous life I served an apprenticeship with Hawker Siddeley Aviation at Brough where I worked in the "Flight Shed" servicing the Hull University Air Squadron Chipmunks, the company's DH Dove & Rapide & also the 1932 Blackburn B2 which is now with the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden. This aircraft is also the subject of a recent build blogg by Tim Hooper which inspired me to join the forum proper rather than just guesting along. As you may realise from the above I did find this forum early in my career and heeded the advice that I read being handed out to other newbies. I learned much of the Electrickery required from Timbo's "Beginners" threads and many others on the forum but it was the B2 thread by Tim that finally dragged me out into the open. I just had to create an account in order to add my congratulations to the many others already there. Most recently I have taken to the JP 480 si (zagi) because I wanted something i was not afraid to throw up in a wind. I'm also assembling (note I did not say Building) an SAS Wildthing to try out some real slope soaring when the weather gets a bit warmer on top of these Scottish hills. Thanks again to all for the previous two years of unknowingly having your brains picked. Alwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Wild thing is far from an ARTF, sounds like you are steeped in aircraft, the time you where at the blackburn factory sounds like you had the best jobs there!! sad isnt it, that we now dont build planes anymore, welcome to the forum, hope you join in with it all, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Hi Alwyn, and well done for "coming out" . As Alan says you certainly do have a great aviation history! On the modelling front obviously as you know, it goes without saying, any questions feel free to post them. And I'm sure you yourself will be a valuable source of info to others. That way we go forward - helping each other. Our stats tells that the number of folks "reading" is many many times the number of regular (or even irregualar!) contributors. Of course its absolutely fine that people just want to browse - nowt wrong with that - but I'm convinced that they would get even more out of the forum, and the forum would benefit from their experience (as in your case) more if they did take part. So if you are a regular browser of the forum - but haven't joined and don't actually post - why not follow Alwyn's example - come on in,..the water's lovely! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Welcome out Alwyn - nice thread mate ......keep em coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Bess Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 HI! Alwyn ,in another life I worked in the rivet store at Brough in the early 70s ,the jump jet shed , I lived in Hull and travelled to work on the train fun place to work ,loved being around all those planes , Buccaneers were cool to see being built around that huge backbone of a bomb hanger ,had to give it up though a long way to travel for very little money so I went back to my trade Joiner still I was young and loved the job ,I made up a lot of packets of rivets for quit a lot of jumps and Buccaneers Edited By David Bess on 03/02/2012 22:34:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daithi O Buitigh Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 When I was a lot younger (and before I joined the mob and got stuck underground on Early Warning radar maintenance) I was a clerk in the Air Ministry and had a posting to 23 Maintenance Unit. While I was there I spent many a lunch hour crawling round inside the stuff on the 'scrap heap' which included Lincolns and also a couple of Washingtons (the B29 in RAF service). Just a pity I couldn't afford a camera back then (but I'd probably have had my collar felt by the Air Ministry police). I did have fun in the Washington - the rear gunner's position was reached by by rails and you had to lie belly-down on a trolley - you grabed hold of two handles on the tunnel sides and propelled yourself forward head first (or rearwards depending how you look at it) with a mighty pull On a side note - while in the ATC we had an annual camp at RAF Colerne (where I got my first 'hands on' flight in a Chipmunk) I also got to crawl round a Brigand and did manage to get up close to a Me 163 and a He 162 (sitting forlorn in a hangar and covered in dust) Edited By Daithi O Buitigh on 03/02/2012 23:15:43 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwyn Gee Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 Hi All Thanks for the welcome. David: I started at Brough in 1960, it was Blackburn Aircraft and Blackburn Engines when I applied prior to leaving school and I was to be in the engine division. Unfortunately by the time I could leave school BA had become HSA and the engine division was sold to Bristol Siddeley and all moved away, so after my 6 months in the Apprentice Training school, (learning to use hand and machine tools,) I was offered the chance to go into the flight shed as i had wanted to do engines. I spent four & a half happy years there until my time was out, and then because the dept. was of a fixed size I had to move on. I was sent to Holme on Spalding Moor on the Buccaneer Experimental and Flight Test section. I had settled into this when after about 18 months the South African order for the buccaneer was cancelled due to apartheid and I was shipped back to Brough on detail fitting on the bench. Boring, boring boring!!!!!!!!!!!! I managed to transfer to HGV and PSV vehicle engineering and spent several reasonably happy years with East Yorkshire Motor Services until I made the move to Scotland in 1972. I did try to get back into the private Airworks company at Turnhouse but by this time I was too long out of it and there was a ready supply of guys straight from the RAF & Army AC who were bang up to date. Now, in my second childhood, I have to content my frustrations with RC model flying as the culmination of my aviation career. Still the social side of club flying is pretty good too. Regards to all Alwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 wellcome from me alwyn.... ken anderson ne..1... wellcome dept.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flytilbroke Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Hi Alwyn, You have had some interesting times. In the model scene are interesting times too, as long as you make it so. We might get to meet somewhere if you get around the Scottish flyins, splashins, or even the SAA Airshow. If you see my face above a rotund body,,, introduce yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwyn Gee Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 Hi Fly, (pun intended) I've read many of your posts in the past and I believe you to be somewhere in the Fort William area. Hoping to make it to some of the shows etc. this year so will keep an eye open for you. More often than not when we are away in the caravan we head north so you might get stuck behind me sometime. Already had some interesting times in the model world but I'm sure there's more to come. Just love your nickname by the way, I've only been at it just over two years and I may have to mortgage the wife soon. Alwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB GADD Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 HI DAITHI. You just brought back some memories there by mentioning the Bristol Brigand, the first aircraft I ever worked on when I started my Aircraft Apprenticeship back in 1955 at Marshalls in Cambridge, memories. BOB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Vrandecic -Mes Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Hello Alwyn,warm welcome ...... Cheers Jo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Hooper Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 HI Alwyn, I'm glad I was partly instrumental in getting to come out in the open!Welcome aboard the nonsense.tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ashby - Moderator Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Welcome from me too Alwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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