Albatros DVa Build Gallery | The Vintage Aviator


Latest News Projects Albatros DVa Build Gallery Covering The Albatros DVa FE.2b Flying the FE.2b Flight Video Build Gallery Fokker DVII Build Story The "Blue Max" SE.5a Reproduction Flying the SE.5a SE.5a History SE.5a Walkaround SE.5a Gallery Re.8 Reproduction RE.8 On Display RE.8 Gallery RE.8 History BE.2 Aircraft Be.2 History BE.2c (Early Type) build gallery BE2f Restoration BE2c Reproduction BE.2f Reproduction Bristol F2B Walkaround F2B History RAF.1a Engine RAF.1a Gallery RAF.1a History Beardmore Engine Beardmore Engine History Beardmore Engine Movie Beardmore Gallery Mercedes Engine Mercedes Engine History Gallery Oberursel Engine Oberursel Engine Movie Oberursel Gallery Sopwith Triplane Sopwith Triplane History Walkaround Gallery Sopwith Triplane Gallery Aircraft Guns Early Spandau Gun The Parabellum Gun The Us Savage Gun The Spandau LMG 08/15 The Lewis Gun The Schwarzlose Gun The Vickers Gun The Foster Mount Aircraft Gun Gallery Reference Covering with linen German Translations White Metal Bearings Irish Linen Cable Splicing Airshows TVAL Airshows ANZAC Day Airshow Remembrance Day 2008 Remembrance Day 2009 Classic Fighters 2007 2005 2003 2001 Mid-air Drama Warbirds Over Wanaka 2008 2006 2004 Wings over Wairarapa 2007 2005 Other Appearances Ferry Flights Hood Aerodrome 2007 1914-18 Photographs Album I Album II Album III Relics Uniforms 1914-18 Posters Posters - Album I Motion Pictures Models About Us The Vintage Aviator Ltd Terms and Conditions Site map Links Contact		Albatros DVa Albatros DVa Build Gallery Home\| Projects\| Albatros DVa \| Albatros DVa Build Gallery » Albatros DVa Framework Elevator under construction being fit to horizontal stabilizers First mock up of Fuselage bulkheads Malcolm Frazer and Ben Brister checkin stabilizer construction Both Horizontal Stabilizers complete and ready for elevator fitting First mock up of fuselage bulkheads and longerons to check drawing reference TVAL mock up proved deficencies in available drawings Completed horizontal stabilizers fitted to mock up fuselage Tail feathers being fit to mock up fuselage structure Spruce engine mount Adjusting longeron cutouts in bulkheads to ensure smooth curves and better fit of timber components Mock up structure undergoing fine tuning Butt rib detail Rib detail Spar detail Lower wing being assembled Simple single spar lower wing design Lower wing assemby including plywood leading edge sheeting Dion Hunter building wing ribs Lots of clamps and fast hands required to pull ash against form tool Ash timber nearly one inch thick being steam bent Clamping ash to form tool Forming ash components by steam bending and clamping Nearly finished steam bending ash lower wingtip Team required to steam bend ash timber Steam bending ash timber Steam bending ash timber Time is crucial in bending thick sections of ash Bending thick section ash to form lower wingtip One piece upper wing taking shape Aligning upper wing ribs Installing plywood leading edge on upper wing Lower wing woodwork nearly complete Lower wing tip detail Fitting horizontal stabilizers to actual fuselage assembly Checking uper wing fitting and placement of strut attach fittings One Piece upper wing above fuselage to fabricate cabane struts Wings in place to facilitate fabrication of strut templates Temporary "V" strut in place Rigging is being adjusted prior to fabricating wing struts Aft fuselage detail, note lower rudder pivot fitting. Measuring rigging wires with wings and all fittings in place Temporary struts in place in order to adjust rigging prior to fabricating actual struts Finished upper fuselage skin Forming complex fuselage skin Cabane struts "tack"welded and test fit prior to final welding Test fitting actual "V" struts Vertical stabilizer skinned, glued and nailed. Cleaning excess glue from inside fuselage Fitting rear gun mounts Albatros DVa Fuselage Dion Hunter punching holes in cockpit combing Aligning engine bearers in fuselage structure Sturdy steel fixture used to align fuselage bulkheads during assembly Installing longerons onto plywood bulkheads Bulkheads, stringers and engine bearers in place Inital test froming tools used to shape plywood skins Aft fuselage internal structure Fuselage doubler Birch plywodd fuselage skins prior to trimming Sections of pltwood skin being glued together on fusleage form Fitting upper fuselage skin Landing gear socket under construction Aft fuselage detail Rudder installed and test