(The following report is from John S. he sent it to me on the 5th but I’ve just now gotten to posting it, sorry for the delay. -JonC)
There were two guest speakers in attendance: Dave Wigley and Roy Vaillancourt. Both guys are Top Gun competitors, Wigley being Mr. Top Gun 2010 with his Westland Wyvern torpedo bomber with simulated contra-rotating props. That plane was on exhibit as were Roy’s Focke Wulf FW-190A5 and Hawker Typhoon Mk V, both past Top Gun entries also. Also on display was Dave Wigley’s latest creation which is still in the process of being built – a Bristol Beaufighter which you will see in several photos.
Now for the photos (Click to enlarge)
Below: Dave Wigley giving demo on how to do wing skins, Roy Vaillancourt on side line sipping coffee and watching. Gives an idea as to how many were in attendance that day, well over 60 I’m sure. Our club had myself and Ollie and Dave Messina who also belongs to the sponsoring club. I also brought a friend who was a prior member of the MHRCS and ran a hobby shop locally for years, Rob Riley. Two people from the Accord club, Otto Loorentz and Paul Race. There were people from as far away as Long Island, Connecticut and Binghamton.
Below: Dave Wigley demonstrating his method for sheeting wings. Notice that Beaufighter to the left, it is going to be an awesome airplane when complete. That’s Roy’s Typhoon to the right. Notice also all the supplies they brought to show what kind of stuff they use during construction and finishing.
Below: This is Roy Vaillancourt giving his demo on how to do panel lines which was very close to how I mentioned I did mine at the fiber-glassing demo I gave at the December meeting. Notice that Dave Wigley moved his Beaufighter and now you can see his Wyvern to the left.
Below: The two people I was there with are in the foreground of this photo, Ollie to the left and Rob Riley to the right. At this time, Roy was going over how he does markings and weathering and such. Notice Ollie studiously jotting down notes and the intent gaze of Rob Riley.
Below: At this time, Roy was going over how he repaired and refinished his FW-190A5 and then weathered his model so as to look like a combat weary veteran aircraft. Has a lot of good techniques to share.
We then broke for lunch and I would say approximately one quarter of the crowd left since the afternoon session was to go over putting together a documentation package for competitions and then putting together a flight routine for competitions. It ended around 4:00PM and people could then ask questions and such. It was quite informative and I for one look forward to them returning as there was some mention to that effect. That’s about it. -JohnS
