The Official Newsletter of THE AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE

CONTACT
The Official Newsletter of THE AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE AVIATION SOCIETY
Issue 7
September 2013
www.tavas.com.au
T
Editor: Andrew Carter
he Vintage Aviation replica scene in Australia
continues to grow strong with a lot of building
and some flying taking place over the last few
months. The 2014 project at Point Cook had the first
flight of their Bristol Boxkite replica in September. A
major achievement and a very impressive project.
We cover the history of the Boxkite and the Point
Cook build in this newsletter.
We continue to have groups come and visit the
TAVAS collection – the most recent one being some
50 Air Cadets from the Redcliffe 212 Squadron.
TAVAS member Bernard ‘Speedy’ Gonsalves gave
them an expert and fascinating rundown of not just
the history of each of the aircraft, but also of the
men who flew them and challenges they were up
against.
The 2014 Boxkite taxies at Point Cook
before taking to the air for the first time.
‘Speedy’ educating the cadets on WW1 aviation. As
you can see, we are now sharing the hangar with
what will be the worlds only flying Beaufort bomber.
We have several people building WW1 replicas from
the Airdrome Aeroplane kits and others who have
recently just purchased a kit. A lot of interest was
generated in these with the success of Bruce Clarkes
Sopwith Pup and him opening his hangar to about 20
TAVAS members from around Australia, to show
them the build process, which inspired some of
them to do the same.
Due to the completeness of these kits, their very
affordable price and given the ease with which these
kits go together and how quickly they can be
completed, I expect we will see a lot more of these
in Australian skies in the very near future.
I was so impressed by the simple construction
method and beautiful handling characteristics of
these aircraft, that I interviewed Rob Baslee and
have included that in this issue, for those who want
to know more about these simple but impressive kits
and maybe considering building one themselves.
CONTACT – Issue 7
We are always looking for other volunteers to help
out in similar fashion, with events like these and new
ones we are beginning to plan for 2014. We have
already been approached by several organisations
hoping to have us provide flying aircraft for the
events they are planning over the next four years
and so the need for volunteers will continue to
increase.
IN THIS ISSUE
History of the Bristol Boxkite
The Boxkite in Australia
Australian Boxkite Replica Flies
From the cockpit – flying the Boxkite
Rob Baslee of Airdrome Aeroplanes
100 Years Ago – First flight in Albury
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BRISTOL BOXKITE (1910)
The Boxkite was the first aircraft produced by the
Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was a pusher biplane
based on the successful Farman III and it was one of
the first aircraft types to be built in quantity.
Sir George White, the founder and chairman of
Bristol Aircraft had his chief engineer George
Challenger, produce a copy of the Farman machine
based on the documentation published in Flight
magazine. Challenger believed he could make
improvements to that design and set about doing so.
The first example was constructed in a matter of
weeks and was first flown on 30 July 1910. Although
Farman sued Bristol for patent infringement, the
company's lawyers claimed substantial design
improvements in matters of constructional detail
and the lawsuit was dropped.
It was a two-bay biplane with an elevator carried on
booms in front of the wings and an empennage
consisting of a pair of fixed horizontal stabilisers, the
upper bearing an elevator, and a pair of rudders
carried on booms behind the wing. There were no
fixed vertical surfaces.
Lateral control was affected by ailerons on both
upper and lower wings. These were single-acting,
the control cables arranged to pull them down only,
relying on the airflow to return them to the neutral
position.
The wings and fixed rear horizontal surfaces were
covered by a single layer of fabric, the other surfaces
were covered on both sides. Power was usually
provided by a 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome rotary engine,
although other engines were also used.
The engine was mounted on a pair of substantial
wooden beams, above the lower wing. These beams
continued forward to carry the seats, which were
arranged in tandem, with the pilot sitting over the
leading edge of the wing.
The undercarriage consisted of a pair of long skids,
each bearing a pair of wheels sprung by bungee
cords, and a single sprung tailskid mounted below
the leading edge of the lower tailplane.
The first examples built had upper and lower wings
of equal span, though most of the aircraft eventually
produced had an extended upper wing and were
CONTACT – Issue 7
known as the Military version.
As the machine was used by Bristol for instruction
purposes at their flying schools at Larkhill and
Booklands, many early British aviators learnt to fly in
a Boxkite. This aircraft was equipped with a radio
transmitter, and was the first aircraft in the United
Kingdom to send a message by radio.
