Comper Swift (oz8741)

About this Plan

Comper Swift. Peanut scale model 1930s racer. Wingspan 12.8in.

Quote: "This model was scaled from the Aeroplane Monthly drawings, with a slight increase in tailplane area (Aeroplane Monthly: August 1974. 3 view, colour side views and colour photo of G-ACTF. Also BW photos of VT-ADO and G-ACTF)."

Plan includes detailed notes on construction, covering and finishing, assembly, trimming and flying. Also colour scheme and scale references.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Quote: "Tiny writing and a nice smell of balsa wood. Andrew Hewitt writes about the Comper Swift – Bluebird Models.

Finally it arrived and I have been totally hooked on scale models ever since. The white box with a black and white photograph of Andrew’s prototype on it was eye catching, inside the smell of the fantastic balsa wood was overpowering. I had never seen real balsawood - my dad built control line models, enough said.

The plans together with some red and white jap tissue, were so tightly rolled up that it was a struggle to unwind them for fear of ripping both.

On carefully unwinding I was struck by miles of tiny writing as if written by Elves, who lived in a word of real balsa wood and great aromas. On reading these little words my life changed, they gave a detailed understandable step by step guide on building a P-nut that would fly. Those tiny words told me how to make a propeller, how to cover in tissue, how to put the decoration on, how to make a dummy engine and how to trim it. If you have never seen one of Andrew’s P-nut plans, then you may not understand how tiny the writing is, all hand done, fantastic (I now wear glasses!).

The instructions were so good that I built it and flew it on my local football pitch and my best time was 20 seconds, euphoria does not do justice to the elation I felt at my success. The plans also had all the formers and ribs drawn out so that I could build another and another. Each one was better than the last and Nottingham Model Club was having indoor meetings at Chilwell Olympia Sports Centre on a Sunday afternoon. I was able to get my Comper Swifts to do 47 seconds from a take-off, with no dihedral either, the real one had none. I seem to have been doomed to like aircraft with not much dihedral ever since. So all this made Andrew Moorhouse a bit of a celebrity to me (not like the ones who are on telly).

At some time in the Seventies I talked my Mum and Dad to take me to the Indoor Nationals which were local at Derby, where I flew my second Swift all day in between contests (flown by real Aeromodellers, not me then).

Unbeknown to me Andrew Moorhouse came and stood next to me and watched my burnt offering circling doing it’s 40 second flight. I had painted it cream and blue as G-ABUU, complete with spats and a naff pilot. He complimented me on my model’s flying. I ran off to tell my Mum! Those kind words from Andrew pushed me into a low earth orbit, spurred me on to fantastic model designing, building and crashing and to employment within Aerospace Engineering. What a bargain, £1.30 and a few kind words!

I still have a couple of his kits that I have not got around to building, a Comper Swift and a Luton Minor, I still look over them once or twice a year, unroll the plans and squint at the writing. They still generate the same feelings I had before I was a teenager, pure inspiration. I also still have the remains of Comper Swift number three, just to remind me of the journey I am still on. If I see Andrew at a meeting I make sure I shake his hand and thank him for what he has given me, he must think I’m a nutter. If I see a youngster trying to fly a model I will always offer my help or kind words because I know this sort of thing can have legs that can last a life time."

Update 02/04/2021: Added printwood scan, thanks to AdrianCulf. This is a slightly different layout and also includes some extra notes (with drawing) showing revised UC assembly.

Update 19/8/2024: Added zipfile of extras, thanks to the Lurker.

Quote: "Me again. This is a transcription of the Moorhouse plan (wot I cribbed from OZ) to A4 sheets together with a few additional odds & sods that may be helpful. The zip file content is as below and, just for giggles, a short flight of mine can be seen at:
https://vimeo.com/1000057753
The video link will die at some point, but it'll be there for at least few months from now.
Cheers,
Lurk"

Zipfile contents:
Everything as A4 PDF.
- Construction notes. Lightly edited copy of the construction notes printed on the plan with suggestions on use of 1/20" instead of 1/16" wood. Slightly easier to read than the plan. :)
- Sheets 1-3. Plan & formers transcribed to A4 sheets.Shows the later UC fitting arrangement.
- Sheet 4. Flying surface tip formers.
- Sheet 5. Pobjoy R engine detail & profile pilot.
- Sheets 6x2. Scheme for Henshaw's G-ACGL as entered in 1933 Kings Cup. One version for printing to decal sheet or 45 gsm paper & one version for cutting templates for tissue lettering.
- Sheet 7. Templates for locating wing registration letters.

Supplementary file notes

IMPMAC article.
Lurker files zipfile.
Printwood.

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