Affordable fun – a single-seater can represent minimum purchase and operating costs.
The uncertainty of the times continues, which I know is a worry for many of our members, but I hope you are all well and able to enjoy life.
Flying-wise the ‘season’ is all but done and although at the moment we seem to be having something of an Indian summer in some regions, it won’t be long before owners may be advised to consider whether they might want to prepare their aircraft to avoid some of the problems of last winter. With the vagaries of mogas’ life over extended periods, it might be an idea to switch to avgas over the winter in case the weather or the coronavirus adversely impacts our ability to fly for months instead of weeks.
This issue sees something of a celebration of the single-seater, which can offer incredibly affordable flying and/or aerobatic or high performance. The flight test (P36) is of the Falconar F9, a Canadian variant of the Jodel D9, one of the first post-war homebuilt designs to become available. Clive Davidson discovers that it is great fun to fly, like many of the other single-seaters featured in Steve Slater’s article, and they also offer, in most cases, a low-cost entry into LAA flying, certainly well under £10K in some instances, with reduced operating costs to match.
Allied to the single-seaters is an interesting historic piece about Wilhelm Stark, a former WWII Luftwaffe pilot who went on to license build the Turbulent in Germany in the late 1950s (P48). His examples are cherished to this day and Wilhelm is alive and well and had his 100th birthday earlier this year.
We also feature one of our own pioneers,
Arthur W J G Ord Hume, one of the founding members of this Association and a pre-eminent historian of 20th century light aviation. His wonderfully atmospheric black and white photographs and charming story about the restoration of a Luton Minor is a pure joy (P16).
And coming bang up-to-date, Carl Parkinson has written a very informative piece about how he updated his Europa Tri-gear’s avionics and ancillaries to permit it to operate at night and in IMC. I hope it encourages others interested in extending the practicality of their aircraft to take a look at this aspect of operation (P52). It’s not for everybody of course, it is undeniably expensive, the complete antipathy of buying a VP1 or a Turbulent, but as I’ve said before, isn’t that the joy of the LAA?
We are a hugely diverse group who share a common passion. If only we could run society the same way – sharing a passion for equality among the diverse races and creeds – wouldn’t the world be a much better place? Not too much left rudder now, Brian!
Take care and be safe.
By Brian Hope
Ihope you are all safe and well and bearing up with the state of the nation… At least we are still able to fly and admire the stunning autumnal countryside.
If you have indeed been able to fly since the lockdown, I hope you will agree that the camaraderie among pilots and builders remains as strong as ever, enabling us to focus on some common interest away from the dreary daily commentary that seems to exude from every media pore.
I wonder if you have managed to stop yourself from discarding the all-important AGM proxy voting form on the reverse of the address sheet of this magazine? I’m afraid I stand guilty on at least three counts in the past, however, in my defence, m’lud, I’ve always managed to attend the meeting, so didn’t need it. But for this year, that defence won’t stand up because, as I mentioned last month, only Steve Slater and I will be attendees while the rest of the membership log in to Zoom. Please read all the instructions about proxy voting with care so we can have a successful, albeit brief, event.
Following the formal business of the AGM, we have a Members Forum where you will be able to ask questions of, and suggest ideas to, Board members. Please do not be slow in coming forward, this Association is run for to all of us and the more feedback you provide, the more likely that any improvements you seek can be made, or new initiatives you’d like to see can be adopted.
Hopefully this time next year we can bask in the glow of a maximum effort 75th Anniversary year and Rally, and I
am sure friends and colleagues will have much to catch up on.
I have at last been able to experience the new Farnborough airspace arrangements recently on a brilliant trip to the Isle of Wight.
I read all of the documentation about negotiating the airspace carefully, so that I would be well ahead of anything that might crop up. Managing to keep well below the London TMA, and talking to Farnborough as I flew, everything went well as there wasn’t much traffic, despite it being a glorious day.
As I approached the Farnborough CTR I was asked to descend, I thought there must be some Farnborough Airport traffic about, but there wasn’t and once past the runway centreline, I found that I could ask for a climb to my original cruising altitude – hmmmm, that’s strange. As I proceeded southbound, the controller had to make a number of calls to me confirming the service I was receiving, as my chosen route crossed a few CTA boundaries. The words ‘doing the hokey cokey’ did actually cross my mind!
The same thing happened on the way back, so I concluded that procedurally, all GA traffic is treated the same irrespective of whether Farnborough Airport is active or not. As it was a Sunday, the airport wasn’t very active at all and there were quite a few biz jets parked up, many more than I have seen on previous transits.
Going forward, my sincere expectation is that the CAA will enable far better airspace arrangements than this – there’s too much fragmentation, too much segregation, and not enough integration.
06 NEWS
HQ Covid closure, Channel Danger Areas
08 AGM
Due to COVID-19 the AGM of the LAA Ltd will be a ZOOM virtual meeting at 10am on Sunday18 October 2020
10 PROJECT NEWS
Stolp SA-500 Starlet, Sherwood Scout, Cleared to Fly and New Projects
16 POST-WAR RESTORERS
Arthur W J G Ord-Hume reveals the joys of the post-war aeroplane restorer…
21 AIR COURTAGE
The impact of COVID-19 on insurance
22 GPS JAMMING
Ian Fraser explains how to best protect against GPS signal jamming… but be prepared to revert to traditional navigational techniques
26 BOLT HEAD AIRFIELD
How determined flyers set about developing a former RAF landing ground into a new GA airfield…
28 FLYING ADVENTURE
Martin Ferid discusses the delights of Texel, in Holland, the most westerly of the Frisian Islands…
34 STRUTS4U
Anne Hughes profiles the activities of the Struts, making good use of social media
36 FLIGHT TEST
Clive Davidson has some fun with the quirky and smile-inducing Falconar…
43 SINGLE SEATER FUN
Single-seater enthusiast Steve Slater extols the virtues of… going it alone
48 STARK TURBULENT
Celebrating the achievements of German aircraft design pioneer Wilhelm Stark, who turned 100 earlier this year…
52 NIGHT/IFR
The process of modifying a Europa for Night/IFR flight
58 MEET THE MEMBERS
Meet John Wighton, stress engineer, aeromodeller and Europa owner…
65 CEO THOUGHTS
Steve Slater on reclosing HQ and the ongoing Brize/Oxford airspace debacle
During the month of September, a substantial complex of 11 Temporary Danger Areas was extant in the English Channel to facilitate transiting and search operations by a number of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems operating, beyond visual line of sight, from Lydd. The activity was covered by Yellow AIC 074/2020. The complexity and extent of the complex, extending from the North Foreland to Eastbourne, and from sea level to 3,500ft throughout and up to 4,500ft along most of the Danger Area, means it had the potential to be a significant problem to recreational GA VFR pilots wishing to cross the Channel.
Although a number of VFR routes were specified, it isn’t clear whether those routes remained open, other than at certain levels, when the Danger Area was Notamed as active.
As we go to press it is unclear whether the Temporary Danger Areas are likely to be reactivated in the months ahead or, more worryingly, next summer. Covid has meant that the cross-Channel routes have been uncommonly quiet this year, and only time will tell if this develops into a major headache for touring pilots.
In line with the Prime Minister’s announcement on 22 September 2020 that ‘office workers should aim to work from home wherever possible’ the LAA is minimising the number of staff in attendance at HQ from 1 October, the remainder working from home. However, the switchboard will remain live and calls will be forwarded whenever possible.
LAA HQ will be closed to general visitors without a specific invitation from the CEO, CE or office manager. Documentation and other packages may be delivered and picked up by prior arrangement.
We will endeavour to maintain as high a level of normal service as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused while these necessary actions to safeguard LAA staff and members remain in place.
The London TMA constitutes an enormous piece of airspace comprising 24 different areas extending approximately 100nm from West to East and, in some areas 90nm from North to South.
In 2019 there were 279 reported infringements of the LTMA, each one requiring an ATCO to achieve 3nm or 3,000ft separation from the unknown infringing aircraft, invariably requiring
‘safety intervention measures’ such as avoiding action to known traffic to achieve separation.
The CAA has identified four locations as specific infringement hotspots, some of which also result in infringements of CTAs adjacent to the LTMA.
A 5nm radius of the following areas is a general guide as to these identified hotspots.
Inspired by Picasso and her grandfather, Amy Whitewick wanted to show that aviation can be as creative as any artistic venture…
Ayoung Dorset pilot recently took to the skies of the South West to prove that aviation and navigation can be creative. Using SkyDemon, Amy Whitewick plotted a challenging route that depicted Picasso’s famous illustration Dove of Peace over the Dorset and Somerset countryside to ‘not only improve my terrible navigational skills, but to inspire other pilots that aviation is just as creative as any other artistic or sporting endeavour’.
“This year has been challenging for all of us,” said Amy. “My friends and I would often visit fly-ins and events at other airfields, including food festivals and meet-ups. This year Covid put a stop to that, and many of us are at a loose end on how to keep up our skills and focus our efforts on safety. I wanted a challenge that could be achieved within the local area, something that would sharpen my skills, and something that would give the flight a purpose and sense of achievement. This one has been the most challenging yet.
“Picasso had an enormous love of doves and pigeons – as did my grandfather who had a loft full of colourful, award-winning
birds. I chose the image not only to denote peace and friendship as intended by the artist, but as a reflection of my grandfather, whom I would have dearly loved to have taken flying. His pigeons never ceased to amaze me, navigating vast distances from France all the way home to their cosy loft.”
The 140nm-plus route consisted of a number of challenging curves. “The hardest part was checking for traffic while navigating. I’d normally take a fellow pilot as traffic spotter to lighten the load for a difficult
route such as this, but due to COVID-19 the passenger seat was empty, filled only by my stuffed mascot, Reggie, named after my grandfather. Mild turbulence, stubborn cloud patches, changing coastal winds, pockets of hang gliders and busy traffic routing to Dunkerswell made for an eventful flight,” commented Amy.
After completing the flight in her Cessna 150, G-JHAC, Amy said, “The task was mentally tiring. After two hours of flight, it was a relief to land back at Compton Abbas but the sense of achievement was brilliant. I hope it inspires others to go get creative with a mini-mission.” ■
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the Light Aircraft Association Limited will take the form of a ZOOM virtual meeting commencing at 10am on Sunday 18 October 2020.
The link to the meeting will be https://bit.ly/31dE3nP (Zoom meeting ID: 854 0107 1535) with Passcode: 552713. Please commence log in from 0945 to avoid a delayed start.
The programme for the day will be:
■ Welcome
■ Apologies for Absence. Confirmation of establishment of quorum
■ CEO Overview
■ Minutes of the previous meeting for approval
■ Chairman’s Report
■ Treasurer’s Report and Adoption of 2019 Statutory Accounts
■ Re-election of Henson Rees Russell (formerly Phipps Henson McAllister) as Auditors of the Company
■ Re-Election of Will Garton-Jones as a director of the Company
■ Motion by Tim Hardy to amend Article 8 (Electronic Communication and Use of a Website)
■ Motion by Mike Hallam that the LAA pursues a joint BMAA, AOPA (etc) strategy to regain GA access to, or passages through, areas where we have lost airspace, or where an airfield’s traffic use no longer justifies retention of its enlarged ATZ
■ Close of AGM proceedings.
■ An opportunity for members to discuss issues and ideas with the Board.
The Minutes from the 2019 AGM, the Annual Report, the 2019 accounts, the Treasurer’s Report, the Chairman’s Report as well as the agenda and Motions contained herein, are available on the LAA website (www.laa.uk.com).
To vote at the AGM you must be a beneficial shareholder of the LAA. Unless you have specifically opted out, you will be a beneficial shareholder by default if you are a current member.
However, because the Articles of Association do not currently allow electronic voting, for this ‘virtual’ AGM the sole method of voting will be using the Proxy Voting Form which came printed on the reverse of the address sheet with this magazine. It must be completed and sent to LAA HQ in advance of the meeting.
One of this AGM’s Motions seeks to change the Articles so that in future electronic voting will be permitted.
1 .This year due to COVID-19 precluding a face-to-face AGM, we are requesting that all members respond using the proxy voting form, via the chairman of the meeting. To be valid, the proxy must be received at LAA HQ by Thursday 15 October 2020
2 .You may only appoint one proxy, this year the Chairman.
3 . Only those beneficial shareholders whose names appear on the register at 1400 on 16 October 2020 shall be entitled to vote at the meeting.
4 . In the case of joint holdings, the vote of the senior beneficial shareholder who tenders a vote shall be accepted to the exclusion of the vote of the other beneficial shareholder. For this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which names stand in the register of beneficial shareholders.
5 . If this form is returned without any indication as to how the Chairman shall vote, he may exercise his discretion as to how he votes, or whether he abstains from voting.
6 . The proxy form must be signed and must show a membership number. ‘Signed’ must mean signed by hand and not signed electronically, bearing in mind that all proxy forms will be checked at the LAA office.
7 . We will accept an emailed legible scan of a properly signed and numbered proxy form. However, it has been noticed that scans emailed at low resolution can be almost illegible when they are received in the LAA office, so the wisest course may be to post the paper form.
David Mole, LAA Company Secretary
Mr Will Garton-Jones Membership No. 041479
Will is an experienced business executive in the UK and African tourism and global IT services markets covering all aspects of outsourcing, systems integration and consultancy. He is fascinated by the ability of technology to deliver innovative and far reaching change to society everywhere. His current areas of interest and knowledge are:
■ Transformation of the UK Rail industry through technology innovation
■ Cost effective marketing of distributed tourist infrastructure
■ Gyroplanes and their uses
■ Global payments and financial inclusion
He trained as a mechanical engineer and has had a longstanding interest in aircraft and flying, starting with aeromodelling before moving onto microlights and gyroplanes, In recent years his focus has been largely on gyroplanes. He also has 32 years of experience in the UK self-catering market, 25 years of experience in the IT services, outsourcing and business consulting markets, 22 years of experience in the African hotels market and 10 years as a Commissioned Officer (CO) in the British Army. He has an excellent understanding of business issues, technology and commercial disciplines and was trained as a consultant in accountancy by Price Waterhouse and KMPG.
Will has served as the Association Treasurer for the past three years.
Proposed by: David Mole, Membership No. 037969
Seconded by: Steven Slater, Membership No. 034052
1. That Article 8 be amended to read as follows: “ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND USE OF A WEBSITE
8. (a) Subject to the provisions in the Companies Act 2006, the Company may hold a meeting, conduct a vote, supply a document or transmit information to its members by electronic means and by making it available on its website (b) A person in communication by electronic means with the chairman and with all other parties to a General or Board meeting shall be regarded for all purposes as personally attending such a meeting so long as at such meeting he / she has the ability to communicate interactively and simultaneously with all other parties attending the meeting including all persons attending by electronic means provided that a break or disruption in
communication with an attendee shall not invalidate the proceedings of the meeting .
(c) A meeting at which one or more members attend by electronic means is deemed to be held at the place at which the Chairman of the meeting is physically present.”
2. That the following passages be deleted:
i. In Article 18, the words “the meeting shall be adjourned for twenty minutes”
ii. In Article 25, paragraphs (c) and (d), And the paragraphs of Article 25 be renumbered accordingly.
The Covid crisis has made it clear that the proper conduct of company business requires the ability to make comprehensive and flexible use of electronic means and, in particular, to make it clear that those ‘present’ electronically are to be treated as if present physically for the purpose of the Articles. The amendment simply applies the provisions already adopted for Board meetings to all meetings and it removes a provision that would cause unnecessary delay.
The Board supports this proposal.
Proposed by: Tim Hardy, Chairman. Membership No. 029407
Seconded by: David Mole, Company Secretary and Vice Chairman. Membership No. 037969
I move that the LAA pursues a joint BMAA, AOPA (etc.) strategy to regain GA access to, or passages through, areas where we have lost airspace, or where an Airfield’s traffic use no longer justifies retention of its enlarged ATZ.
One year ago, on 10 September, I wrote to the LAA concerning the progressive strangulation of airspace access to our kind of flying, specifically our loss of any feasible north/south route past Farnborough, and a free route between Heathrow and Farnborough at the hitherto gap by Bagshot.
Steve Slater kindly replied indicating he would try to introduce the subject at meetings he’s privy to, and limited correspondence between us followed.
Since then we learn that Brize Norton/Oxford airspace is likely to join up to form another country wide virtually no-go ATZ.
Similarly reduced free airspace access for Norwich and Southend has closely restricted where we can fly.
Once granted, such a zone appears to become permanent and apparently our CAA has no mechanism to rescind or modify things – even if in practice the actual traffic doesn’t warrant it. They are also reluctant or even appear ignorant of our desire to pursue the Corridor method as precedent for partially rectifying matters by actively taking GA flying needs into account.
In these circumstances I urge the LAA to actively pursue a strategy – if necessary jointly with other flying organisations – to find a way to roll back some of the effects of loss of GA access which has been the result of an absolute failure to consider our needs when granting exclusive controlled airspace to vested interests.
Proposed by: Mike Hallam, Membership No. 002398
Seconded by: Stephen Slater, Membership No. 034052 ■
Iwas recently minding my own business, stumbling toward the onsite facilities of a small grass strip, when I noticed a very shiny red and white tail section poking out of a shed/hangar –and ‘Poly-Fiber wet look gloss’ went through my head. On the way back, curiosity got the better of me and upon looking in, I found Barrie Towers with his fantastic Stolp Starlet. Happy to share his part complete build with us, Barrie was in fact ahead of the game, and his project report reached my inbox before I arrived home. It’s an interesting look at the traditional form of amateur aircraft construction – i.e. plans-built aircraft. His build approach and reasonings are very interesting and I rather hope we’ll have an update in late spring 2021, when I’m sure the bird will have flo wn!
In September’s Project News , we heard how Mike Clark upgraded his incomplete Reality Escapade into a completed TLAC Sherwood Scout. Below, David Bremner explains the rationale for vandalising his Escapade and treading a similar upgrade path.
Maybe this metamorphosis will become a trend for the type, as both owners cite handling improvements as one of the major driving factors. David is a former Chairman of the BMAA, and indeed edited its magazine for a number of years, and built and has owned his Escapade, G-IMNY, for 16 years. I took the opportunity to ask David an owner’s opinion of the type’s cavernous cockpit area and he confirmed that it is indeed possib le to, and he has, slept in the load area – once. Additionally, at 6ft 3inches, he commented that he may be too short for the type as when the seat is adjusted fully aft, he cannot reach the rudder pedals! Joking apart, it was one of the type’s original design goals to have wide doors and a large seat adjustment range so as to allow easier access for a paraplegic pilot.