Four were purchased in 1911 by the War Office and
examples were sold to Russia and Australia.
The first aircraft sold to the British Army were fitted
with a third rudder hinged to the center leading
edge interplane strut of the tailplane, but this was
not made standard. The Boxkite continued to be
used for training purposes until after the outbreak of
the First World War.
A total of 76 were built, 61 of which were the
extended military version, and it continued in
production until 1914. Although satisfactory by the
standards of the day, the Farman design was already
obsolescent in 1910, and no serious development of
the Boxkite was attempted.
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BOXKITES DOWNUNDER
At the end of November 1910, two Boxkites were
shipped to Australia for a promotional tour, and a
further two were sent to India. In Australia No.10
was flown first by John Hammond, who made the
first aeroplane flight in West Australia at Perth on 26
December 1910.
A second Bristol Military Boxkite, CFS-8, was built at
Point Cook, and became the first military aircraft
made in Australia, flying for the first time on 10
August 1915.
On 20 February 1911 Hammond flew the first cross
country flight made between towns in Australia from
Altona Bay to Geelong in Victoria, and on 23
February, also at Altona Bay, he made the first
passenger flight in Australia, taking his mechanic
Frank Coles for a 7½ minute flight. Later that same
day he took his wife for a 12½ minute flight, making
her the first woman to fly in Australia.
Official observers from the Australian Army
witnessed these demonstrations and were also
taken for flights but although reports were
favourable, no aircraft were ordered.
After the flights in Melbourne Hammond returned to
his home in New Zealand and the demonstrations in
Sydney were made by his assistant, Leslie
Macdonald, who took a photographer from the Daily
Telegraph for a 25 minute flight over Sydney on 6
May, making the first aerial photographs to be taken
in Australia.
By 19 May, 72 flights totaling 765 miles had been
made by No.10. No.11, still in its crate, was sold to
W.E. Hart of Penrith, N.S.W, who used the aircraft to
become the first Australian to gain a pilot's license in
Australia.
The First Military Boxkite outside the workshops
at Point Cook in 1914 (RAAF Museum Archives)
Original Bristol Boxkite:
* Crew: One or two – instructor & student
* Length:
38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)
* Wingspan:
46 ft 6 in (14.17 m)
* Height:
11 ft 0 in (3.61 m)
* Wing area: 517.0 sq ft (48.03 sq m)
* Empty weight:
900 lb (408 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 1150 lb (522 kg)
* Engine: One Gnome rotary piston, 50 hp (37 kW)
* Maximum speed:
* Wing loading:
40 mph (64 km/h)
2.22 lb/ sq ft (10.9 kg/sq m)
By mid 1912, on advise from the British War office,
The Australian Department of Defence established
the Australian Flying Corp (AFC) and placed an order
for its very first aircraft – two Deperdussin
monoplanes and two BE2a Biplanes. Late that year
they placed an order for an earlier trainer Bristol
Boxkite.
On the morning of March 1st, 1914, Lieutenant Eric
Harrison, an aviator instructor, conducted the first
military aircraft flight in Australia when he took
Bristol Boxkite CFS-3 into the air at the newly
acquired Army flying field at Point Cook, Victoria.
This was the home of the Central Flying School (CFS).
That historic flight is now recognised as the starting
point of all military flying in Australia.
CONTACT – Issue 7
George Merz climbs aboard Point Cook’s Boxkite, in
1914. In July 1915, at the age of 23, Merz became
the first Australian pilot to be killed in action, when
he made a forced landing in Mesopotamia and was
attacked by tribesmen.
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AUSTRALIAN BOXKITE REPLICA FLIES
A small dedicated team in Australia led by retired
RAAF engineers Ron Gretton and Geoff Matthews
embarked on a project to build an airworthy Bristol
Boxkite replica, in time for the centenary of the first
military flight in Australia, in March 2014
The first engine run as a complete aircraft took place
on the 4th of October 2011, and then a final rigging
check and lock-wiring of all the turnbuckles was
completed.
They began working on the project in 2006 making
all the brackets and other metal components and
using Spruce and Birch for the wooden components.
The aeroplane was registered VH-XKT under an
‘Experimental’ Certificate issued by the S.A.A.A
(Sports Aircraft Association of Australia), being
classified as an aeroplane in the ‘Exhibition Category’
The aircraft was covered using modern Stitts Polyfiber fabric and due to CASA requirements had to be
fitted with instruments – the minimum required for
day VFR flying in Australia.
