HS Buccaneer PSS Build (Part 3)

The 1/72 scale Airfix kit that I build in Part 1 and Part 2 provided me with a lot of information but did not include a much needed front view of the buccaneer. I had to revert back to a Google search to find a drawing that contained cross sections of the fuselage. With the aid of this drawing I then scaled the 13 formers to I/7^th scale that I required. Six of the Formers (where the jet engines are situated) were too big to print on a normal A4 (unless you tile them) printer and I had them plotted by my brother on his A2 plotter.

After cutting them out and pasting it on thin Formica I will cut and shape those to the outlines of the plotted formers to make up templates for my hot wire foam cutter. Up to yesterday I managed to do 5 of the smaller formers with the bigger 8 still to be done.  Once all the formers are done I will order the foam and proceed cutting it, building up the fuse in sections as per Formers 1 to 13.

This technique differs somewhat from the top view /side view approach and may require more work but I think that I will end up with a more accurate / symmetrical fuselage especially more so because of the complex curves of the buccaneer’s fuselage.

For now I am happy with progress and I am including some pictures of the build as up to this date.


I don’t know when I will make the next posting and therefore would like to this opportunity to whish all the BERG Blog readers a Merry Christmas and a happy new year (2011)-May all your landings be good ones.

There is a Buccaneer in my front garden (PSS build Part 2)

Over the last 3 evenings I managed to finish the Buccaneer 1/72 scale model and I must say that this project is now starting to draw me in. I do not think that building the plastic kit was a bad idea as I have learned  a lot and now getting more and more excited about the project.

I did not have any major problems with the build, as many reports pointed out, and found that my fuselage top and bottom lined up ok, however the right hand saddle where the wing would slot in had a 1 mm lip but I shaved this off and had no further problems with the fit after that.

My biggest problem was in and around the cockpit area, but somehow just carried on no matter what went wrong. The biggest setback I had was when the fuel nozzle disappeared after I had glued in position. I did not wait for the glue/paint to dry properly and carried on working and when I turned the model over knocked it off. Later on I realised that the nozzle was gone and started a massive search that lasted for at least a half-hour before it finely found it - stuck to my left outside forearm. The buccaneer won’t be Buccaneer without this all important feature and if I did not find would not know how to manufacture a small part like this, but in the end everything worked out I am happy with the result.

The only things that I have done extra were to make a stand to mount the Buccaneer on because I wanted to see how the Buccaneer would look like in full flight. Of the 144 pieces that came with the kit there must be about 60% or more left (fuel tank and bomb parts).

 I did not fit them on the wings as they would crowd the underside so much so that you would not see any part of the wing! Anyway I think it will take about the same time or more just to assemble and paint all the bombs that the Buccaneer could carry. I probably will assemble them, but for now I don’t want to lose the focus on the building the 1/7 scale PSS Buccaneer.

I don’t think that I will get much more done in terms of building this Des but I would like to get the plans drawn up so that I can start building in Jan 2011.

I posted some pictures that I found really inspiring to me as you can see with them you do not need to imagine how the Buccaneer would look like flying on Volksrust slope and I hope that you will enjoy as much as I did taking them.

Roll-on 2011!



Building the HS (Hawker Siddeley) Buccaneer S50 PSS Part 1

Well there you have it, a brave statement to make to start a build like this but this time round I decided not to rush this PSS project so rather that the 40 days build of the Aero Commander I have given myself at least 40 weeks or even more!

Not easy decision to make but I am sure it will be worth all the effort. So yesterday I bought an Airfix model Kit of the Buccaneer HS S50 1/72 scale (the same version that SAAF use to fly) and I was pleasantly surprised that kit included the SAAF livery and decals of the Air Force at the time (No 426), late 1960 to early 1990).

The main reason for acquiring the 1/72 kit was for the detail, 3 view drawings and other information that one can obtain from the kit, a luxury that I did not have at the time I build the Rockwell Aero Commander.

After studding the plastic kit and browsing the Internet it became clear to me that even the plastic kit itself was not an easy build! So I decided to build the kit even though that I am not a expert at building plastic model aircraft kit’s and so doing can get the feel for what I am letting myself into.

I have found at least one good build of this model so I will try and follow it closely and see how it works out.

The idea at this stage and similar to Aero Commander, is to scale the buccaneer to 1/7 of the original size making the scale wingspan just under 2 meter. I might also stretch wing somewhat as to improve the wing loading, although the 22 ounces per square foot of the Aero Commander work well I would not like to exceed this figure as a starting point.

Once again I will photograph and post the Build as I proceed with the work.

Here are some pictures to start with.

Slope Rockwell Aero Commander's maiden flight

After 5 months since the Slope Aero Commander project started it finally took to the sky at Volksrust on Saturday afternoon the 3rd of Jan 2009.


Although we arrived on Monday the 29th of December my patience was even further tested with the condition being very light for the first 4 to 5 days and peaked out on Sunday with a monster wind of between 30 and 40 kph for most of Sunday.

Needless to say the Aero Commander thrived in these conditions and as the saying goes, flew straight form the drawing board into the slightly overcast skies of Volksrust needing no trim correction what so ever. Even the CG and overall weight of 3.5KG of the Aero Commander worked out ok and the more I pushed the model through its paces the more it had to offer with near axial rolls and very little down elevator required to maintain level inverted flight. Consecutive loops also were not a problem. What surprised the most was that it was even sensitive to thermals and with 4 to 5 turns it would climb out above the slope ridge with more than enough height to do a proper landing approach.


