CoolPix: Getting Hooked On The F-35

(click pic for hi-res)  F-35B 'short takeoff' from aircraft carrier (photo: LockheedMartin)

 The recent trip to the Naval Aviation Museum didn't include any F-35 spotting at nearby Eglin AFB but I do wish it would have. I didn't have the time or energy to figure out if there was a spot you can hang out where one might be visible. I find myself quite drawn to the airplane these days even tho it's still easy to question whether the program is a good idea... but we are stuck with it at this point so let's encourage those working on the program to succeed!

 I do think there are far too many haters out there that would rather stir up a frenzy than acknowledge that this is one amazing aircraft. And, I suspect the haters are 90 to 100% people who don't know how to engineer an extreme carrier-capable aircraft, they are likely just people who (due to the internet) have a voice and they love to hear it make noise.

 While the CoolPix photo above is from last year showing an F-35B STOVL (short takeoff/vertical landing) making a short takeoff from a carrier deck (note the lift fan doors open and the downward rotation of the aft nozzle) there's an article from the U. S. Naval Institute about how the F-35C (the actual carrier variant) has recently completed shore-based testing of the redesigned hook. Problems catching the wire was an issue that many people made a big stink about, but as is the case when something doesn't work as originally envisioned, you make changes to the design. It's called development and every military aircraft goes thru lots of design changes along the way.

 The internet has made it possible for everyday people to have access to far more info than was ever available when aircraft like the F-14 or B-1 were being developed. The flow of info is great for those with an interest in the work of people handling tasks that are both extremely difficult and vitally important, but it also means that a lot of people who would be better off with their hands tied behind their back have access to the info too.

 Anyway, I hope you enjoy the very cool F-35B pic here and hopefully there will be a video available soon showing the F-35C catching the wire in those shore-based tests. 

Video: Boeings Over Baghdad... Amazing Perspective!

 I've always been interested in seeing things from a different perspective... it's not just a different point of view but it's often a window into a world most people never see. This video of a 747 overtaking a 737 from directly below (from the cockpit of a 777) is such a great example of this.

 According to the youtube description, this was in 2011 over Baghdad, but of course this could happen anywhere on pretty much any day. Tho it's interesting how well the airplanes all lined up, and really cool that Capt Sreekumar in the 777 cockpit had a video camera and the awareness to catch it as it happened. And there's something extra cool about it being three different Boeing aircraft all flying the same line in the sky : )

Video screenshot of the 747 passing the 737 (recorded from the cockpit of a 777)

Bacon Salute! 2014 AirPigz Naval Aviation Museum MeetUp

(click pic to enlarge) Bacon Salute at Sunday breakfast at the 2014 museum meetup

(left to right: Seth, Jason, Fred, Adam, Martt, Lew, Nancy, and Mike)

 The bacon salute pic above was from breakfast yesterday morning in Pensacola Florida on the last day of the 2014 AirPigz Naval Aviation Museum MeetUp.  The group was a bit smaller this year, largely due to me being late getting info out, but wow did we all have a great time! Three days at the museum with nonstop friendly avgeek chat plus dinner and breakfast together as well... and as long as there's some bacon in there somewhere, it all makes a perfect combo : )

 I left Pensacola about noon yesterday to make the 14 hour trip (plus another 5 hours to sleep) back home. And while the temps were bitter cold when I got back home in Indiana early this morning, we did have some pretty good weather in Pensacola on Saturday and Sunday after kicking off the meetup on Friday with a pretty chilly day for the Florida panhandle.

 It was my first ever trip to the Naval Aviation Museum and I enjoyed it a lot. It's a much smaller facility than the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio, but the collection of aircraft was excellent. A major distinction is that while the AFM has most all of the regular aircraft roped off to limit how close you can get, the Navy museum makes their aircraft much more accessible. It's really great to be able to get that close to so many historic aircraft, and I'm pleased to say that the museum attendees have done a great job of not abusing this great privilege.

 I'll have a post up before long with loads of pix, but for now I just wanted to be sure y'all knew that there was bacon at this meetup! (meatup? : )

Real people and real bacon at the 2014 AirPigz museum meetup!

AirPigz MeetUp At The Naval Aviation Museum - Blue Angels A-4 Formation (CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res)  Blue Angels A-4's hanging in the Naval Aviation Museum atrium

 The AirPigz avgeek museum MeetUp for 2014 is under way in warm and sunny Pensacola Florida even tho there isn't all that much warmth or sun down here right now. Of course compared to the bitter cold and snow back home in Indiana, it's pretty awesome here. We started the meetup yesterday with five avgeeks (from all over the Midwest) checking out the collection of Navy aircraft ranging from the mammoth Curtiss NC-4 seaplane from 1919 all the way up to a full scale functional mockup of the X-47B.

 We're all keeping very busy with viewing the excellent aircraft displays and talking about airplanes in general... we're having a great time!

 The picture above is from Friday shortly after arriving at the museum and shows the Blue Angels A-4 Skyhawks that are hanging in the museum atrium. There's an elevated walkway that runs all the way the formation that gives you the opportunity to get such great views of this formation. The beauty and majesty of the Blue Angels sets the tone for a great time of soaking up Naval aviation history at the Naval Aviation Museum!

more pix and info to come

Video: Brave New World Of Collective Pitch RC Quad Flying: Curtis Youngblood MantaRay

 If you're in the know about RC quad copters then you're probably aware that multiple world champion RC helicopter pilot and innovator Curtis Youngblood has pioneered the use of collective pitch blades into the quad copter concept. It's a lot like taking the tail rotor from an RC helicopter and adapting it for quad use... and tho the collective pitch adds some complexity, his design uses a single powerplant to drive all four rotorsets via belts and pulleys. His company CJ Youngblood Enterprises has been selling an electric collective pitch quad called the Stingray 500 since last year.

