Prototypes worth modelling-The De Havilland Chipmunk.

[wonwinglo]

If you are thinking of building your very first scale low wing model then the De Havilland Chipmunk would prove a good choice.

Having made several Chipmunk models of varying scales and detail every one flew well,the neat aerodynamic layout of this design makes for a good model,the sensible shape of the wingtips for the beginner and a fixed undercarriage which can be made easily.

Various manufacturers have kits of this design and there are quite a few plans in circulation as well,also why not consider one of the many converted aerobatic Chipmunks such as the version made by Krier with modified fin and a Lycoming engine,one version even had a retractable undercarriage.

The full size machine was designed by a Polish engineer and built in Canada by the parent company,intended as a modern replacement for the Tiger Moth then in service worldwide.

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[Guest]

Hi All,

And just to really show my age, I remember with affection the first flights I ever took with the Air Training Corps were in the good old "Chippy", flying from the airfield at Hamble famous for Supermarine operations.

Sadly both have now passed into history apart from one or two preserved machines. The airfield is now a housing estate.

Chris

[wonwinglo]

Hello Chris,you probably remember the name 'Air Service training Ltd' ? this Hamble based company trained thousands of airline pilots for the post war airline operations with BEA & BOAC and other lesser known airlines ( most of these pilots have long since retired with nice fat pensions !) they also happened to do a dam good job training thousands of aircraft engineers as well,there approach was very much hands on.

Hamble had been associated with AST right from the early thirties when they used Avro Cadet biplanes & Saro Cloud amphibians,it makes me cringe now to think what they have done to this hallowed ground where as you say the Supermarine company built and flew the Spitfire from.

If ever we need to defend this country again with airpower then I doubt whether we would have enough room to build airfields again,given the number that have given way to houses ! latest to go around here is the old airfield at Fradley which has been sold to make a super housing estate,very sad indeed.

[Guest]

Ast Hamble

my uncle,, capt pw--"darby" kennedy trained at ast and went on to become chief pilot at aer lingus.I used to visit my grandmother in verdon avenue which overlooked the shellmex mini railway line and the western end of the hamble airfield ---my uncle has of course now retired [to spain] and me --i was a pageboy at his wedding in 1936 in hamble parish church..ast used to have a cinema i went to and i had a go on the link trainer they had

my aunt worked in the drawing office for faireys opposite ast ,,and my grandad was a toolmaker for fairey----saturdays i used to watch the cricket at cunliffe owen,,,,and the annual air show was held in the field at the back of my grandmas and up to the hangars

I haven,t been there for many years but did hear from my aunt[darby,s sister in law] that it was now a housing estate

what memorys though ----i remember being almost blown out of my bed once by a terrific noise ,and looking out of the window was a huge Fairey Gannet

the props must have been about at least 15 ft diam [contra rotating] what a monster in the field outside a shed at the end of the field

So many many memories of lots of different airplanes ---beaufighter--swordfish -fury -and of course lots of tiger moths -and down at faireys by my aunts office a north american mitchell-----ah those were the days ----

terry



Hello Terry,that is a fascinating story about your uncle,here is a Chipmunk which was operated by Air Service Training back in 1960,I took it when I worked as an aircraft engineer at Baginton airport,every day the Chipmunks would come over from Hamble on cross country flights,sometimes a dozen at a time,there is a good chance that I met your uncle if he was training with AST at that time ? it was a travesty of justice that they bulldozed Hamble,this was a really historic airfield which had once been the home to companies such as Sir W.G.Armstrong Whitworth aircraft pre-war before they moved to Whitley airfield,AST had a long history of instructional flying for the airlines and the forces as well,so there is a bit of further history for you.

The AST Chipmunks were finished in overall silver with pale blue,white & red stripes down the fuselage,the last two of the registration appeared on the nose as can be seen here in sloping black letters,the wingtips and fin were painted in orange dayglo finish.

For twin engined instrument flying they operated Piper Apache aircraft.

[Guest]

hi ----have just got back from Spain --holiday--a great pity--gone-- all of the places there in Hamble,and I remember Vosper and Supermarine near the floating bridge ,,,also of course gone,as have so many airfields

My uncles first assignment [if I remember correctly ]was at Croydon,also gone

Ther cant be many of the old ,and famous airfields left

My uncle was by the way at AST around 1934---1938--9--as I was at his wedding in 36-------------Terry

[wonwinglo]

hi ----have just got back from Spain --holiday--a great pity--gone-- all of the places there in Hamble,and I remember Vosper and Supermarine near the floating bridge ,,,also of course gone,as have so many airfields My uncles first assignment [if I remember correctly ]was at Croydon,also gone

Ther cant be many of the old ,and famous airfields left

My uncle was by the way at AST around 1934---1938--9--as I was at his wedding in 36-------------Terry

***Hello Terry thank you for the feedback and interest,you are taking me down memory lane again,but I really do not mind,your mention of the Supermarine works & Vosper reminded me that a book has recently been published recently about the intense amount of aviation activity in that area,also if you can get hold of a copy of John Isaacs wonderful book titled 'Aeroplane Affair' it portrays this area in great detail, including the story of the Supermarine Spitfire works, a very important target for daylight straffing Luftwaffe bombers flying low level between the barrage balloons.

Hampshire is rich in airfields although as you say fast vanishing to make way for housing estates.

Regarding Croydon airfield,pleased to mention that the Croydon airport society still maintain the historic control tower at Purley way,recently they did a programme on television showing how the old Imperial Airways aircraft were guided in,they used a large map with string laid across at a tangent,the intersecting lines were read off to the incoming pilots in bad weather,a far cry from the radar and navigational aids that are available today.

Your uncle certainly was lucky enough to witness some of the vibrant days of civil aviation in this country,technology has now taken away a lot of the glamour of those far flung days,when passengers were issued rugs to keep warm on short hops across the channel to the Continent.This is a very evocative period of which to make model subjects.:goodluck:

[Guest]

Bloody hell Barry you are a font of knowledge I know where to come to now lol

[wonwinglo]

Bloody hell Barry you are a font of knowledge I know where to come to now lol

***We have the answer somewhere,or as a well known TV ad said,if we do not then 'We know a man who does' !