Nottingham City "Airport"

I love airports. I love airliners. I love aircraft. I love airlines.

But small ones. Does Heathrow have any charm? No, it's just a huge people shifting factory distinguished for probably having the greatest concentration of multi coloured cocktail cigarettes in the known universe. The planes are large, white, sleek and characterless, while the airlines are megacorps spouting advertising designed to make flying seem a joy rather than several hours trapped in stale air within a metal death tube.

Today I was at a rather different sort of place.

Nottingham City Airport is actually Tollerton airfield, a large expanse of land with a few mid size business units around it. I was there today for work reasons, but there was time to take a few photos for myself.

The centrepiece of the place is the rather rustic and tired looking control tower, not a busy place as not a plane was flying due to the terrible weather. Underneath this was the "Chocks Away" cafe, which despite being at a small airfield in the middle of nowhere, was absolutely rammed. Apparently the local mums like to bring their kids there to watch the planes.

Speaking of which, most of the aircraft seemed to be low wing Piper types, used by private clubs and flying schools. Wind socks were horizontal in the cold wind.

Oh yeah, I wore a gold suit. I do that sometimes.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 25.05.18

Flying High

The gry, mizzly but mild day has had a soporific effect on me; it has been difficult to muster much energy to do anything, yet again.

But still, I've run 11km which sounds perfectly acceptable to me, did a 10km within 1 hour as part of that which is pretty good going. It was real old school cross country mud on my usual route today, a real slog in places and in the flat light there wasn't much to see.

One fellow had taken the obvious solution the mud, and decided to fly above it. This green paraglider is a familiar sight over South Newark in warmer months, but I'm rather surprised to see it out today.

It must provide wonderful views of the town. I wonder where it launches from?

Si

All text and  images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.01.17

Swiftly Come the Swifts

They arrived last week, the familiar sickles high in the sky, the most fleeting of summer visitors. I await their appearance more than just about any other bird, and always feel saddened when they head south in August.

The swifts have arrived.

The swift first appears above the townscapes, relying as it does upon urban areas for nest sites. It stays with us for a scant 3-4 months over the summer, the time it spends on the nest being the only time it is ever off the wing. It's feet and legs are feeble, it can barely stand.

But in the air, it has no master.

(picture Nigel Blake from RSPB website)

It can fly at up to 70mph, but it doesn't keep its aerial prowess for high altitudes. Usually in the evenings as I cycle home from work, they will suddenly drop down from the heights like Y-Wings entering a Death Star trench, and hurtle along the streets emitting a screeching cry. Their wings hardly seem to flap, they just lightly brush the air with the tips as the birds hunt the insects they and their young rely on. As I cycle along, I watch them use their long wings to execute impossibly tight turns before flying over me again, taunting the earthbound commuter with their effortless skills.

They have started nesting under the eaves along Balderton Gate, somehow flying straight into the nest holes at speed without cracking their little skulls. But even avoiding this splattery fate, their numbers are in decline, possibly due to demolition of urban nest sites. 

To me, they are an iconic vision of summer, and hopefully developers will incorporate swift boxes in their new builds. It would be sad to lie back in my garden, and not see them playing in the sky way above me, flying seemingly for the joy of it.

(Photo Graham Catley RSPB website)