Albatros D-II - New Zealand - Part 1 - Kermie Cam

[@masondegaulle5731]

Beautiful aircraft in beautiful condition. I've always held the Albatros D-II to be the prettiest WWI era aircraft.

[@dyer2cycle]

What strikes me is how Kermit goes to the trouble of making these priceless, informative, and interesting videos, and I see 20,000-100,000 views...then some kid posts a video of himself tossing beer bottles at road signs, etc,and gets 2 million views????? Hopefully more people will discover his videos and he will get 10 million views. Please keep it up, Kermit!

[@dicemancolostrum7369]

Because people turned into primitive apes since internet arrived

[@PBYblackcat]

Agreed. The dumb-ifacation of our population is all at an all time high. We need people like Kermit posting educational, interesting content to counteract the “drinking in front of cops” ect. Bull being broadcast on KZbin, which is now a mainstream media outlet.

[@butlerproman]

That engine sound is so soothing. I'd be too relaxed and mellow to shoot anyone down. I'd just smile and wave and fly on by.

[@teddammit5179]

That's exactly what I was thinking. It's so relaxing; why would you want to shoot anyone.

[@ronschlorff7089]

​@@teddammit5179 Oh I dunno, maybe cuz they were shooting at you; and mostly cuz you may not actually get shot, but you'd be burning alive, screaming in agony as you were dying, and finally hoping for the crash at the end of a five thousand foot drop, to end your life. Maybe that might be a fair reason to shoot the enemy before he shot you. Any questions?!

[@dusty_five_2]

Ron Schlorff well since you've put it like that. But can we still shoot off warning shot? lmao

[@butlerproman]

@@ronschlorff7089 That purring engine would soothe me all the way down to the fiery crash.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@butlerproman yup, and there was always your 9mm pistol, tucked away in your cockpit, to end it all if need be! ;D

[@thedoctor4690]

Finally a Kermie Cam again! Thanks so much Kermit, hope you are well. Thanks for these insights into classic aviation, you're an inspiration.

[@dwb345]

What a beautiful aircraft, albatroses have always been some of my favourite looking planes.

[@ronschlorff7089]

mine too; and they were "game changers" when first introduced cuz of engine power and fire power, 2 machine guns firing through the air screw!! Every noted German ace flew them sometime in their careers, including the Red Baron who got most of his 80 victories in Albatros fighters!

[@guillermoegibson1786]

Lucky lucky lucky guy to be able to fly such a historical piece. And thank you very much for sharing with us bipeds.

[@LaLaObeRoT]

The inflight side view from the left side is stunningly beautiful.

[@timhoran3887]

It must be a trip watching all those valves go up and down .....

[@JBAlternate]

I'm surprised I've never stumbled on your channel before, but I've been watching through a bunch of your videos the past few weeks and It's been a blast. Really enjoy the ride-alongs you give us through video.

[@KermitWeeks444]

Welcome aboard!

[@johnappleby405]

Very helpful description of the Albatros DII and the differences between that model and the later DV

[@guitarTennisCarHomeFixFlying]

Yes thanks for the informative pov up close video and commentary is amazing!

[@kiwibob72]

Hope you enjoyed your time down here in our little slice of paradise!

[@garynew9637]

I just came back from Omaka air show, fabulous!

[@rogerbollinger6499]

Your the man love your Kermie cam, feeling like I'm flying without death at the end.

[@dusty_five_2]

What an old bird and an old dog ;) i luv it

[@adrianrosenlund-hudson8789]

My favourite period in aviation history is WW1. This really helps to give you some idea of what it was like to actually fly a plane like this, and you can’t help but admire the men who actually flew these kind of planes in combat. Thanks very much 👍🏻

[@terrycarter4459]

Great to get the feeling how these machines were flown. Thank you

[@keithcope8113]

What a beautygreat old aircraft. Thank you

[@rempelrt]

Way to cool , very nice !!!

[@stevelikesrhino]

It is simply cool to actually see these cylinders running

[@AZRC001]

I like the video of the shadow on the ground - it really provides perspective on the relatively low airspeeds during the flight and watching the engine is a work of art. I was just in Florida at the show in Lakeland and drove up just to see if the museum was open but no luck. They said in June it may be open again.

[@bloodstone2000]

That was FANTASTIC! Thanks for sharing the new KERMIE CAM!.

