Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Button pushers
Post Reply
User avatar
Wayne_H
Posts: 809
Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 05:26
Location: Temora, NSW. Australia
Contact:

Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by Wayne_H »

If we globally ever get back to some sort "normal" & you find yourself in New Zealand, then about an hours drive north of the capital Wellington (on the north island), is the Southwards Car Museum. While principally a mecca for rev heads and enthusiasts of the glory days of motoring, there are 3 huge floors of cars from the earliest days through to the 80's from all over Europe, the USA & Australasia;
the Main Hall
the Main Hall
significant displays of aircraft, racing cars & bikes;
just some of the Indian motorcycles
just some of the Indian motorcycles
steam traction & stationary engines, fire engines, memorabilia, tools, etc., etc.

Hanging from the ceiling in the main hall is the Avian from 1938, listed as "New Zealand's first radio control aircraft".
Avian_details.jpg
Avian_1.jpg
bungee rubber secured firewall & engine mount
bungee rubber secured firewall & engine mount
look at the size of that rudder!
look at the size of that rudder!
Avian_engine.jpg
It looks like it would make a great vintage model today - Great layout & proportions, good size fin & rudder, parasol wing (looks like a flat bottomed profile, so easier to build & cover). I had a look on OZ & Aero Fred, but there were no listings. Anybody ever heard or seen of the Avian previously?
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
User avatar
Mike_K
Posts: 669
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:35
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by Mike_K »

Wow, that looks like a fantastic museum, such a shame it's so far from the UK unless you live in NZ or Australia I suppose! Another thing to put on the bucket list for when I can eventually visit NZ along with NZ steam traction engine rallies.

I wonder if we need to re-write the history of R/C modelling? There were radio-controlled models in the USA from the late 1930s (there were early radio-controlled models, but were commercial or military, not hobby), but if the Avian was a successful R/C model in 1938, it would just about make it a first. And was the R/C control designer, LH Wright one-and-same person who designed the NZ Wright R/C sets in the 1950s? I'd love to be able to get in contact with Alan Vause if he is still with us (if he built it in 1938 he must be quite elderly by now) to get more details.
User avatar
Shaun
Posts: 1049
Joined: 15 Feb 2018, 21:49
Location: West Yorkshire

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by Shaun »

Les Wright was, I believe the only Kiwi RC manufacturer back then.
It will be the same person. I have a number of Wright items including Tx, Rx and the unique actuators.

I did a short piece on him a while ago in RCM& E.

Shaun.
User avatar
Wayne_H
Posts: 809
Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 05:26
Location: Temora, NSW. Australia
Contact:

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by Wayne_H »

Local Kiwi long-term modeller Barry Lennox has a number of Wright sets, as well as locally (i.e. NZ) made Teletrol Tx's
P1080042.JPG
Barry sent me this picture and the following description:
Teletrol transmitters, made here in NZ by Bob Wilson, until around the early 80's when Futaba and JR took over. The LH one is original, the middle is one I modified for the FrSky DHT module and Phils original 7 chan Nano a couple of years back, the RH is a Wright set, also made here. 95%. of Les Wrights sets were the old "biscuit tin on the ground" but he made a few of these for boats, though some also used them for slope soaring. Mine is modified using a FrSky DHT and Phils SC encoder.

This is a more "conventional" configuration of the Wright S/C Tx.
Wright SC Tx.jpg
Wright SC Tx.jpg (70.22 KiB) Viewed 2581 times
Last edited by Wayne_H on 04 Jul 2021, 04:58, edited 1 time in total.
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
albertthedragon
Posts: 4
Joined: 24 Feb 2021, 07:32

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by albertthedragon »

Morning Wayne and all.
Yes, it's one of the better museums in NZ, tho don't ever miss the RNZAF one at Wigram in Christchurch.
I have a lot of information re Les Wright and hold a fair amount of his RC sets. He was born in Derby, UK in 1904, we don't know when he moved to NZ, but first trained as a chemist, then got sick of pill-popping and joined HMV in the late 30's, and did quite a bit of WW2 "wireless" work.

