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Welcome to the Deeside MAC Photograph Album. The images below show some of
the models owned and flown by members of the Club.
As far as possible, these photographs depict the more unusual models,
either in visual terms or because they 'have a story to tell'. For the benefit of overseas
visitors to our pages, however, a few pictures showing examples of the most popular
designs appearing at the Broken Bank flying field are also included since these models may
not be so well known outside the UK.
Clicking on any of the photographs below will cause
an enlarged view of that image to be displayed. |
Firebrand
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The Firebrand is an unusual looking 'jet' style model, but is a
real pussy cat to fly. It has a wingspan of 57", weighs just under 6 pounds,
and an Irvine Q40 ABC provides very adequate power. Loops, rolls, stall turns, etc. are
all perfectly straightforward, although inverted flight tends to be a bit of a handful -
possibly due to the high, all-moving tailplane. Slow flight is a delight; the
forward-swept wings ensure that the wing roots always stall before the tips, and the Firebrand
just 'nods' and picks up speed again. Spins are interesting, with alternating normal and
'flicked' rotations; once established, the model has to be 'flown out' of the spin. With
veneered foam wings, built-up tail surfaces, and balsa 'box' fuselage Firebrand
was built from the RCM&E plan designed by M. Saunders. |
B25 Mitchell |
This very nicely finished B25 Mitchell was built by
Deeside MAC
member Denis Hughes from the Marutaka (now Royal) kit. The model flew very well and
appeared at the flying site quite a few times before Denis tired of it and put it up for
sale in the local model shop. The Mitchell was bought by a
restaurant owner from the south of England and hung from the ceiling of his restaurant by
nylon lines as part of its aviation 'theme' décor. There it remained for many months
until (fortunately whilst the restaurant was closed) the nylon lines snapped and the model
plummeted to the floor, sustaining substantial damage in the fall. Rather than have the Mitchell
repaired, the restaurant owner disposed of it......... and there the story seemed to have
ended. In 1995, however - some three years after the model was sold to the restaurant -
newly-joined DMAC member Mark McKee turned up at the flying field with a very smart B25
Mitchell that he had bought in pieces at a car boot sale and repaired to
flying condition. Denis was in the pits at the time and he first admired the model and
complimented Mark on its finish....... then he peered more closely at the detailing and
said "Hey - That's my old Mitchell!" After a round
trip of three years and several hundred miles the B25 had
returned to the scene of its first flight. |
Pushy Cat |
The Pushy Cat was originally a very successful free-flight
model, and was a winner of the Bowden Trophy in the early 1950s. DMAC member Keith Cooke
built this R/C version at double the original size (resulting in a 72" wingspan) for
3-channel control on rudder, elevator and throttle. An Irvine .36 ABC driving a 'pusher'
propeller gives more than adequate power in the air, but all of the available thrust is
needed for takeoff from the grass strip. The high degree of stability inherent in the
design of the Pushy Cat makes it tend to resist instructions to
turn - in Keith's words it "flies like a drunken skunk" - but it is still a very
enjoyable and docile model to fly. Aerobatic manoeuvres are limited to loops and very
barrely barrel rolls. |
F16 Fighting Falcon |
DMAC member Ron Sweeney pre-flights his F16 Fighting Falcon
ducted-fan model at the Broken Bank Flying site. Visitors to these pages who live in the
UK may well have seen this model before - in the BBC Television series "999
Lifesavers". Ron was flying his F16 at a ducted-fan meeting
when he was approached by the producer of the series and asked if the model was available
for hire for use in the episode of the programme which was devoted to the USAF pilot shot
down by a SAM over Bosnia. Ron's own-design F16 and also a
slightly smaller, kit-built example (the model shown in the photograph) were both used in
the making of the programme; suspended vertically from the studio ceiling on fine wires,
the models had smoke-generator 'clouds' rising past them as Ron's model was 'blown up' by
the BBC's special-effects team (the camera was mounted at 90 degrees to the vertical so
that the aircraft appeared to be in horizontal flight on the resulting film). After the
filming, both models (somewhat battered by their movie careers) were returned to Ron, and
both were restored to full flying condition. |
Puppeteer |
The Flair Puppeteer is a popular sport-scale WWI biplane which
captures the character of the Sopwith Pup whilst having very docile flying
characteristics. DMAC member Andy Thomson wanted to build one - but since he still had the
plan from an earlier kit-built example he decided to build one from 'alternative
materials'..... no, not glass, epoxy and kevlar, but cardboard! The forward fuselage and
the wings were assembled using cardboard from packaging cartons to make the fuselage box,
ribs, capping strips, ailerons, etc., and the fuselage sheeting was cut from file
separator cards. Ply was used for the engine bulkhead, and balsa strip for the wing spars
and leading and trailing edges. The rear fuselage and tail feathers were built up from
balsa, and 'baby buggy' wheels from the local hardware store completed the undercarriage.
Although a little heavier than an all-balsa example, the cardboard Puppeteer
flew very well on an MDS .60 two-stroke engine. |
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This
page is presently under construction
Further images will be added shortly |
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