Do please 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!
Ithought I would update members on my plans-built project, at one time the only way we could build our own aircraft. Now of course, all manner of kit aircraft are available and although I’m unsure of the exact ratio between plans and kit built, I am sure kits are in, by far, the great majority. Building any type of aircraft is not for the faint-hearted, and not wishing to take anything away from kitplane builders, plans building is very different and can be far more daunting and time consuming, particularly if it’s a complicated design. Re-joining the Association after a break of over 20 years has shown a major change in what is being built, and a move away from ‘simplicity’ to more complicated designs. Just looking at some of the aircraft avionics, their cost alone must be more than the material cost of a simple plans-built aircraft!
There is undeniably much pleasure when an owner’s new kit arrives, checking the inventory of parts and trying to work out how they all fit together. In total contrast, as a plans builder, the starting point for the Starlet project is 24 sheets of A3 scale drawings, a
couple of larger full size sheets for the wing ribs, seven A4 sheets of notes and a three-inch thick Aircraft Spruce catalogue!
The other thing to consider is whether there is factory support, as although Stolp Aircraft were in business for over 30 years, they ceased trading around 15 years ago, so you are on your own to some extent.
Fortunately, however, there is information to be found on the internet, and past builders are helpful when / if they can be located. Aircraft Spruce sells the plans but does not provide technical support. Also be aware that while the plans were considered good in the 1960s, by today’s standards they do have areas that leave it to the builder to sort out, so I’m not sure that they would be suitable for the first timer!
My past light aircraft projects were a Kitfox Mk2 that took 18 months to complete, and a plans-built Murphy Renegade, G-BVAT, that took 2½ years to complete but that was over 25 years ago. I’ve also built five three-axis
‘bolt together’ microlights over a 35-year period, one of which I’m still flying to this day, G-MJTZ, a Phantom built new in 2012 as parts, and complete aircraft are still available today. A great aircraft, aerobatic in the US, it has a 60mph cruise and three-hour endurance, you do see a lot more of the country with this sort of flying. Try searching YouTube for Phantom Ultralight.
The Stolp SA-500 Starlet is a parasol wing design from a company more famous for its sport biplanes and first flown 52 years ago in 1968. Around 40 Starlets have been built in the US, one in Australia and one in the UK. I’ve always wanted to build an American single-seat open cockpit, steel, wood and fabric covered aircraft, and my choice was further reduced as it needed to be powered by a Rotax 912, be single wing and most definitely, on the LAA approved list.
Plans-built aircraft can have very long build times but there are some types that can be built quite quickly, and I believe the Stolp Starlet is one such example – but you do
Left Progress to date and what the pilot will see. Photo: Barrie Towers
have to be very committed. The aircraft is quite small at 17ft long with a 25ft wingspan, and it can be constructed in a single garage or, in my case, a 20ft x 8ft shed at the bottom of my garden. The fuselage is only 12ft long without engine mount or rudder and is light enough to be manoeuvred single-handedly. I obtained a copy of Air Pictorial from August 1974 that included a flight test article on the UK’s only example, G-AZTV, and that was started in August 1971, completed in June 1973 and first flown on 4 July 1973. Under two years from start to flying for a plans-built aircraft I believe is quite impressive.
Having the inspector a few steps from my hangar has also proved a bonus. Peter Montgomery only has to walk 100 yards from his aircraft maintenance business to inspect progress and give advice when required. I have also been fortunate to gain access to the only Stolp Starlet in the UK and I’m indebted to its owner, Graham Rowland, for his help.
Fuselage construction is fairly straightforward using 12ft x 2ft wooden frames covered in plywood, then drawing
out the plan detail with wooden blocks screwed down to hold the tubes in position for welding. I made the top and bottom fuselage sections first, then I made a third wooded jig that held the two sections together so that the side tubes could be cut and welded into place.
Many other jigs are required for the tail section, struts, jury struts, and engine mounts to name but a few. But it could have been a lot simpler as many things are neither square nor straight! The top fuselage is wider than the bottom, so the sides taper out, and there is also a change in depth of the fuselage in the cockpit area.
Then we have the wings which, although attractive, are semi-elliptical in shape with a nine degree sweep back and most of the ribs being of different lengths, which does complicate things, I built them on a vertical jig as the trailing edge components need to seamlessly flow from one to another and this does add a considerable amount of build time.
I now have the fuselage and tail section complete and painted, with the undercarriage and engine bolted on. The wings are built but not fabric covered as yet, and I have obtained most parts ready for the assembly stage. It also may be of interest that I applied for a number of modifications, the important ones being:
1. Grove Landing Gear: The original landing gear was found to be weak and has been known to collapse, although this problem was mostly caused by installing a Lycoming O-235 which increased the weight considerably. Stolp issued a strengthening modification but quite a few owners changed to a different main gear type, including the aluminium Grove one-piece that I’m going to install. Advantages are many, including
Below Progress to date, engine on, good view of the Grove undercarriage, and the custom baggage compartment in the head rest. Photo:
simplified installation and proven design. However, there are a few disadvantages, the cost is one but the biggest for me is the additional weight over the original design – something all builders must normally avoid if possible but I’m hoping to make up for this during the engine installation and by reducing the fuel capacity.
2. Rotax 912UL engine installation: The Starlet was specifically designed for a VW 1500 engine, but unfortunately in the 1960s they only produced around 45hp and the first one built did not perform well. For the second example, they installed a Lycoming O-235 which, although powerful, was perhaps too heavy and gave a few weight and balance issues. Additionally, it increased the take-off and landing distances while raising the stall speed. For every 10% increase in weight the stall speed increases by 5% and the take-off/landing distance increases by 19%, so it’s important to keep weight down! The UK Starlet uses a C90-8F which, although lighter than an O-235, has no electrical system or starter. I’ve been able to obtain a few Lycoming O-235 Weight & Balance sheets and every one, without exception, shows that they operate on the forward CG limit due to the engine weight and, if a lightweight pilot was going to fly, they would be outside of the forward limit! Operating any aircraft like this will add to the stall speed when compared to a similar aircraft that is operating in the middle of the range.
It’s my belief installing a Rotax 912UL returns the aircraft to its design parameters and will benefit in many ways from this installation – lower weight, electrical system, electric starter and reduced fuel consumption to name a few, and with the benefit of a reduction in the stall / landing speed over the Lycoming powered examples.
3. Deleting the wing centre section fuel tank: The plans show two tanks, one in the fuselage forward of the instrument panel, and one in the wing centre section. Because of the lower fuel consumption of the 912UL, I decided to delete the centre section tank, not only to save weight but also to have a simpler set up with the hassle of refuelling when steps are not available. It’s no fun standing on the seat trying to empty a Jerry can into a top tank. I increased the depth of the fuselage tank to give 50 litres, which I’m hoping will give me a three hour plus duration, which I’m sure will be greater than mine!
Highs: Working with steel and building the fuselage was an enjoyable part, with the help of my welder Allen Hasseldine. You also need woodworking skills though, in order to make the steel assemblies wooden jigs are required.
I decided to use the Poly-Fiber covering system, as I had used it on both of my previous builds. I enjoyed the covering and everything up to applying the Poly Brush but left the painting to Aircraft Coverings Ltd (Chris and Alex) at Henstridge Airfield, Somerset, who did a great job for me.
Lows: I started making the wing ribs and most are different, requiring multiple jigs, and there are hundreds of parts to be made. If Stolp Aircraft still existed, I would have gladly paid a premium price to have had these made for me! Generally, the wings are not the easiest to build with a nine degree sweep back and a curving trailing edge, both of which took a lot of effort and time to sort out. The glass fibre turtle deck is another item that I would have gladly purchased, had I been able to, although in a day I had something made that looked the part, it took a further couple of weeks to shape, smooth and level it to an acceptable standard. While I was at Sun ‘n Fun last year I visited the Poly-Fiber stand every
day and tried my hand at rib stitching, something I had never had to do before and if my practice runs were anything to go on, this will take longer to do than to build the wings!
That’s it for now, you can see progress to date in the later pictures. So, will I complete the project in the two-year target that I set myself? I purchased the plans in November 2018, started to gather materials and received my LAA project number in early 2019. Thus far I’ve invested over 2,000 hours, so with a guidance of 1,400 hours, I should have completed it months ago!
In spite of quite a few holidays, a new bathroom installation and COVID-19, plus taking into account the fact that the building will slow a little in the colder months as I have moved the project to my unheated hangar, I believe that it should be finished by the end of this year. However, due to the wet conditions that normally prevail at my airfield, I don’t expect to be flying until spring 2021.
The first amateur-built Reality Escapade kit to be flown, G-IMNY, has operated as a microlight under the BMAA since 2005. In the autumn of 2019, there was increasing evidence of rust coming through the powder coating of the fuselage airframe, and I reluctantly took the decision to take a knife to the perfectly sound fuselage fabric.
It wasn’t just the rust that triggered this act of vandalism. The Escapade is now managed by The Light Aircraft Company (TLAC), which had renamed it the Sherwood Scout, and introduced modifications that improved its handling and allowed an increase in maximum all up weight to 499kg when classified as a light aircraft. So, I foresaw four benefits from the upcoming time, work and expense.
First, to preserve the airframe into the foreseeable future; second, to enable me to count my hours towards my PPL(A), instead of having to borrow other people’s aeroplanes; third, to get an increase of up to 50kg payload; and fourth to get an improvement in handling. Plus, while I was at it, I decided to give the 912UL the full zero hours treatment since it had been starting and running roughly for a good while. Only the wings survived untouched.
Stripping the airframe back to the original welded tubular structure took a long time, and all the peripheral bits had to be carefully labelled and stored. So, with the airframe on its bespoke trailer and the engine in the boot, I set off east, dropping the engine off with Kevin Dilks and stopping just before the North Sea to leave the airframe with TLAC at its delightfully named Little Snoring base.
Back home, I spent the winter rewiring the instrument panel and fitting a secondary flight instrument as back-up to the existing Enigma EFIS. A month or so later I picked up the engine, now looking brand new, and the airframe with its larger tail surfaces and one or two additional stiffening members. As soon as lockdown was eased enough to allow me to visit the hangar, I camped out there more or less permanently, taking the opportunity to tidy up the wiring in the rest of the
Right Corrosion that was showing through the fabric and started the whole rework process. Photo: David Bremner
Below The completely recovered fuselage and rebuilt tail, note the aft battery with easy access panel.
airframe and make one or two other improvements. I’d decided to recover the fuselage and tail surfaces with Oratex 600, which proved to be a major boon, as it involves no painting, and the wonderful glue at the heart of the process is water-based, so we were able to complete the tail surfaces in the living room with not a single complaint from my wife.
It was a huge relief to get to the test flight stage, of course, but a couple of things took the edge off the exercise a little. First, over the winter EASA had changed the rules so that I could count my microlight hours towards my PPL(A), which entirely wiped out one of the advantages. Second, I was anticipating an increase of empty weight of around five to eight kilos, and was therefore entirely flummoxed when, using identical, calibrated scales to the previous weighing five years ago, it came in no less than 27kg heavier, thus
halving the anticipated increase in payload. Neither I nor John Hamer, my very experienced inspector, can offer any rational explanation.
On the plus side, there is no doubt that the corrosion of the airframe was in urgent need of treatment, the new fabric on the fuselage has drawn admiring glances from everyone who’s seen it, the engine sounds and runs an order of magnitude better, and the handling is vastly improved. The larger elevator improves pitch authority and the larger rudder, with spring centring, has improved the directional stability so that you can now fly straight
and level with your feet off the pedals, and even make reasonably balanced turns with ailerons or rudder alone.
And the sealing strips fitted to the wing trailing edge in way of the flaps have entirely eliminated any changes in pitch trim with flap operation. A little part of me regrets the loss of the previous idiosyncrasies that took some getting used to, but there’s no doubt that it’s now a more mainstream product that would be ideal for training purposes – in particular for tailwheel training, and it should increase its resale value. I can’t wait to get the Permit to Fly and really start clocking up the hours again.
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 Bristell NG5 Speed Wing (LAA 385-15716) 24/8/2020
Mr G Beale, 1 The Drive, Blackmore End, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, AL4 8LE
n Eurofox 914 (LAA 376-15715) 21/8/2020
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
n G-CLBG Van’s RV-7 (LAA 323-15497) 3/8/2020
Ms Tracey Groves, 31 Russell Road, Lee-On-The-Solent, PO13 9HR
n G-UKRV Van’s RV-7A (LAA 323-15304) 3/7/2020
NETWASP.NET Ltd, 22 Boswell Gardens, Stevenage, SG1 4SB
n G-YOTS YAK-52 (s/n 9010308) 3/8/2020
Mr Jonathan Windover, Trustee Of: G-YOTS Group, 5 Childsbridge Lane, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, TN15 6TH
n G-BVZZ DHC-1 Chipmunk 22 (Lycoming) (s/n C1/0687) 7/8/2020
Bath, Wilts & North Dorset Gliding Club, The Park, Kingston Deverell, Wiltshire, BA12 7HF
n Van’s RV-8 (LAA 303-15714) 20/8/2020
Mr J Wood, 255 Kenton Lane, NewcastleOn-Tyne, NE3 3EA
n Van’s RV-14/14A (LAA 393-15713) 11/8/2020
Mr M Albery, 1 Bascote Chase, Bascote, Southam, CV47 2EZ
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-CLFK Eurofox 912(S) (LAA 376-15581) 27/8/2020
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-CLML Skystar Kitfox MK 7 (PFA 172D14391) 3/8/2020
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-EUFX Eurofox 912iS (LAA
Left A bit of a Tardis, modest dimensions on the outside, cavernous on the inside. Photo: David Bremner
n Bristell NG5 Speed Wing (LAA 385-15712) 3/8/2020
Mr A J Palmer, Palmers Farm, Boship Roundabout, Hailsham, Sussex, BN27 4AT
n Onex (LAA 401-15440) 27/8/2020
Mr M Wiseman, 32 Market Place, South Cave, Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2BP
376-15623) 21/8/2020
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-IMNY Escapade (s/n BMAA/HB/358) 12/8/2020
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-JJGI Stampe SV4A (s/n 199) 13/8/2020
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-RBFX Eurofox 912iS (LAA 376-15645) 3/8/2020
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
IArthur W J G Ord-Hume reveals the joys of the post-war aeroplane restorer…
’ll bet many of you have heard all you want to hear from boring old people like me rambling on about the war – the austerity, poor food, the struggle with bad winters, clothing coupons, no petrol and Wellington boots that leaked. If so, read no further. Just consider yourself to have had a lucky escape! If not, the please continue…
When I look in my workshop today, I see a selection of tools that were quite unheard of in the amateur workshops of post-war Britain. Circular saw, table saw, power fret saw, belt sander, riveting tools, a choice of electric drills equipped with variable speeds and automatic chucks… Then there’s metal folders and shears, spray gun and straight edges, clamps and staple firers, portable gas cylinders for welding, brazing and normalising… Ah! Shame I’m simply too old to get down to creating my very own third-size Lancaster bomber…
At one time, virile young men used to have dreams about electric drills; while those with more fertile imaginations would wake up sobbing, having just had a vivid dream of possessing their own planer thicknesser.
So how did we manage? We just did. My tale begins here…
While wandering around the Croydon hangars one
Above A radiantly happy looking Paul Simpson stands by G-AEVT, the Aeronca 100, after assembly at Elstree. Notice the camouflaged hangar.
day, I found an old man in faded blue overalls standing on top of a pair of steps and assembling a Tiger Moth centre section – a little pile of streamlined steel struts and a handful of bracing wires. He was carefully consulting the bubble in a spirit level and making tiny adjustments to the wires with a small spanner. “The secret of rigging a Moth,” he cheerfully proffered, “is to get the centre section right and the rest is a doddle!” I had never thought about it before, but his words sank in. I made a mental note of finding out what a ‘doddle’ was and where one found one on a DH.82a.
“If it takes two days to get the centre section right, OK,” he said. “Rush this bit of the job and you’ll never ever get the wings right in a month of Tuesdays!”
His words sank in a bit deeper. And so, some while later, Paul Simpson and I had Aeronca G-AEFT, the purchase of which, you will recall from June’s article, we tried in vain to secrete from my parents, standing on the lawn in the back garden.
I recalled how, several years before, we had struggled to get the rigging right on the similarly titled G-AEVT. Just to refresh your memory of things before the age of sleek, low-wing cantilever monoplanes made of tin and Tupperware, the Aeronca had no struts, only wires – a great number of them.
The words of that Croydon ground engineer stirred around in the back of my mind. There must be a secret in this rigging business. And I would be the one to find it! Thinking it through, the task was very simple, and the complexities of the Tiger Moth centre section didn’t enter into it. All we had to do was connect the wings, support the tips at the right height, bolt the landing bracing wires to the centre section triangular pylon – and then connect up the lift wires. Dead easy. Finished by tea time…
The first problem emerged uncompromisingly quickly, however. The centre section pylon didn’t want to remain absolutely upright. Not even slightly vertical. Simple! Shove in some flying wires to keep the wings level, then bingo! The pylon would stand vertical – it didn’t, of course.
Spin forward some days when, with sore fingers and a modicum of spilled blood, we had succeeded in getting that wretched pylon upright. The port wing now displayed visibly more dihedral than the other, while the incidence varied between the wings by quite a lot. Two hours later we had the dihedral right, but the pylon lent over to one side. The incidence was also still well out. By the next morning we had the
incidence spot on, but the dihedral was wrong. The pylon was straight, though.
A stern rebuke from a passing vicar who overheard some words, the meaning of which he maintained he didn’t know, yet clearly knew sufficiently well enough to sense they were not nice, spurred us into action. It was a bright Wednesday morning some while later when, with the evenings getting longer as spring turned to summer, we succeeded in getting all three variables unvariable . The dihedral was right, the incidence was right and so was the pylon, which stood straight, upright and proud. We had done it!
There was only one problem. The aeroplane was now fully rigged in a relatively small back garden from which not even a fully qualified headcase would attempt flight. It needed to be taken apart to be transported to a place from where it might reasonably be encouraged to get air beneath its tyres – as well as in ’em.
