We have exactly the same Quandary with Electric RC Models, do you go for a a small ungeared prop, or a reduction gearbox with a larger prop?

The cowl shape and scale have a bearing, a small ungeared prop on my Attilla (Fokker Eindekker-ish) does a lovely job of cooling the motor, but only sticks out an inch beyond the cowl!

We have to balance current draw, RPM, thrust,Prop size/pitch and prop efficiency, an 8″ prop on a brushless motor can turn at 15-18,000 rpm, and makes a similar noise to a Harvard’s prop!

Wonderful workhorse – anyone fancy a 1/72nd quality diecast model of one? :rolleyes:

Are Corgi going to make one? yes, Please!
I have the smaller Corgi one, and an unmade Matchbox kit…

I am also wondering about buying the mechanicals from a small electric heli off ebay and then building a Depron Wessex body around them….

My current heli has counter-rotating blades that flex so much, when I practice my quickstops the top blades chop the tips off the lower blades 😉

Sounds to me as if the good old Wessex has quite a following; so questions, are there any plans to get one flying again?

And does anyone have any Wessex ‘porn’ they want to share? (or any other vintage chopper pics).

Steve.

PS. my first chopper flight was lso an ATC trip in an 22sqn AirSea Rescue Wessex, from Valley.

Mine was a 22sqn Wessex from Coltishall on ATC summer camp!

I will have a look in the loft tonight, I have loads of Shawbury in the late ’80s including the visit from the Queen’s flight Wessex and some roping/abseiling practice we gave some visiting Rock-Apes. Unfortunately my Camera of the time, Olympus OM10, was suffering from a Shutter problem, so only about 10% came out… 🙁
Photo below is of me in XR505 marshalling into a confined area

If the engine wouldn’t start we threw a bucket of water down the exhaust. It flushed out all the excess fuel. But nevertheless one day I saw a lick of flame go right past the tail boom on start up.

I recall this process producing a huge amount of smoke, and wasn’t detailed in any of the ops manuals! 😉

We also had to give the nose a hearty slap with the side of the fire-axe if the starter Solenoid got stuck (a la Mini) approx 4″ in front of the Captains windscreen 😀

My Favourite Manoeuvre in the Wessex was the Quick-Stop, we’d come over the hedge at 50ft/90kts, the Captain would call: ‘Quickstop, Quickstop, Go’
The tail goes down, the Aircraft stops very quickly, I would clear the Captain for final descent and then talk the tail down and then the mains…

If the Student Pilot fluffed it, the Instructor would take over, perform a wing-over (60 degrees nose up, 60 degrees bank), and then do a downwind Quickstop, which was even sharper.

The first time that happened I was standing out on the step…..quite a shock to be outside the aircraft when performing a manoeuvre like that 😮

Aah yes, Sunday afternoon, Farnborough and a bit of Raymond, can’t beat it!

I don’t think it will be replacing the Ginsters wedged between a copy of the ‘Sun’ and a 2 litre bottle of Coke in the windscreens of White Transits up and down the land any time soon…..

Nope.

Just my little PA22, seen here on the ramp at Calais last Saturday morning.

Moggy

Sorry Moggy I can’t see photo…

Do they still have a number of large, overstaffed Airports in Southern Italy as local job creation schemes? I read about this in Pilot Magazine many years ago