"Memories of Flight School"
- Thread starter JohnReid
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JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
In building the Camel I get a real sense of a fighter pilot's aircraft .It has the same mystic that the Spitfire had in WW2.Everything about this airplane says "top of the food chain", the Peregrine Falcon of the fighter aircraft world of its day.I can only imagine the feeling that a pilot would get sitting in this cockpit.Joy,fear,excitement,a feeling of pilot and machine as one.It must have been a wonderful feeling to master an aircraft such as this.A very real challenge just to fly let alone fight in.Once you were in you were in till the end whatever the outcome.No escape from this cockpit.You either walk away or you buy the farm,period.Modern day gladiators for sure!
It must have seemed very strange to return from battle every night ,sitting in the officers mess sipping your brandy and wondering if tomorrow would be your turn to die! Unlike the foot soldier who lived in constant fear of sudden death in the trenches, the fighter pilot was in a kind of strange world of destruction by day and mock joy of survival at night.Still knowing that tomorrow the cycle would begin all over again.It must have taken nerves of steel to climb into that cockpit every day,day after day and try to be brave until the very end.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
It must have seemed very strange to return from battle every night ,sitting in the officers mess sipping your brandy and wondering if tomorrow would be your turn to die! Unlike the foot soldier who lived in constant fear of sudden death in the trenches, the fighter pilot was in a kind of strange world of destruction by day and mock joy of survival at night.Still knowing that tomorrow the cycle would begin all over again.It must have taken nerves of steel to climb into that cockpit every day,day after day and try to be brave until the very end.
__________________
It has been said that the difference between a "pilot" and an "aviator" is that a pilot is a technician,and an aviator is an artist in love with flight.
JohnReid (Aviator)
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
As you guys know I want to depict this Camel/truck thing as a little story of its own.Because it is so far away from the main stage(the hangar doors) I feel that I can get away with it being a little vignette.
The Camel an ex airshow/movie prop airplane could be viewed as being delivered or being shipped out from Reid and Sons ,either one would work.The airshow aspect of the "Keepers of the Flame" theme is already well represented in this diorama ,so the movie connection is the obvious choice.It could be subtle or showy.Subtle, could be a small film studio sign on the truck or something more showy, all decked out as an advertisement for an upcoming movie.
Any ideas?
I know Mary Pickford(a Canadian from Toronto)operated a film studio in Hollywood along with Douglas Fairbanks (P&F Studios) around this time.
The Camel an ex airshow/movie prop airplane could be viewed as being delivered or being shipped out from Reid and Sons ,either one would work.The airshow aspect of the "Keepers of the Flame" theme is already well represented in this diorama ,so the movie connection is the obvious choice.It could be subtle or showy.Subtle, could be a small film studio sign on the truck or something more showy, all decked out as an advertisement for an upcoming movie.
Any ideas?
I know Mary Pickford(a Canadian from Toronto)operated a film studio in Hollywood along with Douglas Fairbanks (P&F Studios) around this time.
JohnReid
A Fixture
The machine guns!
the machine guns are an excellent example of fake guns and are a great depiction of how a carpenter might build a fake gun and then paint it gunmetal!
The fact that they are fakes and look it doesn't bother me at all ,in fact guns are not one of my favorite things anyway and not really something that I would want to promote to kids.Maybe I should paint them red!
the machine guns are an excellent example of fake guns and are a great depiction of how a carpenter might build a fake gun and then paint it gunmetal!
The fact that they are fakes and look it doesn't bother me at all ,in fact guns are not one of my favorite things anyway and not really something that I would want to promote to kids.Maybe I should paint them red!
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
Air show guns!
Now there is no question that these are fake guns made from tin.The storyline is of an ex airshow Camel being shipped off for use as a movie prop or for movie advertising purposes.For airshows showmanship would allow for painted guns ,where in movies they would have to be more realistic looking.
I would rather that these be obviously looking fakes than a bad attempt at trying to make them looking real.
I know that this is not everyone's cup of tea(apology to my military friends) but it does fit in with the storyline of this diorama.It also allows me to use these obviously fake guns without having to scratchbuild new ones and still inject the movie aspect into the diorama.
I think now that I have captured just about every aspect of aviation in the 20's.Military re-union,airshow,racing,movies etc...
I plan to suggest to the museum people that they make the display interactive for the kids ,such as finding the air race posters or the Wright Flyer or the 4 animals that will be in the diorama.Some will be easy and others very hard to spot and it sure would be a great way to have them explore the whole diorama.
Now there is no question that these are fake guns made from tin.The storyline is of an ex airshow Camel being shipped off for use as a movie prop or for movie advertising purposes.For airshows showmanship would allow for painted guns ,where in movies they would have to be more realistic looking.
