At last, we have managed to get some shots of a Weston Magnum in Guernsey. The first Guernsey Magnum's turned up 18 months ago, when Paul Reynolds, Nick Vining and myself bought one each. Paul's lasted 2 30-second flights and was smashed, so he bought another. That one lasted 1 30-second flight. Nick's didn't fair to well either, smashed up after radio failure after 10 or so flights. Mine appeared to be jinxed from the start too. Powered on it's test flight by a Super Custom 53, with a tuned pipe turning a 10X6 prop, it didn't hang around. Until the second flight, when the conrod snapped, and munched on the piston and liner. 19000 rpm to nothing and less than a turn of the prop! That can't be good. So, a little used second hand Irvine 53 was purchased, fitted to the plane with said pipe and prop, and revved even higher! That motor really did sing. Once you get a 10" prop past a certain amount of rpm, the tips break the sound barrier, and make a really intriuging rattly sound. So, quite loud, quite fast, with a strange noise, all doing over 200 mph! For 15 flights, whaen on the planes 17th flight, its secind motor died with similar consequences to the first.
Then that was it for over 6 months, when I forked out for a new motor...the superb WestTech 50 T1. A motor specially designed by Weston themselves. Fitted with an 8X8 prop, and one of Weston's own tuned pipes, the Magnum was quicker than ever. For another 40 or so flights. One sunny Saturady afternoon, something strange happened (even to this day we don't know what) and it rolled onto its back, and entered a vertical dive at about 200 feet, flat out. Suffice to say, hitting concrete at full throttle would have made a mess, but water? Well, yes, I mean, if you were to headbutt the sea from 200 feet at well over 200 mph, there probably wouldn't be much left of you either!
Anyway, we managed the salvage the engine, so another plane was needed. But what? Well, it could only really have been another Magnum. And this is what you see here, my second Magnum.
Now, this one still hasn't really been flown that much. Not because I am scared of it (I have flown Nick's Diamond dusts, remember?) but because of teething troubles. Once the Silicon Tube on the exhaust broke, twice the fuel tank has leaked, and it was the 13th model of its batch from the factory. I could not beleive it when I opened the box for the first time and saw 13 written on the wing and fuselage. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
But that doesn't mean I haven't pushed it, I have. The entire second flight was at full throttle, and it just flies lke it's on rails. It is probably no different to the first, but does feel better, smoother in the air, and it's one of the best ARTF's I have yet seen, along with that other popular Weston plane the Cougar. Well done to Weston for producing a great aircraft which is fairly easy to fly, but is really really quick.