fit prior to covering Internal bracing for tailskid attachment Aft fuselage detail Inside of upper fuselage during gluing Upper fuselage skin in place Completed aft section with wire bracing and metal fittings in place. Every clamp in the shop put to use! Gluing the lower skin onto fuselage structure Gluing lower skin section , note scarf joint at upper skin joint prepared for side skin Gluing lower skin Lower skin clamped while glue sets Detail of tail section Clamps Galore! Fitting rear gun mounts Ben, Malcolm and Travis discuss all things Albatros Completed tail section, note ammo boxes in place for fitting in forward fuselage Gun Mounts, Ammo Boxes and replica guns all fitted. Forward gun mounts in place Gun mount and ammo box detail Ammo feed chutes and guns being fitted Forward fuselage detail Malcolm and Ben working on Fuselage forward section Landing gear "V" in place Malcolm sanding upper skin forward cutout. Forming cockpit section skin doubler Control stick and rudder bar detail Fitting control stick and rudder bar Final fitting of all metal bracketry and components Albatros DVa Metalwork A sampling of fuel tank parts Fabrication of brass main fuel tank Interior detail of main fuel tank Details of emergency fuel tank Emergency fuel tank Nearly complete emergency fuel tank Bottom view of emergency fuel tank Test fitting top section of emergency fuel tank skin Emergency tank filler about to be rived in place Interior view of emregency tank Emergency tank details Main tank fuel quantity indicator flange Main fuel tank filler and gauge flange extend through emergency tank therefore the need for such long tubes. Fuel tank after soft soldering Brass fuel tank parts Formed brass fuel tank flange Detail of fuel tank flanged part Shrinking edge of main fuel tank skin Finished emrgency tank , note holes for main tank filler and gauge flange. Finished emergency fuel tank Formed outer skin of main fuel tank Fitting outer skin of main fuel tank Bottom of main fuel tank skin Details of main fuel tank at bottom. Inside of main fuel tank at bottom Air and fuel fitting on main fuel tank Interior view of main fuel tank Finished outer skin for main fuel tank Nearly complete main fuel tank Completed Main and Emergency fuel tanks Completed main and emergency fuel tanks Detail of method for joining main and emergency fuel tanks Top of emergency fuel tank Detail of main and emrgency fuel tank inlets Reproduction factory tags on fuel tank Ben fits guns with engine in place as Malcolm looks on Control stick Covering the Albatros DVa Trailing edge half done. Frame halfway through wrapping. Rib stitching underway. Going around a hinge. Braided tape and linen cord. Lower panel attached to wing and now wing is ready to receive top lozenge fabric. Sewing the leading edge. Sewing the trailing edge. Tapes over ribs. Doping Looking under the top layer of fabric before its sewn onto the lower layer. Note rib with 6mm braided tape and linen cord. Lower panel laid on and being attached. Finished edge! Linen wraps. Albatros DVa Exterior The crew tack the last skin in place Malcolm marking out last row of nails Paul and Olly painting rudder Pual Buchanan hand painting iron cross All major components in place prior to covering Paul Buchanan sealing fuselage Preparing to apply markings Olly applies the markings typical of Jasta 5 A few small sections of skin at the tail end to go before the fuselage is complete! Rudder painted and fitted Josef Mai's personal markings being applied by Paul Final test rigging prior to covering wings Lower wing ready for covering note reinforcing tape stitched to ribs Lower wingtip detail prior to covering Cowlings ready for paint , wings ready for covering Gene and Paul discuss Fabric installation Gene and Paul test fit of wing fabric Lower side of upper wing, note 5 color lozenge fabric TVAL manufactured the prop for the Albatros using an original as a pattern Ben and Olly mark oout rib lines on upper wing fabric Zig Zag sticthing as originally used on Albatros aircraft Upper wing details Marking out iron crosses on wings Covered upper wing in place Albatros DVa Assembly Fitting rear gun mounts Ben, Malcolm and Travis discuss all things Albatros Completed tail section, note ammo boxes in place for fitting in forward fuselage Gun Mounts, Ammo Boxes and replica guns all fitted. Forward gun mounts in place Gun mount and ammo box detail Ammo feed chutes and guns being fitted Forward fuselage detail Malcolm and Ben working on