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Tony Oliver
Jul 09, 2004, 06:07 PM
Yesterday I visited a bookshop a few miles from where I live. It has an aviation section and in it was yet another old-time modelling book to add to the collection.

This one is 'The Design and Construction of Flying Model Aircraft' by DA Russell. Those who go back that far will know him as an early editor of Aeromodeller Magazine here in the UK.

The book is a later version (1943) of an original 1937 book. It's even older than me.

It's full of good quality photographs, graphs and diagrams, but no plans unfortunately. 250 pages of fascinating reading, much of which applies today.
Plenty of Col. Bowden's models and engines which are almost forgotten now.
Multi-propped models driven from one rubber motor. Freeflight scale models of enormous proportions - 1/5 scale Lysander for example - powered by very large sparkers.

If you get the chance to read any of the early books on aeromodelling it's a revelation. Apart from technology of radio and materials, there's not much which happens now which is wholly 'new'

Tony

Ian Easton
Jul 14, 2004, 09:38 AM
Tony,

Any chance you could scan and post a few pages from it?

Ian

Tony Oliver
Jul 14, 2004, 01:14 PM
Every chance in the world Ian!

Later this evening when I've more time to do it.

Tony

Tony Oliver
Jul 14, 2004, 03:40 PM
Sample pages!

Ian Easton
Jul 15, 2004, 09:17 AM
Tony,

Perfect page to post first as I'm looking to buy some of those engines that are on the list!

Ian

Tony Oliver
Jul 15, 2004, 04:17 PM
In that case, you may also be interested in the pics in 'Engines' at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2393448#post2393448

Tony

Gerald
Jul 16, 2004, 09:38 AM
Tony, you should have posted that engines picture in this forum. I'm sure there'd be more interest here.

Had my hands for a while on one of the old Cyclones pictured there.

Tony Oliver
Jul 16, 2004, 10:49 AM
I did wonder about that. However I think many of the readers of Engines are also readers of Vintage so I did a bit of both. In particular I am trying to get the Engines readers a wider interest than just how to get the new ***.40 started. Or where the tank should be placed.

That's one reason I keep introducing Interesting Engines - some old, some new, and some downright odd.

That Cyclone is lovely - and don't they have a nice bark to them!

Tony

Gerald
Jul 16, 2004, 11:02 AM
...

That Cyclone is lovely - and don't they have a nice bark to them!

TonyI'm pretty sure that most of the old sparkers were designed to convert gasoline into noise. Turning the propeller was an unintended side-effect. :p

Ian Easton
Jul 16, 2004, 12:16 PM
TWO spark plugs... ooooooooooh.

Tony Oliver
Jul 16, 2004, 03:08 PM
That sounds like an accurate description of my - admittedly later - Frog 175

:)