DE HAVILLAND Venom Mk 4 DH112, No. 6 Squadron, RAF

Finally, the moment of truth: the flight
. Yes, all my calculations, tests, and musings—along with my friends’ theories—will be put to the test in the minutes of flight to come. No more excuses: the model is ready, the weather is good, my friends are getting impatient, and the bottles are chilled. Model at the end of the runway, throttle wide open—I release the brakes. The Venom accelerates well on our paved runway. And, oh surprise, after just 50 meters, it’s already climbing as if drawn into its element, without changing its attitude. Next comes leveling off, retracting the landing gear, and accelerating. It’s flying! The handling is a delight: smooth, responsive, and fluid… certainly true to the real thing. A few

trim adjustments, and the joy of flight is already there to make you forget the hours of building. After 10 minutes of flight, it’s time to return to planet Earth. Throttle back, landing lights out and on, flaps half-extended. The nose is already diving. That’s a good sign… followed by the approach pattern, flaps extended to the maximum, throttle at idle. It’s gliding, gliding, and it just keeps on gliding! The Venom then unleashes its secret weapon: aerodynamic brakes on the trailing edge of the wing that tilt like a glider’s air brakes. And it works! The landing is quick but acceptable for a first flight. The flight characteristics are aston-

nantes for a fully loaded plane. The wide, high-lift wings typical of the first jets of the 1960s are a major factor in this.

In conclusion, I would say that designing a model from scratch—whether small or large—remains a wonderful and educational challenge.

and exciting. This plane was also born out of a sense of community. I’d like to thank my friends who have always helped me with my projects.

Laurent Chaperon,
St-Gingolph
lchapi@bluewin.ch