LIGHT AVIATION VOLUME 14 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2021
THE MAGAZINE OF THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
LIGHT
Aviation April 2021 £4.25
VINTAGE DELIGHT
Clive Davidson takes a step back in time with the Rearwin Cloudster Light Aircraft Association WWW.LAA.UK.COM
PROJECT NEWS
NEVER TOO LATE TO TAKE TO THE SKIES…!
MEET THE MEMBERS
FOUNDING MEMBER’S AMAZING TALES
See our website for full range
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The TK Flying Group’s Druine Turbi, G-AOTK, was the first PFA homebuilt to attend an RSA Rally, the Saintes les Gondes event, near Bordeaux, on August 15-17, 1958. See p16.
The Team Chairman TIM HARDY CEO STEPHEN SLATER Chief Engineer FRANCIS DONALDSON B.Tech C.Eng FRAeS Chief Inspector KEN CRAIGIE President ROGER HOPKINSON MBE Vice Presidents BRIAN DAVIES & JOHN BRADY Engineering email engineering@laa.uk.com COMMERCIAL Email office@laa.uk.com Office Manager Penny Sharpe Head Office Turweston Aerodrome, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5YD Telephone for engineering and commercial 01280 846786
LIGHT AVIATION MAGAZINE Editor BRIAN HOPE
60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3BZ Telephone 01795 662508 Email bfjjodel@talktalk.net
Responsible flying fun…
I
am, of course, writing this prior to 29 March, but if all goes according to plan, flying solo will, by now, once again be allowed. You will note within these pages, a fair amount of content by the Chief Engineer (Prep To Flight, p20), and the Head of Coaching (Light at the End of the Tunnel, p32), about making sure that you and your aeroplane are fit for purpose before heading off into the blue. Sadly, I know from experience, that way too many of us, me included I’ll admit, simply don’t pay sufficient heed to these words of wisdom and, just as after the end of the last lockdown, there will be a number of unfortunate, wholly avoidable mishaps to man and machine as a result. This time around though, it has the potential to be worse, because many people did far less flying last year as a result of Covid, so they will be starting from a position of significantly less practice. By and large, as pilots you are reasonably intelligent people, so please, be sensible and understand that your aeroplane needs that manky mogas that’s been in there for months, drained out, the fuel filters cleaned or replaced, and fresh fuel put in. This probably means you will take the cowlings off, great, you can have a proper look around the engine. We all know that can be a bit of a pain in the rear on some machines to remove and replace the cowlings but failing to check the basics and ending up in a field will definitely cause you a whole lot more. Don’t just give the aircraft a cursory inspection either, give it a wash to at least give yourself the chance to cast your eye
over everything that matters. It may have sat there for months, who knows what’s been going on in your absence! You have probably spent half a day on the above, but you have greatly increased the odds that your return to flying will be trouble free, because it isn’t the return that’s important, you’ve been waiting for months after all, it’s your on-going ability to enjoy a summer of flying fun that’s important. Finally, don’t spoil your sensible prep by making those early flights in trying conditions. Pick your day and your mission – good weather, minimal crosswind and non-complex flights where you can concentrate on the flying and bring yourself back up to speed with the minimum of pressure. You know it makes sense so please, read the articles, be sensible and take care; your family and friends want to talk to you, not about you. I’ve just about got room to mention that we have some very interesting content again this month, thank you to all the contributors. If you have an interesting tale to tell, I will be delighted to hear from you. Have a great season, Brian.
By Brian Hope April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 3
Chairman’s Chat
Back into the air but trying times ahead… By Tim Hardy
6 NEWS & LETTERS
LAA UK Tour replaced by England Tour later in the summer…
10 PROJECT NEWS
Carbon Cub EX-2, Beagle A.109 Airedale, Cleared to Fly and New Projects
16 TURBI
Igor Best-Devereux gives context to the three 1950s built Druine Turbis
W
ell, it’s looking like we will be returning to the skies by the time that this edition of Light Aviation goes out, and not before time. I sincerely hope that, for all our sakes, this will be the last time that our flying privileges are withdrawn. Solo flying was never a threat to transmission, instead it generated a most unwelcome pause to the recency we all need to bolster safety, and I worry that this particular tool might be nearer the top of the box than we would like. I’m looking forward to seeing the weather forecast for 29 March, for that is when the current restrictions on private flying are lifted, albeit only for solo flight. Grass runways should be drier by then although in my area, February is usually supposed to be our driest month; someone’s having a laugh, surely! When I do fly, I think one of the most striking things I will see is the amount of water that is still lying on fields and in the ditches… pause for thought when assessing the state of the runway. I imagine also that the skies will be busy with many of you wanting a well-deserved release from lockdown restrictions, maybe it’s time to reconsider the CAA’s offer of a £250 subsidy for Electronic Conspicuity equipment now that the scheme is continuing until the end of September (or until the money runs out). Of course, early on there are unlikely to be many facilities open to visiting pilots, such as airfield shops and cafés, but when they do open we should, as a community, try to support them as much as we can with our custom, because this past year will have tested the resolve of many business owners as to whether they keep going or give up the very 4 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
20 PREP FOR FLIGHT unequal battle. I doubt that many of the organisations and small businesses that make up General Aviation in the UK have been able to benefit from government support schemes, so our sector is particularly vulnerable to the enormous impact of Covid-19 economically, especially as there are roughly the same number of people working in GA as there are employees in BA… Elsewhere in this edition, you will have read that we are having some challenging discussions with the CAA’s General Aviation Unit (GAU), much of which concerns our association’s raison d’etre of light touch regulation. The regulator has indicated that they are uncomfortable with the way in which our approvals work.This is rather ironic when one considers we have almost 70 years of experience in ‘light touch’ regulation, plus it goes against the growing acceptance of proportionate risk accepted by the Authority in recent years. Our accident rate also stands up well to scrutiny, so we are all rather bemused by what seems to us to be unnecessarily attempting to fix what isn’t broken. It also comes at a time when many of our members are getting back into the air, and our Engineering Department will be extremely busy with Permit renewals and new aircraft first issues. The content of the discussion is extremely technical but, as the story unfolds, we will do our best to keep you all informed. Lastly, as you will have read in last month’s edition, Malcolm McBride has retired from many years of service with the Association and I am sure that we all wish him well for the future.
Francis Donaldson takes an in-depth look at ensuring your aircraft is safe and airworthy as restrictions ease…
26 SPARS TO TADS
LAA Chief Inspector, Ken Craigie explains the change from SPARS to TADS…
28 TAILWHEEL LINKS
LAA Inspector Trevor Reed says set up that break out tailwheel correctly…
30 RALLY HO!
It looks like all systems are go for the LAA 75th Anniversary Rally…
32 COACHING CORNER
Expert advice to take on board when the time comes for us to get back into the air
34 STAYING ALOFT
Clive Davidson looks at how to manage a flight with only partial power…
40 FLIGHT TEST
Clive Davidson clearly experiences the delights of the Rearwin Cloudster – a vintage radial…
48 ORIGINAL OR REPLICA?
Francis Donaldson, explains how the aviation equivalent of Trigger’s broom may, or may not, be agreed to be an original!
50 STRUTS 4 U
Anne Hughes profiles the activities of the Struts…
54 WHERE TO GO
Plenty of dates for your 2021 diary
56 MEET THE MEMBERS
This month we meet our longest serving member, Arthur W J G Ord-Hume, who was one of the founding fathers……
66 CEO THOUGHTS
Steve shares his hopes and concerns
Contents
Contents April 2021
40 Rearwin Cloudster
34
10
56 April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 5
LA News
News
Plenty more news is available on the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com check it out every day!
Tour of England replaces LAA UK Tour Following the announcement in March outlining the Government’s lockdown release programme, the Association has regretfully had to cancel this year’s 2021 UK Tour, which was scheduled to be held at the end of May. Significant restrictions still extant would have made the tour logistically and morally impossible to go ahead. It is very unfortunate that this is the second year that Covid restrictions have led to the Tour’s cancellation, but with the improving situation, we are delighted to announce that a replacement LAA England Tour event is planned for 4-8 July. The proposed schedule is: 4 July. The tour will start with the Meet the LAA Day and Wessex Strut Fly-in at Henstridge, Somerset on the 4th. People can stay overnight (camping on the field permitted) with an evening meal and breakfast available. 5 July. Fly down to Bodmin for an overnight (camping also allowed) eve. This will also give people the chance to fly down on the Monday, if they cannot do Sunday. Dunkeswell will be available as a lunch/coffee stop.
6 July. Fly to Barton via Kemble (coffee?), plus Shobdon for lunch. This also gives people the chance to join up as we head north. Overnight at Barton (camping allowed). Evening meal and breakfast will be served. 7 July. Head north-east to Eshott for a lunchtime BBQ. Then down the coast to Breighton, where we will be able to view the wonderful collection of vintage aeroplanes, and overnight – camping allowed. An evening meal and breakfast will be available. 8 July. On to Leicester for lunch (BBQ) before heading home.
Above The weather should be perfect in July for camping under the wing, as it was here on the 2016 Tour.
Information and registration is available from neil.wilson@laa.uk.co All those who were registered for the UK Tour will automatically be kept informed of arrangements for the Tour of England. We plan to reschedule the UK Tour and our friends at Perth have already confirmed they are happy to accommodate us again at the end of May 2022.
Fair Winds I’m sure members would like to join the LAA team in thanking Malcolm McBride for his 12 years of valuable service to members as the LAA’s Continuing Airworthiness Engineer. I have no doubt his approachable nature and the
eminently readable style of Safety Spot has assisted many members in highlighting and rectifying issues with their aircraft. Fair winds Malcolm, enjoy your sailing, flying and making music. All the very best for future.
CAA Exemption for National Licence holders The CAA has issued an ANO exemption (ORS4 No 1471) enabling a UK Registered Single Engine Piston Aeroplane (SEP) or a Touring Motor Glider (TMG) with a UK Part 21 Certificate of Airworthiness or a UK Permit to Fly, to be flown by CAA national PPL and NPPL holders within the Privileges of the Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL). 6 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
The exemption can be found at: ORS4 No. 1471 (caa.co.uk) It is noted that the CAA states that the aim of this exemption is to provide scope for licence holders to regain and maintain sufficient short-term currency, or to complete differences training specifically associated with UK (G) registered Part 21 SEP aeroplanes or TMGs; it is not intended to facilitate
recreational activity. For this reason, it places a limit on the amount of PIC flying that may be conducted under the exemption, which is 12 flight hours. The exemption is also only valid until 30 June 2021. The LAA has already requested an assurance from the CAA that this exemption be extended and formalised as part of the forthcoming ANO review.
LA News
YES 2021 AGM
Air Race E expands race classes
Youth Education Support, YES, aims to educate, encourage and inspire young people into aviation related activities or careers. It’s 2021 Annual General Meeting is scheduled to take place via a Zoom meeting on Thursday 8 April at 8pm. Recently, two young members have joined the committee, Ellie Carter is a student and young pilot, and Rares Turcu is an apprentice engineer studying at Stansted Aviation College. They are both incredibly keen to promote youth aviation and are scheduled to become LAA Youth Ambassadors. If you are interested in encouraging youth aviation, or are a young person yourself, please contact us via the email below and become a member, it is free. The 2020 AGM Draft Minutes will be circulated to members wishing to attend, along with the 2020 Accounts and the details for joining the Zoom AGM, one week before the meeting. For more information please contact YES Secretary, Dave Hall, at dave@ hallvw.clara.co.uk
Air Race E has expanded its race classes from the existing Formula 1 rules with an up to 150kW powertrain, now called the Open Class, to include a Performance Class and a VTOL Class. Jeff Zaltman, CEO of Air Race E, commented: “The launch of the new Performance Class and V-Class will allow us to include more stakeholders in our project and greatly increase our ability to meet the needs of the industry while organising a thrilling motorsport. “The Performance Class will provide
deeper insights on power management and best practices and will steer more dedication to the sub-systems such as cooling, battery management systems, power electronics and aerodynamics. “The V-Class demonstrates a major step-change in air racing. Air Race E will be working directly with the top pioneering organisations in the e-VTOL world to shape the event to be at the vanguard of both technology and entertainment in this next generation of motorsport. This e-VTOL race format and rules will be revealed soon.”
Radio licence confusion Members may have received a communication from Ofcom stating changes to radio licence conditions. This has caused significant disquiet, not least because even our technical experts have struggled to unravel the gobbledegook. A triumph of plain English it is not! The Ofcom licencing changes are apparently driven by a need to meet internationally agreed guidelines on electromagnetic fields (EMF) to help ensure services operate in a way that will not adversely affect health. It is our (LAA and BMAA) intention to formally complain to Ofcom about a lack of consultation and clarity. We have also raised the implications of this with the DfT and the CAA. However, for most of us, meeting the Ofcom requirement will be academic. An early review of typical transmitting equipment carried in light aircraft indicates that their power and duty cycle may mean that little or no action should be required, other than recording the requirement and your compliance within your aircraft record pack. We are continuing to review the Ofcom requirements and will inform you if we become aware of any further issues.
Above Hopefully Air Race e-VTOL class will generate some interesting futuristic designs.
BWPA’s 2021 aviation scholarships The British Women Pilots’ Association (BWPA) has launched its industry supported 2021 aviation scholarships to support women in the UK in achieving their flying dreams. The scholarships were launched in recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March. “Only 5-6% of professional pilots in the UK and worldwide are women,” explained BWPA Chairwoman Sharon Nicholson “and the percentages in general aviation are similar. Much of this is due to lack of information and opportunity. “One of our stated key aims is to promote the training and employment of women in aviation, and the promotion of practical schemes to
assist women to gain air licences. This year we are delighted to be offering 13 aviation scholarships. These will be awarded to the most impressive and inspiring applicants with the hope that these scholarships will support them in achieving their ambitions and continuing to inspire others.” Applicants will be asked to submit information on their current aviation experience, what they enjoy most about flying, why they believe they deserve the award and how they would use the award if successful. They will be shortlisted by a panel of judges who will determine which of the candidates show the most promise for their future flying. More information at https://bwpa.co.uk/scholarships April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 7
LA News
New nest for Metal Seagulls Metal Seagulls is expanding and diversifying their activities with an imminent move to Haverfordwest Airport, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The family run company has grown from a garden workshop to needing a large modern hangar to meet the requirements of its customers in just five years Directors, Jonathan and Patricia Porter, with over 6,000 hours flight time between them, have built/rebuilt over twenty-five aircraft, including custom built machines for specialist missions. They are both LAA and BMAA inspectors and are factory trained Rotax, ULPower, DUC propellers and Zenith Aircraft Company engineers. “Our new hangar enables us to welcome aviators from all walks of life and corners of the world for aircraft inspections, service, build-assist
programmes, and training in relation to ULPower Aero Engines and non-certified aircraft build and maintenance,” says Jonathan. The company plan to establish a test flight programme for the ULPower 130hp, two-seat Zenair CH750 Cruzer, along with the first ULPowered Skyranger Swift 3, which will be built at the airfield and used as a test platform for the company’s new engine monitoring hardware and software. They have also become the first approved installer of PilotAware EC equipment. Keith Vinning from PAW commented, “We are pleased to be working with a well-known and competent engineer such as Patricia Porter at Metal Seagulls. Much as many are happy to install PAW themselves, it is not for everybody – and the demand
for an installation service has led to this collaboration. We hope to see many more approved installation facilities in the coming year as we expand our network with the Rosetta FX.” “Haverfordwest is the ideal location for our company and product development,” says Jonathan Porter. “With the move towards 600kg microlights and future UAV opportunities, the Metal Seagulls team will be better placed to support the market. In addition to planning Open Hangar events, training programmes and school, college and university visits as soon as Covid-19 restrictions allow, workshop visits may be arranged by appointment subject to public health regulations.” For more details contact: 44(0)7502 593 671 info@metalseagulls.co.uk
Letters We are always pleased to receive your letters and feedback. Please email the editor at bfjjodel@talktalk.net
A 50-year reminiscence of the Mascaret
H
i Brian, I thoroughly enjoyed Dave and Martin’s account of their trip to Provence and back in their beautiful Jodel Mascaret, published in the March issue, which stirred memories of a trip I made back in July 1971. In my late teens/early twenties I was fortunate to enjoy many happy hours ferrying aircraft around the UK and flying a couple into the country from overseas. It was one of the latter trips that I was reminded of – the collection of Mascaret G-AZBI from La Rochelle, complete with its shiny new export C of A. Having never flown a Jodel before, I requested a check-ride and was soon pounding the circuit with one of the club engineers, who didn’t speak a word of English. However, after a couple of trips around the pattern, replete with plenty of oui and non, and much hand waving, the guy had had enough and sent me on my way. By the time I set course for Jersey, it was 7.20pm and, as a result was approaching 8.30pm before the coast loomed out of the dusk ahead. Aware that
8 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
I couldn’t reach Jersey in daylight, I made an ‘executive decision’ and diverted into the friendly airport at Dinard. The following morning, after a restful night in the Grand Hotel – and the anticipated problems with customs – I hopped over the water to Jersey. Following a day’s lay over due to poor weather, I completed the journey by flying up the French coast to Le Cap Gris Nez, across the channel to Lympne to clear customs and on ‘up country’ to Staverton. I have no hesitation in saying that the Mascaret is one of the nicest aircraft I have flown in my 52 years as a PPL holder – right up there with the RV-7! Best wishes to all the team at HQ, Andy Kay.
That Heath Parasol… again!
Dear Brian, I’ve been following the story of the Heath Parasol with interest. During the lockdown I’ve had time to revisit old slides and do a lot of scanning, so to add further to the story, you might like the attached photo which I took of G-AFZE at Old Warden in 1983. All the best, Mike Poole.
Agricultural Tiger Moths
Dear Brian, Arthur Ord-Hume’s Stranger than Fiction (Light Aviation March 2021) illustrates just how small the world really is. But would two young women from half a world away and stranded in the pouring rain so willingly accept a lift from the driver of a van in this post-agricultural Tiger Moth age? As Arthur explains, the corrosive nature of some cargoes caused a few operators to consider removal of the fabric covering from the rear fuselage to facilitate cleaning and inspection of the tubular steel structure. The practice was condoned in Australia where the undressed aircraft were known as ‘Bare Bum Tigers’, but the configuration was not approved in New Zealand, where at least one operator was grounded by the authorities for flying with no fabric on the underbelly of the rear fuselage pylon and loose covers attached to the sides of the frame by baler wire. The lack of fabric resulted in an altered spin recovery technique and, due to the general nature of the configuration, a complete ban on any form of intentional aerobatics. A modification to replace all
Letters
Above The Heath Parasol has certainly generated a deal of interest. Mike Poole’s picture shows it in the corner of an Old Warden hangar in 1983. fuselage fabric with plywood panels screwed to a false wooden framework found no favour. The heading photograph (of Arthur’s article. Ed) was taken during one of several demonstrations of the BrittenNorman rotary atomiser, purely for the artistic effect. The air-driven system was considered to be by far the most efficient and economical for the dispensing of liquid chemicals. The atomiser, using a system of spar saddle plates, was bolted onto the top surface of a Tiger Moth’s lower wings. Liquid chemical was fed into a rotating drum and expelled by centrifugal force through a gauze cylinder where it was broken into droplets to form a spray. A major advantage of the system was that droplets were of uniform size, a feature controlled by the drum’s rotational speed, governed by simply adjusting the blade pitch of the air-driven fans. It was possible to calculate the spraying duration based on an ideal output measured in gallons per acre. Spray droplet size was critical: coarse droplets would not wet all the crop, but too fine a degree and the spray would drift and evaporate. Stuart McKay.
Shoreham memories Hi Brian, I was really interested to read Bev Pook’s article in the March issue of Light Aviation. The photos of the power station stirred a memory so, after a rummage through G-AVDF’s archive, I
found the attached magazine cover, the Pup’s photo having been taken by Beagle in 1967 and used for publicity purposes. In 1988 DF was languishing at Shoreham before being moved to Brooklands in 1990. The rest of the story is now well-known to LAA readers! Anne Hughes.
The passing of friends Terry Case…
Kay and I used to fly to Farway Common on a fairly regular basis. Terry was a great gentleman and friend, who always had a story worth listening to and a wonderful way of dealing with things. Our first visit was to one of his fly-ins. Among our last was one where his veranda parasol had failed, and he apologised for it being out of use. We helped, with other friends, to affect a suitable repair. On a visit after he had had a fall from his tractor, and had got a friend to mow his strip, he again apologised because it was no longer as wide as he had hoped, and would we like to inspect it. Kay and I took a stroll and saw the most numerous wild orchids we had in our lives, you could not avoid them so dense were they, along with wonderful butterflies and moths – I like to think Geoffrey De Havilland would have been in his element. It was for us one of the most enjoyable flights and visits of our 20+ years of flying. It is why I joined the LAA. Terry, we salute you and thank you for the joy you brought us as flyers. Chris and Kay Bradford.
…and Mike Bowden
Mike’s partner Jane wrote movingly in the February issue,
but there’s something she didn’t include which I wanted to mention. Mike, along with Gordon Penson, built the first Jodel D9 in the UK, starting in 1969 with its first flight from Barton in 1971. He and Gordon flew it until 1978, when they sold it to Phil Thomas. Incidentally, a subsequent owner was former PFA Chairman, Peter Underhill. Mike was the first person I spoke to at the LAC in 1972, when I walked into the clubhouse with my brother and father enquiring about learning to fly. He was Club Secretary and made it his business to greet people and point them in the right direction. I later served on the same committee as Mike, leaving as Vice President. Mike was also a stalwart of the NW Strut of the PFA, and I can’t recall a Thursday Strut night with him not there. His first wife was Jill, and they named their son Robin – I wonder where that name came from? Regards, Paul Fraser-Bennison.
Mandatory CO detectors
Hi Brian, I can understand why Ian Gawn might want CO detectors ‘mandated’ but personally, having experienced exhaust issues, I wouldn’t wait, just do what is safe for you and your family/passengers. I have a Fire Angel, which has a seven-year life, and I think was well worth the £28 I paid a few years ago. The CO level was showing a rise, giving me a clue that all was not well and, on investigation, I found the r/h exhaust was badly cracked, also awakening me to the fact I need to check more thoroughly when I carry out my DI! So, be proactive, fit a monitor, why wait? Struts or even the LAA shop could perhaps arrange a bulk purchase of a CO detector and make them available at a reduced price. Kindest regards, Peter Dyer.
