I reflect on how amazing it is that I’m here at all, sailing along nearly three miles up in a flimsy contraption made of wood and quivering fabric, suspended on air, sustained only by the wind rushing under the wings. I think how not long ago the aeroplane didn’t exist at all, no man had … Continue reading Arthur Gould Lee: No Parachute & Open Cockpit
Tag Archives: Aviation
Airfix 1/24 Wallis WA-116 Agile Autogyro: “Little Nellie”
This kit was first released fifty years ago. It’s a model of a real aircraft, the Wallis WA-116 Agile autogyro, designed by Ken Wallis and built in extremely limited numbers (five!) in 1962. It achieved fame because one aircraft, G-ARZB, was kitted out with some splendid yellow-and-silver livery and simulated weapons for the 1967 James … Continue reading Airfix 1/24 Wallis WA-116 Agile Autogyro: “Little Nellie”
Eric Brown: Wings On My Sleeve
A new hydraulic-pneumatic catapult was installed which had to be proofed so that its performance could be checked before it was introduced into service. For the first launch with it we used an Avenger as being an old and well-tried faithful. It was a startling maiden effort. The aircraft was shot off so violently that … Continue reading Eric Brown: Wings On My Sleeve
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Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIB: Part 2
So I finished the first part of this build log with the model primed for painting. This one wears the desert camouflage scheme, so it got a layer of Azure Blue on the underside, which was then masked off, followed by a layer of Mid Stone on the upper surfaces. Then there’s the tedious business … Continue reading Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIB: Part 2
Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIB: Part 1
So this is my next project. I’m building another aircraft my father might have flown—a Hawker Hurricane IIB that was on the complement of No.71 Operational Training Unit, Ismailia, in the first few months of 1944. It’s actually quite difficult to track down details of aircraft at Operational Training Units. A few pilot’s logbooks have … Continue reading Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIB: Part 1
Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIC: Part 2
Go to the first post in this build log I left you last time when I had applied the primer coat successfully. Next, I sprayed on the Temperate Land Scheme colours, using LifeColor paints. First, I applied Medium Sea Grey to the under surfaces, then masked that area off, applied Dark Earth to the upper … Continue reading Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIC: Part 2
Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIC: Part 1
By way of a break from the slow building of my Saturn V, this one is an attempt to model one of the aircraft my father flew during the Second World War. It’s going to be Hurricane LB545, stationed with 135 Squadron RAF at Minneriya, Ceylon, in August 1944. It’ll be a reconstruction, rather than … Continue reading Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIC: Part 1
Airfix 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King: Part 5
Go to first post of this build log Well, if you’ve been fretting about what was happening with this kit, I can only assure you that I haven’t been frittering away my time. Not been having a lot of fun, either. You’ll maybe recall that I planned to use my own printed decals to put … Continue reading Airfix 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King: Part 5
George J. Marrett: Contrails Over The Mojave
Some pilots, though probably due to the luck of the draw, always seemed to get the plane that comes apart in the air. George J. Marrett was a United States Air Force (USAF) test pilot in the Fighter Test Branch of Flight Test Operations at Edwards Air Force Base during the 1960s, and Contrails Over … Continue reading George J. Marrett: Contrails Over The Mojave
Airfix 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King: Part 4
Go to first post of this build log So, much masking later, I got the black, silver and red detailing done on the body of the helicopter. Gad, that’s hard work on something with so much rivet detail—very difficult to mask effectively without one pesky rivet being right on the edge of the masked region, … Continue reading Airfix 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King: Part 4