[@seansky2721]

OK, It just blows me away, that Young Mr. Weeks can toddle onto an apron with a P-40, Re-8 and a F4U in the background and fly off in Oswald Boelke's DII Albatross. Then two, He goes unintercepted during his flight in that sexy Airplane. My mouth would still be agape. Ausgetzeichnet!

[@jorgenelsonfelix52]

Spectacular very nice plane must be a very nice feeling to be able to fly an albatross. From now I send a great greeting to all from Buenos Aires 😃👍👍.

[@flyinghat08]

D-II in flight! Great job The Vintage Aviator! Thanks Kermit!

[@mmascitti]

Thanks for the ride Kermie!!!

[@Chownz]

Wow!! You came downunder!! Hope you enjoyed your time in Aotearoa NZ!!

[@ttesheba]

simplemente Maravilloso Kermit buenos Vuelos, en estos clásicos de la ww1, saludos dese Argentina

[@fable2omg]

I may be the only one but I was mesmerized by the oil drips on the camera!

[@leifvejby8023]

Just remember, as long as it drips it has plenty oil!

[@P61guy61]

Thank you for posting

[@Anthony-jt2kh]

Who else noticed that sexy Corsair in the back, love that plane!

[@crankyjack7573]

I was lucky enough to work at Vintage Aviator for a while. I said to Gene one Monday morning "Do anything fun in the weekend?" He shook his head and said "Nothing much...Flew the Corsair ..." Bastard.

[@MarsFKA]

During the Pacific War, the Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired around 424 Corsairs from the US Navy and Marines. The aircraft seen here is one of those ex-RNZAF aircraft, now in US markings. In the 1960s I met a guy who had been in the RNZAF ground crew on Guadalcanal and he told me a lot of stories about events there. He said some of the Corsairs had a lot of hours up by the time they were lend-leased to the RNZAF and were pretty clapped out. Some of them used cartridge starters and some of those were so worn that the ground crews had to empty two cartridges into the starter before inserting a third cartridge and hitting the button. They also put a quick-release valve on the inlet manifold for a fire extinguisher, because if the engine didn't fire the first time, it generally caught fire the second time. So, a quick shot of CO2 into the manifold, clean it out and try again. New Zealand aircraft in the Pacific carried markings similar to American aircraft, because they had found out the hard way that inexperienced American pilots were quick to shoot at anything that had red in its markings.

[@MrJames_1]

What a great way to fly. Thanks for the vid Kermit.

[@jamespennington9719]

Kermit sure get's round! Good for him!

[@Micr0chiP]

Thanks for the video, amazing courage from the guys that originally flew these in WWI.

[@Tandler77]

Great Mercedes DIII. sound. Thanks for her Kermit.

[@qibble455]

Lol I could watch this channel all evening:)

[@jollyroger1009]

As always thanks for making these videos Mr Weeks 😀

[@jollyroger1009]

Amazing to think that this is exactly how Oswald Boelcke would have seen it.

[@timstarks3714]

You are the man...love to work For you...

[@stevemogan5384]

Thrilling stuff, old boy.

[@xpump876]

Just Amazing - thanks !

[@TriumphBlueRider]

There weren't even twelve years between this thing and the Wright brothers.

[@danielhilgert5830]

Very thanks, congratulations!

[@MarsFKA]

2:08 The double-decker bus/truck in the background is currently in the War Memorial Museum in Wellington, as a part of the World War 1 display.

[@nicholasherious4314]

Awesome Kermie Cam is back!!!

[@ninetythirdliberator]

Fantastic! So when is Sir Peter going to make a movie with all these lovely airplanes like the good ol' days with the Blue Max and Waldo Pepper so we don't have to sit through CGI? Man...a good movie with real airplanes would be so wonderful! GREAT video, Mr. Weeks.

[@frederickmeccia4109]

What a great video! You get some idea of what it was like "back then"!!

[@craigpennington1251]

Does sound a bit rich and a little black smoke says so. I could be wrong on this but. Nice Albatros any way you look at it. Just beautiful.

[@margay34]

The way he says Masterton HAHA, love your vids Kermit keep em up :D

[@riderofthemark6661]

Awesome! Thanks again! :D

[@larsholmlund6837]

Thank you Kermit for taking us on a flight with Albatros D-II. Very exciting. But .. I want you to try to fix the camera at the aircraft.

[@iflycentral]

Doing Dutch rolls in a german plane at 14:52 ... ;). Am looking foward to seeing your DVII in the air soon. Cool stuff as always.

[@brucewilliams8194]

I Fly Central ii

[@Arvuvu]

This is awesome

[@Pozer714]

Now that was cool.

