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.