Jim Davis Lancaster

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Yes, I think so FB. Here’s the 747, also snapped on the same day. Sorry, a bit off topic now, apologies to all, hope you don’t mind. 

 

Edited By David Ashby - Moderator on 13/08/2020 15:58:53

[mal brewer]

Posted by Maurice Dyer on 13/08/2020 14:05:32:

I've seen a YouTube clip (cannot find it) of Roy Lever being driven down the runway flying his. If I recall he was sat on the back of a three wheeler. God knows why, the Land was big enough to see. Maybe dodgy range on 27 megs !?.

Does anyone recall the name of a television series Roy did in the 90s ? He had a jet amongst others. Was it Model Mania or ??

Maurice

Hi Maurice, as I stated earlier the story going round was the reason Roy Lever used to fly from a chase car was because he couldn't mange the reversed controls when flying a model towards himself. Don't know how true that was,but I never saw him fly without the car. Incidentally, he also had a large scale Concorde,what it was powered with I can't remember,but I do remember the variable centre of gravity operated by a football bladder part filled with water ! Does anybody else remember this model ?....................Mal

[Martin McIntosh]

Can I add my bit please?

The JDM Lanc was built by Arthur Robotham and Dave Wright who was the pilot. I attended the maiden flight which was conducted on the main runway at Fradley with special permission. I think that a TV crew may have been in attendance but not sure about that. It was powered by two petrol engines on the inboard nacelles with the outer props freewheeling, probably 100 cc in line twins.

It indeed flew at Woodvale putting to shame the square box Roy Lever version which failed to fly there.

I can confirm that it now resides in the USA.

Regarding the Spitfire, this was again built by the above and to 2/7 scale. The maiden was done at Sywell on the Press Day in front of one TV station only because the other lot got there too late. The grass was long and uphill, the 50cc single motor sounded feeble and I gave it a zero chance of getting off but it did and made one circuit.

When the other lot arrived too late I was asked to fly my Mitchel for them and later cringed at the televised landing.

They later built a 109 to the same scale.

The Spit flew at Woodvale and on the second day I got my 8mm cine camera out again to capture it. It took off across the runway, went into an uncontrollable half loop and crashed in the middle of the six deep crowd. It was coming down my camera lens so I jumped out of the way. Luckily nobody was hurt. It was then flying on a 27mHz split frequency I think but foul play by a rival display team was not ruled out.

The Spit was flown across the channel for about 40 miles to Lydd airport with Dave hanging out of the chase helicopter door. The heli had problems keeping up and Dave wondered why the model appeared to keep slowing down but the pilot told him that it was due to it occasionally climbing.

The hydraulic u/c`s for these models were made by a club member called John ??? who worked for BLMC cars.

[Colin Leighfield]

Hi Martin. Arthur was I think Chris Robathan’s dad (not Robotham?).Then young Chris was one of the team. The 109 you mention was the one I referred to, which was wrecked at Weston Park when it came in vertically from about 50ft just after take off. I think it was caused by a mix up with transmitters from what Dave has told me.

[Martin McIntosh]

Thank god for 2.4 Colin. Not infallible maybe but it helps to stop that sort of thing happening again.

On my first F3A comp on 27 I got shot down by a rogue home built Tx on the adjacent scale line.

[mal brewer]

Hi Martin and Colin, the mention by Martin of a Mitchel brings to my memory a cover photo of RCME of a line-up of the JDM display team.I think this was before the days of the big Lancaster and Spitfire. As I said, I never saw or heard about the Me 109, obviously I missed that somehow. Anyway, the line-up of models consisted of, as far as I can recall, a couple of Spitfires,one or two Mustangs, a P38 Lightning, a Dakota ( or C47 ) and a couple of B 25 Mitchels.Have I got this collection about right ? Also, was Jim Davis Models based in Stockland Green ?.................Mal

[Andy Stephenson]

The JDM shop was at Marsh Lane Erdington although there was another one I never went to in Mansfield. There was also one in the centre of Birmingham which I don't think was there long.

Andy.

[Eric Robson]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 13/08/2020 22:15:31:

Can I add my bit please?

The JDM Lanc was built by Arthur Robotham and Dave Wright who was the pilot. I attended the maiden flight which was conducted on the main runway at Fradley with special permission. I think that a TV crew may have been in attendance but not sure about that. It was powered by two petrol engines on the inboard nacelles with the outer props freewheeling, probably 100 cc in line twins.

They later built a 109 to the same scale.

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Thanks Martin and Colin, I was beginning to wonder if it was an age problem when there were doubts about the Me 109. I do remember asking about it and being told there was a problem. I was also sure the Lanc. only had two engines and now that has been confirmed. I think that is when I decided to scale down the Chris Gold's foam and brown paper Lancaster to 50" wingspan and fit two O.S. 20's in the inner nacelles, it flew very well not a lot of power but it would not have looked right flying like a pylon racer.

