site seeing

This fascinating web site belongs to Geoff Wolfe and covers the most unusual aspect of model flying that I have ever come across - steam-powered flight! I saw a brief reference to the site in the Australian Windsock magazine that is reviewed on club scene and simply could not resist taking a look - thanks 'Joe'.

The site is beautifully designed by David Fullard and I find the layout and typography so appealing. I don't know whether David is a professional graphics design man or not, but this site looks so good! I feel the the frame featuring the R/C Modelling Ring rather unsettles the overall design of of the opening page, but I know the Ring like their information to be shown on a principle page which can rather cut across your design concept! Take a look at some of the other pages, and you can see the lovely balance that David achieves between colour, typography and graphics - gorgeous! But enough of my personal tastes - let's get back to the main subject of the site!

Geoff Wolfe is an engineer, initially trained at HM Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK, and involved in engineering ever since. He has always flown model aircraft, preferring all the time to apply himself to the unusual - floatplanes, pushers, canards, rocket planes and now steam-powered. Geoff says he is under no illusion about the nature of steam power related to flight, recognising that it cannot compete with a modern engine in any practical way, but from an interest point of view he considers it has no equal! Geoff read about David Parker's steamer way back in 1967 and vowed that one day he would do it too. Having now done it, he finds that the interest has grown rather than diminished, and much of the motivation in setting up his site is "to find out who else out there is a steam plane freak". Geoff even wonders if he's the only one!

As detailed on the opening page, the site contains details of aircraft, engines, control devices, fuels, boilers and steam generators that Geoff has built over the last five years. There's information on items built by earlier exponents of steam propulsion and details of products available for sale. Geoff even offers to build engines to order for others who might like to give steam power a try.

Pictured below, left to right, and reproduced from the site, is the man himself with his steam-powered Comet, Geoff's much-used Parker engine replica, and the Parker Groves hybrid engine.

For much more information, visit http://www.flysteam.co.uk

E-mail Geoff at geoff@flysteam.f9.co.uk

Graham McAllister Designs specialises in electric flight - kits, motors, gear boxes and all other accessories. We took a look at his site on ModelFlight #41, and Graham has now added several new pages to it. There's In the Workshop, a nicely illustrated chronicle of Graham's current building projects, and Tales from the Bushwhackers reflecting the activities of Graham and his electric flight mates.

Of special interest, though, is that Graham has made his booklet A Basic Guide to Successful Electric Flight available on line. Anyone contemplating starting out in electric flight will find this of immense value. It contains ten chapters covering the basics, hardware, motors, speed controllers, cells and batteries, chargers, connections, an explanation of electrical terms, model weights and simplicity and concludes with a very clear and useful wiring diagram. This publication has already proved to be very popular and remains available in its A5 printed form at £3.50, but here it is for free!

http://www.mcallisterdesigns.co.uk