LA July 2023 issue

Aviation THE MAGAZINE OF THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

LIGHT

July 2023 £4.25

HALF-SCALE, FULL FUN!

Light Aircraft Association WWW.LAA.UK.COM

The WAR FW-190 replica may be tiny, but as Clive Davidson discovered, it’s also big fun…

SAVE MONEY BY SHARING IT’S MUCH MORE FUN THAN OWNING ON YOUR OWN!

TIPS FOR RIB BUILDING DUDLEY PATTISON’S TRICKS FOR SUCCESS

Ed’s Desk

It may not be the real thing, but aeroplanes like this 90% scale Spitfire can help you scratch a warbird itch on a budget…

Chairman ERYL SMITH CEO SIMON TILLING Chief Technical Officer JON VINER CEng MEng MRAeS Chief Inspector LUCY WOOTTON MEng(Hons) DIS DipHE MRAeS

President ROGER HOPKINSON MBE Vice President BRIAN DAVIES Engineering email engineering@laa.uk.com Email office@laa.uk.com Office Manager Penny Sharpe Head Office Turweston Aerodrome, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5YD Telephone for engineering and commercial 01280 846786

LIGHT AVIATION MAGAZINE Editor ED HICKS Email ed.hicks@laa.uk.com

Design and Print SEAGER PUBLISHING Production Editor LIZI BROWN Art Editor LISA DAVIES Opinions expressed by the authors and correspondents are not necessarily those of the Editor or the LAA. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission.

Your own fighter…

R

eplica warbirds always seem to polarise opinion. Some people love them, while others seem to think you either have the real deal, or nothing at all.

I think they’re great, particularly when they look as good as the fantastic WAR FW190 that graces our cover for this month’s flight test feature.

The WAR replica fighters have always been a surprisingly clever idea – one basic airframe design, and then covered in foam and fibreglass in the shape of whatever fighter you desire. The UK has seen it’s fair share of these mini-fighters over the years.

Today, if you want you own replica warbird then you’ll find things have moved on significantly, and there are a small selection of kits available for the popular fighters like the Spitfire and the Mustang. The Titan T-51 Mustang offers both B and D model options with a variety of engine choices. The same goes for the Supermarine Aircraft Mk26 (80%) and Mk26B (90% scale) kits.

Still on the ‘yet to be approved’ list, but hopefully a type that might make it here one day, is the Curtiss Hawk from ScaleBirds. I’ve seen the their aircraft at Oshkosh a couple of times now, and like WAR, they have a plan where one airframe design could evolve into a few different types. The difference is, the airframe here is a conventional metal structure.

Also yet to be LAA approved, but looking amazing is the ScaleWings SW-51 Mustang, a state-of-the-art 70% scale composite kit that uses the Rotax 915iS engine. The airframe here really is like a giant model kit, particularly as it has all the surface skin detail

of the full-size aircraft moulded into its parts.

At the true budget end, if there’s a scratch-builder lurking inside you, then perhaps a stack of wood and the plans for the wonderful little Isaacs Spitfire could do the job for the aspiring UK fighter pilot.

My personal favourite that I’ve seen on the internet, thanks to a fantastic worldwide Experimental and Homebuilt Aircraft Facebook group, is a scratch-built 60% scale Grumman F8F Bearcat powered by an A75 Continental. Though for sheer insanity, I recently read about 1/3rd scale B-29 that’s nearly complete, also in the USA. The four-engined machine comes in at nearly 50ft span, and uses a modified Cessna 210 wing and four modified Honda engines.

Finally, I’m sure all members will join me in sending Steve Slater their best wishes for a speedy recovery, after he was taken ill recently. All the best, Steve.

ed.hicks@laa.uk.com

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 3

Contents July 2023

FEATURES 12 GRASS ROOTS PREVIEW

Fly-In Chairman Eryl Smith looks ahead to this year’s Grass Roots Fly-In event at Popham

16 PROJECT NEWS

Bristell NG5 Speed Wing, Van’s RV-12, New Projects and Cleared to Fly

20 FLIGHT TEST

The WAR FW-190 replica may be tiny, but as Clive Davidson discovered, it’s big on fun!

28 COACHING CORNER

A skills brush up can often increase confidence, suggests PCS Head of Training David Cockburn

30 ENGINEERING MATTERS

Jon Viner rounds up technical matters from the world of LAA Engineering

36 GROUP OWNERSHIP

It’s certainly ‘all for one and one for all’ when it comes to sharing an aeroplane!

Duncan Campbell believes it is more fun than owning one on your own – plus it spreads the costs, which makes things much more affordable…

20

WAR FW190 replica

12

49

40 WISE UP TO WOOD

Dudley Pattison shares more secrets of building with wood. This time with tips for wing rib building success…

49 MEET THE MEMBERS

Ed Hicks chats with Steve Rickett about his love for building in wood…

REGULARS 03 EDITORIAL 06 NEWS 09 LETTERS 10 STRAIGHT AND LEVEL 44 STRUTS4U 54 LANDING VOUCHERS 58 WHERE TO GO

40 July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 5

LA News

News

Plenty more news is available on the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com check it out every day!

Revision of CAP1302 offers paths to Permit for vintage types The CAA have published a revised version of CAP 1302, Transfer of non-Part 21 aircraft from Certificate of Airworthiness to Permit to Fly, which provides guidance on the policy and process for transferring a non-Part 21 aircraft from a national Certificate of Airworthiness to a national Permit to Fly. The CAA recognises there is a lack of Type support for some vintage General

Aviation aircraft that hold a national certificate of airworthiness (CofA). This can raise continued and continuing airworthiness issues such as design support for modifications, the sourcing of spare parts or the ability to meet the applicable maintenance standards.

Therefore, the CAA may, in some circumstances, allow aircraft to transfer

Drone information request

of line of sight’ incidents occur, but we need to identify incidents that do not get reported.

“If you are aware of any incident, however small or ‘insignificant’, please can you let me know? These statistics are significant. Please do not ignore them.

“I will not be investigating any of these incidents, just documenting them with the possibility of ‘evidence-based facts’, especially for safety analysis.

If you want to contact Andrew, email him at: acss@gmx.com

LAA Member Andrew Caldecott is requesting that pilots who have any experiences with close calls, or near misses of any type with drones, please get in touch with him.

Andrew writes, “All MOR reports are significant in the assessment and regulation of safety, especially where ‘out

She also graduated from SRMIST with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Prior to the LAA, Miti worked for eVTOL startup, and Volador Flytech as an Aerospace Structures Engineer.

Miti There’s been a Zoe joins us as an Airworthiness Ghosh few staff changes Engineer, and works on Permit renewals at LAA HQ and day-to-day customer airworthiness recently, with Miti support. Zoe’s passion for aviation started Ghosh and Zoe in 2013 when she started gliding, with an Mallam as new aim of achieving her PPL(A), which she did members of the in 2017. She has years of practical Engineering team, and Cheryl Routledge experience working in different joining the office administration team. aspects of aviation, but with Miti joins as a Design Engineer where a special interest in she will deal with modifications and wooden aircraft repair support for the LAA fleet, as construction, and has well as initial Permit issues. Miti extensive experience moved to England in 2021, Zoe where she completed her Master Mallam with LAA aircraft, including maintenance of Science in Aerospace Vehicle on Shuttleworth Design from Cranfield University.

Staff changes at HQ

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Types like this Stinson 108 could use the new CAP1302 guidance to potentially transfer to LAA Permit to fly.

from a CofA to a national Permit to Fly (PtF).

For more information turn to Engineering Matters on page 30. tinyurl.com/Nonpart21aircrafttopermit tinyurl.com/TL125Listofaircraft

Private Flyer North A reminder that LAA members can get free tickets to the Private Flyer North event held at Leeds East on 7-8 July. To claim your tickets, head to https://bit. ly/3JcK8GO and enter the promotional code PF23043.

Collection aircraft, and can often be found flying many Cheryl aircraft from vintage Routledge Pipers to towing gliders with Pawnee.

Zoe’s qualifications include a Level 3 BTEC in Aerospace Engineering from CEMAST College, as well as a Level 2 NVQ in Aerospace Engineering at Stansted Airport College. Zoe is currently working towards holding both LAA and BGA Inspector ratings.

Cheryl joins the LAA, having moved to England from South Africa with her family, in 2019. She looks forward to meeting and supporting our members.

Jerry Parr has made the decision to leave the LAA team. We wish Jerry all the very best in his future endeavours and thank him for his time here at Light Aircraft Association.

LA News

Latest Safety Sense on icing

Sleapkosh 7-9 July SleapKosh, The International Sleap Fly-In is back for the third time, bigger and better on the 7-9 July in association with Puma Energy UK. The event is a relaxed fly-in at Sleap Airfield with visitors from all around the UK and Europe. There is an airshow, live music stage with several bands and acts over the three days, trade stalls, several catering venues and of course a beer tent. Camp for three days of fun, sun and aeroplanes.

This year sees the arrival of the first fly-in airshow at the event with the airfield closing down on Saturday the 8th for evening displays from acts including Rich Goodwins’ Jet Pitts, AeroSuperBatic wingwalkers, BBMF and many more. There are no ticket fees, only the aircraft landing fee.

You can only fly in (there is no public road access), and you must book in online on www.shropshireaeroclub.com/sleapkosh for a space, a briefing to be sent a week before. All fuels are available, and more information can be found on the website or by calling Sleap on 01939 232882.

uAvionix AV30E now EFIS backup approved LAA Engineering has recently added the uAvionix AV30E to TL3.20, the list of approved backup EFIS units for use in Permit aircraft.

The EFIS units listed in TL3.20 may be used without further reference to LAA Engineering, although your LAA inspector will need to make a Permit Maintenance Release (PMR) entry in the airframe logbook quoting this Technical Leaflet reference. www.tinyurl.com/LAAbackupEFIS

Meet at LAA HQ!

A meeting room at HQ is now available to hire. The room can be configured to seat from 14 to 24 people. The room is available from £90 per day, while catering can be arranged if required for an additional charge.

You don’t have to be a member to hire the facilities, and all days of the week are available (weekends by arrangement).

Opening times are between 8.30am and 5pm. To book, please contact the LAA office. Office@laa.uk.com

The CAA has recently published its latest updated Safety Sense leaflet providing guidance to pilots on icing in the induction and fuel system of aircraft equipped with piston engines.

The leaflet looks at types of icing, atmospheric conditions, recognition of icing, recommended procedures and prevention. tinyurl.com/Safetysenseicing

Metal Seagulls Open Hangar ’23 Metal Seagulls welcome all by air or by road to visit its Hangar on 28-29 July at Haverfordwest Airport.

Find out more about how it makes aircraft parts with CNC cutting and folding demonstrations, hands on aluminium projects, engine discussions and more. All are welcome (and remember we are a family friendly facility – so bring the family).

Friday evening ‘get together on the apron’ with music and refreshments from 1700-1900.

All are welcome. Please ensure PPR / waiver completed for any out of hours arrival/departures.

Formal Notice LAA AGM: 1200 Sunday 15 October 2023 Notice is given that the AGM of the Light Aviation Association (LAA) will be held at LAA HQ, Turweston Aerodrome NN13 5YD at 1200 on Sunday, 15 October 2023.

Nominations for Board Directors and Notices of Motions of any kind for the AGM must be received at LAA HQ, no later than Sunday 3 September 2023. Nominations and Motions must be signed by both proposer and seconder, both of whom must be beneficial shareholders. In respect of nominations to the Board of Directors, candidates must include a signed statement of willingness to serve as a Director, should they be elected. Will Garden-Jones has indicated that he will not seek re-election for a further term of office. The Board is keen to seek nominations from members with the requisite experience and willingness to serve as both Director and Hon Treasurer.

The AGM will provide for both in person and remote online participation and electronic voting. These arrangements will be professionally administered. In addition, those unable to attend may elect to submit proxy votes. A full list of nominations, Motions, proxy voting form and the programme for the day will be published with October’s Light Aviation and online.

The AGM will be preceded by the presentation of LAA Service Awards, any Fly-In Trophies and Awards, to members.

Following the AGM there will be time reserved for a Members’ Forum for discussion and Q&A on general matters with the Board and CEO. Light Refreshments will be served and lunch will be available from the Turweston Tower Café.

If you have any questions or comments for the AGM or the Members’ Forum, please get in touch with us via office@laa. uk.com July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 7

ANDAIR FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS COMBINE MODULAR DESIGN, SUPERB QUALITY AND THE FLEXIBILITY TO SUIT ANY AIRCRAFT BUILD PROJECT.

Having built a reputation for excellence in the design and manufacture of light aircraft fuel system components within the amateur-build aircraft sector, Andair has now established a significant presence in the commercial aviation market as well.

www.andair.co.uk

Letters

Letters We are always pleased to receive your letters, photos of your flying, and your feedback. Please email the editor at ed.hicks@laa.uk.com Maintenance Schedule article

Dear Ed, May I offer a belated thank you to Francis Donaldson for his recent excellent article on building a Maintenance Schedule (MS) for his Currie Wot. I’m sure I speak for many members when I say that this was timely in the extreme as I have wrestled with the need for an MS during this year’s Permit Renewal for my unique homebuilt aircraft, for which there are almost no formal airworthiness documents.

Many of us, especially I suspect, the more ‘senior’ ones, can slip into the trap of thinking ‘I know what I’m doing’ when it comes to continued airworthiness.

Francis reminded us, very gently and entertainingly, why the aerospace industry has formal procedures and why these are formalised in document form.

I would also like to thank my ‘new’ (to me) Inspector for guiding me through the process this year. Well done all.

Sincerely, Jonathan Taylor, G-AYEG.

Permit renewal timescales

Dear Ed, I was reassured by recent communication that the LAA is working to a timescale of five working days to turn around Permit revalidations. I was, therefore, slightly surprised by having had no communication of any kind six working days after submitting the paperwork for one of our aircraft.

I went to check online, hoping to see that at least the Permit was in the process of being dealt with, and in the ‘My Aircraft’ section, there was no trace of it at all, according to the website, the application had not even been received.

I followed this up later with a phone call and was told by the Engineering department that it doesn’t really advertise a five-day SLA for Permit revalidations, and that things are taking longer at the moment because of a new system.

So, this leads me to question: why doesn’t the LAA Engineering department agree with the CEO’s statement about a five-day turnaround? And why can’t the LAA at least note in its system that the application has at least been received, so that the folks that have paid good money for this service know that it is actually going to get dealt with at some stage, rather than having just fallen into the electronic equivalent of a black hole?

Left Jonathan Taylor was one of a number of readers who enjoyed Francis Donaldson’s Maintenance Schedule article.

Here’s hoping for better things under new management!

Best wishes, Dr Cameron Spence.

LAA CEO Simon Tilling replies: Cameron, first off, thank you for taking the time to write.

Feedback is key to helping us to improve the service we offer. I am sorry that our communication during your Permit renewal was not as it should be. We have found a glitch in our auto response mail system that meant acknowledgement mails have not always been sent out, and that this also impacted the feed to the ‘My Aircraft’ section of the website. This is now being rectified.

The five working day / seven calendar day turnaround time for Permit renewals is a target we are working to, we are clearly not there yet in every case. The HQ team is spending a lot of time looking at ways to improve the process and comms, including a daily review of performance. We are also investing in training to ensure that we are offering the best possible service.

I appreciate that this is not going to be a quick fix, however, I am sure you, and everyone reading this will understand that we cannot compromise on the safety aspect of the work we do in order to go faster. More updates on progress will follow in future issues of the magazine.

CO detectors correction

Dear Ed, Regarding the letter from Dave Scott in the May edition on CO detectors. CO is not in fact lighter than air, with almost exactly the same density, so it will not migrate to the top of an enclosed space. In fact, it will stay where it is,

which is one of the reasons, of course, it is so dangerous. It’s molecular weight (a proxy for density) is 28, whereas air is just under 29, being a mix of about 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen (28 and 32 respectively).

Best wishes, Rick Hemmings.

Zaunkoenig G-ALUA

Dear Ed, It was very interesting to be taken back to the ‘Good Old Days’, and certainly brought a smile and the memory of wind on my face, in an open cockpit.

Shortly after my first solo in Auster Autocrat G-AIPX in September 1949 I was given the privilege of flying Zaunkoenig G-ALUA at Christchurch Airfield, on four occasions that month.