Above A rise in CO content on his monitor warned Peter Dyer that he needed to take a good look at his exhaust system. April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 9
Project News
Projects which inspire others to build their own aircraft Compiled by Mike Slaughter
Project News T he clocks have sprung forward, a sure sign that summer is just around the corner, we can but hope that the ‘roadmap’ goes to plan, enabling us to enjoy a reasonably normal flying season. Dare I suggest things are looking up? The New Projects listing at the end of this column, shows a reassuringly healthy number of new builds under way, covering types from the 1930s Chilton DW.1A through to the very 21st century Sting Carbon S4. And despite all of the movement restrictions, three projects have managed to reach that major milestone of being cleared for their maiden flight – and good luck to them all. Mark Albery has been a ‘Brit abroad’ on and off for some years, working in sunny California, and in our June 2013 magazine he recounted his trans-Atlantic adventure when, his current contract having ended, he flew home in his Van’s RV-8 and moved it onto the UK register. You can read all about that trip, Homeward Bound, at https://tinyurl.com/latoenstone It wasn’t long before he was back to California however, and this time around he decided to build a Carbon Cub. Originally, Mark planned to also fly the Cub home, following the route he’d previously taken with his RV, but in early 2020 something changed
everybody’s plans and he had to have it shipped. It too is now on the UK register for Mark to enjoy. It’s not unheard of for members to buy or build an aircraft before gaining their licence, I can remember a few in Project News, but Mike Wilson acquired his Auster and then started taking lessons as he approached his 70th birthday! He knew the aircraft type he wanted and found it. Now, following its comprehensive restoration, there are just two Beagle A.109 Airedales flying in the UK. In his account below, he makes light of his significant renovation project, initially described as ‘simply requiring a bit of fabric and paint’. It’s a fantastic achievement made all the more challenging by the restrictions of the last 12 months, but he now has a lovely aircraft with a full Permit to Fly and nearly 20 hours on her – with a keen desire to get back to it once we all return to flight. Well done Mike, let’s hope that the weather and armfuls of vaccine give you, and indeed the rest of us, all the opportunities we desire to get off the ground this year. Please do get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a picture, email: projectnews@ laa-archive.org.uk. Please share your story!
G-MACC (s/n CCK-1865-1016) Carbon Cub EX-2 By Mark Albery
A
fter two-and-a-half years spending weekends in my hangar at Hayward, California, I received certification from the FAA for my Carbon Cub in August 2018. I then did the type training with Tac-Aero at Hood River Oregon, as a prerequisite to getting insurance for the first flight. The next six months were spent completing the FAA’s required 40-hour test period in a 50-mile wide permitted test area, with no passengers other than a qualified observer. Over the next year and a half, I flew an additional 100 hours, including a 3,000nm round trip to Oshkosh in 2019, a bit of back country flying in Flying Cowboys territory, a trip to the High Sierra Fly-In in Nevada and
10 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
some backcountry and STOL training with CC Pocock at Calnevari, south of Las Vegas. Late in 2019 I was planning to end my 11-year stint in the US and return home, and had made plans to fly the Cub back with a group taking part in the Greenland Air Trophy and complete the crossing in 200-300 mile legs. I have long range tanks that would allow up to seven hours airborne at 90kt, combined with the Carbon Cub’s 900lb payload, that would make such an adventure possible. But, as we all know, events in March last year put paid to such plans, and I now had to work out how to get myself, my personal possessions and my Cub back to the UK amid the lockdown, when nearly all businesses and international flights had stopped
Project News Right Late in 2016 the fuselage is receiving its Oratex covering. Photo: Mark Albery. Below Re-assembly at Gravely after import. Photo: Mark Albery.
Left The very first power up of the Cub’s panel. Photo: Mark Albery. Below The 2020 Lundy Island Fly-in during a lull in the pandemic. Photo: Ed Hicks.
March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 13
Project News operating. Fortunately, there was a company at my Hayward base in California that specialised in the international shipping of aircraft, and also took care of loading all my other stuff. After three flight cancellations I managed to get myself on the last Virgin passenger flight back to the UK (via LAX and Paris CDG)! The container arrived some six weeks later after its journey through the Panama canal and was unloaded at Graveley airstrip, where I had the offer of hangar space to reassemble the Cub. After reassembly and careful inspection, I got a 28-day exemption to fly on the US registration, a test hop at Graveley to check all systems were normal and then I flew to a permanent home at Enstone. The 28-day exemption also allowed a bit of local flying before starting the LAA Permit approval process, including a trip to the Lundy Island fly-in, which went ahead during a lull in the pandemic restrictions. Then, having cancelled the US registration, the work started to register with the CAA and gain a Permit to Fly. This included re-weighing and a new fuel flow test, a thorough inspection by my LAA inspector, John Giddins, and a visit by Francis Donaldson and Ben Syson to take care of the final details. Matt Colebrook had led the way for approval of the Carbon Cub with his fine example G-EXCC, so other
Below Mineral Canyon, Utah. There’s some great off-airfield flying in the States. Photo: Mark Albery.
than approving the substitution of Polyfiber fabric with Oratex, I followed in his wake of type approval. Clearance to test was issued on 26 December and I managed to get the test flying completed on the 30th, just before the new lockdown put a stop to most flying. The Carbon Cub offers all the delights of Cub flying combined with excellent STOL performance, improved comfort and handling, and massive payload capability. Maybe not as sporty or fast as my RV, but it never fails to put a smile on my face. I look forward to reacquainting myself with the UK scene and sharing the Cub's delights here as soon as the flying restrictions are lifted.
G-ASRK (s/n B.538) Beagle A.109 Airedale By Mike Wilson
I
was dreading retirement so made the conscious decision, at 69 years of age, to put an interest I’d always had into practice. Like all young boys (well most of the boys I knew) I was making model aeroplanes from six years old, so I decided, with some persuasion from my brother-in-law who already had his PPL, to learn to fly. And, of course, if I was going to learn to fly, I’d better buy an aeroplane too, and – against my wife’s advice – I started searching for one. The search didn’t take me long because my criteria were: it had to be British, non-taildragger, four seats, LAA Permit and affordable. Thus, the Auster/Beagle
12 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Below G-ASRK Seen back in 2011 at Compton Abbas in its previous colour scheme. Photo: John Morris.
A109 became my only choice! It was an Airedale A109 or nothing and there wasn’t anything out there that was available at that time, which isn’t surprising as they only built 43 examples. As I approached 70, I started my flying lessons at Headcorn, and quickly realised that this would have been a lot easier if I had been 40 years younger. My flying instructor would have agreed with this too, he grew older right before my eyes as I ‘crashed’ the Robin after each circuit, week after week. Getting off the ground was easy, apart from a couple of excursions into the weeds when I forgot
Project News
which rudder pedal to press. It was just getting the damn thing back on the deck that beat me, time after time. My instructor amused himself (and me sometimes) by telling me little jokes, “Michael, I would like you to know that those sticky out things with round black rubbery things on them under the wings MUST stay where they are. IF they come up through the wings after one of your attempted landings, you’ll be looking for a new instructor and I'll be looking for a new job!” Oh, didn't we have a laugh… I guess most people would only buy an aeroplane if they already had a licence, but true to form, not me. At long last I found an advert for Beagle Airedale G-ASRK, and contacted the owner, Roger Wilson. I agreed to go up to Spanhoe and take a look, and it wasn't long before I’d had a short flight in her, courtesy of Brent Owen (Gawd bless you Brent), my test pilot. A little haggle (not much) and the deal was done. Now ALL I had to do was a little light restoration, recover her with Ceconite, a new coat of paint and then… look out France here I come.
Back of a lorry…
Rebecca Tyers at Spanhoe did an excellent recovering job but by the time this had been completed, I was already suffering from the four-five hour drive each way between Spanhoe Airport and Canterbury, and decided to bring the aircraft down to Headcorn and let Shenley Engineering finish her off. She duly arrived in late 2017, on the back of a lorry, and we set about getting her shipshape. I knew this would take a couple of months at least to complete. The restoration started badly because the engine had broken followers and the prop was out of hours, and unfortunately below restorable limits, so had to be replaced. I decided to zero time the engine and it was packed off to Norvic to be totally rebuilt with new mags, new starter, new carburettor, CSU overhaul etc. I had to buy a new propeller and hub and eventually plumped for the Hartzell C2R10704STP with Scimitar blades, because this combination was already being used on the Piper PA24 Comanche and Mooney M20. With a 10lb weight saving over the McCauley and a guaranteed 1-4kt improved performance (read as fuel saving), this new combination also didn’t have the rpm limitation like the old McCauley, so no rpm placards were required.
Top Mike’s first flight and commencement of his differences training and revalidation with instructor Gavin Ashdown at Headcorn 15/07/2020. Photo: Richard Foord. Above Teasingly close but incarcerated in the Headcorn hangar, unreachable like so many other projects during the first 2020 lockdown. Photo: Mike Wilson.
In 2018 I became a fully signed up PPL, so now all I had to worry about was getting my aeroplane sorted! I decided that, while the engine was out, I’d restore the engine bay and fire-wall etc. We bead-blasted the engine and nosewheel cradles and replaced the cables, rose joints and bearings. The heater control box, engine muffs and associated parts were also stripped and repainted. The airframe itself needed some corrosion treatment, pulley replacements and of course painting. If it didn’t work properly, we fixed it or replaced it. The overhead console was restored by me in my garage and re-wired by Adrian of Sussex Aviation Electrics. All the plastic (Royalite) cockpit extrusions were repaired in my garage by my flying buddies Ken Catt, Derek Mott and myself with fibreglass matting and resin – a ghastly job! The upholstery was professionally restored by Terry Brown from Maidstone in exactly the right coloured leather. Shenley Engineering’s painter, Baz, doped, UV proofed and did the superb final painting of G-ASRK using, as far as I could tell, the original Beagle colours of blue, grey and white. After five years and some 1,000 hours of hard graft, often in freezing temperatures, the engine and taxi runs were completed. There were a couple of problems to iron out with the Lockheed oleo nosewheel assembly and the Dunlop brake callipers, but the Permit to Test paperwork was soon in hand. April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 13
Project News It was our intention to flight test and finish some of the interior trimming and fettling in parallel. However, just as a very wet and windy winter drew to a close and the skies cleared, Covid restrictions were introduced, and Headcorn, like most airfields, closed. If there was any good fortune in 2020, it came with the easing of the initial constraints. All issues were resolved, the full Permit to Fly was received in early July and I also managed to revalidate my licence. So, after getting through my CS propeller differences training, I went on to log nearly 20 hours of flying before this year’s limitations stopped everything again. Hopefully very soon I’ll be able to get back in the air in my beautiful A109! I have to say this project would never have been completed without the help of some very special people: My wife, through thick and thin, helped me get through those tiresome PPL exams and, even though I was spending the Earth, remained my bestest mate and number one supporter. The incredible (and patient) Dave Baker of Auster Spares, for finding me ‘the unfindable’ in his amazing hangar full of ‘new old stock’ original Auster parts. Our International Auster Club technical adviser, Ron Neal, for his bang-on research and advice (even at weekends) and who just didn't get phased by my often-stupid questions. The IAC historian, Peter Stoddart, who researched the Auster/Beagle files held at Leicestershire County
Council, and printed copies from the original dye-line drawings for me so that we could authenticate the restoration/build details right down to the correct BA nut and screw when necessary. Malcolm and Steve lsbister for spares support – their knowledge and encouragement through this exercise was paramount! My Engineer, Jon Dean, who made it all seem easy and, instinctively, knew when l was vexed or worried and managed to dismiss my fears. And finally, my flying buddies and helpers Ken Catt and Del Mott who stuck it out with me no matter what I threw at them. Bless you one and all!
Below Mike revalidating his licence while able to fly during 2020 and dropping into the Isle of Wight for a pit stop. Photo: Mike Wilson.
New Projects If your aircraft has been featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at: projectnews@laa-archive.org. uk n Chilton DW.1A (LAA 225-15750) 23/2/2021 Mr S Rickett, The Barn, West Street, Brant Broughton, Lincolnshire, LN5 0SF
n Sling 2 (LAA 399-15749) 10/2/2021 Mr D Green, 2 Parkwood, Badingham Road, Framlingham, Suffolk, IP13 9JX n Van’s RV-14 (LAA 393-15748) 5/2/2021 Mr C Martin, Hayward, Romsey Road, Whiteparish, Salisbury, SP5 2SU n Van’s RV-7 (LAA 323-15746) 1/2/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n TL2000UK Sting Carbon S4 (LAA 347A-15751) 22/2/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering n Van’s RV-12iS (LAA 363A-15747) 5/2/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-CLAO Van’s RV-7 (LAA 323-15307) 8/2/2021 Mr Michael Carter, Pinelands, Penwood Heights, Highclere, Newbury, RG20 9EP n G-FLNT Van’s RV-8 (LAA 303-15558) 23/2/2021
Southern Alps Ltd, Flintwoods, Ashen Grove Road, Knatts Valley, Sevenoaks, TN15 6YE n G-OTSI Sling 4 TSi (LAA 400A-15656) 7/2/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
Cleared To Fly If your aircraft has featured recently in the magazine and has subsequently completed its maiden flight, Project News would like to hear from you at: projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk
Left G-CLAO – a very nicely finished Van’s RV-7. Photo: Michael Carter.
14 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Ultralights for RAF
Headset review
Take three Turbis…
Igor Best-Devereux, whose father Harold was an early Chairman and enthusiastic advocate of the Popular Flying Association, gives some historical context to the three Druine Turbis built in the late 1950s… Photos from the Harold Best-Devereux Collection unless otherwise noted.
T
here have been some aircraft that were only produced in small numbers, but nonetheless played an important role in the development of the light aircraft movement. Such was the destiny of the Druine Turbi. By 1954 after several years of pushing by the Ultra Light Aircraft Association / Popular Flying Association founders, airworthiness investigations for ultra-light aircraft had been delegated to the organisation. There was finally the opportunity to build new, economical
16 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above The TK Flying Group’s G-AOTK, built by de Havilland apprentices.
aircraft to support the flying groups that had been relying on surplus Tiger Moths, Magisters and other types. For several years the PFA had been evaluating potential aircraft, and after much analysis and debate, including developing the specification for a two-seat trainer, took the initiative in obtaining plans from Avions Roger Druine in France. By 1955 examples of both the single-seat Turbulent, viewed as a good fit for the amateur builder, and the two-seat Turbi, viewed more as a club or group aircraft, were under construction.
Turbi Trio Left Harold Best-Devereux flying G-APFA from Bembridge 19 May, 1957. Below HB-D with the improved Turbi Sport – Elstree 1958.
PFA Turbi: G-APFA
Seeking to raise awareness of the PFA, the Association entered into an agreement with Associated-Rediffusion to build a Turbi as part of the new current affairs television programme This Week. When built, ownership of the Turbi would rest with Ulair Ltd., the commercial entity of the PFA, with the intention that the aircraft was to be a promotional tool for the organisation. From laying out the early strips of spruce through to the first flight, the This Week Turbi captured attention among a national TV audience that, by the mid-1950s, was many millions. Under the agreement, the build in 1956/57 was outsourced to John Britten and Desmond Norman, and their Britten-Norman company in the Isle of White. Britten-Norman had already been active in the ULAA/ PFA, building the single seat BN-1F design, a single-seat parasol wing ultralight powered by a 37hp JAP J99 twin, that first flew in May 1951. My late father, Harold Best-Devereux (HB-D), applied a little friendly influence at the Air Registration Board, where he worked, to obtain the out of sequence G-APFA registration and he often flew his Auster from Elstree to Bembridge at weekends to help with the construction and undertake the necessary engineering inspections for the Turbi’s Permit to Fly. Several PFA members added their labour to assist the Britten-Norman team as there was intense pressure to complete the project within the contracted timeframe, sometimes creating challenges in coordination. The author’s mother recounted the ‘despair’ experienced when, after a long weekend spent forming and gluing the plywood leading edge and then departing for Elstree, another helper arrived and removed the clamps before the glue was dry! As an additional effort to promote a British light aviation revival, the Turbi was fitted with a four-cylinder Coventry Victor ‘Flying Neptune’ engine. The engine was provided for the project by Major Bill Weaver of the Coventry Victor company, which had been an active supporter of the ULAA from its earliest days. Ostensibly
of 55hp, the engine had been tested at Southend on Cub G-AIYX in 1955, unfortunately without much success, which was not a good omen for it powering the Turbi. With previous experience flying the prototype Turbi (F-WFUU) at Toussous in January 1955, HB-D first flew APFA on 19 May 1957 at Bembridge – two flights being made that day – the Neptune engine proving rather inadequate for the task. Additional test flights were carried out, and in September the aircraft was flown to Sywell to be a centrepiece at the September 1957 National Air Rally of the PFA, held on 14th and 15th. The Turbi was resplendent in its blue and yellow scheme with ‘Coventry Victor Engines’ advertised on the cowling. Following the Rally, APFA went on to be displayed at the Earls Court Olympia ‘Do it Yourself’ exhibition. The event captured another wide audience as well as being reported in the October 1957 Aeroplane magazine. HB-D flew the aircraft back to Elstree on 5 March 1958 and, over the next few months, fitted a ‘coupe’ canopy, somewhat reminiscent of a Chipmunk, and swapped the heavy and underpowered engine for a much better suited 65hp Continental. This became the Druine D.54 Turbi Sport. Roger Druine’s name was painted on the fuselage to honour the designer who had so tragically died just months before. Finally, with enough power for two, the author’s mother, Lenka, was the Turbi Sport’s first passenger. April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 17
Left G-AOTK under construction at Hatfield Technical College, 1957. Photo: TK Flying Group. Below The 50th anniversary reunion of TK Flying group members held at Rush Green in Hertfordshire. Lenka Best-Devereux and Sonja Fillingham at centre. Photo: TK Flying Group.
TK Turbi: G-AOTK
Even before the decision was taken to build the PFA Turbi, in 1954 two de Havilland apprentices, Neil Harrison and Tim Longley, met HB-D at Elstree and learned about the Druine types. Captivated by the idea of building a group aircraft they approached the de Havilland technical school with the idea, but were rebuffed. Enthusiasm prevailed however, and in December 1954 they formed the TK Flying Group. The Hatfield Technical College (now the University of Hertfordshire) gave them workshop space and the first longeron was laid out on 26 March 1955 by the then Chairman of the PFA, and Managing Director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Peter Masefield. Flight magazine, 1 April 1955, reported that the ceremony marked the start of the first amateur-built aircraft of post-war design in Britain. An emphasis reflecting the opinion expressed by some in the light aircraft movement that it was time to move on from pre-war designs. After the company’s initial rejection, de Havilland got behind the build, allowing their technical school to help fabricate parts and their engine division to overhaul the 18 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
pre-war Walter Mikron II engine. The initial estimated cost of the project was £300, but as so often happens, the costs escalated and finally finished at £450. Fortunately, some financial assistance came from the Kemsley Trust, created in 1947 to support the building and flying of light aircraft. The first flight of Turbi G-AOTK was at Hatfield Aerodrome on Saturday 9 August 1958, with de Havilland chief production test pilot, Pat Fillingham, at the controls. The little Mikron engine was a gem and unlike the Coventry Victor-powered APFA, AOTK proved to have a rather light nose, so was initially flown solo from the front cockpit. Neil Harrison flew the Turbi that same day and the following week, with only 35 hours of solo time in his logbook, he set off for the RSA Rally at Saintes les Gondes, near Bordeaux – held on 15-17 August. It had been hoped to fly two Turbi’s to Saintes, HB-D wanting to reciprocate the RSA’s support of the 1957 PFA Rally when French participation included Jean Barritault in his Minicab, and RSA President George Beraud and his brother who both arrived via Jodels. The rework of Turbi APFA was almost completed in time for a formation
Turbi Trio
flight to Saintes, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, together with Maurice Imray, HB-D accompanied the TK Turbi in his Auster J4, G-AIJM. They were joined for the Channel crossing by Norman Jones in the first Rollason Turbulent, G-APBZ. On arrival at Saintes, Neil became the first pilot to land at the annual RSA Rally in a British amateur built aircraft, and the Turbi won third prize at the event. Just as with the first Turbi, the TK Group aircraft quickly played a part in promoting amateur building. Between July 8 and 11, 1959, Pat Fillingham flew the Turbi in the National Air Races. Next the group participated in the Daily Mail London to Paris Air Race, held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Louis Bleriot’s first cross-Channel flight, the team using the Turbi and two cars built by de Havilland apprentices. Derek Mott was rushed from Marble Arch to the Arc de Triomphe in less than 4hr 30min each way, winning the team a £100 consolation prize for ingenuity.
Rutherglen Turbi - G-APBO
The third Turbi to be completed was G-APBO, built by the Rutherglen flying group, PFA Group 39, under the leadership of Glasgow doctor Frank Roche. This group had fewer resources than Britten-Norman or the TK Group, but the February 1957 PFA Bulletin reported that the Turbi was well underway in the loft of a Glasgow joinery company. In the Bulletin , HB-D referred jokingly to ‘escaping with his life when he visited to inspect the main spars and found them unsatisfactory’. But lessons were learned, and the project proceeded at a pace. Requiring space to assemble the aircraft, the group even built their own hangar and prepared a landing strip at South Carnduff Farm, near Strathaven. The first flight of the Mikron powered ‘PBO was made by HB-D on 21 July 1960, there being three flights that day. Not to be upstaged by its forerunners, the next day the Turbi flew again for the BBC’s cameras.
Put to work
After each of their starring roles, the Turbis became active club work horses, G-AOTK staying at Hatfield until the airfield was finally closed in the 1990s. G-APFA
Above G-APBO complete and ready to take to the skies, 1960.
started work in 1962 with the Wolverhampton Ultra Light Flying Group at Halfpenny Green and G-APBO provided many hours of club flying for the Rutherglen group.
Lasting impact
Over 60 years, the impact of the Turbis was two-fold. In the context of the late 1950s they embodied the optimism of the PFA at the time, optimism expressed by HB-D when he wrote in Popular Flying in November 1958, accepting the role of Chairman of the PFA executive committee. Thanking Edward Mole, Alfred Weyl, the Imray brothers, Ron Clegg and Rosemary Lindsay-Neale for their efforts to promote ‘flying for fun’ – a term he noted ‘coined by Maurice Imray and explaining in the proverbial nutshell our aim in life’. Maybe more enduring, each Turbi, in its own unique way, acted as a long-lasting platform for education, pilot training, promotion of light aviation in the UK and the joy of flight and the community of group flying. The seeds planted by the reliable little two seaters grew and endured over many years, perhaps exemplified most of all by the TK Turbi group, with some of the group pictured here at the 50th anniversary of the TK Turbi’s first flight. Today, all three Turbis remain in existence. APFA was in storage for many years but was acquired by a new owner in early 2018 and is believed to be in rebuild. APBO has been owned by retired vet Rupert Hibberd for nearly 30 years, and the TK Turbi group still owns AOTK.