Unwilling to risk facing a repeat of that rigging palaver, I gave some serious thought to this bracing wire business and came up with a perfect solution…
This sort of thing, I assured Paul, comes with having a well-honed brain like mine… We would unscrew each wire one full turn and relock the locking nut before pulling the pin out. It was simple, it was
Above Nearing completion, the new airframe of the Luton Minor in the front garden of my parents’ house in Hatch End.
Left The original pre-war airframe of my Luton Minor LA.4 assembled in the back garden. It was incomplete and rather broken, and, in the end, it was all scrapped. Registered G-AFIR on 7 July, 1938, it was the third LA.4 to be constructed from the article in Practical Mechanics magazine.
elegant, it was clever – and I had thought it all out by myself. Ah, the genius of youth…
The wings came off quite quickly once we had got the procedure with the locking nuts down to a precise art. Each bracing wire now carried a label indicating its precise position in the bracing loom that prevents the Aeronca’s wing from falling off. Very soon afterwards we had the whole aeroplane tied onto Paul’s car in the approved manner, as shown in my previous story. Off to Denham, where we were assigned the blister hangar. Only a few hours until becoming airborne, eh…?
The first problem was the blister hangar itself. It had a floor made of loose cinders, poorly crushed concrete and sundry, uneven lumps of very hard and unidentifiable stuff. In short, the floor was rough. It was so uneven that we quickly discovered even a tripod rocked unsteadily on two legs. We found the best bit of floor and prepared the aircraft for rigging. It took a long while to be able to get our specially made wing support stands to perform their standing and supporting roles. It took even longer to balance the wings on them, so hat they were vaguely level.
The real shock came with the bracing wires. They were now all different lengths and none of them fitted anywhere near as easily as they had done back on the lawn at home. Then I remembered the infamous Harefield Triangle, which we had driven through en route to Denham. It was said that ‘mysterious forces’ altered the length of bracing wires when you drove in this notorious part of Buckinghamshire…
Spin forward two weeks. Largely because it was 14 days of sheer purgatory trying to rig the aeroplane so it was more or less straight. Then came the final bits and pieces which mostly involved drilling 1/16in diameter split-pin holes in bolts – by hand. Remember what I said about electric drills? Well, a handoperated brace is not much good when you are kneeling on a rough, sharp pointy floor late at night trying by torchlight to drill a hole at an awkward angle. Holes became measured in terms of how many broken drill bits each took.
Hangars seldom had lighting in those days. Our old hangar at Elstree had two light fittings suspended
Top The completed LA.4 Luton Minor with its brand new JAP engine stands at Elstree. The wholly new airframe and different engine type upset the authorities.
Above The LA.4’s engine was a 30hp Moteur Mengin, originally fitted to the Avion SCAL Bassou, which had crashed before the war. It was a very neat, lightweight twin but the magnetos were missing. In the end, this was the reason I was forced, reluctantly, to scrap the Mengin for one of the PFA’s stock of brand new J.99s.
high in the roof, each with an opaque, green enamelled tin shade and a 25 watt bulb. You could tell when the lights were on because, once your eyes got used to the level of illumination, you could see other people as shadows when they passed you. But not recognise them, of course.
G-AEFT did take to the air soon afterwards and gave us both some hours of enjoyment until a combination of shortage of cash, my sick parents, and the cost of running the Luton Minor combined to make the hangarage charges something of a final straw. It was a sad day when we delivered the Aeronca to new owner Brian Collins at Southend.
Tools were rudimentary in those days and the availability of quality equipment was a rarity. Then Wolf Electric Tools introduced the Cub power drill at a cost of £4.12/6d – for the very young readers who don’t remember ‘real’ money, that’s about £4.65p. I remember going all the way to Liverpool to buy one, with its ¼in chuck and low amperage motor that wouldn’t quite put a 3/16in drill through a steel plate without perseverance and a lot of oil. The drill was also unsuppressed, which meant that each time you switched it on, surrounding houses could not watch their black and white TV for the ‘snowflake’ interference and the sonic stuttering caused by your appliance.
The measure of my personal aircraft restoration came with Comper Swift G-ABPE. This historic aircraft had survived the war and been beautifully restored.
New owner Adrian Golay was ready for his first flight from St Albans on 26 April, 1947. Youth and
bravura led him to attempt a steep climbing turn on his very first flight… The attempt was not a success and while the hedge recovered, the Swift didn’t. It ended up in a set of tea chests – in my shed…
Much as I cherished this aircraft, I never attempted a rebuild because I did not have a router, or even a suitable high-speed cutter. You see, every piece of spare wood on the Swift is routed away to save weight and an amateur router was unheard of. Of course, 70 years on, I’ve now got one!
Some time after this, I had an unusual episode with the Luton Minor. I had been based for a while at Panshanger, that beautiful large and unspoiled all-grass aerodrome between Welwyn Garden City and Hertford. Home of the North London Aero Club and numerous private owners, it suddenly closed, and not for the first time would this happen. It had happened several years before when the De Havilland School of Flying had moved out. During the war it had been a decoy aerodrome for Hatfield. However, this time was a bit different, most private owners, afraid of leaving their beloved aeroplanes on an unattended airfield, took their property away. The flying club had been the first to go and now the fuel pumps were locked, and the gates secured. Panshanger, for the foreseeable future, was shut…
There was a problem, and that was my small aeroplane sitting in a blister hangar (this one, thankfully, with a concrete floor) on the far side of the airfield. The snag was that there were only about four pints of fuel in the tank – not enough to take me to Denham where I could refuel, or even safely to Elstree where petrol was tuppence a gallon more expensive.
Now, I could run the JAP engine comfortably on motor spirit, and there was a garage and filling station just opposite the end of the aerodrome road on the Hatfield to Hertford main road. The downside was that it was a long walk carrying a couple of jerrycans.
On the other hand, immediately opposite the garage on the other side of that main road, was a largish field. There were trees, but there was plenty of room. I walked down and inspected the field. It felt OK
Above There was only one problem in owning and flying a small aeroplane. Whatever one parked near, the chances were that the other thing was larger than you!
underfoot. Then I had a capital idea. Why didn’t I simply fly the three-quarter mile or so from airfield to filling station and fill up?
I fired up the engine and took off from a totally deserted field and immediately lined up on final for that roadside field. It seemed to me to be a good deal smaller from up here… And there appeared to be rather a lot more trees than I had spotted from the ground. Never mind, I reckoned. It was do or die as I might not have enough fuel for a return flight.
Well, it all worked out OK. I landed between the trees, taxied up to the barbed wire fence, shouted across the road to the pump attendant who promptly crossed the road to see what I wanted. In minutes a couple of cans of petrol were being tipped into my tank through my chamois leather. Some cash changed hands, a warm thank you conveyed to the chap, and I was away.
Take-off was longer and more hairy, and the trees seemed to have moved closer in the 20 minutes since I landed, but they let me through and I flew straight to Denham, which was my turning point for the flight home to Sandown. In those days you could fly over Heathrow as long as you were above 4,000ft, or else you could fly around it, turning south at Langley.
Back on the Isle of Wight, I tucked G-AFIR into its hangar and set off to walk the half-mile over the fields, to what was my then home. Ah! Now I could relax and do other things. All was well for about four days until I received a letter. It was from the publicity department of a well-known motor spirit provider. “Dear Mr Worm-Hoard” it began. “We understand from our so-and-so service station manager that you landed your aeroplane at our premises recently to fill up with our best grade motor spirit.
“We would like to invite you to repeat the performance so that we can have a photographer present and interview you. Naturally, we will provide your petrol and pay all your expenses plus £20 for your time. We look forward… &c, &c.”
There’s an old adage about getting away with something once but avoiding any temptation to repeat it.
I had, and I didn’t… ■
The current health crisis is having numerous social and economic consequences worldwide, almost all sectors are struggling, although naturally some are more impacted than others. Industries such as tourism, culture, textile, automotive and aerospace of course, are being badly affected. The whole insurance industry is also going through a tough time!
Leaving aside the impact of low interest rates, the main impact on business insurance may be the significant reduction of premium earned due to the decrease of activity, jeopardising the necessary critical mass. As far as aerospace is concerned, many commercial aircraft have been grounded for months, as a result of an unprecedented decline in activity for the air transport industry – airline premiums are correlated to activity, therefore the premium earned for the insurers reduces more or less proportionally to the number of passengers carried.
Aircraft manufacturers too are reducing production and their workforces due to a sales slowdown, and we can easily foresee that it will take time for the industry to recover.
Additional to the downturn of premium volume, there is also a predictable peak of claims in some fields, such as business interruption, credit, directors and officers liability and so on.
Some private insurances on the other hand, especially motor, are experiencing stability or even positive growth due to the very small number of claims incurred during the lockdown. It is not the case of health insurance though, with a massively disproportionate impact depending on the structure of the healthcare system from one country to another. Nor is it the case for private aviation unfortunately, as the vast majority of annual claims occur each year during the first flights of the season after several months out of practice and
when withdrawal symptoms and adrenaline are reaching their highest levels! July was indeed quite loss-active this year, while such frequency is usually observed in May or early June in a ‘normal’ year.
Large risks in particular, which include aircraft, ships, ‘acts of God’, legal liabilities and financial losses among others, as fully defined by the Solvency II EC Directive (2009/138/EC), have given insurers bad results lately, leading to major changes in the underwriting strategy of most risk holders. Those of you who own an aircraft have suffered the consequences of this hardening market as all the premiums have gone up, and insurers are also less inclined to be flexible on coverage.
Large risk players have used all possible tools to improve loss ratios: reduction of capacity allocated to major risks, more rigorous underwriting, withdrawal from some lines of business… The poor technical results of the main major risk insurers in 2019 confirmed the poor health of these lines of business… and then came the COVID-19 crisis, aggravating its fragility and bringing a significant loss of income due to the reduced activity.
Despite the general premium increases, many insurance companies have announced loss ratios (incurred claims divided by earned premiums) between 115% and 125% for the first half of 2020, the COVID-19 effect having affected the technical result by approximately 20%, meaning that without the pandemic situation, the loss ratios would still have been close to 100%. A 100% loss ratio means that premium and claims amounts are balanced, but it doesn’t mean that they are breaking even. To be viable, a portfolio must have a maximum loss ratio of 70%, because additionally to the claims, insurers have to cover a set of other costs
such as human resources or an excess of loss reinsurance.
From a different perspective, the pandemic is boosting the adoption of new technologies in this otherwise traditional industry. The sight of insurance claim handlers walking across the City of London carrying enormous paper files to visit the insurers had already disappeared, along with the paper files, with computers starting to replace that personal touch. One could feel nostalgic for those times where interpersonal relationships played a major role, but a commercial approach and long-term partnerships have now had to make room for short term profit and greater efficiency. So, insurance had already turned to digitalisation before the COVID-19 crisis, but not to the same extent or at the same pace as other industries. Current circumstances have inevitably accelerated the zero paper working practices, extensive computer interface and artificial intelligence.
Most industries are currently facing difficult challenges, and they will all have to adopt changes in the way they operate, whether it is better preparation for the remote working of their employees or enhanced risk prevention, and many other specific adaptations of their processes.
So, as far as insurance is concerned, if we want to look on the bright side, I would say that 2020 is definitely the year of a market metamorphosis through digitalisation! ■
Ian Fraser explains how to best protect against GPS signal jamming… but be prepared to revert to traditional navigational techniques
Radio jamming, in particular of the GPS civilian services, is very much in the news at the moment as new legislation is proposed that will provide the authorities more power to use it. Whether related or not, the military are currently conducting major trials of GPS jamming equipment, potentially impacting vast tracts of the country. Recent jamming activity lasted for 12 days in August centered around Hadrian’s Wall, with a potential service denial range (for GA) of up to 30nm. There was a second exercise for five days in September near the Brecon Beacons (https://tinyurl.com/y3nngrtn) with a potential service denial range of 60nm, and there are warnings for the Stranraer (Dumfries and Galloway) area for the rest of 2020.
How will this affect you? If you are in range of GPS jamming exercises, they will either stop your GPS dependent devices working entirely or cause them to report erroneous positions.
Many devices we have in our aircraft today rely on GPS. These include Electronic maps, EFIS (electronic) instruments, fuel range meters, smart phones, traffic warning devices (ADSB, FLARM and Pilot Aware) and Autopilots (picture 1). Who hasn’t got one or more of these, and if the GPS signal is jammed or corrupted, they will not work!
A GPS device is a very sensitive radio receiver detecting very low energy (weak) radio signals from satellites. These messages contain information defining exactly where the GPS satellite is and the precise time that its position message was transmitted, allowing your device to calculate the range. It requires concurrent information from at least three satellites to triangulate that information and calculate your position. A good signal-to-noise ratio (more signal than background noise) is fundamental to their operation and jamming is normally achieved by transmitting strong interfering signals on the same frequency, swamping the weak real satellite signals and thus preventing the GPS from receiving any data to calculate a position of any kind. A more sophisticated version is ‘spoofing’ where false satellite data is transmitted to the GPS, resulting in it calculating and reporting the wrong position.
Jamming is normally undertaken by military or government agencies testing equipment that they will probably use to deny the effective use of GPS guided weapons or drones. With the increased use of rogue devices (e.g. drones at Gatwick last year), such testing of countermeasures or rehearsal of their use will become more commonplace. However, our kind of aviation is becoming increasingly dependent on GPS to find our way around and to avoid conflict and restricted airspace. This is actively encouraged by the CAA.
For safety’s sake we need to understand the effect of jamming on our equipment, be informed when it is being done and have a contingency plan to deal with it. That is also dependent on the agency involved being aware of our need to know when and where they will be operating.
There is some evidence that this warning process does not yet fully work. Laudable though they are, the prime source of warnings should not be in obscure NATS or Ofcom papers. They must be Notamed well in advance, and of course, we must read the Notams.
But the military and other official bodies are not the only people jamming GPS. There is increasing use of jammers to corrupt truck tachographs for example, or prevent vehicle trackers reporting positions and other sinister activities. All highly illegal in the UK, but it is happening all the same, with some quite sophisticated devices readily available on the internet from £30. Although most of these are comparatively low power and unlikely to affect aviation, there are some available whose power is well beyond that needed to hide a truck from a tracker. The rogues using these are unlikely to Notam their use or tell Ofcom, however well the system works!
What, if any, precautions can we take to minimise the
risk of rogue jamming and limit the disruptive range of the military jammers? The military has its own encrypted GPS frequencies so are resilient to its own jamming but, at the moment, I am unaware of any sophisticated anti-jamming solutions in aviation GPS themselves. Indeed, if it was that simple the military wouldn’t be bothering with jamming anyway. We will probably have to wait for the self-driving car industry to sort out a palliative, and maybe another generation of GPS, but that does not mean we can’t reduce the risk with what we have today.
There is something you can do to minimise the range of disruption now – a good directional GPS antenna will reduce sensitivity to jamming, potentially reducing a worrying 30-60nm to a more tolerable and avoidable 10-20nm. Consider the geometry of what is happening when jamming occurs. Satellites transmitting the signals we want are always above us (generally greater than 30° above the horizon). Conversely, the majority of jamming comes from the ground, and normally below the horizon. GPS antennas can be very directional, and if correctly specified and fitted, reduce the range of unwanted jamming while retaining GPS performance. This is likely to become increasingly key to safe operation of our aircraft
The GPS antenna is fundamentally the same device in all receivers, a ceramic chip (picture 2) is a Garmin portable remote antenna without its lid. Generally, the larger the chip, the more sensitive to the satellites and the more directional. A portable device or phone is by its nature, deliberately not very directional. To work for everyone, they need to be small and equally sensitive to signals from below as above so you can hold them or mount them as you like. Unfortunately, this means they are just as likely to pick up the jammer as the satellite.
However, a GPS patch antenna has a much larger chip which can be a 10th less sensitive at 30° from the horizontal as it is toward the vertical (sky), and from below may only be 1,000th as sensitive (-20dB). Indeed, that is why the military (on the ground) have to resort to high power jammers to be effective toward an airborne target. Without directional antenna we are unlikely to receive a
GPS signal. So, to properly exploit the strengths of a GPS patch antenna it must be installed facing the sky as this optimises the reception of the satellite above and minimises the reception of the interference or jamming from below.
A good way to demonstrate this is to look at a GPS satellite monitoring page (or a satellite monitoring app as illustrated) on your navigation device. Pick an overhead satellite (04 in picture 3) and monitor its reported signal strength for all orientations. Pictures 4 and 5 (an internal antenna on a smartphone) show its extremes of strength as the device is rotated. For the internal antenna the signal strength is low and reduction is not much,
For a patch antenna you will see a much greater difference between up and down. Pictures 6 and 7 show the signal strength for a patch antenna. Picture 6 is the right away up and picture 7 upside-down, showing a significant reduction of sensitivity to signal from beneath. Patch antennas are available for most handheld navigators and all built in GPS devices.
For smartphones or tablets you can bypass the internal antenna with a Bluetooth GPS dongle mounted separately from your device. In a metal high-wing aircraft, the wings make very effective reflectors for jamming signals and good shields for the satellites. Its cockpit or coaming is not a good place for a GPS antenna of any kind. If you can, mount a remote patch antenna above the wings, that would be much more effective at reducing jamming and improve the GPS reception too.
Active antennas (picture 8) with an inbuilt signal amplifier are mandated for many certified GPS devices and jamming is an area where that may well actually be counterproductive. The reason for this certified mandate is to allow for the reliable receipt of the even weaker geostationary satellite signal necessary for SBAS (WAAS) operation, but of course, it may amplify the unwanted noise too. Do not install an amplified antenna unless you really need to, a modern small passive patch antenna will be more than adequate for normal GPS reception.
Finally, GPS jammers, like so many high frequency radio waves, are line of sight. The higher you fly the more likely you are to be ‘in view’ and thus within range of the jammer. If you lose GPS and it worries you, descend if you safely can.
But if all this fails and your GPS is jammed what are your options and indeed, what still works? Your eyes, paper map, watch and magnetic or gyro compasses are still fine. From a navigation instrument point of view VOR and ADF are all still good too, and mode C and S transponders still make you visible to ATC, TCAS and ACAS (but not FLARM or PAW). With the easing of procedures for use of jammers for the various enforcement agencies, and increased use of those in the hands of rogues, be prepared for it and to be able to navigate the old way.
Meanwhile, make sure you have the best type of and position for your GPS antenna… and a contingency plan which does not depend on it. ■
These days Bolt Head Airfield is a thriving coastal airstrip in South Devon, but it has a rich in history dating back to 1940, when The Air Ministry was looking for a location for an advanced landing ground. It chose this uniquely large area of flat land high on a hill close to Salcombe.