This was shortly after the aircraft was brought from Germany, and operated by the ULAA. The Flying Club at Christchurch, was then called the South Hants Ultra Light Air Club, and part of the ULAA. Two years later, another rare aircraft was operated at Christchurch, this time the Heath Parasol G-AJCK. Again one which I was privileged to fly on a number of occasions.

Those memories of open cockpits also brings to mind ATC Gliding, in spring 1946, freezing air, no windscreen nor instruments, being winched in solo Cadet Mk 1s to various heights for ‘A’ Certificate training. Those were the days, but it taught one to always fly the aircraft, no matter what the circumstance, resulting in top class airmanship.

Thank you Roger Mills for jogging the ageing mind.

Kind regards, John Allan.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 9

Straight and Level Updates from LAA HQ The downs and ups of shows

Eryl Smith Chairman

I

t’s hard to believe that as you read this piece we are already halfway through the year. We have been blessed with good weather though, and judging by the flight tracking apps, many members have taken full advantage of the opportunities to aviate.

The last month has seen myself, members of the Engineering team and volunteers attending the Private Flyer and AeroExpo events. I think it’s fair to say they have both had a mixed reception, with neither fulfilling the need nor the potential to showcase to a wider audience the opportunities and pleasure of GA, sport and recreational flying. Private Flyer demonstrated that despite the economic pressures there is still a strong appetite for lifestyle interests, with golf very much to the fore!

Unfortunately, it was not an audience who had much interest in aviation. Returning to Sywell as a full commercial event, AeroExpo flattered to deceive, but unfortunately the offer was thin, footfall limited and, I expect, to a member of the general public wanting to find out more about GA, disappointing.

The LAA Village became an oasis of interest, benefitting from a selection of exhibitors who joined us, the daily presence of members of the Engineering team on hand to answer questions, and Tony Razzell who brought his Menestrel airframe. It was good to meet and talk with members, allay concerns, recruit new ones and introduce a good number of certified pilots attending the show to ‘our world’. All of which begs the question, what future for a major general, sports and recreational aviation show? We have a vested interest in promoting our world of flying to the wider world, and enthusing the next generation of pilots,

Unseen work Simon Tilling CEO

T

ime for my second monthly update already! It’s been a hectic eight weeks and I am learning a lot in a short space of time. Having been an LAA member and aeroplane owner for a number of years, one of the revelations, now that I’m on the ‘inside’, is the complexity and diversity of the work that is undertaken by our 14-strong LAA team.

What I experienced from the outside involved my annual Permit renewal and perhaps a Mod request or two, and for people I know who are building their own aircraft, the support that is provided to them by an Inspector.

From the inside, I see the sheer volume of Permit and Mod requests, but I also see a multitude of other tasks. The planning and organising for the biggest GA event in the UK each year. Our support given to the Air Accident Investigation Branch for accident investigation. Support, consultancy and approval engineering for

10 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

aircraft builders and owners, plus demonstrate how we can continue to enjoy our pastime responsibly.

Thankfully the LAA Grass Roots Fly-In, the many events and local Strut fly-ins around the country provide the opportunity to do this. As you will read in the magazine, planning for this year’s Grass Roots Fly-In at Popham is now well advanced. It is heartening that our many exhibitors and suppliers now regard this as their most valued event of the year, and we look forward to a strong attendance.

The two commercial events demonstrate that there is no given formula for success, particularly given the challenges of finding a location suitable to host a full Rally and the costs and resources now required to stage such an event.

As you can read below Simon is now fully immersed into the CEO role and has begun to identify and prioritise the immediate issues to address with a particular emphasis on improving service to members and comms. His insights give an indication of the breadth of the CEO role and the wider workload of the HQ team, which is largely unseen by the membership. I am confident that by the AGM in October he will be reporting on improvements and his plans for the future. Looking ahead to the AGM, notice of which appears in News, can I draw member’s attention to the vacancy that will arise following the decision of Will GartonJones not to seek re-election for a further term of office. The Board is particularly keen to hear from a member willing to serve as Director and Hon Treasurer. Simon, Will and I would be happy to provide further details to any member wishing to consider the role.

Finally, we have just learned that former CEO, Steve Slater, was taken unwell while attending the Bicester Fly-Wheel event. .

At this time the full circumstances and prognosis is unclear. We are all shocked to hear the news so soon after his retirement.

Our thoughts are with Steve, Jean and family and hope and pray for a full recovery. ■

new and orphan types. Training and coaching for builders and pilots. Support for a network of 300 Inspectors, ensuring that they are all up to date with the latest regulations, process and guidance. Creating and maintaining the TL and TADS databases.

Writing articles for the monthly magazine and other member comms, providing consultation, analysis and reports to the CAA on Airspace Change Proposals, and future airspace strategy.

Consultation on adopting orphan aircraft types. Representing the interests of the LAA on many committees and working groups including GASCo, NATMAC, GAAC, GAP and others.

As you can see, there is a lot of unseen work that goes on in the background to support the needs of our 7,000 members, including 4,000 owners and pilots. It’s clear to me that we need to invest in helping the HQ team to deal with this diversity of tasks, and this will begin with several staff training days which we are currently planning, due to take place in the next couple of months.

We will need to close the office for these days and I will ensure we communicate those dates with plenty of notice Looking to the future, in the next issue of the magazine I want to start producing some simple charts that detail our performance in key areas such as Permit renewals and Mods, and would welcome feedback about what you would like to see. I do try and respond personally to each email, but do forgive me if my response is a few days behind. ■

Gearing up for Grass Roots Fly-In

O

Fly-In Chairman Eryl Smith looks ahead to this year’s Grass Roots Fly-In event at Popham

nce again we are returning to Popham Aerodrome in Hampshire for LAA’s Grass Roots Fly-In, this year being held over the three days 18-20 August (Friday-Sunday), slightly earlier than has become usual.

While we continue the search for a long-term site to host a full-scale Rally, Popham enables us to build on the success of last year’s event, which encapsulated the airfield’s famed informal ambiance.

As always, the weekend will focus on the fly-in and social elements of our annual event. It will also provide the opportunity to see a wide range of exhibitors, hear from industry experts with our Speakers’ Corner programme of talks, get hands-on skills experience, meet our engineering staff, purchase LAA merchandise – and relax in the Struts & Clubs stand.

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Above Flashback to the wide variety of aircraft on display at the 2022 Grass Roots fly-in.

Below left and right The Speakers Corner marquee is kindly sponsored by Garmin Aviation.

The weekend will be focused on the 03/21 runway with a large adjacent exhibition area. We have retained the spacious main exhibitor marquee which, once again, will be sponsored by Light Aero Spares. The Speakers’ Corner marquee, sponsored by Garmin Aviation, will host a varied programme of talks throughout the weekend, including an open Q&A session each day with CEO, Simon Tilling.

New for this year will be an extended marquee housing LAA activities, including the Flea Market, which provides the opportunity to offload those unwanted items and spares, as well as bargain hunt for those much-needed, but hard-to-find, parts! Outside provides the space for larger displays and we will look forward to showcasing manufacturers and distributors of a wide range of the latest aircraft types from across the LAA fleet.

The aircraft park is always a focal point for members

LAA Grass Roots Fly-In

and enthusiasts alike, not just for the breadth of aircraft types visiting, but particularly for members keen to display their recently completed build or restoration project. Once again we will be judging entries for the various trophies and awards, which are always keenly fought over. While members have free access to the airside areas we will be simplifying the entry charges to provide a single, combined entry, which includes access to airside areas for non-members.

This year along with a variety of catering offers we have ensured that there will be an on-site bar, which will be available in the exhibition site during the day and relocate to the Club House to support evening on-site catering on the Friday and Saturday evenings.

The fly-in could not happen without the support and close co-operation from Mike Pearson, Popham’s Airfield Manager, its air / ground radio team and marshallers, who together will ensure the safety and smooth operation of the airfield. Procedures will be kept as simple and straightforward as possible, adopting Popham’s standard operation procedures and airfield plate. If you are flying into the event please ensure that you familiarise yourself

Above (left) Light Aero Spares are sponsoring the main exhibitor marquee.

Above (right) Learn new skills at the show, at various hands-on workshops.

Below Outside display space will showcase a number of manufacturers and distributors.

with the requirements. Both fly-in slots and ground arrival tickets are now available via the Popham website and full details for the event, including details of participating exhibitors, will continue to be published via the LAA website and regular updates to members. We look forward to welcoming you to Popham and the LAA Grass Roots Fly-In in August!

Getting to the Fly-In

As always, flying into the event remains part of the experience. Arrangements for the operational procedures and marshalling remain the responsibility of Popham Airfield.

In keeping with the Grass Roots theme, Popham will be adopting its standard arrivals and departures procedures. These can be found in the usual publications and will be available on both the Popham and LAA websites. As previously mentioned, Popham will have an experienced air / ground radio team on duty throughout the event with marshallers available to coordinate the marshalling and parking activity. If you plan to fly-in, please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 13

LAA Grass Roots Fly-In

arrangements, even if you have flown into Popham many times before. Good airmanship remains key to a successful event, and is your number one priority!

Booking a slot

Popham will be managing an online slot booking system with pre-payment at the time of booking (using the Eventbrite platform). This will be based upon timed ‘windows’ rather than individual timed slots. Once again the slot booking will allow access to the event by road, should a member be unable to fly-in for whatever reason.

Full details of the slot booking arrangements are available via the LAA and Popham websites.

Arrivals by road

Popham Airfield is easily reached by road via the M3, A303 and A34, and the airfield entrance is clearly signposted from the A303 west and east bound slip roads at the Overton and Micheldever junction just west of the airfield. Upon entering the airfield gate please follow signage for car parking or camp site.

Trophies and awards

Judging will take place for Best in Show, Best Amateur Build, Best New Restoration, Best Vintage & Classic and Most Meritorious Arrival. Awards will be presented at AGM in October. Details of the award categories and registration arrangements will be on the LAA website.

Above Popham Airfield will be managing an online slot booking sytem.

Below and bottom Camping facilities are available from Thursday afternoon..

Camping

Camping facilities on site are limited, but there is ample flat ground for caravans and motorhomes. There is a water and sanitation point and basic on-site facilities, including hot showers. The site will be up and running from Thursday afternoon and will close early on Monday morning. This year there will be a single charge of £50 per unit (a unit being a tent, caravan or motorhome) irrespective of length of stay. Pre-booking a site can be done online via the LAA shop https://services. lightaircraftassociation.co.uk/catalog at the reduced cost of £40.

Opening times

Friday: 9.30am - 5pm Saturday: 9.30 - 5pm Sunday: 9.30pm - 4pm

Admission charges

Members of LAA, BMAA and BRA: £10/day; £15 covers all three days and airside access, and can be booked online via the Popham Eventbrite site. To take advantage of the reduced membership entrance fee please ensure that you bring your current membership card with you as you will be asked to show it at the pay booth entrance.

Non-members: The daily entry charge for non-members is £15 with a three-day entrance pass available for £25.

Both daily and three-day passes provide entrance to the event, the exhibition area and the airside aircraft park.

Visiting aircraft: Landing fee, payable at the time of booking the arrivals slot is £15. This will admit the pilot and any accompanying passengers to the event for the duration of the time that the aircraft is at Popham. The pilot and accompanying passengers will be required to book in and obtain access wristbands as usual. l Further details of the event will be available via the LAA website as they become available. ■

14 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Restoration

Servicing

Repairs

VINTAGE AND CLASSIC AIRCRAFT SPECIALISTS

The Midland Aeroplane Company Limited Hangar 8, Oxford Airport

Telephone: 01865 601970 contact@midlandaeroplane.co.uk

Inspiring members to take on their own aircraft build or restoration project Compiled by Mike Slaughter

Project News S eeing pictures of Kevin Faint’s Bristell (his second Bristell build) reminded me how modern and sophisticated the cockpits of some LAA types can be now, with a modern automotive-style sophistication and feel. The cabin is fully lined with flowing contours between the sculptured minimalist dash, armrests and centre console, there’s little or no exposed airframe structure and the upholstery matches perfectly – all supplied as part of the kit.

Does it make it fly any better, make you a safer pilot or guarantee you CAVOK and favourable winds? Of course not, but would I like an aircraft that looked like it? Without a doubt!

I was lucky enough to catch up with Jim Edgeworth who updated me on his project which was in flight test at the time of our conversation.

An experienced builder, he sang the praises of the RV-12, which he thinks is the ‘right’ aeroplane for him, but did wonder about some design elements of the type – his unbiased critique of the type is based upon his experience of building and working upon a number of LAA types.

To get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a picture, email projectnews@laa.uk.com.

Please share your story!

G-KEVF (LAA 385-15814) Bristell NG5 Speed Wing

By Kevin Faint

I

n 2016, I took delivery of my first Bristell NG-5 kit. As I was still working and had limited time available to build, it took me three years to complete. I was delighted with the aircraft and enjoyed flying it. The aircraft fulfilled all my

16 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Above The finished aircraft, a sleek ‘go places’ machine.

requirements; it was comfortable, spacious, economical and looked great. Why then, you may ask, would I choose to build a second? Inevitably, there were things that I would do differently, such as fit an autopilot.

Project News

Improvements had also been made to the design including an additional teleflex cable for steering and a new canopy latching system. I had enjoyed the build process very much and now that I had retired, I had some time to fill. I mentioned this to Farry Sayyah of Bristell UK and he sent me a photo of a kit that Bristell UK had in stock. The caption read: ‘your new aircraft’. I was hooked!

I took delivery of the kit in March 2022. As a 51% quick build kit, most of the structural work is complete and the build process is relatively straightforward. Firstly, the holes of the pop rivets on the fuselage, wings and tail were filled in preparation for painting. Work then commenced in the cockpit to fit the controls and autopilot servos. The decision had to be made on the panel design, and then the stressful task of cutting the holes for the instruments, switches etc. I went for a dual 10in Dynon HDX fit, Garmin G5 standby instrument, Trig radio, Dynon transponder and an iPad to run SkyDemon. I chose the Trig radio because it has an integrated intercom, thus saving space and being easier to install.

Next, I mounted the engine and everything forward of the firewall.

Although the engine installation is straightforward there are a lot of pipes to connect on the Rotax and decisions have to be made on the best way to route them. I selected the Rotax 912 ULS as the power plant because I was familiar with its operation and installation – plus it is cheaper than the iS. Wiring came next, which proved to be as challenging and frustrating as the previous build… despite the many lessons I had learned last time around. However, it is immensely satisfying, when the aircraft is powered up for the first time, seeing everything come to life.

In the end, it took about a year to complete the build and then a frustrating wait for a period of settled weather to allow the runway to dry out for the first flight.

Farry did that on 3 May and I look forward to completing the test programme shortly.

Once again, I have enjoyed the build process immensely, but I don’t anticipate undertaking another project. At least not soon.

Thanks go to Farry, for his help, advice and encouragement and the LAA for making it possible for us to build our own aeroplane.

Above (top left) Back from paint and a very nice job too.

Above (top right) It’s nerve-racking cutting into the virgin dash panel, still it seems to have worked.

Left We can see here the AP servos and the first of those very professional interior trim panels.

Below In its full glory, nicely trimmed and panelled, looking just like a modern car inside.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 17

Project News

G-CMLL (LAA 363-15563) Van’s RV-12

By Jim Edgeworth

H

aving built the first Glasair Sportsman in the country and starting to find it increasingly heavy to push into the hangar, Jim found himself selling it and looking for a new project, when a part-built RV-12 presented itself.

This project was bought as a part-finished aircraft where basically all the riveting had mainly been done, it was originally a flat pack kit and not a Quick Build – I don’t think there is a QB option for the -12… leaving Jim ‘all of the interesting tasks’, as he put it, he’d ‘done riveting before’.

The RV-12 is very light on the ground and efficient in the air, and Jim says that his experience of an identical aircraft at his home base is approximately 105kt at 5,000rpm with a fuel burn of 15 lt/hr. Very good.

While a Europa may well give Jim 120kt for the same numbers, the -12 suits his needs better with greater visibility and baggage space. He feels the visibility down is especially good, which is not a usual comment for a low-wing aircraft, as to enter you step on the forward part of the wing to climb up to get into the cockpit, this is possible as the wing is set back from the canopy somewhat, and so looking forward and down gives a very good view of Mother Earth.

Test flying has been undertaken by Paul Johnson and

18 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Above Before the sun started shining earlier this year, outside for testing.

