The '63 Criterium did have one highlight. I've mentioned my practice of landing the model under full power and rolling the wheels on the floor. I got the idea from seeing Don Still do this at the 1960 world championships. Don's model (his famous 'Stuka') had the undercarriage mounted on the fuselage which makes things difficult. I discovered that a wing-mounted U/C in the right position made things much easier.
After the contest at the Criterium, there was a session where several of the flyers were flying each others models. Louis Grondal was flying the O/D model (with wing-mounted U/C) which has since become known as the 'Grondal Nobler', although there is virtually no resemblance to a 'Nobler' at all. He let Juri Sirotkin fly it and motioned to him to roll the wheels on the ground as I had been doing earlier with my own model.
He then flew Sirotkin's model, which had the U/C on the fuselage, and was persuaded to do the same. I approached Juri, who I knew quite well by now, and made motions to suggest that I would like to fly the model too. He looked at the Russian team manager, who nodded! I then found myself with a handle in my hand and Juri starting the motor.
The model was the last of the 'Mockba' (Moscow) series and had a deep bellied fuselage with no cockpit. It was the immediate predecessor of the 'Spacehound'. The motor was the MVVS 35 stunt motor, developed from the 29 racing motor with a rear intake. It was run on a 10x4 prop at quite high revs. The model probably weighed no more than 30 ounces or so and flew like nothing else that I had flown to that point.
It was very light on the lines and flew quite slowly. In level flight it felt almost sluggish, but turned very tight when you really moved the handle. The motor had been set very rich (I assume deliberately to limit what I could do/attempt with it), but leaned out towards the end of the flight. I immediately began to throw the model about and there was a shout (almost a scream) from outside the circle. I immediately levelled out and the motor stopped dead. An international incident was averted, but I'm not sure whether I was ever forgiven.
What I had forgotten for the moment was that the model had a balloon tank and leaning out was the warning that it was about to stop. I had taken some note of Juri's starting procedure, so I did know the situation. He would introduce a pipe into the motors intake from a squeeze bottle and repeatedly flick the motor over while gently squeezing the bottle. At some point the motor would feel right and he would fill the tank and attach it to the motor. A pair of surgical clamps (hemostat?) sealed off the fuel line.
When he came to fly, the motor would be started with the clamp still in position and it would be removed as soon as the motor fired. I never once saw this system fail him.
Only a handful of these motors were produced. Another who used one was Josef Gabris, of Czechoslovakia (actually, he was from Bratislava, which was proudly displayed on his models) who was world champion in 1964 and 66. He used a conventional tank and a 10x6 prop and flew quite fast.
I had travelled to Belgium in company, once again, with the Nixon brothers and Mick Campbell. This time we used the van which Dennis used to conduct his business. It was actually an old Bedford ambulance which had been converted by added a false body. For the trip, this false body was removed. On arrival at Dover, Dennis was informed that he was now liable for purchase tax on the vehicle. There was nothing we could do at this point so the trip continued.
While we were in Belgium the top gear (three speed box) failed and we travelled across Belgium and from Dover to Hinkley in second gear. After fixing the 'box, Dennis sold the van. Within a week the rear axle failed!
Late in the year, Frank Warburton's father (Frank Snr, always known to us as 'Pop') offered me a kit of Frank's 'Tony' which was being produced by Bradshaws Models. I accepted but soon regretted it because it was not well engineered and, more important, was very heavy. Flying weight, with the Merco was around 64 ounces. Obviously, this wasn't to be the new wonder machine, so I started on another 'Iroquois'.
This returned to my own wing and tail with fully sheeted surfaces and wing-mounted U/C. Maybe it was reaction from the 'Tony', but this one weighed 39 ouncess. It had several unusual features, one being the use of a vented balloon tank. This was actually invented by Mike Burch, later a well-known R/C aerobatic flyer. The idea was to solder vents into a metal bottle top and attach it to the front bulkhead with a screw. The balloon was mounted on the rear. By holding the model on its tail, the balloon could be filled and all the air vented out.
Another feature was the use of what I called 'non-linear flaps'. Nowadays, these would be called exponential flaps. The idea was prompted by the fact that there were (and still are) two schools of thought about stunt model controls:
The Bob Palmer approach had more elevator movement than flap movement and gave a very responsive, fast-turning model.