Why weren’t there more Turbis?
A question often asked is, why were there so few Turbis? It proved to be straightforward, sturdy and reliable, designed and built along conventional lines and with good performance and honest handling. Perhaps the limited availability of suitable engines at the time, the open cockpits and tandem seating may have all played a part in limiting the attraction. Realistically the Turbi was also a large project for an individual builder at the time, with many parts to fabricate. Each of the three aircraft discussed were group efforts, involving many hands to complete. In contrast, most of the side-by-side Condors, Jodels and Emeraudes, that became so popular for clubs and touring, were built by commercial concerns. ■ April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 19
Post-Covid prep
Headset review
Prep for flight Francis Donaldson takes an in-depth look at ensuring your aircraft is safe and airworthy as the Covid restrictions ease…
W
ith the nation looking forward to coming out of the third lockdown, many LAA members are probably wondering about their aircraft, which have spent a good portion of the last 12 months sitting unflown in hangars – and what they will need to do to return them safely to flight. Some owners have taken advantage of the DfT provisions for recreational aircraft doing engine ‘health flights’ over the winter, which will have helped keep the whole aircraft ticking-over nicely ready for the return to normality, but many others have chosen to make ‘staying at home’ their priority. Aimed particularly at this latter group, this article gives practical advice on how to ensure your aircraft is in a safe and airworthy state when the Covid-19 quarantine restrictions are relaxed, and also includes suggestions about actions that might be taken to minimise problems later. It’s based on the content of Technical Leaflet TL 2.32, which was initially published last April, simplified and re-shaped to reflect the current scenario.
Engines
For engines, the first port of call should be the maintenance or operator’s manual, which will most likely include advice on how to bring the engine back into service after disuse. The references at the end of this leaflet include links to the maintenance advice for the popular Continental and Lycoming engines, and
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Below The Lycoming camshaft can exhibit corrosion issues if not flown regularly, although modern corrosion inhibiting oils certainly help eradicate the problem.
also, for the latter, the very helpful Lycoming Flyer which provides a wonderful compendium of advice for all aspects of looking after these engines. See also the TADS for the engines, which you can download from the LAA website, which include live links to much of this and other useful information. Unfortunately, due to the all the other conflicting priorities during the lead-up period to each lockdown, and the uncertainty over how long each lockdown would last, most of us will not have had a chance to inhibit our aircraft’s engine beforehand, or carry out any preparation at all for a period of disuse. Some engines are more prone to problems of neglect than others, so we shouldn’t assume that just because your hangar-mate got away with ‘just firing up his engine and going flying’, we can do the same… In any case, even if your carefree chum doesn’t come a cropper straight away, damage caused by a period of neglect may not materialise until months or years later, when the effects of that corroded bearing or camshaft lobe comes home to roost. On the plus side, while the maintenance manuals for most engine types naturally don’t encourage it, despite the best of intentions, in pre-Covid times many of us have routinely had a voluntary gap in our flying over three or four months during the worst of winter, without taking special measures to tend to our aircraft’s engine, either during this time or on its return to service. So, we should not assume that our neglected
Post-Covid prep engines are ruined – but nevertheless, a cautious approach and particular safety efforts would be even more appropriate this year than others. Not least because with so many aircraft having been laid up worldwide, if the suppliers of your engine find they are suddenly faced with orders for thousands of replacement camshafts or cylinders, you may find it takes the whole of this season to get hold of the parts you need – or the manufacturer may have ceased supporting that engine and invite you to buy a shiny new one instead, blowing a huge hole in your flying budget.
Please, don’t just ground run…
Hopefully, during the period of inactivity, you did not give the engine a series of short ground runs which, other than keeping your enthusiasm alive, would probably have done more harm than good to the engine. A short ground run is unlikely to get the engine oil hot enough to evaporate moisture, encouraging water to pool in pockets within the crankcase and other expensive components. Over time, this water becomes acidic which further exacerbates internal corrosion. There will always be some condensation inside the engine from water in the blow-by gas, as well as from atmosphere via the breather, but getting the engine properly hot means the acidic water suspended in the oil or sitting in the bottom of the sump will boil off. Realistically, the practical way to get the engine’s core temperature that hot is to fly it – and probably, for at least half an hour.
Oils
If you are using an engine oil which includes a corrosion inhibitor, or the engine has been in service for long enough for the oil to form a protective internal varnish-like layer coating all internal surfaces, then for most engine types, corrosion problems will be minimal unless the engine is left for a significant time. Detergent oils and multigrade lubricants, such as AeroShell ‘W+’ type, all contain some form of corrosion inhibitor. And if a well-used engine has run all its life on straight oil, it is likely to be nicely coated in a protective black tar inside – except of course, on the bearing surfaces. Remember though that if yours is a new or just-overhauled engine that is being run-in on ‘straight’ oil, you mustn’t add aftermarket corrosion inhibitors or use other oil types which would prevent the engine successfully running-in, in which case the engine would always suffer high running temperatures and poor oil consumption.
Lycoming camshafts
Lycoming engines can have cam problems after a long lay-up, especially if using straight oils without any corrosion inhibitor. The configuration of these engines means that the cams are only splash-fed and over a long period of being static, the oil film between the cams and cam followers can break down. This leads to rapid cam and follower wear in future
Below An example of the more complex oils now available. Seek expert advice about suitability for your type and methodology of a change.
running – once the camshaft lobe’s hardened surface is worn away, the lobe soon transforms from egg-shaped to almost round, releasing damaging metal into the lubrication system (likely ending up on the magnetic plug) and seriously reducing the ‘lift’ on the associated valve. That’s the reason Lycoming advocate regular ‘health’ flights – the Lycoming Flyer gives advice about how to prevent this happening, including by internal inspections with a borescope and bringing forward the oil and filter change. The Rotax 9-series and Continental engines, with their underslung camshaft arrangements don’t normally suffer from cam problems, especially if running on multigrade oils with good anti-corrosion additives. VW engines, despite their Continental-like configuration and low-set camshafts, can suffer in the same way as Lycomings after a long period of disuse, so good inspection and ongoing vigilance are important. VWs also sometimes suffer from valve seat and valve stem corrosion after being left for a few months, which can lead to sticking valves and no compression. Consequently, the engine cannot start, rough running – or worse, the valve head separating from its stem after a few hours running, because of fatigue cracks triggered by the corrosion pits in the stem. With a VW, it’s so quick and easy to whip the heads off and do a top overhaul that your Inspector might well suggest doing this anyway, so that you can check the valve stems and guide wear and while you’re at it, clear out the port passages and grind in the valves. If you are in any doubt about the valves, good quality aftermarket valves for VWs are so cheap – by aircraft standards – that it doesn’t make sense to do anything but replace them. Even new barrels and pistons are low-cost (about £150 for a complete set!) so it isn’t worth replacing pistons or rings in isolation, you might as well replace the lot while you’re at it. Just be sure to torque up the nuts on the head studs carefully afterwards – using the bespoke manual for your particular aero-conversion (Aerovee, or the Peacock VW instructions, for example) or in the absence of anything else, the ubiquitous Haynes manual.
Fuel
When it comes to re-commissioning the aircraft after the lockdown, probably the most important issue is the contents of the fuel tanks. Have the tanks got water in them? This can be a particular problem if the aeroplane has been parked out in the rain for any length of time, but even in a dry hangar, condensation in a part-empty fuel tank can lead to water in the fuel system. Don’t even consider flying without doing a thorough water drain check first, from ALL the drain points, and including the contents of filters and float bowls – if the float bowls aren’t designed to be removed, that’s what the float chamber drain plugs are for. Mogas is notorious for going stale, being supplied in the expectation that in a road vehicle it will be consumed within a few weeks of purchase. Stale mogas may have evaporated away some of its octaneenhancing additives, leading to an increased April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 21
Post-Covid prep likelihood of ruinous detonation. Stale fuel also has reduced volatility and very often causes problems at start-up, but don’t be misled into thinking that just because the engine starts with it, the fuel is good to fly with. Unlike in a car, you can’t hear detonation happening in an aero engine so the first sign of ‘stale fuel’ problems might be when the engine’s cylinder heads distort, or a piston breaks up when climbing out at high power. Worryingly, in some cases the chemicals created as mogas goes stale have appeared to attack non-metallic fuel tanks, fuel pipes etc., even though these were resilient to fresh fuel. This has caused some serious issues with integral tanks in composite-winged aircraft, which have in some cases threatened to scrap the wings and make the aircraft an economic write-off. If your aircraft has non-metallic tanks, particularly if they’re embedded in the structure (like the Europa) or form part of the structure (Jabiru four-seaters), then this is definitely not an issue to ignore. But frankly, whatever the tanks are made of, the answer is clear (and indeed, embedded in the requirements for mogas fuel) – any mogas that’s more than a few months old must be drained out and replaced. Even avgas has a limited life, although it is a much more stable and uniform product. A 100LL fuel that’s over six months old should be treated with suspicion. Whatever the fuel type, after a long time out of use we should pay special attention to water drain checks
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Headset review and while you’re about it, check all fuel filters. There’s a mould-like form that’s sometimes found growing on fuel filter elements, apparently thriving off the heady combination of water condensate, petrol and petrol vapour found within. The build-up of this almost invisible microscopic mould can very effectively stop the fuel flow – so to guard against this we’d suggest that any disposable type fuel filters are replaced as a matter of course.
Airframes
Below Get those cowlings off and have a good look around. This exhaust problem would likely have been spotted initially as a crack.
Part of the preparation for flight should include giving the aircraft a good clean, which will not only remove possibly corrosive dirt and dust from the surfaces, it will also present a good opportunity to inspect every square inch of its surface at the same time. Be careful not to scratch the surfaces when you clean them – especially the Perspex windscreens and canopies. The aircraft’s maintenance manual may give advice on suitable cleaning products, which may be very different on a composite aircraft than a metal one, for example. Whatever the type of airframe, be very careful before using anything aggressive on its surfaces, such as when trying to remove mildew. It’s generally better to dissolve and float away dirt with lots of water than to try to scrub it away with a rag.
Furry and feathered friends
Another implication of an aircraft having been left
Post-Covid prep
undisturbed, particularly in the spring, is the possibility of wildlife having taken residence within. Watch out carefully for the tell-tale signs of nest-building by birds or rodents and, in the case of the latter, the all-tooobvious smell. You’ll need to remove all cowlings and access panels to check the airframe’s internals for unwanted guests. You can find advice on dealing with rodent infestation in the FAA’s repair manual AC43.13, which is available online (see references at the end of this article). Insects can also cause problems by blocking vents in fuel tanks and pitot and static ports, which will also need carefully checking.
Cables, wires and hinges
Other parts of the aircraft worthy of some pre-flying TLC are the control cables to the flying controls and wire bracing of biplanes and other externally braced types. Control cables can be treated with lanolin – put some on a piece of rag and slide it up and down the exposed lengths of cable, which will also quickly reveal any broken strands by snagging in the cloth (watch your hands). Lubricate control surface hinges, door hinges etc., as indicated in the aircraft’s manual and check that control surface travels are all ‘full and free’.
Propellers
If it’s a simple wooden propeller, make good any blemishes in the surface finish, especially if they have exposed the underlying wood – typically along the leading or trailing edges where the paint finish may wear or crack. Cracks can allow water to penetrate under the finish and undermine its adhesion over a wide area, which could quickly lead to the prop’s demise. When were the prop bolts last torque-checked? February’s Safety Spot included a dramatic account of
Top Useful pitot cover – if yours is open to the elements, make sure it is clear of dirt or debris – not by blowing down it when still connected! Above This instrument hose was gnawed at by rodents, so have a good look around to check for such damage and debris.
a Stampe that lost its prop in flight, apparently because of ignoring this simple check. Remember, the hubs of wooden props swell and shrink in the damp and dry air of the seasons, and prop bolts need adjusting accordingly or you risk either a loose prop or a crushed prop hub – neither of which will bode well for their longevity. If it’s a composite-bladed prop, the blades need looking after with equal care to a wooden propeller, but don’t forget to take a close look at the (usually) aluminium alloy prop hub too. There’s been problems with corrosion in these hubs being left untreated, with disastrous consequences – perhaps a case of the tell-tale signs having been ‘sight unseen’ within the spinner. Corrosion in any highly stressed metal component is simply unacceptable, and the propeller hub definitely falls within this category. If it’s a variable pitch or constant speed propeller, hopefully it’ll have been left covered up and, if it’s a two-blade example, it’s been parked with the prop horizontal so that rain does not get into root bearings and pitch change mechanism. Watch out for signs of April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 23
Post-Covid prep
Headset review
Right The root area of this ground adjustable prop is dangerously corroded. Have a really good check of all critical components for corrosion problems.
corrosion on the blades leading to bubbling of the paint, which might quickly lead to disastrous blade failure if left untreated. If it’s found, best call your prop-shop for advice as it probably means that the prop needs a bare-blade inspection and overhaul before returning it to service.
Undercarriage
Standing static for a long period may have caused problems in this area. Tyres, particularly if not inflated to a high pressure, may have developed a ‘flat spot’ if they’re not turned for ages, which will create a troubling vibration when you come to take off. If possible, jack each wheel in turn off the ground and check it for flat spots by giving it a spin – that way you’ll also get a feel for the condition of the bearings. While you’re at it, consider having the wheels off, check the rims for cracks and corrosion, take a look at the bearings, washing them out and re-greasing them ready for the new season. How are the tyre sidewalls? Long exposure to sunlight may have caused cracking, particularly if the tyre has had to take the aircraft’s weight after going flat. If you find a flat spot, inflate the tyre to near its rated pressure and leave it for a while (preferably, if safe to do so, with the aircraft’s weight still off it) to recover its original shape. Remember to let the pressure down to the maximum pressure allowed for use in the aircraft before flight, however, or your first flight after the lockdown may be marred by a much bouncier landing than you deserve! You should also check that the brakes aren’t stuck or dragging, and look out for telltale drips, puddles on the floor or other signs of brake fluid leakage.
Electrics
A conventional lead-acid battery will probably respond best to trickle-charging when you want to bring it back to life, but for any other of the more energy-dense alternatives, check the instructions for advice on the best procedure to recover them from a drained condition. Some are easily destroyed by being allowed to discharge below a certain voltage, others respond better to deep cycling than a continuous trickle. If the battery’s flat, don’t be tempted to swing the prop or jump start the battery. The high rate of charge from an alternator / generator can damage batteries. Fix the problem before going flying, even if it means a day’s delay. If, with a charged battery, the starter motor won’t turn when you energise it, suspect a poor connection to the battery, or a poor earth. If the motor’s earth is suspect, be sure not to 24 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
accidentally end up passing the starter motor earth current by default, through the lower gauge instrumentation wiring, which will simply go up in smoke. The current can also pass through the throttle or mixture cables, which won’t take kindly to this kind of treatment either, not to mention causing alarming fireworks in the cockpit.
Paperwork
As well as the aeroplane being in a sound condition, be sure to check that your paperwork bundle is also all in order. Make sure that your Permit to Fly is valid, logbooks are up to date, your PPL and Medical are current, etc. If you’ve adjusted any control cables, have you had duplicate inspections done after locking them up? If you’ve done pilot maintenance, have you made out your logbook entries? That ‘do not fly’ notice you put in the cockpit months ago – what was that about? If you put the aircraft’s insurance on ‘ground risks only’ during the lockdown, have you remembered to reactivate it to include flight risks?
Don’t worry, but stay safe
If all the above sounds alarming, it really needn’t. After all, each year hundreds of aeroplanes get to be left to their own devices for one reason or another for months on end. Generally, these aircraft are brought back to life with the minimum of problems, an appropriate inspection, and refreshing the fuel and oil. But without doubt, extra vigilance and a cautious approach will certainly help you avoid being one of the unlucky ones. After the long gap, and likely the limited flying many of us did last summer, we’ll be rusty about our flying, too. We’ll do well to limit our flying to simple sorties initially, and avoid tricky crosswinds and difficult navigation until we’re fully back in the groove. There’s some excellent online advice available from the General Aviation Safety Council at www.gasco.org.uk. And remember, there’s also a cadre of LAA Coaches ready and waiting to help you as well as the LAA Inspector team. Happy landings! ■
References and links
Engine TADS https://tinyurl.com/64zvu587 Lycoming: https://tinyurl.com/2vca3n9w Lycoming Flyer: https://tinyurl.com/47mwuwhw Continental: http://www.continental.aero/home FAA AC43.13: https://tinyurl.com/bnb9zs78
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TADS
Focus on TADS LAA Chief Inspector, Ken Craigie explains the change from SPARS to TADS…
T
here is still work to be done, but the Engineering department felt the LAA website-based Type Acceptance Data Sheets (TADS) system had matured sufficiently to enable a changeover from Permit renewal inspections in accordance with SPARS, to Permit renewal inspections in accordance with (iaw) TADS, and inspectors have been instructed that this change became effective for inspections from the beginning of February 2021. Incidentally, for those wondering, the name of SPARS came from the admittedly rather clumsy NoteS to PFA AircRaft InSpectors, effectively the Inspectors’ bible they refer to when inspecting your aircraft. So, for all Permit renewal inspections your LAA Inspector must now declare on the blue LAA/FWR-1 Permit Renewal Form for fixed-wing aircraft (see later for gyroplanes) that the inspection has been carried out iaw with the particular Number and Issue Number of the TADS that applies to the aircraft type in question. Unfortunately, Permit renewal applications not presented iaw TADS, or with incorrect or out of date TADS data, are likely to be rejected. So, your Inspector must have checked the TADS applicable to your particular aircraft type prior to carrying out the inspection.
Aircraft owners
One major advantage of the changeover discussed above is that all the assembled technical information becomes equally available to everybody, not least of course aircraft owners, who after all remain primarily responsible for the airworthiness condition of their aircraft, and for compliance with requirements. Naturally, just like the rest of us, some Inspectors may be less tech-savvy than others, so why not download and print off a copy of the relevant TADS for your aircraft and have it on hand when he arrives? It wouldn’t be a bad idea for your own preparedness either, so that you are aware of any inspection or maintenance requirements added since the previous inspection – new material is added to TADS as and when required.
Finding TADS
Go onto the LAA website homepage (www.laa.uk.com), select ‘Aircraft & Technical’ and then ‘Data Library’ – and the Aircraft, Gyroplane, Engine and Propeller TADS will appear at the top of the list. There will soon be an ‘Equipment’ TADS as well and we’ll let you know as soon as that work has been completed, although it remains work in progress for now. Apart from scrolling down the aircraft TADS list to locate a particular type, you can search by using the ‘letter’ shortcuts at the top of the page, or hold down Ctrl and press ‘F’, whereupon a search box will appear. 26 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above The SPARS book has been used by Inspectors for many years but was unavailable to members. All TADS are available on the LAA website.
One thing to look out for when searching TADS is that you need to remember to search by manufacturer, not type. So, for example, ‘Bulldogs’ will be found under Scottish Aviation, ‘Glasairs’ will be listed under Stoddart Hamilton, and ‘Rebels’ will be under Murphy, so be careful not to rely on the Default TADS (see later) too readily, be sure to conduct a thorough search.
TADS Section 2
aircraft is a special case. Inspectors of these aircraft should go to the Gyro TADS list on the LAA website, through which they will be able to access the CAA TADS for the type. For the time being, nothing will change for this group of aircraft, and FBG Inspectors should continue to enter the CAA TADS data, and the SPARS data onto the FBG green Permit renewal form, as they do now.
Apart from a small number soon to be updated, the format of TADS is constant throughout the library, and each TADS is presented in such a way that it is always Section 2 of the TADS that provides the ‘mandatory’ information which Inspectors must be aware of (and must satisfy as appropriate). As a minimum, Inspectors (and owners) must consult Section 2 of the aircraft’s TADS at each Permit renewal inspection. However, it nevertheless remains good practice to review all the information provided in the remainder of a given TADS, which is there to help make an owner’s and an Inspector’s task an easier one, and to enable useful information, safety tips and experience from incidents to be passed on. Although only the ‘Aircraft’ TADS data is required to be entered on the Permit Renewal Form, your Inspector must also consult the applicable ‘Engine’ TADS (where there is one) and also the ‘Propeller’ TADS and, eventually, an ‘Equipment’ TADS.
Log book entries
It has become established good practice, when completing aircraft and engine (and propeller) log book entries in relation to a Permit renewal inspection, that as well as providing an appropriately descriptive summary of work carried out, Inspectors have described the inspection as having been carried out in accordance with the latest SPARS amendment number. We think that now it would be good practice to continue with this approach, but to modify the statement to confirm that inspection has been carried out iaw the relevant Aircraft TADS Number and Issue Number.
Form info required
The title block of each TADS specifies the Issue Number (and also sometimes a Revision letter, which for these purposes can be ignored). The title block will additionally provide a brief description of changes made since the last issue and a sidebar will appear, where applicable, indicating where text has changed, or been added. For years Inspectors have been used to entering the number of the latest SPARS Amendment at Section 3 on page 4 of the standard Permit Renewal application form. Now, instead of the SPARS AMENDMENT number, they must enter the Number and Issue Number of the applicable Aircraft TADS. For example, if he were inspecting a Eurofox, the current TADS is No 376, at Issue 7, Revision B, so your form should show TADS 376 Issue 7, thereby confirming that he has consulted Section 2 of the relevant Aircraft TADS, and that he has ensured satisfaction with any requirements posted therein. They do not have to enter the TADS data for the Engine, Propeller or Equipment TADS, but should have consulted these documents and satisfied any requirements described therein in the same way. Future reprints of the Permit Renewal Form will of course provide suitably modified text.
Default TADS No 000
Most of the LAA aircraft fleet is now covered with typespecific TADS. However, with over 500 different types under LAA oversight there inevitably remains a few types not yet covered by a TADS. In this circumstance, having checked and assured themselves there are no type-specific TADS yet available, Inspectors must check into the Default TADS No 000 (found at the top of the TADS list), and be sure to comply with the instructions provided therein. He or she then enters the Default TADS Number ‘000’ and the Issue Number onto the renewal form – not forgetting to nevertheless consult with the Engine (and Propeller) TADS, if there is one.
