Model Planes (1954)

Banstead, Surrey.
Various shots show Edward Norman preparing model aeroplanes for flight on Epsom Downs. He made all the models himself. Among the models seen are a Foker triplane, a Hawker Fury, a Jet Boulton Paul.
Edward picks up a Boeing F4 B4 plane and sets it off on a flight. When it runs out of petrol the plane falls to the ground. The wings are designed to break off and are put back in place easily.
Edward prepares another plane for a flight, the Boulton Paul. Several shots of the plane in flight. It eventually falls to the ground.
Cutting and notes on file.
FILM ID:1353.09
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[@gazratjackson]

70 years later we have radio controls and still smashing them to bits 💸

[@alexanderk7776]

that hobby needs skills and a big purse

[@B0aws]

Yeah, heheh😊

[@cal-native]

Great historic film! I remember seeing a model with a pendulum control back in the early 70s - it really was pretty simple - literally a weighted pendulum hanging inside the fuselage, connected to an elevator pushrod - nose up, elevator down, and vice versa. Like a poor man's gyro, and the trim could be adjusted with the threaded clevis. Coincidentally, it was a Sopwith Camel. You appreciate how historic this film is when they talk about his hero brother being a WWI Camel pilot!❤

[@dominicrichardson5546]

I was going to look up what a pendulum control was as I've never heard of it, but you've explained it perfectly!

[@DL-kc8fc]

@@dominicrichardson5546 The rudder could be controlled by a winding string on a drum that had knots - a primitive program for adjusting the angle of the rudder. The model could fly far, but it came back.

[@activelow9297]

I had a threaded clevis once.. but the doctor had it removed. Thank God it tested benign!

[@n1vca]

That guy is a pro ... perfect launches, no trimming and NO CONTROL 😳

[@finntastique3891]

A ducted fan model jet in the 50s! Holy moly, this guy was ahead of his time.

[@OcotilloTom]

I'm 77 and started modeling with U-control in the early 50's, this is even a bit before my time!

[@oneilluminatus]

Oh boy.. This brings back some good memories. As a boy back in the early seventies a transmitter was a thing I could only dream of. It was only sail planes or rubber powered ones. All scratch built. On two occasions, planes got trapped in a thermal updraft, never saw them again… Good old times.

[@joosepkaha1687]

Good times👍

[@barryrudge1576]

Great piece of nostalgia there aren't many who do free flight modelling these days as R/C as come along way and considerably cheaper than it used to be.

[@c123bthunderpig]

Awesome, reminds me of learning to fly inside the YMCA, A balsa wood kit called the Firebird with .049 engine on control line They should bring back this type of control system, maybe they have.RC and jet engines are the rich mans toys today. Loved the 50's music.

[@weeliano]

You have to appreciate the aeromodelling hobby of the early generations. They had to balance and trim the plane perfectly! It is truly remarkable that these are free-flight models with no radio controls.

[@andyrbush]

I flew free flight way back it was great fun. Most of the time we found the model again.

[@larryblack1944]

Nice planes! A very unique control to allow free flight without use of lines or radio control. I have never heard of that method.

[@knowledgebyte]

I remember how many planes I built before radio came along. So many crashes until eventually I bought a Graupner Dandy and a second hand 27Mhz RC radio. At last I was able to master the skies and later went on to become a private pilot and even built my own flex wing from a kit. And now I’m printing them out from plans and an Creality Ender 3D pro. Amazing when you think about it. Look how far we have come in such a short space of time.

[@ELVISFERNAND0]

The pleasure of seeing those planes fly in that era without 3D printers, ICs, remote control, or waiting for subscribers.

[@turokforever007]

I wanted to get into RC planes in the 80s, but you had to build kits that took months to build and many crashed on takeoff, so waited until foam and brushless. Then got into it.

[@danielerickson3391]

My dad did freeflight planes in the late 60s early 70s. Thanks for the walkback and the next 1000 videos coming.

[@paulhemmings9245]

I found this interesting,don't forget there was no internet,no kits everything was homemade,all your ideas from books or magazines.

[@joewoodchuck3824]

I was building kits in early 60's, but magazine plans were still being published. Scaling up to full size was a chore, but a pantograph made it easier. I could never part with the money for a pantograph, so I did the grid method by hand. I still like building.

[@stejer211]

I guess the Japanese tissue and South American balsa wood were homemade as well? And where did your glue and dope come from?

[@joewoodchuck3824]

@@stejer211 Your sarcasm is really helpful.

