"Air Clues" and the Stalling Ducks/Geese/Swans
 

Anyone remember the article in "Air Clues", about the ducks/swans/geese that stalled, when trying to make a tight turn after take-off from a small pond, surrounded by close-in obstacles. Or, better still, anybody have a copy of the article?

I remember the one about the ducks trying to land on a small pond in a stiff headwind with a steap approach over a hedge, and they kept having to go around, until they diverted and then recovered by road from a nearby lawn. Is this what you are after?

You're good quack :}

Yep, know it well.

If I get the chance I could scan it in and send to you - interested? PM if so...

NickB

Thanks Nick PM on the way

Thanks Rigger 1. Not exactly - but sounds interesting nevertheless. Would appreciate sight of same please.

Our nesting pair of collared doves are doing some fancy flying these days.

Their new home is in a conifer hedge behind a large tree covered with ivy. The preferred (upwind) approach is from the ash tree about 15 metres away, despite the shed roof being only 2 metres from the target.

The bird will launch from 5 metres up the ash tree, swoop down for a low pass over the lawn, fly under the washing line and then pull up into a stall turn to port to land neatly on top of the hedge.

This is achieved very smartly and in the best traditions of the service at least eight times in ten. The other twice result in a hot and high approach with associated loss of control in the final manoevre, a crash landing - usually in the hedge - and a very surprised and indignant collared dove.

Still, any landing you can walk away from...

Haven't seen the article, but there was a duck family that nested in one of the ponds in the middle of one of RAF Wyton's pavillions. Although adult ducks could comfortably fly in and out, ducklings on BFT couldn't achieve the required climb-rate to clear the surrounding building. A short road-move by RSPB's Crash and Smash team eventually solved the problem.

N Joe

What a lovely thread. Thanks.

Quack quack. Or, as they say in Brazil, Queng Queng

airsound

NickB
 

Can you please post a link on here?

Quite interesting as birds have centrally controlled variable geometry wing forms.

Imagine having a wing that extends/retracts flaps in one second on thought control. And also controls wing twist, span and cross-section.

Call me a spotter, but if you want to extend carrier-borne aggro, then this is where you get the Tefal-heads at Farnborough to focus their undoubted talent.

Thanks Sean. See, we've learnt something new today folks, something about Brazil that I for one never new before. I love Pprune.:\









Majestic Wine are doing a mixed case of St Peters for £1.40 a bottle which might explain the above. The Organic in particular is taking some attrition this evening at Flash Towers. I thank you.

Have you seen the new crest for JARTS (new Crash & Smash)?

A labrador with a mallard in its mouth. Bringing back the downed bird as it were.

There was a letter in Shooting Times a few years back from a chap who was out walking his Labrador on the beach at Lytham St Annes when a Tonka from Warton stoofed into the oggin. Said Lab ran into the waves and swam around for a while, looking to retrieve it.

Back on thread, two ducks flying over Belfast,
Duck Lead says:" Quack, Quack"
Wingduck replys: "I can't go any feckin quacker".

OK, I'm gone.

I have a pair of pigeons outside my office using a dense bush as a nesting site for the second year running. They have actually created a runway but like Gibraltar the winds on approach are variable.

A landing usually includes a steep 40 degree approach with starboard wing fold just beofre touchdown. Aerodynamic and arerested braking is achieved with the left wing fully spread and engaging on the branches to the left.

They then back up sliightly, complete wing fold, and then taxi into the hangar :)

Just like the old days in the FAA. :E

Chapter 19 of Rawnsley & Wright's wartime classic 'Night Fighter' contains an evocative description of the swans on the lake next to the Manor House used by 85 Squadron at West Malling for its mess, which " . . . quickly became the object of great interest to the aircrew". Rawnsley wrote:

"Every afternoon the great birds went through their night-flying tests. The lake was very narrow, and they could only become airborne along its length, and in a cross-wind or calm air that called for some strenuous flying. The wild beating of their wings became more and more agitated as they proceeded on their take-off down the lake. One could almost see the look of anxiety coming on their faces as they began to run out of lake and had to make up their minds whether to put on full boost or throttle back for another run".

