Seen this. 1/2 scale Walrus project for sale

I saw this project in Leicestershire about 25 years ago. The wings were based on the Currie Wot and there was a 5 cylinder Salmson engine present. Fun project but for the serious day dreamer only.

The PFA/LAA approves the self-built CLA 7 Swift, but looking the the pictures the wing has received a lot of modification from a ‘standard’ Swift wing. Certainly the fuselage does not share the same construction method of bolted plates.

I doubt the 1/2 scale Walrus designer had access to ALL the Swift drawings. The wing of the Gipsy engined variant differed from the earlier Pobjoy one by dint of a different wing section. Both types of wing also had options for strengthened wings intended for aerobatics. Another option for the Gipsy wing was a large wing root fuel tank. Oh, n the wing rib test papers (available at TNA) are a sobering read for anyone wanting to use the Swift as a starting point for any replica.

I’ve now collected more than 450 original Swift drawings; I doubt that’s more than 75% of the original set. 
 

I would love to know who constructed this originally as from the pictures it looks well built but without an LAA inspector being involved from the start I doubt it can only ever be anything other than a static. And the Comper Swift connection seems extremely unlikely although one of those was built from scratch recently. The only slim possibility for an existing design could be the Currie Wot but again its a wooden single engine biplane that looks nothing like a Walrus.

            Richard

An interesting project for static display.

From the advert;

“I was told when I bought the Walrus that the aircraft has been designed by adapting the plans of a 1930 Comper Swift self-build aeroplane as it’s base, these plans had been skilfully re-engineered into the Walrus.”

Either the previous owner misinformed him or he has mis-remembered what he was told. As we all know, the Comper C.L.A.7 Swift was not a self-build. Forty five were built by Comper Aircraft Co. Ltd in the first half of the 1930s.  Being a diminutive shoulder wing monoplane (span 24ft) I can’t imagine how the plans could be adapted to produce a half scale Walrus biplane with a pusher engine. In fact I can’t think of any self-build design that could be adapted to produce a convincing half scale Walrus.

I have always had a soft spot for Comper Swifts after seeing G-ABUU at Portsmouth Airport on 3/10/65 when it was owned by John Pothecary. It was then in a very smart red colour scheme with black pin striping.

Doubt to CAA would be involved, more likely the LAA, of which no mention in the advert. As for ‘a chance to own your own Walrus’; for goodness sake, it’s a half-scale look-a-like.

Caveat emptor big time. Bring your own barge pole.

It appears to be a nice little project – but I wonder if the CAA obstacles might prove to be insuperable if it came to certification of it as an aircraft in the UK.