[@m0ther_bra1ned12]

Rise of Flight for real!

[@dingo5827]

Just fantastic 👍

[@Noneneon]

Watching the valves dance! Now I want to get into an open cockpit plane...

[@234cheech]

thanks for uploading these mate

[@tawinter8]

wow, thank you, it is as close as one get without being there!

[@djprosser2010]

Thanks for uploading the video. Is it possible to use a different shutter speed on any other videos though? Modern cameras make propellers look like wind mills. And especially thanks for not playing music.

[@boss2234]

How do you get to where you can fly all th these beautiful planes of history..

[@KermitWeeks444]

Just kept following the energy and finding the next opportunity to fly a different one

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

A classic beauty. Why they went from those braces to the V braces on the DIII, that allowed the lower wing to twist is a mystery to me.

[@vagabond96h]

Kermit, Can you comment on the puffs of black smoke out of the exhaust. Is that normal for that engine? Enjoyed the video.

[@gonietubenyc5741]

Jeffrey Bean it is for these planes and the mixture is rich that’s why it does that also majority of aircraft does that depending on the fuel .. the newer Aircraft don’t do that Bc the fuel is more efficient

[@luizengrazia5169]

So awesome!!

[@bens6584]

Great video and what an awesome plane ! I wondered what was the power of your engine and what are the top speed of your plane ? Thank you

[@RamSkirata]

we shall call it "the flying cigar" :D

[@backpackerthrulife8497]

Great video. Was thinking too bad these weren't created for pleasure flying instead.

Whats surprising is there's no oil coating the wind screen. With no valve cover you'd think it would be spitting oil.

[@ConfederceyCSA]

Hey Kermit How long did it take you too fly one of the Albatros D-II. I like these type of Aircraft as you can really appreciate that aircraft without modern electronics.

[@tootired76]

Richthofen scored most of his kills in Albatrosses. The Albatross was the only fighter plane to be produced for the whole duration of WWI

[@luizvasco77]

YEAH! The Albatros D-II! Kermit, you have any video with the P-47D?

[@craigpennington1251]

If I could, I'd be doing this every day. WOW!

[@Kneedragon1962]

I would suspect the Albatros is a bit easier to fly than most WW1 aeroplanes, except perhaps the Fokker D-VII. I think a Camel (or any other true rotary) would be a hell of a lot harder, and some of the really early ones might also be difficult. (DR-1 Eindecker for example.) I might be prepared to try an Av 504K, but there is no way I would try and fly a Bristol Boxkite...

[@briandenison2325]

I love flying this aircraft in wings over Flanders Fields.

[@shanehnorman]

I was surprised that no oil mist formed on the little windscreen. Does the exposed valvegear operate without oil?

[@cruisertom9587]

wow! you lucky dawg!

[@LULEKOSO]

Incrível, airplane. Durante o vôo dá para ver as hastes do comando de válvula do motor em funcionamento. Muito bacana.

[@thurin84]

awesome!!!

[@MrBook123456]

good video

[@hotliner]

... amazing old biplane :-)

[@rbf100]

That Mercedes engine sounds so smooth. The terror of the Allies.

[@josefschwemberger6392]

i see the flight by oberschleißheim in bavaria.german museum.

[@rOEN911]

great videos as always but why the plane is so ugly painted?

[@Rickenbacker69]

rOEN911 authenticity, probably. I don't think they had time to do much of a finishing job during the war :). I'd still fly it if I got the chance!

[@rOEN911]

Mats Nylund i belive you are wrong and i will explain you why, all the WW1 planes been painted with brushes not airbrush like this one and unfortunately is very bad painted ,the camo needs to be sharp ,i belive it ruins the great lines of the wings and the plane it self but anyway ! It could be done better !

[@rossbrodie8280]

The Vintage Aviator Ltd. is a very professional company and they don't settle for anything but original, from the huge amount of research they have carried out they know their stuff about WW1 aircraft, what they know about these aircraft (including paint) is many, many times better than anything that could be found on the internet or in books.

