Baby Wingwalkers at Wings and Wheels 25th Anniversary

This weekend we flew at the 25th anniversary of Wings and Wheels model show.  Both Steve and Richard have flown a variety of their planes there over the years.

Saturday wasn't a comfortable day for flying.  The drizzle we drove through on our way to North Weald airfield had just about stopped when we arrived to set up but there was a strong crosswind blowing towards us.   The Stearmans are difficult to land at the best of times (a feature shared with the full size) even more difficult to control on the ground in a crosswind.

We decided to fly only one plane for 2 reasons.  Firstly, we have another show next week and no time for any repairs so at least if anything happened to the plane we flew this week we would still have one for next week.  Secondly, when you are flying in gusty conditions the models get knocked around a lot by the wind so even if you aim to fly a straight line you can get blown off course.  This means the formation looks untidy so the display actually looks better with just one plane.

Sunday was a completely different story.  It was hot before the show even started.  The wind had shifted nearly 180 degrees and was now blowing on our backs.  But the wind strength was much lower and so ground control was much easier.

As we liked the 5 minute routine that we flew last weekend we decided to stick to that and add 2 new manouevres towards the end to fill an 8 minute slot.  The first we call a "William Tell" where Richard flies a loop and Steve flies through the middle of the loop.  The second is an "opposition bump" where the pilots fly towards each other and do a "Breitling bump" in the middle of the display area.  

Flying shot (c) SKM Airscape Photography       See more flying shots. 

We're off to Woospring Wings next weekend - always an enjoyable show with a compact flying area so the crowd get to see the models well.

Baby Wingwalkers fly at Cotswold Airshow

Last weekend was our first public display this year.  The Cotswold Airshow is a 2 day full size airshow in Gloucestershire but they also have a few slots for model planes. 

This year the models all had a local theme.  A model Hunter to fit in with the anniversary of the planes that have a long connection with the airfield; a model Hercules and the Baby Wingwalkers which are both modelled on aircraft that are based nearby.

We also put a video camera on one of the planes during Sunday's flight so you can see what Cotswold Airport (still known to regulars as Kemble) looks like from the air and some of Baby Danni's manoeuvres during the flight.



The weather on Saturday was wet and windy but we were lucky and did still get two flights.  The others weren't as lucky because the morning model slot was cut short to let the Dutch Hunters land so the Hercules couldn't fly and our additional slot at lunchtime was brought to a rapid end by torrential rain so the Hercules lost its flight again.  We were lucky as we flew first and the rain held off but poor Geoff flew the Hunter in horrible rain.

Fortunately it was still windy which dried our clothes out so we didn't have to spend the rest of the day squelching round.  We were hoping to have a picture in the Sunday Times as their photographer spent a long time setting up a shot with us - but it never made it to print.

Sunday was much better weather and photographer Chris - who is also a highly skilled rigger/ derigger and plane pusher - took some gorgeous photos of the planes sunlit against the dark clouds.  See more of our photos.


So, another successful weekend and good to see the variety of aircraft there.  You can see some great photos of the full size on the Cotswold Airshow Facebook page and in this forum.

First flight for the Baby Wingwalkers in their 2011 livery

A few weeks ago Richard flew one of the Baby Wingwalkers at Rendcomb at a Help for Heroes event.

There have been a few changes on the planes and in the wingwalkers' outfits for 2011 and this was the first display for the new colour scheme.

We flew at the start of the event and it was very bumpy because there was a rainstorm coming in behind us.  Part way through the routine we looked at the big black cloud getting closer and closer and advised Richard to land - just in time as the heavens opened shortly afterwards.

After about 20 minutes or so the weather cleared up and the full size planes had great weather as the wind had dropped.  We were jealous!  Let's hope the rest of the flights this year have better weather.

If you want to see more photos of the new colour scheme and wingwalker outfits visit Baby Wingwalkers on Facebook.



Photos courtesy of and copyright of Chris Bowler

Updating the model Stearmans and wingwalkers for 2011

Breitling have made a few changes to the full size planes' design and the wingwalkers' costumes for 2011. We had a chance earlier this week to visit Rendcomb to take some photos for reference and saw the full size team practising their routine.

Now it's down to Richard to reflect the changes in the models. He's already added the numbers on the nose of each plane and started cutting out the new costumes.

Spraying the Baby Breitling Stearmans

It's been quiet on this blog but not quiet in the workshop. 

The orange paint arrived at the end of February and Richard has been spraying everything orange since then. 

There is a lot to spray - 2 biplane fuselages, 2 tailpanes and 8 wing sections, plus the spats and cowls.

The first stage is to paint all the surfaces white.  Then vinyl masks are applied to protect the areas that will remain white.

These wing panels have the masks applied. 

Richard had to make sure that he used the right type of vinyl for the masks because not all vinyl sticks well. 

 

This is one of the fuselages after its orange coat.

It takes longer to do the masking than to do the painting.  It took nearly a day to mask 2 pairs of bottom wings.

Once the orange coat has been applied, new masking is put on so the grey can be applied to the leading edges and also the outline of the lettering.

For more pictures of the spraying visit our Facebook page where Richard is uploading pictures throughout the process.

Baby Breitling Wingwalkers fly together again

Last week the team got together again to fly the Stearmans in formation for the first time in 6 months. It was a chilly day but good to see them both in the air again.

Each pilot did a quick solo flight first without the wingwalker rig because that reduces the risk of damage if an emergency landing is needed. Then we put the rigs and wingwalkers on the planes and took off into the routine.

It took a while to get used to the routine again.  Richard had flown a solo routine in a couple of displays towards the end of last year which is slightly different to the formation routine so he needed to get used to the old manouevres.  He also noticed that he made a lot more speed adjustments to keep in formation.  He flies the second plane which needs more power to keep in formation with the lead plane on turns.

Sharon had to remember where all the switches on the transmitter are that operate the wingwalkers' legs and arms.

We got through 2 tanks of fuel but then the sun started going down so it was time to call it a day.

Pay attention to what you're doing

When the pilots first started flying the Baby Breitlings they were distracted by the model wing walker moving around. It may sound odd, but when you fly model planes it's unusual for anything to move on the plane without you, the pilot, controlling it. After a few flights you get used to it though and can concentrate on presenting the plane to the crowd.

 Sharon on the other hand found it odd to be holding a transmitter but not to be flying the plane.  She also flies models and on the first few flights she found she was instinctively watching the plane and trying to fly that rather than operate the wingwalkers.

The wingwalkers are operated using the same transmitter you would use to fly a plane.  The sticks and switches move the arms, legs and head and a dial controls the rig rotation.  Whilst it's easy to actually operate the controls, it is tricky to remember which stick controls which movement.  Each arm and leg moves independently, the arms move up and down together and the head also moves. 

The most important time to get everything right is when you operate the rig.  The wingwalkers' legs and arms need to be in the right position when you roate the rig otherwise they get caught in the rigging wires and snap them.