The diggers were sent in to clear the hedges and they built two runways one east / west and the other north-east / south-west, upon which they laid coconut matting and Sommerfeld tracking – a steel mesh strong enough to support heavy aircraft use.
The first aircraft to arrive at RAF Bolt Head were Lysanders of 16 Squadron during 1941, followed by 316 Polish Squadron flying Spitfires. Radar was also established on the site during 1941, close to the main runway, and this became RAF Hope Cove.
Above The airfield today, the car park lower centre is where the wartime tarmac intersection of the two runways was, the 11/29 original running parallel to the current strip, but just to the right of the road. Photo: Mike Mold
During the war, more than 40 different types flew from RAF Bolt Head including, Spitfires, Westland Whirlwinds, Typhoons, Mosquitoes, Hurricanes, Austers, Piper Cubs, Tiger Moths, Beaufighters, even Lancasters and B17 Superfortresses. However, most of the flying activity had ended by early in 1945 and the airfield ceased to be operational in 1946.
The tracking was removed and slowly farming recommenced until, in 1949, the Home Office returned and took back more land to build a new radar station, which became operational by 1954 and closed in 1958. The site remained in use by the government until 1994, when the bunker was sold.
The Squire family own much of the land in the area and in the early 1980s a family friend, Chris Millward, persuaded Malcolm Squire to fence off a 400 metre section so he could land his aircraft. Chris established regular flying from
the land, and when he passed away another local pilot, John Cummings, took over the running of the landing ground. He was joined by John Kempton and together they established a lawful certificate to use the ground for flying aircraft. A 200m extension was added, making 600m in total, but within a few years that extension was ploughed up as the land belonged to Malcolm Squire’s uncle. However, Malcolm Squire did eventually buy his uncle’s field, so the 200m section of the runway could be reinstated, which also brought the site under a single landlord.
During all this time there had been no hangarage facility, meaning aircraft using the field were parked in the open.
The dynamic impetus for the airfield you see today started 10 years ago when Simon Evans, a very keen and active pilot, retired and moved to Salcombe. Simon was a powerhouse of energy and with a small group, consisting of John Kempton, John Cummings, Keith Wingate and myself embarked on an ambitious plan to gain planning permission for a permanent hangar.
Bolt Head Airfield is surrounded by an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB) and is bordered by National Trust Land, so gaining planning consent to build a hangar was never going to be easy.
Simon and the group persevered for five years, spending £10,000 and eventually planning consent was given for a 34m x 15m hangar.
Malcolm Squire engaged Richard Triggs Construction to build the hangar in 2014 and, six months later, after one of the worst winters in many a year, the hangar was completed, and we moved in in spring 2015. Over that winter we had also prepared a new taxiway and closed the old one and gradually the new grass took hold and the ground returned to its lawn-like condition.
Simon never rested and embarked on many improvements. He persuaded Malcolm to give us the land to widen the runway by 10m – making it 24m in total – and, during this time, runway numbers were added. Sadly, Simon passed away last year following a battle with cancer. His passing has been a massive loss, we miss his acidic humour and his incredible energy and drive. He was a dear friend who has left an amazing legacy – and an airfield of which we are very proud.
Below TA wartime shot of RAF Bolt Head. Visible are two B17s parked alongside the runway. They were two of three that landed on the way home from a bombing mission to Germany, low on fuel, with engine problems and wounded crew.
Over the 2019/20 winter we have undertaken further improvements, one of which was replacing the chalk numbers with concrete. We manage to keep all works in-house, thanks to John Kempton our chief engineer, and to new chairman Keith Wingate for his building skills.
Bolt Head Airfield has a very comprehensive website (www.boltheadairfield.co.uk), with a full brief including two YouTube videos illustrating the joining procedures for both runways. Sky Demon also displays our airfield details and our no-fly zone.
Albeit that it was delayed of course, we have enjoyed an amazing 2020 season and our thanks go out to all our visitors.
We welcome visitors until the end of October and, if you see the hangar doors open, by all means come down to say hello and have a look around. ■
After this mixed-up, insane, crazy period, I must admit that it’s a bit of a task selling the concept of getting ‘out and about’.
Staycation has become a buzzword, but trying to remain optimistic we either need to look to the future or accept Private Frazer’s view, as epitomised in Dad’s Army in that ‘we’re doomed’!
While reading a fairly recent back issue of FLYER I came across one of Ian Seager’s articles where he questioned the complexity and lack of sense regarding some of our rules and regulations. It is eminently arguable as to whether pilots should be considered culpable when some rules are so complex and appear sequestered with the clarity of an insurance company’s small print.
The other, not insignificant issue, is that in our egalitarian society, apart from those among us who have clearly been shown to be ‘more equal than others’, should the rest of us mere mortals be subjected to the ‘letter’ or the ‘moral’ of the law? Some rules are pretty clear cut, ‘keep left’, nice and simple, no ambiguity and everyone knows where they stand in helping to create a safe environment. But with others…? Try an hour or two of light
Above Texel Airfield gets very busy during the annual Fly-in when all manner of additional attractions are provided.
reading with CAP 804 (Flight Crew Licensing) or negotiate certain bits of airspace when things get busy.
A recently appointed police commissioner saw his new role as implementing all laws literally and called for prosecutions for anyone caught, for example, doing 31mph in a 30mph zone. Using his judgement after years in the force, he decided that society was best served by such flagrant disregard for the law by strict enforcement.
It’s not just in aviation or the labyrinths that make up our inner-city roads; there are bad and outdated rules in every walk of life. Did you know that you can be penalised for being drunk in a pub? Well-intentioned – very likely – illconceived, most definitely, but it theoretically makes criminals out of huge swathes of society, including the lawmakers themselves. According to Section 12 of the Licensing Act 1872, which is still on the statute books, ‘every person found drunk in any highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on any licensed premises’ is breaking the law. So anyone who has ever had one too many anywhere other than a private dwelling has unwittingly broken the law. For a bit of levity, you can look at more crazy laws that still apply, at www.thefactsite.com
In case you think the UK is the greatest proponent of ‘ridicalia’ (the word doesn’t exist, but maybe it should), you’d be wrong. Yes, we’re pretty good at it, but not quite as good as the Dutch. Their authorities appear to suffer from a degree of achromatopsia without being burdened by any shades of grey. For such a forward-thinking and liberal country, it is astounding to think that they have a dedicated aviation police force, and by ‘dedicated’ I mean in both senses of the word. They operate much like traffic cops, but possibly with the added desire to justify their existence.
That being said, the people and airfields are pretty chilled, and you can’t get much more laid back than a visit to the Dutch Wadden Islands. (If you are ever planning to go, don’t be put off, drop me a line for the usual ‘gotcha’s’).
The Wadden Isles are actually part of the Frisian Isles, stretching from the North of Holland across to Germany and up the Danish coastline. The five Dutch ones are Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, two of which – Texel and Ameland –conveniently have airports. And the most popular of these for British pilots is Texel, this month’s adventure destination.
Above The Fly-in attracts many interesting visitors, such as this Norwegian registered DHC Beaver floatplane.
Left ‘Down at the Fly-in’ takes on a whole new meaning when they set up the big screen in the air park
The two main routes for getting there are, the direct route, which takes you straight across the North Sea, or tracking the French/Belgian coastline before passing Rotterdam and Amsterdam. I take the long way around and leave the direct route for those who can ‘talk the talk’ in the bar or clubhouse as I am far happier having terra firma underneath me whenever possible. If the airspace en route appears a little daunting, try breaking it down into smaller segments and identify the areas that require more attention around Rotterdam, Amsterdam and De Kooy CTR’s. It’s best not to get a brain overload without having a ‘get me out of here’ plan and even though GPS is great, a little time spent on the ‘what if’s?’ beforehand should help avoid added stress later on. Throughout the country, if you’re not talking to a specific unit, a FIS can be had with Dutch Mil on 132.35.
The airfield is run by father and son team Ed and Mike de Bruijn. On my first visit years ago, Ed was in charge and Mad Mike could be found running alongside your aircraft, with a big smile taking photographs as you came into land. If your aircraft has been to Texel at any time, there is likely to be a photo of it on their website www.texelairport.nl
These days Mike is the director and both father and son
remain just as enthusiastic about aviation and really could not be friendlier or more helpful.
The island is like most islands, whereby the greatest attraction can be found in the conflation of nature’s charm. The aeolian sculpted coastline, unique birdlife, brut creation and rugged landscape make for a unique experience. If natural beauty, peace, tranquillity and the accompanying osmatic are not what you’re looking for, then its best to coincide your trip with the annual Fly-in. During the event, the airfield is the centre of the universe, with non-stop frenetic activity, a chance to watch a film at the ‘drive-in’ cinema from the comfort of your aeroplane or join the klatch at any of the cafés and bars.
With a population of nearly 14,000, Texel is a relatively new creation and only became an island in the All Saints Flood of 1170. Incidentally, the pronunciation of its name is Tessel, the ‘x’ is pronounced as ‘ss’ in dress.
Gaining city rights in 1415 was significant, as it meant enhanced privileges, which in turn led to added prosperity. Among the many battles for naval supremacy in the area were the Battles of Scheveningen (1653), Texel (1673) and Camperdown (1797). In January 1795 the Dutch Navy managed to get stuck in the ice and was embarrassingly forced to surrender to mounted French soldiers rather than a naval force. Four years later, the gold-laden British frigate HMS Lutine sank off the coast and to this day most of the gold remains unfound at the bottom of the sea. Her bell was recovered, and I can attest to its current use at Lloyds of London, where it is rung before the announcement of
Below Sandy scenic coastline and nature reserves abound on the island, it has a very restful atmosphere.
important events. The island also had naval encounters during WWI with the Battle of Texel and what is known as the Texel Disaster in WWII. In the closing stages of the war, conscripted Georgian soldiers of 882nd Infantry Battalion Königin Tamara serving in the German Army, rose against their masters and were helped by the Dutch resistance to avoid capture. Unfortunately, the expected allied invasion didn’t come in time to prevent German retaliation and the inevitable reprisals.
De Vlijt Restaurant and Studios at the airport. Postweg 124, 1795 JS De Cocksdorp, tel +31 222 311 233, around £120 (www.devlijttexel.nl/nl)/
Stayokay Texel Haffelderweg 29, 1791 AS Den Burg. A clean simple hostel with doubles from £80, with breakfast. Tel +31 222 315 441 (www.stayokay.com).
B&B Het Spookhuis is on the beach front at Den Hoorn and costs around £90 for two, breakfast included. Herenstraat 14, 1797 AH. Tel +31 6 28494075 (www. hetspookhuis.com).
For accommodation more local to the airfield, De Cocksdorp is less than 10 minutes on the bus, and De Koog a little under 20 minutes away.
Nothing in Holland seems cheap and on Texel, things appear to be more expensive too. At the inexpensive end you’ll find places serving pizza, hamburgers,
pannenkoeken (pancakes) or broodjes (bread rolls) filled with ham and cheese. Or, you can go right up to the Michelin starred Bij Jef with their seven course menu at €125. (www.bijjef.nl). Many restaurants are part of a hotel, or also provide accommodation, with some having innovative menus, but mostly at a price.
For convenience, or if you’re just stopping for lunch, the airport restaurant is fine, having a typically Dutch atmosphere where you can sit in the sunshine watching the aeroplanes come and go. The menu is a little uninspiring and restricted to hamburgers and the like, which seems to be the norm at many of their airfield restaurants.
Restaurant ’t Pakhuus is at the other end of the spectrum in terms of cuisine on the island, a 30-minute bus ride away on the south-eastern corner in Oudeschild. You can expect fresh, locally caught seafood, with the three-course set menus starting at €40. Unfortunately for the wine drinker, their wines also have a similar starting price. Haven 8, Oudeschild, tel +31 222 313 581 (www. pakhuus.com/Lunch).
Restaurant het Kook Atelier is in the centre about 20 minutes on the bus to the south. You’ll get an artistic, culinary experience using mainly local ingredients, plus they were due to have accommodation available as of spring this year. Four-course menus start at €44 for four courses. Gravenstraat 3, 1794 GT Den Burg, tel +31 6 57945551 (www.opoost.nl/eten).
Freya de Texelse Bodega, also in Den Burg, is a cosy little restaurant using local specialities like Texel lamb or goose breast. The three-course menus are on a blackboard and more reasonably priced at €26.50, but it is
unlikely that you’ll get a table unless you book in advance. Gravenstraat 4, +31 222 321 214.
Out and about
Wherever you go in the world, unless you only ever use taxis, you’ve got to work out the public transport system. I have found that on small islands it either works really well, or services are restricted to one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It is a fact that everyone is initially slightly daunted by unknown entities. Can I pay cash? Do I have to pre-purchase a ticket? How will I know when to get off? What about the language barrier? Well, on Texel, most of these questions don’t really have any relevance as a little look at the Texel Hopper website has the answers simply laid out and those that remain can be addressed with a simple phone call, and yes they all speak English. Tel: +31 222 784 000 Texel Hopper www.texelhopper.nl
Personally speaking, I think travelling around by bus, especially their smaller ones, is great fun as it has the added bonus of being able to get on or off as you please. In Holland generally, they have a card called the OV- Chipkaart, which works much like an Oyster Card ( www.ov-chipkaart.nl ). There is also the luxury of other alternatives for getting around, giving the aviator a kind of flexibility that is rare to find, and all from the airfield itself. Naturally being in Holland, bicycles can be hired at € 11.50, electric bikes at € 20 or even an eco-friendly electric two-seat Renault Twizy at € 40 (all prices per day).
Aviation & War Museum: Is at the airfield and documents the history of the airfield since it opened in 1938, through the war years, and its development since re-opening in 1952. Postweg 126, 1795 JS De Cocksdorp. Tel +31 222 311 689 (www.lomt.nl).
Duinen van Texel National Park: Is a nature lover’s paradise as the whole of the western side of the island is a National Park, where orange-berried sea buckthorn and dainty marsh orchids grow among the varied plant life, salt-marshes, forests and moors.
Over 400 bird species make it popular with birdwatchers and ornithologists, as many migratory birds use the island as a refuelling stop en route to or from Siberia. (www.npduinenvantexel.nl).
Ecomare: Is the nature museum located within the National Park, dedicated to the unique biodiversity of the region and the contributing factors that made it a Unesco Heritage Centre. Ruijslaan 92, De Koog. Tel +31 0222-317 741 (www.ecomare.nl).
Apart from the seven villages of De Cocksdorp, Den Burg, De Koog, Den Hoorn, De Waal, Oosterend, and Oudeschild, other highlights include the Shipwreck and Beachcombing Museum Flora Pontweg 141 A 1796 MA De Koog. Tel +31 222 321 230 (www.juttersflora.nl), the Eierland lighthouse Vuurtorenweg 184, 1795 LN De Cocksdorp, tel +31 222 317 741 (www.vuurtorentexel.nl) and the zoo Schorrenweg 20, 1794 HG Oosterend, tel +31 222 785 674 (www.texelzoo.nl).
Depending on what degree of ‘chilled’ you are looking for, you could visit one of the other islands using the ferry service, or of course, there is the option to fly to Ameland, simply because you can.
If the pace of life is still faster than desired, to wind down to near horizontal and almost become an anchorite, there’s always Schiermonnikoog island, where visitors aren’t allowed the use of cars.
A visit to any of the islands in this part of the world can be quite spectacular given good weather.
Some of the reasons I tend to focus on France more than any other destination is that the weekend is likely to cost half the price, the food is invariably better, most places have a
Above Like most strategic pieces of land, Texel has been fought over numerous times and you can discover its history in the museum on the airfield.
rustic charm and generally, the French rules are seen as more as helpful guidance as opposed to something set in stone, making the whole experience much more enjoyable. That by no means results in repudiating any destination and as ‘variety is the very spice of life’ to forgo what the rest of the world has on offer, would be more than a little remiss. ■
Unfortunately, COVID-19 has pretty well put paid to practically all intentions of ‘going foreign’ throughout 2020.
As editor, and formerly a long time touring pilot, I have always been inspired by a good touring article, regardless of whether I am currently able to enjoy such trips myself – they are part of the very essence of flying a light aircraft, as it appeals to me, anyway.
However, I would like to encourage other members to relay their adventure stories, not necessarily abroad – the recounting of a seemingly ‘ordinary’ summer’s evening flight to a Strut barbeque can be simply enchanting. And don’t forget, one man’s straightforward hour’s crosscountry is, if his experience is limited, another man’s epic adventure. We all started from a point of never believing we could perm any two of flying the aeroplane, reading the map, and talking on the radio, let alone manage all three at the same time!
We intend giving Martin a well-deserved rest for the odd month or two over the winter, so please do send in your stories, preferably accompanied by some nice pictures. Meanwhile, Martin is happy to hear from you if you have any touring queries, and his website is always a source of inspiration if you are looking for an interesting place to go next summer. We can but hope that 2021 sees a return to something approaching normality.
To contact Martin: Email: lightaircrafttraining@ yahoo.com or Tel: 07598 880 178. Check out this website at www.lightaircrafttraining.co.uk
It is now four years since we set up the Struts4U column as a communication channel for LAA Struts and Clubs to share news of fly-ins and local presentations. Over the years we have also included a short history of most of the Struts and have seen the birth of three new ones – the First Continental Strut in Belgium and, in the UK, a rebirth of the West Midlands and Cornwall Struts.
We have also seen the growth of the ‘Strut Corner’ at the LAA Rally with its expanding display of Strut pull-up banners, welcoming social area and, new in 2019 – an evening barbeque. Last year we also celebrated the 50th birthday of the formation of the Strut system with its founder, David Faulkner Bryant.
With thanks to David Millin, we have attended bi-annual meetings for Strut coordinators at LAA HQ and now the biggest change of all – Strut meetings put on hold or meeting virtually via Zoom due to the pandemic. It’s certainly not been dull!
The last few months have been challenging for a columnist who usually reports on flying activities from across the country, but thanks to the editors of many of the Strut monthly newsletters we have kept in touch. Full marks to them all for providing such interesting reading material on all manner of topics relevant to LAA members.
The Gloster Strut’s ‘Strut Tool Pool’ idea is just one of the excellent ideas that has come to light in this way, and we are considering putting together an Annual Struts’ e-magazine
Main Wessex Strut enjoyed a spaghetti night in the sunshine at Henstridge
Right Oxford Strut’s recent hangar talk with LAA Engineers Joe Hadley and Mike Roberts.
where we can share the diversity of those newsletters with you all.