The RAAF then had to go through all of its processes
of risk management to determine when it was going
to fly and who was going to fly it, which didn’t
happen till 11th of September this year.
The process actually required a full report and
recommendation from the RAAF ARDU (Aircraft
Research & Development Unit) to the Chief of Air
Force, who had to sign off on it for it to go ahead.
The Point Cook Museum then had to prepare a
submission to the RAAF Airworthiness Board for
consideration and permission to fly the aeroplane at
the Point Cook airfield.
All of that probably meant this aircraft required
more effort and paperwork than was needed to
obtain and fly the original back in 1914!
Hard pressed to find an original Gnome rotary and
with safety foremost in mind, the aircraft is powered
by a Rotec R2800, an Australian made seven cylinder
110hp (82kw) radial, designed and manufactured by
Rotec Engineering Pty Ltd at Moorabbin, Victoria.
The RAAF then required a Commonwealth employee
with the relevant experience and training to ensure
a safe, legal and successful first flight. They decided
on Air Vice Marshall Mark Skidmore, an ex RAAF
test pilot.
AVM Mark Skidmore stands in front of the boxkite,
with a wry smile, after the first 2 successful flights.
The aircraft was effectively finished in April 2011. An
aircraft weight and balance was performed shortly
afterwards, followed by calibration of the fuel gauge.
CONTACT – Issue 7
Taxi tests were carried out on the morning of 11th
September with the hope of flying it after that.
However Melbourne’s weather being what it is, put
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stop to that idea as the winds came up and dark
clouds loomed. This aircraft has a 5 knot wind limit.
The entire team waited out the rest of the day and
by very late afternoon, the winds had dropped
enough for a flight to be attempted.
The first flight is estimated to have been at 10 feet
above the ground for around 200 meters. Satisfied
with this first attempt, Mark Skidmore had one more
attempt that day at around 20 feet height for almost
1 kilometer.
Video footage of that second flight can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrinfOaH_2c
The pilots reaction at the end of the clip says it all.
These aircraft were used for cross-country flights
between filming locations. A tribute to the
soundness of the Boxkite design is that the
calculations made for the purpose of granting the
necessary Certificates of Airworthiness for these
replicas found that the stressing of the design was
very close to modern requirements.
After filming, one was sent to the Bristol City
Museum and Art Gallery, one to the Museum of
Australian Army Flying in Queensland. Another to
the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire, where it
currently flies during displays whenever the weather
permits. Thus making the Point Cook example the
second only flying replica Boxkite in the world.
When I asked the project leader Ron Gretton about
how he felt finally seeing the Boxkite fly, he simply
stated –“Chuffed. Extremely chuffed. It was well
worth all the effort”.
One of the ‘Magnificent Men’ replicas hanging in the
Bristol City Museum (above) and another example at
the MAAF in Oakey QLD (below)
Top-Mark Skidmore shows the exposed seating pos’n
surrounded by a multitude of wires. Below that is the
Boxkite airborne at Point Cook (Now RAAF Williams)
No original Bristol Boxkite aeroplanes survive today.
Three authentic looking, flyable reproductions were
built for the film ‘Those Magnificent Men in Their
Flying Machines’ in the UK in the mid 1960’s.
The Shuttleworth example flying at one of their days
Those were initially powered by a 65 hp (48 kW)
Rolls-Royce Continental A65 air-cooled flat four, but
this produced insufficient power as the smalldiameter modern propeller was inefficient at the low
airspeed achieved by the Boxkite, and were replaced
by 90 hp (67 kW) Continental O-200-B engines.
This is an incredible project worthy of far more
attention than we can give it in this newsletter. Take
the time to have a look over their very detailed
website which has many great quality pictures of
every step of the magnificent build. Just click on www.boxkite2014.org
CONTACT – Issue 7
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Page 5
FROM THE COCKPIT
Flying The Bristol Boxkite
The RAAF only have a couple of flights under their
belt at this stage, straight ahead along the length of
the runway. More flights will follow, especially next
year, during Centenary celebrations.
They have a modern, reliable engine and
instruments that the 1914 AFC pilots did not have,
but the performance of the aircraft is much the
same (admittedly at partial power for the replica).
So what was the original Boxkite like to fly?
With the exception of a barometer, the original
Boxkite lacked instruments. Its 40 hp engine didn’t
have a throttle either – just an ‘on-off’ switch. The
pilots senses were heavily relied upon. Pilots knew
by sound of the engine if it was running right or
powerful enough. The strength of air on his face let
him know if the angle of climb or decent was
correct.
