Bumpy Green Heads East - Literally for the
LMA show at Duxford Imperial War Museum

With rain spattering the windscreen on the trip up the M11 and the sky getting darker grey the nearer I got to Duxford it did not bode well for the event I was heading for. The LMA was having it's annual show at the Duxford Aerodrome and it provided an excellent opportunity to see some of the largest flying models in the UK in action. Located in Cambridgeshire close to the M11 motorway the drive up is scenic and enjoyable passing by North Weald Airfield and Stanstead Airport.

The LMA or Large Model Association was formed in the UK in 1982 to represent to the CAA and other bodies, those who fly large models and to bring together those who share a common interest in them. It is the only organisation specifically devoted to this branch of the hobby and is recognised by the Civil Aviation Authority as the specialist in the field. See the LMA website for more details. www.largemodelassociation.com

Duxford is Europe's premier aviation museum - as well as having one of the finest collections of tanks, military vehicles and naval exhibits in the country. This famous site began as an airfield in the First World War and also played a vital role in the Second World War, firstly as an RAF fighter station and later as an American fighter base. The aerodrome at Duxford was built during the First World War and was one of the earliest Royal Air Force stations. During 1917 the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) expanded and Duxford was one of a number of new stations established to train RFC aircrew. On 1 April 1918 the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps were merged to become the Royal Air Force, the world's first fully independent air force. In September 1918 Duxford opened as a flying school - No. 35 Training Depot Station - and after the war ended in November 1918 the airfield was used as a base for the disbandment of squadrons from the Continent. RAF Duxford became No.2 Flying Training School in 1920, equipped with the Avro 504, the DH9A and the Bristol Fighter. 1923 brought limited expansion of the RAF and a training flight of Sopwith Snipes was added to the School. From the pilots and aircraft at Duxford the nuclei of three fighter squadrons were formed - Nos. 19, 29 and III - and in 1924, under reorganised Home Defence arrangements, Duxford became a fighter station, a role it was to carry out with distinction for 37 years. See the Duxford website for more details. http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/

Many models were on display at Duxford that weren't flown during the Sunday show. Some are unfinished, some are waiting for CAA certification or flight time testing, a few unfortunately failed to fly due to technical problems. All however will be flown in the future and represent a wide range of type and style of model. First up is the Fokker DR1 Triplane of Dave Horton. Built to 1/2 scale with intricate and exact detail throughout. It has now passed it's CAA Certification and Dave is working on the logged flight hours to allow it to be flown at public shows. Every time I see this model it has gained more detail and finishing. The final product is a marvel to behold. Simon Steggall's Vickers Valiant is the third model from the V-Force trio along with the Avro Vulcan and the Handley Page Victor. The model has a wingspan of 4.97m and fuselage length of 4.7m. It will be powered by 2 AMT Pegasus motors. The dry weight should be 110 lbs, with 2 gallons of fuel making a take off weight of 130 lbs. Brakes are to be fitted to mains. The model is painted in low level camouflage colours. The main section will hold the radio, retracts and engines. Theoretically you could start-up and drive the centre section on its own! JR digital servos will be used throughout with 2 JR PCM10 receivers. Simon hopes it will be ready for Cosford 2004. This Focke Wulf FW190 failed to get airborne during my visit, after repeated attempts to get it started and running correctly. At one point it was on the flight line without it's cowl, showing off the large radial engine. It was not to be however and the model was removed to the display area. The Bristol Blenheim Display Team had their superb model on show. I look forward to seeing this fly at future events. Ghost Squadron are well known for their highly detailed and often very large models. At 29% scale with a wingspan of 5.25m (17.2 ft) the Horton IX V2 is no exception. Powered by 2 AMT Pegasus turbines delivering 26kg thrust they propel this 33kg model quite rapidly.

