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BAC (Kronfeld) Drone, Barry Clay
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During
the early 1930's the British Aircraft Co. of Maidstone built a series
of gliders culminating in the B.A.C VII tandem
two seater. In 1932 C.H.Lowe Wylde, designer and managing director
of the firm, fitted
a B.A.C VII BGA.186 with an undercarriage and a 600
c.c Douglas flat-twin motorcycle engine mounted above the wing on
a steel
pylon. This additional
equipment approxmately equalled the weight of the second
occupant. The single seat prototype known as the Planette,
proved both docile
and manoeuvrable with a speed range of 15-20 mph, following
this initial
success three more were constructed. The aircraft made
a number of demonstrations at Hanworth and West Malling during 1933, the
designer whilst on one of these demonstration flights
took ill in the air and the aircraft sideslipped into the ground and he was
killed. The
company was then taken over by the Austrian sailplane
pilot Robert Kronfeld who carried on with the demonstration flights and acquired
premises at Hanworth near London, before the company closed down
during 1937 some 33 Drones had been built at the factory.
A remarkable
flight
was made during 1936 when Col. the Master of Sempill
( later Lord Sempill) made a remarkable flight from Croydon
in
the UK to Berlin
and back on a mere 25 shillings worth of petrol in
eleven hours, in the following week the aircraft displayed at
Selfridges store
in London to publicise the event. Subsequent Drones
were fitted with
either a 30 hp Carden Ford water cooled engine, or
some with a Cherub 3 motor. Although a delight to fly even
in poor visability
the incredible
noise created by the close proximity of the engine
propeller tips to the structure would mean that the aircraft could
be heard
miles
away! To try and cure this problem Kronfeld made a
conversion whereby the wings were swept back, this brought the propeller
some 6 inches
aft of the trailing edge. One bizarre use of a Drone
was by 609 ( Figther) Squadron on duck-shooting duties using
a 12
bore shot
gun
and a ring and bead sight! Two aircraft were also
supplied to India. Although by todays standards the Drone may have
seemed a strange aircraft
it was, however, a pioneering light aircraft utilising
low powered, cheap to run motor cycle engines.
The BAC Drone could be heard for miles away whilst in flight, a strong
headwind would mean that the aircraft would literally
hover.
Basically a powered sailplane with a pusher engine mounted onto a
pylon, the Drone achieved sustained flight on very
low powered engines; once more very cheap flying for enthusiasts.
About the model: The
model was built entirely from a Panama wooden cigar
box by myself some
50 years ago ( yes that is 1956 ! ) the
wheels were wartime pot cast items which at that time
could still be obtained from model shops, the wood
was carved with nothing more
than a penknife and glasspaper, the tiny propeller
which cannot be seen in the photographs was carved
from a
matchstick. After a coat
of dope and mums best talcum powder she was painted
with very early Humbrol enamel.
No restoration has been done on the model she is exactly as built
back then.
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