Below left The original shape and location of the fuel filler neck with its proximity to glazing.

Below The ingenious or restrictive? The pitot arrangement on the RV-12 saves a pitot connection on the removable wings, but prevents the fitment of a VP prop.

Below right Working on the canopy installation.

at the time of our chat for LA, they had already put three hours onto Lima Lima, and were about to test the autopilot functionality.

The instruments chosen include Dynon HDX 10in Skyview with a backup of the Avmap Ultra 4in EFIS, Trig radio and Dynon transponder coupled to the HDX. Autopilot fitted is the pitch and roll Dynon with the separate knob panel. Fortunately, Jim has access to an onsite paint shop, and the finished scheme is rather nice.

I understand from speaking with a number of builders over the last few years, that the -12’s construction is very prescribed and all to do with the definition of the LSA category in the US. As we know, all aircraft designs are a compromise and, while Jim is extremely happy with the RV-12, there are a couple of design decisions he found less than ideal.

Jim is asked to wire up the avionics on many projects, has 40 years experience of electronics, and consequently has had the opportunity to have experience with a number of different types.

He is a firm believer that a mic socket in an aircraft should have a single wire straight from the socket to the radio, as that’s where the intercom is, and not pass through any connectors, joints or other devices as this leads to losses, potential interference and points of future

Right Painted and finishing off, you can see how far back the mainplane is from the main spar slot in line, with the canopy rear and the foot step ahead of the wing.

Giving the positive downward visibility Jim comments on.

failure. So he questions Van’s design of the electrical system which takes the mic socket to a subminiature ‘D’ type connector that plugs into a Van’s-made junction box and back out through another ‘D’ type connector, and then to a separate intercom before reaching the radio. A rather failure prone design which Jim has done away with, connecting his mic socket directly to the TY91.

As an interesting aside, Jim highlighted the fact that the avionics cavity behind the dash has a bottom to it, effectively making it a sealed box. To combat the negative effects of heat build up, it is fitted with two 80mm computer fans, one pushing one pulling for positive pressure forced ventilation – all part of the LSA requirement, perhaps?

The second observation Jim makes regarding the RV-12 concerns the fuel tank, its filler is only a couple of inches from a Lexan rear screen. Fuel melts Lexan (polycarbonate) makes it cloud and crack, and he believes it an unwise design choice to put a fuel filler within inches of aircraft glazing.

In defence of Van’s, there is a Perspex (acrylic) upgrade option for the rear screen – Perspex is far more resistant to fuel – and it is this option that Jim has fitted on Lima Lima. Additionally, one of the RV-12iS design revisions has changed the shape and location of the tank bringing the filler neck below the glazing – but it is still very close. So future builders take note, fit the Perspex rear screen and save yourself some pain.

There is an interesting video on the Van’s website of two men removing and replacing both wings of an RV-12 in about the time it would take to refuel one at the pumps… impressive. This is achieved as there are no controls to disconnect, which is even more impressive.

But Jim’s observation is that this simplicity prevents him from fitting a wobbly prop to his aircraft as the pitot is cunningly placed in the -12’s spinner tip. For those not familiar with the Rotax 912 format, the prop flange emanates from the gearbox higher than the main block, which allows the mechanism for a VP prop to pass through its hollow centre and actuate the VP props mechanism. Van’s has occupied this hole with the pitot so that it is not disconnected at wing removal, which is cunning, but Jim says he’d like the option of a VP prop, after all the Europa has similarly de-riggable wings with a

Below A view down the tail cone.

Above Power on and no smoke! Always a momentous moment for any homebuilder!

Above Paul Johnson readying for the test flight.

pitot mounted more conventionally underwing using plastic tubing quick fit connectors.

Jim’s personal negatives aside, he says it’s still a brilliant aircraft and he wouldn’t swap it! And, in fairness to Van’s, the type does seem to be undergoing constant improvements. The -12 flies beautifully, has great visibility, good economy and a decent cruise speed. ■

New Projects If your aircraft has been featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at: projectnews@laa.uk.com

n Sling 4 TSi (LAA 400A-15869) 16/5/2023 Mr C Macbeth, Elgin, IV30 8LE n Van’s RV-14 (LAA 393-15871) 23/5/2023 Mr K Kinsler, Firenze, Italy

n Aeroprakt A32-M Vixxen (LAA 411A-15870) 26/5/2023 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

n G-INES Zenair CH 650B (LAA 375-15490) 31/5/2023 Mr Nicholas Brownlow & Mr Paul Day, 23 Borman Close, Nottingham, NG6 7AY n G-CMLL Van’s RV-12 (LAA 363-15563) 12/5/2023

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering n G-TLFR TL2000UK Sting Carbon S4 (LAA 347A-15846) 25/5/2023 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

Cleared To Fly If your aircraft has featured recently in the magazine and has subsequently completed its maiden flight, Project News would like to hear from you at: projectnews@laa.uk.com

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 19

Flight Test

Half-scale, full fun!

20 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Flight Test

L The WAR FW190 replica may be tiny, but as Clive Davidson soon discovered, it's big fun to fly…

Photos Neil Wilson

egendary British test pilot, Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, described the FW190’s aesthetic blending of its BMW 801 radial engine to a slim fuselage and winged armament as ‘elegant lethality’.

A machine with such elevated performance that it shook our premier fighters to the core. When the Mk V Spitfire first met the Focke-Wulf the devastating reality was it was outflown and outgunned. Not only that, it could break off at will from a dogfight by rolling on its back, pulling hard and diving away.

The FW 190 was the inspiration of the remarkable designer Professor Kurt Waldemar Tank, whose fighter stood progressive development from prototype to the Reich’s collapse.

Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau was given the task of designing and producing a fighter as a backup to the Messerschmitt. The Bf109 was first flown in action in 1937 and at that time was arguably the most potent available to any force. It was appreciated that its potential development was limited. The 109’s drawbacks of having a narrow tracked undercarriage, a tight cockpit with restricted aft vision and limited range were all improved in its life, but was overall considered a ‘delicate’ fighting machine. Not a word generally associated with a weapon.

It was loved by the experienced who knew and used its qualities, but was a torque swinging handful to those in their early hours coping, or not coping, with directional control on take-off. Well over 10% were lost in this manner.

So Tank’s 190 was given a wide tracked undercarriage with good all-round vision, a heavy armament, superb handling and performance. The 190 was acknowledged as a great fighting machine, but very few survived the turmoil of the war, scrapped and destroyed following the carnage inflicted upon Central Europe. A few passed into civilian hands, fewer flew, others went to museums.

As far as replicas go, Marcel Jurca, famous for his range of scale and full-sized replicas had his own homage to the FW190, but the plans-built wooden machine was large and complex, and very rare as a result. In 1996 the German firm Flug Werk GmbH produced a run of 21 full-sized, all-metal kits, many of which were completed, but they were not intended for the average homebuilder.

When it comes to creating an FW190 for the average homebuilder, we have to turn go back to the 1970s…

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 21

Flight Test

Above Resting on its wide, but closely coupled undercarriage, the WAR FW-190 is an inviting proposition to fly.

War aircraft replicas

In 1973 three partners, Ken Thoms, Warren Erberspacher and Jim Kern created WAR, War Aircraft Replicas International Inc. to build a half-scale Focke-Wulf 190 using the unique technique of a wooden fuselage and wings covered in polyurethane foam shaped for the aircraft’s form, and finished in fibreglass cloth and epoxy.

This unique and novel method, inspired by the work of Ken Rand (who designed the KR-1 and KR-2 homebuilts) allowed many other potential scale WWII fighters to be considered and the business grew after a public display at Oshkosh. It created quite a stir, even with the prototype’s underpowered VW engine, which drove a three-blade prop via a custom gearbox.

It was also the time that John Isaacs took his beautifully contoured scale Spitfire to Oshkosh, with Bob Cole of Boscombe Down as his demonstration pilot. Bob suggested they get the pair up together for the camera, perhaps a spot of dogfighting? Apparently the Fockes declined…

WAR’s list of possible replica types was unusually broad, encompassing the F4U Corsair, P-47 Thunderbolt, Hawker Sea Fury and Mitsubishi A6M Zero, these are known to have flown but there were many other projected types. The gearbox-equipped VW never worked out, so homebuilders used the Continental O-200 instead.

“A cover photo of the WAR

FW190 on a 1980s PFA mag looked marvellous and great fun, small enough to consider building…”

22 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

I was intrigued, as I am sure many others were too, by a front cover photo of the WAR FW190 on the cover of a PFA magazine in the early 1980s. It looked marvellous and great fun, small enough to consider building – and it certainly sustained dreams of flying.

Other WAR replicas appeared in the UK in the years that followed. A UK-built WAR Sea Fury flew from Little Gransden many years ago, while a Thunderbolt was imported, based in Carlisle, Cumbria. The original WAR-190, G-WULF was at Elstree in the early 1980s when I began instructing there, being happily aviationally buoyant but financially, shall we say, ‘constricted’.

G-WULF was built by Mike Searle who managed Spencer Flack’s fleet of predominantly fiery red fighters – he also flew and displayed them. Mike’s WAR 190 was of course completely dwarfed by Flack’s Sea Fury, MKXIVe Spitfire and his Hawker Hunter too, looking a little like a toy. But, all of the pilot’s seemed more than happy to fly it when it was their turn, it having a reputation as a real fun machine. G-WULF still has a current permit and I am told the owner is converting from microlights onto type.

Another WAR 190, G-CCFW had a Permit until June 2021 when it was damaged in a landing accident.

Looking the part…

Dave Howell from Halfpenny Green is a serial rebuilder of projects, and his Taylor Titch, G-BFID and his Smith Mini Plane G-BTGJ have appeared in previous issues of this mag. Now, without very much arm twisting, he kindly put me on his insurance of his recently rebuilt G-SYFW, his own WAR FW 190. And looking the part…? It most certainly does.

‘Foxtrot Whisky is in the striking scheme of Lt ‘Sepp’ Josef Wurmheller, Staffelkapitan of 9/JG2, when he was on active duty and based in France. (Well, that is what it says on the side of the Airfix box). It has the distinctive

Flight Test

yellow under nose cowling and rudder. A two-tone grey camouflage on the upper surface of the wings and front fuselage, and dappled grey over a light blue base that extends to the under-surfaces. A swastika, or Hackenkreuz is on the fin and is historically accurate. It is illegal to display such markings in Germany ever since the end of WWII and a censored cutting of the centrally crossed bar is removed and the outer arms may be shown as a nod to the historic mark of infamy.

I was fortunate to ferry a Finnish marked Hawker Hurricane to Finland. Again with the blue swastikas on a white background (hakaristi in Finnish) on wings and tail, which they had used since 1918. Owner Phil Lawton had to seek permission to fly through its airspace, which was granted. At the one refuelling stop two very young and enthusiastic pilots came up and asked, “Excuse me Sir, what kind of Messerschmitt is this?” The Finnish Air Force Command has only very recently (2020) stopped using this symbol within its badges, but it may still be found at its Air Force Academy.

Dave flew down from Halfpenny Green to Henstridge, the 80nm leg taking 40 minutes at 120kt burning 14 litres of 100LL. Dave’s approach, to one commentator, seemed ‘fast’, but I don’t think she was aware that the design was without flaps. He sensibly wheeled it on, held the tail off, kept it straight, eased the tail down and slowed with brakes, backtracking to the north side fuel bay. Canopy back and a broad smiling face met our greetings.

As the reduction in size is to that of a half-scale aircraft, the engine choice and its dimensions has to be right, or it could spoil the lines and shape of the cowlings. But fortunately the 100hp Continental 0-200 with its horizontally paired cylinders is a good fit for a half-scale BMW cowling – the sides of which lift for inspection. The Catto three-bladed fixed prop actually fits the scale pretty well, in contrast to some other replicas whose props plainly look ‘wrong’.

Small cockpit

An awful lot of very useful information may be gleaned from observation. In this particular case it was interesting to see how Dave exited the cockpit. He is just that little bit taller than me and one of my primary concerns was if I would fit into this machine’s confined space? I had had the good fortune of some 20-odd years of flying the then Carlisle-based WAR P-47, it had been jokingly called the Pee Wee 47 and at the time this was the tightest cockpit space I had managed. A bit of contortionism was called for, ducking my head right down seemingly to my knees, while I twisted my arm behind my back to reach the canopy and slide it closed. A palaver, but well worth the effort.

This Focke-Wulf’s pilot’s position and canopy arrangement seems more amenable to movement and not half as constricting, besides I have also shrunk an inch compressed by aerobatics and the taxing burden of the intervening years, so I was hopeful I could sit in with a shut canopy. Dave pulled himself up, leaning slightly

forward as he levitated. There seemed to be a wiggle of hips and a shaking of legs as one foot was brought up from the instrument tunnel under him, planted on the seat and he rose, a foot onto the wing walk, and out. My turn.

Entrance is the reverse, making sure both legs are jiggled towards the rudder pedals, as by just putting one foot forward, while supported by the other in mid-squat on the seat and hands on the cockpit edges you might not get the second necessary leg into position. Actually you won't.

That knee will obstruct the process as there is little chance of it getting past the lower edge of the panel…

Ensconced within the curve of the seat and feet on the rudder pedals, it is a very comfortable, actually a relaxing, position with good lumbar support. The rudder pedals, with toe brakes, are broad, and easy to find and operate.

There is no parking brake, so feet on the brakes when starting. The stick may be worked around the box without nudging your own inner thighs. I am still not entirely sure if there is a slight differential set up with the ailerons. I measured them when deflected using an index finger to gauge any significant difference of up to down – they appeared the same, but I could be out. However, the aileron leading edges are of the Frise variety, creating

Above A tiny but comfortable and well-laid-out cockpit.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 23

Flight Test

Above A perfect little ‘fighter’ with agile manoeuvrability.

drag when eased below the wings’ surface into the slipstream.

Working left to right around the cockpit, the fuel selector has a positive feel with clear marker arrows hopefully to avoid any embarrassment. The left hand settles automatically to the throttle and mixture levers. The carb heat knob on the panel has a small wire oblong hanging from it – I’d discover what for a little later. The ASI has a white arc from the flapless stall at 58 up to 130kt, and a Vne of 175kt. Best climb is 80kt, the max undercarriage speed is 90kt. Directly above is probably the smallest undercarriage selector manufactured. With one red warning light, and two down and locked green lights, you must pull the lever out to unlock before moving it between the up or down position. To the right of the ASI is the keyed mag’ and starter, found almost universally in production training machines. A G meter has +6 and -6 red marked limits, but the little Wolf is not cleared for aerobatics here in the UK. A turn and slip, VSI and altimeter, are grouped centrally with a DI. The digital

“Working left to right around

the cockpit, the fuel selector has a positive feel with clear marker arrows, to avoid embarrassment” 24 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

engine rpm gauge includes a caution range beyond the green arc indicating revs for the Continental 0-200 above 2,300rpm, and a broad red warning line to the right of the max continuous of 2,700. An EGT and a combined gauge for oil temperature and pressure, and cylinder head temperature finished up the right side, although Dave warned me to not get concerned if the cylinder heads showed the red line 500°F! The gauge had just become prone to ‘acting up’.

Other ‘hidden’ items include an emergency transmit button found on the panel to the right of the altimeter, circuit breakers on the left for radio and gauges, and on the opposite side working back to one’s hip are the gauges for fuel contents, pressure, fuel pump on/off and an ammeter, good to know for the retraction after departure.

One notable piece of cockpit kit was a blue handled ratchet. So, should the retract motor decide to give up the ghost, the ratchet can be used to wind away clockwise to bring it into the up position. If the gear won’t extend, then a bar located laterally under my kinked knees has a knurled nut to turn 90° to release the locked-up wheels to fall under gravity. Very much a ‘get out of jail’ safety feature.

The undercarriage

Our FW main undercarriage is wide with a stance of slightly inward canted, near vertical legs that are near enough the same mimicking of the original full size and set up. One advantage is that this set up provides strength

Flight Test

and stability with short radius arms, as the legs could only fold inwards under stress, as opposed to either direction should they have been vertical. The shorter radius arms ensure a simple locking method when the power has failed and are lowered with the help of gravity. The original Focke-Wulf system was also the first employed to use electric-powered undercarriage as opposed to hydraulics, or even being wound both up and down, as was the case with the first low-wing retractable undercarriage fighter, the Rata, Polikarpov I-16, which was, to put it mildly, also a very short coupled aircraft.

