Lilian Bland's Mayfly - 1/16 scale drawing

[Leif Ohlsson]

A pet project of mine over several years has been to produce a good-quality drawing of Lilian Bland's 1910 aeroplane of her own design and construction, the "Mayfly" (Lilian's own pun of a name).

The finished drawing (at its present stage) has now been published by Colm O'Rourke on the Lilian Bland website, where you can download it (just click on my name at the top of the entry). While you are there, be sure to have a look around. The site contains many jewels, such as Lilian Bland's own family photos from here time as a frontier farmer's wife in Canada.

The drawing is intended as a basis for building a scale model in paper & wood. Here are a few notes on that subject from the drawing.

A note on materials to use for a model

The drawing does not specify any specific material to use.Thin wood cut into stringers can be used for spars and framework members, if you feel confident to be able to accomplish the bends required in places. An alternative it to cut and assemble these parts from laminated, suitably colored, paper or card.

Paper is certainly a most attractive alternative for ribs (laminate), engine, and other details such as the fuel & oil tanks. Additional design efforts are required from the builder, whichever method is used.

Covering could be made by tissue (classic method), or thin vellum (sketching) paper. The cover- ing may be tensioned by cautiously spraying with water or Pride (floor polish, diluted acrylic varnish). The builder may want to experiment with water soluble varnish tinted with water colors such as gouache. Several layers of lightly tinted varnish could be applied, until the right nuance of varnished linen & wood is achieved.

Suggested order of assembly of the model

The undercarriage framework, as well as the pilot & engine bearer framework, can be built as separate, stand-alone units (except for the engine bearer rear diagonal supports). Engine, fuel tank assembly, as well as the pilot’s seat and control columns (minus the propeller) can be added while this unit is built separatly. The undercarriage framework, likewise can be built separately (main wheel axle and wheel to be added last). Wings, too, can be built and assembled with struts and crossbracing rigging as a separate unit. In the lower wings, make sure to leave the two slits between the outer sections and the center section uncovered, in order to make space for the pilot & engine unit framework.

Mount the pilot & engine assembly inside the wing assembly, on top of the lower wing spars, in the two slits of the wing left uncovered. Mount this whole unit (wings & pilot-engine unit on to the undercarriage framework. Add missing rigging for these units. Now add front side framework (3 pcs.) with front elevators to the wing section. Do the same for the two rear side framework sections, with the rear horizontal and vertical stabilizers & rudders. Rig these parts, and add the control wires. Finally, mount the main wheel axle with wheels, and the center front wheel with its fork and diagonal supports.

Wheel-making, suggested method:

For tyres, use O-rings, 2 each of 23,4 x 3,53 mm, one 33 x 2,62 mm (inner diameter x material diameter; “EPDM” quality, will not crack with age). Make two shallow cones simulating spokes of transparent material. Glue spokes of thin metal wire on to them with Pride. Paint the entire outside and inside with Pride as well. Glue together and insert the hub, with hubrings on the outside. Make the rim of one strand metal paper, glued to the circumference. Make sure that the finished spoked section of the wheel comes out at a slightly smaller diameter than inner diam- eter of O-ring. Mount tyre and clamp spoked section to tyre by bending edges of rim with small amount of Pride or other glue brushed on.

The very experienced model maker may want to make fully spoked wheels. Search the model building literature for descriptions. Papermodelers.com, where this drawing was developed, is recommended.

A word on sources:

The main - and virtually only - source for this early aircraft is the invaluable online pdf-archive of the complete editions of “Flight” magazine, available at www.flightglobal.com. The issues used for compiling this drawing is from 1909-10, and in particular December 17th 1910 (pdf-archive files No:s 1027-29).

The two photos of the aircraft, the two sketches, and the three-view drawing, plus Lilian Bland’s own account of the“Mayfly”are all from this issue.They are published in the drawing with their original 1910 captions.The portrait of Lilian E. Bland is a cut-out from a photo published in a later memorial published in Flight 1964 (pdf-archive files No:s 0207-08).

The high-resolution photo on the drawing has been graciously made available by Colm O'Rourke, lilianbland.ie, who also extended me the great privilege of full access to Lilian Bland’s own “Aviation Workbook” with all her notes and sketches of the Mayfly design through its various stages. Warm thanks!

- Leif Ohlsson

PS. I consciously left out images of the drawing in this post. Colm O'Rourke has done such a good job of introducing the drawing, that you should get them from the Lilian Bland website!

[Jan Kytop]

Thank you very much, it is very interesting!

[Don Boose]

Good! Another meticulously-researched aviation history project.

Many thanks for the information about Lilian Bland and Colm O'Rourke's website.

Don

[ashevilleangler]

Today I met with a "Gender Equity" Learning Community group at AB-Tech where I am an adjunct instructor. I pitched the idea of creating an informational display about Lilian Bland for Women's History Month (March 2016) at the college. It will use Leif's drawing as a backdrop and feature a completed 1/16th scale model of the Mayfly. This notion was well received by the group.

So far I have completed and painted one cylinder head and started on the other one. I'll start a build thread as soon as I get pics taken. With five months to build it I'm fairly sure that I'll get it done as long as I keep at it.

Curt

[Mike1158]

Thanks for that, very informative.

[Leif Ohlsson]

Writer/engineer Kenneth Mitchell has made very good use of this drawing in a recent article published in the Irish ”Engineers Journal” magazine. You can read the article online here: ”Lilian Bland: Ireland’s first female pilot, the world’s first female aviation engineer”.

Please note how well Kenneth Mitchell has grasped the intricacies of Lilian Bland’s complicated control system, built on information in the drawing.

I now realize that it would be only proper to show what the drawing looks like:



Note that the original is of infintely higher quality. You can download it either from the LilianBland.ie website (click on my name at the very top of this page). Or you can try the direct download link from my own server.

Ken Mitchell sends his regards to us paper model builders. He would be very interested in a model in a suitable shelfsize, intended as a gift for his daughter. Ken’s contact address is meathmitchell at gmail dot com.

Any takers out there? It might be a good thing to publish such a model with Chris at Ecardmodels as well. Feel free to use the drawing.

Leif

[Don Boose]

Wonderful article on Lillian Bland and her aircraft. I am glad to see your superb (I run out of superlatives) drawings being showcased. You make some outstanding contributions to aviation history, and your graphics are absolutely beautiful to the eye, as well as being models of accuracy and research.

Don

[Leif Ohlsson]

Thank you Don! You're exceedingly kind, as always.

Someone on the site asked me if I have any other drawings of the similar kind & quality. If you're interested, you may want to check out the thread: "Sopwith D1 Three-seater 80-hp Tractor Biplane".

At the end there, I've added a post with what the drawing actually looks like, and a valid link for downloading it.

But do read the thread as well; I think it contains some interesting material if you're into this kind of aircraft.

Leif

[John Wagenseil]

Fascinating biography of Lillian Bland. Your plans make it clear that the first airplanes really were assemblages of sticks and strings, like truss bridges.
"... she managed to pursue, meet and persuade aristocratic landowner Lord O’Neil to offer her the use of his 800-acre Deerpark Estate in Randalstown for the purpose. It suited her needs, with the exception of a free-roaming bull named Ferdinand, ..."
The Wright Brothers also had to deal with unruly livestock when Torrance Huffman let them use his pasture to test their airplanes.