I would rather that these be obviously looking fakes than a bad attempt at trying to make them looking real.
I know that this is not everyone's cup of tea(apology to my military friends) but it does fit in with the storyline of this diorama.It also allows me to use these obviously fake guns without having to scratchbuild new ones and still inject the movie aspect into the diorama.
I think now that I have captured just about every aspect of aviation in the 20's.Military re-union,airshow,racing,movies etc...
I plan to suggest to the museum people that they make the display interactive for the kids ,such as finding the air race posters or the Wright Flyer or the 4 animals that will be in the diorama.Some will be easy and others very hard to spot and it sure would be a great way to have them explore the whole diorama.
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
Peace and Love everyone!
Back in the 60's this was my dad's first attempt at skywriting.He was flying our recently restored '29 Beech Travelair biplane.You can just see the airplane on the right hand middle of the pic.If you follow the smoke trail back you can just make out the" l "and "o "of the word love.These were the 60's of course and he was attempting to write "Peace and Love" in the skies over the city of Montreal.
Back in the 60's this was my dad's first attempt at skywriting.He was flying our recently restored '29 Beech Travelair biplane.You can just see the airplane on the right hand middle of the pic.If you follow the smoke trail back you can just make out the" l "and "o "of the word love.These were the 60's of course and he was attempting to write "Peace and Love" in the skies over the city of Montreal.
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
Turtledeck tarps!
The tarpaulin has been trimmed and a batten nailed down along the edge.I want the canvas to look relatively new so I don't plan to weather it too much.Because the canvas is so loose looking I will bend and shape some wood battens over the turtledeck.I sort of compromised on this as the tarp may be a little bit too crinkly but I like the weight between the stringers look.
One thing that I found out is not to worry about laying down wax paper ,if you seal the wood well with lacquer the glue/water mix will not stick the tarp permanently to the protected wood.This is useful to know when making removable tarps or shaping tarps over any object.
Note: while I try my best to keep all the websites I post to updated (29)as often as time permits,for day-to-day pictures and text please see:
http://www.theaerodrome.com (Forum,Models) Cheers! John.
The tarpaulin has been trimmed and a batten nailed down along the edge.I want the canvas to look relatively new so I don't plan to weather it too much.Because the canvas is so loose looking I will bend and shape some wood battens over the turtledeck.I sort of compromised on this as the tarp may be a little bit too crinkly but I like the weight between the stringers look.
One thing that I found out is not to worry about laying down wax paper ,if you seal the wood well with lacquer the glue/water mix will not stick the tarp permanently to the protected wood.This is useful to know when making removable tarps or shaping tarps over any object.
Note: while I try my best to keep all the websites I post to updated (29)as often as time permits,for day-to-day pictures and text please see:
http://www.theaerodrome.com (Forum,Models) Cheers! John.
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
JohnReid
A Fixture
Beginning the upper wing center section.
JohnReid
A Fixture
I have been thinking about the wings and ailerons.Do I make all of them,some of them or none of them.I could fake some wooden crates and be done with it.
What I think I will do is leave the fuselage closest to the side of the case free of any wings so that this side of the fuselage will be easily viewable.Two wings will be in crates and attached to the other side of the fuselage.On the other two wings I will leave some of the crates plywood panels open for inspection and they will be resting up against the hangar wall .I will place a rolled up tarp somewhere near the cockpit part of the fuselage.
I really can't see the point of building open wings which are basically of the same design as the center section which is already available for closeup inspection.More than likely at this stage the wings would have been already crated anyway.
Maybe I will build the other wings later and put them in the rafters of the hangar.
What I think I will do is leave the fuselage closest to the side of the case free of any wings so that this side of the fuselage will be easily viewable.Two wings will be in crates and attached to the other side of the fuselage.On the other two wings I will leave some of the crates plywood panels open for inspection and they will be resting up against the hangar wall .I will place a rolled up tarp somewhere near the cockpit part of the fuselage.
I really can't see the point of building open wings which are basically of the same design as the center section which is already available for closeup inspection.More than likely at this stage the wings would have been already crated anyway.
Maybe I will build the other wings later and put them in the rafters of the hangar.
JohnReid
A Fixture
Because the Camel/Truck is basically one piece rather than 2 separate entities,I will have to treat them as such from here on.One way or another I have to build the undercarriage which is where I will concentrate my efforts for now.Then the
Model T truck will be put on its wheels and I will decide the rest from there.
I will have to re-think the center section on the fuselage idea ,mainly because it looks way to vulnerable and unrealistic stuck out there in the wind.
Model T truck will be put on its wheels and I will decide the rest from there.
I will have to re-think the center section on the fuselage idea ,mainly because it looks way to vulnerable and unrealistic stuck out there in the wind.
JohnReid
A Fixture
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