After many successful years at Haigh Hall the LMA have been trying to re-establish this event at a suitable venue. The success of the Gaydon event held at the end of the show season each October has presented the LMA Committee with the challenge of finding something as suitable for the northern members. Towards the end of 2010 it was reluctantly decided that there was not a suitable venue for the Spring event but this raised some protests and a challenge for the Committee to find something suitable if possible. Fortunately, the Richard Dunn Sports Centre in Bradford was suggested by one of the LMA members who lives local to the Centre and after a visit by some of the Committee it was agreed that this event would go ahead in late March. Like Gaydon the Richard Dunn Sports Centre is very conveniently situated close to motorways (in this instance the M62 and M1) which made travelling to the event very convenient. The main hall coped very well with accommodation for both traders and models and there was an excellent parking area available.

It was pleasing to see a large selection of models which ranged through all the era’s from WW1 to the modern jet age and it would be extremely difficult to list all of them – but taking them in some sort of chronical age order we must start with the brilliantly crafted WW1 Hanriot HD1 built by Ian Turney-White. This aircraft has taken some 8 years to complete and at 2/3 scale it spans 19 feet with a weight that just exceeds 88kg. It is powered by a geared JPX 425cc engine and just in case visitors thought it might simply be a museum piece – it is well up to that standard – Ian has just completed the CAA Flight Test programme of 12 flights totalling 2 hours so he now has the Full Exemption to fly at LMA events this year – a remarkable achievement and well worth looking out for during the coming season. Some of the WW1 1/3 scale Dawn Patrol models were present – these included a Neiuport 17 C1 originally built by Tony Slater and used for some of the sequences in the film “Fly Boys” – this model is being re-furbished to join the Dawn patrol team this year. Another impressive model of this era was the Roland C11 built by Barry Banks – although it is not quite completed it is not far off from flight testing – it spans 135” and the final weight will be just under the 20kg mark.

Representing the inter-war years we had a number of interesting projects which included a recently completed 33% scale Comper Swift by Harry Harland and a 60% scale Little Toot spanning 11 feet with a 150cc engine built by John Braithwaite – this weighs in at 70lbs. Ian Turney-White has been doing “progress” inspections on the build and took the opportunity to do the Final Inspection at this event so John now has all the necessary paperwork to start the test flying.

The event was not without a good selection of bombers and Mike Eccles the LMA trade stand organiser displayed yet another Handley Page project to complement his HP 42 and HP Harrow. On this occasion he is building a Hampden (HP 52) which at ¼ scale spans 5.28m and will be powered by 2 Zenoah 62cc engines. It is not difficult to guess from the quality of this project so far that Mike is a carpenter by trade!. Although only a 1/12 scale project the Handley Page Halifax of Ian Jones looks as though it will turn out to be a very impressive model. Built from the Tony Nijhuis plans it spans 2.6m and will be powered by 2 SC52 and 2 SC32 four stroke engines. Also on display still awaiting completion was the DH Mosquito by Andy Johnson which is to 1/5 scale from the Richard Rawle plan.

Some other impressive projects included the 50% scale Bucker Jungmeister by David Bell and a first attempt Over 20kg model by David Walker of the Piper Pawnee being built to ¼ scale from the Wendell Heosteller plan - with a wingspan of 3m it will be powered by an 80cc engine. Another first Over 20kg model is also nearing completion – this is the B25 Mitchell being built from the Ziroli plan by Dave Jones for Alan Greaves. This model spans 10’ and is powered by 2 Zenoah 38cc engines. A very different project was the ½ scale Spacewalker by Andy Boylett that is electric powered by Turigny 180 motor with a carbon prop.

Moving into the jet era there was an excellent display by the “Lancastrian duo” , Dave Swarbrick and Harold Dowbekin who had their Grumman Panthers and F86 Sabres, the EE Lightning by Ted Allison which is going through its Over 20kg test flight programme at the moment ready for the show season, and Dave Johnson’s new Vulcan which at 1/5th scale spans 6m and will be powered by 4 Merlin 170 turbines producing a combined total thrust of 160lbs!!

In closing this report particular mention must be made of 2 models which tend to sum up the variety and versatility of the LMA modelling scene. For the last few years John Rickett has been bringing along his 4 engined DH 86 and we have had the opportunity to see the long term progress of the build of this magnificent model – well John is nearly there and the fantastic yellow Klass Kote epoxy finish compliments this model beautifully. At 16’ span , weighing 85lbs with 4 Laser 180 engines this will be a majestic model in the sky and we hope it will be completed and test flown before the LMA Cosford event in July. At the other end of the scale was a model that has only just started as a project but is making good progress – a Nimrod MRA4. This is being built by Michael Altham who has been working on the full size version for a number of years. Due to the Government cut backs all the Nimrods are being scrapped so Mike has decided that having had access to so much information about the aircraft he would design and build a 13% scale version which has a wingspan of 5.15m and will tip the scales at 63kg with 2 X 160 size turbines. This should be a most impressive model when completed.

So a very enjoyable event after some concerns late last year as to whether it would take place at all. When the very successful end of season Gaydon seminar started a few years ago it was called the “Haigh Hall of the south” hopefully this new northern venue at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre will be heralded in the future as the “Gaydon of the north”.