Teething troubles
Below The SPARS reference lined through and the appropriate TADS entry correctly entered for the example in the text. In due course, Inspectors will be supplied with a label to use for this purpose but the above is perfectly satisfactory.
Unsurprisingly, Permit renewal applications received up to the end of February are significantly down compared to this time last year – around 100, which is less than half of normal. On the whole, ‘quality’ has been good, but around a half-dozen have failed due to Inspectors not having correctly signed out their inspection to be in accordance with TADS. Errors so far include signing off to SPARS, entering the wrong TADS number, or wrongly entering the Default TADS number when there is in fact a TADS covering the type – just a little more attention to detail would have sorted it, in most cases. As mentioned above, you need to search by manufacturer, not type. Having said that, as has long been the case, most failed applications occur because of missing or incorrect owner/pilot data input. Such data is not the direct responsibility of your Inspector, but it does really help when Inspectors step up to the role of ‘mentor’ and actively coach owners and pilots to ensure that their data entry is complete and accurate, so by all means ask your Inspector to check your Renewal Form if you are at all unsure that you have completed it correctly. ■
Amateur-built gyroplanes
Creation of TADS for amateur-built gyroplanes are well advanced and will be available on the website very soon. Until then, Inspectors will continue to refer to the latest SPARS Amendment when completing the ‘green’ amateurbuilt gyroplane Permit renewal forms.
Factory-built gyroplanes (FBG)
Because these aircraft already have a dedicated type-specific TADS, created by the CAA, this group of April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 27
Tailwheel links
Tailwheel links
LAA Inspector Trevor Reed says set up that break-out tailwheel correctly…
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he majority of taildraggers use tailwheels that are linked to the rudder, always moving with it, but automatically disengaging to allow full castering on the ground. Setting the tension in the spring linkage is critical for successful operation and there is often an inclination to set the linkage too tight, believing that taking out any slack will make it easier to steer on the ground. Such belief is erroneous – too tight a setting can induce serious problems such as the tailwheel being reluctant to unlock, which can overload the rudder bearings, leading to premature failure of the bearings and pins. If the system is very slack, it can give vague steering with the possibility of tailwheel shimmy. So, what we have to achieve is a setting that gives full movement of the tailwheel in normal operation, but which allows breakout of the internal locking mechanism when full castering is needed but is not so slack that shimmy is likely. However, it can be tricky to get it right and I am indebted to Mike Mold who has kindly sent me a link to a YouTube posting (https://youtu.be/QtokU8mIDQk) which gives the clearest procedure that I have encountered to date. It comes from the US, but our ‘country cousins’ do things like this so well! However, please don’t copy this chap’s jacking methods, you should never work on an unsupported aircraft; balancing the tail on top of a trolley jack is not acceptable! The method shown for setting the springs is very straightforward. Raise the back of the fuselage on a trestle, so that the tailwheel is clear of the ground and disconnect the links and springs from the arms on the tailwheel. Move the tailwheel gently one way, say to port, until you feel the resistance of the unlocking detent. Then, making sure that the tailwheel stays put, move the rudder in the same direction until it is fully deflected. Now, with your third hand, connect up the starboard spring so that it is just snug. The length of the tailwheel steering chains should be adjusted to get the desired tension by either removing or adding chain links and the screwable shackles should be secured by either split pins or locking wire. OK, that’s one side done. Repeat the process with the other side and the work is almost complete – you need to check a couple of things. Make sure that rudder travel, stop to stop, isn’t impaired by the spring set-up and that the tailwheel arm can’t approach an over-centre situation at full travel, i.e., it cannot go so far around that
28 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above The correct setting of the tailwheel break-out spring tension is critical for good ground handling; too tight and it will strain the rudder hinges, too loose and steering can be vague and may cause shimmy. The use of asymmetric ‘Maule’ style springs also helps.
it will not return to straight ahead as the rudder is moved back to centre. And don’t forget to carry out a taxi test, with weight on the tail spring the geometry may change slightly, so make sure that the steering breaks only at full rudder deflection, just as it did when setting it up. Finally, make your logbook entries, including duplicate checks, as you have disturbed a primary control, and get your Inspector to approve your work.
Duplicate checks
Technical Leaflet TL2.05, explains all you need to know, as a pilot/owner, about carrying out one of the two independent checks necessary after a control has been disturbed. The rules are quite clear and unambiguous, if an engine or flying control has been disturbed, the checks are mandatory, and both should be carried out by LAA Inspectors. However, if only one Inspector is available, it is acceptable for the second check to be carried out by the owner/pilot or a licensed aircraft engineer. So, what should you do if called upon to carry out a duplicate check? Firstly, you must remember that
Tailwheel links
AIRCRAFT DUPLICATE INSPECTION RECORD Reference A/C Type Item No
Control/System
Sheet No Registration Detail of Work Carried Out
LAA/IC-DUP Issue 4
of
Serial No First Inspection by Inspector* (Signature/Insp No/Date)
Second Inspection** (Signature/Authority/Date)
Duplicate Inspections are required whenever engine or flying controls and their systems are disturbed or at the completion of an aircraft build project. The control/system should be inspected for correct assembly and locking and for full range and freedom of movement in the correct sense. Some aircraft have ‘Vital Points’ (such as wing attachment bolts) and whilst not required to have a Duplicate Inspection it may be considered wise to carry out such inspections on Vital Points. The signatory requirements for a duplicate inspection are: *The first part of the duplicate inspection must be certified by an LAA inspector. **The second part of the duplicate inspection may be certified by a second inspector or by a licensed pilot who is a current member of the LAA. When doing so, the pilot must include their full pilot’s licence number with their signature and date as the authority. Alternatively, the second part may be signed for by a licensed engineer, or acceptable equivalent (see SPARS for details). Where two LAA inspectors are signatories, no seniority is implied by the first or second inspection, but convention is that the inspector overseeing the work as a whole will sign the first. The PMR statement must also be signed by the LAA inspector. Duplicate Inspections may be recorded in the aircraft’s log books. Note: All worksheets should be attached or referenced in the logbooks of the aircraft to which they refer and are considered to be part of the aircraft’s legal maintenance record.
such a check is not a trivial matter, it is not just a cursory look, a signature and ‘let’s go flying’. You are being asked to confirm the integrity of the control system that you are checking, including correct assembly and locking, range of movement, free movement and, most essential, sense of movement. Do not assume that, just because the first check has been completed, all is correct. Make sure that you get a clear brief from your Inspector and ask for guidance if you are uncertain. I recently had to complete the inspection for an engine installation after an engine rebuild. I was the only Inspector on site and had to brief one of the pilots in the group to carry out the duplicate check on the engine controls. As checks go, this was not a particularly difficult set with only the throttle, mixture and hot air controls to be checked. However, apart from checking the wire locking
Above When you have to carry out a duplicate inspection, use the appropriate LAA Form, LAA/ IC-DUP, for your records. It can be downloaded from the LAA website.
or split pinning, each control had to be operated from the P1 and P2 positions to ensure that, when it got to the engine, each worked in the correct sense and gave the full range of movement to the engine control. An important part of this was to confirm that the outer part of the cable did not move when the control was operated. It was not until I started to brief the pilot, that I realised that what may seem routine to an Inspector, was outside the pilot’s norm and guidance was necessary. When it comes to recording the checks, there is an excellent form (LAA/IC-DUP) available on the LAA website. While it is not compulsory, this form makes the paperwork easy. It also contains a useful guide to the procedure as a whole. This article first appeared in the Devon Strut newsletter. My thanks to the Strut and Trevor Reed for permission to use it. Ed. ■
March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 11
LAA Rally 2021
Headset review
Rally 2021 set to fly! With everything starting to look a tad brighter it looks like it is all systems go for the LAA 75th Anniversary Rally…
T
he incredible success of the NHS coronavirus vaccination programme, and the consequent Government Roadmap, is presenting a very positive outcome for the 2021, LAA 75th Anniversary Sywell Rally to possibly be run as close to ‘normal’ as possible. The Rally Committee, headed by Eryl Smith, is optimistic that the disappointment of last year’s cancellation of the event will not be repeated, and its first post-Roadmap meeting has begun work in earnest to plan for this year’s event. This includes reviewing the site layout and protocols to ensure we can offer all visitors and exhibitors a Covid-safe environment. The team are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Sywell for what will be the UK’s first major sport and recreational flying event in almost two years, providing a great opportunity to see all that is new as well as catching up with many old acquaintances! Discussions are ongoing with our marquee providers, but by early April we plan to be in a position to settle the site layout and commence the sale of exhibitor space. Since the announcement of the Roadmap, we have been encouraged by the enthusiasm of many of our long-term exhibitors, who are requesting booking information and looking forward to returning to the informal, friendly atmosphere of this long-established event on the British aviation calendar. For visitors too, the Rally Exhibition offers opportunities not only for bargains and special deals, but also the chance to see and touch the latest tech, with experts on hand to answer all your queries and advise on what best suits your particular needs. We are planning to provide all the features that members and visitors have come to expect from past Rallies, such as airside access – free of course for members and £10 per day for non-members. This presents such an excellent opportunity for people to get to see the aircraft up close, meet and chat to the pilots and perhaps learn how accessible and affordable aircraft ownership can be. If you are thinking of buying an aircraft, the Rally is the optimum opportunity to see so many different possibilities first-hand. There are inevitably aircraft in the park that are actually on the market, so you might even see the machine of your dreams! The success of Speakers Corner, and the Saturday night keynote speaker slot in ‘Hangar 2’ in 2019, when Ivan Shaw presented on his spectacular ISA 180 Seeker, has prompted a possible repeat of a keynote speaker for the Saturday evening, prior to the usual musical evening on entertainment in the Hangar 1 bar. Once again, throughout the weekend, we are planning to host a top-notch programme of lectures and presentations representing all facets of ‘our’ kind of aviation. The Homebuilders Centre is a highlight for many at the event, providing insight into what is involved in building your own aircraft. An array of part-built projects,
30 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
representing all media – wood, metal and composite – with their builders, will be on display, plus experts in particular build disciplines. It is yet another opportunity to learn of the possibilities the LAA offers you to attain whatever your desires are in recreational aviation. Being in close proximity to Silverstone and Northampton, there is excellent provision for hotel accommodation in the Sywell area, including of course, the Aviator Motel and restaurant on site. We also provide a campsite, serviced with regularly cleaned toilets, hot showers and washing facilities, right across the road from the airfield entrance. It opens from Thursday evening until Monday morning for a fixed price of £30 per unit for the duration, or as short a time as you wish to stay. Camping passes can be purchased in advance via the LAA online shop. Sustenance is well provided for by catering facilities in the exhibition area, with plenty of tables and chairs to meet friends for tea and a chat, the Hangar 1 bar, that also serves breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning plus hot food on Saturday evening, and the Pilot’s Mess café, up at the tower end of the airfield. Admission prices to the event have always represented excellent value for money, particularly for members who pay just £6 to cover all three days, including airside access. The non-member admission price rises to £15, also for all three days, plus an additional £10 per day for airside access. We will keep members up to speed as developments for the 2021 LAA 75th Anniversary Rally continue, including of course the arrivals procedure for pilots. Slot booking is expected to open at the beginning of August. We intend making this not just a commemoration of 75 years of the largest powered flying Association in the UK, but also a celebration of the return to a normal, stress and Covid risk-free way of life. ■
Callout for volunteers As you can imagine, it takes a fair amount of volunteer effort to stage the Rally each year, it is ostensibly a volunteer effort and we are fortunate to have a core team of people who turn up, year in year out, to put this event together. However, as the result of missing a year, we are concerned that we may have a shortage of help this year, so are appealing for willing hands to join the team. It’s not all hard work of course, there’s a lot of camaraderie and fun, and you will certainly meet new friends. The Wednesday and Thursday before the show opens, and the Monday after it closes, the build-up and teardown days are the busiest but we also need helpers throughout the event itself. If you can join the Rally team at any time throughout that period, we would love to hear from you. Please contact LAA HQ at office@laa.uk.com or call 01280 846796 (ext. 2). Thank you.
Coaching corner
Light at the Coaching end of the Corner… tunnel?
David Cockburn, PCS Head of Training offers expert advice to take on board when the time comes for us to get back in the air…
I
do not doubt we are all aware of the DfT’s message on 2 March on how GA aligns with the Government’s ‘Roadmap for easing out of lockdown’. However, as with much of aviation regulation, there are likely to be some misunderstandings and myths being passed around about that message; so don’t believe everything you are told unless it comes from an official source. Apart from anything else, as the DfT have said, the projected dates are ‘indicative and subject to change’. Just to remind ourselves, if all goes well, from 29 March the Government will allow us to fly solo or with members of our own ‘bubble’ (which for most of us I suppose means people we live with, although we can’t carry passengers until we have flown at least three take-offs and landings within the previous 90 days). However, flights with others, including instructors, will not be possible until 12 April at the earliest. At least ORS 4 No 1471 now allows those holding an NPPL or UK PPL to fly up to 12 hours in EASA aeroplanes in order to revalidate their rating, subject to the conditions. While the guidelines legally allow solo flying after 29 March, is it good sense for us to do so? Some of us may indeed have managed to retain our flying skills over the lockdown period, and may well consider ourselves safe to return to ‘normal’ flying. However, most of us will have been stuck on the ground (and indeed away from even discussing flying) for a long time and, as we know, our flying skills deteriorate over time. For a great many of us, just launching solo would NOT be a safe restart. As always in flying, it is your decision to make, but if you feel nervous or unsure, it might make good sense to delay another few weeks and make a flight with a Coach or instructor.
Lack of proficiency
Many of us have probably been forced in the past to stay on the ground during the winter months anyway, so it is tempting to think that our flying skills won’t have deteriorated much more than they have done after previous winters. We’re used to the idea of reading up the manuals and thinking how we’re going to manage these first flights. We are also used to having to take it easy for the first few trips, avoiding challenging conditions and fully loaded take-offs. Surely this year isn’t going to be that much different? 32 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Well, I don’t really think it IS the same as before. I doubt if any of us flew as much last year as usual, even if we were able to maintain our ratings’ validity. We had plenty of gaps in our flying last year, so we probably started the winter at a lower skill level than we started previous winters, which suggests that we shall be at a much lower standard now than at the beginning of previous flying seasons. The lack of practice can affect us mentally as well, so beware that the desire to get back into the air doesn’t overcome our common sense. We need to take even more care than previously, and it will come as no surprise to readers that I strongly suggest you take advantage of the services of an LAA Coach. Although we are able and very willing to offer advice over the phone, there is no substitute for practical guidance in your own aircraft. Whether or not practical guidance is available, I suggest you have a look at Returning to flying in the wake of COVID-19, part of the GASCO website www. gasco.org.uk. Having done that, you might like to prepare and plan your return to flying in a sequence such as this: ■ Read through your aircraft and pilot’s handbooks, and remind yourself of how the aircraft systems work, what speeds you plan to fly at different stages of flight, and how much runway you are likely to use in various situations. ■ Talk yourself through a simple flight, from pre-flight checks through engine start, taxi, run-up, take-off and climb, level off into cruise, descent, joining procedure, circuit, approach, go-around, another circuit and landing. Then do it again and consider what might go wrong at each stage and what you should do about it. ■ Carry out the external pre-flight checks, then sit in the cockpit. Without actually selecting any switches, move your hands to the required places for that flight, including your response to the problems you considered. Practice the radio calls you expect to, or may have to, make and think about the replies you expect. ■ Once you are able to go flying again, but only when conditions are all favourable, carry out that simple flight. Once levelled off into the cruise, I suggest you practise a couple of circuit patterns in the sky (remembering to keep a good lookout), including approaches and go-arounds at a safe height. Try and avoid returning to the airfield when it’s busy, and once you do, make a couple of go-arounds again if you can. In any case,
Coaching corner always be ready to fly a go-around for real if things aren’t working out well. The guidelines have allowed most Coaches and instructors to keep themselves current during lockdown, and I am, of course, strongly advising you to use their services on that initial flight. He or she will almost certainly offer to extend the flight to give you more benefit, introducing items such as stall revision and practice forced landings. With a Coach available, it’s probably worth carrying out more than one flight with them, especially if these can be counted as training flights towards rating revalidation. Finally, I’m sure quite a few of us will have allowed our ratings to lapse, probably through no fault of our own. Renewing a rating will of course need the services of an examiner, but I suggest that you carry out an initial training flight to get back into practice before attempting a GST or LPC. There are a few Coaches who are also examiners, and the office can probably direct you to one nearby, but most examiners will be happy to assist by giving instruction on such an initial flight.
Signatures
It is always worthwhile obtaining appropriate certifying signatures in logbooks and licences, even if at the time they seem unnecessary. Certified logbook entries should provide acceptable proof to the CAA that the particular flight took place, if we need to obtain a new licence, certificate or permission in the future. They can also demonstrate the same to foreign authorities if required. When we had to obtain EASA licences to fly Part-21 aircraft, most of us were able to retain our UK licences, so now hold at least two pilot licences. It may have seemed logical that revalidating the ratings on one licence would allow us to exercise the privileges on both, but although the method of revalidation was the same for both, and the hours and flights counted for both, revalidations had to be signed within the specified time on each
licence to keep it valid. As some, who allowed their NPPL SSEA rating to lapse while keeping a LAPL current have discovered, in order to regain that lapsed rating they now have to pass a GST with an examiner, and if the rating has lapsed by more than five years, they need to pass an oral examination as part of that. Although, for most of us, the LAPL will still be quite sufficient, we may encounter circumstances when we cannot exercise its privileges, so we should try to keep all ratings valid.
Aircraft loading
Below Lockdowns and CAA concessions have made it difficult to know exactly where we are with paperwork currency, but ignorance of the law is no excuse. Make sure your Permit, biennial sign-off and medical are all up to date – assume nothing. And don’t forget to upgrade the insurance if you have only had the aircraft on ground risks during lockdown.
It is a fact of life that members of the human race in more affluent countries such as ours (yes!) have ‘expanded’ since the 1940s – and appear to continue to do so. And by ‘expanded’ I mean in all dimensions, with a consequent increase in body mass. This means, for example, that the current occupants of an aircraft designed in the 1950s are likely to be a lot heavier than those the manufacturer advertised could be carried together with a full (or virtually full) fuel load. If we put these heavier individuals in our aircraft with the same fuel load, we can expect to be exceeding the aircraft’s MTMA (maximum take-off mass authorised). Pre-flight calculations of weight and balance may be seen as a chore, and the maths may seem daunting to some. However, as explained in the January and February issues, there are many computer programs and apps available which can calculate an aircraft’s weight and balance, so we should take advantage of them. However, after we find out what the weight and CofG position of our aircraft is for a particular flight, the most important thing is to check that they lie within the limits. If they do not, we need to change the load until they are! ■
April l 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 33
Headset review
Staying aloft… Clive Davidson looks at how to manage a flight with only partial power…
O
nce established in the cruise, straight and level and en route, the task of piloting is probably at its simplest. It is also possibly the most enjoyable as the scenery slips by on track, features coming up on time, radio chatter routinely straightforward, and the ‘housekeeping’ checks presenting a picture of total normality. But... what if this blissful situation is shattered by the engine suddenly starting to run rough! The old heart misses a beat or two for sure, but hopefully you quickly regain your composure, and keep flying the aeroplane. Is it slowing dramatically? If it is, then set it up in as gentle a descent as you can while you run through the checks – carb heat, mags, mixture, select an alternative fuel tank, all may provide
34 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above All’s well with the world, it’s a great day, you’re in the cruise, running sweet and watching the world sail by... what could possibly go wrong!
an answer as to the cause – and with luck a remedy. The secondary checks of oil pressure and temperature, CHTs and EGTs, provided you have them available in the first place, really only add a suggestion of the cause, and little chance of setting things back on the road to the utter relief of normality. These actions take but moments to complete and, if they achieve no sign of improvement, then decision making very quickly raises its head – the engine is running rough and you must decide what your next move is going to be. So: 1. Do you have an engine problem that you can solve? If yes, then having sorted it, either continue as planned or, if not wholly satisfied that the problem has definitely been completely resolved or you are feeling a bit jittery, divert to settle yourself down back on terra
Staying aloft firma and talk, consider, analyse and think it through logically. 2. If you can’t sort out the engine problem can you: ■ Still reach the intended destination. ■ Divert to a nearby airfield. ■ Or do you put it down in the best field you can see or find? To a large extent, your answer will be based on whether or not you can still fly safely and maintain height, and whether the engine appears to be maintaining the level of power that it does have. Some previous practice of maintaining height with minimum power at your maximum range speed will certainly serve you well. As a rule of thumb your maximum range speed in still air is more or less your best glide speed, let’s say 60k. If you are flying into wind add about one third of the wind speed; windspeed 20k, so 60+7 = 67k. If flying downwind just maintain best glide speed. Naturally this brings into the question where might be the best divert, if you are bucking a strong headwind it might well be better to turn around and run downwind.
The exercise
On a calm and near cloudless day, get airborne and, at a safe height, set up your standard cruise figures. We are going from the known to the new, and it may help to have a friend along with whom you can analyse and discuss the results, as well as maintain a good lookout while your own head is in the cockpit. Reduce the power 100rpm, maintain height and retrim as accurately as possible. When settled at this new speed, note the rpm and the resultant reduced speed, plus the slightly higher nose attitude, as this slightly incremental trend will continue. Reduce the power by a further 100rpm and repeat the process to remain straight and level at the slower speed, and the new marginally higher nose attitude and retrim as accurately as possible to maintain height and heading. Let it settle. Adjust the elevator trim as best as can be done. Also, check you are in balance with the slip ball, or turn needle – anything out of alignment on the airframe creates drag, so try to eliminate any unnecessary performance loss. Repeat further reductions in power, using smaller increments as you approach maximum range speed, selecting a new nose attitude and retrim. Once the appropriate speed is reached, note throttle, trim. Nose attitude and rpm settings for future reference.
Decision time
In a real world situation, if you are fortunate to have a reserve of power when you set up for your best range speed, you might usefully use it to slowly gain some additional height. However, bear in mind that using that additional power might exacerbate whatever the engine problem is. It might be wiser to not overstress the engine any more than is absolutely necessary. Check the GPS for your ground speed and assess whether you have a headwind or tailwind component. A significant headwind might mean that the best diversion option is downwind or crosswind. If it remains into wind, add the appropriate 1/3 windspeed to your range speed. If you don’t have sufficient power to maintain best range speed, you can slow up the aircraft a bit more but be very wary indeed of getting too close to the stall, if you can’t keep 10kt above stall speed and maintain
height, you are probably better off using what power you do have to continue as gentle a descent rate as possible and, if this won’t get you to an airfield, find the best field you can and carry out an off airfield landing. If, with good fortune and good airmanship, you are able to make it back to an airfield, don’t take any more chances than you need to. Call them early to explain your situation and ask for a priority landing so you can position for the minimum circuit positioning or a straight in, whatever is appropriate. They will be more than happy to help.
