RARE HISTORIC SCALE RC AIRCRAFT ! HESTON PHOENIX | 1930s Light Transport Monoplane

RARE HISTORIC SCALE RC AIRCRAFT ! HESTON PHOENIX | 1930s Light Transport Monoplane
A beautiful and rare replica of this historic aircraft. Built by Derek Martin who sadly passed away earlier this year so this was a memorial flight for the new custodian. Worth pointing out that this model has retractable landing gear. Not something I expected to see when it took to the air. Apparently the full size was the first of its kind to feature this ! Great to learn aviation history from these accurate scale RC models.

The Heston Type 1 Phoenix was a 1930s British single-engined five-seat light transport monoplane built by the Heston Aircraft Company Limited.

Top speed: 241 km/h
Wingspan: 12 m
Length: 9.19 m
Introduced: 1936
First flight: August 18, 1935
Manufacturer: Heston Aircraft Company
Number built: 6

The Type 1 Phoenix was the first design of the Heston Aircraft Company formed in 1934. The Phoenix was a single-engined high-wing monoplane, with a wood monocoque fuselage and wood-framed wing with plywood and fabric covering. It was powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) de Havilland Gipsy VI engine, and had a retractable main undercarriage in stub-wings plus a faired tailwheel. It was the first British high-wing monoplane fitted with a hydraulically operated retractable undercarriage.

The prototype Phoenix, registered G-ADAD, first flew at Heston Aerodrome on 18 August 1935, piloted by Edmund G. Hordern.
The fourth, fifth and sixth aircraft were designated Phoenix II, and were each fitted with an improved 205 hp (153 kW) de Havilland Gipsy VI Series II engine and a de Havilland constant speed propeller.

The one Australian aircraft crashed shortly after delivery, killing its owner Jimmy Melrose, but four British aircraft were used by private owners and for charter flying. At the outbreak of the Second World War, three surviving aircraft in the UK were impressed into service by the Royal Air Force.
Phoenix II G-AESV survived military service to be sold for renewed civilian use in 1946 and was used for joyriding and charter flights until it crashed in the French Alps in April 1952.

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Filmed by Dom Mitchell for the 'Essential RC' YouTube channel using the Panasonic AG-UX180 4K camcorder at Large Model Association (LMA) Elvington 2021. Thanks to Dave Johnson and his team for their hospitality. Details of future shows can be found at http://www.largemodelassociation.com

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