The tyre wear of fighters can invariably tell you which way the aircraft swings during take off. One will be more worn than the other, however our replica has knobbly tyres of equal tread, having been swapped, and they have reached parity! Be careful as you walk away, not for the chance of knocking the dummy cannon barrels, but the longer outboard pitot head on the starboard wing.

The sturdy tailwheel mounting is attached to a fuselage leaf spring and is angled aft with a solid rubber tyre. The steering horns are attached to the rudder cables which disappear into the lower fuselage. The red tabs on the ailerons are both neutral, so I am led to believe that the lateral trim is fine for straight and level. The rudder’s tab is slightly offset to the left for a right rudder pressure aid, which is the norm for a clockwise rotating prop’, as seen from the cockpit. The original elevator trim was accomplished by an electric motor that altered the tailplane’s angle of incidence from -3° to +5°. Our elevator tabs are slightly raised by a few degrees for a pitch forward effect. This indication hints at a high speed trimmed speed. We shall very soon see.

Above The cowlings neatly hide the Continental 0-200, and the Catto prop’ looks to scale.

Left The generous canopy aids a good scan and lookout.

Below What looks like fabric covered control surfaces is just clever imitation detail in the fibreglass surface finish. T=he red elevator and rudder tabs adjusted for high speed.

Fuel and spark… start

The canopy is just cranked open and held by that oblong device I’d seen previously sitting over the carb heat knob.

Starting is simple, just remember to cover the brakes.

Mixture is set rich and ‘Prop clear’ is called aloud. The O-200 fires and settles to the recommended 1,000rpm as the oil pressure rises and the engine warms.

The little Focke-Wulf is very agile on the ground with a tight radius turn and good, easy to operate, precise toe brakes. True, the view directly ahead is blanked by the curve of the top-curved cowl with the dimpled bumps of the mock armament, but a wiggle left and right immediately shows the path ahead. The wind is from the north at 12kt. I self-briefed for partial and full engine failure on take-off. A quick cockpit scan to reassure me that I have prepped my charge, then I ease forward confirming my tailwheel is straight, before slowly easing the throttle open, keeping the tail on the ground for stability as the full power is brought in and the ASI has a rising needle. I count a long 1, 2, 3, and 4… and ease the weight from the tail. She might be skittish and wish to turn to the left, weathercocking into the wind as well as reacting to the combined sins of torque and slipstream. Some rudder helps hold the centre line. Acceleration is not overly fast, probably due to the coarseness of the blades, but she is July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 25

Flight Test

Above Looking almost like the real thing, only the pilots' head really gives away the scale game…

Below Just waiting to touch for a half wheeler landing with slight up elevator.

gathering pace… and I can now see the end of the world ahead, I hold the tail low attitude and she flies herself off.

The original full-sized machine could take off from the three point attitude and this was an excellent technique to reduce the swing on departure. (Wing incidence and power being helpful factors). I would estimate our take-off run being around the 400 yard mark on a hard smooth surface, and later watching Dave’s departure for home I counted to 12 seconds to his point of rotation.

Airborne and established in the climb at 80kt and below the gear limiting speed. I pull the undercarriage lever shaft out of its detent and the two green lights blink off as I slide it over into the retract position. I cannot hear any whirring but still keep the speed below 90kt. The up and locked red light isn’t shining.

Ah well, plan B. The crank is inserted and I wind away clockwise. The winding becomes taut and the welcome red light smiles. Up and locked.

Lowering the nose to build speed, the FW-190 soon

26 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

settles at 120kt, 2,100rpm and the mixture is brought back level with the throttle. I have to hold a slight aft stick pressure as the aircraft is probably trimmed for her upper cruise figures of 139kt. Back to 120kt and an attempt to ‘look’ at the ailerons, there is a tiny amount of adverse aileron drag as the stick rolls her gently in either direction, correcting rudder keeps the slip ball central. Plant lazy feet on the rudder pedals and push the stick rapidly in both directions and there is definitely a need for rudder to be used at the same time.

The system’s saving grace is its great roll rate. From a 60° banked turn in one direction to the other is mesmerisingly fast. It wasn’t just a lack of coordination on my part, I couldn’t start and stop my watch accurately enough, and it rolls in the region of 120° a second.

Probably not as fast as a Cassutt from muscle memory, but swift without much stick force either. A ‘combat’ turn, a tightly flown circle with full power took 22 seconds to the left. To the right I again flew a steeply banked turn, this

Flight Test

time onto the edge of the buffet, making it theoretically the tighter turn. That took just 20 seconds, but the speed had bled back by 15kt. Dogfighting would be the only requirement for such a manoeuvre. Where is Isaac’s Spitfire now to play with?

Wing-overs are a delight! For me it is unfortunate that the series of WAR Aircraft are not cleared for aerobatics, otherwise this 190 would tick all of the boxes for me.

I now have to admit to having displayed the WAR Thunderbolt and that too, even none aerobatic, was a true delight, but with a sharp stall in the three point landing attitude. This 190 is laterally, directionally and longitudinally stable. However, I would be inclined to trim her out for the 120kt /138mph cruise figures and accept a light load when playing at higher speeds. This would also benefit the reduced back stick pressure on final approaches and go-around.

The stalls are innocuous, both with and without power, just a slight waffle wing up and down from S&L and promptly corrected with stick forward, power and balancing rudder. Warnings to say ‘you are a bit slow’ nibble from 70kt when the undercarriage is up – and remember we have no lift or drag flap. Ailerons are effective right up to the point of a slow deceleration to the straight and level stall.

The waffle and downward sink occurs at 58kt. Playing with cruise power and raising the nose too high for a sustained climb with the inboard wing section just sitting on the horizon, that stall just hints at rolling left with engine torque and slipstream lowering the nose. Left alone beyond this it would catch your attention, markedly.

Landing

First things first, I remembered to do my PUFA check: Pitch, prop is fixed, Undercarriage down and two greens illuminated, Flaps, not today as none fitted and Alt, set to QFE – 400 feet… carb’ heat, back to cold ready for a good throttle response for a potential go-round.

The approach to land is invariably at 1.3 x the stall speed and as that occurred at 58kt this asks us to fly an approach at 75kt. This may seem rather high, but of course flaps are not included. In comparison, and I’ve heard Ed the editor suggests 60kt over the hedge for his RV-3, but that has flaps to aid its lower speed. A Pitts S1 would initially approach at 86kt, reducing to 70kt. Perhaps the 190’s approach is faster than most light aircraft, but is quite manageable. I chose to wheel her on with the crosswind and it worked out well. I didn’t have to test the brakes to their capacity and I was happy allowing the tail down and had complete faith in her ground run and control.

I have to admit to vastly enjoying my time in Dave’s little Focke-Wulf.

Post-flight debrief, I ask him if there’s anything I’ve missed. He replied that anywhere he takes it, it gathers a crowd of people wanting to know about it, not just the enthusiasts, but also children and their mums. They all love the tiny fighter. ■

Top Showing a clean pair of heels on the formation break.

WAR FW-190 REPLICA SPECIFICATIONS General characteristics

Performance

Length 16ft 7in Wingspan 20ft 0in Wing Area 70.0 sq ft MTOW 1,050lb Engine Continental 0-200, 100hp (75kW) Fuel Capacity 45 litres

Vs 58kt Vne 165kt Initial rate of climb 1,000ft per min.

Average five min climb 800ft/min.

Above Dave Howell, a pilot, restorer, owner, with his fabulous Focke!

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 27

Coaching Corner

Coaching Why do Corner… we fly…?

Sometimes a skills brush up can increase confidence, suggests PCS Head of Training David Cockburn

I

am sure each member will have their own individual answer to the question of ‘why do we fly?’. However, I hope that every answer will include something along the lines of, ‘I enjoy it!‘, because that’s why the LAA exists, to help people enjoy their flying.

Nevertheless, when I look around airfields at pilots getting into their aircraft, they often have very serious expressions on their faces, and in several cases one could even say the pilot appears worried about something. That doesn’t seem like ‘enjoyment’ to me, although I must admit I have met people who apparently ‘enjoyed’ being miserable…

Of course, it could be that my articles on Threat and Error Management (TEM) have made all these pilots worried that something will go wrong. If that is the case, I have failed in my intention, because the whole point of TEM is to consider possible problems and decide how to manage them so that you no longer have to worry about them. Surely the pilot has already worked out what he needs to do, for example, if the crosswind increases before he returns?

However, I’m starting to think that although pilots are quite capable of considering likely threats, and even perhaps discussing them with others, most will hesitate to concentrate on the management of the possible errors which they themselves might make. As a consequence, they end up being a bit worried whether they are going to be able to cope with the flight ahead. For example, they’re going to have to land at the end – if they think that’s going to be hard work they’ll be worried the whole flight and

28 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Below The majority of light aircraft accidents occur during the approach and landing phase.

enjoyment will be tempered with worry. The other major concern is likely to be navigation, but with so many devices available these days most of those who worry about navigation have been able to bury that particular worry until something goes wrong.

Think about it, though. Have you done anything to improve or even maintain your flying skills since you got your licence, or since you finished the familiarisation training on your new aircraft? It’s very easy to restrict your flying to ‘easy days in and out of easy airfields’, and there are many useful devices, such as autopilots, available to make the cruise less onerous. Of course, as I know to my own cost, you need to know how to operate your devices properly or you’ve wasted a lot of money.

You’re probably all aware that the majority of light aircraft accidents, and therefore insurance claims, occur during the approach and landing phase. That could well be the reason why a lot of these pilots appear worried. I’ve noticed over the years that many pilots who are a bit worried about the landing, develop a habit of approaching a bit faster than the book says, and floating along until the ground hits the aircraft. If the runway is long enough and conditions are calm, they may get away with it for years, although they will have been losing any ability they may have had to do it properly. Unfortunately, when things go wrong and the ground is approaching, going too fast, accidents happen. Even if it doesn’t result in an accident, although the pilot might consider they have ‘managed’ the error, it stays in the background, possibly for the whole of every flight, as a nagging worry – will the landing be OK? We’re all human. One of the biggest problems is that there is an aura around being a pilot. Non-pilots tell us that we’re ‘special’, and trust us not to make mistakes. Novels and even non-fiction flying books reinforce the aura. We don’t often ‘see’ other pilots making mistakes, so it’s easy to get the impression that pilots in general are superhuman. If we admit we make mistakes we feel others (or we ourselves) might consider we are not fit to be classified as a pilot.

The problem is that to most external observers, even a bad approach and landing can appear quite acceptable.

It’s very difficult to see what errors are being made inside an aircraft if we are observing it from outside. It’s more than likely that the pilot you have been watching has been just as worried about messing up the approach as you have, and may well have made more mistakes than you, it’s just that you couldn’t see it from where you were.

Nobody is perfect (I’m certainly not), and I have heard

Coaching Corner

some of the most experienced test pilots tell me that they have to keep working to minimise, or recover from, the errors that they themselves have made. The regulators have tried to improve pilots’ skills by making it a requirement that we all undergo a flight with an instructor every two years. That flight with an instructor is supposed to teach us new skills if possible, or improve existing ones.

However, I’m going to upset people by saying that many pilots are content to offer a friendly instructor from a local flying club the opportunity to fly a different type in exchange for a signature that the ‘instructional flight’ has been completed, and I know there are many instructors who would jump at the chance – I have done so myself in the past. The problem is that if the instructor is spending a lot of that hour learning about your aircraft he is unlikely to be able to impart much useful knowledge to you, especially when it comes to making successful and consistent landings. You will probably be just as safe as you were when the instructor got in, but you are unlikely to be any better a pilot. The whole point of the flight with an instructor will have been lost.

By all means introduce instructors to new types, especially LAA ones. It will improve their knowledge and skill, and perhaps after a while they will be able to help you. However, for the purposes of your own training, you need someone who can actually improve your knowledge and skill before, during and after the ‘flight with an instructor’. Don’t forget that there’s full details of the LAA’s Pilot Coaching Scheme on the LAA website – tinyurl.com/ LAAPilotCoachingScheme. Every member should take advantage of the facilities the scheme provides. Of course, revalidation flights are only a small part of what the scheme offers, and we should be seeking to make improvements all the time, not just when the law requires.

Specialised training on new types, strip flying, differences training, rating renewals are all available, but the Coaches will provide whatever training you need to build your own confidence and ability. Click on the ‘Find a coach’ box and organise yourself some enjoyable training.

You have the benefit of instructors who know and operate, if not your exact aircraft type, aircraft with similar characteristics and equipment and who, if they are not familiar with your actual type or instrument fit, will spend time learning about it before trying to teach you something new or challenging. They are used to operating out of short and awkward fields, and can teach you whatever you want or need to know. That includes how to approach and land more accurately and safely, so that you feel confident that you can cope with conditions more challenging than before. With that confidence you will be able to enjoy your flying more, and that’s what we want.

It doesn’t matter if we’re outside CAS, if ATC think we’re inside…

From an occurrence report some time ago I noticed that the pilot of a light aircraft was flying at an indicated 2,300 to 2,400ft amsl, below the 2,500ft published base of the

Above The LAA website has a Pilot Coaching section including a map to help find a coach near you.

London TMA. He was receiving a basic service from a busy controller at Farnborough Radar. The controller was alerted to the fact that his transponder display indicated the aircraft was at 2,600ft, so he reminded the pilot of the QNH and advised him to descend, which he did. However, later the aircraft was again indicating an altitude of 2,600ft within the London TMA. The pilot reports that he had the aircraft transponder checked at a maintenance facility which confirmed that the altitude being transmitted was approximately 200ft in error.

It seems that despite the indications, the aircraft had not actually infringed controlled airspace. Unfortunately, the London controllers can only work on the information being presented to them. If an aircraft appears to be inside CAS without a clearance, the controllers have to manoeuvre the aircraft under their control to avoid the infringer, and that often causes the airliners to travel a considerably increased distance in an inefficient configuration, wasting time and fuel.

The CAA and NATS advocate a Take 2 policy, encouraging pilots to stay more than 2nm horizontally and 200ft vertically away from CAS. I have to say that I feel 200ft vertically is insufficient margin in a light aircraft; thermal activity can easily gain us a couple of hundred feet in altitude while we are looking out. Be that as it may, it is always worth checking regularly that our transponder is transmitting the correct altitude. Some modern transponders provide a readout of our transmitted Pressure Altitude (altitude with 1013 set), which we can use to confirm our equipment is correct, but for those of us without that facility we should make positive checks before approaching Controlled Airspace. Usually if we contact a radar controller, even for a basic service, the controller will ask us to ‘say altitude passing’ so that our transmitted altitude can be confirmed as correct. We need to be accurate with our report so that any errors can be identified before we cause problems. As I suggested in Coaching Corner, June 2022, even if we are not asked, we should make a positive effort to make regular requests to a radar controller for a transponder check.

Marshalling

It’s worth reminding pilots that while marshalling signals are listed in the rules of the Air Regulations, they do not take away the pilot’s responsibility for the safety of their aircraft. I try to follow the marshal’s signals, and I hope I’m always ready to stop, shut down, get out and push if I am getting closer than I want to another aircraft or obstacle. ■ July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 29

Engineering Matters

The latest LAA Engineering topics and investigations. Compiled by Jon Viner

Engineering Matters Including: CAP 1302 and what it means to LAA, AeroExpo ‘meet and greet’ session, the deterioration of engine hoses, the JetPitts project, VW cylinder head split in vintage Luton Minor, and inspect your harness straps…

W

elcome to Engineering Matters – the section of Light Aviation that is dedicated to discussing all manner of topics concerning both technical and operational aspects of the LAA fleet. We all learn by sharing information, so if you have anything to

say that you think would benefit others, or have experienced an interesting technical issue or component failure, then please contact us with a description of what you encountered and include accompanying pictures. Send your submissions to LAA Engineering at engineering@laa.uk.com.

Above The LAA team and exhibitors in the ‘LAA Village’ at AeroExpo

AeroExpo A number of the members of the Engineering team attended AeroExpo at Sywell recently, on the LAA stand as part of the LAA ‘village’ area.

30 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

It was good to meet those members who stopped by to say hello, and we were glad to answer queries from members and non-members alike.