A few additional ‘tricks’…
■ Having established the throttle setting for max range, mark it so it can be readily found. ■ Make use of any lift, such as rising air above a motorway on a hot day. ■ If you have a variable pitch propeller, a slightly finer pitch may be of benefit. Depending on how you handle it, a rough running engine does not have to be the end of a good day. Having thought about the possibility of flying on reduced power, and practiced the exercise, it will at least aid the necessary decision making during such a situation. Over the years I’ve had possibly more than my share of engine issues in a Stampe, Harvard, Tiger Moth, Grumman AA5A, Monnett Sonerai, Auster, Yak 9, Starduster and a replica Sopwith One and a Half Strutter. I managed to make it back to base on four of those occasions.
Tale of the One and a Half Strutter…
I was part of a loose formation transiting with the Czech Pterodactyls, a display team, on our way from Jihlava to Cambrai in France. I particularly wanted to attend this show as it marked the centenary of the first major tank battle in WWI, and my grandfather had been there. Petr was leading in an SE5a, Franny in his Fokker Dr1 and Petr’s aunt in an Eindecker (apologies that I cannot recall her name, but she used to lead the Red Bull team flying Zlin 50s). I was sitting behind a dummy Vickers machine gun mounted on a padded circular excuse of a windscreen, flying a replica Sopwith One and a Half Strutter. My kit was stored in the rear gunner’s cockpit, he was travelling with the ground grew along with the second Eindecker which would be shot up as a ground target, the replica lorry, which was also to blow up when strafed, the engineers, the armourers and the pyrotechnics crew. It’s quite an explosive exhibition and when I first flew with them, I was actually firing blanks from a pucka machine gun and the cases were ejected into thin air... and was advised not to fly over the crowd when you are shooting! All guns now are gas firing. Having refuelled and taken off as number four, I detected a slight rattle from somewhere ahead of me as I was cutting the corner to catch the formation up. We were to be transitioning under part of Frankfurt’s airspace and in between the relatively low and very wooded Taurus mountains. Behind the others I played around with throttle, mixture, and carb heat but the oil gauge was telling me all was well… but the slight rattle was definitely getting worse in terms of roughness, decibels and now a bit of a tremouring shake. I tried calling Petr, without any luck, and none of the others, all still ahead of me, responded either. I could still stay with them but wondered how long things were going to hold together. Our route was starting to weave around the April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 35
Staying aloft mountains and there were not many places to put down, so I opened the throttle to draw alongside Petr in his SE5a. The clattering was getting worse. As I drew into formation Petr must have heard me as he turned to look at me and I faked a pantomime grimace, pointed at my engine and gave a thumbs down. He responded with a perfectly audible RT transmission, the first of the day. “Clife” (Czechs have trouble with Vs) “Clife, you are losing oil.” Almost matter of factly he pointed behind to a grayish trail of smoke and immediately banked hard right, beckoning for me to follow. We flew down a narrowing valley
Right Didn’t quite make it back. Clive put the stricken Replica Sopwith One and a Half Strutter down in a sugar beet field.
36 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Headset review
Below The axle assembly is pretty low slung on the replica Sopwith, and that beet looks rather solid and unforgiving.
and two fields came into view, one had a standing crop and the other was green. The poor old girl was given a slight respite as I throttled back in order to ascertain further conditions but, from a more by luck than judgement high base leg, it suddenly went quiet as the prop stopped turning and the poor old Verner radial seized. A bit of a slip and the wheels trundled in between the packed rows of sugar beet. The others arrived overhead as I got out of the dear old bus that had looked after me and allowed me to get to this remote but safe spot. I was also fortunate in that the low-slung undercarriage axle had just skimmed over the top of a pretty solid crop. Waving their goodbyes, my colleagues continued on their way to Cambrai as I started to wonder what I should do next. In the next valley, Mannfred was packing his radio control planes away in the boot of his car when he saw what appeared to be a dogfight of four WWI aircraft. They dropped out of sight… and only three reappeared so fortunately for me, he came to investigate. I couldn’t have been in better company with Manfred and his wife, who looked after me until the team returned from a successful Cambrai show and picked me up. Ironically, I missed the Cambrai display and survived, just as my grandad had – he too missed Cambrai as his tank broke down! The dear old Sopwith is airworthy once again and I am due to meet her again this summer, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. The cause of my woes was an errant valve that, having become detached, proceeded to punch a hole through its piston. If my gunner had been in the rear cockpit he could have warned me when the oil trail started. I told him he could fly with me en route next time but he wasn’t too sure about that suggestion!
Staying aloft
A partial power recollection By Brian Hope
Some years ago, I was on my way to Berlin in my Jodel with a gaggle of friends. We routed Midden Zeeland for Customs/Immigration and then Damme for an overnight. Damme has good camping facilities, with some cabins for rent if the weather is a bit iffy, and also has a decent restaurant on site. Two or three of the group decided that they would night stop at Osnabrück because it was a larger city and they preferred hotels to tents… strange, but it takes all sorts. The plan was to meet at our final destination, Kyritz, north of Berlin. I’d been to Kyritz before because they held a fly-in there and arranged for small groups to fly into Tempelhof, which I had done previously. Because this famous WWII / Berlin Airlift airfield was scheduled to close fairly imminently, this group trip came about, in fact this was the trip which Martin Ferid came along on and wrote so eloquently about in the January issue. After a cup of coffee and a sticky bun in Midden Zeeland met slagroom – the rather unfortunate Dutch words for the cake coming with that aerated ‘whipped’ cream from a pressurised can. Compare the delightful French expression avec chantilly or even the Hope family’s, with phut phut, as the stuff was christened by my then teenage little sister decades ago, still retaining that epithet to this day. It is with some relief I guess, that I report she did not however, pursue a career in linguistics. Anyway, cream and cake consumed, we headed off for Damme, or Osnabrück, with me as the lead aircraft. The route more or less took us east, heading towards Osnabrück, and as we neared the city, those staying there would continue straight on a short distance and join for landing, while the rest of us turned for a more north-easterly heading for about another 20 miles for Damme. Everybody was looking after their own navigation and it was very much a ‘same way, same day’ arrangement, so as we approached the corner we had become pretty well spaced out, in the non-hallucinogenic sense of course. I had by then turned to listen out on Damme, to see how busy they were, and was surprised to hear one of the group, a friend of a friend and not a regular acquaintance, let’s call him Dick, calling them for landing instructions. I probably had about 25nm to run and, being in a slightly faster aircraft, was rather bemused by this. Anyway, Dick continued his discussions with Damme, made the various return calls and, just as it was getting interesting, my engine went onto three cylinders and started rattling my fillings out. I throttled back to about 1,900rpm, where it smoothed out to a tolerable level, and I was able to maintain height at a slightly slower speed, but rather than push on to Damme, I decided it would be more prudent to head for a gliding site, Achmer, about 10 miles farther on and only two or three miles east of track. I tried to make contact with Damme, who clearly (unclearly?) were not answering me, so I said to Dick, “When you get down, can you tell Damme that I have an engine problem and am diverting to Achmer. “Yes”, he said, “will do.” And having found a radio frequency for the gliding site, I tried calling them. There was no response, but it was a Thursday, and as in the UK, many airfields and strips only come alive at the weekend. As the airfield came into sight I decided it
Above The Airlift Memorial at Templehof commemorates the 39 British, 31 American and 13 Germans who lost their lives during the Airlift, which operated from June 1948 until September 1949. In total 266,600 flights were carried out, moving 2,325,809 tons of fuel, food and general supplies. They were flown in to Templehof, Gatow and Tegal, the later being built by Army Engineers in less than two months.
would be prudent to keep to the probable deadside, given the wind direction, rather than fly overhead, just in case they were winch launching, but with a couple of cars and gliders at the upwind end of the field where there were a number of glider trailers, it was pretty evident the place wasn’t active. I landed and taxied up to the clubhouse and there was indeed nobody else about, so I whipped off the cowling, felt for the cold cylinder – C90 owners will not be surprised that it was the portside front. I took the rocker box cover off, tapped the compressed exhaust valve and it sprang closed. Rocker box and cowling back on, it ran sweet, so I took off, probably no more than 20 minutes after I’d landed, and continued on to Damme who, along with my mates who had by then landed, were getting a little concerned about my non arrival. Dick wasn’t there either. In retrospect I should have called Damme or one of the group before I departed Achmer, but I called Damme once I was airborne as it was by then well in range.
Valve problem
Next day we headed off for the 1hr 40mins flight to Kyritz and, as the airfield hove into sight, I was contenting myself that the valve problem had been a temporary issue. I was just entering the circuit when the engine went onto three again and, before I’d even limped to parking, I had decided that the pot had to come off before heading for home. I wasn’t keen on heading out over the Channel on the homeward trip if there was a chance of it happening again. After the usual hearty welcome from Hubert Eckl, the ever ebullient organiser of the event, I explained my predicament and he very kindly borrowed the requisite cylinder base spanners and torque wrench from the local maintenance outfit (they didn’t operate over the weekend). Between our group, we had everything else we needed or could borrow from the gliding club, who very kindly allowed us to use their workshop. I rang my inspector, and he was happy for me to do the work, so we set to, being careful not to damage the rubber sealing ring that fits around the base of the cylinder as we did not April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 37
Staying aloft have a replacement. I’m a fan of the ‘no-blow’ exhaust gaskets, and they too are reusable. We had the cylinder off before lunch and, as expected, a fragment of carbon had wedged between the valve stem and the guide. We cleaned everything up, making sure the valve action was perfectly free and smooth, and had the cylinder back on by late afternoon. We finished the odds and ends the next day in between the activities – I flew into Templehof with one of the others; having been in with the Jodel the year before it wasn’t too much of a disappointment. When we got back we finished things off, I flew a quick couple of circuits and gave it another good check for leaks etc., and I was all set for the trip home the next day. And Dick? Well needless to say he had landed at Osnabrück and when he saw one of the others who’d landed there said, “I thought you guys were going to Osnabrück.” He didn’t mention that I had an engine problem and was diverting to Achmer until they were at dinner later that evening, so it was just as well I wasn’t upside down in a field somewhere... It was a classic case of him hearing the two destination airfield ICAO codes being mentioned and plugging the wrong one into his GPS. No chart, no plog, just follow the magenta brick road, although
38 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Headset review
Below Field repair. Refitting the cylinder having resolved the sticking exhaust valve issue. Rally goers may recognise the chap in orange, Volke Teske, who was an attendee for many years in his Jodel.
back then it would only have been a grey arrow on a GPS. He also happened to be in the group of six aircraft that I was in on the way in to Templehof, which was in a serious area of controlled airspace as the then main Berlin commercial airfield, Tegal Otto Lilienthal was very close, more or less on the other side of the city. There was a dedicated route in, with appropriate reporting points, one of which was a couple of miles south of the airfield, around which you had to carry out a holding pattern if there was IFR traffic inbound – which there just happened to be as we approached it. The plan was that the lead aircraft, with a German pilot on board, was to handle the radio and the rest of us maintained a listening watch and ‘follow the leader’ as instructed. When we were told to hold, Dick, who clearly hadn’t read and/or understood the brief, interrupted ATC and told them he didn’t understand where to hold and was continuing to join right base. Fortunately, the IFR traffic, a light twin, was down before he called final, and they simply told him to continue to final and then cleared him to land. Surprisingly, nothing else was said about it but, maybe not so surprisingly, he never came on a trip with us again… ■
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Flight Test
Up with the Cloudster…
Clive Davidson clearly experiences the delights of the Rearwin Cloudster – a vintage radial… Pictures by Neil Wilson. 40 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Flight Test
I
Above The Cloudster flies over the moored fleet of cruise liners on the south coast, the sun glinting on its leading edges and prop.
t doesn’t do justice to sit in an aircraft and pretend to fly. We all know that aircraft are living, breathing, mobile pieces of aerial art which transport us both physically from place to place and (excuse the pun) to another ‘plane’ of consciousness. But, just occasionally, it does no harm at all to sit in a familiar cockpit and go through a couple of drills and scenarios. It’s not a pretence, it’s preparation, as I was again very fortunate to be offered the opportunity to fly Will Gray’s ‘polished-to-showroom’ condition, Rearwin Cloudster. Notably, when opening a door to pull yourself up and in, with the aid of a strap, you are greeted by the evocative and enticingly deep and satisfying aroma of leather. Gorgeous. Rearwin Airplanes was founded in 1929 after its founder, Andrew ‘Rae’ Rearwin, a successful entrepreneur with no previous involvement in aviation who, having looked at what existing companies were building, decided he could build something better. Unable to buy out an existing company, he set up in an old workshop in Salinas, Kansas with his teenage sons, Ken and Royce, plus an aeronautical engineer, to build a prototype. This first machine, the Rearwin Ken-Royce, a threeseat sport biplane powered by a six-cylinder, double row 180hp Curtiss Challenger radial engine, was completed in early 1929 and competed in a number of air races to drum up publicity. Meanwhile, Rearwin succeeded in finding a financial partner and set up Rearwin Airplanes at Fairfax Airport, in Kansas City. By the beginning of the 1930s the Great Depression was starting to bite, and aircraft companies were turning to low-cost, low-powered, ultralight two-seaters in an effort to maintain sales and stay in business. Rearwin bought such a design from a neighbouring company on the airfield, a high-wing tandem two-seater, employed the two designers and completed the prototype of what became the Rearwin Junior, which first flew in 1931. The company sold seven Ken-Royces and 30 of the ultralight Rearwin Juniors, most of which were powered by the Dutch-built 45hp three-cylinder Szekely SR-3 radial, but orders soon dried up and, in 1933, Rearwin reorganised the company with himself as sole owner, renaming it Rearwin Aircraft. The company then built two new designs, the Speedster, which was a high performance, high-wing tandem, and the more appealing and lower cost Sportster, the latter being powered by LeBlond radials of 70-90hp, and the 90hp Warner Scarab. In all, around 270 Sportsters were built, so the company was on the up. Rearwin acquired the LeBlond Aircraft Engine Corporation in 1937 and had yet another change of name, this time to Rearwin Aircraft & Engines, with LeBlond becoming its Ken-Royce engine division. In 1939 they introduced their first side-by-side seat aircraft, the Model 8125 Cloudster, powered by the now ‘Ken-Royce’ 7F 120hp radial, a year later adding the Model 8135 with a sideways-facing third seat. Legendary Pan American Airways founder Juan Trippe, who owned a Rearwin Sportster, approached Rearwin in 1941 to develop an instrument trainer, and the Model 8135 was modified to
become the 8135T. It reverted to tandem seating and introduced jettisonable doors for both the instructor and student pilot, and seats with removable cushions to accommodate backpack or seat parachutes. The student sat in the rear with their own controls and a removable instrument panel, and blackout curtains could be fitted around the student for instrument training, allowing the instructor to maintain normal visibility in the front seat. In all, 125 Rearwin Cloudsters were built, 25 of them 8135T instrument trainers. Rearwin’s final aircraft was the SkyRanger, which flew in 1940 and featured the small flat four Continental and Franklin 65hp and 90hp engines. Unlike its contemporaries, principally the Piper Cub, it did not secure military interest as a primary trainer with the huge orders that endowed it, it was considered too challenging to fly so, with only 82 produced, in 1942 production ceased. Rae Rearwin sold the company that same year and it became Commonwealth Aircraft. It survived the war years thanks to government contracts, including building 1,470 Waco CG-4A military troop gliders, but when it re-introduced the Skyranger in 1946 it failed to secure sufficient orders. The company declared bankruptcy in 1946 and closed its doors for good in 1947.
Our test aeroplane
Will’s Cloudster, G-EVLE, is an early two seat 8125 model, built in 1939. It was imported into the UK because the buyer wanted its Warner Scarab engine to fit into a WWI replica, the original of which would have been fitted with a le Rhone rotary. Melvyn Hiscock bought the aircraft less engine in 1994 and restored it to its current beautiful condition, sourcing a replacement 145hp Warner Scarab 145, an engine that the type was not fitted with at the factory. Melvin, who was also passionate about playing and building guitars, penned the book Make Your Own Electric Guitar in 1986 and was working on a third update when he sadly died in February after a long battle with cancer. Melvyn was also a published author in aviation, he worked with the Memorial Flight Association in France, building and rebuilding airworthy WWI aircraft, producing Classic Aircraft of World War One in 1994, and Hawker Hurricane, Inside and Out in 2003. Unfortunately, I was not privileged to have known Melvyn, but people tell me he was a naturally funny and all-round good chap. His spirit no doubt lives on in the countless home-crafted bedroom guitars of budding Van Halens, and most certainly in this wonderful aeroplane, on which he lavished so much attention. Will acquired the aircraft from Melvyn in 2015.
First impressions
On meeting the Rearwin Cloudster for the first time you are facing a high-wing, tailwheel aircraft with a radial engine which has, to put it mildly, substantial presence. Its size, colour and condition lend sheer admiration for a machine that has not only a visual impact but all the charms and rumble of a slow, low revving radial engine. The fabric-covered fuselage frame is of metal tube, and April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 41
Flight Test
Above You cannot fail to be moved by the sheer presence of this big old snub-nosed radial. It is a piece of pure artistry. Left Will Gray adds scale to the Cloudster; it’s a big aeroplane.
42 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Flight Test the wings and differential ailerons are wooden structures, again covered with fabric. It strikes me that the ailerons are rather long, being about two thirds of the span – of course, flaps were not particularly de rigueur on light aircraft in the late 1930s. The outward ends of the wings are curved, with protruding navigation lights and are strut and jury braced. In sailing terms, the fuselage has a lot of ‘windage’, with the flat-sided fuselage area aft of the centre of gravity being quite substantial. However, the fin is reassuringly enormous, and more than hints at an aircraft that has positive directional stability. The rudder is, by contrast, quite small in area and is vertically hinged with no aerodynamic balance. However, despite its seemingly small area it is positioned correctly for spin recovery when the upward, diagonal airflow over the fin would stream directly and effectively onto a correcting rudder, this flow being forward of an otherwise masking tailplane. Unfortunately for me, but to Will’s relief, there is a cockpit placard preventing us from checking its effectiveness, which
Bottom Beautifully trimmed in red leather, the baggage bay incorporated a third, sideways facing seat in the later 8135 model. Below Fabriccovered steel tube empennage with that substantial fin. Note streamlined wire bracing and nice ‘built-in’ rudder trim tab.
reads: No inadvertent spinning! There is a die-straight, ground-adjustable rudder trim tab with no sign of it ever needing to be bent to improve an out of trim rig. The elevators have aerodynamic balances forward of the hinge line to help lighten the pilot’s stick forces in pitch, the right elevator having a trailing, piano hinged, reinforced trim tab. There are hand-hold cut outs inboard of the tailplane’s leading edge as an aid to ground handling. The tailplane and fin are braced with diagonal stainless wires and, crouching down by the rear left tail, under the tailplane, there is an inspection panel so that the twin mode, castering/steerable pneumatic tailwheel assembly may be checked and, if needed, adjusted. Its frame has holes for the lugs of a towing arm either side. Standing behind the tailplane and looking forward along the fuselage, the fabric strips run back up to the two skylights, and the wing to fuselage fairings are nicely sealed down their edges. There are wing-mounted fuel tanks at the inboard section of each wing, each holding 17 imperial gallons. Returning forward, I only have to dip slightly under the trailing edge to avoid knocking my forehead. And the underwing fuel drains are sensibly positioned further out than the opening of the doors, so there is, thankfully, little chance of an inadvertent pate scrape. The wings’ leading edges are above head height.
The cutting edge
The prop is a lightly toned wooden Sensenich, with metal leading edges, smooth multi-layered scarfed contour lines leading outwards to khaki green tips, it just has to have a hand run over its length in an appreciative gesture (yes, the mags were definitely off). The blades are sitting, perhaps ‘resting’ might be more appropriate for this grand old dame, on the horizontal at the three and nine o’clock positions and directly behind is the Warner Scarab’s grey painted crankcase, with its one to seven numbered cylinders, running anti-clockwise as we look at it. The front set of spark plugs have their leads protruding just slightly forward of the circular cowling before curving back, being tucked in and back to a magneto. The rear set of plugs cannot be seen.
April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 43
Flight Test Health warning
resistance or untoward pressure be felt while attempting to move the propeller, don’t try to force it, stop and investigate by removing a lower cylinder spark plug. Do not, under any circumstances, mistakenly now turn the prop’ backwards. Yes, it will turn, and the offending oil will disappear, removing the awkwardness. But that dark cold goo has only disappeared for a short while, back up the inlet tube and, should you turn the prop or attempt a start, then that bitter, ‘bible black’ oil is going to ruin your day. Which brings us nicely to the oil filler neck and dipstick, which is on the upper curvature of the rear section of the cowling. A long rectangular air filter sits beneath the engine and twin matching open exhausts protrude from either side of the cowl. A finger rubbed inside one reveals the previous pilot (which just might have been me) may not have leaned the mixture in the cruise, as I now have a sooty finger. A rather art deco-like generator is mounted centrally on the lower main undercarriage arms, the highly cambered silver prop blades rotating freely with a spin from that same sooty finger. To the left of it is the larger of the two venturis, the other being just in front of the P1 door, both certainly benefitting from prop blast.
Being a radial engine, there is an outside chance that oil may trickle down internally and possibly drain into the lower cylinders, in our case numbers four and five. If this was not detected and drained prior to an attempted start, damage to the conrods is the – very expensive – likely result. One of the pre-, pre-starting checks of any and all radial engines is to pull through the blades in the standard direction of rotation. Most, like ours today, would be pulled through anti-clockwise with the left hand, which enables the pilot to mentally anticipate using right rudder to counter any power induced swing on take-off, or induced yaw through power application. It will seem odd, but the position of the prop will be different as each compression is felt. Should any undue
Up and in…
Left Big doors with sliding windows and straps by the door pillar, to haul yourself up and in. Note rearward facing step. Below Lovely classic cockpit with many period instruments and switches. The compact radio and transponder do not overtly intrude.
