Tag Archives: hampshire

Turbulent Times

If you are only used to airliners, light aircraft can look pretty flimsy. They are well designed, but they are small and a little flexible looking. They might be more than up to the task but, to a first timer, they might have the impression of being a bit risky. Then you can look at a Druine Turbulent. That takes the idea of simple to a new level. It is a home-built design that first flew in 1951. Small, light, powered by a small engine and with an open cockpit, it seems like even fitting in it might be a bit snug.

One was parked on the field at Popham one Sunday when we swung by to get some lunch. In due course, the owner came back to the plane and headed off. He had to hand swing the prop himself, so the aircraft was chocked while he started it up. The chocks were then stowed in a panel behind the seat and he climbed in and taxied out. Take off was not startling but still reasonably swift and he climbed out en route. What a cool little plane. I wonder whether it is a cost-effective way of flying.

Swift Fledgling

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When the weather has been really hot at home, we have had windows open all over the house. I was out of the office having lunch with Nancy in the back of the house and I could hear a bird tweeting that sounded very close but didn’t really pay much attention to it. However, when I went back into my office after lunch, I saw a bird sitting on the window frame. At first, I stopped dead and called Nancy to have a look before it flew off if we startled it.

This was not a problem. The bird seemed totally uninterested in my presence. I am not a specialist on birds, but I think it was a swift and that it was recently fledged. Every once in a while, it would start tweeting which may well have been because the parents were nearby. Then it would go very quiet again. I took some photos and footage of it before returning to work. I figured it would fly off in due course.

This wasn’t the case. By the end of the workday, it was still sitting there. I did wonder at this point whether the open window meant parents couldn’t see where it was. Maybe staying there wasn’t going to be good for it and I would need to close the window at night. I decided to try moving it across the road to a fence post, so it was elevated but also visible. I got some gardening gloves to pick it up. At first, it seemed uninterested in moving but then suddenly it took off and flew across the road, over the fence and into the fields. Later in the evening, our neighbours saw it sitting on the spoke of the wheel of their vehicle. I guess it liked the warmth. However, we didn’t see it again. No idea whether it did okay or not.

Europas With Varying Numbers of Wheels

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The Europa is a type I got attached to when my friend Sean had one. I was living in the US when he got it, but I used to come across for work on a regular basis, and we would often take the time to go for trips. It was a fun little thing to fly in with quite a turn of speed. The cockpit was very compact which was tricky when lugging a chunky camera around but not the end of the world! Recently, I made a couple of short visits to Popham Airfield and came across a couple of Europas.

The first was parked up and it is a Europa XS which is a later version fitted with tricycle undercarriage. It is a nice-looking aircraft, but it loses the novelty factor that the Europa Classic had. It has a mono wheel arrangement with outriggers to support it on the ground. The wheel, outriggers and flaps are all controlled together so, when you retract the flaps, the gear comes up. One had just landed when we got there and was getting some fuel. Fortunately, they took off before we left so I got a good look at it as it got airborne. A quirky but cool aircraft for sure.

Poppies in the Neighbourhood

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There was a time earlier in the year when it seemed like, wherever I went, there were poppies in bloom. That included in the area around our house. There were poppies on the earth piled up by the construction crews as well as alongside the paths and roads. They are a bit tricky to photograph because, with their long stalks, they are flexible and, unless it is absolutely still, they are constantly moving. Besides that, I did manage to get a few images. I do wonder whether the red of the petals is one that digital sensors struggle with as they seem to be look more muted than they felt in person.

A Fuji and a Bolkow

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When hanging out at a small airfield, you expect to get a bunch of the regular light aircraft types. Cessnas and Pipers will be expected. Popham has a good selection of microlights and autogyros as well so that will mix things up. However, it brought a couple of planes during one weekend that really caught my eye. These are not rarities, but it is still cool to see something a little different. One was a Fuji FA200. I have caught these a bit in the past, but this was a nice surprise.