The huge flaps came in very handy on landing and especially so on Sunday when the wind was very strong and the Aero Commander needed them to slow it down.



Disaster nearly set in when on Tuesday afternoon a fast approaching thunder and lightning storm hit us on the NW slope and in the process destroying the BERG tent which collapsed on top of the Aero Commander. Only the fast action of Edmund and myself and 10 minutes of hanging on for our dear lives saved the Aero Commander.

Evan has published detail pictures and posting of this on the ETB blog at this link http://www.easternthermalbusters.blogspot.com/

Berg-gliders Blog ?

A bit more PSS and some Lizards

Above and left my best group photographs. Shooting was extremely difficult in our midday sun, bright blue sky and dull brown ground conditions. Hopefully we will have our summer clouds back soon here on the highveld.

It was great to see so many beautifully finished models out for the event. Lots of effort went in to each and every one of them and such a pity we couldn't see them fly. However, I'm sure plans are already being made to get out to Volksrust and get them airborne in December.

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As our premier Slope Scale event is named after these reptiles, here is some interesting information on the Sungazer Lizards:

On Sunday morning we all went to Oom Louis' farm for breakfast and on the road out from the farm to the main road we were priviledged to see the Sungazers in their natural habitat. If Mike hadn't brought them to our attention, we probably wouldn't have even noticed them. These large lizards stay near their burrows and from a distance look just like sticks sticking up from the ground. On foot we managed to get about fifteen meters from them before they dashed into their burrows. I managed to get one good photo:

Here is an extract from the National Museum Bloemfontein website on these fascinating reptiles:

Sungazers are a CITES species, listed in the South African Red Data Book - Reptiles and Amphibians. Sungazers are endemic to South Africa and occur mainly in the Free State Province, with smaller populations occurring in south-west Mpumalanga and a small population in north-eastern Natal. This is the largest of the Cordylus species and can grow to a total length of 376 mm.


The Sungazer derives its name from its habit of anterior body-up posturing, and thus raised on its forelimbs, gives the impression that it is gazing at the sun when outside of its burrow. The Afrikaans name "Ouvolk" means old person, and has most probably been used because this lizard spends considerable sitting outside its burrow in an inactive state, either thermoregulating, or waiting for passing prey. Sungazers inhabit loamy grassland and live in, often winding, self-made burrows, which may be up to nearly 4 m in length. The orientation of most burrow openings is east through to north-west. One to two young are usually born every second year and are much brighter than the adults with bright yellow and orange markings. Agriculture and development are major threats to this species.

An environmentally conscious company such as Eskom can be commended in their efforts to protect and save this species. Around 1983, the development of Majuba Power Station in Mpumalanga, threatened the survival of a large number of Sungazer colonies. Eskom then put aside land for a Sungazer reserve and, with the help of the then Transvaal Directorate of Nature Conservation and the contractors, managed to remove over 1500 Sungazers from the power station site and very successfully relocate them to the new reserve.

Wanted: Action shots at Volksrust- ETB PSS Oct feast

All foam Airbus soaring off in the light lift we had at Volksrust

If you were one of the lucky persons to took some nice action shots like Phillip Otto did and also want to see it up on the Blog front page send me a email with a low res picture file to pietlewis@absamail.co.za
Please only Select one Picture of your collection. I will then select some and request you to send me the picture in hi-res.

ETB October PSS Fest

Well at last the time came to drive down to Volksrust for the inaugural ETB PSS October fest.
We managed to get away from work on Friday at 3 PM with Mike and his family about 1 and half hours before us. We knew that we would arrive at Volksrust after 5PM and therefore did not attempt to go up the mountain for a late afternoon flight. Mike on the other hand had sufficient time to go up the mountain and managed to get a flight in on the east slope with his Jart and it so happened that we arrived at our overnight accommodation at the same time.

This meant that we were 7 in total that slept over on Friday night, and making the Saturday not so tiring have to be on the road at 6AM and to arrive on the slope at around 10 AM so you can sleep in a bit on Saturday, and arrive on the slope at 10.30 with out having to rush.

When got the top at +/- 10.30 Paul Carnall form the ETB club and Event Organizer was already there.

From then on the cars started to stream in at a steady pace and +/- 30 PSS planes went on Static display on Saturday and about 24 on Sunday.

Around midday Paul called all the pilots together for a pilots briefing. Afterwards some general flying started and then wait for the strong wind that we needed begun.











This did not happen and in fact some most of the pilots shifted over to the South Slope when the wind died down and turned south later in the afternoon.

Some really beautiful scale gliders were on display but unfortunately not many of then could fly in the light wind we had on both Saturday and Sunday and therefor the stunning trophies that Paul made at ETB had to be awarded going by static judging only.

Even so I think that the PSS Fest are hear to stay and that this event will be on the flying calendar next year.

I am sure that in the next few days you will be seeing many a report and pictures of this event on various blogs. So for now take a look at all the some of the pictures that I took.

Phillip is currently working hard to get the H1 ready for Saturday. I have given Phillip all the moral support that I can to help to get this baby of the drawing board . The paint finish on this model is really good.

But I would really like to see this one flying as well. Tonight the servos and linkages will be fitted. Now that is what I call cutting it fine .Once again well done Phillip!!!.

PS ( the blue on the wing is defiantly related to some support for the bulls --- and the orange, white and blue Glen’s Impala ? --something to do with the Cheetahs ?