44 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Getting up and into the cockpit is helped by a step attached beneath the low junction of the sloping, angled wing struts and fuselage, pointing backwards and not outwards… which has to be remembered when getting out and your foot is waggling around trying to find a contact. There’s a helpfully placed high internal leather grab strap to pull yourself in (rather than using one of the diagonal braces above the panel), while the other hand supports your inward leaning body on the seat. Head down and rising into the cockpit the right leg has to be brought up and through, squeezed between the seat and the other limb to be placed beyond the floor mounted stick. The caramel-coloured headliner, black instrument panel, red framed doors and dark floor, along with the surrounding plush red leather upholstery, add to the very pleasant decor and surroundings. I could get used to this level of comfort. Looking down, the sticks rise from the floor and are curved towards the pilots, just as if swiped from a helicopter. It still has a full throw of movement even if the seats are slid on their rails as far forward as they might go. The floor’s metal heel
Flight Test plates appear not to have a mark on them with not a scratch of wear. The rudder pedals sprout through the wooden floor and the left-hand set has efficient circular heel activated pedals for the hydraulically operated brakes.
The view
Scanning outwards, clockwise and from the tail, I do not have to drop my head as much as I might from, say, an Auster, in order to see under the top of the window frame. The nose, of course, circular and with its outward radiating cylinders, cowled for aesthetics, aerodynamics and cooling, will block some of the area ahead, particularly the opposite side to whichever seat you peer from. A conscientious pilot will be S turning when taxying, clearing the way ahead (and a very good reason to bring along, not just a sociable friend but another set of observant eyes). I know of a flying friend, poor fellow, sitting in the standard left-hand P1 seat of his quite large taildragger who, after completing his pre-take off checks pulled forward and unfortunately turned around to admonish his distracting and noisy children in the back seat. His unguarded and difficult to see right wing tip was lacerated to narrow shredded slivers of metal by the prop of an unseen stationary aircraft. Ouch!
Panel and facilities
The wing tanks’ contents gauges are set back in the wing roots and are straight from a Model A Ford, both indicating full, the arrowhead-shaped fuel selector being on the panel right in front of the P1 seat. My other bête noire, the headset jacks, on vintage aircraft upgraded with comms when originally manufactured without, can literally be hidden anywhere. But that was quickly solved today as they are handily placed between the seats. The 8.33 Trig radio is on the right-hand side of the instrument panel and a TRT 800H mode S transponder is on the left. There is a period, and rather chunky, artificial horizon that protrudes from the centre of the panel, and to its left and down are a turn and slip indicator, a VSI, an altimeter, an ASI in MPH and a rpm gauge. The Ki-gas primer may be operated by the pilot’s left hand as it is positioned on the extreme left, close to the fuel selector. The right hand can handle the large black centrally mounted throttle, with the carb heat to its left and red mixture knob to the right. The circular mag switch and the now unusual ‘advance/retard’ knob are higher up to the right. The starter and its red warning light is back on the left, by the fuel selector. Low and to the right of the carb heat, throttle and mixture are the three small engine condition dials of oil temperature, oil pressure and CHT, all with coloured operational arcs. Beyond these are the circuit breakers with the Master furthest to the right. Oh, I almost forgot, the park brake is by the fuel selector – depress the heel brakes, pull the lever out for on… To release them you push it in and then press the brakes, pretty similar to the Cessna 150. The elevator trimmer is the car type window winder handle mounted on the ceiling between the skylights. I have to admit, this arrangement always catches me unawares at the first few attempts, but as the gearing gives good feedback it soon becomes obvious with pressure on the stick either increasing or reducing. Having given the handle and dial, with its pointer, a good scan, I have a much better understanding of it. Craning back to read the small letters on the indicator rotating the handle anti-clockwise raises the nose and vice versa. The ‘landing’ position has the pointer at 10 o’clock and ‘take-off’ at five o’clock. It’s a shame that the elevator trimmer is positioned on the right elevator and the pilot sits on the left
Above It may not be fast or efficient, but it lopes along with an impressive ease. A cliché perhaps, but it really is a ‘gentleman’s carriage’
and is unable to see it. However, the trimmer is there to be used and the take-off technique takes advantage of this.
Fuel and spark, start…
It has already been mentioned that any radial engine should always be pulled through when cold, and the Scarab benefits from this care. Magnetos should of course be checked ‘off’ and the prop pulled through at least four revolutions (that means eight blades pulled and not just four compressions). The fuel selector is then turned to the ‘Both Tanks’ position, so the pointer is upwards at 12:00, and the red mixture lever is in for fully rich. Check magnetos are off and the throttle is virtually closed. And now the unusual bit, the Advance/Retard knob is pulled fully out to retard the ignition. We then prime from cold four or five pumps on the ki-gas primer. Ready? Clear? Master on. Press the start button with your left hand for four of five clockwise blades, and lean over to flip the mags on with the right hand. The engine doesn’t hang about and fires almost immediately, so promptly push the Retard button in to advance the timing. Your actions now are accompanied by a gloriously languid 1-3-5-7-2-4-6 firing rumble of an awakening Scarab at 400rpm. Sonic heaven! But we have work to do, check and keep an eye on those small oil dials for pressure and a slow but steady rise of temperatures into the green arcs of good health. The revs can be brought up to 1,000, radio turned on with the home frequency displayed, and the intercom also turned on... and adjusted. When warmed, taxied and brought to the hold with clearing sweeps of the nose, we can go through the power checks – mags and carb heat check has the throttle advanced to 1,700 rpm against the parking brake and the stick held right back. It’s a stirring sound of prop and power, the calm of going back to idle at 400rpm is but a sigh. Pre-take-off checks complete, ensuring the trimmer is set for take-off, turn to make sure the final approach path is not masked by a high-wing, self-brief for emergencies, and April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 45
Flight Test our call ready for departure is answered with the confirmation ‘there is no known traffic’. The wind is slight and helpfully from the right, the same side rudder will be needed as she will want to weathercock, and we are going to stay straight as we accelerate. To be honest there is little gyro effect as the tail need not be raised during the take-off roll. It’s a question of the wing’s incidence being less than its stalling angle when sitting on the ground and having sufficient power to rise from the ground in a three-point attitude. The rotate speed is quoted at 54mph, but that does not fit any tailwheel aircraft technique that allows the aircraft to fly itself off from other than the ideal wing to air presented attitude. It is just nosewheel jobs with a flat sitting position that need a rotation to break ground. Book figures show an unfactored take-off roll for us is 665ft, and we reach the distance and speed promptly. Our optimum climb speed is 80mph and easing the stick forward from leaving the ground to accelerate in ground effect, helps the needle on the ASI quickly reach that speed. Climbing out at 80mph gave us a 1,000ft height gain in 75 seconds. That’s a very respectable 800ft per minute. The cruise attitude is at 100mph and I can almost count the blades as they swing by. The trim handle can be wound clockwise, any stick pressure negated to hold that big round nose below the horizon. We are rumbling along with 1,700rpm, 70% power, that’s near the profundo operating speed bands of a Gipsy Major, but way, way under the soprano range of the Rotax. Scarab’s sonorous rhythm is a good steady reliable beat. The view ahead is good and consumption is in the order of 30 litres per hour and all is great with the world. Textbook numbers are 145hp at 2,050rpm at mean sea level. This 100% power returns 118mph. Vne is 170mph.
Stable
The control forces are not high, with no slack caused by any wire stretch and when moving into, out of and adjusting position alongside Patrick’s Freelance, so that Neil could get images of Will smiling, Lima Echo responded well. I asked Will if he was comfortable being so close to another aircraft, as we both stared at the Freelance while being beckoned closer. “Oh yes. But, never from this side.” “Oh?” says I. Will replied, “I used to fly my Bonza (Beechcraft Bonanza) with the door off, out of Duxford with Squadrons of Spitfires around and behind, for a notable aviation photographer to take his snaps.” Not only that, but he and his wife Wendy have flown themselves around the world – an experienced fellow indeed.
Return to base
Upon being cleared to break away I ran through the stability exercises, the up and down of the returning phugoids, and crossing and releasing either the stick or rudder pedals in turn from steady heading side slips to prove she was, indeed, a stable girl without any deviating foibles in all three dimensions. Her pendulous stability also shone through in the standard stall, when she eventually had had enough of having her throttle closed, in sync with a speed loss of one mph per second and height maintained with an ever so slightly increasing nose brought up to the horizon. When eventually she decided to make a slight departure from controlled flight, the right wing dipped slightly. I had previously recorded a 10 degree drop. The vocabulary on the form asks for angle of wing drop and these standard words quantify an aerodynamic ‘fall’. The wing’s action is more akin to a dip and today it was less at eight degrees. And with a low fluctuating 46 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above That lovely seven-cylinder Warner Scarab 145 and retro styled Sensenich wooden propeller. Note, air-driven generator nicely incorporated in undercarriage structure.
airspeed of 40mph, in tune with a slight tail buffet felt before the stall proper, that being just a mush with no wayward directional rudder correcting inputs to remain wings straight and level. The standard stall recovery of stick forward, power and balancing rudder to prevent an unwanted yaw, works emphatically well. This all speaks well should any go-around from low speed be needed from a baulked landing.
Back in the circuit
I flew a left-hand curved approach, so as to improve my view of the threshold. This isn’t particularly necessary but being familiar with the machine it is a method I enjoy, reducing speed and judging height diminishing and the projected roll out point. Equally so, there comes a point where the last bit has the wings level just as a straight in from 400-500ft allows for simply assessed corrections. If there is any trick it is to think ahead and be straight as we touch in the three-point attitude, having held off. Approach is at 80mph, carrying a little power and, upon landing with a ‘squib squib’ from the tyres, make sure your heels are ready to jab a brake to keep straight. Book figures are a landing roll of 795ft. I have to admit to a slight pause on each occasion of remaining still on the runway before opening up the Scarab to roll to and take the turn for the taxiway. The reason, well, it’s a lovely machine that contrasts the types I am fortunate to fly, I so enjoy the rumbling chat of those radial cylinders. Thank you, Will, for another wonderful flight. ■
Specifications Standard 8125 Rearwin Cloudster General characteristics Crew: One pilot Capacity: One passenger Length: 21ft 6in (6.55m) Wingspan: 34ft 2in (10.41m) Height: 7ft 4in (2.23m) Wing area: 162 sq ft (15.0 m2) Empty weight: 1,140lb (520kg) Gross weight: 1,900lb (860kg) Powerplant: 1 × Ken-Royce 7G, 125hp (93kW) Performance Maximum speed: 135mph (216km/h, 117kn) Range: 600mi (960km, 520nm) Service ceiling: 16,000ft (4,900m) Rate of climb: 860ft/min (4.4m/s)
ANDAIR FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS COMBINE MODULAR DESIGN, SUPERB QUALITY AND THE FLEXIBILITY TO SUIT ANY AIRCRAFT BUILD PROJECT.
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Regulation
Replica or original?
Headset review
LAA Chief Engineer, Francis Donaldson, explains how the aviation equivalent of Trigger’s broom may, or may not, be agreed to be an original!
R
ecently, we at HQ, have had a number of enquiries from the CAA Registrations Department asking us whether we can vouch for the fact that a particular LAA-style aircraft that’s being added to the register is indeed the aircraft that it claims to be. Sometimes, this is straightforward but there are other cases where the discussions have been complicated and verging on the surreal – certainly not engineering. Given that inevitably, the question involves the fulfilment of one of our member’s dreams, replying to these questions in a fair and transparent manner has needed a great deal of care. The problem usually hinges around whether the project is an original factory-built aircraft that’s been restored, or an aircraft that’s been built, perhaps incorporating a few pieces of an original, and perhaps with an associated old logbook belonging to the aircraft bearing an original identity, but not qualifying as deserving to be classed as more than a replica.
Provenance
Below The stunningly beautiful Miles Whitney Straight was rebuilt by Ron Souch and his small team at Aero Antiques. Very little of the original woodwork remains, although a lot of the original metal parts were salvageable, and the aircraft rightly retains its original identity. Photo: Ed Hicks, FLYER.
In the vintage car world, as in the art world, issues of provenance are of course treated very seriously. If a modern company makes a car that looks exactly like a Jaguar XK 120 in every respect, inside and out, so that its parts were indistinguishable from the original, in the vintage car world it wouldn’t be considered to be a Jaguar XK120 because it hadn’t been built by Jaguar. In the same way, in our world, the convention is that unless an aeroplane – a Stampe for example – was originally built by the original manufacturer (or a manufacturer licensed to produce Stampes) who issued a serial number for it, then it isn’t a Stampe.
Replica or reproduction
In the aviation world the convention is that ‘replica’ is the term used to describe an aircraft that has no original identity, and the powers-that-be are rigorous in including this term in the designation so as to avoid any risk of confusion. Some have suggested that ‘replica’ should be used for a merely lookalike machine (for example the reduced-scale WAR Replica WWII fighters) and to give it due distinction, the part-for-part identical copy should be called a ‘reproduction’. This idea seems to have failed to find traction with the CAA, however, who’ve stuck to the all-embracing ‘replica’.
‘Official’ plans builts
The situation is different if the plans for a factory-built aircraft are later knowingly and legitimately supplied to the amateur-built market, with the intention that amateurbuilt examples can be built from them. In that case, as with the Jodel and Emeraude ranges for example, amateur-built examples are not termed replicas because amateur-building of certain models was officially sanctioned by the respective designers. This contrasts with the situation where, for example, de Havilland drawings have been available for many years from BAE Systems, and latterly DHSL, only on the strict proviso that they are not to be used for the purpose of building new aircraft, only for maintaining the existing factory-built fleet.
Type certificate responsibility
In the aviation world, there’s another side to it again, because of liability, where the original manufacturer of a certified aircraft (or those who subsequently pick up the 66 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
type certificate) have a formal ongoing responsibility for the safety of the aircraft they have built, even where the aircraft has been re-built many times since. When a genuine Piper J3 Cub has an accident anywhere in the world, and there’s any suggestion of an engineering design or component quality issue being involved, there’s potential for litigation against Piper in the USA who still maintain the active type certificate (TC). The same doesn’t apply of course, if it’s one of the many latter-day look-alike Cubs that have the accident, for example the Wag Aero Cub derivatives – even though they might contain major parts that, when purchased, were tagged as being genuine Cub spares. The type certificate holder has no responsibility for homebuilt replicas or lookalikes. But the TC holder will get extremely hot under the collar if they think that their liabilities are being expanded by an additional aircraft flying around purporting to be of their original manufacture when actually it’s, perhaps, a collection of spare parts put together at a maintenance outfit, with a faded and dog-eared logbook claimed as proof of provenance that, if truth be known, has turned up separately at an aero-jumble or suchlike.
Type data sheet compliance
The other area where originality and identity has relevance, this time in a technical sense, is to do with the link between the assigned serial number of the aircraft and the details of its build standard, which sometimes affects the applicable operating limitations or the applicability of airworthiness directives. The manufacturer may have incorporated subtle changes in the design from particular serial numbers onwards, for example, which the type certificate data sheet or equivalent document describes as allowing a higher maximum gross weight, wider cg range or similar expansion of the operating envelope. Or where production problems occur, a batch of aircraft serial numbers may be identified in an Airworthiness Directive as requiring special inspections, replacement parts or even being grounded. Clearly where these matters are concerned, it can be critical to safety that an aircraft is correctly identified, and its assigned serial number correctly reflects its build state.
Fuselage is the identity…
Going back to the opening words of the article, how does an owner make a case for his or her project deserving the identity that’s been applied for? How much of the original aircraft must be present for the project to qualify as being the original? Generally, the key element is taken to be the fuselage, and where applicable, the wing centre section, which in some way embodies the aircraft’s soul (?!) or the ‘heart’ of the aircraft. This is simple in an aircraft like a Piper Cub, which has a fuselage consisting of a single large, welded frame covered with fabric, or a wooden or composite machine where the fuselage essentially forms one structural unit. It’s not as straightforward with a Tiger Moth, with its modular fuselage construction, where it was not unusual (and indeed, part of the design intent) that the bolted-together sub-frames could be quickly changed in service to repair major damage as quickly and cheaply as possible, so that over a period of decades and a number of re-builds there might be little of the original fuselage frame left, but the aircraft could retain its original identity.
…but not always!
Having said that the fuselage is usually taken as the
Above With so many surplus Tigers around post-war and their built in ‘repairability’, some of them really must be a bit like Trigger’s ‘original’ 20-year-old broom – which famously had 17 new heads and 14 new handles. Photo: Neil Wilson.
crucial component as regards ‘identity’, the CAA has accepted cases where a complete replacement fuselage has been made, to rebuild an aircraft where the other major components (wings, tail, undercarriage etc) were clearly from the individual aeroplane concerned and made up the majority of the final build. In this case, a significant factor is that there must be no chance of the original, wrecked fuselage being reclaimed off some dump and re-emerging as the basis of another project, so that two aeroplanes end up both claiming the same identity. This can be prevented by ensuring that the ‘dead’ fuselage is purposefully destroyed once its value as a source of reference has been used up.
Rebuild the start point…
In this slightly strange arena, a rebuild project is ideally viewed at the starting point so that a determination can be made that enough wreckage from the actual aircraft with the claimed ‘identity’ has been gathered to justify the status of the project as a rebuild. If this is agreed, then strangely, it’s considered OK for the rebuild to progressively replace parts of the aircraft’s wreckage with new parts, even if, at the end, that means that nothing of the original remains apart from the data plate – and even that, actually, can be perfectly legitimately replaced providing it’s open and above board. This process, it seems, allows the identity of the original aircraft to gradually ‘merge’ into the new airframe.
…not the other way around
What isn’t acceptable, in contrast, is to build an aircraft from miscellaneous original parts and raw material, and then when near the end of the project, ‘find’ a logbook and a few parts from the aircraft that the logbook relates to, and then somehow tack them on to the project and claim it as being transformed into the original logbook machine, rebuilt. Even though the finished aircraft might end up embodying more original parts than in the previously described legitimate rebuild, the fact that so little of the original machine’s wreckage has been onsite, the link with the new machine so tenuous, and the possibility that ‘persons unknown’ somewhere in the world might possess more of the original wreckage and claim that to be the legitimate basis for a restoration, makes this scenario untenable. Between these two extremes lies a whole range of intermediate scenarios, and with the best will in the world, there will always be a degree of subjectivity in the decision-making process. The CAA have however, endorsed the basic ground rules above and we hope that this note will help explain the questions you’re likely to be asked these days if you apply to add a vintage aircraft to the UK register. ■ April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 49
LAA Strut News
H
appy Easter! After all this time we are nearly at the point where the hangar doors can re-open! I am sure that few of us would have anticipated that a year on we would still be making only tentative plans for resuming normal flying activities. Our old friend, the British weather, used to be our ‘fingers crossed’ uncertainty for Strut and club fly-ins, but we have had to acquire a greater degree of resilience over the last 12 months. A year ago, ‘Zoom’ was not in the vocabulary of many of our members. Now, we seem to be ‘zooming’ about all over the place, and Struts and member clubs are to be commended for turning the challenges of lockdown into new opportunities, and many have made new contacts as a result. When it comes to air safety, there have certainly been many opportunities for us to join in with webinars. Gloster Strut’s Mike Waldron hosted a GASCo evening, which was attended by over 300 people, with presentations including those by Steve Slater and Steve Forward, who took over as Director of CHIRP (Confidential Human Factors Reporting Programme) in 2020. The Vale of York Strut enjoyed a very different sort of evening when they held an online event with USAF pilot Matt Beaubien. Chris Holliday writes, “Pilot Matt Beaubien joined us from California to talk about his flying experiences operating the U2 – known as the Dragon Lady. The audience included Strut members and guests from other LAA Struts and the Historic Aircraft Association. This fascinating event was presented by Matt sitting in the cockpit of a T38 ground trainer, which provided a unique setting for the discussion that followed. It took the form of an open question and answer session, where the audience could pose questions to Matt both about flying the U2, and also his other aviation interests, which include air racing at Reno. In a thoroughly enjoyable hour, Matt was able to give us an insight into the world of the U2. He was also able to bring out some points relevant to us all as pilots, such as the fact that skills fade perhaps faster than we think – he commented that even after just a couple of weeks away from flying, he could anticipate an ‘Oops’ moment somewhere in the subsequent flight. In addition, Matt highlighted the need for thorough pre-flight preparation for any flight, and the value of threat and error management and planning for all eventualities. Since the event, Strut members have commented how useful his thoughts have been as they consider their return to the air in the hopefully near future, and we can only thank Matt profusely for sparing some of his time to join us from across the Atlantic.” In March Strut members were invited to join the Devon Strut’s Zoom meeting when John Webster talked about Gatwick to Heathrow in 37 Years – My Life in NATS. John is currently Secretary of the Air Transport Auxiliary Association and volunteer researcher at the Maidenhead Heritage Centre (the spiritual home of the ATA). However, he enjoyed a multi-role career as a member of the UK’s National Air Traffic Services that began at Gatwick in the mid-1960s. Later came an imposed change in direction that led to what proved to be a yet more rewarding series of experiences that included ATC simulation, radar calibration and aircraft track keeping trials before beginning a long
Right U2 Pilot, Matt Beaubien, presented a fascinating talk to the Vale of York Strut from California, sitting in a T28 trainer. As well as his exploits in the U2, Matt also competes at the Reno Air Races.
Struts 4U by Anne Hughes
50 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above In 1988, Steve Slade and Eddie Clapham took part in an intriguing international microlight rally from Kiev to Odessa. A Bristol Strut Zoom presentation on 4 May provides an opportunity of a peek behind the former Iron Curtain.
series of roles in the Aeronautical Information Service that began with a second move to Heathrow. It was during those days in AIS, having moved to its Pinner HQ, that a muchloved personal briefing operation was started which gave rise to many pilots’ trip reports in Pilot magazine, and led to a long association with the Mobile Briefing Unit caravan deployments at air events and fly-ins. This was a fascinating, nostalgic trip down memory lane, looking at the equipment and procedures of ATC in the 1970s and 1980s and showed just how much has changed over the last 40 years. Also on the theme of flight safety, the Wessex Strut
LAA Strut News March newsletter includes a very useful article by Amy Whitewick. In Neil’s monthly edition, Amy offers thoughts on a more ‘modern’ way to train for rusty pilots. She says, “Home-computer flight simulation is often easily dismissed as simply ‘gaming’, and a pointless exercise anything beyond that. However, with recent advancement in technologies including VR (Virtual Reality), there has never been a more important time to consider simulation as a crucial supplement to real-world flying.” The Struts’ monthly newsletters contain many items of general interest and we welcome Kent Strut’s new Skywritings’ editor, Ron Armitage. In his first edition he writes
A
that new members have joined the Strut recently and that current members have free membership until 2022! The Strut also welcomes a new coordinator, Steve Hoskins, and the newsletter includes up-to-date news of local airfields and strips. Grateful thanks were recorded to Gary Smith, who handed over his role of coordinator to Steve, and to Nigel Read for his work over many years as Skywritings’ editor. As we look forward to meeting up again, please do get in touch with your local Strut in the next couple of months as some are continuing with Zoom talks and presentations for the foreseeable future, and these are often arranged at fairly short notice and may not be listed below.