Shown roughly in the order I saw them fly the following models were flown with great care and accuracy. Where possible I have shown the model along with crew to show the size some of these models are now being built to. Thundering out of the leaden sky the Messerschmitt Me262A-1a flown by John Greenfield of Ghost Squadron. Built to 36% scale and powered by 2 AMT Olympus gas turbines the model is 4.6m (15.1ft) span and weighs 74kg (163lb). Sporting the Yellow 5 and the Werk No 500071. I researched this number and found W.Nr 500071 is actually White 3 of the III./JG 7 and has some interesting history as it was crash-landed by FHR Hans Guido Mutke at Zurich-Dubendorf in Switzerland on April 25th 1945. It then returned to Germany in 1957 and is now in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany one of very few Me262's still in existence. John who is both pilot and builder of the Me262 guides the model back to the pits after a successful flight. For those interested Yellow 5 was an Me-262 A-2 W.Nr. 110007 and was first flown by VFF2 Anton Schoppler of II./JG 7 at Fassberg on 8th May, 1945. Tony Nijhuis is famed for his electric models and this is another of his creations. The Hughes HK-1 (H-4) Flying Boat or Spruce Goose as it was called by the press only once in 1947 and that was an accident during trials. Tony however flies his 1/21 scale Goose higher, further and longer than the original ever did. Powered by 8 Speed 600 motors with 3.1 reduction gearboxes and takes 40 3300 Nimh cells (10 cells per pair of motors) Totally scratch built it has a wingspan of 4.4m (14ft 6in) The Lowley is a low wing large model transition type. Designed by John Greenfield it is an easy to build model for those wishing to fly large models. The Lowley is not a trainer as such but is intended to introduce people to the aspects or large modelling such as remote servo installation, longer and larger control routing and large engines, in this case a 25 - 40cc petrol ignition engine. It has a span of 88" and will fly on standard size radio gear and suitable glow engine is desired. Plans are available from the LMA along with the Greenly a high wing large model trainer. With a little imagination the humble Lowley can be made to represent an entirely different look. Here is a version with a round cowl, cockpit, chopped and shaped wing tips and tail fin bearing a striking resemblance to an early WWII US Navy low wing trainer. Greg Hayfield is the owner of this Super Stinker Pitts 11. Built to 54% scale and is powered by a 210cc ZDZ flat twin engine. Weight is around 30kg (66lb)and was built from scratch in about 6 months. Checking the smoke system on the Super Stinker before take off, Greg put on a series of masterful aerobatic displays. The Supermarine Spitfire is enough to fire the soul of any aviation enthusiast, rare enough as they are even rarer are the two seat trainer versions. Richard Rawle based his 1/3 scale model on the Grace Spitfire T9 ML407. Every detail is present with sliding canopies, opening doors, realistic metal exhaust stubs and more rivets than you could count in an afternoon. Richards model is powered by a 124cc twin petrol ignition engine with 2 x 62cc cylinders built onto a custom crank case. Colin "The Aviator" Hammond flew his amazing 1/10 scale B25 Mitchell. Superbly detailed and bristling with guns. Some very low passes were performed as Colin flew along with Richards Spitfire. Built from a Nick Ziroli plan wingspan is 3.2m (10ft 6in) weight is 17.6kg (39lb) and it is powered by 2 38cc Zenoahs. Colin also did a fantastic job of commentating for a majority of the show, stopping only to take his place on the flight line. By his own admission he ''Loves to talk about aeroplanes'' and since his retirement has devoted a lot of time to both his modelling and his commentary pursuits. Next up was the Avro Vulcan B2 of Dave Johnson, an impressive model of 17ft span. Built to 1/7 scale it weighs 63kg (140lb) dry and 70kg (155lb) ready to fly. Based on XH558 the last full size Vulcan to fly before it's retirement. It certainly is an impressive presence in the sky and from even a small distance it is difficult to tell it apart from the real thing. The Vulcan is powered by 2 JTJ Australia gas turbines and sounds awesome when flying. This model was originally powered by 2 Zenoah 62 pushers but is well suited to turbine power. A timely shot of the Vulcan landing with the full size Vulcan B2 XJ824 in the background. XJ824 last flew in 1982 when it landed at Duxford having been presented to the Imperial War Museum after having served with 101 squadron in 1981. Gordon Nichols is well known for his large models and this one is the largest so far. A Boeing B52 Stratofortress built to 1/8 scale with a wingspan of 7.16m (23.5ft) and this was it's first public show. Gordon was using this time to test the model taking off from grass for a trip to France the following week that only has a grass airstrip. Powered by 8 Wren turbines, all of which autostart from the complex control panel housed inside the nose of the B52. Initially it was having problems starting with a fuel leak detected during startup. After a quick check and some even quicker repairs it was soon powering down the middle of the