Albatross DVa

 During the Great War, one of the most widely used fighter aircraft was the Albatross.  It was a reliably simple design with a Daimler engine that was well tried and tested.  The D5a was the end product of the development of this aircraft for Jasta use and in April 1918, these aircraft represented 47% of the German air force  fighter strength.

Today, I decided to fly Captain Kurt's old simulator model which has been updated by Martin Klein and Captain Kurt for the X-Plane 12 flight simulator.

The starting point is at RAF Duxford, which is the Imperial War Museum's Working collection airfield. Airframe and fuel checks - a full tank gives no more than 2 hours engine time. Starting the aircraft required oiling the propeller bearings and turning the airscrew to lubricate the engine.  The fuel and magneto are then turned on a manual turn of the propeller starts the engine.

This is a difficult aircraft to taxi as it has a lot of engine torque and no brakes.  The steering relies on airflow over the rudder or a crewman holding back one wing.  The stick needs to be full back to prevent the tail lifting during manoeuvring.

Power on and the aircraft climbs away quite quickly.  It needs some rudder pressure and a lot of manual control to keep it flying straight.  The only easily visible instrument is a tacheometer to show you the engine revs.  There is no airspeed indicator, the altimeter is by the pilots left elbow and the climb indicator is out on the wing strut.

A turn back at around 800 feet and a fly-past of the runway is a precaution to allow me to land if anything is not right.  I shall climb higher in a second circuit if the airfield before setting out on my compass bearing to Old Warden Aerodrome, the home of the Shuttleworth collection of early aircraft.

An overhead shot of the aircraft on its second airfield pass at about 5000 feet shows the low contrast of the Lozenge camouflage pattern on the aircrafts wings.  The airspeed feels like 100 mph or there abouts, but without an indicator, you just need to keep the aircraft above stall speed at all times.

Following a compass bearing and road landmarks, I spot the airfield ahead and move the aircraft into a runway alignment, pulling the throttle back to reduce engine revs and loose speed on approach.

Lined up with the runway and running at low revs, I have to judge the landing speed on the cuff.  Too fast and the aircraft will bounce up from the ground: too slow and the rapid descent may collapse the landing gear.  Landing speed 65 mph, stall speed 53 mph.  Maximum speed 103 mph at sea level.  Airspeed indicator, none!

Turning at the end of the runway was a challenge, and care has to be taken to keep the aircraft turning on firm ground.  Taxiing is done slowly to avoid run-on from the lack of brakes.

The run back past the tower and to the parking space is slow and careful in this aircraft.  As with all tail draggers, the nose gets in the way, so leaning out and occasionally shifting direction is the only way you can be sure of not hitting something.

Back at the parking area and its Magnetos off and fuel off - now, where can I get a set of suitable wheel chocks and tie down cables.

This simulated aircraft flies quite well but needs to be handled with a vintage mindset.  No trims or autopilot, no brakes or wheel steering and only a compass and eyes for navigation.

April Adventures

 

The Rhubarb is growing well at present and we are enjoying crumbles with yogurt. I love this time of year and the start of the garden produce crop.

There has been a Siskin on the feeder this week, it is not a common bird in our garden. We more frequently see the odd Serin and we are seeing more Linnets as the bird populations change.

Lambing is currently going on at Trentham Gardens and we went up to see the newborns in the field shelters.  These a Jacob sheep in the Photo.

Off we went to Westport Lake for a morning walk.  These two ducks were on a mission today.  The one in front is a Cayuga and the other is a Runner-Mallard cross.

  

I was also privileged to photograph a Great Creasted Grebe.  These birds usually sense a camera and dive down out of view.  This one posed for me for a few seconds.

And finally, I now know the origin of the name Puddleduck.



 

 

Garden Birds

 After seeing the Great Spotted Woodpecker again, I decided to sit in the conservatory for few minutes and see what came to the feeders.

First up was a female Blackcap.  This is not a common visitor and I have only seen Blackcaps in our garden this year.

One of the regular visitors, a Coal Tit.  Not seen in great numbers, but always in the background somewhere.

Robin - always around in small numbers and guaranteed to be there every day of the week for most of the year.

Blue Tit - a regular and sociable species in most gardens.

