Rob Thomas is in the process of restoring Clutton FRED G-BMMF to its former glory near Cardiff in Wales.  He recently shared this interesting e-mail exchange with Eric Clutton with the FRED Yahoo! Group, so I thought I’d preserve it here for posterity.

Rob’s part of the thread is in italics, Eric’s part is in bold:

Hello, Eric.

I’m still buggering about with G-BMMF, a silver FRED that I bought as a wreck.  The latest instalment has seen me doing the first taxi trials with a new prop, only to find it too long.  Mowed the field nicely, though!  Anyway, I’ve used a rubber/aluminium doughnut trick to space out the spring on the gear leg to pre-load the leg and to have it sitting a bit higher.  At least I’ll be able to have another crack at taxiing about.

I see that you’ve added a door to G-ASZY and there was mention of ‘the original long-stroke gear’ which I assume is the bog standard unraked leg?  I’ve still got this version without ‘knuckles’ at the top and bottom.  Is this what you meant?  Hmmmmm.  Maybe I need an updated version of the plans since I have 3 sets that all seem to date back to the 1970s or before.  Are you still selling them?

We took FRED to our local Infants School and managed to get 130+ kids (including the Headmaster) in-and-out in an afternoon.  I told the boys that the Headmaster had made me remove the machine guns before I could come along.  Strange how little boys remain the same throughout the generations!

Right.  I’m off to English Wheel my thumbs and a new bottom cowling.

Cheers,

Rob

Hi, Rob.

When I originally built FRED he had no brakes and a tail skid but when I started going to fly-ins, the need for brakes became very obvious!  I changed the wheels for ones with brakes but when I applied them the tail came up, so I moved the wheels forward.  Easiest way to do this was the ‘knuckles’ top and bottom of the shock strut.  An easy addition but you have to modify the wheel mounting to bring them forward two inches.

Your VW seems to be mounted a bit on the low side—there should be ample room for a 60 inch prop.  Raising the fuselage up is not a good idea because it will make FRED difficult to mount.  My legs don’t bend like they used to, hence the access door I put in a couple of years ago.  I got it cleared with PFA/LAA so anyone can do it.  A complete set of up to date plans, including the door mod are 40 pounds, sent airmail.  A ‘normal’ Sterling cheque payable to me is OK because I still have a NatWest account.  ERIC CLUTTON, 913 CEDAR LANE, TULLAHOMA, TN 37388, USA.  For an additional 8 pounds I can enclose my book “An Aeroplane called FRED,” describing development and early adventures.

Eric

Eric,

Thanks for the speedy reply.

I’ve got a set of “forwards” undercarriage legs from another still-born FRED that donated wing spars and ribs to finish a FRED down in Devon (Ian Pearson, co-owner of G-BGFF) so I may end up going with the newer design.  My brakes are a little…ahem…weak and ineffective, but I can see the benefit of leaning everything forwards a bit to keep those prop tips connected to the engine as long as possible.

My engine mount is the standard 6-inch design in the plans so the engine mounting height is standard.  I guess it all looks rather precarious with the old springs and long grass.  Do you recall what your springs came from?  Mine were custom made but seem a bit soft for the job and the original spec was lost years ago.

Would I be right in thinking that adding the knuckles is done WITHOUT shortening the legs?  I’ve noticed that quite a few FREDs (although, not yours) stand quite tall with their feet together, if you see what I mean. 

I’ll get a cheque over to you this week.  No point in me blundering about in the dark over this.  Also, the owner of G-BWAP has been on to me this week because the C0fG is aft of the limit and it needs about 6 pounds of lead placed 30 inches forwards of the wing.  I guess that “PFA fin mod” wasn’t such a good idea.

Cheers,

Rob

Hi, Rob.

I didn’t shorten the tubes when I added the knuckles so I gained a bit that way. My original springs were from an AJS rear dashpot suspension.  They were not long enough so I used two each side in tandem.  FRED’s springing is quite soft to allow good road towing and I have landed in lightly ploughed fields too!  I sent a mate of mine off on a taxi around the farmer’s field we were using at one time and he came back quite shaken, saying, “I thought it was going to tip over sideways!”  No chance—you get used to it and it makes even a bad landing seem quite reasonable.  It should be possible to get your springs retempered if necessary.  Over the years mine have settled a bit and one more than the other, so I put an aluminium spacer in on that side to even things up.