Engineering Matters

Jet Pitts

Ironbird Photography

Well-known display pilot, Richard Goodwin, has recently completed a project with us to install twin turbojet engines on his Pitts S-2S. The AMT Lynx engines augment the standard Lycoming engine during his displays, giving him some quite spectacular climb performance with a total thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one! These are the first turbine engines to be fitted to an LAA aircraft, which has required our Head of Design, Ben Syson, to delve into some new certification areas – of particular note are the Kevlar shrouds that surround the turbine blade discs to contain any fragments in the event of a turbine failure.

Orphaned aircraft The CAA recently issued CAP 1302, which discusses the process by which non-Part 21 aircraft might be able to transfer from Certificates of Airworthiness to Permits to Fly. We’ve been doing this in conjunction with CAA for many years, but CAP 1302 is the end-product of CAA taking stock as to how it deals with the requests from us to do this – particularly in the post-Brexit era.

This should help us pursue the transfer of some of those types that would really benefit from being looked after under the LAA system where their original Type Certificate holders are no longer able to support them.

We’ve got a number of applications in with the CAA at the moment, and we hope to progress those over the coming weeks. The main one is sweeping up a number of the types that Piper no longer support.

Although it’s a potentially great gain for the Association, it can take a bit of LAA and CAA engineering resource to make happen, so we will need to manage the flow of applications so that it doesn’t overwhelm either organisation.

The process also often involves the CAA liaising with its counterparts overseas, so this can take some time.

As types get accepted for transfer, we’ll be adding them to the list in TL 1.25 and significant gains will no doubt be reported here.

Above and right Cracks appearing in the exterior surface of this two-year-old rubber hose.

Engine hoses Inspector Alan Gilruth recently sent us these photos of an engine hose from a non-LAA aircraft. It is interesting that these are only around two years old, and it shows how quickly they can deteriorate – probably due to the high engine temperatures seen in

the vicinity of the engine. It begs the question how this would have been spotted if they’d been fire-sleeved? However, perhaps they wouldn’t have been subject to the engine heat in quite the same way…

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 31

Engineering Matters

Cracked VW heads LAA Inspector Sandy Hutton sent these pictures of a cylinder head fitted to the VW 1600 engine in his vintage Luton Minor G-ACTJ. The pictures show how the head has split almost completely in two, robbing the engine of the power from two of its four cylinders.

While it’s not unusual to find a VW cylinder head that’s cracked through the narrow bridge of aluminium alloy between the two adjacent valve apertures, or from one of the threaded spark holes to a valve seat, we’ve not seen such a massive failure in recent years.

Whether this was the result of detonation, or incorrect torquing of the cylinder head stud nuts at some time in the past, or the heads having overheated and affected their heat treatment state,

32 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

we don’t know at present – we’ll let you know if any more develops on this.

Many of these engines have been around now for a very long time, and have experienced various traumas through their lifetime, which can easily impact on their condition in ways that aren’t easily, or at all, visible.

On the plus side, aftermarket aircooled VW parts are so cheap compared to aircraft engine parts that if there’s any doubt at all about old components, a complete set of cylinders, pistons, heads, valves, bearings, a fuel pump, etc, can be purchased from reputable sources for less than the price of a single Lycoming or Continental cylinder.

Engineering Matters

Lucy Wootton: Chief Inspector notes

Updates from the LAA Chief Inspector, including the recurrency training for Inspectors…

I am often asked about my role as LAA Chief Inspector and what my job involves. There is always a master plan at the start of the day (and indeed the week), but it is often challenging to stick to the plan, as you never know what questions and issues will appear each day!

Inspector Authorisation

As many of you will know, the LAA holds a CAA A8-26 organisation approval and that means complying with all the procedures laid down in the company’s A8-26 Exposition and Engineering Procedures Manual.

The most important aspect of being Chief Inspector is to be a point of contact for the 330 LAA Inspectors out there, answering their queries and questions as quickly as possible, in order to allow them to get on with their invaluable work.

Some of these questions might be a request for technical information or advice on something that they have come across in the field, as well as requests to add another category to their Inspector Authorisation.

Other issues might be concerned with LAA Engineering procedures, and even some personal ones, which may be preventing them from carrying out their Inspector duties.

It is not only Inspector queries that need to be dealt with, but also telephone calls and emails from LAA members, requesting advice on much the same subjects – and even about Inspectors…

Recurrency training

Every four years, LAA Inspectors must receive recurrency training and this is done by holding regular Inspector Training Seminars around the country.

We do accept that for various reasons, it may not be possible for an Inspector to attend a seminar and therefore we can, under certain circumstances, hold a review either where they are, or at LAA HQ, Turweston. While this is a timeconsuming exercise, LAA Engineering does recognise that without the Inspectors out there inspecting, the whole LAA engineering model would not work.

Inspectors are issued with certain approvals when they first become an Inspector and these approvals are dependent on their aviation-related experience. As an Inspector gains experience, they can apply for further approvals to be added.

Additional approvals may be for a different type of airframe structure (i.e. adding ‘Airframes – Wood’ to their ‘Airframes – Metal’ qualification) or for different types of engines.

Inspectors can apply for a one-off authorisation to go further than their approval allows, such as that required for a shockload inspection and rebuild. To gain this authorisation, Inspectors apply using an application form and then need to demonstrate that they have access to the correct, up-to-date manuals and tooling.

Authorisations for welding have been covered in a previous Chief Inspector Update, but to briefly recap, requests for a welding authorisation are made in a similar way to that for an engine rebuild.

Responding to ‘whistleblower’ reports

From time to time, I receive a ‘whistleblower’ report about the state of a particular aircraft and these often result in a ‘drop everything’ approach to investigate further, to ensure that the safety of our members is not compromised.

‘SPARS Procedures’

LAA Engineering exists in an ever-changing world, the same as found in all aspects of aviation. As procedures, regulations and requirements change, the LAA procedures also have to change.

There is a procedures manual for Inspectors called ‘SPARS Procedures’ and this is currently having a complete rewrite to better reflect the current A8-26 approval.

Add to the normal internal and external meetings to attend that form part of almost everyone’s work life, and it makes for a busy schedule.

Engineer availability

In the middle of June, I attended a meeting of the AOPA Maintenance Working Group, of which the LAA is a regular member, where discussions ranged from use of UL91 to the availability of engineers.

It is not only Inspectors and their technical questions that rapidly fill the day of the Chief Inspector – every day is different and varied. There is certainly no time to sit back and take it easy!

‘Note 9’ aircraft

Some aircraft types on the LAA-administered fleet are known as ‘Note 9’ aircraft, and these types are considered more complicated than others, and therefore require a specific authorisation, outside a generic type one.

Most of these ‘Note 9’ aircraft are ex-certified types which require a good working knowledge of the type and their maintenance requirements (physical and administrative). Some examples of ‘Note 9’ aircraft include Chipmunks, Bulldogs, Yaks and DH Dragons.

Additional Authorisations

Inspectors who hold approvals for aircraft engines can carry out all routine maintenance and repairs on those engines, but cannot ‘split’ the crankcase (or reassemble it). This means they can remove cylinders but not completely strip the engine and rebuild it.

Above Some types, like this YAK 52 are known as Note 9 aeroplanes because they are more complex to maintain.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 33

Engineering Matters

LAA Engineering housekeeping Permit to Fly revalidation process Thank you for bearing with us while the new Permit to Fly revalidation process beds in! We’re continually making minor tweaks to the system, including the forms, the guidance material and our internal processes.

There are a few areas that would really help us when submitting your applications, to make the process smoother and quicker at our end:

• If you send any of the forms electronically completed please make

• • • •

them ‘non-editable’ before you attach them to an email. This can be done by printing it to a PDF file (i.e. using the print command and select the output as a PDF file rather than selecting a printer) or by electronically signing or initialling the document and saving it.

Send only one PDF file per form (do not send us individual pages, one per file!)

Ensure that the pages are in the right order.

Please don’t password-protect any files as we can’t process them.

Please always include the registration in the email subject.

We’re working very hard to reduce a bit of a back-log of applications and we’re steadily working through them in order of arrival – we’re really sorry, but I’m afraid we can’t prioritise any particular application ahead of others already in the queue.

We’re also looking at ways to even out the Permit revalidation workload which tends to reach its peak in June and July: potentially offering mechanisms (maybe even incentives!) for people to shift their aircraft’s revalidation to the autumn or winter.

RV-3 Shoulder harness straps

Worn harness straps As part of the post-import inspection of his recently imported Van’s RV-3, Light Aviation’s editor, Ed Hicks, found the aircraft’s shoulder harness straps were significantly worn. Inspecting the interaction of the straps with the surrounding aircraft structure, it wasn’t immediately obvious how they’d become worn, but when Ed considered the geometry of the arrangement with a pilot strapped in, the straps would be pushed right to the edges of the slots, which caused the straps to come into contact with a steel roll-over structure which is bolted in behind the pilot.

There are all sorts of edges and protrusions in many of our aircraft, particularly out of the comfort of the cockpit, so it’s important to regularly check the route of the harnesses and attachments to make sure that they’re not getting worn or damaged along the way. In this case, some simple, rubber edging, placed on the edges in question, protects the replacement harness straps.

Recent Alerts & AILs Recently issued instructions for continued airworthiness. (Please check the LAA website for further details).

Van’s Aircraft Service Bulletin SB-00036 Rev 3 Van’s Aircraft have issued SB-00036 Rev 3 calling for an inspection of the outboard elevator hinge on the horizontal stabiliser rear spar of various models of RV and the actions to be taken if cracks are found.

LAA Engineering has reviewed the Service

Bulletin and can confirm that it should be complied with as detailed in the current revision of the SB. Refer also to LAA Alert-002-2023.

Sling Aircraft Service Bulletin #0021 Sling Aircraft have issued Service Bulletin #0021 concerning missing elevator torque tube locking bushes, affecting Sling 4 TSi kits and quick-build.

Potentially affected airframes are listed by serial number in the Service Bulletin

although it might be considered prudent for all examples of the type to be checked.

Continental Aerospace Technologies Service Bulletin SB23-02 Continental Aerospace Technologies have issued Service Bulletin SB23-02 on the subject of cylinder deck stud replacement for Rolls-Royce RR O-240-A models. The issue was highlighted by the AAIB in an incident bulletin and reported in the May 2023 edition of Light Aviation ‘Engineering Matters’.

LAA Engineering charges LAA Project Registration Kit Built Aircraft Plans Built Aircraft Initial Permit issue Up to 450kg 451-999kg 1,000kg and above Permit Revalidation

*Gyros note: if the last Renewal wasn’t Project registration royalty £50 £300 administered by the LAA, an extra fee of Category change £50 £125 applies Group A to microlight £150 Modification application Microlight to Group A £150 £500 Prototype modification minimum £60 Change of G-Registration fee £600 Repeat modification minimum £30 Issue of Permit documents following £700 Transfer (from C of A to Permit or CAA G-Reg change £55

Up to 450kg 451-999kg 1,000kg and above Factory-built gyroplanes*

£190 £240 £275

(can now be paid online via LAA Shop)

(all weights)

34 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Permit to LAA Permit)

£275

Up to 450kg 451 to 999kg 1,000kg and above Four-seat aircraft Manufacturer’s/agent’s type acceptance fee

£150 Replacement Documents £250 Lost, stolen etc (fee is per document) £20 £350 PLEASE NOTE: When you’re submitting documents using an A4-sized envelope, £2,000 a first-class stamp is insufficient postage.

For all display advertising enquiries contact Neil Wilson 07512 773532

neil.wilson@laa.uk.com

www.LAA.uk.com

Group Flying

The Five Luscateers…

It’s definitely ‘all for one and one for all’ when it comes to sharing an aeroplane, says Duncan Campbell, and believes it is more fun than just owning one on your own – plus it spreads the costs, making things more affordable…

H

aving got my PPL, I was content for some years to fly club aeroplanes, and really begin to learn how to fly. My colleagues were a good bunch and I made many good friends, but I was never truly content. There was much about club flying that irked. Why did so many members seem to think it was OK to empty their pockets of sweet wrappers, bits of broken biscuit, broken ballpoints and sundry unidentifiable fragments into the side pockets or onto the floor?

What kind of aviating brain left a windscreen so obscured, or a leading edge of wing or propeller encrusted with the accumulated corpses of thousands of insects?

There was also the cost of club flying which was

36 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

requiring ever deeper pockets, but it was something else that finally drew me away.

My RAF childhood had immersed me in a world of taildraggers, big and small, and the comparatively rare sight of a vintage tailwheeled aeroplane touching down at Shoreham always produced an excitement in me that was not too difficult to fathom.

The sound was different, the transition from horizontal flight to tail down landing seemed so much more appealing than landing an aeroplane with a nosewheel and, for me, an almost Pavlovian recalling of the heat haze, gently waving palms and scents of a childhood in the tropics made it all the more exciting. My CFI, sensing I was about to start a journey away from club flying, pointed

Group Flying

me in the direction of a wonderful taildragger instructor, Stu McKinnon… and so that journey began.

Shoreham, my aeronautical alma mater, had little to offer in the way of taildragger flying at the time. My initial foray into this new world had been experiential flights in Stu’s Piper L4 in and out of Washington, a strip tucked away in the downs that offered one way in, another way out, a significant slope, and a rather large hill at one end that rendered the go-round a mere pipe dream.

This almost alpine experience and the delights of sundown flights along the ridge of the downs were truly wonderful, but I now had to transfer this into a realistic and affordable plan. As Holmes was wont to say to Watson… the game was afoot!

It took a year, but I was lucky enough to be accepted as one of the five pilots who formed the Oscar Flying Group, operating a Luscombe Silvaire. Stu helped me with type familiarisation and introduced me to a variety of interesting farm strips and, after some subsequent exciting spin recovery training with him in a Bulldog, I launched into the world of farmstrip flying.

Twineham charms…

Our home strip at that time was Twineham, north of Shoreham, just over the South Downs. It had its charms.

We were the sole occupant of its 440 metres and visitors, being a rare event, could be assured that whatever the condition of the surface when we left (obviously weather

dependent) it would be much the same on our return. Any ruts and grooves would have been made by us and would be our responsibility to fix. Landings were occasionally livened up by deer bounding across the strip in front of us – but the greatest hazard to our well-being was the Chinooks that regularly flew low through our climb out zone at either end of the runway.

Though the distinctive ‘thump, thump’ of the rotors can usually be heard many miles out, this is not the case from inside the cockpit of a Luscombe waiting to start its take-off run. With the ever-present risk of collision or flying into a twin rotor vortex of something that had passed in front of us when we were beyond the point of no return we negotiated with the RAF, were invited to Odiham, shared our mutual concerns, gained a greater understanding of our respective issues and, with them agreeing to try to monitor 135.475 when in our vicinity (we could not be permitted to monitor their frequency) the risk receded somewhat. It wasn’t too long after the agreement was reached that our landowner decided he no longer wished to operate an airstrip, and we moved to our present home, Kittyhawk Farm.

Over the years the group has changed, but in my time all departures have been a lifestyle choice by the departee, and the mix of members has always retained a diversity and worked well. Is there perhaps an optimum group size? I have no idea. We have kept our group limited to five pilots and I have yet to encounter a downside.

My personal fiscal boundaries could never extend to running my own aeroplane and, even if I could afford the purchase and maintenance, I would have neither the time nor the money to fly more than 40-50 hours a year.

Left Taking off from our 440 metres at Twineham.

Below Club flying – a good bunch.

“Landings were occasionally livened

up by deer bounding across the strip in front of us, but low flying Chinooks posed a bigger hazard…”

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 37

Group Flying

Above Stu’s L4, my first taildragger experience.

Below Sole occupancy at Twineham.

The aeroplane would thus spend a lot of time inactive, quietly mouldering in the corner of a hangar, while I worried about oil-based toxins resolutely munching away on components inside the engine.

As it is, with five of us flying, Mike India gets a handful of 50 hour checks a year, along with the oil and filter changes that go with them, plus five different sets of eyes and limbs to notice and raise issues.

We are all different, and fly our aeroplane differently.

Consequently, we will notice different things. Something raised by one of us, although it may not have been noticed

“The pre-flight check has been

drummed into us all, and it is the best way of ensuring the aeroplane is safe to fly on any given day” 38 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

or experienced by another, is always followed up and checked out. Over the years this has applied to brakes, vibrations, radio efficiency, fuel consumption, oil consumption, smells, hangar rash… pretty much everything. The point here is that it is easy for the single user of anything, a car for instance, to ‘live with’ something that needs to be sorted; less easy to let things ride when there are five of you with a vested interest in keeping an 82-year-old aeroplane flying efficiently, safely – and looking good.