Alan Vause was a structures engineer at the DeHavillands factory in Wellington, luckily the manager, a Hugh Buckingham, was very sympathetic as he had been involved with the 1935 "Queen Bee" DH82 drone program in the UK before and during WW2, so he allowed free access to ply, glues, spruce from DH stocks.
The first RC model was a 99" glider, and according to Alan Vauses notes, first flew at Easter 1940. The radio gear was a version of the Hull receiver using 3 valves, a 30, 1B5 and a 1F4. Les even made his own 2 volt accumulator for the filaments ! The actuator used a short rubber band that was continually wound up (re-charged!) by a small airscrew while inflight! The frequency is not known, but looking at the antenna, was probably around 40-50 MHz.

Alans notes record the first power flight taking place on July 20, 1940, and I have a picture of him holding the model, it is clearly the "Avian" However, as far as I can find, it never had a name back then. The engine was a 16.6cc Acme Third built by Bert Dacombe in Christchurch.

His second power model appears to be a copy of Leon Shulmans "Wedgy" You can find that ugly beastie on OZ!

Nothing much more is known until Les wrote an article on RC in the Sept 49 issue of "Radio and Electronics" His earliest good documentation is dated Oct 1952. Production at HMV started around Nov 53. He then started "Wright Radio Control Ltd" in 1957, and HMV was happy with this relationship.

A fair number of sets were exported to the USA and UK, where it seems they were highly regarded. Then followed a number of different models:
A 1959 Hybrid DL66 hearing aid valve and OC604 transistor Rx
The 1960 hand-held Tx, see Waynes pic of mine. About 200 were made with most exported.
A 1962 all transistor (AF114 and AC122) Rx
A 1963 3 transistor (AF125, 2 x @N4065) Rx

Les has been criticised for not moving with the times, ie: PCBs, multichannel pulsed, tone and reed systems . But his philosophy was "My sole aim is to produce a system of the utmost reliability and simplicity of operation which required no knowledge of electronics" He was also well known to aim for the lowest possible cost to modellers.

I had a long chat with him at our 50th "Nats" in late 1997. He was amazed at the state of the art then, commenting "There were up to 6 models in the air at the same time without interference!" I joked about "Wright" being a requisite surname for aviation pioneers! He passed away on 14 May 1993. RIP.

I have about 50+ pages of documentation, drawing etc. Feel free to contact me if you would like more detail

Barry L
User avatar
Wayne_H
Posts: 809
Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 05:26
Location: Temora, NSW. Australia
Contact:

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by Wayne_H »

Thanks for all the info Barry - real life Kiwi Wright Stuff :roll:

I am not going to ask the geneses of "albertthedragon", but I am certain of 2 things
a) it will be a good story! &
b) it will involve healthy doses of sharp wit :lol:

[BTW - if the bubble stays popped, we'll be down your way sooner than expected ;) ]
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
albertthedragon
Posts: 4
Joined: 24 Feb 2021, 07:32

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by albertthedragon »

Wayne.

Great, look forward to catching up again. You might get to hear about albertthedragon!

Sharper eyes than mine will spot my error, I met him at the 1988 Nats, most definitely not the 1997 one !

One thing that Les was a world leader in, was the development of a small/lightweight HF Transceiver for use in gliders, as no such thing existed then.
This was first flown in 1962, and was in production for some years. There was one for sale on TradeMe (NZ version of Ebay) a few years ago. Unfortunately, I heard about it too late.

Somebody mentioned they would have liked to talk with Alan Vause, tricky, he passed away maybe 30 years ago, we think

Barry
User avatar
Mike_K
Posts: 669
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:35
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by Mike_K »

Hi Barry

Thanks so much for the insight into Les Wright, a true pioneer of the hobby. His R/C gear certainly made it to the UK, just before covid, I bought a few vintage R/C sets from the 1940s and with them was a box of other bits-and-pieces and amongst them was a boxed Wright receiver. When I get a chance I'll take a few photos.

Cheers

Mike
albertthedragon
Posts: 4
Joined: 24 Feb 2021, 07:32

Re: Avian - NZ's first successful R/C model

Post by albertthedragon »

Mike.

Good to hear it's still in it's box. I have instruction booklets, schematics and circuit notes for most of his receivers if you need more info on it.

Rgds
Barry
Post Reply