‘There I was, upside down, in cloud, on fire, nothing on the clock except the maker’s name, when suddenly….. December 2, 2008
Posted by shortfinals in 'warbird', Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend.Tags: 'warbird', Air Show, aircraft, Alvis Leonides engine, Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, GVFWE, Piston Provost, RAF, Royal Air Force
2 comments
Well, here we are, having fun.........
N.B. ALL images are copyright Ross Sharp ©
For many years, I have been volunteering at the Great Vintage Flying Weekend. It’s a bit of a long haul from New England, but well worth it. I meet many old friends, make new ones, and talk….and talk…(as some would say) on the public address system. I get to play a bit, too, as you can see.
Well, the Yankees are still hanging in there… August 3, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in NY Yankees, United States, baseball.Tags: 'a good thing', AL East, Brian Cashman, catcher, Coors Field East, Derek Jeter, first base, foodcourt, Francisco Cervelli, free-agent pitcher, Gold Glove, Gold Glove winner, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, Leon Trost, Mark Teixeira, Martha Stewart, Monument Cave, museum, New York, New York Yankees, NY Yankees, Phil the Franchise, post trade deadline, Red Sox, right field, Sabrematricians, Sergio Mitre, Shaun Chacon, Stadium, the Captain, White Sox, Yankee Stadium
add a comment
Here we are , 
past the half-way mark of the season and accelerating down the stretch. At this point in time, it would be best to take stock of what has happened so far this season. As of Monday, August 3rd, the Yankees are hanging onto a half game lead in the AL East, following an uninspiring 1-3 series against the White Sox. The loss of Wang has caused the need for an extra starter, but Sergio Mitre is NOT the answer. Should Phil the Franchise be ’stretched out’ again, and removed from his set-up role, or should Brian Cashman try for a low-cost miracle, like Shaun Chacon? Let’s see what is out there, post-trade deadline, I say.
The new Stadium has huge public spaces, a fabulous ‘foodcourt crossed with museum’ feel – and a terrible reputation as a home run launching pad. ‘Coors Field East’ will have to be tweaked in the off season; someone has to persuade Leon Trost that the fences can be a little higher in right field, and that the Yankees can stand the loss of income from the removal of three or four rows of seats in this area, too. Either that, or no elite free-agent pitcher will ever sign with the Yankees again. It would be nice to think that something would be done about ‘Monument Cave’ as well.
Three bright spots from this season, so far. Francisco Cervelli has shown himself to be the Yankees ‘catcher-in-waiting’, when Jorge Posada finally hangs up ‘the tools of ignorance’. A young man who is a solid receiver of the ball, and who has great fire and enthusiasm – a real find. Another ‘good thing’, as Martha Stewart would say, is the return to form of the Captain. Derek Jeter may be on the wrong side of the performance graphs of the Sabrematricians, but he has obviously worked exceptionally hard in the off-season to improve his range and his play in general….a re-vitalised Jeter is a VERY dangerous player. Finally, someone is going to have to start mentioning Mark Teixeira as the 2009 AL Gold Glove Award Winner. His play at first base hasn’t just been spectacular (the vertical leaping catch off the ex-Yankee, Dioner Navarro, this weekend, was incredible) it has been a revelation. Now we know just how truly awful Jason Giambi was in the field.
Well, that’s enough of a re-cap for now. Soon, it will be time for a series against the Red Sox at the Stadium – and that should sort a few things out!
When is a moth a better moth? When its made of metal…. August 3, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Royal Air Force, aircraft.Tags: ADC Aircraft, aero clubs, aircraft, Aviation, Cirrus engine, Danish register, De Havilland, DeH Gipsy I, DeH Gipsy II, Denmark, DH60, DH60 Moth, DH60M, DH60T, DH82a Tiger Moth, differential ailerons, First World War, flying schools, French, Geoffrey De Havilland, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, GVFWE, Major Frank Halford, Metal Moth, RAF, Renault V-8 engine, Roy Palmer, Royal Air Force, WW1
add a comment
Geoffrey de Havilland’s line of biplane sports/training aircraft, which culminated in the DH82 Tiger Moth, began with the first flight of the DH.60 Moth prototype, at the hands of De Havilland himself, in February 1925. That aircraft, G-EBKT, was powered by a rather unusual engine, built by ADC Aircraft – the Cirrus. This consisted, essentially, of one half of a surplus WW1 Renault V-8 engine, and was, therefore, incredibly cheap. The Moth quickly established itself as the prefered equipment for flying schools and aero clubs everywhere. The Moth was so ubiquitous that soon any light aircraft was refered to as a ‘Moth’.