One practice that helps us is our post-flight cleaning ritual. We all understand that the done thing is to get the bucket, shampoo and leather out after every flight and remove the carcasses before they harden into semipermanent, mini-vortex generators.

It is also the perfect opportunity to carry out a post-flight check. The pre-flight check has been drummed into all of us in our training, and it is clearly the best way of ensuring that the aeroplane is safe to fly on that day.

The post-flight check, though, serves a slightly different purpose… to identify any new problems or weaknesses that have developed in flight, before the evidence evaporates. I recall a very hard-to-spot crack in an oil reservoir that only revealed itself pre-cooling, though our increased oil consumption had been puzzling us for a while.

I am now a firm believer in the wisdom of post-flight checking and would advocate a particularly thorough one being carried out after the first flight of the season.

For a while now, I have been the longest standing group member. We have always considered ourselves to be a fortunate group. We have all got on well and, playing to our strengths, had much to offer each other and meet the maintenance and upkeep needs of our charge. Mike India was built in 1941 and we regard ourselves as custodians with a duty to keep her in good flying condition for as long as possible, rather than being seen as ‘her owners’. We know we are fortunate in our mix of

Group Flying

personalities and skills and, together, over the years, have had most bits of the aeroplane off to carry out maintenance. The wings and struts have been off, the engine out, exhaust replaced, undercarriage legs replaced, tailplane assembly disassembled, control cables run out, and electrical bits and pieces carried out. When I think back, it is quite astonishing to me that when I joined the group, I knew absolutely nothing, and my hands-on skills were limited to cleaning the prop. These days it is hard to think of something we haven’t had to do… and I hope by ‘saying’ that it is not tempting fate too much!

Our current group makeup is as varied as it always has been. Tony was a childhood spotter, then trod the path of model-making, CCF (RAF section) RAF, flying Andovers in the Queen’s Flight and instructing with the University Air Squadrons in Bulldogs, before moving onto commercial flying. These days, when not flying Mike India, he can either be found on a golf course or flying his other aircraft, a group-owned Chipmunk. Many of us have benefited from his largesse and had a spell of P2 in the Chippie.

Andy is our other professional and possibly the youngest of the group (we don’t like to dwell too much on our respective years) and his flying CV is far too complicated to be given justice here. He joined the Air Training Corps aged 13 and gained his gliding wings at 16 before getting a flying scholarship and achieving his PPL. Over the next few years he achieved his Commercial Pilot Licence, became an instructor, then flew Embraers and Jetstreams before moving on to fly their bigger relatives out of Gatwick. He currently flies as a training captain for a well-known carrier that thinks that orange is a good colour for an aeroplane… but after joining our group he decided to return to the world of SEP instructing, much to the benefit not just of the group members, but also to that of any of our hangar colleagues who need biennials or refresher training. Tony and Andy’s hours are, of course, numbered in the thousands but the remaining three of us have more modest logbook entries.

“Wings and struts have been off,

engine out, exhaust replaced, control cables run out, and electrical bits and pieces carried out…”

Jonathan, our most recent member, started as a schoolboy hangar rat, took up gliding and gained his PPL at 19. He is a former member of the Tiger Club, flew with the Turbulent Display Team and solo displayed a Bucker Bestmann. Chris started in the CCF, went on to solo early in a glider, following that with an early PPL, driving to the airfield on L plates in his mum’s Hillman Imp. He had the opportunity to enter the RAF, but decided not to, went to university, and has spent his working life as an engineer, mainly in the world of aerospace. His knowledge and skills have transferred beautifully to keeping Mike India in fine operational fettle.

Then there’s me, still immersed in the simple joy of being ‘up there’, striving to fly smoothly and harmoniously, as one with Mike India and the elements… ■

Above Working together…

Below … on pretty much everything, over the years.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 39

Wise up to woodwork: Part 6

Rib manufacture In part six, Dudley Pattison shares more secrets of building with wood. This time with tips for wing rib building success…

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ing ribs define the shape of a wing, and there’s usually lots of them – even more if, like me, you like biplanes! The type of rib explained here is typical of what you’ll find in a plans-built light aircraft. My Stummelflitzer Z1R and Isaacs Fury projects both utilised a similar type of rib.

Jig making

It’s typical to build a rib directly over a full-scale drawing. I protect these plans from glue using sellotape stuck down in strategic areas. Some people suggest using a polythene sheet, but there is a risk it may pucker up and lift some very light components – it’s really important to keep everything flat. Fix down small blocks on one side of each component with ‘camlocs’ on the other side. If possible, keep the blocks and camlocs sub flush. This will enable you to sand the top surface of the rib prior to fixing the biscuits if required.

40 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Think about which parts of the rib are critical. The outside profile is, of course, important, but more so are the verticals that attach the ribs to the spar – in some cases, spacing of the spars must match exactly the location of the carry throughs projecting from the fuselage sides.

Note that only one of the two verticals each side of front and rear spars are attached to the spar. The gap between the uprights will be approximately 1.5mm greater than the spar width.

Of the two types mentioned above, the rear upright of the front spar and the front upright of the rear spar are attached to the spar.

The leading and trailing edge positions are also critical if you want straight ones.

There may be a solid infill block that is notched for the leading edge, in this case a little spur fixed to the jig can ensure all ribs will be the same in that area meaning a straight leading edge.

Wise up to woodwork: Part 6 1 Blocks and cams screwed to board hold components in position.

2 Rib booms, steamed or soaked, are clamped to the boom jig. One goes to the front, which will be an upper boom, while the other for the lower boom starts further back, as less curvature is needed.

Positions found by experimentation.

1 Parts manufacture

Start by making a bending jig for the upper and lower booms. I find the best way to do this is to guess the shape that the jig needs to be, allowing for a lot of spring back when the clamps are released from the boom. Initially just do one upper and one lower boom until you get the bends somewhere near, and when cutting them to length don’t be mean, it is really annoying to initially cut a component that later turns out to be 5mm short (don’t ask me how I know…). They do not have to match the rib jig, they just need to be bent sufficiently so that not a lot of force is needed to get them into the jig. The lower boom uses the same bending jig, but starts further back on it, as less curvature is required.

I do my spruce/fir bending by soaking the component in the bath overnight. Steaming may work better but I have never bothered to build one.

If you want to steam, a wallpaper stripper can be hooked up to a 150mm plastic drainage pipe with closed ends. The ends need a 50mm inlet and a 50mm outlet.

Then, to stop several booms lying side by side in the invert of the tube, you could pass a few small rods from

2

3 The first pair of booms showing a reasonably close shape to that which is required.

one side of the tube to the other to form ‘shelves’. After soaking, rescue the booms from the bath and clamp them down to your bending jig. Don’t forget to start the upper boom from the front and the lower boom from a mark on the bending jig that you have guessed the position of.

When happy with the shape of the booms, do any shaping required at the front and rear of them and camloc them in place in the rib jib.

Now ‘cut in’ all the upright and diagonal members. This is done by laying a stock strip of material over a member position on the plan and marking each end with a craft knife. Snip the component from the stock length on the bandsaw and sand it down to the knife marks on the disc sander. Go for real accuracy on this first rib, as what you are actually doing is making a complete set of templates to use to manufacture all the components for all of the similar ribs in the aircraft.

OK, if you have chosen an Isaacs Spitfire, for instance, it may be only one other rib the same, but most aircraft have a parallel chord (I wonder why?).

Having cut in all the components mark a number in felt tip on the jig plan next to each component.

3 July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 41

Wise up to woodwork: Part 6

The jig that is the subject here has numbers 1-15.

Remove the components one at a time and mark its number in pencil. I stress pencil, as you don’t want to get a ballpoint pen or felt tip anywhere near an aircraft structure that is destined to be covered in cloth of one sort or another.

It is a good idea to have a line of small containers numbered 1-15 or whatever on the side. By now it is hoped that you will know exactly how many ribs of this type are needed.

If a biplane, there may well be a difference in the upper and lower wing ribs even if the outer profile is the same, to allow for aileron cables etc.

You can now spend a happy afternoon (or so) taking a stock length of material and one of the numbered components and mark along it the quantity required for that part number with your craft knife. Mark them out with a 5 or 6mm gap between them. Snip them off on the bandsaw and sand down to the knife cut.

When you have finished the spruce/fir components it is time to make the plywood biscuits. These ‘biscuits’ are

usually 1.0-1.5mm plywood and transfer the load from one component to the next.

The subject rib here has most of its biscuits at 19mm wide, and a few different lengths. The quick way to make them is to cut strips of 19mm width, grain lengthways, and make a pattern for each length of biscuit.

After sanding the strip, and I stress it must be sanded (that’s a whole different subject), take one of your length patterns, lay it on the strip and cut across the strip at the end of the pattern. Do that for as many biscuits are required of that length and, assuming your crosscut is deep enough, the biscuits will snap off the stock length.

Just wipe the snapped ends with a sanding block.

Then make any triangular biscuit shapes noting that the outer plywood grain will normally be parallel to the hypotenuse. A few more cups will be useful in which to store your differing types of biscuit.

Now the fun bit, actually producing a rib.

Lay upper and lower booms in place and tighten your cams to hold them firmly, the two rear ends may well be glued together and you may have a ‘solid’ spacer at the

4 The really critical components for correct positioning are the uprights at the spar positions.

5 Marking a member for length with a craft knife.

10 Leave material to cut away between each part.

11 A joint ready for its biscuit.

42 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

6 The member is cut oversize on a bandsaw and taken down to knife mark on a disc sander.

12 Pins hold down the upper surface biscuits.

Wise up to woodwork: Part 6

leading edge. Next glue in the uprights that go each side of the spar and clamp in place. Now, starting at one end, glue in place all the diagonals. Carefully check that all components are sitting down on the plan. When happy, leave it to cure.

After seven or eight hours the biscuits can be added to the top surface. When placing them it is a good idea to allow them to overlap the outside edge of the rib slightly.

They can be easily sanded down to the rib booms when fully cured. This also means that you don’t really need to make tapered biscuits, as you can hang the edge over more at one end than the other.

If you are using Aerolite the base glue is applied to the rib and the activator is applied to the biscuit. This means that the biscuit will tend to warp, as any thin material will tend to do if wetted on one side and not the other. To combat this, drive a pin through the biscuit into the rib on each corner of the biscuit. Leave the rib overnight. Take the rib out of the jig and add the biscuits to the other side using small clothes peg type clamps. Again, ensure the biscuits are clamped on each corner.

If necessary, make a pattern jig that can be accurately positioned on the rib to mark the outline of the rib nose.

Once marked, carefully sand to profile on your disc sander.

Once you have produced your rib parts kit, one rib per day can be produced from one jig. On first thought you may think that is slow, but don’t forget if you plan things correctly while you are rib building you can also be building the fin, rudder, tailplane etc. And you will have all your ribs done in around a month.

When I started my Isaacs Fury I would go to work early and glue the rib components into the jig. Before going home, I would add the biscuits to the top side. On the following day that rib would be taken from the jig and the next one put in, and so on.

One last thought. If your aircraft has a full-depth spar, meaning that the rib is in two, or maybe three, sections, allow the rib booms to carry over the spar positions to ensure a smooth profile.

Cut the short sections of boom away to produce the differing rib parts. ■

7 This shot shows blocks and cams in play, plus small clamp.

8 Cams in play.

13 Peg-type clamps are used to clamp biscuits to the other side.

14 A pattern helps shape the nose section. Its datum is the front spar upright.

9 Use your stock of patterns to reproduce further components.

15 Nose of rib complete with biscuits.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 43

LAA Strut News

Struts 4U

Andrew Caldecott compiles news and views from around the LAA Struts

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elcome to July – six months of the year gone – but some amazing Strut events have already taken place and been well supported. With the British weather appearing to behave favourably, outdoor activities are the showcase for just how popular Strut events are. Congratulations to everyone who has held an event, from Manston (Kent) to Wessex assisting at Popham for the annual Microlight Fly-In. Other groups have had great attendance’s e.g.

Vintage Piper, again at Popham.

My first thoughts, as I attempt to follow in Anne Hughes’ footsteps are, how do I? Obviously, I’m reflecting on the great articles for the magazine, and a fantastic Strut handbook, which Anne has compiled during the past six years. Thank you Anne, it’s been fantastic having you providing such informative, friendly and comprehensive monthly links to all our Struts and organisations.

Moving forward, the standard set by Anne reflects the life of our

44 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Above Just a few of the Vintage Pipers gathered at Popham.

Below Auster Club meeting.

27 Struts, providing links with each other and to LAA HQ. We must also remember the value of other specific type groups – Auster, Marshallers, Van’s RV and more – all of which are part of the ‘GA Family’. My initial aim is to provide information about YOU, our Struts. Apart from the events programmes you may be planning, what are your structures and policies – in particular for youth involvement and membership recruitment? Has your Strut any initiatives which we can all adopt (tweaked where required) that can enhance and help grow our family?

I have been an LAA member for a few years and I have learned so much from so many people, both from HQ and from Struts – and not just from my own Suffolk Coastal. Please remember the wealth of knowledge available from all quarters. Mentioning a few personally – Dave Millin, Eryl Smith, CEO Simon Tilling, the HQ team and more – are all working ‘behind the scenes’ on our behalf. They are doing a fantastic job, so please do continue supporting them as they handle ever-increasing workloads.

My intention is to highlight each month, two/three Struts and look to see if any areas within their groups are outstanding, transferable, educational, training – the

LAA Strut News

Strut Calendar Please contact your local Strut to check the details before attending the calendar events.

Above Struts have so much to offer to enthusiasts and pilots alike, but promotion of the opportunities is key! scope is quite large. If your Strut has content to share for this feature, then please, we would love to share it. Do you have members who have specific skills and knowledge that we can ‘borrow’ and build on? The roles of event organiser, secretary, chair, marshallers, trainers, treasurer – and more, develop from experience, love and dedication. It’s not easy keeping the steady flow of replacements for these voluntary positions in today’s busy world. I hope that some of these answers are available to us, from us!

I touched on our direction for the youth involvement within Strut’s. We have the excellent group at YES with its committee (contact secretary@yesflyers.org.uk). Are we all aware that membership is free, that any input is welcomed, that they will support your initiatives (practically where possible) and they want to know what Struts are doing?

Please contact me with any ideas, suggestions, event’s or messages acss@gmx.com.

I look forward to developing and continuing this monthly article with and for you! ■

Andover Strut: Spitfire Club, Popham Airfield, SO21 3BD. Contact Bob Howarth email: bobhowarth99@ btinternet.com Phone no. 01980 611124 Bristol Strut: Contact: chairman@ bristolstrut.uk www.bristolstrut.uk Cornwall Strut: The Clubhouse, Bodmin Airfield. 15-16 July – Grasshopper Gathering. Contact Pete White pete@aeronca.co.uk 01752 406660 Devon Strut: The Exeter Court Hotel, Kennford, Exeter. 27 July – Strut Fly-Out to Branscombe; 5-6 August – Fly-Out to Dunkeswell. Contact: david.millin@sea-sea.com East of Scotland Strut: Harrow Hotel, Dalkeith. 2000. 8 July – Balado Fly-In. Contact: Tim Raynor hipe@btinternet. com East Midlands Strut: Meeting on the first Tuesday of the month on Zoom until further notice due to venue availability. Contact: tonyrazzell2@ gmail.com We also have a Facebook group and upload recordings of some meetings where we have speakers.

Gloster Strut:. 8 July – Strut Kids Air Day at Croft Farm. Contact: Harry Hopkins phone 07902 650619 harry. hopkins@talktalk.net Highlands & Islands: Contact: b.w.spence@btinternet.com 01381 620535.

Kent Strut: Contact: Steve Hoskins hoskinsltd@outlook.com 07768 984507.

LiNSY Trent Valley Strut: Trent Valley Gliding Club, Kirton Lindsey. pilotbarry1951@gmail. com http:// linsystrut.wixsite.com/website North East Strut: Fishburn Airfield.

Brunch, third Sunday of each month.

1130-1330 at Fishburn Aviator Cafe.

Contact: alannixon297@btinternet. com North Western Strut: The Clubhouse, Boysnope. 1400. Third Thursday each month. Contact: cliffmort@btinternet. com 07813 497427.