Then there was something that I genuinely had no idea about. I got some shots of it and then, when I got home, got on the internet to check out the registration to see what it was. A Bolkow BO.209 Monson was the answer. Bolkow was a manufacturer I was familiar with both from its earlier days and then being part of MBB building helicopters and part of the Panavia consortium building Tornado. I was not aware of the Monson before searching for this plane and found that 100 of them had been built by MBB before production ceased. There have been times when resurrection of production was tried but without significant success. What a cool looking plane and I hope I see it again.

Exbury Gardens

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Nancy had been thinking for ages about making a trip to Exbury Gardens and we finally made the trip. I had ridden past the place on one occasion, and it had caught me out as I didn’t know exactly where it was at the time. However, with a plan in hand, we headed down. When you visit similar places, you can get caught out. The map will show you all of the areas and it will look like it is huge. Then you find you have walked from one end to the other in fifteen minutes. Exbury is nothing like that!

The grounds are extensive and we spent a good chunk of our day wandering around. There is such a variety in the ways in which it is laid out and the types of planting that they have. We were strolling through one area when a golf cart pulled up and the woman in the cart started asking us whether we were having a good time. Turned out it was her estate. We chatted to her for a while before she continued on her way.

The bottom of the gardens come down to the Beaulieu River. It was surprisingly misty down there and, when the boat traffic was gone, it was a very tranquil spot. A trail went alongside the river for a while which made for a nice part of the visit. Then it was across some meadows and back into the main part of the grounds. There were many steam powered vehicles on site as part of an event, but I shall write about them separately. There is also a steam railway but that will also have its own write up.

We were quite taken with the place. Having this so close and providing such a good variety of walking locations, we decided an annual membership would be worthwhile. On our way out, we stopped by and took care of that. Now we need to make sure to get back there whenever we are free.

Wild Flowers Take Over Barton Meadows

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The herd of cattle that used to be found grazing in Barton Meadows Wildlife Refuge have moved on – presumably not in a great way for them! With nothing grazing the fields, they have taken on quite a wild look. As I was walking around one morning, I was quite taken by the number of wildflowers that had become established. Wild growth is a big thing in the UK now and I really love it. Hopefully so does all of the wildlife that gets to live within it.

Very Large Moth Comes to Visit

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One afternoon I headed out to the garage to sort something out on my bike. As I went to open the garage door, I saw something on the brick next to the door. It was one of the larger moths that I have come across in my life – apparently an eyed hawk-moth. It was huge compared to what we normally see. I assumed it would rapidly be scared off but, no, not only did it not seem to care about me opening and closing the garage door, but it was still there a couple of hours later when I came out. The camouflage looks really good if you are in leaves or on a tree trunk, but I don’t think brink is the perfect background for this species.

Easy Commute?

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Having spent much time near the sea, I have seen plenty of harbour masters’ offices over the years. They are usually pretty uninteresting. However, as we took the ferry out of Lymington heading across to the Isle of Wight, I saw this structure sitting outside the harbour. As harbour master offices go, this one is a little less accessible. I guess the parking is fine – provided that you have a boat. At least that is in keeping for the role.

Quick Diversion for the Steam Gala

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The Watercress Line makes pretty regular appearances on this blog at the moment. Since it is close to home, if I am not doing something else, there is something on and the weather isn’t crummy, I might sneak across to get a few photos. One weekend morning, the Steam Gala was on. We had some plans later in the morning, but I figured the light would be best early and so headed across to Bishops Stoke to get some shots.

They had a variety of steam locos taking part (with the occasional diesel providing some support). Some were larger late generation locos, there were some tank engines and there was one that, to my untrained eye, looked like it was a lot older given the open area of the cab and the high chimney (is that the right term?). I used the same set up that I had tried previously with a longer lens handheld and a wide-angle lens set on the ground controlled by a Pocket Wizard. I also had the Insta360 mounted high on a fence to get some video.

The set up worked better this time. I had gone with a wider lens for the ground camera and also held the Pocket Wizard in a better way to allow a smoother transition from one shot to the other without any frantic fumbling! Overall, pretty happy with the way things worked out. I suspect I might head back for some of their other events this year if I am free (and the weather plays ball).