The George Aldrich approach had flaps that moved the same, or a greater, amount as the elevators. This gave a smoother turning model and more stability in level flight.
I tried to conbine the two by producing a linkage that would allow the flaps to move more than the elevator around neutral but give more elevator than flap at the movement extremes. My first attempt produced a model that varied from downright sluggish to smoothly aerobatic! I cut into the model and increased the elevator movement and the result was all that I hoped. The one small snag was that there was a notable 'jump' in the response very close to the control throw that was needed for round manoeuvres.
Once I had learned to fly it, this was a very successful model, but it needed practice. Returning to a conventional model always 'felt' better.
I attended the '64 team trials with the 'Tony', not expecting too much. I was the only entry. I was told by Norman Butcher, now SMAE chairman that I was now the 'team' by default. I explained that there was little chance of my being able to afford to attend the championships, again in Hungary. Nonetheless, I was told that I must sign the form that had been introdyced for team members. This was an agreement that you would attend with two competitive models, etc. I pointed out that this was most unlikely, but was still pressed into signing. I added a note on the form about the unlikelyhood of finding finance before signing.
Not only was the finance not forthcoming, but I had jaundice at the time of the championships and wouldn't have made it anyway.
Despite its rather peculiar turning characteristics, 'Nobler 3' made it to second place in the '64 Gold Trophy. In many ways, this was a strange machine. It competed in seven contests in all and placed second in five of them. I still believe that a model that is difficult to fly can be more successful than one which is easy. For the rest of 1964 I concentrated on the 'Iroquois 5', having got used to its controls. This model was also used for every contest in '65 and '66, except one. For the record, the exception was the 'Spacebird' which we will reach in due course.
The 'Iroquois' eventually competed in 19 contests and won 5 of them. One of these wins was the trials meeting for the 1965 Criterium. The Criteriums had always been open international meetings, although entries were restricted to three per country. Because of this, some form of qualification was necessery. In previous years, the Gold Trophy was used as an unofficial trials. In 1965 the events title changed from Criteriun des As (Criterium of Aces) to Criterium of Europe and it was deemed that an official trials was needed.
There were just three entries and I placed first. I enjoyed these meetings and went ahead with arrangements to make the trip by car. Very shortly before the meeting I was informed that I wasn't in the team. Thus, I was involved in considerable expense and no appeal was even possible. Even if it had been possible, it was much too late. Note that this left GB with an incomplete team. Jim Mannall wrote a long letter of protest but, as far as I am aware, received no reply.
The only information available, by word of mouth, was that it was because of my poor performance at the previous Criterium and my 'letting the Society down' the previous year. With nothing in writing there is no accountability, but my protests at this led to the statement that I had signed a form that I would go. My challenge to them to produce the form was ignored. Unfortunately, this was far from the end of the whole matter.
In line with the philosophy of 'one new model per year', I produced a new model for 1965. This was basically a Mark 2 'Thunderbird' with fully sheeted flying surfaces and a wing-mounted undercarriage. It also had an internal silencer.
Photo from 'Aeromodeller' of the '65 Nats shows Tom Jolley's
un-named I-beam model, 'Spacebird' and 'Iroquois 5'.
Note the fashion for tall tailwheels.
By this time, SMAE rules required that all powered models were fitted with an effective silencer. I didn't like the idea of a silencer projecting out of the smooth lines of the cowl and I felt that the drag would seriously affect the performance. Nowadays, the weight would be felt to be the primary factor. After producing lots of sketches I worked out that the bearers could be staggered to allow the motor to be canted over at an angle. The tank fitted inside the lower bearer (inverted engine) and below the upper bearer. This brought the tank into the proper position in line with the needle valve. The silencer was made from a piece of thin walled one inch diameter aluminium pipe and was mounted as close to the motor as possible. This allowed the motor and silencer to be enclosed in a slightly wider cowl.
I discovered what was called 'low pressure steam line'. This was a pipe made from thin corrugated copper and could be easily bent to quite a sharp curve. This allowed the output from the silencer to be vented down and out of the cowl. In inverted flight, it looked like a steam locomotive.
The model was completed by two large teardrop shaped spats around the wheels and an angled canopy giving the model an appearance very similar to Sirotkin's 'Spacehound'. Thus I called it 'Spacebird'. The wing also carried the legend 'alias Thunderhound'. The bad news was that it weighed 54 ounces.