[@paulhemmings9245]

@@stejer211 Are you trying to be funny ?

[@stejer211]

@@paulhemmings9245 Nope, I am responding very seriously to your 'when we were young we had it so bad' comment.

[@Edubarca46]

What a wonderful video. I have always wanted to watch P.E Norman flying one of his fantastic models. This is a privilege thanks to our wonderful technology.

[@TCSC47]

Back in the early 60's, when a teenager, I was at a model airplane meet, I think at Esher racecourse, with my friend and his younger brother. P.E Norman ( I think that is the name he used in his model airplane publications) was flying a ducted fan free flight model. It hit my friend's brother who was looking in the other direction. No harm done. P.E. Norman came rushing up, not to enquire if my friend's brother was ok, but to shout at him for not getting out of the way! Lol! How we laughed!

[@JohanFasth]

I started in the early -80s and it has been a huge development to where we are today. It's hard to think that people just throw them up there and hoped for the best. How strange is that?! But, they were pioneers in this hobby.

[@gourobkundu2173]

This guy is sooo talented. Flying without any control is one of my worst nightmares

[@stejer211]

You're probably living a sheltered life.

[@keithphilbin3054]

Avoid Ryanair then.

[@abaeromod]

Wonderful, thank you.

[@EJ-74]

Those planes would be great RC planes, the cg and flight performance was on point!!! 👌🏻

[@phfreddie6242]

Incredible !

[@danstubbs5032]

Now you have vr cockpits, remote control and jet engines. Wow.

[@pc3983]

Clever guy , great models 👍

[@wormhole331]

Wish they went into detail about the pendulum design

[@nicholasroberts6954]

There was model flying going on on Epsom Race Course in the late 1960s. Although by that time single and multi-channel "Reed" based radio control was the dominant vogue. Some of the models were big, even then, employing up to 10cc engines. Didn't a lot of Norman's plans for scratch building end up in "Aeromodeller" and the MAP catalogue ? Always remember the advice in the back of the MAP catalogue on how to manufacture a perspex canopy from scratch. First get a sheet of thinish perspex. Then construct a wooden mold for the canopy. Then, with the mold on a board on a level floor, place the perspex over the top of the mold using a couple of bricks as supports. Then came the tricky bit . . ."Borrow" two bars from an electric fire and position them such, that when energised the radiant heat would be sufficient to soften the perspex and cause it to drape over the canopy mold below. Then switch-off and trim. Elementary thermo-plastic molding, dear Watson. Never had the equipment or kahunas to try it myself, but bet there was a lot of trial and error and some minor garage and shed fires.

[@None-zc5vg]

I started building a semi-scale "Swordfish" biplane from an 'Aeromodeller' plan in 1963: it's still around, unfinished. It had knock-off wings that were supported by thin-ply struts and pins, with thin rubber for the bracing-wires. Carving the engine exhaust-collector ring was the hardest bit, along with the balsa nose.

[@henriquepereiradarocha3722]

Termine! Ele merece voar!

[@juliantolley2191]

I spent my youth building planes and flying them on Epsom Downs. If only there was enough space nowadays to do it. Kids miss out in the thrill of creation and the pride of teaching oneself aerodynamics and proving to all watching you by launching a Keil Kraft Snipe with a DC Dart diesel engine climb nicely and transition into a gentle glide.

[@hugejohnson5011]

For your trick with the Perspex, it's easy enough now with a regular electric heat gun. I've bent up all kinds of plastics with mine.

[@benjaminbarrera214]

I had a hotrodding book from the early 50s that described a similar method for making a custom bubble-top for a convertible. Make a wooden framework to fit the car, then form the plastic by heating it with a hair dryer. I can't imagine a lot of people actually did this.

[@taltamasha7451]

seriously...? how....so amazing

[@jeraldsamuel5598]

Who was this guy? He must have been a minor legend in the history of British model airplane building.

[@andyMSH700]

wow..amazing guy

[@Chopperwidgetman]

Is this the P E Norman that was well known to the aeromodelling fraternity in the late 50's - early 60's?

[@James-gf9jl]

Probably.

[@None-zc5vg]

"Aeromodeller" editor Ron Moulton wanted to build a flying scale-model with a registration that matched his initials. When "G-ARGM" was issued ca. 1962, it was to a Comet 4 airliner operated by B.E.A. so Moulton had to 'go back to the drawing board'.

[@jsa2001]

Started model aircraft when i was 13 with a Kiel craft free flight glider, then rubber powered, control line to radio control. This inspires me to start again with a free flight balsa glider.