Due to its design and construction, it was considered
a safe aircraft and did not exhibit any nasty stall
characteristics. It tended to mush and fall much like
a leaf.
In fact the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company’s
catalogue of 1911 states –
“The control system of the Boxkite is simplicity itself.
It can be mastered in a few minutes and it requires
so little physical effort that a child can manoeuver
one of these aircraft in flight”
solo after 2 hours and 45 minutes dual instruction.
He took off, climbed to 50 feet, flew straight ahead
and landed.
They flew only when there was no wind. Their
labouring Boxkite, cruised at 42mph and was
capable of only 45mph top speed due to the amount
of drag from the airframe and the limited power.
Replicas, however, may have their own challenges.
As mentioned on the previous page, use of a modern
engine in the Boxkite for filming ‘Those Magnificent
Men…’ caused several unforeseen problems –
Lack of sufficient airflow over the engine at slow
speed meant the modern engines would overheat.
The smaller propeller needed by the modern engines
meant that these higher horsepower engines did not
have the efficiency of the lower horsepower rotary
engine turning at much slower speed.
The smaller prop would not displace the same
amount of air and as a consequence the rudders
were not as effective – to the point where a third,
middle rudder had to be added for subsequent
filming.
It will be interesting to see what flying the RAAF do
with their Boxkite over the coming years and we
look forward to seeing and sharing any flight reports.
Students learnt to fly it by first sitting close behind
an instructor with a leg on either side of him so that
after demonstration, he could lean forward and use
the control column and watch the instructor move
the rudder pedals in reaction to that students
manipulation of the stick.
Ex movie aircraft now with Shuttleworth in the UK
All the training took place within the aerodrome
boundary and consisted mostly of short straight
flights of between 50 – 200 feet high (no different to
what the 2014 project replica will do). The boxkite
was stable, but slow and only very gentle turns could
be accomplished.
The AFC’s first student Richard Williams (who went
on to become the RAAF founding Chief 8 years later
and whose name Point Cook has now adopted) went
CONTACT – Issue 7
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INTERVIEW WITH ROB BASLEE
of
Airdrome Aeroplanes
I worked my way through college as a machinist so I
had a strong background in metal working. I
completed a primary structure analyst course and
determined that I could provide a very strong yet
light machine that could be built with basic hand
tools by someone who didn't have the tools, skills or
the time to build in a more traditional manner.
Airdrome Nieuport 28
We have several TAVAS members who are currently
building Airdrome Aeroplane Kits and others who
have purchased one and plan to start building soon.
Having seen several of these go together and now
having flown one, I can say they are without a doubt
the cheapest, quickest & easiest way to get a full size
WW1 replica airborne – and they are a delight to fly.
I spoke to owner and designer of the Airdrome kits
to learn more about these unique aircraft.
What’s your background? How did you get started?
I'm a mechanical engineer and hold an airframe &
power plant rating with the FAA. I got started
building model aircraft. At age 14 I bought a set of
plans and started building a KR2. No one else in the
family has any interest in aviation so they just kind of
ignored it until the day it went to the airport. Then
that’s when my mother stepped in and said that I
was not allowed to fly it until I had a pilot licence.
I had to wait a couple of weeks to turn 16 years old
then start flying. One year later I received my private
pilot licence and flew the KR2.
What’s the basic design philosophy behind your kits
and why did you decide on the method of
construction you have?
CONTACT – Issue 7
Why do you think your kits are so successful?
For several reasons - first we provide a kit with all
the welding and machining complete at a price
point cheaper that you could scratch build an aircraft
Second - these kit aircraft can be built in a fraction of
the time that you would have in a one off build.
Normal build time on our full scale kits is under 400
hours.
Third – greatly improved and pleasant handling
characteristics. We have nearly 100 years of flight
now and we know a lot of small improvements that
we can incorporate into our aircraft to improve the
flying qualities of these older aircraft. We have
designed these handling issues out of our aircraft.
Anyone who could safely handle a Piper Cub or a
Tigermoth would feel comfortable in our aircraft.
Why do you concentrate mainly on WW1 aircraft?
I just love old aircraft. Every aircraft I have ever built
was something that I wanted to fly myself. When I
first wanted to build a WW1 replica I couldn’t find
any kits available – so I built my own. I took it to
Oshkosh that year and had a lot of interest from a
lot of people all wanting to know if I was going to
make it available as a kit – and I thought “why not?”
