Rubber Wheels Take Flight
What is our fascination with flying? Since the dawn of time the human race has observed our feathered friends and has been obsessed with the thought of flying. You only have to glimpse back in time, to the Aztecs for example, who had a humming bird deity Huitzilopochtli, who was one of the Aztec Gods.
What is our fascination with flying? Since the dawn of time the human race has observed our feathered friends and has been obsessed with the thought of flying. You only have to glimpse back in time, to the Aztecs for example, who had a humming bird deity Huitzilopochtli, who was one of the Aztec Gods. From Ancient Greeks who worshiped Hermes, and his winged sandals, who was a messenger to the Gods. Even in Christianity, the Angels are represented as having wings, to Buddhist mythology and the winged bird like being called Garuda. In most religions, mythologies and folk laws around the globe, there is some representation of a bird like being. We are as a species fascinated with flying. Since the Wright brothers first exploration into the skies in 1903 the aircraft industry has powered ahead. A more recent fascination has been the emergence of model aircraft planes on rubber wheels. These small replicas of commercial, military and historical planes on rubber wheels, with remote control engines are fast becoming a nation’s obsession.
Flying a model aircraft on rubber wheels has been described as the next best thing to having an aviation license. Many of these model airplanes are to scale and can vary in scale and design. Most model aircraft are precise scale replicas of military or commercial planes. Many models are aerodynamically designed to recreate the aircraft to scale. Incorporating the rubber wheels which are utilised for take-off and landing. Recreating the flight of a favourite aircraft, famous air battle or space ship launch is not beyond possibility and has become a favourite pass time and hobby for many an enthusiast.
I was, I have to admit, slightly sceptical about the model aircraft world, as it conjures up preconceived ideas in your mind. This all changed when a customer of ours came to see us to source heavy duty rubber wheels for his model Vulcan bomber. This model Vulcan bomber on wheels has a 20 foot wingspan and cost over £20,000 pounds to build. It incorporates two jet engines, and is certainly not for the faint hearted. It’s take-off and landing sound alone recaptures the magic of the full size Vulcan bomber. The specific requirement was for some heavy duty rubber wheels, as lighter duty rubber wheels on the undercarriage were shredding on take-off and landing! Our rubber wheels came to the rescue, as they can take loads of up to 100kilogrammes each, which equates to the weight of an adult man per wheel.
There are a variety of rubber wheels to choose from, if you want to attach them to your model aeroplane. With several sizes to choose from these rubber wheels will endure smooth take off and landings, whatever the model aircraft. Non marking rubber wheels are ideal for small to large aircraft alike, as they will not mark the runway or road surface. Small rubber wheels on model aircraft seem to be more preferable to enthusiasts as they allow the aeroplane to take off and land on a variety of surfaces, from runways to muddy fields! Long may this fascination with flight continue!