The ‘Virtual Pub Night’ on Zoom was another innovation many of us have enjoyed. In a relaxed forum, members were able to discuss information and ideas from Bodmin to Aberdeen. Hosted by Steve Slater, topics included the idea of basic engineering courses for those who lack confidence regarding the maintenance of their aircraft; the complex issue of updates from the CAA regarding licence and medical extensions due to the COVID-19 situation; and planning regulations for new hangars.
Looking ahead to sunnier times, Eryl Smith initiated a discussion on plans for the Association’s 75th anniversary next year, when we will all be more than overdue some celebrating! A theme for the 2021 Rally was discussed, as
well as plans for the Round Britain Tour in May, which was of course postponed earlier this year.
Recently the Oxford Group enjoyed meeting in the socially distanced surroundings of Enstone Hangar, when Mike Roberts and Joe Hadley, our two young graduate engineers from LAA HQ, visited the Strut to talk about their role at Turweston. Despite many of the Struts having to face the disappointment of cancelling most of their events this year, several have managed to enjoy late season fly-Ins, including the very successful Lundy Sunday Fly-in reported in the magazine last month and the East of Scotland Strut’s event at East Fortune.
We could perhaps have been forgiven for thinking we had turned a corner and were hoping for a return to more face to face activities but as we edge ever closer towards
Tthe long winter evenings, and COVID-19 restrictions tighten rather than relax, those Struts which have not cancelled their monthly meetings altogether have continued to arrange virtual meets.
Popular among Zoom speakers are Fiona and Andy Macascill, who are to be congratulated for gaining Guinness World Record status having landed at 71 different airfields in 12 hours! Please get in touch with your local Strut to see if they have any talks planned, they will be happy to hear from you and welcome you to log on to enjoy the entertainment.
As some are organised after we go to press, it is always worth dropping them an email or giving them a call to check. It’s a golden opportunity to get a feel of a Strut meeting without having to leave the comfort of your armchair!
hroughout the next few months some Struts will be organising ‘virtual’ Strut meetings but you can stay in touch with your local group using the contact details below.
Andover Strut: Spitfire Club, Popham Airfield, SO21 3BD. 1930. Contact keith. picton@ntlworld.com
Bristol Strut: BAWA Club, Filton, Room 4 or by Zoom. 1930. Contact: chairman@ bristolstrut.uk www.bristolstrut.uk
2 October – Wings of War: Bristol Aeroplane Company in WWII, by Chris Bigg.
3 November – Flying around Australia, by Fiona and Angus Macaskill
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
3 October – Branscombe Airfield Fly-In. East of Scotland Strut: Harrow Hotel, Dalkeith. 2000. Contact:inrgibson001@ btinternet.com 0131 339 2351
East Midlands Strut: Currently meeting on the second Monday of the month via Zoom, please contact: tonyrazzell2@gmail.com for meeting details a few days before hand or to be added to our email circulation to get details automatically.
12 October – Legal Matters – GA and the law by Tim Scorer.
9 November: Back to the Skies – Pup Prototype restoration by Anne Hughes and David Collings – Illustrated Zoom talk. We also have a Facebook group and upload recordings of meetings where we have speakers.
Gloster Strut: The Flying Shack, Gloucestershire Airport 1930. Contact: harry.hopkins@talktalk.net
Highlands & Islands: Highland Aviation, Inverness Airport. Contact: b.w.spence@ btinternet.com / 01381 620535
Kent Strut: Cobtree Manor Golf Club, Maidstone, Kent. 2000. Contact: Brian Hope bfjjodel@talktalk.net / 01795 662508
We will continue to share Struts4U stories and I am always happy to hear your news and views, plus of course any events that you are able to organise within the COVID-19 limitations. Please email me at struts@laa.uk.com
LiNSY Trent Valley Strut: Trent Valley Gliding Club, Kirton Lindsey. pilotbarry1951@gmail. com http://linsystrut. wixsite.com/website
North East Strut: Fishburn Airfield. Bruch third Sunday of each month. 1130-1330 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: The Duke of Marlborough, Woodleys, Woodstock, Oxford. 2000.
14 October – Simon Keeling, Aviation Weather Guru via Zoom. Email for joining details. Contact: LAAOxford@gmail.com www.oxfordlaa.co.uk
Redhill Strut: The Dog and Duck, Outwood, Surrey, RH1 5QU. 3rd Tuesday of each month at 1930. Contact: david@ milstead.me.uk
Shobdon Strut: Hotspur Café, Shobdon Airfield, Hereford HR6 9NR. 1930hrs. Meetings (once Covid safe) second Thursday of the month. Contact: Keith Taylor bushebiggles@sky.com
Southern Strut: The Swiss Cottage, Shoreham-by-Sea. 2000. Normal meetings are on the first Wednesday of the month. Contact: palmersfarm@sky.com
Strathtay Strut: Scottish Aero Club, Perth Airport, Scone. Scone Clubhouse. Contact: keith.boardman@peopleserve.co.uk / 07785 244146
Suffolk Coastal Strut: Crowfield Airfield Clubhouse 1900. Contact: Martyn Steggalls events@suffolkcoastalstrut.org.uk / 07790 925142
21 October 1930: Virtual meeting over ZOOM. Subject TBA.
18 November 1930: Virtual meeting over Zoom. Airspace Infringements by Rob Gratton. Vale of York Strut: Chocks Away Café, Rufforth East Airfield. 1900 (Numbers limited / livestream available) Contact: Chris Holliday 07860 787801 cwaholliday@gmail.com www. valeofyorkstrutlaa.wordpress.com
Wessex Strut: Henstridge Airfield Clubhouse. No club meeting until further notice.
3 October – Branscombe Fly-In with Devon Strut. Contact neil.wilson@laa.uk.com
West Midlands Strut: Navigator Café, Halfpenny Green Aerodrome. 19.30. No meetings until 2021. Contact: Graham Wiley westmidlandslaastrut@googlegroups.com or 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: Stewart Luck captainluck@hotmail. com
NB: Thank you to all Strut co-ordinators and newsletter editors for the continuous flow of information. You can contact me at struts@ laa.uk.com
Clive Davidson can’t help but smile when he flies the quirky Falconar F9 and is soon won over by her charm and attributes…
Photos by Neil Wilson
Canadian aeronautical engineer, Chris Falconar, established Falconar Aviation in Edmonton Alberta in the early 1960s, initially having a build agreement with Marcel Jurca to produce the 2/3 scale MJ-7 Jurca Gnatsum, an all wood replica Mustang. Design disagreements led to a parting of the ways in 1967, Jurca, a Romanian who had lived in France from the age of 25, continuing with his already successful Tempête and Sirocco designs, going on to design a series of ever larger – up to full scale – replica WWII fighters. Falconar meanwhile, adopted a number of ‘orphan’ designs and marketed them under the Falconar brand, often with minor, but in some cases quite major, design developments. Falconar Aviation had a number of iterations over the years but was ultimately wound up in 2019, Chris Falconar having passed away in 2018, aged 91.
The Jodel series was one particular range of designs that Falconar ‘adopted’, the F9 being a variation of the D9 Bébé, the most obvious difference being the adoption of the wide spaced spring steel landing gear legs in place of the original narrower conventional undercarriage that uses rubber blocks in compression as its shock absorption medium.
G-AYEG, our flight test machine this month, is the only F9 flying in the UK and has had quite a past since she was built by George Gladstone in 1970. Googling for images, I found her in two previous colour schemes, one with a red top and registration on a broad lower cream fuselage stripe, the other predominantly green with either a white, or cream fuselage. At that time, she sported a fully enclosed engine cowling and a nice flowing, aerodynamic canopy. She has recently been given a new lease of life once again, this time by Robert ‘RiP’' Ripley and is resplendent in her freshly applied, all over blue with white control surfaces and registration, and these days sports an exposed engine and open cockpit which, like an old British sports car’s advertising once pronounced, she ‘has 93,000,000 miles of sunroof!’ Of the two, I will definitely take the winged machine, the F9’s fun factor winning hands down.
Approaching from the front, the undercarriage mirrors the upward cranked outer wing sections in that the spring steel gear legs appear to have a similar angle but of course, downwards, as the famed Jodel cranked wing. Of its 22ft 11inch wingspan, over a third of this dimension, 8ft 7inch is wheel track, half as much again as the track on the Bébé.
Unlike many single seaters, the spring gear is not a single arch bolted to the fuselage but is mounted as two separate legs, each attached to the bottom of the main spar outboard of the fuselage, as per the D9. However, the original Jodel legs’ bracketry extends the legs forward of the spar, and in order to move the wheels on the spring gear forward, the axles are attached to short forward pointing brackets, giving the gear a somewhat ungainly appearance. I can’t help thinking that changing the design has an ungainly ‘fix’ for a problem that didn’t exist in the first place!
With a light finger and thumb moving the right wing’s fabric
covered aileron it is possible to see the opposite left aileron move in opposition, there being little resistance to moving the control surfaces, no internal squeaks, noticeable friction or thankfully, slackness or play within the linkages. The cable attachment points, both upper and lower, at the ailerons can be seen and felt, and these simple ailerons are gap sealed, increasing their efficiency.
It is slightly forward of the ailerons that the cranked section of wing apparently differs slightly from that of the Bébé, the wing ribs having been altered to simplify the build and to alter the angle of washout. This washout delays the detaching of laminar flow to the cranked section of the wing so that the ailerons maintain effectiveness into the initial stages of the stall, making for a less dramatic departure.
Shifting my attention to the empennage, as with all the early Jodel designs there is no fin, just a slight hint of a fairing that is upturned from the upper fuselage decking. When deflected, the rather angular all flying rudder has an aerodynamic leading edge that is designed to help reduce foot pressures on the rudder pedals. Both the rudder and elevator ribs can be seen against the taut fabric covering, but the cantilever tailplane is ply covered and again, fabric gap seals keep the airflow where it’s needed – running over the elevators rather than through any gap between the two surfaces.
The lightly leaf sprung tailwheel is a solid plastic and rubber steerable affair, both the rudder cables and the tailwheel ‘loo chain’ type steering linkage anchoring onto the base of the rudder, both simple and easily inspected.
Working my way forward down the other side and running my hand along the turtle-decking, I was surprised to be told that the paint had been applied with three-inch foam rollers, and further astounded to hear that the (Atlantic Blue and Celtic Cream) was Dulux ‘Weathershield’, which is both flexible and offers a 15-year UV protection life. The finish is perfectly satisfactory and, let’s be honest, for a budget machine like this, a ‘professional’ paint job would almost certainly cost more than the aircraft.
Once at the business end, I could take a look at the 1,834cc Volkswagen conversion bolted to the firewall, which probably produces around 55hp, well up on the power of the early Jodel D9s of the 1950s with their 1,200cc VW conversions. Gone is the enclosed (and extremely heavy) cowling that graced those earlier pictures, and the current simple but effective traditional lightweight VW aircraft ‘cowling’ with exposed cylinders, though aesthetically less appealing, was a pragmatic replacement. The original cowling and cockpit canopy are both in the owner’s possession and might one day be restored to use.
The prop is a Ken Fern 54 dia x 32 pitch, and as the VW turns in the opposite direction to your typical Continental or Lycoming – anticlockwise when viewed from the cockpit – the F9 will require left rudder to keep straight during acceleration, and to keep in balance in the air with high power and slow speed. There is also a fine matching blue spinner, which helps the aesthetics of the engine installation. The rest of the cowl
continues the simplistic approach, its curved sides revealing the air-cooled horizontally opposed cylinders, heads, angular inlet and stubby exhaust tubes and an upward facing scoop which directs air to the carburettor.
I think you could describe the cowling as function over form, and indeed there is nothing wrong with that, it certainly adds to the quirky nature of this charming little budget machine.
The upright knob of the floating fuel indicator protrudes from the cap of the 37 litre fuel tank, which is positioned above the pilot’s legs.
Golf Echo Golf first caught current owner Jonathan Taylor’s eye when he was looking at another single seater with VW power, a Turbulent that the owner was not really ready to sell. Jonathan’s first aircraft was a Nord 854, purchased in 1981 in a highly disassembled state. This was the very one I was fortunate to fly for a flight test in the June 2018 issue courtesy of Craig James.
Then followed a Turbulent, a Vagabond, an A-36 Bonanza, two more Vagabonds – one of which is still sitting in its hangar in the States, and a Champ. Occasional access to a friend’s RV-3B reminds Jonathan of both ends of the single-seat speed range.
Jonathan started his career with Rolls-Royce Bristol in their Flight Test department at Filton, following a four-year apprenticeship where he found his teachers to be among the best. Sent to work in California in the 1970s he discovered that learning to fly was suddenly affordable, and he purchased his first PFA project a couple of years later on returning to the UK A long-time PFA/LAA member, despite long periods working away for other aerospace companies, now retired he operates the F9 from Wadswick Farm’s immaculate 600 metres of turf.
Leaving my nearly matching blue helmet on the wing and stepping onto the seat, then supporting myself with the cockpit sides I slide in and down into the cockpit. The instrument panel before me is decorated with lines of yellow labels but is an uncomplicated affair with the minimum of analogue instruments. The trio on the left indicate speed in knots, height and rate of climb and descent. Centrally placed is a slip ball in an oddly shaped gauge manufactured by Lev-o-gage, and above is a mounting for an iPhone and below that the Leburg electronic ignition switches with their tiny red operating lights, an A/B selectable rpm gauge switch and a down for ‘on’ fuel pump. The ignition switches, ‘A’ and ‘B’ operate in the correct sense, up for ‘on’ and their individual batteries are housed in the cubby hole behind my head. To the right are the four smaller engine condition gauges giving rpm (red line of 3,300), oil temperature, oil pressure and the bonus – a cylinder head temperature gauge. With shades of operating a Merlin, there is a fuel pull to cut-off ring on the lower edge of the panel in the same position as in a Hurricane.
The throttle is in the standard left-hand position and beneath is the cable operated carb heat. And… looking on
Top left Low cost open cockpit flying on a summer’s day. Bliss!
middle left Current owner Jonathan Taylor, who flies out of Wadswick Farm.
Below left The all-flying rudder has good authority and, like the elevator, is fabric covered
the other fuselage wall is an unobtrusive voltmeter close to the lower right panel where three fuses and a primer switch also reside. All in all a logical grouping.
Looking deeper into the cockpit, the large flat plate rudder pedals can be seen and fall readily to feet, the rudder cables running down the fuselage sides back to the rudder, but the wheel brakes are individually operated by control stick mounted left and right bicycle brake levers. This is the only time I have met this dual arrangement. I have seen and successfully applied single bike levers, but never two mounted together. To be honest, this arrangement slightly concerned me but as I would be operating the small wheels over grass and not over a smooth Tarmac surface where brakes were more likely to be called for, with grass there is greater rolling resistance and I felt pretty sure this would be fine.
Not last or least, is the paperwork and predominantly my interest is with the weight and balance. The empty weight is 480lb and the max take-off and landing weight is 703lb, giving 223lb to play with. A full tank of 35 litres uses up another 56lb, leaving just 167lb for the pilot and his ‘accoutrements’. I’ve been referred to as many things, but overweight would be a heck of an exaggeration… I have a body mass index of 21 and weigh 154lb, with full cold weather flying kit I could very nearly max the little Falconar out! Jonathan is taller than me and, with a full head of hair, just scrapes in under the limit. The centre of gravity range aft of the wing’s leading edge should sit, for safe flight with full control authority, between 10.4 inches and 15.3 inches aft. Today we are smack in the middle with 12.49 inches.
Settled against a set of chocks and strapped into the seat with the centrally buckled four-way harness, the large curved Perspex windscreen looks like it may just deflect the rush of air above my crash helmet. I always feel a little vulnerable in these little open cockpit types, and with good reason. Many years ago, I think 1982, I flew to the Rally in a very recently completed Sonnerai 2L and could not clear some carb icing en route, so had to put it down in a barley field. I very nearly got away with it but ran across some ruts on the hard-baked ground and she tipped onto her nose… and very slowly flopped over. The Plexiglas canopy broke and I could feel the top of my head with my palm, and the earth with the back of my hand, so I now try to keep as many of my remaining brain cells as possible safely ensconced within a crash hat.
My thoughts that the changed colours of Echo Golf might be a pointer to a similar occurrence were confirmed, as it too had suffered a similar icing experience and landed in a field. It transpired that the local copper decided this field was not an airfield and so would not allow the pilot to take off, so the aircraft was pushed into an open shed and, for some reason lost in the mists of time, it was never collected by the owner. It languished there until the farmer called the nearby gliding field, Sackville Farm, and asked if anybody wanted an old aeroplane. By this stage it was in a bit of a sorry state, but certainly worth rescuing. The wings and fuselage were parted and secured on a low loader and, with fuselage propped
vertically, the slow combo managing to snag most of the telephone lines on the way to its new home, where it was brought back to an operational condition by a syndicate of six chaps. Constant, but a declining use, coupled with the ravages of time, once again meant it was ripe for restoration and Robert ‘RiP’ Ripley decided to tackle the job to once again give her a new lease of life. Estimates were that it would take a year or so for the rebuild, but it was three and a half years later, no longer red but resplendent in blue, before she was permitted and airborne once again.
I digress… strapped in and sartorially helmeted I was ready for the Armstrong start, which is one of technique rather than muscle. ‘All that has to be done’ is that with the correct amount of prime, and the correct amount of throttle, the prop can be pulled through compression and the hand deftly swung away by following through and VW fires and runs, with the oil pressure showing an awakening rise. The Leburg ignition system provides reliable and relatively easy starting, especially compared to some of the older magneto equipped VWs. The cold start requires the electric fuel pump and solenoid activated priming valve to be operated,
followed by 12 or so blades “sucking-in”. The engine can then be started within a few blades. Second and subsequent flights of the day will usually start on the first blade.
Suffice to say, warmed and using the time to make sure the few items that need checking are all attended to, I was soon taxying for the hold. Making our way via the grass posed no problems as the view over the nose is good and with occasional gentle blasts of slipstream over the rudder to aid turns, all is well. On the Tarmac surface I tried the levers individually for satisfactory turns and collectively to try and stop in a straight line. The second time it was indeed straight, however, I decided from the outset to use the grass as I was more confident of being able to keep directional control there.
The carb heat, just below the choke, produces a small drop in rpm, but with the carburettor heated by the thermal mass of the block, there should be little chance of icing.