[@mattinwinkymg]

It Does beg the question if free flight is actually legal nowadays 😮

[@wazza7575]

Do it. I do, forget all the legal BS. You owe it to yourself.

[@mattinwinkymg]

@johnnichol9412 ha ha Good

[@mattinwinkymg]

@wazza7575 hmm if insurers ask why I lost control I could say it was a free flight lol

[@martinkiszel8903]

@@mattinwinkymg Yes. It is recommended to have radio assist though to stop the CAA from having a flap on! See SAM 35 club.

[@tonydewey3023]

Fabulous, glad I found this

[@derekpierkowski7641]

Incredible! Didn't know any of this!👍👍👍👍👍

[@over2seeyer]

amazing skills

[@OldMtnGeezer]

Love everything about this, but had to chuckle at the repetitious cycling of the sound loop - same exact sound coming from both engines, both flights, even to the timing of the misfire blips. Sound editing has come a long way too!

[@allgood6760]

Nice! ✈️

[@74tappy]

I have the 1955 Aeromodeller Annual book, which features a 14 page article on his ducted fan jets. I never thought I'd see a video of one flying! The article includes a plan of his Mig 15.

[@peterjohnson6273]

Fond memories. :)

[@fettlerjohn3419]

Splendid

[@gregorydahl]

What does the pendulum do ? Sounds like it keeps the plane level by linking elevator to a pendulum . And the rudder is set to circle .

[@JohnJ469]

Apparently that's it. The pendulum controls the elevator for level flight and the rudder has it circle the field. Incredible really.

[@wallywally8282]

Love it👍

[@funclubfishholdenyu8809]

Aeromodelling has come such a long way.

[@robertoaxelciarelli424]

Quando gli aeromodelli ❤️erano aeromodelli ❤️ed avevano carattere❤️📍

[@michaelcliffe562]

Impeller jet in 1954?! Amazing

[@davewalker7126]

I had one that was controlled by strings in the 70's. You had to turn round and round and round.. until it ran out of fuel and you could lie down and feel sick.

[@vashon100]

Cox 049 engine

[@None-zc5vg]

Edward Norman's planes featured in model-aircraft magazine-articles of the late '50s and early '60s. He was referred to as "P.E. Norman". All the 'pendulum' device did was to make the scale-model planes fly level:: it couldn't stop them flying out of sight.

[@djidroneadventures4059]

Couldn't you just set the rudder to fly in a large circle

[@user-lk2cj2qs1d]

Had a Thermic 50 tow line on about a 50 foot tow Never saw it come down

[@SantaCruzCowboy]

I used to fly these with my grandfather…now I fly DJI FPV…WHAT A WAYS WE HAVE COME

[@T.W.I.T.]

wow, that was truly awesome.. I would like to know about this pendulum control system.

[@copee2960]

Real model building, i lost interest when people started just buying the models ...there was an art to building a good balsa model...and it took skill to free flight the models.

[@jorgevillalobos8356]

Y pensar que gracias a estos caballeros.el aeromodelismo está metió hasta en las guerras, desgraciadamente. Soy un hombre de 60 años y mis inicios es de los 70 u 80 y fue con un motor COX 0.49 en aviones chicos a línea y de allí empeso la investigación del deporte ciencias. Hasta hoy días que voy a cargar baterías para volar mañana

[@dufus7396]

Every kids dream to have back then

[@ShockeWulf190]

Ahh so cool!

[@bigiron8831]

R.I.P. Mr. Ernie Petit 🙏

[@ClemTec]

The real grandfather of drones.

[@DanielGlover]

50MPH and no control. Think I will stick with the £300 drone. At least it gets a remote control 😀. Nice film clip. So he got something in it that keeps it in a tight area, Run out of fuel and come down. Strange way of doing but works I supose. 1960,s as said below and remote was coming in. More fun. It does more than level and a circle.

[@stejer211]

"So he got something in it that keeps it in a tight area..." It's called a rudder. A fixed rudder in this case.

[@DanielGlover]

@@stejer211 A strange toy to play with, how many got stuck in a tree!. Realise rudder on a normal plane. So still in this then 😃. Into the 60's nicer. Remotes controls.

[@SunSailandSand]

Back in the day they where so much more advanced. We had people flying model airplanes with their mind AND we had people who designed rockets able to go to the moon and back.

[@josephwarra5043]

Ah, "Back in the day!"

[@djyutremix4856]

🥰❤️👍 very good

[@brettbuck7362]

These airplanes have diesel engines - but the sound is a Dyna-Jet!