[John Lee]

Posted by mal brewer on 13/08/2020 23:06:49:

Hi Martin and Colin, the mention by Martin of a Mitchel brings to my memory a cover photo of RCME of a line-up of the JDM display team.I think this was before the days of the big Lancaster and Spitfire. As I said, I never saw or heard about the Me 109, obviously I missed that somehow. Anyway, the line-up of models consisted of, as far as I can recall, a couple of Spitfires,one or two Mustangs, a P38 Lightning, a Dakota ( or C47 ) and a couple of B 25 Mitchels.Have I got this collection about right ? Also, was Jim Davis Models based in Stockland Green ?.................Mal

Here you go Mal, the caption reads: "This is the Jim Davis Air Force! All but one of this R/C scale models, collected and prepared by Jim Davis and associates have been built from kits. The single engined models, three Curtis P.40s and three N.A. P-51Bs are from Top Flite kits. The two B.25 Mitchells are built from Aviette/RipMax kits, whilst the P-38 Lightning is a Japanese kitting effort. Only the Douglas C-47 (DC-3 Dakota) is scratchbuilt. Models are by Jim Davis Models demonstration team currently touring the major rallies."

[John Lee]

And from a couple of years later:

"One of the showstoppers of the Sywell R/C Expo at Easter were the two 2/7th scale 10ft 3in span Spitfires flown by the Jim Davis Demonstration Team. 35lb machines are powered by 55cc 'Denarm' chain saw motors driving 24 x12 in. props. Undercarriage retracts using purpose made mechanism based on RipMax Monoperm motor and Olympic radio provides the brains."

[John Lee]

Posted by mal brewer on 13/08/2020 16:53:40:

Incidentally, he also had a large scale Concorde,what it was powered with I can't remember,but I do remember the variable centre of gravity operated by a football bladder part filled with water ! Does anybody else remember this model ?....................Mal

Yes. Roy had heard that the full size Concorde could move it's CG by pumping fuel to & from a tank in the tail so he mimicked this with the football (or rugby ball?) bladders. What he did not seem to appreciate was the the full size used this system to compensate for the Centre of Pressure shift when it went supersonic. The model never went past Mach 1 but it did spread itself into it's constituent parts on the Woodvale runway & my abiding memory is of several hundred Scouce kids jumping the rope & invading the area to collect a souvenir.

[Martin McIntosh]

1973? Oh dear, was it really that long ago?

My Mitchel eventually crashed at the Sywell show because some bright spark wanted me to tow a glider with it and it suffered an engine cut on take off.

The other one was flown by Pete Ashmore. We were once invited to an open day at Upper Heyford when it was still a US base. Pete came by himself but being unable to find the main entrance came onto the main runway through a crash gate, soon to be escorted off the live runway by a bunch of GI`s in those massive Yankee trucks. The sight of him in the middle in his dark green ex GPO Moggie Minor van crippled the rest of us with laughter.

I also flew one of the Warhawks and occasionally a Mustang equipped with retracts.

[Maurice Dyer]

This era was just as I got into RC. Happy days. Mr McIntosh certainly seems to have enjoyed an interesting model career.

Maurice

[Richard Harris]

I came across this video that is quite interesting, I'm not 100% sure but I think that the 747 and Lancaster that have been mentioned are flying at the end starting around 31:34 ?

The Lancaster looks as it only has just enough power

[Martin McIntosh]

That Lanc. is of course the square box Roy Lever version. He is one of the pilots.

I remember seeing the model at Woodvale but do not recall the chase cars. Shame that the successful JDM one is not on the video since it flew there on the same day.

[Jesus Cardin]

It is at least strange that being nearly a myth in UK, only one Jim Davis´ Lancaster photo has been added to this thread after 8 years and 4 pages! I would much like to contribute with a photo from Martin Hedges 1979 book "Model Aircraft", which description reads:

"Jim Davis´s Lancaster model, an all-wood construction with two free-wheeling propellers and powered by two Rowena chain saw engines"

Hope this makes some light to the model history.

Edited By Jesus Cardin on 06/09/2020 21:42:18

[Martin McIntosh]

Looks like Dave Wright bending down, maybe Arthur Rowbothan next to him and then Colin Grice.

[Jesus Cardin]

Great info Martin. Unfortunately text does not give details on the persons.

[Allan Bowker]

Thanks for taking the time to scan and post the picture Jesus, greatly appreciated.
It's really good to see the JDM Lanc in a place it was meant to be; rather than my pic of it in museum storage.

[Andy Stephenson]

Dave Wright was an extremely recognisable figure so I'm certain that's him kneeling.

[Martin McIntosh]

Re met him a Gaydon a year or so ago when gazing at the partially built really giant Lanc. Quite grey now but so am I.

[Andy Stephenson]

Dave gave a really interesting talk at a club I was in a while back about the Spitfire flight across the channel. He brought along the fuselage of said model and in those days it looked simply huge.

A.

[John Lee]

Just came across this photo of the JDM Lanc with Dave Wright, from RCM&E Aug 1978:

[Allan Bowker]

Thanks John, this really is the thread that keeps on giving

[John Lee]

Another earlier find, from July 1972 RCM&E, a Halifax this time, caption on second page. I can't recall seeing anything more about this model: