How to build the 'Flying Flea'

Ive e-mailed a guy on the aboriculture course and hopefully they may get it back for me.

Hmmm, i cant realy do that. Its in a tree in my college grounds. I took it to college with me to trim in my lunch hour. 2nd powerd flight it went up.

Try trimming the tree instead, it’ll probably be easier.

Slight problem there, its residing in a tree at the moment. I knocked it up in a few days and did not take any photos like so many of models.

Ollie, I’d love to see a photo of your model Flea.

Can you guys not see a joke. I was not serious about building one. I have a model of a flying flea and have had enough fan trying to trim it.

I know there are quite a few ‘modern’ Poux du Ciel flying – including HM.293, G-AXRG(?) built and flown by Bill Cole at Southend (mentioned in a thread in October).
But the original/modified (“Cantilever Pou”?) HM.14 – could it be done?
Roger Smith.

wasnt that refusal to issue a permit to fly lifted after the modifications to the design were made, just that know one wanted to build one anymore! newer versions of the design have been flying very succesfully in France for years.

No I think it should be an attempt at a fully airworthy example… 😉

Actually that raises an interesting point. We moan (with, mostly, good reason) about EU “interference” over UK private/light flying.
I don’t believe the HM.14 was actually banned from flying, the Air Ministry simply refused to issue any Permits to Fly. HM.14s have continued to fly in France and other European countries.
If Ollie, or anyone else, wanted to build then fly an HM.14 in the UK (provided it was built correctly and inspected as necessary) would he be legally allowed to?
Roger Smith.

Hopefully Ollie did’nt mean he was going to build an Airworthy Flea! just a static example?

No I think it should be an attempt at a fully airworthy example… 😉

Hopefully Ollie did’nt mean he was going to build an Airworthy Flea! just a static example?

Now that has given me an idea. Maybe i should do that rather than get a cockpit section. And it means i could use up some of this wood layin about this place.

I’ll break my no travelling promise to be at the first flight of this project.

Ollie, don’t do anything! Not a cockpit section, and a not a Flea!

You have to sit down and learn. To think you can build an aircraft out of any left over wood laying around the place is not a very well thought out idea. If you go ahead with that one, you might hurt your self.

To build any wooden aircraft, you need a specific quality of wood and that wood does not come cheap! If you like to learn more about homebuilt aircraft in the UK, have a look at the Popular Flying Association website here

Keep taking the tablets, Ollie.

Now that has given me an idea. Maybe i should do that rather than get a cockpit section. And it means i could use up some of this wood layin about this place.

Looks tempting…

Mark