By 1927, De Havilland had a problem; the huge ‘pile’ of WW1 Renault engines had almost run out, and a new engine for the Moth line was needed. In conjunction with Major Frank Halford, a four cylinder, 100hp engine was designed and built for the DH60; the DeH Gipsy I.
The aircraft you can see is a DH60M Moth, built in 1929. Powered by a DeH Gipsy II of 120hp, it represents the state-of-the-art in light aeroplane design for this period. Several significant changes had been made to the original DH60, including the use of a metal tube primary structure for the fuselage, as opposed to wood (hence the ‘M’ for ‘Metal Moth’). If you look closely, you can still see that De Havilland has retained his ‘differential ailerons’ on the lower wing only, and the wings and tail are in the traditional ‘any colour so long as it is silver’ factory finish (the aero club, or individual customer, chose the fuselage colour). This fine example of the breed is seen here at GVFWE 2009, at Kemble, and is now owned by Mr Roy Palmer; it was on the Danish register, prior to being recovered to Britain.
As well as examples for the civilian market, the DH60 (as the DH60T) was sold to various military customers. The Royal Air Force was not totally convinced, however, and it wasn’t until the sweep of the wings were altered, to enable pilots to bail-out easier in an emergency, and an inverted version of the Gipsy engine fitted, that it finally adopted the Moth as the DH82a Tiger Moth. The rest, as they say, is history.
Bluebells August 2, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England.Tags: bluebell, bulbous plant, Common Bluebells, County Durham, deciduous, Durham, England, European Beech, Fagus sylvatica, ground cover, Hyacinthoides hispanica, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, North of England, Spanish Bluebell, whitebells, Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
add a comment
This area of woodland near the city of Durham, in the north of England consists of mixed deciduous species, with the European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) predominating.
The ground cover is fairly diverse, but in spring it is carpeted with Common Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Although the Common Bluebell was, well, common when I was young, the status of this bulbous plant has changed somewhat. Hybridisation with the introduced Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) has meant that this stronger hybrid strain has taken over in some locations. Since the Spanish species produce less scent, you lose the heady perfume of a typical bluebell wood in full bloom. In order to protect this quintessentially British landscape, it has been necessary to enact legislation, and since 1981, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (and a further prohibition to trade in bulbs and plants enacted in 1998) it is offence to remove these lovely flowers from their native habitat.
One item of note, bluebells don’t have to be blue! There is a very attractive, naturally occuring, white varient and these ‘whitebells’ can be seen mixed in amongst the drifts of flowers in many bluebell woods.
Nanchang CJ-6A, G-BVVG June 14, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in 'warbird', Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Kemble, aircraft.Tags: 'warbird', aircraft, Albania, Aviation, Bangladesh, Bracknell, brakes, Cambodia, Chinese, CJ-6A, engine cooling gills, flaps, G-BVVG, GVFWE, Huosai-6JIA, Huosai-6JIA radial engine, Kemble, Kemble Airfield, Marlow, NAMC, Nanchang, Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company, Nanchang CJ6A Group, North Korea, oil cooler, Peeking Duck Group, People's Liberation Army Air Force, PLAAF, pneumatics, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, USA, Yak-18A, Zambia
add a comment
It would be perhaps wrong to describe this Chinese trainer as ‘universal’, but with over 10,ooo built it is, indeed, popular. Despite appearances, it is not a direct copy of the Yak-18A, but has been extensively re-engineered to suit Chinese requirements by the Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company. The prototype first flew on August 27, 1958, and entered PLAAF service in 1960, followed by over 3,000 examples for the Chinese armed forces. Since then, it has been exported to Albania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, North Korea, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Zambia. Powered by a Nanchang Huosai-6JIA radial engine of 285hp, the CJ-6A is heavily reliant on pneumatics to operate flaps, brakes and start the engine. The control of various aircraft systems, such as the oil cooler and engine cooling gills are all manual, so there is a lot to manage during any flight.
The example seen here, G-BVVG, is parked at the GVFWE, Kemble and is in typical PLAAF markings. It was on the French register for a while, from 1999 to 2002, but is now owned by the Nanchang CJ6A Group of Marlow; prior to this it had been operated by the amazingly-named ‘Peeking Duck Group’ of Bracknell !