Strut calendar t this time, unless otherwise stated, monthly meetings are using Zoom and you are welcome to contact any Strut should you be interested in the advertised talk or to find out if meetings have been arranged.
Andover Strut: Spitfire Club, Popham Airfield, SO21 3BD.1930. Contact keith.picton@ ntlworld.com Bristol Strut: BAWA Club, Filton, 1930. Zoom. Contact: chairman@bristolstrut.uk www. bristolstrut.uk 4 May – Steve Slade & Ed Clapham – Kiev to Odessa microlight rally 1988. Cornwall Strut: The Clubhouse, Bodmin Airfield. Contact Pete White pete@aeronca.co.uk 01752 406660 Devon Strut: The Exeter Court Hotel, Kennford, Exeter. 1930. Contact: david.millin@sea-sea.com East of Scotland Strut: Harrow Hotel, Dalkeith. Contact: inrgibson001@btinternet. com 0131 339 2351. East Midlands Strut: Contact: tonyrazzell2@ gmail.com for meeting details beforehand or to be added to our email circulation. Recordings of some meetings with speakers on FB group. 12 April – Zoom talk. Electric Conspicuity (Trig Avionics) by Jon Roper. Gloster Strut: The Victory Club, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY. Contact: harry. hopkins@talktalk.net 9 March – GASCo meeting via Zoom. Highlands & Islands: Highland Aviation, Inverness Airport. Contact: b.w.spence@btinternet.com 01381 620535. 3-4 April – Easter Airfield Fly-In (TBC) Kent Strut: Cobtree Manor Golf Club, Maidstone, Kent. 2000 (Currently Zoom). 29 April – A flying/aviation quiz by Nic Orchard. Contact: Steve Hoskins hoskinsltd@outlook. com 07768 984507.
More than ever over the past 12 months though, it is looking like Struts may very soon be able to return regular face to face meetings, which I know for many will be a blessed relief! Fingers crossed Covid plays ball…
LiNSY Trent Valley Strut: Trent Valley Gliding Club, Kirton Lindsey. pilotbarry1951@gmail.com http://linsystrut. wixsite.com/website North East Strut: Fishburn Airfield. Brunch on the third Sunday of each month. 1130-13.30 at Fishburn Aviator Cafe. Contact: alannixon297@btinternet.com North Western Strut: Veterans Lounge, Barton, Manchester, 1930 for 2000. Contact: cliffmort@btinternet.com 07813 497427. North Wales Strut: Caernarfon Airport, Dinas Dinlle. HEMS Bistro Café 1300. Contact: Gareth Roberts gtrwales@gmail.com 07876 483414. Oxford Group: New Venue TBC. 2nd Wednesday each month Zoom meetings: Email for joining details. Contact: LAAOxford@gmail.com www.oxfordlaa.co.uk Redhill Strut: The Dog and Duck, Outwood, Surrey, RH1 5QU. Third Tuesday of each month at 1930. Contact: david@milstead.me.uk Shobdon Strut: Hotspur Café, Shobdon Airfield, Hereford HR6 9NR. 1930. Meetings (once lockdown completed) second Thursday of month. Contact: Keith Taylor bushebiggles@sky.com Southern Strut: The Swiss Cottage, Shoreham-by-Sea. 2000. Normal meetings will resume on the first Wed of the month when permitted. Contact palmersfarm@ sky.com Strathtay Strut: Scottish Aero Club, Perth Airport, Scone. Scone Clubhouse.
Contact: keith.boardman@peopleserve. co.uk 7785 244146. Suffolk Coastal Strut: Crowfield Airfield Clubhouse. 1900. Contact: Martyn Steggalls events@suffolkcoastalstrut.org. uk 07790 925142. 21 April – Zoom Meeting 1930 – Strut AGM, followed by General Knowledge Quiz. 9 May – Zoom Meeting 1930 – Flying Dakotas by Kath Burnham. Vale of York Strut: Chocks Away Café, Rufforth East Airfield. Contact: Chris Holliday 07860 787801 valeofyorkstrutlaa@gmail.com www.valeofyorkstrutlaa.wordpress.com Wessex Strut: Henstridge Airfield Clubhouse. Contact neil.wilson@laa.uk. com West Midlands Strut: Navigator Café, Halfpenny Green Aerodrome 1930. Contact: Graham Wiley westmidlandslaastrut@googlegroups.com Stuart Darby stuartdarby134@hotmail. com. Or visit our website wmstrut.co.uk West of Scotland Strut: Bowfield Country Club, Howwood, PA9 1DZ. 1900. Contact: Neil Geddes barnbethnkg@gmail.com 01505 612493. Youth & Education Support (YES) – Contact: Graham Wiley gw20home@outlook.com NB: Thanks to all Struts and clubs for getting in touch. If you have any stories, items you wish to share or updates for the calendar, please contact me at struts@laa.co.uk April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 51
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Where to go
T
Where to go
Where T To oG Go o
he early months of the year have been pretty well decimated by cancellations and postponements and some of those remaining, at least in April and May, could well go the same way. However, if the Government’s Roadmap goes to plan, we can but hope that from June on, many of the dates will hold good and we can enjoy a great summer season of flying. Meanwhile, if you are planning to visit an event, please give them a call to make sure it is going
APRIL
3 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 17-18 Breighton BAeA Aerobatics Competition 24 Duxford Flying Day [pre-book] 24 Barton LAA NW Strut Ernie Horsfall’s 103rd Birthday Fly-in [Pre-register]
MAY
1 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 1-2 Sleap BAeA Aerobatics Competition 1-3 Sandown Spamfield Microlight Fly-in 01983-716926 2 Old Warden Shuttleworth Drive-In Air Show [see Notam Y002/2021] 8 Duxford Flying Day [pre-book] 8-9 Old Warden Shuttleworth Model Show – airfield closed [see Notam Y002/2021] 9 Fenland VAC Tulip Fly-in 13-16 Abbeville (F) Bulldog & Chipmunk Meet & Formation Training 14-15 Compton Abbas BAeA Aerobatic Competition 15 Old Warden Shuttleworth Drive-In Evening Air Show [see Notam Y002/2021] 15 Sywell Europa Club Fly-in, AGM & Dinner 22 Duxford Flying Day 22 Old Warden Chipmunk 75th Anniv Fly-in [PPR] [see Notam Y002/2021] 29-30 Fenland BAeA Aerobatics Competition 29-30 Cotswold-Kemble Great Vintage Flying Weekend (t.b.c.) [PPR] JUNE 4-6 Ragley Hall Midlands Air Festival 4-6 Biscarosse (F) Van’s Club de France RV Fly-in 4-6 Endelave (OY) Europa Nordic Fly-in 5 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 1-3 Sandown Vintage Fly-in 1983-716926 6 Duxford Flying Day 6 Old Warden Shuttleworth Festival of Britain Drive-In Show [see Notam Y002/2021] 54 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
ahead and ask if there are any limitations. Note that the LAA UK Tour has had to be cancelled but is replaced with an England tour in July. The full details of these and other events can be found via links on the Royal Aero Club events listing pages at http://events.royalaeroclub. org/events.htm. Our thanks to the RAeC and to Dave Wise for the use of their data. If you have an event you want to advertise on the list, please email the details to Dave at: dave.wise@btinternet.com
10-13 Sywell BAeA Aerobatics Adv & Ultd Nationals 11-13 Newark Retro Festival inc Airshow 12 Buckingham Palace Queen’s Birthday Fly Past (@1300) 18-20 Gelnhausen (D) Fly-in & Air Show 19 Old Warden Shuttleworth Chipmunk Drive-In Evening Air Show [see Notam Y002/2021] 19-20 Turweston Air Britain Classic Fly-in [PPR] 01376-344441/ 01280-705400 19-20 Easter Midsummer Fly-in [PPR] 07967-715304 19-20 Hinderclay Meadows Suffolk Soaring Fly-in 07485-072155 19-20 St Michaels Wings & Wheels Microlight Fly-in 20 Duxford Flying Day 20 Priory Farm, Tibenham PFA Fathers’ Day Fly-in & BBQ [PPR] 07799-695144 25-27 Headcorn Battle of Britain Air Show 26-27 Breighton VAC Fly-in {PPR} 01757-288987 JULY 3 Middle Wallop Army Flying Museum Wings & Wheels Show 3 Duxford Flying Day 3 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 3 Headcorn Armed Forces Day Event 3-4 Bodmin Aerobatic Competition 07803-128000 3-4 Swansea Bay Welsh National Sea Front Air Show 3-4 Southport Sea Front Air Show 4 Old Warden Shuttleworth Military Drive-In Air Show [see Notam Y002/2021] 4 Henstridge: LAA Wessex Strut Fly-in & Meet the LAA Day [PPR] 1963-364231 4-8 Henstridge: LAA England Tour overnighting Henstridge, Bodmin, Barton, Breighton, then lunch at Leicester and home. 8-11 Goodwood Festival of Speed 9-11 Enstone BMAA SSDR Freedom Rally 10-11 Sywell Flying Legends Air Show 14-17 Friedrichshafen (D) AERO GA Exhibition 0049-7541-708128 16-18 Silverstone F1 British Grand Prix
17-18 Old Warden Sh’worth LAA 75th Anniv Drive-In Evening Air Show [see Notam Y002/2021] 17 Branscombe LAA Devon Strut Fly-in 23-25 Brienne-le-Chateau (F) RSA Euro Fly-in 24 Leicester BAeA RV Aerobatics Competition 24 Firs Farm, Newbury Bring your own Sausages Fly-in & BBQ [PPR by air & road] 24-25 Duxford Air Festival 24-25 Bodmin VAC Fly-in & Poetry & Music 01752-406660 30-Au 1 Old Buckenham Old Buck Air Show 26-Au 1 Oshkosh, Wi (N) EAA AirVenture National Fly-in & Display 31 Westonzoyland Scrumpy N Cheese Fly-in [PPR] 31-Au 1 Rufforth East LAA Vale of York Strut Fly-in & Meet the LAA 31-Au 1 Fenland BAeA Aerobatics Competition 31-Au 1 Headcorn Fire Show
AUGUST
1 Lundy Island Lundy Fly-in [PPR essential] 01752 406660/ 07805-805679 1 Old Warden Shuttleworth Air Show [see Notam Y002/2021] 4 Duxford Flying Day Ch’rch Fent’n – Leeds E Private Flyer Exhibition 7 Little Gransden BAeA Aerobatics Open Club Event 7 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 7 East Kirkby LAHC Museum Air Show [advance booking] 7 Popham Classic Car Show & Anglo- French & Vintage Fly-in 01256-397733 7-8 Blackpool Sea Front Air Show 7-8 Purleigh nr Maldon Echoes of History Mil Vehicles & Air Show 7-8 Headcorn Combined Ops Show 8 Popham Motorcycle Magameet 01256-397733 11 Duxford Flying Day 12-15 Ashton Court Bristol Balloon Fiesta 14 Old Warden Sh’worth Flying Circus Drive-in Evening Air Show [see Notam Y002/2021]
For all display advertising enquiries contact Neil Wilson 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com
www.LAA.uk.com
Meet the Members
Music and Minor Maestro…
This month we meet our longest serving member, Arthur W J G Ord-Hume, who was one of the founding fathers. Flying is but one of his interests, he is also a renowned author and acknowledged expert on early music, musical boxes, musical instruments and clocks… Pictures from the Arthur Ord-Hume Collection, unless otherwise credited.
W
elcome Arthur, would you like to tell us something of your early years?
A lot of people, encouraged to reveal their souls to all and sundry, begin by saying something like ‘I came from a wealthy/musical/working-class/agricultural family’ and then go on to explain how their meteoric career in football or boxing was inspired by a distant relative called George. Where this is the case, you know you’re in for a pretty uninspiring experience… Sadly, despite having chewed through three pencils and a ball-point pen as far as its pocket clip, I find it hard to avoid similar clichés myself. After all, I mean to say, we all have to start somewhere and our very first influences come from our parents. Bit of a foregone conclusion – forlorn conclusion in some cases! It all began when my mother travelled all the way down from the family home in Scotland (just outside
56 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above Arthur with his rebuilt pre-war Luton Minor LA.4 G-AFIR, the aircraft he planned to highlight the Air Ministry’s unreasonable intransigence in not allowing it a Permit to Fly by flying it in front of the press without a Permit. The Ministry relented at the last minute.
Edinburgh) to be with me when I was born in a London nursing home. I believe she had been expecting a parcel containing curtains but had to put up with me instead… My grandfather was a renowned composer, brass band conductor and adjudicator. He spent most of the year away from home travelling, returning at the end of March or the beginning of April. The result was that my father, and all his many brothers and sisters, had birthdays between the last week in December and the early days of January. Dad was a writer and musician, as well as a talented performer on piano and organ. He was also a conductor of orchestral concerts – important to make that clear otherwise some people immediately think of the 221 bus and the terse epithet ‘Fez-pleez’. His career brought to our various family homes an assortment of musicians and conductors, and I was brought up with top-notch performers who visited and played their finest on our pianos. Conductors, too, were regular visitors, in particular Thomas (later Sir
Meet the Members Thomas) Beecham, who was a great musical mentor for me. By the age of high single digits, I knew a lot about music but experienced that curious feeling of restlessness that was only sated by the sight of those low-flying supercharged RAF aircraft which endlessly flew low over us. We then lived in the largely open country between Northolt and Hendon – two big and busy airfields. The day I found they were all tied together with coloured ribbon and then watched as they actually performed a formation loop, I knew that the conductor’s baton was not for me. Watching the biplanes practice aerobatic flying for the upcoming Hendon Air Pageant, stirred parts that music had yet to find. My father was a wise old fellow who was widely connected and he knew many people from many walks of life, not just those musical, so when I found that he had been on good terms with Claude Grahame-White at Hendon in the years following the WWI, and also Bernard Shaw, I knew I had a hard act to follow. Mother was not all that better, as it turned out. In charge of music and entertainment for the BBC, she also had a wide variety of contacts from Arthur Askey to Flotsam and Jetsam, Tommy Handley, Richard Murdoch, Kenneth Horne and so on. These people came out to our home as well, so you never knew whether it was a string quartet that would be playing in the lounge or a wireless personality or comedian who would be in earnest conversation about something. There was an amusing twist to mother’s life. She had been relocated to a satellite office in London’s Charing Cross Road after her original den at Broadcasting House had been bombed. This didn’t do her much good as, shortly after, a daylight bombing raid on London left her unhurt but trapped on the fourth floor of her Charing Cross Road office. I attended a notable school under the auspices of an equally notable, if not notorious headmaster who would go down in history as probably the first headmaster to serve a prison sentence and, ultimately, to commit suicide. Yes, school was something special! School left me with an intense dislike of anything to do with the sort of sports boys play and I very soon
developed a pathological distaste for any activity that encouraged the unwanted, pointless application of motion to a spherical object, regardless of colour, size and exact shape. Not a good characteristic in a lad at a school where sport seemed more important than writing and maths – subjects I rather preferred. There was, though, a happy twist to this. The school sports master only knew of one punishment for sporting delinquents like me – banishment to the school library to write an essay! Thus, my destiny was, in many ways, shaped indirectly through football, rugby and cricket, and a juvenile loathing of them all. In those days, the goal was London Matriculation. University was still fairly exclusive, and whereas today the vast slew of corrugated-iron universities (several layers down from the ‘red-bricks’) appear to take all and sundry, in those days it was still a finite quantity. I became an external student at one of the still-prestigious colleges. A seven-year career in the Royal Air Force was ultimately thwarted; cut short by the rapid decline in the health of my parents, and I was released from my contract on compassionate grounds.
Can you tell us something of your career?
Below A picture of Arthur (by the propeller) and Turbi G-APFA at the 1957 LAA Air Rally at Sywell following his ‘interesting’ trip across the codinfested waters of the Solent. Photo: Courtesy of the Harold BestDeveraux Archive.
I spent some time working in the drawing office of Handley Page at Cricklewood and was then inveigled into joining forces with John Britten and Desmond Norman on the Isle of Wight. They had, unwisely as it turned out, agreed to build a Turbi for the PFA. The two were hard at it developing crop-spraying equipment for their business Crop Culture (Aerial) Ltd., and didn’t have time for anything else. The project was also being filmed for a weekly commercial TV programme so there was also a schedule of urgency. I led the small team that created G-APFA in the former Labour Committee Rooms in Star Street, Ryde. After the Turbi, I found myself designing and testing equipment for agricultural aircraft and this led me into close contact with Auster Aircraft where we evolved the Workmaster. My interest in music never waned and, although I had consciously kicked over the parental traces, I remained a devout student of music and performance. An unexpected discovery that a lot of early 19th century
April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 57
Meet the Members
music survived only on the pinned cylinders of early high-quality musical boxes, led me to a deep study of mechanical music in which I found myself somewhat a pioneer. In 1962 I founded the Musical Box Society of Great Britain, and was soon presenting programmes of early mechanical interpretations of music on what was then the BBC’s Third Programme, now called Radio Three. By a strange coincidence, my producer was the renowned Madeau Stewart, and it was a long while before we both realised that I was a friend of her father, Oliver Stewart, the maverick editor of the monthly magazine Aeronautics. In another coincidence, my Sunday morning radio programmes were with fellow musicologists, husband and wife Anna Instone and Julian Herbage. Anna was the daughter of the man who founded Instone Air Ways, later part of Imperial Airways, and later still BOAC. This interest led to many commissions as a speakerlecturer-broadcaster around the world, and soon I found that aviation activities and mechanical music events often overlapped, and this allowed me to travel the world and often participate in both activities by careful adjustment of my diary! I edited the society journal, The Music Box, for more than half a century and produced a number of definitive works on the history and restoration of mechanical musical instruments, organs and clocks.
What was it that started your interest in aviation?
Two events shaped my early life, the first when I was extremely small. My parents had paused to break open the sandwiches on the edge of Shanklin Aerodrome at Apse Heath, I was picking buttercups the way annoyingly small children do. The further I looked into the distance, the more buttercups there appeared to be. As I progressed further and further into the airfield, I suddenly heard a dreadful noise and, looking ahead, I saw a monstrous machine bouncing along the turf towards me. I turned and ran. A shadow passed me, and the noise was in the air. I stopped and watched in wonder as the monster climbed into the blue. Now that was clever! My dad photographed events of that day so I can place it accurately, even quoting the registration of the Avro 504N. The second event was several years later at the same site, when I was packed into a joy-riding Spartan Three-Seater, G-ABAZ, and taken for a flight around Shanklin beach and pier. Seated on a pile of cushions, I could only just see over the top of the cockpit. By now though, I was hooked. On another occasion at Bournemouth, my mother and I saw Henri Mignet and his Flying Flea arrive on a demo tour of the UK. Soon afterwards, at the height of the Flea craze in Britain, my father and I watched one attempting to fly in a field at Harrow Weald. I forced my poor old dad to stand for hours as we watched some erstwhile amateur birdman charging around on the grass as he tried to get his Flea to Fly. I don’t think he did, but I was captivated by his curiously shaped aircraft. My dad also knew Will Hay, remembered today as a film actor and comedian, who owned a Robinson Redwing, G-ABMF, as well as a Puss Moth. He promised to take us flying one day from Mill Hill Golf Course. We got there and waited while 58 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Below A R Weyl, who designed the Dart Kitten in 1936, was an early leader of the ULAA Technical Committee. G-AEXT spent a while in Arthur’s garden shed undergoing a fuselage repair after the owner had a mishap. It would survive several more crashes but still flies.
he circled but because there was a crosswind on his favourite fairway, he waggled his wings and flew off. Few people today remember that Will Hay was Amy Johnson’s flying instructor. He was also an accomplished musician and astronomer, who published a paper on the planet Saturn. The 1939-45 war changed everything and people my age grew up very quickly. Accurate aircraft recognition was often a matter of life and death and the daily papers, while diminished in size, all gave space to aircraft recognition. It was not uncommon to find two women with perambulators paused on a street corner for a chat when one might look up and say, “There’s two Me.109s being chased by a Spitfire Mark 14 and a Hurricane!” Yes, everybody learned quickly in those hard times. After the war the RAF released vast quantities of wonderful spares onto the consumer market. While the pages of the weekly magazine Exchange & Mart were eagerly scoured for bargains. The real place to go for aircraft bits was London’s Tottenham Court Road where, on the west side, there were shops that sold surplus goods. Spitfire tailwheels, hydraulic jacks, enormous quantities of new aircraft instruments, tools – you name it, there it was for sale. Low-reading ASIs were 7/6d each! It was here that I bought parachutes for their fine silk so that ladies I knew could sew themselves clothing. The parachute cord was a fine, flexible and lightweight indestructible thin rope. I still have some in use today! It was here that I bought my first barrage balloon – an aeroplane tarpaulin par excellence. My friend Ron Benton and I made a hot-air balloon out of one of these and a mutual friend, Don Cameron, was impressed enough to create a business making the things on a commercial basis.
How were you involved in the founding of the ULAA?
It was Ron Clegg’s original idea and several of us had the same idea at the same time. I don’t recall who came up with the name but, for an organisation with nothing aeronautical to start with, it was an impressive sounding handle. As a founder and one who stipulated the goals we
Meet the Members
wanted to achieve, I was by far the youngest of the founding members who were mainly mature and mostly retired Service personnel. It was, however, very useful to have these people on the committee because they had the experience I lacked. For example, they knew people and were accustomed to ‘networking’, skills I then didn’t even know I didn’t have. I had no money to spare because of ailing parents, so when we actually founded the ULAA, I couldn’t even afford the tiny subscription we voted on. My ‘membership’ contribution was entirely the office equipment since I had a duplicator, a typewriter and paper. Our treasurer said he could not issue a membership number until I paid up! He was an accountant by profession, so I did not dare challenge him. It was a year before I had money to spare and began paying. Whereupon our treasurer allocated me a number – which explains why, as a founder, I have a high membership number: 124. I was a member of A R Weyl’s Technical Committee for some years, a task taken over by Edward Mole after Weyl left. The job was mainly to try to find an engine manufacturer who would make us an engine that would conform to the then requirements for the Permit to Fly light aeroplane. There were plenty of offers – if we could guarantee an order of several hundred a year!