Is this the one you were thinking of?
 

Ducking and Diving

The Tides Reach Hotel at South Sands, Salcombe, Devon features a fresh water pond some 40 yards from the high tide mark. The pond is constantly refreshed by a small stream and is home to 54 Chinesse carp and 30 or so Mallard drakes and ducks.

In May, the majority of the ducks were upstream, privately hatching their broods. The drakes, their allotted task fulfilled, were lazing around the pond, although the odd one was still wooing and hoping to win. The pond to the sea side is sheltered by a wall and a 10ft high hedge; to the north stands the hotel, abnd the remainder is screened by trees some 30ft high. All attempts to land on the pond into the standard off-shore breeze are tricky, requiring a high approach over the trees, followed by a rapid descent into the turbulence created by the protective hedge, on to a target that is less than 50yds long.

On the day in question, the off-shore breeze had given way to a force 7 gale, which meant that most of the drakes wisely remained grounded. The ducks were otherwise involved. However, in mid-morning, a drake appeared over the trees and was seen to be flying hard into the gale. He dropped like a stone into the shelter of the trees, reduced his now considerable forward momentum wwith some dextrous wing work, and landed winthin a yard of the front edge of the pond, veering hard left as he did so to avoid hitting the bank. The safe landing was most skillfully done, but it was a damn near thing.

Moments later, an attempt by a duck was much less masterly and at the very last second she overshot, to be followed immediately by a second duck that suffered a similar fate. Each made two more approaches, trying different techniques, but never managing to beat the tricky wind conditions and always overshooting in good time to clear the hedge. Throughout, the drake looked on anxiously, getting progressively more agitated. After the sixth overshoot, the drake launched himslef into the air.

Some two minutes later, a Vic-formation of thee appeared, with the drake leading the two ducks. The approach was good considering the condition and the drake wqould surely have made it safely; perhaps he was stronger, perhaps his wing area greater, perhaps his power to decelerate was better, but as the round out approached his ladies started to go high on the critical flight path and were in danger of crash landing. The drake saw their problem immediately and he elected to overshoot the formation, guiding it to a safe landing in the sea immediatley on the wrong side of the hedge.

Five minutes later, the drake waddled into view, followed by the two ducks. Squawking loudly, they padded across the road, round the trees and along the footpath into the pond. The drake was still very much in command of his small harem, with his swagger and general manner indicating that he was giving a very thorough debrief. Here was a sound lesson for all who fly. In extreme conditions, there had been no dying accidents.

There are obviously some days when a safe approach is impossible. On such days, an alternative safe recovery must be found. We could all learn about flying from that.

This was exactly the article I was looking for and now that you have reminded me, The Tides Reach is where I first saw it some 10 years ago. NickB has since kindly forwarded me a facsimile of the Air Clues entry. Thank you all for your help, interest and other interesting bird flight stories.

Airsound:

My Danish granddaughter tells me that there the ducks say "Rappe, rappe." but it still sounds like "Quack, quack" to me.

Aural discrimination has long been a problem, you may realise. :}

What a lovely article, written by someone with great observational skills - Air Clues at its whimsical best.

These days, I suppose a mean-minded PC nit-picker would find it condescending, and even slightly sexist - but I'm sure the author was trying manfully (personfully?) to be neither.

Thanks for that, exscribbler. As a professional speaker, I'm fascinated by the pronunciation of foreign languages. I often find it hard to see any correlation between the written word and the sound, especially in the lesser-known European languages. Mind you, we English can hardly complain - what about rough, bough, cough, though, etc. And then there's that famous word ghoti*.

Btw, aren't grandchildren a pleasure? As someone suggested the other day, "If I'd known what fun grandkids were going to be, I 'd have had them first."

airsound

*gh as in enough, o as in women, ti as in position - ghoti spells fish.