A very popular ‘warbird’, the CJ-6A is now being released in batches by the Chinese authorities, and several specialist companies in the USA are currently importing and overhauling these aircraft for re-sale.
Beech wood June 7, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in England, South Yorkshire.Tags: beech, beech mast, bluebells, European Beech, Fagus sylvaticus, furniture, Mediaeval times, nuts, pigs, silver-grey bark, South Yorkshire, toxicity, trunk, undergrowth, wild garlic, wood
add a comment
Beech wood
The European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is a delightful tree, with silver-grey bark and a straight trunk. If left without management, it forms dense woodlands, whose deep shade, coupled with heavy layers of dead leaves, often prevents much undergrowth from forming. Sometimes, as in this case in South Yorkshire, the woodland floor is carpeted in season with bluebells or even wild garlic.
Beech wood is valuable in furniture making, and the beechnuts (or beech mast) are edible, but should NOT be consumed in large quantities by humans as they do have slight toxicity. Pigs, however, really enjoy beech mast, and used to, in Mediaeval times, be left to roam in the woods to feed on these nuts.
CEA Jodel DR. 1050/M-1 ‘Sicile Record’ June 7, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Kemble, aircraft.Tags: aviation industry, CEA, Centre Est Aeronautique, Continental Motors Corporation, D.9 Bebe, dihedral, DR.100A, Dr.1050, Edouard Joly, EVRA propeller, French, G-BAEE, German, GVFWE, Jean Delemontez, Jodel, Jodel DR.1050/M-1 'Sicile Record', Kemble, Luftwaffe, O-200 engine, outer wing panels, Pierre Robin, plywood, Round Sicily Rally, Second World War
add a comment
- CEA Jodel DR.1050/M-1 ‘Sicile Record’
Following the Second World War, much of French aviation industry was either bombed flat, or still producing German designs, continuing on from Luftwaffe contracts. Edouard Joly, who ran an aviation repair business, and his son-in-law, Jean Delemontez, designed and built a light single-seat aircraft, the D.9 Bebe. This little plywood gem, with distinctive dihedral outer wing panels, first flew in 1948, and a whole series of developments and varients of what became the Jodel family of aircraft flowed from this, and were were either built by licencees or home-built.
May blossom, near Wittering June 6, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Great Britain.Tags: 'cast not a clout 'til may is out', 55BC, Cambridgeshire, Common Hawthorn, Crataegeus monogyna, diverse habitat, farm-stock, farming, Flanders, ground cover, haws, hawthorn, hedgelaying competition, hedgerows, Hedges, Julius Caesar, mammals, May blossom, National Hedgelaying Society, Nervi tribe, nesting sites, Wittering
add a comment
- May blossom
The Common Hawthorn bush (Crataegeus monogyna) is a common sight in the British countryside; this example is growing near Wittering, Cambridgeshire. It grows wild of course, but it is also ’semi-cultivated’, in that it is planted and managed, in some cases by ‘laying’ – an ancient farming skill. Indeed, Julius Caesar, in 55BC, noted that the Nervi tribe, in Flanders, were skilled in layering and interweaving hedges.
There are many plants which can be planted to form a hedgerow, of course, but the hawthorn is amongst the most popular, in that it grows relatively quickly, to a good size, and gives a natural thorny barrier to farm-stock as well as providing shelter in bad weather. The work of the National Hedgelaying Society, and its members, ensures that ancient skills will not be lost. Indeed, you can watch hedgelaying competitions in most areas of the British Isles, if you know when and where to look for them.
If skilfully tended and trimmed, a layed hedge will last for 50 years before needing major attention – if left alone, the hedge would evolve into a series of individual trees, some up to 30 feet tall. Hedgelaying also makes for a thicker hedge, as wel as one which is more beneficial to wildlife, with more potential nesting site for birds, more ground cover, and a more diverse habitat. Other plant species arrive over the course of time, and the hawthorn provides a copious supply of red haws – the name for the fruit of the hawthorn – which are a major source of winter food for birds, and small mammals.
One of the reasons I love the English countryside in late spring, is the arrival of the May blossom (the hawthorn’s flower). Carried in clusters, it gives a frothy, dense appearance to many roadsides, and reminds me of my youth. An old English saying, ‘Caste not a clout, ’til may is out’ – an admonishment to retain winter clothing or face the chills - does not refer to the month, but rather the flower of the same name!
