Nigel Richards Avro Tutor

**IFlySWA** · January 7th, 2019, 12:05

That's wonderful news!

Brian

**downwind** · January 7th, 2019, 12:35

It is great news that this project is coming to fruition, because I can testify that she is enchanting to look at and to fly.

**Javis** · January 8th, 2019, 00:27

Best news of the year !!

( although i don't have FS9 nore FSX anymore. fingers crossed if it will ever fly in P3Dv4.... ;-)

**nigel richards** · January 8th, 2019, 01:31

Greetings and a very Happy New Year to all, Gentlemen!!!

Still off-grid, but with access to my files when visiting my daughter.

Yup. Off-grid life has its downside as well as the benefits of self-sufficiency, tranquility and freedom.

So, I'll shortly release the Tutor series to the standards of the last and final beta test last year.
The releases will include Extra liveries not involved during testing, so that should be something to look forward to, even for what I can only describe as a phenomenal team of highly enthusiastic and gracious team of people.

The initial releases will be high standard fs9/ FSX portovers, with native FSX verions still on the menu. For obvious reasons I cannot commit to time lines regarding the natives until we have the electricity issues at the homestead sorted out.

**spokes2112** · January 8th, 2019, 04:47

Great news Nigel!
Happy New Year to you too!

**511Flyer** · January 8th, 2019, 04:48

Kalimera Nigel. My wife and I just love Greece, and have holidayed to many of the islands over 30 years or more. Kefalonia is our favourite.

Off grid in Greece? I'd gladly swap that for my life in suburban Surrey.

**nigel richards** · January 8th, 2019, 07:12

Originally Posted by spokes2112

Great news Nigel!
Happy New Year to you too!

The great news for me Roman, is having buddies like you, my friend.
You blessed the AVROs with your Special brand of magic, as folk will see and appreciate very soon.

Thank YOU, Roman!

**nigel richards** · January 8th, 2019, 07:32

Originally Posted by 511Flyer

Kalimera Nigel. My wife and I just love Greece, and have holidayed to many of the islands over 30 years or more. Kefalonia is our favourite.

Off grid in Greece? I'd gladly swap that for my life in suburban Surrey.

Hey! Kalimera 511Flyer.
Your good wife and yourself have extremely excellent taste, Sir.

Kefalonia is one of our favourite haunts...could wax lyrical about the breathtaking colours and water clarity which as you well know HAS to be seen to be believed.

Ummmm, how about time-sharing? I'm sure Surrey wouldn't be bad for a reliable source of electricity and productivity. LOL.

Seriously; somewhat bleak at our place this time of the year...well, bleak but cosy...

**511Flyer** · January 8th, 2019, 10:53

The house is a fantastic work in progress Nigel. What an absolutely beautiful setting.

Kalinita.

**spokes2112** · January 8th, 2019, 12:26

Originally Posted by nigel richards

The great news for me Roman, is having buddies like you, my friend.
You blessed the AVROs with your Special brand of magic, as folk will see and appreciate very soon.

Thank YOU, Roman!

Very kind of you Nigel... Thanks!
And all of us will soon be blessed with your (and other team members) fantastic work too!
A pleasure hearing from you

- if only for a while..

All good.

**SSI01** · January 8th, 2019, 13:37

Was this aircraft a sort of "British Stearman?" It resembles a Stearman for sure. It looks like it was a handful for a trainee; given the apparent size and power differences between this and a Tiger Moth, were they contemporaries or was it decided a Tiger Moth was better suited to meeting the needs of novice pilot instruction?

**nigel richards** · January 9th, 2019, 08:25

Originally Posted by 511Flyer

The house is a fantastic work in progress Nigel. What an absolutely beautiful setting.

Kalinita.

Kalispera 511Flyer,

Thanks matey, yup; the House is wip under Permanent beta testing. :-)

When I'm not pushing and painting polys into aeronautical facsimilies, you'll generally catch me fitting stones together...or scratching m'head in some nearby dry stream bed looking for the bit I don't have...

