Arthur Smith : Pioneer Australian Aeromodeller

Centennial of Flight 2003: Australian Aeromodellers Tribute

Australian Aeromodellers 'Hangar of Fame'

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Updated March 30, 2003

Arthur Smith
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

'A Man and his Aeroplanes'

More of Arthur and his models can be seen in Australian Aeromodelling Groups and the Museum of Australian Aeromodelling

Click on the following pictures to see them at 2x size

The 1950s

Arthur Smith, Tiger Moth VH-AXR, c.1950

Essendon Aerodrome, Melbourne, Victoria"

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The 'Rudder-Bug' - Yesterday and Today

Arthur Smith's 'Rudder-Bug'

Australian Model Hobbies, Nov.-Dec., 1950

Arthur Smith's 'Rudder-Bug'

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Arthur Smith's 'Rudder-Bug', radio detail

Arthur Smith's 'Rudder-Bug'

Arthur Smith's 'Rudder-Bug' - Today (2003)

Arthur Smith's 'Rudder-Bug' - Today (2003), detail

Arthur Smith's 'Rudder-Bug' - Today (2003)

The 1960s

The 1970s

Arthur Smith, Rogallo Tractor, Sep., 1971

Arthur Smith, Auster M111, Sep. 19, 1971

Moorooduc Airstip, Morning Peninsula, Victoria

Arthur Smith, Halcyon, Nov. 5, 1974

"An English model I later used for aerial photography"

Arthur Smith, Merimbula, 1978

Demountable 'Flying Wing' - assembled

Demountable 'Flying Wing' - demounted

A modern comparison - some 30 years later ! - can be seen in the 'backpackable' UAV, Dragon Eye, deployed by the US Marines in Afghanistan and now, the Persian Gulf.

Dragon Eye 'Backpack' UAV

Dragon Eye
http://tid-www.nrl.navy.mil/

NRL's Electronic Warfare Division, in collaboration with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL), is developing an affordable, expendable airborne sensor platform, Dragon Eye, to demonstrate Small Unit reconnaissance and threat detection capabilities.

The ONR/MCWL- sponsored Dragon Eye will consist of a man-portable, 5.5 lb., hand or bungee launched air vehicle, and a Ground Control Station (GCS) to provide command and control and receive the aircraft's video and GPS position. The vehicle characteristics will enable an operational capability in adverse weather conditions.

Dragon Eye will feature autonomous flight capability to allow one-person operation. The endurance is 30- 60 minutes at 35 kt airspeed, with an electric propulsion system. Interchangeable 0.5 lb. modular commercial off-the-shelf components payloads for Dragon Eye will include daylight, low light, and infrared imaging systems and robust communications links.

Dragon Eye 'Backpack' UAV

showing demountability into an 'ALICE' pack sized container

Next - The 1980s and 90s

...and more of Arthur and his models can be seen in Australian Aeromodelling Groups and the Museum of Australian Aeromodelling

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