North Wales Strut: Caernarfon Airport, Dinas Dinlle. First Sunday of the month – HEMS Bistro Café. 1300.

Contact: Gareth Roberts gtrwales@ gmail.com 07876 483414.

Oxford Group: Sturdy’s Castle Country Inn, Banbury Road, Kidlington, OX5 3EP. Second Wednesday each month; 12 July: BBQ; 9 August – Flying the 747 – extraordinary tales by Geoffrey New. Contact LAAOxford@gmail.com www. oxfordlaa.co.uk Redhill Strut: The Castle, Millers Lane, Outwood, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 5QB. Pub contact 01342 844491.

Third Tues of each month, 1900-1930.

Contact: david@milstead.me.uk

Shobdon Strut: Hotspur Café, Shobdon Airfield, Hereford HR6 9NR. 1930. Second Thursday of the month.

Contact: Keith Taylor bushebiggles@ sky.com Southern Strut: ‘Longshore’ Brighton Rd, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5LD. First Wednesday of the month 1930 for 2000. 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: Earl Stonham Village Hall, IP14 5HJ. 1930. BBQ at Monewden 8 July Annual Fly-in at Monewden, 16 August – BBQ Monewden Airfield start 1700. All welcome, details at www. suffolkcoastalstrut.org.uk/flyin/ Contact: Martyn Steggalls events@ suffolkcoastalstrut.org.uk 07790 925142 The Joystick Club: Activities throughout the year. Pedal planes and simulators at Old Warden Air Shows.

Contact: Mike Clews, m.clews@sky. com. 07775 847914. www.joystickclub. co.uk Vale of York Strut: Chocks Away Café, Rufforth East Airfield. 1900.

Contact: Chris Holliday 07860 787801 valeofyorkstrutlaa@gmail.com www. valeofyorkstrutlaa.wordpress.com Wessex Strut: Henstridge Airfield Clubhouse. July & August; monthly summer BBQ’s and activities. See www.wessexstrut.org.uk for updates.

Local fortnightly Strut walks organised

by Wessex Aviators Leisure Klub.

Contact: neil.wilson@laa.uk.com West Midlands Strut. There are no meetings at present, but if you would like to help to get the WMS operational again please get in touch with the Strut Coordinator, David Millin. david. millin@sea-sea.com West of Scotland Strut: Various locations in the Greater Glasgow area.

Contact: Graeme Park graemepark01@gmail.com Youth & Education Support (YES) – YES also available for Strut talks/ presentations.

2 July – YES at Shuttleworth Air Show. Contact: Stewart Luck captainluck@hotmail.com (Contact 07974188395 to volunteer.)

A copy of the Struts Handbook, issued in pdf format to celebrate the LAA 75th birthday, can be found on the LAA website.

NB: Please contact your local Strut to check the details before attending the calendar events.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 45

Bringing aircraft back to Manston!

Nic Orchard on the fundraising success of the Kent Strut charity Fly-in, which brought life back to a much-missed Manston…

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hen an aerodrome closes, it is rare that it is not soon repurposed for housing or industry. The larger ones may survive in a reduced form, with some GA activity on a small part of one runway, but those retaining their full potential are rare indeed.

Plymouth, certainly, and Manston where, since TG Aviation, there has been no aviation activity except helicopter operations. For some years, RiverOak has been battling to provide a freight hub, and despite sustained and sometimes absurd opposition, the company has not been deterred. Opposition from some local authorities and support from others, together with Judicial Reviews – plural – have made it a saga, not an episode. Manston Airport’s enormous runway still has readable numbers and although many of the associated facilities and structures have gone, it is quite obviously viable.

46 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Above Aircraft flocked to Manston for Kent Strut charity Fly-in.

Below left Thumbsup this Eurostar crew.

Below right The beautiful DH90 Dragonfly, G-AEDU. Middle Ercoupe G-ARHB. Bottom G-EMMY, a Rutan Varieze.

At 107 years old at heart, Manston can claim a full history from WWI to 2014, its origins a quarter-mile square horse gallop identified as a suitable alternative to the landing ground at Westgate, where, when landing to the north, rather too many precious landplanes were joining their seaplane cousins on the shore below the cliff. By 1916, there were two squadrons based there.

In WWII, the history is well documented, by 1960 it became a joint RAF/civilian airport and by the mid-1990s, the MOD had sold it – and by the new millennium, the RAF had departed. Civilian expansion and contraction followed until, in 2013, the company owned by former CEO of Stagecoach, Ann Gloag, bought it for £1. Within six months, the closure of the airport was announced.

Since then, and the relocation of TG Aviation, there has been no fixed-wing operation.

The Kent Strut has developed a relationship with one of the two museums on site. The volunteers of the RAF Manston History Museum are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and most welcoming. Our monthly meetings alternate between Maidstone and Manston, catering for our widespread membership. It was after one such meeting earlier this year that we were invited to the Open Cockpit Day. The question asked by everyone was, “May we fly in?”. Well, it turned out that we could, thanks to RiverOak. It couldn’t be advertised too widely but we got 14 in, it was deemed a success and there was sufficient excitement from all parties involved that further talks seemed inevitable. Thus, the Charity Fly-In grew – and grew. The zeal emanating from the airport meant we could open it up to other Struts… and then beyond. Space was not an issue.

The plan was for the fine folk at Polar Helicopters to handle the PPR and radio on the day, and once the plans were drawn up and agreed, we simply watched as the numbers booked just kept on growing.

It was evident from early on that a straight-in approach would be best, with a Rally-style procedure to keep the radio chatter down to essentials. Between ourselves, we had confidence that the LAA attendees would have little problem with this, but that runway was attracting all sorts

All photography: Michael Collins of traffic – would the big boys be as comfortable with minimalism? Would there be some who had no experience of the sort of fly-in where airmanship sorts everyone out, not the radio?

It was decided that the very modest landing fees would all go to Martha Trust, a local charity with which the Strut has been associated for a considerable time. The museum was holding re-enactment days over the bank holiday weekend, so our Sunday gathering would both provide it with extra visitors – and offer an additional sight for its other visitors. Its NAAFI cafés (inside and out) would be open, and for those wandering over to the Spitfire Museum, meant there’d be an alternative eatery.

By the Friday before, word was out in the wider world.

Aircraft enthusiasts were planning their days as we looked again at risk assessments. Meanwhile, the PPRs had exceeded 100. Polar Helicopters cancelled its students.

John, our committee member, whose role is organising the weather, arranged end-to-end sunshine and excellent visibility. He forgot to unwind the wind, but has now been re-educated…

Sunday, 28 May started early. Marshals donned high vis vests and in good time, everything was ready. (No. I can’t write that with a straight face…).

For a brief time, there was frenzied activity as the volunteers from Martha Trust couldn’t get past the security on the car park by the museums, because the most obvious car park belongs to the other museum and with so much going on generally, it wasn’t going to allow anyone but its own visitors use it. Once they were in, we had to leave them to it and be ready for the early arrivals.

Manston is big. Getting from the taxiway to anywhere took time before getting across to the museum 200 yards away. As the morning got going and the marshalls were filling the lower end with aeroplanes, then the dispersal bays and beyond, edging up towards the Echo taxiway, the desire to just trot back down to get ‘something or other’ tended to decrease. It became a longer trot along the taxiway and back each time.

The wind was about 60º off Runway 10. We did get some cancellations, understandably, but most of those slots were filled by late requests. As mid-morning passed, the incoming aircraft kept coming. Airmanship was high and almost everyone followed the simple brief. Nathan did a superb job on the radio. Visitors were parked, tails were rolled onto the grass, pilots and passengers were directed to where a minibus would shuttle them across to the museums and cafés, the wrong side of a dangerous junction. Thanks are due to 2433 (Thanet) Squadron for use of the minibus – and the volunteer from the museum for driving it all day. This fly-in really was a team effort.

When the last visitor flew out and we started to unwind, we started to appreciate what had happened. It transpired that 103 aircraft had landed at Manston, 103 had taken off, Martha Trust had gained more than £2,200 and everyone enjoyed good PR.

Top left X-AIR G-TSKD. Top right Gazelle helicopter.

Middle Colourful Robin DR400 Regent.

Above SAN Jodel D150 Mascaret.

Below Smart Scottish Aviation Bulldog.

‘Did you take any pictures?’

‘No, I didn’t have time. Did you?’

‘No time either…’

‘Well, there’ll be thousands online of individual aircraft within a week. There was an extensive line of camera lenses along the verge that parallels the runway.’

The aircraft enthusiasts had found places that caused no problem and those that asked were escorted airside.

One aspect we had not been able to arrange in advance was parking other than for aircraft. It had been arranged as a fly-in and only when the PPRs started to mount did it become apparent that we might also now get rather more than a very few non-flying visitors. Another item for the debrief. There was much to discuss, but overall it was regarded as a success – a triumph, even, by all involved.

We have been given access to many pictures taken by RiverOak people and for a good piece of video, the one taken by Polar Helicopter is excellent. Check out its Facebook page.

The stars of the day had to be RiverOak and Polar Helicopters. Without their enthusiasm and generosity, none of the rest could have happened. ■

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 47

Get ready for Summer!

UK VFR Charts – S.Eng/Wales 1:250,000/1:500,00 (Folded) £15.99

Waterbird Wings over Windermere

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Embroidered Wings £2.50

Engine Log Book - £14.00

LAA Navy Baseball Cap

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Propellor Log Book - £16.00

Log Book Binder - £15.95

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Aircraft Log Book - £14.00

Free landing vouchers, informative webinars, great written content and lots more will help YOU improve your flying this year.

Join us on our #fly2023 challenge. Visit 23 new airfields and log 2,023 minutes throughout the year!

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Meet the Members

An adaptable artisan…

Steve Rickett talks to Ed Hicks about his love for building in wood…

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hy aviation, what started your interest, and what, where and when was your first flight…

Looking through my parents’ photo album there are, of course, photos of me as a baby, but the aviation-minded will spot the plethora of RC models perched on the very tasteful brown and mauve carpet – alongside many a dodgy hairstyle! Yep, my father is to blame for my obsession with aeroplanes. He has built models since goodness knows when, so I suppose it was hardly surprising that I followed suit. With each model getting bigger and more complex, I spent pretty much every waking minute designing, building and flying models. It seemed quite normal to me to have a dedicated room in the house as a workshop and model storage… didn’t everyone?

I’m told that my first flight was in a T21 glider at

Above Steve and his beautiful Menestrel – winner of the Best Plans Built Homebuilt award at the 2019 LAA Rally.

Strubby, probably aged four or five. Unfortunately, I don’t have any memory of it, but I would hazard a guess that I enjoyed it!

Tell us about your ‘learning to fly’ journey

I started my training journey at the Yorkshire Gliding Club, Sutton Bank when I was 14. I think I’d given enough clues to my parents about what I wanted to do when I grew up, so they decided to give me a ‘taste’ of flying before committing to any large expenditure. We lived in Norway at the time and would visit the UK every summer, so my father booked us both on a week-long gliding course. I don’t think I have to explain how much I enjoyed it… I was allowed to stay at the gliding club for a second week while the rest of the family did ‘visiting’ duties. We returned to Sutton Bank the following year, when I went solo and figured out about Glider Tugs! The CFI promised that if I got a PPL then I could fly the Super Cub and Pawnees for July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 49

Meet the Members

a season to gain the coveted 900hrs required for a commercial licence under the old ‘self-improver’ route, and my parents came to the rescue. They said they would either help with university costs or fund my PPL – it didn’t take long to decide!

I did all my PPL with Truman Flying School at Tollerton in 1994-1995. I think I did it in three, one-week stints during school holidays, flying the PA38 Tomahawk. I can’t remember too much about the training, it was all very standard, and enjoyable, with little drama!

With a shiny new PPL in my hands and 45hrs in the (power) logbook, I knocked on the CFI’s door and smiled… true to his word, he walked me out to the Super Cub and threw me in the front. I spent a very happy summer holidays at Sutton Bank flying the Super Cub and Pawnees, and a mix of any glider I could get my hand on (the club was, and still is, very supportive of junior flyers, some of the fleet were free to fly, and others had a hefty discount). However, it all had to stop as I still had one more year of school to complete! I flew for one-and-a-half seasons at Sutton Bank, and also a season for Brian Spreckley at the European Soaring Club in the Pyrenees and Spain. Here I was to meet my most loved and most hated aircraft… more about which I’ll explain later!

I began my commercial training at ATA in Coventry. While studying for my ‘Tech’ exams and then my ‘Navs’, I learned about Air Atlantique, which ran sponsored cadet courses.

I’d already tried the usual suspects of Air 2000, BA etc but with no luck, and so I wandered over to the other side of Coventry Airport one evening, CV in hand.

Managing to blag my way into the Chief Pilot’s Office, I deposited my CV on his desk for him to find in the morning. As luck would have it, I got a phone call within the week inviting me for an interview.

I started my training with Air Atlantique in March 1999 as a fresh-faced ‘fugly’. I already had my 900hrs and my ground exams completed so I was shoved straight into its taildragger C152, G-HART. Training was quick paced, interspersed with doing the morning mail run, shopping for the ‘Main Man’ upstairs and ferrying cargo crews to and from airports in the company cars at all hours of the night!

I admit that I struggled somewhat, not with the flying, but with all the ancillary tasks and demands – I was a long 50 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Above left A 1/7th scale Dh 106 Comet 4 in bare bones ready for Large Model Association inspection, circa 2001.

Above right A 1/3rd scale Gloster E28/39, Britain’s first jet aircraft. All balsa and plywood with a centrifugal gas turbine engine.

Above Steve’s model Comet takes-off at RAF Cosford for a display.

way from the comfortable gliding club now. I quickly found myself in the left seat of the company’s BN2 Islander flying coastguard duties over the Channel.

How long have you been an LAA member?

Other than a few years in the early 2000s, I have only been a member since my rekindled enthusiasm about six years ago.

What are the total number of types and hours flown?

I have 14,000 hours reading the newspaper from the left and right-hand seat of 15 commercial types – many piston twins, Jetstreams, Embraer and Airbus SLF (SelfLoading Freight!).

Plus 450hrs gliding in 25 types of glider, from Ka6 to LS8, but sadly no vintage types.

And also 1,200 hours ‘proper’ flying in 25 types of GA aircraft – mostly Cubs, Pawnees etc, but I can claim my first hour of multi engine on the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer!

Other than my Menestrel, the best would probably be the Robin DR400. Such a pleasant and capable aircraft to fly, roomy, capable of long-range – and it’s even better with a tow hook on the back!

The worst: the Rallye Minerva. My only two engine failures were in one particular Rallye, so maybe this is a bit unfair, but I’d have to be promised good things to get back in one again!

What aircraft have you owned?

I had a small share in a DG200 glider for a season, but eventually all my money and time ended up going into my commercial licence. My father bought Chrislea Super Ace G-AKUW around 2001 which he kindly let me ‘play’ with occasionally, but I didn’t live close to its base at North Coates to make proper use of it… something I regret now.

I fell out of check on SEP aircraft for more than 10 years, but one fine evening something made me drive up to a local farm strip to see what was going on. There, I met the eccentric owner (aren’t they all…) who tried to sell me a ‘very poorly’ KR2 for rebuild. I nearly did it too, until I

Meet the Members

read all the reports on them. However, the seed had been well and truly sown, and during my research, I’d fallen in love with the Menestrel II. I’d seen a photograph of Brian Gowland’s G-CCDS in ‘bare bones’, which struck a chord with the traditional aeromodeller in me. The proportions just looked right, that semi-elliptical wing and wide cockpit (for a tiny aeroplane) really appealed.

In essence, the Menestrel is just a big model. Build two fuselage sides, put the formers in the middle and then pinch the tail together… I even covered it in a system that I had only known from modelling – Ceconite! When it came time to design a colour scheme it seemed the perfect opportunity to give it a 1930s feel. I’m not sure I’m ever likely to be able to afford a ‘real’ vintage aircraft.

However, having proven to myself that I could build my own aircraft, and with the desire for something a little ‘older’, the Chilton Monoplane seemed the ideal candidate for project number two. It’s similar to the Menestrel, only all the parts are smaller, thinner and fiddlier. I’ve been on it for two years now and the wings are largely complete,

Above Steve’s daughter Julia, was the first to try the Menestrel cockpit for size.

most of the metal work is made and I’ve made a start on the fuselage. A minor measuring error on my part means it won’t fit through the garage door. Luckily, my ever-understanding wife has given the nod for a new workshop!

