Dream No More - 787 Receives FAA Certification! (CoolPix Triple Play)

(click pic for hi-res)     Boeing 787 Dreamliner certified by the FAA on Friday 8-26-11

 It's been a long slow process, but after seeing the 787 at Oshkosh, I think the wait has definitely been worth it. I'm pretty sure Boeing investors will think so too before long as deliveries begin to be fulfilled. The first delivery to launch customer ANA will take place on September 26, 2011 with the first scheduled revenue flight set for October 26th from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Dream. On.

 To celebrate the huge accomplishment of official certification, I offer you three hi-res CoolPix images of the beautiful Dreamliner. Today, the sun is definitely shining on the 787 - Enjoy!

(click pic for hi-res)    787 making a pass thru the sun before landing at Oshkosh 2011

(click pic for hi-res)    The gorgeous Boeing 787 Dreamliner undergoing flight testing

Video: The New Douglas DC-6! (Retro)

The future is gonna be awesome!

Caption Contest #61 - Ends Wednesday 8.24.11 At 9PM EDT

 Now that we're well past Oshkosh 2011 and all that amazing aviation fun (and bacon that got cooked up) - it seems like a good time to get back to wacky avgeek captioning. So here's your first chance to win a bacon sandwich at Oshkosh 2012!  

 You've got til Wednesday evening at 9pm EDT to submit your clever/funny/cool captions. Then, I’ll pick the best 5 and put ’em in a poll for everyone to vote on for all day Thursday and Friday so we can find the winner. 

 The Rules: 

1) Max of 3 submissions per person

2) Submissions go in the 'comments' area 

3) Game ends Wednesday at 9pm EDT 

4) Keep it clean!

 Then, anyone can cast their vote starting Thursday morning and running thru til 9pm EDT Friday. The winner will be posted Saturday morning 8-27-11. It's sure gonna be fun to see which caption floats to the top!

Video: Hot Rod Airship - Including Aerobatics!

 Ok, it's only an RC airship and the 'aerobatics' is just one Immelmann and some vertical climbing, but it's still pretty impressive stuff. The size alone of this RC airship is enough to make me take serious notice. And, as the Zeppelin NT is configured, this airship is clearly heavier-than-air. With a good power to weight ratio, having the airship use thrust to sustain flight and then using the 'heavy' aspect for both easy, rapid descent and better ground handling really seems to be a great idea.

 Just so ya know, AirPigz isn't moving toward all-airships-all-the-time, but I figure now is a great time to take my life-long love of airships and tap into some of the intriguing aspects of what's going on these days with these really unique flying machines. You can expect a few more weeks of interesting airship posts. Floaters unite! : )

Screenshot of the hot rod RC airship in this video

Video: Have You Practiced Tight Turns Inside A Building Lately?

Adjust volume to a low level (or it'll be too loud - duh : )

 

 I'm just a kid in a 50 year old body, which means I really like this video of an electric RC airplane flying indoors with a camera mounted on it so you're sitting in the pilot's seat. It's just pure high-bank-angle fun. Cool.

Please Consider Signing The Petition To Save 'Hangar One' Now!

(click pic for hi-res)    Sign the online petition to save Hangar One at Moffett Field

 This amazing image of Hangar One at Moffett Field in the 30's was the very first CoolPix I ever posted. It was so cool having an interesting image like this available to see in hi-res that I changed my thinking right away to make hi-res one of the identifying features of an AirPigz CoolPix.

 But I have it posted here again for a very different reason. I'm hoping you'll go over to the online petition to Restore Moffett Field's Hangar One and consider signing it to help encourage some action in getting a real restoration effort under way. You can learn a little more about the hurdles getting in the way at SaveHangarOne.org.

 I don't know the whole story, but it seems to me that the people who've taken over the state that I was born in back in 1961 (I was actually born right in the city of San Francisco) have created a lot of resistance to the preservation of this majestic and historical landmark. I think it's high time we push back. Signing the petition is about all the pushing I can do right now, and it may not make any difference in the end, but it feels good taking some sort of action.

 I don't know how long the petition has been up, but when I signed just a few days ago, I wound up at #463. Tonight, it's up to #612. Please think about signing, and if you're able, spread the word on this so we can get many thousands of names on there asap. Thanx!

 

 Here's a picture of Hangar One from more modern times. However, my understanding is that currently a portion of the building's skin has been removed exposing some of the internal structure to the elements. Quick action will be needed to keep this stunning (and massive!) architectural achievement from rotting away. Please sign the petition!

Video: Russian YAK-130 (RC) That Won Jet World Masters 2011

 I had planned to get over to the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio to the Jet World Masters RC event that ran for two weeks from July 27 thru Aug 6, but Oshkosh fatigue and 'day-job' work kept me from being able to work it in. The event draws the most amazing jet RC aircraft from all over the world. This video is a very detailed look at the YAK-130 model by Vitaly Robertus who went on to win the overall championship with the airplane in the 20 kg class. Truly a boggling piece of workmanship!