Just for a change the wind favoured 06 at Henstridge but it wasn't blowing much at all. As with the generally accepted rule of keeping all three points on the ground during the initial acceleration, all worked well. A quick glance to see that the ASI was ‘live’ and, having felt her getting lighter we were off at about 35kt and holding her in ground effect, we accelerated to 50 and up into the climb, showing a healthy rate of just over 700ft per minute (later I checked the Permit flight test paperwork and it recorded a 1,000ft gain in 87 seconds, equal to 689.6ft min.). She can be climbed at 45kt but a slightly higher speed is adopted for engine cooling.
Left The engine is an 1834 VW conversion with Stromberg carb and Leburg ignition.
Below left The cockpit is simple and the screen effective.
Below Wide track main gear. Note forward wheel extensions and oil cooler.
Levelling off at 1,500ft on the QFE, the speed rose to the suggested 57-60kt with the power sitting at 2,650rpm and burning 12.5 litres an hour, 2,700rpm gives 62kt plus. The fuel consumption has been noted over 30 hours since Jonathan acquired her in November 2019 (you would of course expect a flight test engineer to analyse such matters!). The green aspect of flying so slowly is not just her frugality, but there are also no insects to clean from the windscreen – the curve of the screen sweeps them aside, and most insects fly faster anyway.
Putting that silly quip aside, I have to say that such flying around an a calm day without any distracting turbulence, over an area I cycle often around, seeing the curve of hills, the dips in fields, the crops being harvested, over hedges, spinneys, remote hamlets… it’s just lovely to be able to take the time to wander. I hadn’t flown a single seater for quite some time nor had the time to stare, many pages would have to be turned back in my logbook, this… well, it enchanted me. No rush, but I had better look at her attributes.
The stall is innocuous, I waggled the ailerons as the speed decayed to check their function with diminishing airflow. They worked until the g break and descent but had progressively lost their effectiveness as the speed decayed and remained quite hard to work. Recovery of pitching forward with stick, power and balancing left rudder return her to a controlled state with less than 100ft lost. Stability in pitch is hard to
assess when there is no elevator trim, however, there was only a slight aft pressure on the stick to maintain straight and level without gaining or reducing the height/speed interchange.
Lateral and directional stability are functional but not to a high degree. She is not really blessed with a great harmony of controls either but then again, she is hardly a sinner as, being of light weight and modest wing area, she is capable of a tight turning circle and it was a delight to flit around the Super Stol camera ship. It is probably the one time that an aircraft’s manoeuvrability may be gauged against another’s and breaks, pulling away out of formation and then back in were delightful. Ideally the ailerons could be lighter so that hand and arm pressures are reduced but adapting is simple enough, the rudder too is slightly heavy, but pitch is light enough. Single control turns are fun, yaw is naturally followed by roll and the ailerons, acting on their own, show a touch of adverse aileron drag, but it’s countered easily enough with rudder when wanting to swing away from a roll.
One thing I was told about, but didn’t experience, was that in turbulence the longish sprung undercarriage legs might flex up and down, and this would affect the aircraft rather like the tail wagging the dog!
Soon we were back to join downwind at 2,000rpm, with a blistering 50kt being the target speed at the end of the downwind leg. The approach speed was bled back to 45kt after the curving base to final turn. I had tried all three techniques of approach control at height – gliding using the stick for speed and side slips to lose height, stick for speed and power for rate of descent, and my favourite of maintaining the approach attitude pointing at the threshold throughout and controlling speed with the throttle. And this worked out, touching down at under 40kt. She ran straight and, I am delighted to say, I did not have to find out if my two-handed braking grip worked.
Below Ambling along watching the world go by on around 12 litres per hour.
Taxying back in, running the engine and turning the ignition switches off, left me in a calm state. I reflected that it is surprising how quickly the time goes when you are enjoying yourself, and particularly so when the enjoyable foibles and attributes of such a machine can lighten the spirit. I admit I was smiling, as I found G-AYEG a particularly smile inducing, quirky looking little character, her open cockpit charm and attributes soon winning her pilot over as you rise into the intoxicating blue. Jonathan, thanks for letting me fly her and I hope you have many happy hours airborne with her. Drop in again, and not just because your last batch of dark chocolate and ginger biscuits are long gone! “We need some more F9 time,” as Oliver Twist might have said, had Dickens lived in the 20th century. ■
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 17ft.10in (5.46m)
Wingspan: 22ft 10in (7.01m)
Wing area: 99.00 sq ft (9.197m2)
Empty weight: 480lb (218kg)
Gross weight: 703lb (319kg)
Fuel capacity: 37 L (8.13 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × VW 1,834cc (appx 55hp)
Rpm: Max 3300, Max cont 2900, Cruise 2650
Performance
Maximum speed: 108kt (200km/h)
Cruise speed: 60kt (111km/h)
Stall speed: 29kt (54km/h)
Rate of climb: 600ft/min 3.05 m/s
Wing loading: 7lb/sq ft (34.1kg/m2)
Steve Slater, a committed single-seat enthusiast, explains the delights of literally… going it alone. Photos by Nigel Hitchman, Neil Wilson and Ed Hicks
This month’s flight test of the Falconar F9 has served once again to demonstrate that, while two seats or more can offer social flexibility and the opportunity to share the joys of flying, there still remains a place for the wide range of single-seat aircraft that are on the LAA fleet. Some people undoubtedly ask, “What’s the attraction?” and as somebody who has enjoyed the delights of a single-seater there are possibly three words that might provide an answer: performance, price and purism.
The simple fact is that adding seats adds weight and/or drag, so it’s no surprise that fighter aircraft, racers, competition sailplanes and aerobatic aircraft over the years have generally been (or started out as) single-seaters. As a rule, single-seaters have a narrower fuselage than a side by side two-seater, generating less drag and allowing the aircraft to fly more efficiently.
It’s not just about the higher-performance designs either – one of the reasons why many of the earliest PFA designs were single seaters is that their lighter weight was all that some of the rather rudimentary engines available in the 1950s and 1960s could sustain. A 27hp JAP flat twin provided the motive power for early designs like the Luton Minor, and though the arrival of VW conversions ultimately revolutionised the world of small plans built single-seaters like the Jodel D9, the Turbulent and the Taylor Monoplanes with double the horsepower, it was still well short of the demands of a typical two-seater.
Ably assisted by the affordability of smaller engines,
single-seat aircraft can offer some of the lowest-cost flight around, making them ideal for those on a tight budget or wanting affordable hour-building to gain experience and proficiency. I can speak here from personal experience –as a 70 hour PPL I acquired a Luton Minor and with guidance and mentoring from fellow LAA members (thank you Barbara Schlussler and David Beale), I flew her for around 150 hours of open cockpit fun (and a lot of learning). Even today such an aircraft can be acquired in airworthy condition for under £5,000.
One of the reasons why single or tandem cockpit aircraft are favoured for aerobatics is that you are sitting on the centreline, making it is easier to control the aircraft more precisely. It has a certain purity of form as the fuselage wraps snugly around you equally each side. You certainly feel much more ‘at one’ with the aircraft and there is something very special about lining up on the runway for your first flight in a single-seater. No chance of any dual, just a good pre-flight briefing and a heightened state of awareness. Once the throttle’s open, you’ll likely feel a greater sense of agility and of course, if you’ve been used to side by side aircraft, you can suddenly see out of both sides. And it’s FUN! So, what is on offer within the LAA fleet? In no particular order, our top 10 are:
Originally developed in the 1930s by former Royal Flying Corps SE-5A pilot J R (Joe) Currie as a college engineering project for his students, the name came about while Currie was building the first aircraft and got tired with being asked what he would call it, so he replied: “Call it Wot you blooming well like.” The two original aircraft were
destroyed in 1940, but in 1957 Currie was commissioned by Viv Bellamy of the Hampshire Aeroplane Company to build two new examples. This led to two other club members, John Isaacs and ‘Doc’ Urmiston, building two more. One became the prototype Isaacs Fury, while Urmiston redrew the Wot plans and later presented them to the LAA. Similar in construction to a DH Moth, it has been said that a Wot offers a similar flying experience for around a tenth of the price!
Druine Turbulent
Designed by Frenchman Roger Druine just after WWII, the VW-powered monoplane’s design was one of the first to be promoted for UK home-building by the PFA and it became one of the most popular single-seaters. In addition to around 20 homebuilt aircraft, a further 29 factory-built examples were constructed by Rollason Aircraft and Engines Limited. Since 1959, five Turbulents have been operated by the Tiger Club as a display team.
While appearing as basic an aeroplane as one can possibly get, the boxlike VP-1 was designed in the 1960s by former Convair, Ryan Aircraft and General Dynamics aeronautical engineer William Evans and its control responses are said to belie its looks. As its name ‘Volksplane’ suggests, the VP-1 was designed to utilise the ubiquitous VW Beetle power unit and it became a very popular design. The larger VP-2 was, naturally, a two-seat variant but few ever had a large enough payload to fly in that role, so are usually also configured as single seaters.
N1700, is now G-RFAD and has been restored to its original glory, last year winning its restorer Dave Bland and owner Mike Dentith the Roy Mills Trophy for best classic aircraft at the 2019 LAA Rally.
One of the aircraft credited with establishing the home-built aircraft movement in the UK. Designed pre-war by C H Latimer-Needham, a damaged example was rebuilt post-war by Arthur W G Ord-Hume, one of the founding members of the PFA, and this led to the duo redrawing the plans for 1960s home-builders with around 20 being built. Another type, the Clutton FRED, shares the Minor’s parasol wing configuration, but perhaps lacks the pre-war proportions and sweet handling of the Luton design.
An icon of aerobatic agility, the Pitts Special, which was designed in Florida by Curtis Pitts, has accumulated literally hundreds of aerobatic competition wins since the original example first flight in 1944. It dominated the world aerobatics championships in the 1960s and 1970s and even today, remains a potent competition aircraft. In 1962, Curtis Pitts set up Pitts Enterprises to sell plans of the S-1C to homebuilders. Plans and parts kits remain available today from Aviat Aircraft in Afton, Wyoming, for the S1 singleseater powerd by an up to 200hp flat-4 Lycoming engine.
The Silence Twister is a German composite ultralight designed by Silence Aircraft for amateur construction from a kit. The prototype first flew on 30 September 2000 with a 40hp Midwest Wankel rotary engine, but subsequent examples are fitted with Jabiru or UL Power four-cylinder engines in the 80-100hp category. The construction uses ‘state of the art’ honeycomb composite materials and the design clearly drew its inspiration from the Supermarine Spitfire.
One of the UK’s home-building pioneers was John Taylor, who designed and then built his first prototype Taylor Monoplane in the lounge of his first floor flat in Ilford in Essex. Extricating the aircraft involved both the use of window cleaners’ ladders and the removal of the bay window frame. G-APRT went on to head a phalanx of Taylor Monos and Titches, making them one of Britain’s most popular early homebuilt designs. The Titch (below) was a larger, more robust variant of the Monoplane, designed to use the 100hp Continental engine, which promised 150mph cruise performance. Examples have been used for Formula One air racing, but more often their owners simply enjoy their fighter-like flying fun!
The
the genesis of the Van’s designs which have subsequently defined home-built aircraft around the world. Since 1973, around 300 RV-3s have been built, while a total of more than 10,500 aircraft have been built from Van’s kits around the world. As with its successors, Dick VanGrunsven designed the aircraft to have light handling, aerobatic capabilities, high cruising speeds, and short field STOL performance. As many proud owners testify, Dick got it right first time!
Developed in 1952 by Ernest Oscar Tips of Avions Fairey at Gosselies in Belgium, the Nipper was designed to be easy to fly, cheap to buy and cheap to maintain. It was designed for both factory production and homebuilding. ‘Nipper’ was the nickname of Ernest Tips’ first grandchild, and true to its moniker, it is diminutive, with a wingspan of just 15ft. Nonetheless it has proved to be an excellent low cost aerobatic mount in which many pilots have made their competition aerobatic debuts.
Ibought a new SSDR Microlight in 2014 – a baby flexwing with a max weight of only 200kg and powered by a 37hp 250cc two-stroke engine – which I’ve enjoyed flying ever since. It has lovely light handling and as much performance as you would want in a fully open machine.
Anyway, as the only member of LAA staff with a single-seat deregulated microlight, I was volunteered to write something on the subject!
While the deregulation of single-seat microlights has, at least to a limited extent, reinvigorated the lightweight end of the ‘flexwing’ microlight market – there are around 100 such machines on the UK register – it has had a much more limited effect on the ‘stick and rudder’ microlight market. However, three new types, the SD-1, Merlin and Sherwood Kub, have had some commercial success.
In addition to new types, there are also those preexisting, single-seat microlight airframes that used to have a Permit until they were deregulated in 2016. This directly affected around 100 LAA aircraft, with the Team Minimax, Letov Sluka and MW5 the most numerous. In addition, there are some two-seat LAA microlights, the CFM Shadow being the most significant, where the owner can elect to re-register them as SSDR, as long as they are modified to only have one seat.
Above TechProAviation Merlin (six airframes registered in the UK)
An all-metal high-wing monoplane – like a miniature Cessna 150/152 – powered by the Rotax 582 two-stroke.
Top Spacek SD-1 Minisport (10 airframes registered in the UK)
A relatively high-performance, low-wing monoplane of wood and fibre-reinforced composite construction. Powered by a variety of small two-stroke and four-stroke engines, including the Briggs and Stratton Vanguard V-twin.
Unlike the Minimax, both the Sluka (pictured) and MW5 are much more ‘Microlight’ in appearance with the engine mounted high up in front of the wing, and an aluminium boom for a fuselage. The Sluka has an enclosed cabin with the wings clad in Dacron, while the MW is much more open with a pod and windscreen the only pilot protection. Both are powered by the Rotax 447 two-stroke.
Ralf Twellmann and Stuart MacConnacher celebrate the achievements of German aircraft design pioneer Wilhelm Stark, who turned 100 earlier this year
The Bramo engine, which powered the wartime Junkers W 34, had a reputation for unreliability, as 24-year-old Luftwaffe pilot Wilhelm Stark and his on-board mechanic experienced to their cost over war-torn France in the summer of 1944. They were on a cargo flight when their engine lost power and then quit altogether. Wilhelm managed to land safely in a field near Le Mans, but unarmed they were quickly arrested by French partisans and threatened with immediate execution.
The firing squad was lined up, but the act was delayed due to the presence of a group of onlookers from a nearby village, who were in the line of fire. The coast cleared, the two Germans were about to meet their fate, when a military Jeep arrived containing American Army officers who stopped the execution and took the pilot and his mechanic into their custody. “Those were the worst moments of my life,” Wilhelm recalled, “we were really lucky.”
Wilhelm spent the next year in captivity in Newcastle, and on release returned to Nammen near Minden to his wife and baby son, whom he had not yet seen. As a trained machine fitter, he quickly found work in the local Wohlverwahrt mine.
In his free time, Wilhelm devoted himself to model aircraft construction, repairing motorcycles and experimenting with radio technology – his interest in the subject having arisen from reading a book on the subject during his incarceration in England. It soon became more than a hobby, as he started to repair radio equipment in a converted chicken coop and set up The Stark Radio Company in Minden in 1948.
He also started glider flying again, making his first post-war flight at Oerlinghausen in August 1951, soon becoming a flight instructor. In 1955 he obtained his civilian licence for powered aircraft and was a founder member of the Aeroclub Minden. The radio business was doing well and Wilhelm decided to implement a plan that he had been thinking about for a while; he decided to build and market an aircraft that would make it possible to fly on a low budget.
He liked the Druine Turbulent, a low-wing, wooden single seater designed by Frenchman Roger Druine, and for which plans were available to purchase. He contacted Druine through a friend and visited him in France where, for a one-off price, he negotiated permission to build the Turbulent under license. There was no written contract for this arrangement, a handshake was considered sufficient.
Right Wilhelm Stark standing in front of a Stark Emeraude. In 2016 he was awarded the Otto-Lilienthal diploma of the German Aero Club.
The first Stark Turbulent, c/n 101, D-EJON, was built in Wilhelms basement with help from aircraft master craftsman Otto Buchheister, and it received a Permit to Fly on 27 July 1956. It made its first flight shortly afterwards at Bückeburg.
It quickly turned out that the German regulations could not be met with the original design and following an accident, D-EJON was rebuilt with reinforced wing spars and the span increased to 7.15m to compensate for the resultant higher wing loading. The original 25hp VW engine was replaced by a 45hp engine which Stark built from VW and Porsche parts, with Pieper Motorentechnik in Minden supplying the parts that Stark could not manufacture himself. This engine was used on all the Stark Turbulents and was known as the STAMO 1400, and a later STAMO 1500 variant with single ignition was produced in large numbers for the Scheibe Falke SF 25 motor glider.
The engines were initially assembled in Stark’s basement, which was even equipped with a test bench.
Although in the early days some Turbulents were lost due to overconfidence or carelessness of the pilots, production in a workshop on a small former airfield of the British Forces north-west of Minden got off to a good start. This manufacturing facility preceded Norman Jones’ setting up of the Rollason production line at Croydon for Turbulents and its two seat Condor sibling, and the type was one of the first light aircraft to be built following the allies permitting the reinstatement of German aircraft production.
On 1 December 1958, Type certificate number L-537 was issued and the Turbulent D series could be produced with a C of A. Between 1957 and 1960, a total of 36 Turbulents and three Piel Emeraudes, for which Stark has also acquired a licence, were built. In addition, the design and construction of a twin-engine, two-seat aircraft, which was given the name Stark 201, began. It was to be powered by two 100hp STAMO engines, which were a development of a two-litre
By this time Stark Flugzeugbau employed up to 26
people, including a number of trainees, but in 1960, when promised funding for the development of the Stark 201 was not forthcoming, Stark Flugzeugbau found itself in financial difficulties. Production was discontinued and Wilhelm Stark once again became fully dedicated to his radio business. “I’d really had enough of the aircraft business at the time,” he recalled. But that is not the end of the story.
In 1964 there was an attempt to restart the business. A
Above Two Stark Turbulents in the yellow and red factory scheme. Most were built with the enclosed canopy.
Below What might have been. A drawing of the proposed twin STAMO engined Stark 201.
company in Spain and sell them mainly to the military as training equipment. They were also interested in the Stark Turbulent and the twin-engined Stark 201, which was still mothballed in a garage in Minden.