grass runway and was airborne with all the grace and poise of the full size B52. Ted Allison wanted his AT6 Texan to emulate the real thing as much as possible and all aerofoil sections are exact duplicates of the full size. Built to 33% scale it has a wingspan of 4.2m (14ft), a wing area of 28.2sq ft and a wing loading of only 3lb/sq ft. The Texan weighs 86lb and is powered by a 15HP 3W-140 Vegas petrol ignition engine swinging a 28" x 12" prop. This prop was chosen over the original 30" x 10" to avoid the problem of supersonic blade tips creating too much noise. John Townsend's Miles Magister is built to 50% scale and is an impressive sight both on the ground and in the air. Apologies to John, I seem to have mislaid the information on this model and could not find any on the LMA website. Please fell free to email me the specs so I can update this segment. Another large aircraft modeled on a large scale. The Hercules syndicate C130J is built to 1/7 scale and has a wingspan of 5.6m (18.5 ft). Length is 4.7m (15.5 ft), has an all up weight of 78kg (173lb) and is powered by 4 Quadra 42cc petrol ignition engines. Features on the model are working lights, electrically operated split flaps, screwjack undercarriage, air powered brakes and an air powered rear cargo door and loading ramp. The model is often flown with a payload for low altitude drop or parachutes which are dropped during flight. Ghost Squadron seem to have a never ending supply of models as well as inspiration for differing types. John Greenfield spent 3 years building this 25% Vickers Wellington and was first flown in 2000. Constructed using the original method of Barnes Wallace incorporating the geodetic structure that allowed the full size Wimpy to absorb a large amount of damage and still fly safely. Wingspan is 6.5m (21.4ft), a wing area of 40sq.ft and a fuselage length of 3.9m (13ft). Power is supplied by 2 3W 60's driving 24" x 8" Airflow propellers. The model also features flaps, lights, bomb drop action, retracting undercarriage and pneumatic brakes. The last two items are supplied by an onboard compressor and the model uses 18 servos to control everything. Roger Bale flew his 14% Vickers Vimy and an impressive sight it is. Intricately detailed with more rigging wires than your average biplane. Based on the record breaking Vimy of John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown which made the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic ocean on 14-15 June 1919. The real version now resides in the Science Museum, London. Roy Salter has many large early flight era monoplanes to his name and this 1/2 scale Eastbourne is the latest. The wingspan is 5.3m (17.5ft) with a wing chord of 38in. Power is supplied by a 3W 140 petrol ignition engine driving a 30inx 12in propeller. Weight is 35.3kg (78lb) and in flight it looks every bit as majestic as the original did in 1913. This Bucker Jungmeister of Keith Mitchell is 1/3 scale, has a wingspan of 2.4m (8ft), weighs12.7kg (28lb) and is powered by a Brison 70cc engine. Grumman Bearcat built and flown by Steve White has a wingspan of 88in, weighs 26lb and is powered by a Zenoah 62cc petrol ignition engine. Ken Bones built his Vought Corsair F4u from the Jim Meister plan. Wingspan is 100in, weight of 30lb and powered by a Zenoah 62cc. This is the third version of the same model Ken has built and this one took 3 months to complete. Civilian planes are also well represented in the LMA with this 1/4 scale Piper J3 Cub of Dick Whittington among those that flew at Duxford. Wingspan is 2.7m (9ft), weight is 7kg (15.4lb) and is powered by a Zenoah 23cc. Built in just 10 days from the Balsa USA kit. The PLZ 104 Wilga 80 is not often a subject of models but this one did a fine job of representing the type. No info on the model. Full size planes come and go from Duxford as it is an active airfield, this Auster J1 left at the end of the day but could easily have been another one of the large models flown that day. One event that always gets peoples attention is to see a Spitfire flying. What inspires people to silence is to see a Spitfire landing just a few hundred feet away. Everything stopped for a few minutes as Spitfire Mk Vb BM597 as JH-C of 317 Squadron, landed and taxied back for refueling. The Duxford Trophy is awarded to the model chosen by the judges to be the best representation of an aircraft currently in residence at Duxford Aerodrome. The 2004 contest was close but the final decision went to Richard Rawle for his 1/3 scale Grace Spitfire ML407.

Article by John Kent from Bumpy Green Model Aerodrome
June 2004

Comment by Brian Smith on 20040728075118. Rating 5

Sorry about the weather However I do envy your fullsize and modelling aviation heritage and am anxiously waiting for an opportunity to once more visit your beautiful Island and enjoy again English hospitality and the amazing countryside. English pubs are great!

Comment by Markie on 20040901235714. Rating 5

great models, i go to the northern show every year www.radiomodels.co.uk

Comment by gordon burch on 20051203232025. Rating 5

Brilliant effort John, I wish I had looked at this earlier! more power to your elbow mate! regards Gordon.

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