P.E.Norman will probably be best remembered for his highly loaded ducted fan projects,he built the Mig 15,Boulton Paul BP.III and F-86 Sabre all powered with this tenuous system.
His models followed shapely fuselages modelled from steamed and twisted balsa sheet bonded together in the most incredible way,he could be seen out flying his models on Fairlop common as his jets swished overhead much to the amazement of onlookers.
A sculptur by trade his skills were used to design and build trophies for the Aeromodeller magazine and the then S.M.A.E Society of model aeronautical engineeres championship trophies,he was also an aeronautical artist of great note.
I still have a few plans by P.E.Norman and it is interesting trying to get your mind inside that of a genius,the early attempts at building the impeller fans for the ducted fan units from fibre sheet evolved into the Veron Imp units produced commercially for inclusion into their jet kits,all this was long before the powerful gas turbines came into being,low output jets had always held a fascination and that is where H.Wilmot-Mansour came in with the well known Jetex 50,100 units,these worked on the principles of expanding gases which emmited through a tiny nozzle,a fuse was lit and burned into solid capsules trapped between a metal gauze with a hollow centre,you became very skillful at removing the hot centre wire of the motors wick !.
P.E.Norman is no longer with us but his designs live on to be built by enthusiasts,aeromodelling would have been a poorer place without people like him prepared to accept that challenge,to push the boundaries just that little bit further.
His models followed shapely fuselages modelled from steamed and twisted balsa sheet bonded together in the most incredible way,he could be seen out flying his models on Fairlop common as his jets swished overhead much to the amazement of onlookers.
A sculptur by trade his skills were used to design and build trophies for the Aeromodeller magazine and the then S.M.A.E Society of model aeronautical engineeres championship trophies,he was also an aeronautical artist of great note.
I still have a few plans by P.E.Norman and it is interesting trying to get your mind inside that of a genius,the early attempts at building the impeller fans for the ducted fan units from fibre sheet evolved into the Veron Imp units produced commercially for inclusion into their jet kits,all this was long before the powerful gas turbines came into being,low output jets had always held a fascination and that is where H.Wilmot-Mansour came in with the well known Jetex 50,100 units,these worked on the principles of expanding gases which emmited through a tiny nozzle,a fuse was lit and burned into solid capsules trapped between a metal gauze with a hollow centre,you became very skillful at removing the hot centre wire of the motors wick !.
P.E.Norman is no longer with us but his designs live on to be built by enthusiasts,aeromodelling would have been a poorer place without people like him prepared to accept that challenge,to push the boundaries just that little bit further.
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