Together, they founded Stark Iberica S.A. in Caspe, Zaragoza, and built an 800m² production facility and set up a runway directly in front of the building. Former employees of the Stark company helped to train the Spanish workers. Stark received a 30% stake in the company by bringing in the rights of the Turbulent, the engines and the airframe of the Stark 201 prototype.
Unfortunately, there were ongoing problems with approvals and aircraft production in Caspe was abandoned after about three years. It is unclear how many aircraft were ultimately built there.
In Germany, 10 Stark Turbulents are still flying and two are currently being restored. On 29 September 2016 Wilhelm was awarded the Otto-Lilienthal diploma of the German DAeC at Rinteln Airfield.
He remains active in model aircraft construction and has built models of all the types on which he used to fly in his military career. However, he no longer controls his models by himself, he hands over the transmitter to a younger club member, whom he likes to introduce as ‘my pilot’. And why not, at 100 years of age
Wilhelm, you’ve certainly earned your own pilot!
Note: With thanks to Rudolf Hankers, Stephan Kopelke and Peter-Michael Gerhardt for photographs and additional material. ■
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Carl Parkinson discusses the process of modifying his Europa for Night/IFR flight and his own ongoing story from fledgling flexwing trainee to Night approved EASA PPL…
Having recently completed what many consider the seemingly daunting process of removing the day VFR restriction from my Europa, so it can be flown at night and in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), I have written this article in the hope that it will encourage others who have considered taking the plunge to go ahead. It was, undeniably, a long, expensive process, but it has ultimately been a rewarding task.
I originally got the flying bug when I was presented with a second-hand model aeroplane back in 1980, and I spent my teenage years building and flying bigger and faster models until work and social life took over in my early twenties. Some years later in 1994, I was given a one hour flying lesson in a flexwing microlight as a birthday present… and I loved it. This was definitely for me; flying again, only this time I get to go along for the ride!
I took further lessons and eventually managed to complete my first solo flight, but then I ran out of money and went no further. It was some years later that I could afford to start again, this time flying three-axis microlights – T600 Thrusters to be precise, slow, but ideal for a student. Occasionally, during my training, a beautiful white aircraft would fly into the field. It looked fantastic – sleek, sporty and kitted out with more gauges and switches than I’d know what to do with. My CFI told me it was a Europa Tri-gear. “But this one’s special,” he said “it’s airways equipped.” I didn’t appreciate what that meant at the time, but I was drooling over it like a kid in a sweet shop. Once I had completed my NPPL I bought a share in G-JABS, a Jabiru UL450. It was quite small, but a lot faster than the Thruster. However, I never forgot the Europa.
Above The end game – almost. Carl’s Europa is now Night/IFR approved and he has his PPL and Night Rating with just an instrument qualification to achieve.
Right When Carl bought his Europa, he still only had an NPPL with a microlight rating, so decided to go for an EASA LAPL with Airfirst at Blackbushe.
Below The original panel was a mix of analogues and early digital but the urge to update soon became all encompassing.
My inspiration
A few years later I was in a better position financially and a search on UKGA showed a link to a Europa Tri-gear for sale, and in May 2015 I became the proud owner of a glorious looking, finely built Europa Tri-gear of my own, G-DEBR. I re-registered her as G-URMS, Urms being my wife’s nickname – I needed all the Brownie points I could muster if I was going to spend a lot of time flying.
I trained for my LAPL with Airfirst, based at Blackbushe Airfield, flying a PS28 Cruiser complete with a glass cockpit. Ooo, very posh! Having got used to steam gauges during my NPPL training, initially I didn’t like the glass cockpit, so I planned to stick with the gauges already fitted in G-URMS. It did have a Dynon D10 PFD, after all.
Being a computer nerd, I love new technology and was always looking at the latest cool flight equipment – and in the end I couldn’t resist and went for a full upgrade. I bought a full Dynon Skyview system. In for a penny, in for pound as they say, well, quite a lot of pounds to be precise. The quality and design of the Dynon hardware is excellent and the software is feature rich and easy to use, once you’ve spent some time in the hangar getting familiar with it. Here is the list of all the equipment I initially fitted:
Avionics:
■ Dynon Skyview D100T EFIS plus backup battery, WAAS GPS, ADHRS/magnetometer
■ Dynon Mode S Transponder with ABS-B In and Out
■ Dynon 8.33MHz Radio plus remote head unit
■ Dynon knob panel (Alt, Baro and Heading/Track)
■ Dynon comms panel (music in!)
■ Dynon two channel Autopilot (LNAV & VNAV) plus remote head unit.
Plus:
■ Stand-by steam gauges – Altimeter and Airspeed, plus a magnetic compass
■ Red-cube fuel flow
■ Traffic – Pilot Aware plus ADS-B In and Out
■ PocketFMS Nav and Obstacle data for the Skyview
■ Cockpit heating.
When I decided on the Dynon Skyview system I had just bought a Funke ATR833 radio, but it made sense to switch to the Dynon radio and transponder as they could be controlled remotely from the Skyview EFIS. As a result, they could also be installed anywhere behind the panel, reducing the clutter and freeing-up essential space. I added the remote head for the radio to the centre panel
because it fitted nicely alongside the autopilot panel, knob panel and intercom unit, and gave me immediate access to frequently used controls. I got a reasonable price for the ATR800 anyway, so there was no major loss there.
G-URMS had a single channel wing leveller fitted but I wanted to add a second channel to control pitch. However, there was nowhere to connect the pitch servo to, so I had to remove the stabiliser torque tube and have some lugs welded to it. Doing this was something of a nightmare and took a lot of patience, time and numerous socket extensions to reach through the opening on one side of the aircraft to access the nuts on the other. There were also a series of washers to remove and replace in the same order when I refitted the modified tube. If there had been a swear jar in the hangar it would have been filled several times.
The Skyview EFIS needs a third-party navigation dataset if used outside the US and there are two choices – PocketFMS and Jeppesen. I went for PocketFMS for two reasons: it had everything I needed at the time, and because it was quite a lot cheaper than the Jeppesen data set. I’m still not sure what the Jeppesen dataset includes for the Dynon, as different Jeppesen representatives have told me different things. Anyway, PocketFMS works fine and is very comprehensive.
Another Skyview feature is its traffic displaying capabilities. I fitted a Pilot Aware unit behind the panel and connected it to one of the Skyview’s serial ‘in’ ports. I also connected the audio-out from the Pilot Aware to a non-muting audio in port for the intercom, so I get audio warnings of all traffic it detects and also visual warnings for those transmitting ADS-B Out.
The last of my initial mods was to add cabin heating. This was achieved by modifying the aluminium ducting that channels cool air through the water and oil radiators. I followed another builder’s design where a door can be opened into the air exiting the rear of the water radiator.
Although there is no chance of getting exhaust gas into the cockpit with this design, it only provides limited heat, so I’m planning to change it at a later date.
During the installation I read an interesting article about Permit aircraft being assessed for Night and IMC approval and then another article on the Europa Club website where a chap called Peter Pengilly was looking for a Europa to take through the assessment process – so I emailed him in April 2016. I wondered where in the country Peter lived and how easy it would be to meet him, and was talking to a friend at the airfield about it who thought Peter was based at the same airfield! As it turned out, Peter’s aircraft had been parked next to mine in the hangar for months! We soon met and had initial discussions about the process and what it involves. It is as follows:
1. The owner should fill in a MOD Form 15, applying for Night, IMC or both.
Note: It may be better to get the day IMC assessment done first and get the amended Permit to fly issued, then carry out the night lighting assessment as and when the days are shorter and an airfield is available.
2. Complete an equipment list and TL2.28 form (without making any special effort to collect extra data) and send it to LAA Engineering. The LAA will make an initial assessment of the aircraft and advise on the changes needed to the aircraft and its equipment.
3. The application for an IMC assessment and test flight is raised with the LAA. This may not be required if the aircraft model has already been tested and is not the first of type (FOT).
4. New equipment is chosen, ideally from the LAA’s approved list. Potential new additions can of course be chosen but you risk it not gaining approval.
Note: In practice the avionics fitted to an aircraft is not of prime importance for an IMC/IFR clearance. The most important thing is the electrical system and how failures impact it. It is important to emphasise this is an assessment of the design of the electrical and instrumentation systems as much as anything else. Non-builders have found the electrical documentation requirements challenging, so ask for help early!
Below Former CAA test pilot Chris Taylor was kind enough to carry out the IMC assessment flight on the Europa – a sensible first step before spending any money!
5. Mod requests may need to be raised with LAA depending on the changes you are planning to make. However, panel changes don’t require a mod request. As already mentioned, the electrical system is more important than the avionics.
6. Once given the go ahead, the equipment can be fitted, and any changes made. The fitting of an autopilot will require its own inspection as it connects to the flight controls, but it’s worth every penny if you’re planning to fly in IMC.
7. The installation is inspected by your usual LAA inspector and signed-off.
8. The application for a Night assessment and test flight is raised with the LAA. This may still be required, even if the aircraft model is not the first of type, as it is an assessment of the avionics you’ve installed and whether they allow safe operation of the aircraft at night.
9. Any necessary modifications identified during the two tests need to be completed, along with the correct documentation.
10
. The following paperwork needs to be completed and presented to IMC Inspector Peter Pengilly, for example:
■ A completed MOD-15 initial request for Night / IMC clearance
■ A Permit IFR Aircraft Equipment List
■ A completed TL2.28 (Issue 2 Nov 2018)
■ An electrical load analysis
■ An electrical system fault tolerance report
■ An ASI Calibration report (usually done in flight by the GPS method)
■ An IMC Flight Assessment Report completed by the test pilot
■ A Night Lighting Assessment Report completed by the test pilot
■ A full circuit diagram of the aeroplane’s electrical system
■ A radio annual report and pitot/static test report
■ A maintenance schedule (such as A check (daily), 50 hour, 150 hr / annual, 500 hour / three year)
■ A copy of the aircraft’s Pilot’s Operators Handbook
■ A summary of the modifications made to the aircraft.
11. The IMC assessor will write a report for LAA Engineering describing the aircraft and recommending removal of the VFR and/or Day limitations from the aircraft’s Permit and will create an AAN (Air Worthiness Approval Note) to cover this modification. Some limitations on the operation of the aircraft may be recommended depending on what is found during the assessments.
As a result of discovering it might be possible to get the day VFR restriction removed, I made the following additional changes to G-URMS:
■ I added a GRT Mini-X as my back-up PFD/EFIS. Like the Skyview, it displays all the essential flight data, including terrain, and has its own navigation database.
■ I fitted the Dynon Heated Pitot / AoA probe. This is essential if flying in IMC and guarding against a frozen pitot. The Skyview will actually derive airspeed and
Below A heated pitot is an IFR requirement, and I fitted an extra battery and modified charging system to cope with the additional power requirements.
Bottom LEDs have made the provision of panel lighting so much easier, and less of a current drain.
altitude from GPS data if the pitot and/or static becomes blocked, but you don’t want to get into that situation.
■ To make sure I had sufficient battery capacity to keep the pitot heated during a long slow descent, I added an auxiliary battery and a Schottky diode arrangement to allow the alternator to charge both batteries, while preventing one from drawing power from the other. The pitot and landing light are powered from the auxiliary battery, with the avionics drawing power from main. I have also fitted a cross-feed switch between the two to allow me to power the avionics from the auxiliary battery if the main fails. Both the Skyview and GRT Mini-X EFIS units have their own back-up batteries providing at least 45 minutes of power, so it’s highly unlikely that I’ll ever run out of electrical power.
■ I fitted a flap position indicator that allows the Skyview EFIS to display the flap position. This is very useful at night, but the usual position markings on the flap are visible using a torch should that fail.
■ I added internal, dimmable red LED cockpit lighting for all non-illuminated instruments to allow me to read them and to see the state of the breakers in case one should trip at night.
■ I fitted TLAC combined position and strobe lights to each wingtip which, with a closed wing was a real challenge – my Europa has Classic wings with full width foam cores, although fortunately those cores are not solid, they have tunnels running through them laterally. After deciding to locate the strobes centrally on the wing tips, I managed to drill a hole at 45° towards the trailing edge and right into the channel that runs all the way to the aileron bell-crank housing on the underside of the wing. I
Below As the Europa has no in-cockpit flap position indication, I installed a flap indicator switch that relays flap position to the Skyview.
Bottom Final panel, a Night/IFR equipped Europa Tri-gear.
fed the wiring through and down the aileron torque tube channel, being sure to fasten it so it could not impede the aileron’s movement. Waterproof connectors were fitted in the wing root void so the wings could be easily de-rigged. The wiring for the heated pitot was completed using a similar technique.
■ A very powerful, seven segment LED landing light was fitted within the cowl. After a little experimentation with the mounting angle, I found that as long as the face of the light was perpendicular to the joggle the cowl fits up against, it was perfect to light up the runway when flying a 3-4° glide slope, as well as when taxying.
■ You need to be able to determine which position your
fuel selector is in at night so you cannot inadvertently turn it off. I have a selector that cannot be turned off without lifting a guard, so that meant it was OK and didn’t require illuminating, although I may add lighting later.
■ I modified my static plumbing so I had alternate static sources, one of which is within the central tunnel between the seats where it is warmer and out of any potentially moist air flow. Arguably, as the aircraft is not pressurised, you could simply leave the static port unplumbed.
■ My final addition was the Nav 2000 VOR/ILS receiver. Although the Skyview would provide me with lateral guidance, this would allow me to fly some approaches that may not be available to me without it. The aerial was fitted under the belly of the aircraft rather than using some complex tail mounting arrangement. Being a composite aircraft, the proximity of the fuselage makes no difference.
IFR and night certifications each have their own test schedules. It may be that all Night approved aircraft will have to be tested for flying at night to ensure the cockpit illumination and instrumentation is practical – time will tell. However, if your aircraft type has not been tested for IFR it will be classed as the first of type and will require a handling and stability assessment. Both of these need to be carried out by an LAA approved test pilot.
The IMC assessment should be completed as your very first step, before you spend money on equipment or making any changes. There is no point in laying out money if your aircraft is not stable enough to pass.
Luckily, the Europa Tri-gear is, and G-URMS passed with flying colours. Future examples of approved types may just require an assessment of your current avionics, lighting and electrical system.
Speak to the LAA and have someone take a look at your aircraft as you may find you’re almost there already.
Below On screen weather is a potential future upgrade but Carl is waiting on future developments before making a decision.
And so to the final tasks, for me at least, getting the ratings. I did my LAPL to PPL conversion with Airfirst at Blackbushe and my Night Rating at Thruxton. An instrument qualification is next on the list!
■ The assessor may well make a charge, there is no laid down fee
■ Each flight assessment(s) must be carried out by an LAA approved test pilot and is also likely to attract a charge
■ The LAA charges £250 for issuing an approval.
■ You are likely to have to pay a professional to carry out the Radio Annual and the Pitot-Static test.
Modern technology never stops evolving and pictured below is a brief glimpse of my next addition – weather! You may be aware that there are test transmissions of weather data being broadcast in a few areas in the South of England. Dynon provides a unit that can receive and display both traffic and weather on the EFIS along with TAFs and METARs. All very cool, although my testing shows it needs a little more development, so I’m sticking to my Pilot Aware derived traffic for the time being. Other systems are also available, some of which will be able to receive traffic from the Open Glider Network (OGN). So, lots of future technology to look forward to.
I hope this article has been of interest and helps answer some of the questions around these exciting new developments. And I hope to hear from other owners on increasing their capabilities and those of their aircraft. If nothing else, it may help you get home when you would normally be stuck, as when my wife and I were in Guernsey, waiting for at least a VFR clearance before we could leave. But that’s another story… ■
Welcome John, could you tell us something of your career?
My main job is Director of Acroflight Ltd, an aerospace engineering consultancy which l own. I also have an executive director role with GECI and I am technical director of the Supermarine S.5 project.
I have effectively worked for myself since 1988 (except for a period at Pilatus Aircraft where l was Chief of Stress). The nature of the business meant that at times l was a one-man band, while at others we had nearly 30 employees and consultants.
I left British Aerospace in 1986 to work at HW Structures, an Essex-based consulting firm expanding into aviation, but who were also heavily into automotive development and utilised FEA and other computation-based simulation methods. They sent me to the USA where GM’s Saturn was implementing aerospace know-how into its new range of cars.
l left to create my own business, having struck up a working relationship with a division of GE (then the world’s largest organisation), which led to a joint venture whereby my company supported its rapidly expanding engineered polymer division, and for seven years we converted heavy metallic structures into lightweight thermoplastics. We provided R&D support, computational analysis and optimisation capability, while being fed almost endless leads by the vast global GE corporation. Such was the pace that my initial business loan was repaid in a matter of weeks.
During that time, we were able to offer concurrent engineering (simultaneous stress analysis, design and industrialisation) services to SME, enabling them to bring new products to market much more quickly in a costeffective manner. Simulations reduced the need for
This month we welcome John Wighton, stress engineer, businessman, aeromodeller and Europa owner…
Above John Wighton, looking anything but stressed.
physical testing. It was a fast-moving business, forcing us to develop methodologies and solutions to a vast array of engineering problems. I divested that business in 1997 and spent time training for an ATPL, but ultimately decided it was not something I wished to make my career.
l relaunched as Aerodesign (UK) pretty much coincidental with the tragedy of 9/11, which led us to focus on ‘blue-chip’ clients as many of the interesting aircraft projects we had were struggling. We worked for GKN on A400M wings, thereafter to Fokker on the A380 FLE and Desmond Norman then asked us to complete the loads analysis and initial structural sizing for his Skylander aircraft. Ultimately the French Government decided to pull funding on the programme, causing our company much pain, and I had to seek employment.
Fortunately, Pilatus were looking for a Chief of Stress, the challenge included designing their first jet, first twin and dealing with EASA instead of certification via FOCA, which led to me setting up a home in Switzerland. During my time in Stans l flew my Europa out there, sometimes calling in to Metz to see the relic of the Skylander hangar and offices. Once l decided to fly across the Alps to Italy, having undertaken only some Alpine training, this proved daunting and, l admit, extremely frightening. Being at 11,000ft over the mountains is not trivial.
I founded Acroflight in 2018 and decided to set the business up and operate as lean as possible, to utilise only expert consultants (such as Dr Bill Brooks), use high-end engineering tools and operate in a way that was enjoyable and productive.
