QUESTION
: if you were going to be marooned on a desert island for
the rest of your life, what model engine would you take with
you ?
Well, I don' t know about you, but I would be
packing a PAW 2.49 or 19 into my bag. With the sad passing
of Gig Eifflaender in England late last year, the modelling
world lost a largely unsung hero - the man who designed the
engine, that in my opinion at least, comes closest to the
tag of " the definitive model diesel engine ".
Think about it for a moment - if nobody had
yet designed a diesel model aero engine, and the brief given
was to come up with a design that was powerful, tough &
reliable yet light in weight, well built, easy to handle and
lasted forever - well, you would probably draw a picture of
a PAW. Up until 1957, Gig was occupied in the production of
his wooden TRUCUT propellers, but in that year he designed
and built his very first engine, the 2.49cc Eifflaender Special
which was basically a "working man's" Oliver Tiger.
Probably only one other model engine in history can compare
with the PAW design, and thats the FOX 35 Stunt. Both designs
were nigh on perfect right from the very beginning, and throughout
their engineering life remained very close to the original
concept, only receiving minor internal improvements and changes
over the years.
Some idea of the basic excellence of the PAW
design can be gleaned from the fact that in 49 years of continuous
production, the biggest single visual change was the venturi
was made removable instead of cast-in!
As a collector, the biggest problem I have with
my PAW's is telling the blasted things apart, so alike are
the various models in the 2.49 and 19 size! Gig did, at one
stage, stamp BR on the mount lugs to signify a ball race was
fitted, but mostly its impossible to tell by just eyeballing
the engine whether its a plain bearing or ball race job, and
if its a 249 or 19 in capacity.
Progress Aero Works can be truly proud of the
legacy left by Gig Eifflaender to the World's aeromodellers,
and one which is still carried on today."
Bob Allan 2006
|