Gold Finch - a few years ago, these were rare visitors, but now they are visiting in large numbers on a daily basis for much of the years.  OK, There is a Chaffinch photobombing this shot at the back of the left side feeder.

Long Tailed Tit - around in small numbers, but seen most days.

The pattern of bird feeding has changed over the years.  When we moved into our current house about 30 years ago, the most common birds seen were Greenfinches.  After the viral infection that hit the Greenfinch population, we saw large numbers of Sparrows.  Following the reduction in height of our "previous neighbours" boundary hedge, the sparrows decamped to a more sheltered area and we now get lots of Goldfinches.

I have been looking only at the feeders, but the Dunnocks, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Wood Pigeons, Rock Doves, etc.. are still around on the ground.

Westport Lake again

 

Having a dry day with a light breeze, it is time for a walk, so we nipped to Westport Lakes to see what we can spot by the water. First up is a Blue Tit.

Not to be outdone, this female Mallard is also perched in a tree.  Good on'ya duck!

Coots are becoming far more common than they used to be.  This is likely the result of good water management.  This pair are taking a stroll around one of the smaller ponds.

It was here that we spotted the first Dabchick of the year (Little Grebe) near the reed beds.  I have superimposed an enlarged image to the right of the original photo.

Just to round off, I shot 3 swans crossing the main lake. The visitors to this water can be variable, so each time we see something different.  Today it was Pochard in the middle of the large lake - not such a good shot with the sun behind them.

Gardening

 The weather seems to be starting to dry a little and, though still cool, it is looking good to start work in the garden this year.

The bed near the pond on the path side is showing a lot of one year old foxgloves.  That is promising to look good in the late Spring and Summer months.

I have tidied up the greenhouse ready to prep it for the new years planting.  All of the displaced glass panes have been re-set and the next job is going to be to clean the windows.

The tomatoes are starting to germinate, and I have a couple of courgettes showing first growth.  When they have true leaves, they will be individually re-potted and grown on ready to be planted out in their final growing pots.

My experiment with inexpensive badger fencing, using canes and chicken wire has had mixed success.  I have stripped it out on two beds and I am now looking for an alternative secure fencing solution to keep the badgers from damaging our crops.

The next task is doing something with the old fencing.  I can use some of the canes for plant support and half of the chicken wire is fit to use again, if we need it!  I have also recovered a lot of tent pegs.

This is the first step to sorting out the garden - the next task is to sort out some of the planting beds to bring them back under control.  Let's have a cup of tea first......

Westport Lake Walk

 Ah! a dry day in all of the wet days..... lets go for a walk.

The lakeside walks are moderately small and very interesting, including diverse bird habitats and a good cafe. The car park machines also work more efficiently if you pay by coin.

Today the most sound was that of Canada Geese, who are often found around and within the waters of the big lake.

At present, the big numbers are made up of Black Headed Gulls, and they are just starting to show the summer plumage.

Tufted ducks seem to be there in larger than usual numbers, the males are black and white with a head tuft and the females are a dark brown colour.

The Trent and Mersey Canal runs at the side of the lakes and close to the cafe.  There are often boats moored there waiting for the times for the Harecastle Tunnel just west of the site and there is often an oatcake narrowboat at this mooring.

Just along the mooring is one boat that is flying a yellow flag with 3 inverted horseshoes and two hanging sheep and 3 yellow chevrons at the base.  I cannot find reference to this flag and wondering if anyone recognises it.

Snow and water

 Winter weather has finally arrived, with temperatures of -5 degrees Celsius and a covering of snow.

This is a night shot using my Nikon D3200 with a 18-105 Nikkor DX lens and illuminated by our new LCD outdoor lamps.

In the morning the snow was a little thicker and the temperature was closer to freezing at 0 degrees Celsius.  The drive has just been scraped and salted to make life easier for extracting the car from the garage.

We have just attended a family funeral and on our journey, we stopped off at Carsington Water for refreshments and a short walk.  I was surprised to see the level of the Reservoir so low at this time of year.  The vegetation on the exposed lakebed was significant and well established - that does not bode well for the new year.

In my camera cupboard I have had a Nikkor AF 70-300mm ED lens which I have not used for many years, so I thought I would give it a go....

Ah! - does anyone want a free Nikon zoom lens?  Hardly used.....