Fuselage forward section Landing gear "V" in place Malcolm sanding upper skin forward cutout. Forming cockpit section skin doubler Aft section of control stick Control stick and rudder bar detail Cross section of fuselage showing engine, fuel tanks, ammo boxes, control stick and seat Lots of brass! oil tank and fuel tanks in place Ben fitting control stcik, oil tank in place Empty Mercedes crankcase used for fitting engine accessories such as the exhaust system and water and oil pump plumbing Fitting control stick and rudder bar Gun mount detail Malcolm preparing to test fit lower wing Test fitting engine, here Roger is installing bare cylinders on empty crankcase Stub wing detail Test fitting engine Anton Schmitz looking for the back seat in our Albatros DVa, actually he is preparing to "back up" the longeron while the last side panel is nailed on Nails being hammered into skin during gluing Team preparing to glue on the last fuselage skin Last fusleage skin being installed Nailing the last skin in place Nearly complete fuselage, note missing skin at lower tail section Malcolm and Ben fit the landing gear to the fuselage Varnish applied to vertical stabilizer Trial fit of all hand spliced rigging cables Fitting aluminum cowl sections Ben and Gene discuss rigging Overhauled Mercedes engine installed, oil tank and control stick on display in foreground Completed oil Tank Preparing to fabricate remaining cowlings Fuselage with tail and engine installed Ben and William discuss aluminum nose section shape Fabricating aluminum cowling sections William Lowen fitting upper cowl section Mike Grealish install cockpit combing Completed cowling ready for paint TVAL made spruce core plywood for this project. Original German plywood had a core of linden wood. Detail of plywood core. ALl rigging complete, engine installed ready for lozenge fabric Roger test fits original prop Exhaust being test fit as it is constructed Fitting the exhaust system Mike finishes cockpit details Albatros DVa Engine & Prop Carefully installing the heavy engine in the wooden fuselage Final engine installation Roger aligns the engine on the wooden engine bearers Roger installing overhauled Mercedes engine Preparing to install the engine Engine detail, forward brass object is the engine driven air pump Cowling detail The begining of the exhaust system Engine installation Engien in place, cowls on and ready to fabricate exhaust system Preparing to fabricate exhaust system Roger and William discuss propellers Ben knows it wont be long before his "Baby" flies Radiator test fit in upper wing Radiator plumbing being fitted Radiator and associated plumbing Cowlings ready for paint , wings ready for covering Cowling details Unique wing mounted radiator Radiator detail, note brass filler cap and vent tube facing forward Ben and William fit large spinner Checking spinner for fit and clearance Checking spinner for fit and proper clearance Cowling and spinner detail Landing gear, exhaust and spinner all complete! Clamping the prop laminations when gluing Malcolm using a torque wrench to set proper clamping pressure Glue oozing from hub section of propeller blank TVAL manufactured the prop for the Albatros using an original as a pattern Prop laminations ready for gluing Like a jigsaw puzzle all the laminations must be correctly arranged Typical of German props the timber alternates between light ash and dark mahogany Rough shaping of laminated prop Upper wing complete with cooling radiator installed The heavy radiator just sits between the upper wing spars Engine installation Albatros DVa Completion Complicated fuel and air system plumbing Cockpit plumbing, water pump greaser (upper right) , Fuel quantity gauge, and hand air pump (lower right) Final test fit of entire aircraft completely covered and painted in the colors of Josef Mai Finishing touches and final test fit Cockpit detail, air and fuel valves with German placards in place Cockpit detail Nearly finished ! Completed Albatros DVa Finished Albtros DVa ready to be transported to the airport for test flying A very colorful Great War aeroplane English translation to help get used to the German Placards! At home at Mastertons Hood Aerodrome A sleek and sexy design indeed The most colorful aircraft TVAL has produced to date! Ready to Fly Albatros DVa Albatros DVa Ben Brister Albatros team leader Albatros Dva More on Albatros DVa... Covering The Albatros DVa Back to top


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