So then I started a business building and selling kits.
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Page 7
Baslee with his Sopwith Pup design. One just
like it is now flying at Watts Bridge in QLD.
On the set of the movie ‘Flyboys’ – 4 of these 6
aircraft are built by Baslee and in just 52 days!
What kits are you intending to produce next?
There has been a lot of talk about an Se5a. I have
one customer who has contracted me to build him a
prototype. We will be starting that project in a few
weeks. If I can get 5 people to put up a deposit of
$1000, I will put the effort into producing a kit. If not
then this will stay as a one off aircraft.
Any designs you liked but haven’t kitted?
I have designed 24 aircraft and built 68 aircraft from
scratch. One of those was a cantilever wing triplane.
It took me over 2000 hours to build and I feel that
the time and complexity involved doesn't fall into
line with my kit philosophy of quick and easy to build
Airdrome provide some pre-war aircraft including
this beautiful 2 seat (side by side) Sopwith Tabloid
and a Bleriot XI (with wing warping if you want it)
You just finished displaying at Oshkosh recently.
How important to your business is your annual
appearance at that airshow?
I have attended Oshkosh for 31 consecutive years
now and won’t miss it. It's an opportunity to meet
builders and answer questions and showcase new
designs.
Airdrome Camel flying in San Antonio
Fantastic video of Baslee designs in action and words
from the man himself - http://vimeo.com/32382093
The Airdrome Rotec powered Camel at Oshksosh
So just how quickly can you actually build an
Airdrome Aeroplane from scratch to ready to fly?
I built 4 flying Nieuport 17’s for the motion Picture
‘Flyboys’ in just 52 days!
CONTACT – Issue 7
See the construction of one of his aircraft from
beginning to end, in 9 minutes (time lapse video) –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaotIR0nMW4&
feature=player_embedded
Go to - www.airdromeaeroplanes.com to learn more
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100 YEARS AGO
Caught up in the worldwide enthusiasm for flight at
the start of the twentieth century, two Albury
mechanics, Azor Robbins and Alex Porter, set about
building an engine with the aim of achieving
powered flight on a sheep and cattle property at
Bungowannah Park near Albury, in late July, 100
years ago.
Their accomplishment was to design and construct
the first monoplane with a flat-four aero engine to
fly in Australia.
On 27 July 1913 it was taken to Bungowannah Park
Estate and in front of six witnesses. It flew six meters
off the ground for over 180 meters. The trial was
repeated a few days later but after a mechanical
malfunction the plane never flew again.
It was described as part Bristol, part Bleriot, and part
Deperdussen, with a unique undercarriage.
Unfortunately the Robbins and Porter aircraft was
destroyed in a fire in Albury. However the engine
remains intact and has been on display at the
Museum of Victoria in Melbourne - it’s historical
significance being that it was the first air cooled
aircraft engine ever designed and made in Australia.
In November 2012, with the 100-year anniversary of
the Robbins-Porter flight looming, the New South
Wales Government provided funding of $19,000 to
build a replica of the Robbins-Porter monoplane. The
funding came from the 2013 State Arts Funding
Program.
Saturday 27 July was the opening of the RobbinsPorter Anniversary exhibition at the award-winning
Albury Library/Museum—a building that stands on
the site of the original workshop where the plane
had been built a century earlier.
Robins(left) and Porter Brothers, with their creation
Suspended from the ceiling of the Library Museum is
a full-size replica plane built by members of the
Albury and District Historical Society, along with the
Manual Activity Centre—or Albury's Men's Shed—
and upholsterer Paul Summerfield. Also on show is
the original flat-four, horizontally opposed, aircooled engine that powered the pioneering aircraft.
Robbins and Porter were brave men. Their plane
appears simple in contemporaneous photos, but
every step must have involved challenging
engineering problems. The monoplane is small by
today's standards.
It was designed as a tall pyramid of fine steel tubes,
spars and bracing wires under tension, cradling the
modest engine at the front and extending out the
back through an open fuselage. The wings were
fabric stretched over a lightweight frame, which
gave them a scalloped appearance. The wooden
propeller was taller than a man.
100 years later a 100% replica hanging from
the ceiling of the Albury LibraryMusuem
That’s all for this issue, next issue due out at the end of the year where we will complete the series of current
Australian replica builds of aircraft from before WW1. Until then, build light and strong and fly safe. Andrew
CONTACT – Issue 7
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