Above The Slingsby Motor Tutor was an early set-back for both ‘Sling’ and the PFA for it was projected as an aircraft on which a skilled glider flyer might build hours for a power pilot’s licence. The authorities would not have it. Only two were built and fitted with the PFA’s JAP engines.
Where did you learn to fly?
Flying was the goal of the Experimental Group of the ULAA at Elstree – a grand name we selected for an effete operation, I fear. We had a Benes Mraz BiBi BE.550, G-AGSR, which was on long-term C of A, we had the one and only Taylor-Watkinson DingBat, G-AFJA, and, later, Comper Swifts G-ABPE (in bits) and G-ABTC (also in bits but larger ones). The sole airworthy machine was H Clive-Smith’s Auster Autocrat, G-AIGT which we were allowed to fly, occasionally. Our flying instructor was the indomitable Jean Lennox Bird, first female Pilot Officer in the RAF. She was a very good instructor who erred on the side of caution.
Did you have much involvement at Shoreham?
In the early days the Association met mostly in Maurice Imray’s London flat but occasionally we drifted to somebody else’s. Ted Davis owned the Davis Theatre in Croydon, and we sometimes met in the lounge there. By a curious coincidence, both my father and Sir Thomas Beecham had conducted concerts there before the war. Apart from sorting out some of the problems following a devastating gale there, I had little to do with PFA during its Shoreham years, mostly because I then had no means of wintertime travel.
Above Arthur comments that whilst most people learned to fly in aeroplanes, he learned on Austers at Elstree. G-AGXT was one of the three Club machines that he flew, it having the distinction of being the one used by a contemporary criminal in the aerial disposal of his murder victim’s body in the Thames Estuary. April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 59
Meet the Members
When did you get into aircraft building?
I always wanted to build an aircraft and as a schoolboy began a Flying Flea, which only got as far as the rudder, wing ribs and spars. It was, though, good practice for what would come in later years. During the latter days of the war, a crashed American Piper Cub, accidentally stolen by some energetic schoolboys, provided wings for my first glider. I made the mistake of attempting to fly this from Pinner Hill Golf Course. Miraculously I made one flight (not really a flight, but it bounced along the grass at a maximum height of about two feet) and was promptly arrested under some war regulation which said that you were only allowed one foot off the ground at a time unless you wore an RAF uniform. And my glider, a fairly faithful interpretation of a Zögling knocked up from pictures in a boys’ magazine, was confiscated. Only my age (still very young) prevented me from being shot as a spy, or so I was told. Peace brought frustration. I wanted to build a Flying Flea or something, but those who were slightly older – and much wiser than me – said ‘no’ and suggested that if I waited long enough something would come along. After the war it was virtually impossible to build your own aircraft, but if you had a pre-war machine with all its paperwork (this last being most important) then you stood a better chance. I bought the remains of a Luton Minor LA.4 that had been built and flown in 1938-39 with an Anzani engine – G-AFIR. It had suffered engine failure in 1939, crashed badly in a field of growing corn and then spent three months in the open after the irate farmer prohibited anybody from walking on his corn until it was harvested! The rules were that you could revive a pre-war Permit to Fly aircraft so long as you renewed no more than 20% of the original airframe/engine. Unwilling to put the original unreliable engine back, I chose a very nice 40hp Moteur Mengin, salvaged from the ill-fated Avion SCAL FB.30 Bassou, G-AFCD which had crashed at Hanworth in 1938. Designed by René Poinsard and manufactured by Établissements Pierre Mengin at 26, Rue de la
62 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021
Above The sight that greeted you when you opened the front door of Arthur’s parent’s house in Pinner. The engine seen here, by the way, is the marvellous 40-50hp Moteur Mengin at which the authorities threw up their collective hands in disgust. This was Arthur’s first re-build of the pre-war LA.4 Luton Minor G-AFIR. Left A rather young Arthur poses with the rudder of his HM.290 Flying Flea in the summer of 1946. Note the watering can in case his shoes catch fire.
Pépinière, Paris VIII, this delightful little horizontally opposed twin-cylinder motor developed 54hp at 2,550rpm and weighed just 115lb. Unfortunately, during wartime storage it had ‘lost’ both its magnetos, and I spent much time and money trying to source replacements without luck. The PFA’s acquisition of a large number of pre-war and brand new Aeronca J.A.P. J.99 engines, offered a safer solution. Unfortunately, replacing the original engine, whether defective or otherwise, was not allowed under the then Permit terms. And when I found that those bits of the Luton Minor’s airframe that were not broken were well and truly rusted or simply dried out after being stored atop a tin roof throughout the war, I realised that the only usable original part I had was the registration. The rest was not admissible. As for the 20% limit, it was clearly out of the question. My rebuild was around the 98% mark. In fact, my line at the time was that I had jacked up the registration letters and installed a new airframe behind them. My companions on the PFA committee were horrified that I tackled the myrmidons of Whitehall head on and I was warned that the PFA was ‘not that sort of organisation’. Things were ‘best sorted out’ at a high level over a lunch with liquid refreshments. Having spent a long time and a lot of postage stamps on trying to convince the authorities that I owned an airworthy aircraft, in the end, and thanks to the enthusiastic help of an air-minded national press, I staged a press conference at my local airfield that would culminate with my illegal flight in a fully airworthy rebuilt aeroplane, after which I would arrange to be arrested. The authorities caved in and I got my Permit to Fly, which saved me from being chained up in the cells at Elstree police station. I was not alone in fighting the authorities, Ted Felce in Leicester and Bert Waterhouse were fellow combatants, equals who had airworthy aircraft but insufficient paperwork. When the PFA wanted a British design to promote to potential homebuilders, I redesigned the pre-war Luton Minor to bring it up to the then date with the J.A.P. as the standard motor. This became the LA.4a, externally distinguishable from the LA.4 by the rounded rudder, the fixed fin and the taller, Cub-type landing gear.
Meet the Members
What other aircraft have you owned?
The first aircraft I actually owned, because I was given it for preservation, was quite a famous one that still entertains those visiting the Shuttleworth Trust. This was an unissued Bristol F.2b, D8096. Housed since new in a packing case and rotting on the banks of the grand Union Canal at Watford, it was the property of Christopher P B Ogilvie at the Primrose Hill Garage. In 1948, as an old man, he was clearing his property as the council wanted to redevelop the site. He offered the Bristol to me for £10. It came with two replacement engines, about two sets of replacement wings and a huge quantity of other spares. As it was most definitely not an aircraft for which an ultra-light aircraft enthusiast might foreseeably get a Permit to Fly, I turned it down. Two weeks later Ogilvie telephoned to say that the council had given him a week to clear the place, and would I take it away for free or else he’d have to burn it! With the aid of Austen Chamberlain’s truck and several friends, we hauled the whole lot off to the United Services Flying Club at Elstree, where I stored the lot in one of the old hangars given over to the storage of old office furniture. There the pieces stayed until, as a result of what today would be called ‘networking’, I managed to convince Sir Peter Masefield, then head of Bristol Aircraft, that it would be a good idea for him to take this aircraft on as an apprentice restoration scheme. I might add that the Shuttleworth Trust was in its infancy then and had declined the offer of the aircraft for preservation. My friend, Paul Simpson on Pinner Hill, had introduced me to the delights of the Aeronca 100. We owned G-AEFT, but after a major prang in the Luton Minor, I built another new airframe for the old registration. When W G Harrison broke his Dart Kitten, G-AEXT, this also ended up in my shed for a rebuild. Later, after I had moved home to the Isle of Wight, aside from my daytime job on the design which became the Britten-Norman Islander, I built another Luton Minor, this time a hybrid machine that resembled the old LA.4 but with the LA.4a two-piece I-beam-sparred wings. I also had a small business making kits of parts for people who wanted a head-start in building. This included half a dozen Minors, as well as a Druine Turbulent.
I formed a crop-spraying business at Panshanger called Agricultural Aviation Co Ltd., and with this conducted numerous experiments using mainly Tiger Moths and, under duress, Freddy Laker’s Percival Prentices. It was while engaged in this that Christopher Cockerell was experimenting with what would become the air cushion vehicle or hovercraft. After a long period of trials, I wrote in the journal Hovering Craft & Hydrofoil that the commercial hovercraft would only be a success once it had the ability to ‘fly’ at a reasonable height and that the then-present method of measuring altitude with a dipstick was unacceptable. I described it as ‘the playpen effect’. The upshot was my invention of the hovercraft skirt, first used on the Cowes-built SR.N1. It was March 29, 1960 that I demonstrated to my colleague and codirector of Phoenix Aircraft Ltd, Cecil Hugh LatimerNeedham, at Panshanger when I flew a just under three feet long model of a hovercraft at a height of almost four inches off the ground. It may not sound much, but without a flexible skirt the model barely cleared one and a quarter inches. Soon the skirt was an integral part of all hovercraft.
How many hours and types have you flown? Below Best acquisition of the ULAA’s Experimental Group at Elstree was this gloriously ugly Brunswick Zaunkoenig. Captured at the end of the war, evaluated at Farnborough, declared surplus it was eagerly snapped up by the ULAA with a registration G-ALUA. It was very slow but a delight to fly. The engine was the extraordinarily light magnesium 50hp Zundapp four-cylinder in-line.
Without checking my log books I can only depend on fast-failing memory for recall. I suspect it is around 2,250 hours – not a lot but mostly good fun, and slow too. From Avro Avian and Spartan Arrow through to a large number of Luton Minors, several Luton Majors and Minicabs, the types flown probably tops 40 or 50.
Do you have a favourite and ‘not so favourite’ types?
Well, I am rather biased here. I like attractive aircraft that are pleasing to look at and pleasant to fly, and there are still quite a few of those, starting with the Comper Swift and the BA Swallow. Of the foreigners, I enjoyed the Zaunkoenig, largely because it put a smile on your face and, because it was very slow, you had a long time to watch people walking their dogs on the ground beneath you. I got my twin rating on the Miles Gemini so I could fly our Dragon Rapide. I thoroughly enjoyed this aircraft
April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 61
Meet the Members
although it took an age to get accustomed to the attitude at take-off – as the tail comes up, sitting a long way forward in the nose, you go down about four feet! Which is another reason, perhaps, why you are always told to wheel in a DH.89a and not to attempt a three-pointer. Ones I didn’t like? Well, the BAC Drone had a problem. It gave you the impression of being followed at close quarters by a police motorcyclist. Occasionally a radiator hose came loose in which case you received a down-the-back-of-the-neck douche of semi-boiling brown water. This happened to John Fricker in G-AEKV. The Percival Prentice (which Freddy Laker tried to sell me as a potential crop-sprayer) and the Thruxton Jackaroo both had an unusual characteristic in that they possessed a hidden compensating device which meant that whether flown solo or at full load, they always took off as if they were at maximum weight.
Have you had any ‘I learned about flying’ moments?
All of us have moments we would prefer to forget. One of mine occurred when flying the Turbi from Bembridge to the PFA Rally at Sywell and was crossing the vast ocean that separates the two islands of Wight and England. The Turbi’s engine was the Coventry-Victor Flying Neptune, an aeronautical conversion of the well-known agricultural power unit. Quietly singing to myself as we crossed the waters of Spithead, the engine suddenly lost power and stopped. I realised that I hadn’t sufficient height to make Portsmouth Airport, not even the shore. It would be a splash-down in the water and the PFA would not be pleased if I sank its brand-new aircraft. Making a ceremonial visit to Portsmouth Harbour was a giant American aircraft carrier, and this happened to be within easy reach beneath me. Quickly weighing up my chances of survival in the cod-infested waters of Spithead versus my probable lifetime incarceration at Guantanamo Bay for illegally landing on one of Uncle Sam’s boats, I chose the latter and lined up on finals on the enormous flightdeck of this floating American air base. As I glided lower and lower, I saw that the deck of the ship was lined with thousands of sailors in their best uniforms – and all were watching me! About 26ft from 62 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Above BAC Drone G-AEKV was powered by a 30hp Carden-Ford engine. Part of the pre-flight check was to inspect the radiator hoses, which had a tendency to break in flight and give you an unexpected down-the-neck douche of semiboiling brown water.
touchdown and well below the height of the enormous office block on one side, the hay-baler engine suddenly re-started and rumbled effortlessly up to full power. Not really wanting to be part of an international incident, I climbed away as, hats off, the sailors all waved and, I think, cheered! Hoping that they took it all in good part and had assumed it was part of Portsmouth’s Town’s welcome, I climbed away and continued to Sywell, choosing to say nothing but stay silent and hope that nobody in authority had noticed. I never heard any more about it, so I reckon I just about got away with it.
Are there any aircraft you would like to have owned?
As an aging old bugger, with the past so far behind me that even a pair of binoculars is pretty useless, I have gone beyond those stages of avarice where one covets an object, be it aeroplane, pipe organ or good book. But if I was younger and still able to nimbly climb into an aeroplane, I suspect that my chosen mount would still be my first love, the Comper Swift.
You clearly had other interests, do you have a favourite?
If you can no longer do something or contribute to it in any way, then you end up writing about it. I am a prime example of that dictum. Well beyond being behind the practical thrust of the chisel or bite of a file, I go in for the passive side of things – I write. I began this heinous felony in youth (remember my school sports master and his punishment of essay writing?). Initially I wrote enthusiastically for Paul Poberezny’s Sport Aviation, and others about maths and design, then aviation history, and then expanded into clocks and music as well as their restoration. As a one-time adviser to famous auction houses, I could not reject old and valuable clocks. As a restorer of musical instruments, I can’t chuck out ancient pianos and organs. Likewise, as a lover of history, architecture and science, I couldn’t hive off things of antiquity, and so I also write and research on local history. And as a devout, but ancient, aviator, I can’t ignore aeroplanes. But it’s fair to say that I love them all, so I don’t have a preferred subject. ■
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Renewal of our commitment to the LAA Member Insurance scheme. We are delighted to announce that we have recently renewed our four-year agreement with the LAA to handle the dedicated LAA Member Insurance scheme. We look forward to continuing to negotiate the best available terms and conditions for the benefit of LAA Members. The Air Courtage scheme was launched in June of 2017, after discussions with the LAA Board, and is designed to accurately match the full scope, requirements and expectations of members’ activities. One of the main benefits of having a dedicated insurance sheme, in the current fragile recreational aviation insurance market, is that it gives us greater mass to arouse insurers’ interest, and thus better negotiating potential. The key argument is the reduction of volatility, as policy holders covered under the scheme are not considered individually by the insurers; from an actuarial point of view, the scheme is perceived as if there was only one insured. In fact, the greater number of policy holders within the scheme, the stronger our ability to negotiate with the insurers, ensuring both sustainability and continuous improvement of terms and conditions. This strategy has been working well, as a number of benefits have already been granted to LAA members thanks to the scheme: • Only a 10% increase on premium rates applies to the LAA Member Insurance scheme for 2021, in what is considered to be a very hard market. Facing the poor results of recreational aviation insurance, market capacity has been significantly reduced over the past couple of years, generating premium increases, but thanks to the scheme, we have been able to keep the increase at a reasonable level. We also have good reasons to believe that, unless exceptionally severe losses happen in 2021, we will be in a position for premiums to stabilize soon.
• We have managed to waive the pilots’ age limitation to join the programme, while the current trend is for insurers to apply more and more age caps. At one stage, our former insurer did impose some restrictions for pilots over 80, despite there not appearing to be any obvious correlation between pilot age and the accident rate. However, specific conditions no longer apply to older pilots under the scheme.
• Additional to the automatic liability limit increase in respect of Crown Indemnity, which has been in place since the scheme’s launch, further automatic increases have been granted to meet the specific requirements of Duxford, Goodwood and Elstree airfields. We listen to your wishes and suggestions and keep an ‘improvements to do list’ accordingly. Unfortunately, we cannot always address such changes in a timely manner, and 2020 was not an appropriate year to request any enhanced coverage, but we keep them in mind and await the right time to review terms and conditions with the insurers. Since the launch of the LAA scheme, we have also taken a further step in risk mutualisation and launched projects for new schemes for EFLEVA associations in other European countries. We hope this will bring all members of EFLEVA associations additional benefits and greater value for money for your insurance. We would be delighted to answer any question or assist with your insurance matters. Please contact our dedicated team using the e-mail address: laa@air-assurances.com or phone us on 03306 845 108. We also invite you to visit the LAA MEMBER INSURANCE dedicated website: http://www.air-assurances.com/laa.asp
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Classifieds
April
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PROJECTS
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AIRCRAFT FOR SALE
Groppo Trail G-ROFS. Built 2013, TT airframe and engine 280 hours. Permit valid to 25/03/22, full details at steemrok.com/GROFS.pdf. £31,000. Tel 07973 262039.
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Beagle Auster Husky D5-180. 1967 (Library photo). Rebuild project, stalling accident. Total hours 1785. Complete airframe (uncovered) – some u/c repairs and welding required. Two engines, one partial, one damaged. No prop or radios. Approved for banner towing. £6500, no vat. Contact Peter Wild 07881 636035 / 01423 560294 or pawflyingservices@gmail.com Avid Flyer Speedwing project. Tailwheel version. Mk3 with some Mk4 mods. Wings fold for towing. Covered, part painted. Rotax 582. North Hampshire. avidflyer@mail.com
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WANTED Group wants a starboard wing for a DHC-1 Chipmunk, modified with plenty of fatigue hours left, or time expired unmodified. The mod is the lower spar boom mod, H289. Tel: 07791 898 565.
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64 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
Let Arkle help you get off the ground again
JPM, Oil filter adapters made to order. Continental O-200 -12 £320 and A65 -8 from £390. Will help with Mod paperwork. These adapters replace the oil screen assembly. jpm.aviation@gmail.com Julian Mills 07976 530563. Light Aircraft Weighing Service in East Yorkshire and surrounding area. For details contact Demraview Ltd. Email: Demraview@gmail.com Mob: 07984 810761 Welding services (mobile). CAA approved for 4130 steel airframe manufacture and repair. Custom exhaust systems and aluminium fuel tanks undertaken. Manchester based. Contact Julian Mills, on 07976 530563
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WWW.LAA.UK.COM April 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 65
CEO Thoughts
Corporate memory
I
n the early days, the ‘halls of power’ at the CAA were blessed with practical people who understood the grass roots of aviation, and who administered the rules and laws with some understanding of ‘our type of flying’. The current situation is not quite so comfortable.” “Many such officials have retired or moved on to other things, leaving gaps that cannot easily be filled. This situation is not necessarily a reflection on the current personnel but one of the harsh facts of life. The new staff may have not seen the inside of a workshop or flown a light aeroplane. Our task therefore, is to use all the means at our disposal to seek a level of contact that will continue the traditional service of ‘officialdom’ enjoyed in the past. (PS. This isn’t a Mayday call... just a position report).” Those aren’t my words, they’re of a predecessor, David Faulkner-Bryant, writing in 1984. He once said to me not long after I was appointed, “What goes around comes around. There’s little you’ll have to handle that hasn’t come up before.” How right he was. Today we face a similar challenge. From its highest levels the CAA has had a plethora of new recruits. Many have little experience of the GA environment, leading to ignorance of past processes and, perhaps inevitably, to attempts to ‘reinvent the wheel’. As D F-B rightly commented, it isn’t down to the individuals involved, they are hard-working and committed, but with such wholesale shifts in personnel as the CAA has recently experienced, gaps inevitably appear.
Review
One concern is a CAA decision to review the A8-26 approvals by which the CAA regulates the whole airworthiness oversight processes of both the BMAA and LAA. Both organisations queried the need for this but were merely told ‘it’s in the programme’. We’re expecting to see their proposals at the end of this month, and we can expect it to consume much-needed staff resources, just as we are starting to handle a bow-wave of deferred permit renewals. It’s hard to speculate until we have seen the CAA proposals, but recent comments indicate a wish by the CAA to audit us by processes drawn from EASA regulation (didn’t we just leave them?), rather than our current system of oversight based on the decades of amassed experience with almost 500 different types of aircraft. These changes will be presented in a public consultation, to which we will all be invited to contribute. Watch out for more on this when we get a chance to see the proposals and offer our comments in next month’s Light Aviation magazine. 66 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2021
CEO Thoughts
By Steve Slater
CAA contacts
There have also been some well-publicised issues recently with initial post-EASA licencing and Pilot Medical Declaration announcements raising concerns, but I’m glad to say we do have a good level of contact with the senior CAA appointees in the GA Unit today, and there is a genuine commitment to address the challenges. So, for now at least, this isn’t, in DF-B’s words (yet) a Mayday. But it is definitely a Pan Pan Pan call! For many though, a more immediate priority is our release from Covid lockdown and our return to flying. By the time you read this you might already have been airborne, with official sanction for flights, ‘solo or with members of one’s family bubble’ from 21 March. Or, you might be waiting till 12 April for flight instruction or mentoring. As you might imagine, the LAA, BMAA, AOPA and the many other ‘alphabet organisations’ have been working hard behind the scenes, advising those in the CAA and Department for Transport as to the safest, most effective ways to return to flight. Regaining pilot currency, both in physical terms and in decision making, is a clear concern. Every week that passes has seen the risk to rusty pilots increase, while the Covid risk is, we hope, now curving permanently downwards.
Take heed
In this month’s Light Aviation, you’ll find plenty of advice on both making sure your pre-flight planning ensures both you and your aircraft are in the best possible shape to safely resume flying. Please take a look at these pages and consider their advice. Many will have the embedded skills and experience to safely resume flying solo if they wish. If not though, and you feel a little nervous about launching forth, there is good wisdom for waiting those few more weeks to take a flight with an LAA Coach or an Instructor. There’s no rush. We have I hope, a whole flying summer ahead of us! One additional thing to perhaps bear in mind, if you are flying from a grass airfield, is a thorough check of the runway condition. After the very wet weather of the past weeks, there may only be a thin layer of dryer soil covering still very soft mud. Breaking through this crust can put a significant load on the undercarriage …or worse. We’ve already seen one accident this year when, after hitting soft ground on the landing roll, an aircraft was flipped onto its back. This incident also highlighted another issue for those flying in isolation from private strips. The pilot was left hanging in his straps until help arrived. Thankfully it was eventually forthcoming, and the pilot emerged unhurt. What might you need to do to summon help if a similar incident were to occur? Food for thought! ■
