Thoughts on flying Albert
When I first got to fly Albert, it wasn't the handling that bothered me but slotting into a crew and hearing all those voices on the intercom. I found the a/c was good in pitch but more sluggish in roll, needing rudder to prevent adverse aileron yaw when manoeuvring tactically.
4 months with 1312 Flt really taught me to fly the aircraft and 'perfected' the wing down technique when landing with a max crosswind.
Instrument flying was not ideal but perfectly hackable, I seem to remember that the Hdg bug and Flight directors were inaccurate.
3 engine work was fine but 2 engine work seemed perverse, satisfying of course, but perhaps something for the sim.
Formation and AAR Rx was good fun, challenging at times, but was proper polling for a change. The change of technique to lock the ailerons and use the rudders to manoeuvre in close line astern was well taught and was easy to grasp.
Strip work with or without NVGs was flying the numbers and a good teamwork exercise.
Overall it was a remarkable aircraft, with mostly fantastic people, that I was lucky to fly in so many roles: Route, AAR, SAR, MRR, TS/TacAT, to marvellous and not so marvellous places.
AOB: Once, after a 500 ft run and break with max (but no more) AOB, I was bollocked by some Senior Nav in the OM for being low and having too much bank, because that is what he 'saw' from the ground!