[@rOEN911]

Ross Brodie hello Ross, i am building ww1 planes for the dawn patrol (dawn patrol uk rc just type it on google) you will see the work we do anyway, i read so many books i saw and took photos of the original planes and study the way they used to paint them and i am telling you this one is very very wrong, correct colors but the camo patterns they way is blends with the airbrush is wrong ! no disrespectful to the company that made it because is tons of work to make a full size plane to look as good as this one but personally i belive that it looks wrong but that my opinion :P

[@chrisshepherd1566]

+rOEN911 Actually airbrushes were used in the albatros factory for camoflage coats. Brushes are best suited to the dope being applied to the fabric. The germans did not use silver dope at the time which meant the linen fabric does deteriorate in the UV. The chemicals used to make dope were in short supply and extra layers of dope would add unnecessary weight. If you look at the equipment carried the aircraft were very much a bare bones operation. I have original fabric with significant remains of german paint from an Albatros and it is sprayed with the underwing colour over the upper wing green and mauve.

[@dennismason3740]

...meanwhile in the cockpit of the F4U there were thrilling canopy issues...

[@salto1994]

Hope one day you'll do a Corsair video :) Keep up the good work

[@neomuttley]

I guess you haven't uploaded pt.2, yet? I've never seen the piano wires dance around like that. Also never saw wire attached up by the propeller. Is all of that due to there not being any wood rods tied between the wires? Is he gonna let us...err...YOU fly the F4U??

[@awesomealfg]

Hi Kermit weeks! I was wondering if you could do a Kermie canon the f4u corsair, I saw it in the back during the video. I know this may not be possible, but if you can fly that, film it! Thanks.

[@maulepilot1294]

Masterton nzms is such a cool airfield

[@arcitejack]

I’d die for a ride in that plane.

[@johnayres2303]

Must be a replica of a late model DII because generally they had ‘ear mounted’ radiators on the side of the fuselage.

[@jorgenelsonfelix52]

Muy lindo avión A nuestro club de aeromodelismo le pusimos Albatros. Les mando un saludo muy cordial para todos desde Buenos Aires Argentina.

[@Chris_Bro_aka_MR_PLAT1NEM]

Most of the shrouds and covers were considered a weight issue... You can take more bullets with you if you reserve the weight capacity for it

[@tinkerwithstuff]

This picture is not historically accurate. What is Otto von Bismarck doing in an airplane? ;-) Nice videos! Just discovered this channel. Interesting to see old planes like that still in operation, filmed today in HD down to details like all those clicking valves... From the cam it looks like the guns are aiming at the propeller - how does this work?

[@Garryck-1]

"From the cam it looks like the guns are aiming at the propeller - how does this work?" They had an interrupter gear connecting the engine crankshaft to the gun's firing mechanism. The guns would only fire when there wasn't a propeller blade in the way.

[@michalis7023]

nice vid!

[@Kaiju3301]

I think you need an me 109 next!

[@freddyflintstoned913]

Are there any Sopworth Pups left that fly?

[@KermitWeeks444]

We're going to have ours up soon. Might be a couple at TVAL too.

[@freddyflintstoned913]

@@KermitWeeks444 Fabric covered war birds are so cool.

[@Michael-hs7rt]

stupid question... but could these plains go inverted for more than just a few seconds, or does the engine shut off then?

[@MothaLuva]

No, couldn't. They didn't have inverted Oil system. The plane was made by the Austrian Company Craftlab, then shipped to NZ.

[@DavidSmith-xs3or]

Considering the Albatross is a biplane, the fuselages of Albatrosses were so streamlined.

[@Detoyato]

+David Smith Unfortunately while they may "look" streamlined they were in effect actually just about as streamlined as the Nieuport 17, and less so than the Fokker Dr.1

[@DavidSmith-xs3or]

+-ACHTUNG- None the less, a beautiful design. I always loved this model.

[@Detoyato]

David Smith It is quite a looker.

[@fw1421]

WWI planes are soooo cool! 🙀👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@morgangale4382]

great vid

[@BRZ513]

Another good video Kermie! thx It would be good to do video in 3d :)

[@Boredout454]

Its crazy to me being a car and engine guy to see the engine totally exposed to the elements like that. WIth the pushrods and rockers exposed dirt and grime and stuff gets in there its all over. I would have thought some type of cover would have been put over them for flying.

[@willythewave]

Boredout454 lol I was thinking the same thing. I believe I noticed some oil on the gopro lens before he even took off.

[@tomcatqw666]

Boredout454 some had cover www.bibl.u-szeged.hu/bibl/mil/ww1/technika/repules/tipusok/albatros_d2_5.jpg

[@randomnickify]

Boredout454 Survival time of WWI planes was counted in weeks, with cover or without it :)

[@Boredout454]

True but that survival percentage would have increased with a cover!

[@nerd1000ify]

Boredout454 TBH, these engines were probably built to such loose tolerances that the odd bit of dirt wouldn't have bothered them.