On Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:44:07 +1000, Avsec wrote:

"jd", my Great War aviation expert has send me the following e-mail about
the photo of the Albatross:-

"It looks like an Albatross D.V or D.Va replica. There are only two
originals in the world: one in the Smithsonian in Washington, and the other
in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The quality of the aluminium
looks well ahead of the wartime German product (when restoring the machine
in Canberra, the AWM staff found that metal was so poor that the paint
flaked off if anyone so much as looked at it). Bare aluminium is unusual
for a wartime aeroplane. The cooling louvres are odd - perhaps needed to
cool a modern powerplant?

I doubt that the asbestos wrapping around the metal piping would survive a
present day OH&S inspection."

Any further information on the photo would be appreciate.

Thanks,

Avsec


Reproduction of a DVa at Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton. I had posted
another 'photo of the aircraft, but it looks as if it was blocked, at
least on my server, for being over-sized: I'll try again tonight, with
smaller images.

Next time I visit I'll see if I can get more information.