Your favourite moment in aviation?

Without doubt, landing after the first flight of the Menestrel.

I think most pilots can be a superstitious bunch, so I don’t

Above Conservatories are there to tie your aeroplane to, right?!

Top left The Menestrel fuselage starts off just a big model aircraft.

Middle left The fuselage starts to take shape - lovely rudder profile.

Left First trial assembly in the garden.

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 51

Meet the Members

want to tempt fate, but the little machine has surpassed all my expectations.

The first flight was a complete non-event and it clearly loves going flying, I just go along for the ride! It’s something special to have cut each and every part out by hand – sanded, glued, screwed, sweated and wiped the blood off… and then to get to take it into the air for the first time. Magic.

Above A grand day out with daughter, Julia.

Above right Clean and uncluttered cockpit on the Menestrel.

Top Chilton wing ready for inspection.

Above Closing up the wings of the Chilton.

Left Julia and the Chilton rudder, in 2021.

Right Julia’s first driving lesson, now there’s trust!

52 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

Any aviation heroes?

Most aviators and aviatrixes from the 1930s and 1940s hold hero status in my eyes. They had only a modest understanding of aerodynamics and often flew quite temperamental machines in the most adverse conditions.

Scott and Black in the Comet, Alex Henshaw in the Mew Gull and Beryl Markham in the Gull Six are the first to spring to mind, and I regularly learn of more incredible

Meet the Members

people with each book that someone recommends.

Any favourite aviation books?

Well, usually the last one I just put down!

My favourite of all time has to be Alex Henshaws’, The Flight of the Mew Gull.

I fly to South Africa fairly regularly for my day job, but with state-of-the-art IR, GPS and computers doing all the hard work. I couldn’t begin to imagine taking the Menestrel down to South Africa and back on just a compass and stopwatch…

Any lessons learned?

Covid has probably taught us all valuable lessons in one form or another, and after being made redundant from the airlines I really wasn’t sure what I was going to do to make ends meet. I spent a bit of time building models professionally, but then found a relatively new-start drone company. I can ‘hear’ the collective gasps of readers…

What? He flew for the enemy? Well, I found that my aeromodelling and commercial skills, as well as my GA knowledge was highly transferable. I spent quite an enjoyable year, not only building and flying the drones, but also planning the flights and helping to liaise with the CAA. We went to great lengths to design routes that would minimise disruption to fellow users of the air and consult with local airfield owners. The company I worked for was very keen to use and develop Mode S transponders, ADS-B, and other forms of electronic conspicuity. It gave me a great insight into how some (granted, not all) drone companies really want to work with other airspace users, and not just steal it all for themselves. I’ve become far more accepting of electronic conspicuity, and my Menestrel is fully decked out, as best I can, and the Chilton will have at least an ADS-B out device.

What would be in your fantasy hangar?

Oh my, where do I start? I love the Miles Gemini. Such a pretty aircraft, and the beat of two Blackburns (or Gypsies) is pure music. If all my Lotto numbers come up, then I’d add a DH Dragonfly to the fleet. One of the prettiest

aircraft ever, in my eyes, then again, it’s a DeHavilland… so of course it’s beautiful!

Do you have any other hobbies?

Top Steve and his wife’s beloved vintage 1936 MG TA. Above The Flight of the Mew Gull is Steve’s all-time favourite aviation read.

I fear that I am one of those ‘one trick ponies’. I’m not a football fan, nor rugby, although I was quite musical during my teen years playing clarinet and saxophone, but ultimately that fell by the wayside.

Recently, my wife and I bought a 1936 MG TA after spending a weekend camped at Old Warden and seeing Richard Shuttleworths’ TA which is resident there. It’s probably quite brave as a first classic car and has been a steep learning curve, but I’m now starting to get to grips with leading shoe brakes, copper gasket making and… crash gearboxes!! It’s a brilliant little car to drive, though, and really puts a smile on your face.

Finally, any advice to share?

I suppose as general life advice, the biggest recommendation I try to give people is to ‘just do it’. Don’t put off something for whatever reason, it’s easy to find a reason not to. But you open so many doors to friends, skills and enjoyment by simply jumping in! ■

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 53

Landing vouchers

LANDING VOUCHERS For August, we’ve got a bumper crop of four fantastic landing offers both in the UK and Ireland for you to enjoy at Blackbushe Airport, Breighton Aerodrome, Dublin Weston Airport and Sligo Airfield.

✁ Aviation LIGHT

Our thanks to these airfields for supporting our LAA members landing voucher scheme. Please be sure to thank them for their participation by buying fuel for your aircraft, or if there’s a cafe, fuel for you and your passengers!

Half Priced Landing August 2023 Blackbushe Airport: 01252 471300

A totally refurbished café, known as The Pathfinder, has now opened. Twice the size inside, a much larger outside area with more seating, makes for great viewing.

The airport team welcomes LAA aeroplanes. Impt: PPR please via the airport website and read and fill in the arrival form giving your email address. Pay the half price landing fee at the airport fire station offices with the voucher. Please avoid flying over Yateley and Hartley Wintney villages. Radio is 122.305. Avags and UL91 available. Farnborough 125.250. Website www.blackbusheairport.co.uk

✁ Aviation LIGHT

Free Landing August 2023 Breighton Aerodrome: 01757 289065

Located 5.5 miles north-east of Selby, and home of The Real Aeroplane Company, which has a great collection of historic and varied aircraft on the airfield. Please PPR – non-radio aircraft welcome – please join on the live side as there is often aerobatic activity which takes place on the northern side of the runway centreline.

No overhead joins. 700ft QFE on south circuit. Grass runway. Avgas and Jet A1 fuel on site – self service. New café on site. A fly-in is taking place on 26 August – so take advantage of this offer and camp over (also free) if you wish.

Radio is 129.805 www.realaero.com

✁ Aviation LIGHT

Free Landing August 2023 Dublin Weston Airport: 00 353 (0)1 6217300

Situated on the western outskirts of Dublin City, this is ideal for a weekend away or touring. Situated in Class ‘C’ airspace, RWY 25/07. Radio frequency is 122.4 call sign ‘Weston Tower’. Visiting aircraft from UK with Irish or UK passport holders require 24hrs notice, and GAR form to be submitted on ops@ westonairport.com Phone 353 (0)1 6217300. See website for arrival and more information www.westonairport.ie

✁ Aviation LIGHT

Free Landing August 2023 Sligo Airfield: 00 353 71916 8280

A wonderful location to visit. Positioned on the west coast, flying into Sligo offers fantastic views and photographic opportunities. A friendly welcome is guaranteed, as the airport management and local flyers are very keen for UK-based aviators to visit and tour the area. Ireland can look its best during this time of year. A great area for walks, fishing and golf. PPR please. Avgas available. Voucher not valid for 6 August as the airport has an airshow. Radio 122.10. www.sligoairport.com

54 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

AUGUST 2023

Email your classified advertisement direct to the LAA: office@laa.uk.com

Classifieds

July

AIRCRAFT FOR SALE Pietenpol G-LEOD (single seat) 98 hours, Aviation Metalcraft fuselage. Subaru 1800cc engine, Amax reduction gear, Hercules propeller, Swiss-type silencer, 80 litre fuel tank. Poly-Fiber covering. Sold with new permit, spare Subaru engine, wing covers and Yaesu FTA-750 Spirit transceiver. Based Farthing Corner, Kent.

Hangarage possibly available. Offers around £13,000. Contact Ian McLeod on 07708 878 446 or ian.mcleod@talktalk.net

For all display or commercial advertising enquiries please contact Neil Wilson: 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com You can email your classified advertisement direct to the LAA at the following address: office@laa.uk.com Deadline for booking and copy: 17 July 2023 If you would like to place an aircraft for sale advert please see details below: MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS Up to 30 words: £6; 31-50 words: £12 Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £45 NON-MEMBERS’ADVERTISEMENTS Up to 30 words: £22; 31-50 words: £44 Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £60 www.laa.uk.com

Stits Playboy An opportunity to own this delightful aircraft - fun, affordable flying in an aviation classic. 65hp Continental A65-8 1063hrs since rebuild. Airframe total time 819hrs.

Awarded Best Classic Homebuilt Aircraft LAA Rally 2016. £12,500. Contact Wendy at w.hinchcliffe@gmail.com. 07444 864 750

PROJECTS FOR SALE Vans RV-12iS Kit. Complete package. Top quality kit with engine, avionics and all options: nothing left to buy. Two thirds completed. Please phone for details. 07492 600 036

LAA Engineering advice to buyers: 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.

RV9 Permit granted June 2013, renewal expiry date 25/4/24. TT Airframe 845hrs. TT Engine (Lycoming 0320 160hp) 1440 hrs. Sensenich metal “cruise” prop. Twin 10” Dynon SkyView, Autopilot, Trig mode S Transponder, Dittel KRT2 8.33 Radio.“Steam” gauges ASI, Altimeter and compass.LED lights.Leather Seats. £97,500.

Contact David 07736 351 719

GROUP FLYING

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.

AIRCRAFT FOR SALE

3/4 scale Fokker E111 Eindecker SSDR for sale. Airframe superbly well built and needs covering. Fabric provided. Kit is complete including build manual but will need engine, propeller and instruments. Kit retailed by Grass Strips Aviation Ltd in U.K. based upon Airdrome Aeroplanes design in USA. Suitable for electric propulsion or any number of lightweight two stroke engines. For full details contact LAA Inspector Peter Kember on 07801 721 128.

Transport can be provided.

Magni M24 hangared Stoke Medway. Seeking gyro pilot to share all year-round flying at this well-drained strip. Contact John 077105 05320 for further info

SERVICES Renegade Spirit Biplane professional rebuild and recover in 2017, Airframe 340 hours engine Jabiru 2200 with top end overhaul at 600 hours, basic instruments with Yaesu radio, Matco tailwheel, will be sold with new LAA Permit. £15k ono. Contact Pete 07557140620

Engine Overhaul. Zero time Major engine overhauls carried out on all types, since 1976, c/w dynamometer run-in and test. Bonner Engineering, Shoreham Airport. Contact Bill Bonner: 01 273 440250. aerobonner@aol.com.

Aircraft Weighing. Light Aircraft Weighing Service in East Yorkshire and surrounding area.

For details contact Demraview Ltd. Email: Demraview@gmail.com Mob: 07984 810 761

FOR ALL MEMBERS CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES CONTACT SHEILA: OFFICE@LAA.UK.COM

Bristell NG5 Built in 2020 this red and white Bristell NG5 with a total time of 36 hours, is in superb condition and comes with a new Permit to fly. Based at North Weald and always hangared. Ballistic Parachute. FITI ECO Competition VP propeller, Dynon Skyview SV-HDX with Transponder and ADAHRS module.

High quality deluxe leather interior, SV-EMS220/A module. Bristell AP. Trig radio TY91 couples to the Dynon Skyview Rotax 912 engine with a total time of 36 hours since new.

FOR SALE @ £120.000.00 + VAT. Contact Richard Morgan on 07785 771669 Email rtm6@btinternet.com

56 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

SERVICES & MORE

Lima Zulu Services Ltd. limazuluservicesltd@gmail.com / 07713 864247

“I saw your last ad, can you do wing on my Transit too?”

FUEL SERVICES

TRANSPORTATION

Safe flying

Aircraft Transportation Specialists Specialist vehicles to move your aircraft safely

No Ethanol Don’t risk it with water absorbing E5 and E10 fuels (mogas). WARTER UL91 and 100LL aviation fuels are ethanol free, storage stable and have a vapour pressure suitable for flying.

Please call for more information.

Available in 55 and 195 litre drums for immediate despatch, UK-wide, on a next day basis.

Anglo American Oil Company +44 (0) 1929 551557 COVERS

www.aaoil.co.uk

Telephone: 0121 327 8000 E-mail: info@ponsonby.co.uk Web: www.ponsonby.co.uk

Contact us now for a quotation

July 2023 | LIGHT AVIATION | 57

Where to go

A

WHERE TO GO

selection of flying events for the months ahead, and some you definitely want to add to the calendar for later in the year. Don’t forget, GASCo is always running Safety Evenings up and down the country. We’ve got them listed here, plus it’s worth keeping an eye on their website, www.gasco.org. uk, for further updates.

July 1 1 1-2 1-2 2 2 7-8 7-9 7-10 8 8 8 8-9 15

Middle Wallop Wheels and Wings (PPR) Compton Abbas Vintage Fly-in (PPR) Weston Zoyland Scrumpy and Cheese fly-in (PPR) New Farm SSDR & Sub-70 Rally (PPR) Old Warden Military Air Show (PPR) Seething Summer Fly-in (PPR) Leeds East Private Flyer Fest North Sleap Sleapkosh Fly-In (PPR) Various Aeronca Club Yorkshire Tour Monewden Suffolk Coastal Strut ‘Spirit of Boxted’ Fly-in (PPR) Enstone North (Grass) LAA Oxford Strut Cream tea Fly-in (PPR) Breighton G-George Hangar Party Rufforth East Fly-In and Meet the LAA Old Warden Shuttleworth summer picnic and evening airshow (PPR)

58 | LIGHT AVIATION | July 2023

As always, check the Royal Aero Club Events website for the latest information and web links for many of the events: http://events.royalaeroclub.org/events.htm.

Our thanks to the RAeC and to Dave Wise for the use of their data.

If you have an event you want to advertise on the list, please email the details to Dave at: dave.wise@btinternet.com.

15 Cromer VPAC Eastern Fly-in 15 Deenethorpe Flexwing Fly-in (PPR) 15 Sandown Mid-summer flamping (PPR) 15-16 Halfpenny Green 1940s Weekender fly-in (PPR) 15/16 New Farm Shadowfest 40th Anniversary of CFM Shadow fly-in 15/16 Bodmin Grasshopper Gathering (PPR) 21/23 Oaksey Park European Luscombe and Friends Rally (PPR) 22-23 Glenforsa Van’s RV Fly-in (PPR) 24/30 Oshkosh, Wisconsin EAA AirVenture National Fly-in & Display 27-30 Compton Abbas Spitfire weekend (PPR) 28-29 Haverfordwest Metal Seagulls Open Day – Zenair and UL Powe 29 Otherton Aeroprakt Fly-in (PPR)

Planning ahead July 29/30 Middlezoy Somerset Aerofest (PPR) July 29-30 Old Buckenham Airshow (PPR) July 30 Lundy Lundy Sunday (Strictly PPR) Aug 1 Rochester GASCo Safety Morning Aug 5/6 Dunkeswell Devon Strut fly-in and Airfield 80th Anniversary (PPR) Aug 5/6 Rufforth East Fly-in and Meet the LAA (PPR) Aug 5/6 New Farm X-Air/Skyranger/Shadow Fly-in (PPR) Aug 6 Old Warden Carnival Airshow (PPR) Aug 12 Duxford IWM Flying Day (PPR) Aug 12 Schaffen-Diest 38th Old Timers Fly-in (PPR) Aug 12 Shobdon VPAC Western Fly-in Aug12 Bodmin Cornish Pasty Fly-in Aug 18/20 Popham LAA Grass Roots Rally Sept 9 Sleap VPAC End of season Fly-in Sept 9 Bodmin Cornwall Strut Fly-in

See our website for full range

www.lxavionics.co.uk Supply, design, build and install service Come and visit us at The Grass Roots Fly-in at Popham.

uAvionixSky Echo II Please call us to order.

We specialise in Avionics supply, design and build assistance for homebuilders.

GTN650/750 Xi waas GPS/NAV/COMM

GFC500 Autopilot

RV7 panel under build

G5 AI/HSI

RV9 panel under build

G3X Touch PFD

custom made loom for RV9

GNS to GTN adapter

We can help with panel and wiring design through to complete installation.

Contact us to discuss your Avionics build requirements and to go through ideas.

Call us on 01280 700020, or visit us at Turweston (next to the LAA) to discuss your requirements.

Talk to us for LAA member discounts

info@lxavionics.co.uk

www.lxavionics.co.uk

Our Address: LX Avionics Ltd, Hangar 10, Turweston Aerodrome, BRACKLEY, NN13 5YD

VAT: GB 793 1777 86 Company number 4417407 E & OE

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LAS AEROSPACE LTD

Concorde House, North Road Industrial Estate, Okehampton,Devon EX20 1BQ

TEL: 01837 658081

www.lasaero.com