VGC News/Newsletters - Lakes Gliding Club

Osnabruck Flying Club. Neelco Osinga (Holland, Kranich II)and Jochen Kruse (Uetersen - Condor IV, Kranich II) providedmissing drawings to enable us to continue. If HermannHackmann had not taken on the production of components,and Stefan Krahn the assembly, with great enthusiasm, theKranich II would still not be flying even now!Details and DataPreliminary Permit to Fly for the Kranich If Regn. 0-6048,Works No.NIE [994, was received from the LBA on 08-1 1­2000Maiden flight Kranich II 0-6048: 12-11-2000 at Achmerairfield.Pilot: Stefan Krahn, Aero Tow by "Stieglitz" (H.Kamper)12:10 to 12:30 hrs.Name inscribed on left side, at front seat position:'Hermann Hackmann" Squadron insignia on left side, cockpitarea 'Red Heart"Duration of restoration work: 7 Years (5/93 to 11/2000)Last flight of Kranich II under Regn. BGA 1092: Aug 1978at Thun, Switzerland, BGA 1258 at Keevil, UK 1965.Maiden flight of restored Kranich II Regn.0-6048: 22years later on 12-11-2000 on Achmer airfield.Owners: Stefan Krahn, Harald Kamper.(HaraId has prepared a long list of his helpers but weregret that' it is too long to include. We thank them all. Ed)This very tidy Ka 4 Rhonlerche, covered in Irish linen, isforsale at the North Wales Club, at High MoorThe beautiful blue and white Cobra which is Colin Street'snew babyModel ForumIn the last issue of VCC News Vince1lZO Pedrielli pmposed anew idea consisting ofstarting an Open Forum among modelbuilders around the world to listen to their stories, their ideas,their advice and their concerns. The person who acceptedto kick off this initiative is his oldest and best FiendJohn Watkins, who is respol1sible for having transmitted toVincenzo the "Virus" of Vintage Scale Model Building.I am an aeromodeller of some 55 years, cutting my teeth onsimple rubber powered models of about 16in wing span, whenI could afford them! In the ear,ly 1960's [ became very interestedin free flight gliders, AI, A2 and free flight scale, mostlyWorld War I biplanes. Then in 1976, radio tOOK hold of me andI built a 115th scale Minimoa. There was no looking back, thecombination of both scale and gliders became my new reality.My first scratch built (own design) was the Avia 40p at '114scale with the help of Mr. John Saunders of Cornwall who didthe research for me. That was in 1983 and it is still flying reliably.Since then I have built numerous scale gliders, along withnon-scale types, mainly thermalling devices. The scale glidersbuilt to date are the T42 Sliogsby Eagle, ASK 13, Kirby Kite1, Crested Wren, Jaskofka, Harbinger, Olympia 419X, butsince hav,ing a stroke 6 years ago I have found 1/6th scale muchmore manageable to build. Being a smaller scale, to make themfly real\isticalIy I had to employ free flight techniques of buildingIigl1tly. The Skylark I proved the point at 340z, (I kg), sothen I designed and buillt the Grunau Baby I. This like theSkylark, has a slabsided fuselage and fairly straight forwardwing construc.t,ion which I found to be a great help in gettingme started again. The Olympia fuselage is, of course, roundand had to be built on a vertical crutch system with plywoodformers and then planked with 118" x 112" strip balsa. I use thismethod because it is stronger and stiffer, as opposed to coveringit in ply panels. I am not against the more 'scale' approachof panelling as I call it, in some cases, such as for the Fafnir,Margarete, Wien, etc., it cannot be avoided, to accuratelyreproduce the scale panels and grain of the original. Also, tostiffen the wings, particularly in the region of the trailingedges, I make them of a lamination of spruce, carbon fibre tapeand thin ply, using one of the modrn finishing resins as anadhesive. These 'modern' techniques come in very handy whenrecreating the delicate structures of some older types.I think that gives a little run dowll on how I became interestedin this most satisfying of hobbies. All my models areequipped with aerotow and winch tow facillities sO that whenany occasion arises, you try holding ,me back!The club I belong to is Wolves M.A.C., although I am amember of 3 other clubs, mainly because we are not allowedaerotQwing on the school playing field of Wolves and the factthat one of the clubs has a superb easterly slope! Most ofWolves members belong Ito the Long Mynd Soaring Asociation,together with a body of people who formed themselvesinto a manageable group in order to communicate with theNational Trust who OWIJ the Long Mynd. This was also toensure everyone who flies there is insured and obeys the countrysidecodes of practice. We have 6 recognised slopes we canfly from and I am sure everyone who has visited Long Myndwill wonder at its magnitude and beauty. To be more precise,it is approximately 7 miles loog and 1700ft at the highestI21