My wheels are Vespa or Lambretta scooter wheels.  They have cable brakes (one leading and one trailing) operated by heel pedals made from one inch square tube.  They will not hold at full throttle but very few taildraggers will.  They work well every other way with a steerable industrial castor tailwheel.  Better than my Luscombe!  The wood fairings (can be aluminium) are just to keep the grease off your legs when you get in, etc.  Eric

Eric

Photo:  G-BMMF sits pretty at Henstridge, year unknown.  Courtesy of Ron Smith.

Eric Clutton contacted me recently about a modification which he has made to the original FRED, an entry/exit to make it easier to climb in and out of the cockpit.  I have collected Eric’s comments from multiple e-mails below:

“I have put an access door in one side of FRED and drawings are available to FRED builders for cost of postage.  You can now SLIDE in instead of CLIMB in!  I even got this modification past the high and mighty in the UK.  The door is not strictly necessary until you have trouble physically getting your leg over.

“I do not advise [adding the door] unless the fuselage is structurally complete otherwise the two sides will bend differently on assembly.  Also the door cut-out should only be made in a completed fuselage because the two sides when separate would bend differently, resulting in a ‘banana’ fuselage!

“Also the original ‘long stroke’ gear must be used (no substituting a more rigid gear).   I am a bit concerned that some guys might incorporate [this modification] while using a stiffer gear than the regular soft sprung one because it does weaken the fuselage to the point where it would break at that point in a crash (not a heavy landing).

“I get away with the big cut-out largely because of FRED’s soft sprung gear with about 4” stroke so there is no sudden CRUNCH even on a hard landing, although I deliberately bounced poor old FRED the length of our 5000-foot runway in November to test it!  The extra structure added before making the cut-out is essential of course.”

Eric adds in his usual mischievous fashion, “I have made a point of taxying past the FBO, etc. here with the door open and the ‘handicap’ sign showing.”

Eric is happy to send the single, letter-size drawing of this modification to plans owners for the cost of postage.  A self-addressed, stamped envelope (if you live in the USA) or a self-addressed envelope and one U.S. dollar cash (if you live outside the USA) should do fine.

Photo:  N4499Y shows off the new entry/exit door.  Courtesy of Eric Clutton.

More than once I have heard FRED described as “cheeky,” which my dictionary defines as “impudent or irreverent, typically in an endearing or amusing way.”  That about sums up Eric Clutton’s sense of humor as well—the original FRED still sports a mock Spandau from his “FRED Baron” days!

That said, FRED is also a rugged and safe little airplane.  Safety is no laughing matter, but I think I have found a way to combine the two.  Since you need to put a seat harness in your FRED,you may as well make or buy one just like the ones worn by the RAF fighter pilots of World War II?  Why?  Because you can!

It’s called a Sutton harness.  I had heard the term before, but only really understood it after reading Build and Fly Your Own Plane by Robert Lowe, himself an ex-RAF Hurricane pilot, a great little book about building an Evans Volksplane VP-1.  In it, he describes the Sutton harness and how to make your own for less money and significantly less weight than a factory seat harness.  Here, from a Norwegian aero modeler’s site of all places, is a clear description of the original installations.  And if it was good enough for a Hurricane or Spitfire….

In short, the Sutton harness as Lowe describes it consists of four (or five if you want a five-point harness) 2” web belts each with a series of 1/2” grommeted holes spaced 4” apart.  Instead of a buckle, there is a big pin (Lowe made his from a 3/8” carriage bolt) which passes through holes in each belt, all secured with a spring steel safety pin through a hole in the end of the bolt.  To release, just pull the spring pin and lift up the belt ends.  Bolt and safety pin are attached to the straps with tethers so they don’t get lost.

If you don’t want to make your own, but are looking for that period feel for your plane, you can order a genuine Sutton harness from Anglia Sailplanes in the UK, who still make them new for the Tiger Moth guys.  Their site is a little sparse, without prices or photos, so you’ll have to call, but you can see an example of their work in the photo above.  If you are building your own and ask nicely, perhaps they will sell you just the locking bolt and the big safety pin.

Eric Clutton’s own FRED currently sports a surplus harness from a Gloster Meteor jet fighter, but in early days it featured….a Sutton harness!

Photo:  An Anglia Sailplanes Sutton harness awaits installation.  Courtesy of Roy Nerou of the Chilton Aircraft web site.