**nigel richards** · January 9th, 2019, 08:31

Originally Posted by spokes2112

Very kind of you Nigel... Thanks!
And all of us will soon be blessed with your (and other team members) fantastic work too!
A pleasure hearing from you

- if only for a while.. All good.

The 'Thanks' are all mine, Roman!!!

Oh Man!!! Every time I wind up that magneto boost handle and pull that slat/slot lever...

**nigel richards** · January 9th, 2019, 08:49

Originally Posted by SSI01

Was this aircraft a sort of "British Stearman?" It resembles a Stearman for sure. It looks like it was a handful for a trainee; given the apparent size and power differences between this and a Tiger Moth, were they contemporaries or was it decided a Tiger Moth was better suited to meeting the needs of novice pilot instruction?

That's more or less a fair assessment, SS101. :-)

Despite the AVRO's size/power, she was probably more stable than the Tiger Moth. Probably too stable to be a truly good teacher of airmen, often described as a 'Gentleman's Aircraft'. She was no slouch at aerobatics however, and was used in 2 consecutive years by the CFS (Central Flying School, RAF) aerobatic team at the now legendary pre-war Hendon Air Pageant.

Although highly popular in many Air Forces worlwide, serving up until and during WWII, the AVRO 621/626 series eventually gave way to the more cost effective Tiger Moth and other more advanced trainers.

**SSI01** · January 9th, 2019, 17:56

Thank you, Nigel, for that interesting information. I've read truly great fighters, at least up to the introduction of artificial "feel" and computer-assisted flight control input, were inherently unstable to a certain degree as that indicated a quicker response to control input. It would make sense also that a good trainer should have the same characteristics - you would have to seriously "fly" the airplane, and therefore learn it rather than be a passenger. Now and then I suppose something like an AT-9 came along that took that theory to its limit.

I should thank you as well for the interesting and quite beautiful photos of Greece, I can see why you are so attached to it.

***blanston12*** · January 9th, 2019, 21:38

Hi Nigel, the AC looks great and reading of life off the grid is inspiring. If we were to start a "GoFundMe" page to get you another solar panel would that get the FSX native version done quicker?

**dhasdell** · January 9th, 2019, 22:03

It would make sense also that a good trainer should have the same characteristics - you would have to seriously "fly" the airplane, and therefore learn it rather than be a passenger

I've read that the thing about the Tiger Moth was that it was easy to fly, which made it safe, but hard to fly well, which made it a good trainer.

**nigel richards** · January 9th, 2019, 23:07

Originally Posted by SSI01

Thank you, Nigel, for that interesting information. I've read truly great fighters, at least up to the introduction of artificial "feel" and computer-assisted flight control input, were inherently unstable to a certain degree as that indicated a quicker response to control input. It would make sense also that a good trainer should have the same characteristics - you would have to seriously "fly" the airplane, and therefore learn it rather than be a passenger. Now and then I suppose something like an AT-9 came along that took that theory to its limit.

I should thank you as well for the interesting and quite beautiful photos of Greece, I can see why you are so attached to it.

My pleasure Sir. :-)

The characteristics you describe were probably what made the later North American T-6 Texan/Harvard such a phenomenally awesome trainer.
She did all the talking to green pilots not paying attention to teacher.

Will try and get some better pics up for you once spring arrives.

**nigel richards** · January 9th, 2019, 23:21

Originally Posted by blanston12

Hi Nigel, the AC looks great and reading of life off the grid is inspiring. If we were to start a "GoFundMe" page to get you another solar panel would that get the FSX native version done quicker?

Very gracious of you indeed blanston12, Thank you for your kind suggestion Sir. :-)

I was originally going to release the AVRO series as donationware packages, essentially funding themselves.
However, as they are not truly 'Native' in the strict sense, I have decided to make the fs9/FSX portover freely available to all.
It is frustrating that even for donations, GREECE does not currently allow for Paypal accounts other than for bonafide Companies - obviously beyond my semi-retired capabilities.

Hopefully the First 2 Aircraft packages will be released here at SOH for this weekend:

1. AVRO 621 (Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose powered)
2. AVRO 621 (Armstrong Siddeley Lynx powered)