'Name The Plane' - ID MAKE And MODEL For Free Bacon! (8.15.11)

Game Over - correctly identified as a Swearingen SX300

 Here's the full picture of the Swearingen SX300 that the cropped picture below came from. It was a beautiful example of an SX300, and I took a large number of up-close, detail images of the airplane for use in a unique upcoming post that'll give you an interesting photo experience with a really fast, all metal homebuilt.

 Congrats to 'dudewanarace' for getting the correct answer... and for emailing me the 'make' of the airplane when the system was acting up and not allowing all comments to post properly. Hopefully the next game will work a little smoother. Watch for more NTP games to show up randomly : ) 

 It's time for another Name The Plane challenge, the first since OSH11. As always, this one may be too easy, but you just never know. All you gotta do is ID both MAKE and MODEL to win a bacon sandwhich prize at OSH12 - I don't know about you, but I'm already tired of waiting for the next Oshkosh to get here! So, if you've got sharp aircraft ID skills, be the first person to ID both MAKE and MODEL of this aircraft to be the winner!

 Your answers must go in the 'comments' area in this post, and as always, please don't use the shotgun approach to answers - only put up truly educated guesses that you've arrived at via really thinking it thru.

 And I'm not sure if I mentioned, that to win, you have to give me both the MAKE and MODEL! : )

QuickPic: Restored Rutan Boomerang At Oshkosh 2011 (+ Video)

Click the pic to see it over at flickr - or click this link to see it there in its largest size

 Burt Rutan designed and built the Boomerang in the mid 1990's as a way to make a twin engine tractor aircraft fly almost as easily on one engine as it does on two. The very asymmetrical airframe actually helps the airplane fly nearly as if the engines were both mounted on the centerline. While Burt considers this airplane to be one of his greatest accomplishments, the airplane sat for many years after Burt lost his medical certificate. But the Boomerang was recently resurrected by a team of volunteers headed up by Tres Clements (who works at Scaled Composites) and the airplane was a huge hit at Oshkosh 2011.

 For many people at OSH, seeing the Boomerang was a real blast from the past, and for many others it was their first look at one of the few airplanes designed by Burt that is actually very conventional in its main-wing-forward and tail in the rear design. I sure got a lot of pictures of the airplane on the ground... but I didn't do a very good job of getting it in the air at OSH. Fortunately, a friend of mine from Canada (flickr: Eyeno) captured this great image of the Boomerang in the air.

 I'm hoping to get a lot more details on the airplane's design features, the way it flies, and the restoration process sometime in the coming months... stay tuned : ) 

(QuickPic image from flickr.com/photos/eyeno - more great pix over there!)

 I found a short video on youtube taken from inside the Boomerang at Oshkosh when it and the Catbird went out on a photoshoot. It's pretty cool to see the takeoff looking over the shoulder of pilot Mike Melvill.

I Rode The Zeppelin! - The Farmers Airship In Indy! (Short Post)

(Click pic for hi-res)   The Farmers Airship (Zeppelin NT) at Oshkosh 2011 two weeks ago

 I had the amazing opportunity to ride in the Farmers Airship today in Indianapolis. It was a preview ride for the upcoming public rides taking place August 12-14 out of Indianapolis Regional Airport - formerly Mount Comfort Airport. I've been in love with airships since I was a kid, and tho this was only my second time in an airship (first was the Goodyear Blimp back in the late 60's when I was a kid), it was everything I had hoped for and more!

 If you're in Indy or anywhere near where the "Covering Communities Tour' will be (see tour schedule) and you can afford the $375 price, I highly recommend you jump at this amazing opportunity. Not only is this an incredibly rare opportunity to ride in the world's largest airship, but it's also a stunning way to fly. With great comfort and a smooth and quiet ride, the Farmers Airship is a real thing of beauty.

 The following pictures are from the ride today, and I've placed them here as CoolPix images so you can click them and make 'em huge to really get the flavor of the experience. One of only two Zeppelins in the world (and the only one in the U.S.) - the Farmers Airship is waiting for you! (a more detailed post of this ride, with video will be posted in a week or so)

Tickets are available for: $375 + tax per person, with special rates and charter flights
available by calling 650-969-8100 x 111, or online at www.airshipventures.com/tour.

See also:
Ride The Farmers Airship (Zeppelin NT) In Indy - August 12-14
Ride The Farmers 'Zeppelin NT' 3-Engine Airship At Oshkosh 2011 

(click pic for hi-res)  The Farmers Airship approaching landing so I could hop on board!

(click pic for hi-res) Stunning view of downtown Indianapolis from the right cockpit window

(click pic for hi-res)  The spacious, quiet, and very comfortable gondola - the perfect ride!