[@sidneydawe9937]

I have a Dynajet pulse jet engine with spare butterfly valves. I never got it fired up. I will stick to my vintage diesel engines.

[@brettbuck7362]

@@sidneydawe9937 Oh, you should at least crank it up once, just to fully appreciate the sound, it is incredibly loud, but not harsh, and the sound travels for miles. I have heard dyna-jets run from ~10+ miles away in the right conditions, all the way across the widest part of San Francisco Bay and well inland.

[@johngoncalves]

Wow, how clever

[@jhonnygranja2127]

El amor a los aviones.

[@DoNotPushHere]

Any clue anybody about the pendulum control? At first I thought he'd describe some sort of de-thermalizer but...no?

[@bobi2582]

None of this ready to fly, foam jobs then. True aeromodelling and and engineering mind. I've never understood why people today pose for photos with there latest off the shelf job and then go fly it with full gyro support and think theyve done a good job!!😅

[@yindyamarra]

So you just chucked them and hope for the best

[@156dave]

Shame Boeing didn’t use the Pendulum system instead of that dodgy angle of attack software

[@cloudpandarism2627]

no crossfire i guess...

[@redmi9anio]

So, when was the RC (Radio Controller) was invented.?

[@MasboyRC]

This guy must be so rich at the time

[@jimback8668]

Как жалко мужика тогда, модели классные, а радиоуправления небыло...😕

[@missasinenomine]

I say old chap, not the usual standard of commentary on Pathe, rather working class, wouldn't you agree Fotheringay? Indeed Percival. Standards are falling.

[@beegee22]

😮😮👍👍👏👏

[@davidk6264]

so why did it take 70 years for people to discover that these things could be dangerous on the battlefield?

[@8ightea340]

First rc planes!

[@billbright1755]

Guy must have been a genius.

[@bobbyrayofthefamilysmith24]

Three if his planes flew off and he never found them. I wonder if the person whose car or window the planes crashed through thought he was a genius.

[@mLi75]

Sounds like Terry Wogan.

[@rogerwilco4736]

Reminds me of control line models which were flown from a park near my home in the nineteen fifties

[@stevennagley3407]

The narrator said at the end … “top flight”

[@Jacey2001]

Now we have flying wing drones that go 50km plus distance while wearing goggles piloting them like you're in the cockpit.. and with autonomous functions like waypoints and return to home, cruise, etc And the ironic part is everything we order comes from China direct

[@user-yl9kq4vu7y]

Ничего не понял ! самолётами кто управлял ? Вроде не кордовые , и радиоуправления не видно !! Как они летали ? Пока не упадут ?

[@SmoreOFFICAL]

0:02 what did he say

[@ronliebermann]

Gasoline model engines were invented in 1928. Stitches were invented in 1929.

[@MrStingraybernard]

Guess radio control was still out of there grasp 😂

[@coloradostrong]

Look up homonyms and homophones. Starting with _there,_ _they're_ and _their._

[@andreas7136]

There was RC in the time. Bulky with miniature valves, very expensive, typical only one channel to transmit. This was left-center-right-center-left.. steering. No elevator control.

[@thargor6750]

And no FAA in sight

[@alexanderk7776]

my crashes are like that guy landing 🫡🤣

[@Colin399]

Think thats Eamonn Andrews doing the commetary

[@nicholasroberts6954]

Yep. Tis the man himself, Shamus Android.

[@paulbeukers2800]

P.E.Norman did a tremendous amount of research on ducted fans

[@jupiter1401]

Sem controle remoto, um unico vôo e reconstrói tudo novamente, que prejuízo! 🤣

[@deba9186]

I thought the plane won't land 😂

[@petercorps2188]

…but kite-flying *IS* child’s play…

[@UpVoltageOverclocking]

The dubbed engines sounds are horrible!!

[@Jim-ic2of]

Nice job dead guy .😊

[@mwales2112]

Back before the FAA ruined the hobby...

[@maelradec6766]

and faa want to ruin this hobby.

[@titanicbigship]

Wdm

[@DadsRCHangar]

Great bit of history. RC still goes on today. 🫡

[@stejer211]

This video had nothing to do with RC...

[@DadsRCHangar]

@@stejer211 I should have rephrased this I guess to free flight. Still having fun with aircraft either way.

[@julioernestolivio6476]

Que puso una rata para que pilotee?

[@jupiter1401]

Sem controle remoto, um unico vôo e reconstrói tudo novamente, que prejuízo! 🤣