We have a wide range of work now, from LAA grassroots modifications to development of VTOL structures, electric aircraft, R&D under Horizon 2020 to help develop future airliner manufacturing methods (thermoplastic, welded structures) and some design and build projects. l feel we have the right balance of design and stress-based
simulation work, forward looking projects that will influence aerospace in the coming decades and practical nuts and bolts projects with hands-on work that keeps both the mind and the body functioning.
What started your interest in engineering and aviation?
Aged about four, at an airshow, I experienced the noise-induced tummy rumble of an English Electric Lightning taking off on full reheat. That triggered something which has never gone away – aviation gets into your soul. I moved from static models to free flight and R/C gliders and powered models and became a SMAE (BMFA) club instructor and later an examiner in the 1970s. Model flying remains an important part of my self-therapy, although not on the intense basis of 1972 to the mid-90s. In fact, it was the loss of an expensive R/C model that pushed me towards ownership of full-size share.
My aeromodelling activities naturally led to doing engineering qualifications. After school l elected to go the OND route rather than A-levels and at 17, with an OND in mechanical engineering, l applied to BAe Hatfield, which offered a place on their new undergraduate apprenticeship programme, conditional upon gaining a place at a listed university or polytechnic. Hatfield polytechnic offered a thin sandwich course which fitted nicely.
During my time, which was a fully indentured apprenticeship contracted with my dad, I spent six to eight weeks each in a range of departments, which meant l got to know the lie of the land, and I fully capitalised on that later on.
Near the end l was faced with a self-imposed choice; to work in the HS-125 sales engineering department or go into the stress office. A dull thud could be heard when l
Some past and present projects:
Top The airframe of the RR ACCEL project is currently at the final fit stage. Photo: John Wighton.
Above left Richard Goodwin’s jet Pitts, he’s seen here with LAA’s Ben Syson.
Above right Glen Waters’ Allison C250-B17B turbine powered Glasair III. Photo: Nigel Hitchman.
asked to go to the stress office – such was the surprise from the training manager on the other end of the phone. It was not popular with apprentices, but it seemed to me like a great place to learn about aeroplane structures and materials. I am a supporter of the current trend towards more apprenticeships, provided they are structured and comprehensive in scope and duration.
How has the job of stress calculation changed over the years?
The story of the evolution in stress analysis involves both material science and the ability to do many computations, i.e. the use of computers.
Much of the early stressing was done using no more than a pocket calculator and a copy of Bruhn (the stress man’s bible) but as a young stress man l could see the potential of computers to aid the (rather tedious) repetitive and iterative process of doing stress calculations. Back then at Bae, FORTRAN 77 was used, today we utilise script language (Python and similar) to automate and link processes. This can greatly reduce the time taken when many similar calculations are needed on different parts of an aircraft. However, for small aircraft projects it is rarely possible to utilise these techniques as it takes a lot of time to write, debug and validate code.
Consequently, for some LAA projects we often revert to early methods, utilising volumes by Bruhn, Nui, Roark, Perry, Peterson, etc. Material data is obtained from MMPDS, CMH-17, ANC publications, etc. The LAA has done a really good job of consolidating much of these volumes into usable data, hence TL 1.16 (material allowables) and other TL series documents which provide the budding designer with the basics. For an aircraft constructed largely with light alloy or wood, these are usually sufficient for design analysis purposes. Where static strength verification is the primary objective, these traditional methods are valid.
As composite construction is now commonplace, this requires us to consider orthotropic material properties (directional stiffness and stress). Consideration of monolithic and sandwich construction across a somewhat bewildering range of fibre-reinforced materials, requires the accurate calculation of material allowables to enable margins of safety (MS) or reserve factors (RF) to be calculated. To achieve accurate values simulation of these structures, using finite element methods (FEM) is somewhat inevitable.
There are many FEM packages out there, some are free, but many require costly licenses. This cost can only be justified if the packages are used sufficiently. Acroflight’s license fees amount to approximately £40k annually, requiring significant usage and a corresponding charge rate. We also utilise CFD and Mechatronic software as we move towards a fully digital representation of an aircraft or related process.
Whatever the material and construction method is utilised there is always a need to verify any stress work. In the past testing was seen as the principle means of compliance (MoC) with analysis used as part of the process of creating prototypes. However, the industry can no longer afford (in time and material cost) the trial and error iterative process of several prototypes, hence today’s aircraft MoC is by analysis, validated by test. This requires the regulator to have significant knowledge of, and experience with, the range of computational methods used. Test programmes often overlap the first flight of a commercial aircraft and entry into service, putting the onus on accurate predictions and simulations.
What particular challenges does the Replica Supermarine S5 involve?
The replica utilises much design data from the Ray Hilborne version from the mid-1970s. This includes a stress dossier and many drawings and, where we have found holes in the drawing tree, we need to generate new drawings or derive the data from scratch.
An area that has benefited from more than 100 years of design analysis and research is flutter; the aeroelastic behaviour of past aircraft was often only known at the flight
Below The stress analysis of the containment jacket around the Pitt’s AMT Lynx engine. Photo: John Wighton
test phase of a project. For the S.5 we have focused attention on the rudder control circuit, aft fuselage bending and torsional stiffness, as well as simplifying the control box design in the cockpit. Elimination of rudder cable slack and ensuring the controls are fully mass balanced where possible are high priorities.
Some opportunities exist to bring modern construction methods to the S.5 build, these are being applied sympathetically so as not to dilute the authentic external profile and sound of the aircraft. For example, the original battery box design consists of 30 parts, we will make it as one part in composites and utilise a modern LiFe battery to save mass. We are encouraging LAA members with skills to participate in the project. There is a website (www. supermarine seaplane.co.uk) and social media platform to enable people to keep up to date with the project.
Do you see electric aircraft as a long-term solution?
We initially intended to enter the RAeS electric air racer design competition but had a conflict of interest when a competitor’s Taylor Titch design was submitted to us for comment. ‘Our’ Titch consists of the remains of G-BABE, plus some parts obtained from the USA and my initial idea was to utilise ‘over-sized’ model aircraft technology and equipment into this aircraft. These thoughts have moved on somewhat, as we are using knowledge gained from our involvement with the Rolls-Royce ACCEL electric NXT programme. That is an order of magnitude more complex and costly – it’s objective being to break the World Speed Record for electric aircraft. The eTitch, as it is inevitably called, will hopefully be revealed in early 2021.
LAA TL 3.28 is packed with data and content that should encourage others to develop their own electric aircraft or electric propulsion system. Although recreational eFlight will bring some environmental benefits (lower airfield noise) the technical challenges needed to enable commercial flight using pure electric powerplants are a decade away at least.
In what, where and when was your first flight?
My first glider flight was in a K13 at North Weald in 1976
but as a teenager my focus was on model flying, it wasn’t until the mid-90s when l had some time and funds that I pursued a PPL. I gained a PPL in 1996 at Earls Colne in Essex, flying C150/C152 aircraft.
As mentioned earlier, I also worked toward a selfimprover ATPL for a while at Huffmann Aviation in Florida.
How many hours and types have you flown?
Looking at my logbooks, l have 20 different types and a total of 1,000 hours. This year l had hoped to reach 1,000 hours P1, but COVID-19 has probably put paid to that.
I did night flying training in the States and spent quite a few hours under the hood. I took the excellent IMC ground tuition course run by Nigel Willson at Earls Colne but did not do the flying part. Amongst the types flown are the Speedtwin Mk1.
Do you have a favourite and not so keen on type flown?
The Europa is an excellent aircraft. Flown light, one-up, it is agile and really good fun. Mine has the Rotax 912 ULS which suits it well.
As an engineer l naturally look to improve everything (aeroplanes, cars, toasters – anything) and have done so with the Europa, and we are selling the taildragger conversion kits worked up with Miles McCallum in 2002. The first example, G-MLXP finished by Mike Davies, is beautiful and combines many of the characteristics Ivan Shaw wished for in the Europa monowheel, with much of the practicality of the Tri-gear.
Other Europa related projects include an attempt to re-stress the aircraft for a MAUW of 1,450lb (already permitted in some countries). We have also developed a large wing test rig to facilitate testing of a Europa XS wing donated by Clive Sutton. The rig is multi-purpose and also being used for the eTitch and other test programmes.
The majority of my logged time is in my Europa Tri-gear, G-IPOD. This was purchased with 100 hours on it in 2009 from builder Steve Vestuti, who is responsible for the excellent standard of build and finish – something l try to maintain.
Before that l had shares in a TB-9 and a PA-28. The PA-28 Warrior was a six-man syndicate with two coowners living abroad, consequently the weekday availability was good for business trips.
Flying the Europa solo for the first time stands out – l took it solo without any transition training (don’t do that at home folks). I flew P2 in a PC-12 when at Pilatus, that is a
fantastic aircraft, especially when valley flying in the Alps. But l think my best flight was achieving my first one hour R/C gliding flight with a Chris Foss Hi-Phase. That flight included a descent to about 15ft at 40 mins, from where l got a low thermal and climbed to a speck.
Do you have any aviation heroes?
RJ Mitchell – for being selfless and leaving us with memorable aeroplanes which have inspired millions into an aviation career. Rich Goodwin – who has infectious enthusiasm, is a brilliant pilot and never gives up! Chris Foss for his influential and efficient model designs.
Have you had any ‘I learnt flying from that’ type moments?
Inadvertent IMC at 1,200ft in a PA-28 with a first-time passenger. My pax freaked out, lashing with arms and legs whilst l tried to execute a 180° turn – we both lived and he went on to become a fast jet pilot with the RAF.
Flying at 11,000ft over the Alps with the valleys below filled with cloud. Listening for any strange noises that might come from the engine.
What’s on your aircraft or vehicles wish list?
A PC-12 NGX for business and family trips. A Zlin Savage Shock Cub for trips to Sainsbury’s. My Europa and the next project waiting to be started at the workshop.
Do you have any non-aviation hobbies and interests?
The house we purchased in the mid-90s, which has enabled me to build a spa house and now an office in the grounds. I am now eyeing up a site to install an 8m x 4m workshop. And I have recently bought an electric bike, which has rekindled an interest in cycling.
What aviation aspirations do you have?
I would like to get my Europa cleared for IMC and validate my IMC training. And from a business perspective, I await the outcome of the EASA/CAA split and will get an appropriate DOA for the company. This may be an EASA 21J or CAA A8.21 approval.
Any finally, what advice would you offer pilots?
Keep the paperwork up to date and ensure you know your aircraft top to tail.
Experience over the years with shared aircraft under 145 maintenance indicates that serious mistakes do happen. I once found an elevator control with a missing nyloc nut – the PA28 had flown over an hour since maintenance and had miraculously not crashed. Be ever vigilant! ■
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AIRCRAFT APPROVED? Members and readers should note that the inclusion of all advertisements in the commercial or classified sections of this magazine does not necessarily mean that the product or service is approved by the LAA. In particular, aircraft types, or examples of types advertised, may not, for a variety of reasons, be of a type or standard that is eligible for the issue of a LAA Permit to Fly. You should not assume that an aircraft type not currently on the LAA accepted type list will eventually be accepted.
IMPORTED AIRCRAFT? Due to unfavourable experiences, the purchase and import of completed homebuilt aircraft from abroad is especially discouraged.
TIME TO BUILD? When evaluating kits/designs, it should borne in mind that technical details, performance figures and handling characteristics are often quoted for a factory-produced aircraft flying under ideal conditions. It is wise, therefore, to seek the opinion of existing builders and owners of the type. You should also take your own skill and circumstances into consideration when calculating build times. The manufacturer’s build time should be taken as a guide only.
AMATEUR BUILDING All LAA aircraft builders and potential builders are reminded that in order to qualify for a LAA Permit to Fly, homebuilt aircraft must be genuinely amateur built. For these purposes the CAA provide a definition of amateur built in their publication CAP 659, available from LAA. An extract from CAP 659 reads “The building and operation of the aircraft will be solely for the education and recreation of the amateur builder. This means that he would not be permitted to commission someone else to build his aircraft”. An aircraft built outside the CAA’s definition could result in an expensive garden ornament.
Also included, dismantled O-200A, 65 hrs since new. £12,000. Bob White 02392 259954. Email bobandpat1988@yahoo.co.uk
RAF2000 GTX-SE. A 1997 two-seater fully enclosed gyroplane. Last permit March 2012. Airframe hours 247. Engine type Subaru 2.2. Engine Hours 127 since overhaul. Comes with stainless steel exhaust and new rotors in 2008. £15,000 ono. Call Eddie on 07952373734 or email smithe4@sky.com
De Havilland Chipmunk 1/8 share in friendly long established group based at Goodwood. LAA Permit. £95 per month and £95 per hour. £5000. For further details contact Bob 07909 141166. farthings@onetel.com
HAPI Cygnet SF-2A project for sale. Almost complete (see photo) but ill-health forces sale. Powered by new Rotax 912. Instruments provided but not yet fitted. Sensible offers invited. Please email gcygi.sale@gmail.com for more information.
Exceptional Jurca Sirocco project 85% finished for a discerning builder. For more info and photographs call James: 07595 231985 or email: james@trafmar.com
Also, hangar space for two aircraft available at Kittyhawk Aerodrome, BN8 6BB.
For Sale 478 Europa Tri Gear Kit 400 hours completed. Some damage caused by recent moves. For further details please email ianbrookes.tcs@gmail.com or telephone 01886 853546. Any reasonable offer considered.
Design & Stress Analysis Service. Type submissions, modifications, and general advice. We cover structures, powerplant (IC and electric) and avionics. Ex-Chief Stressman and Part 21J Head of Design.
Contact John Wighton enquires@acroflight.co.uk or call 07770399315.
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
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
For Lease. 500mt x 30mt Grass airstrip and hanger. North Reston, near Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 8JD.
Controlled, CCTV monitored access hanger suitable for two Cessna type aircraft. Wooden frame/steel clad. 53.325575, 0.070615. Contact James Read. Tel: 07768 928309 or email: jimreadfarmer@hotmail.co.uk
France, Loire. Montrichard private airfield. Hangarage for two aircraft, four-person cottage. Package designed by flyers for flyers. £700 per week. www.lachaumine.co.uk Tel 07802 217855 or 01424-883474
By Steve Slater
Writing this, on the morning after the Prime Minister’s latest address to the nation on re-extending COVID-19 measures, gives a worrying sense of déjà-vu. As a result, from 1 October we’re closing LAA HQ to all but essential visitors, and minimising the staff working on site at Turweston. From a practical point of view, our processes to allow our engineering and administrative staff to work from home are now well-established and we’re confident that you will see little diminution in service levels.
Of course, the 2020 LAA Rally remains a tantalising ‘what might have been’ and the LAA AGM on 18 October will be hosted online using the popular Zoom teleconference application. We hope you’ll join us, the link to the meeting is https://bit.ly/31dE3nP (Zoom meeting ID: 854 0107 1535) with Passcode: 552713
As you’ll see (P8/9), our Virtual AGM allows us to fulfil the usual formalities of an AGM and meet our mandatory requirements as a Limited Company under revised Government guidelines, as well as offering a post-meeting Member Forum. However, until we change some Association Articles, voting this year must be by Proxy, with our Chairman being entrusted to vote on your behalf. The proxy form is on the reverse of the address panel in the wrapping surrounding this magazine. Please complete it and either post, or scan and e-mail it to office@laa.uk.com Please note that all Proxy Forms must be with us by the end of business on Thursday 15 October.
From an aviation point of view, I hope that you’ve been able to enjoy an excellent few weeks of summer flying and there have even been some appropriately socially distanced fly-ins and events around the country. It’s also gratifying to see local flying schools, with appropriate precautions, appearing as busy as ever. While all sectors of aviation have suffered badly in recent months, we sometimes overlook the importance of flying clubs and schools in ensuring year-around activity that keeps many small airfields viable. Without them, there might be a lot less destinations for us to fly into!
So far at least, and fingers are firmly crossed, there appears no immediate prospect of the wider lockdown on aviation that we experienced back in March. That may change of course, depending on the trajectory of the virus infection rate, so perhaps it might be timely that owners consider planning in case you need to lay-up your aircraft for a protracted period.
Many owners do already plan their maintenance around limited or no flying in the winter months, while others, including myself, will aim to keep the aircraft flyable to enjoy those gin-clear, icy winter blue sky days (in the open cockpit of the Currie Wot, it’s known as a hypothermic half hour!). In any case, I’ll be scheduling an oil change, protecting flying wires and other exposed parts against
corrosion and making sure the aeroplane is clean and covered as part of my pre-winter planning, but I’m still aiming to get airborne when I can.
Back at HQ, we have responded to two significant airspace issues in recent weeks. First, we have sent a formal letter of complaint to CAA Air Traffic Management and Aerodromes (AAA) regarding the London Oxford Airport Airspace Change Proposal and the sponsor’s non-compliance with the terms of the CAP 725 consultation process. This focuses on their lack of observance of the required consultation requirements, in that they have had minimal or no dialogue with local airfield operators whose operations and safety will be adversely affected by the proposed airspace access restrictions.
In addition, we also responded to the CAA consultation on the draft procedures for reviewing the classification of airspace. While the online consultation format is restrictive, we made a series of points including noting with some concern that while the document notes in several places that the CAA must ‘seek to ensure that the amount of controlled airspace is the minimum required to maintain a high standard of air safety and, that the needs of all airspace users is reflected on an equitable basis’, there remains no direct commitment in this document that the CAA actively pursues airspace reclassification. We have advocated a more transparent review that takes into consideration feedback from all airspace users, overseen by independent arbitration, that would in the long-term be considerably more effective.
Meanwhile, one of the most gratifying reads in recent weeks have been the Facebook entries and blogs from Ellie Carter, who has been steadily amassing hours in a Piper L-4 Cub in order to qualify for her future commercial pilot training. Since gaining her PPL, aided by an LAA Armstrong-Isaacs bursary, she completed her tailwheel conversion and, as well as flying the classic military spotter aircraft, she’s been gaining experience in everything from a similarly classic Auster to a Citabria and a Van’s RV-12. Oh, and by the way, she’s still just 17!
Ellie is one of those fortunate to be able to fulfil their dream, which is why this year’s round of scholarships is so important. The Armstrong-Isaac’s fund, funded by legacies from former Association luminaries David Armstrong and John Isaacs is this year offering five bursaries of £1,500 to post-solo students, providing additional funding to help pilots complete their courses at a time when sorties get longer, costs get higher and the money often starts to run out. The final date for applications is Friday 30 October 2020, so if you’re eligible, get a move on! ■
