Fairey Avation Company Duster

[Gondor]

My entry into the Civilinise/Militarise it GB

The back story:

The Fairey Aviation Company Duster
   In 1946, the Fairey Aviation attempted to turn former military aircraft into useful civilian designs. A budding design engineer, J.M. Barrie, came up with the idea of converting surplus Gloster Gladiators into crop dusting machines. Limited funds and only a few available airframes meant that the design was never going into mass production and was intended more as a proof of concept than anything else.
  Problems arose during the production phase with a lack of spares which was alleviated somewhat by a purchase of some spares from Portugal. The problems did not simply exist with serviceability, the flight characteristics changed with the addition of the hopper tank into the aircraft, the pilots were also getting disgruntled by being called "Fairies" or "Tinker bell".
  The whole program was cancelled after the first aircraft crashed while performing low speed handling tests simulating the aircraft's intended role.

More to follow

Gondor

[TallEng]

Regarding the test flights maybe Fairey should have used pixie dust
Although if the Test Pilot was Captain Hooke....
And for spares I would suggest that they should have contacted Neverland* they'd probably have had the spares
(*"second star to the right, and straight on till morning")

Regards
Keith (still not a grown-up)

[Captain Canada]

Cool. I would have thought it was a Firefly at first as I read slow speed handling at the bottom before starting at the top.

[Mossie]

Sounds good to me!

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Go for it!

[KiwiZac]

Cool idea, and not an aircraft I'd have imagined for even proof-of-concept.

[Gondor]

Plastic has been both cut and glued today. As I am using a couple of old kits I have to build something to look like a cockpit interior, if only in a basic way, before I close up the fuselage parts. Lots of filling and sanding to be done to merge the parts together as I am using more than just a Gloster Gladiator in this build.

Gondor

[Captain Canada]

Hmmmm..... looking forward to seeing some pics !

[Gondor]

Plastic mayhem and dismemberment has been unleashed in a chaotic carnival to be served up as a smorgasbord of delight for the pleasure of the members here.

I have cut up some parts and stuck them back together in a different way that I hope people like

Devilish designs are taking shape before mine eyes in a tribute to Cthulhu to be served on his alter!

My ideas are shaping up nicely which I hope to finish in time for the end of the Group Build

Gondor

[Gondor]

The landing legs have been attached so one the filler has had time to dry and then been finished to an acceptable shape the lower wings will be added. After that I really do need to finish the cockpit.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Most of the cockpit has been put together now. Just the seatbelts and seat to go in prior to my closing it up. The lower wings are attached so I am thinking about whether to add the radiator before the inter-plain struts or not and also how many struts should I do, thinking of two but might go for four.

Gondor

[Captain Canada]

Enticing