Folland (Hawker Siddeley) Gnat June 3, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in 'warbird', Aviation, Great Britain, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, RAF, Royal Air Force, aircraft, military.Tags: 'Teddy' Petter, 'warbird', aircraft, airframe, Airshow circuit, Aviation, BAe Hawk, Charlie Sheen, Cirencester, Delta Jets, E E Lightning, English Electric, feature film, film, Fo. 144, Folland, Fuse 13, Gnat, Gnat T.1, Gnat Trainer, Hawker Siddeley, Hot Shots, instructional airframe, jet, jet warbird, Kemble, Kemble Airfield, KM, Lloyd Bridges, Midge, No 4 FTS, Postmaster, RAF, RAF Flying Training School, RAF Kemble, RAF Scampton, RAF St Athan, Red Arrows, Royal Air Force, runway, signal square, South Wales, twinkle roll, US Navy, W E W Petter, Yelowjacks
add a comment
- Folland Gnat T.1
Kemble Airfield has many interesting residents. The local aviation company, Delta Jets, is better known for it’s fleet of Hawker Hunters, but it also owns this Hawker Siddeley Gnat T.1, XP502. Currently, the Gnat is located on the old airfield ’signal square’ , a relic of the early days of flying, when a pilot would join the circuit overhead, and look down at the square, to see which runway was in use (shown by means of black ‘dumbell’ markers) and even confirm WHERE he was (the two-letter code for Kemble, KM, is still there). XP502 is in spurious ‘Red Arrows’ markings, to commemorate the fact that Kemble was the home of the ‘Reds’ for nearly 15 years, from 1969 to 1983; the last four years of which had seen the Gnats supplanted by the BAe Hawk. Indeed, the Postmaster at nearby Cirencester still sometimes gets mail addressed to ‘The Red Arrows, RAF Kemble’ – it is carefully forwarded to their present home at RAF Scampton.
Snake Pass, Peak District National Park May 23, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, Peak District, Royal Air Force, South Yorkshire.Tags: A57, Derbyshire, EGCC, Glossop, ICAO, Manchester Airport, National Park, Peak District National Park, Pennines, Sheffield, Snow, South Yorkshire, stream, UK, winter
add a comment
Snake Pass, A57 Glossop to Sheffield
I am from Derbyshire, and intensely proud of that fact. I am fortunate enough to be able to travel back fairly often, and visit friends and relations in the region. A few weeks ago, I landed at Manchester Airport (ICAO code, EGCC), the third-busiest airport in the UK and only a few miles from the boundary of the Peak District National Park. I have family in Sheffield on the other side of the Pennines.
I chose to travel the A57 road which runs from Glossop in Derbyshire to Sheffield in South Yorkshire. Part of this road forms the notorious Snake Pass, which winds it’s way through the National Park from west to east. Here you can see a typical piece of Peak District scenery on the A57, complete with pines and a rushing stream.
One thing the Snake Pass is notorious for is becoming blocked by snow, almost every winter, and its easy to see why!
Newark Liberty International May 22, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, New York, United States, aircraft.Tags: air conditioning, Air Train, aircraft, Amtrak, Continental Airlines, Empire State Building, Manhattan, monorail, New York, Newark, NJ, PATH, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, rapid transit, Statute of Liberty, terminal buildings
1 comment so far
Newark Liberty International - Air Train
Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey since the 1940s under a lease arrangement, and one of the busiest airports in the Greater New York area, Newark Liberty International serves as a hub for Continental Airlines and many other carriers. One of the more interesting features of the airport is the ‘Air Train’, a free rapid transit monorail system which runs between Terminals A, B and C. This is easily accessed via a series of interlocked safety doors on the upper level of each terminal. It also travels to the Airport’s own rail station where Amtrak and NJ Transit passengers alight.
Here we see a set of Air Train cars, making the smooth transit between terminals. Be warned, however; the cars are NOT air conditioned, and on a warm day in May, the passengers were already feeling the heat.
Just over the Hudson River from Manhattan, it is easy for passengers to reach hotels in the city (the airport is about 16 miles from mid-town Manhattan). Both approaches to, and departures from, this airport offer spectacular views of the New York skyline, and such features as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building can be clearly seen. Please choose your seat assignments carefully!
