Page 15 - MFW June 2024

C T O R S A I T
I V . 7 E L B Y P REET. WESTMINSTER
4 M O D HIL SHARP - 2022

Part 2

Back in the December 2022 MFW published my article
“Rotary Magic” detailing Phil Sharp’s extraordinary
build of a 1/3 scale Gnome 9 cylinder rotary engine.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zAWUajWO1Cvi3uJhx-dl8DNkr950WGnO/view

In conclusion I promised a follow up article on his build of a
1/4 scale WW1 Camel built from a Mick Reeves laser cut
Kapiti Amodellers’ Rally
kit to accommodate the masterpiece. Over the following
year and a bit, Phil and I
documented the build Sat 16th & Sun 17th March 2024
through the pages of
Queen Elizabeth Park and
Model Flying Hawkes Beech for this,
Mackay’s Crossing
B a y ’ s “ P r o p w a s h ” Russell and Barrie kindly
newsletter. Here now is donated some more
Paekakariki
a photo precis of that M a h o g a n y , w h i c h
event with the pictures enabled me to keep the
and Phil’s comments stripy look. There is a practical reason for this as it is much
speaking for themselves. easier to make the two sides match, especially on the top
surface. I increased the pitch from 22 to 30 inches, and
The model is being built from a Mick Reeves ¼ scale laser made the blade much wider in an effort to reduce the rpm
No landing fees
cut kitset which Phil imported in 2022. to about 2500. I made a thinner section to keep the weight
MFNZ Wings Badge
down and it came in only 2 oz heavier.
Phil’s building is very precise with the model being jigged required
to a very exact standard. As a gluing regime he uses I made it a different way this time which is a little more
mainly waterproof Titebond pva for the wood frame joints accurate. I set the angle plate on the mill and cut a slot at I
and will be adding a fair amount of gussets for inch stations at the correct angle. There is a program
strengthening. Around bulkheads and the firewall etc he called Propeller Pitch Calculator, which gives these
uses an epoxy adhesive for extra strength. angles.I then chiselled the remaining timber, and that left a
fairly good surface. The underside is a twisted flat profile.
As a light diversion during the build he needed to make a The top side was done as before, with a plane, files and
coarser pitched prop as the engine was over revving at sandpaper. I certainly didn’t need to get on the exercise
4000 rpm. Phil commented; I had ordered some European bike after that!
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