 What's especially unique about the video above is that this is a prototype for a larger collective pitch quad that also expands overall utility by being powered either by electric motor or via a gas engine. I only learned of the collective pitch quad idea yesterday, and in my research this morning I've seen how some in the traditional quad community don't see the advantages of a gas-powered quad... but the most obvious is the ability to dramatically increase flight time. It would also seem that payload potential would increase as well. Clearly the gas-powered quad is not meant to dominate the quad world, just dramatically expand it.

Video screenshot of the larger electric or gas powered MantaRay collective pitch quad 

 The bigger overall issue tho is the incredible increase in controllability that variable pitch blades allow. The smaller electric-only Stingray 500, which can be bought for $600, takes the quad into 3D hyper aerobatics. The two videos below give you a very good idea of what that really means. But the potential for a larger gas-powered quad like the MantaRay expands the commercial potential of the idea exponentially.

 Watching the video directly below of the Stingray is the closest thing I've ever seen to the flying robots seen in sci-fi films in the last 15 years... the ability and style in which this thing can be flown is straight up spooky. Beyond the extreme 3D nature of quads like the Stingray, Curtis is hoping the idea of extreme terrain racing might catch on where the capabilities of these amazing flying machines will break open an entirely new world of race courses and extreme pilots.

 Brace yourself for the brave new world... there's no stopping it now.

Hyper Scale PAPER Boeing 777 (The Fine Line Between Genius And Insanity) - MUST SEE!

(click pic to enlarge)  Luca Laconi-Stewart's UNBELIEVABLE paper 777!  (photo: flickr)

 If my research on this fresh and incredible internet phenomena is correct, Luca Laconi-Stewart lives in America and started this hyper-detailed 1:60 scale PAPER (manila folders to be more precise) Boeing 777 model five years ago! He took a couple years off the project while in college, but then dropped out to focus on the paper 777. The detail, especially in the moving parts is simply unimaginable.

 Watch the videos below and then go check out the extensive gallery of photos on the Luca Laconi-Stewart flickr page. 'Mind blown' is not hyperbole when you try to wrap your head around the reality of this effort.

 My understanding is that the project is not quite finished but it's getting close. And, he seems to be thinking he's gonna try an even better model next... that is if he doesn't have to go find a job to support this sitting-on-the-fence-between-genius-and-insanity obsession. 

 Bravo Mr. Luca Laconi-Stewart, BRAVO!

The Old Straight-Tail Cessna 310... A Trike I Really Like! (With Sky King Video)

(click pic to enlarge)  Circa 1957: the Cessna 310B used in the Sky King TV series

 After seeing an old straight tail 310 in that sweet 1950's era video I posted yesterday I figured I should take the time to let y'all know that my love for taildraggers doesn't mean I can't love a trike too... in fact, the old straight-tail Cessna 310 has been making my heart beat faster since I was about 7 years old, which was way back in 1968. There's those sleek and simple lines of the earliest 310's, plus that very short nose, which also had the nose gear strut mounted about as far forward as possible. And then you've got those awesome over-the-wing augmented exhaust pipes in the aft end of the engine nacelles and the big beasty tip tanks! Wow, I'm serious when I say I would have me a late 50's 310 if I had the green for it.

 I have no recollection of watching the old Sky King series on TV when I was a kid (tho I do remember seeing Whirlybirds and Ripcord) but I'm sure the national exposure for the 310 was some great advertising for Cessna. In the video at the bottom of the post you can see the Sky King 310, known as Songbird in the show, in the intro as well as thru the episode. 

 It would sure be cool to have a 1957-1959 310 and clean it up extra sharp and put an awesome retro styled paint scheme on it, but one that makes it a total show off in the process. What a hot old-school way to make some noise with a couple Continental O-470's and a cruise speed of 220 mph! If the cash is ever flowing abundantly in my life, don't be surprised to see me out playing with my old straight-tail Cessna 310! (FYI: my fantasy hangar has at least 30 airplanes in it, with about 80% of them taildraggers : )

(click pic to enlarge) Early Air force 310 (L-27A, and later designated U-3A)  photo: wiki

Video: Flying And The American Businessman - Circa 1953 (Better Back Then?)

 In many ways I'm very old-fashioned... this video is a really good example. It's 13 minutes long and a little slow paced, so don't expect to be taken on a wild ride. But, it's a fascinating look into the past and I say it's more than worth experiencing.

 I think 'modern' 1953 is about 18 times cooler than modern 2014. There's a general style and a sense of design that simply blows our modern world out of the water. You might disagree with me, seems many people do on this issue, but I'd much rather be living there than here.

 Interestingly, the Piper Tri-Pacer seen in this film is a strong reminder to me that the tricycle gear airplane was quickly becoming mainstream in general and business aviation in the early 50's, and in my mind, it's been a long slow slide downhill ever since.

 Fortunately for the modern world, homebuilt and aerobatic aircraft have kept the taildragger alive and well. But even the tricycle gear airplanes in this film feel like they have boatloads more style than our modern aircraft. I think a lot of it is simply the paint. Classic aviation made airplanes look good with color. That's another area where homebuilt and aerobatic aircraft have continued the traditions of the past.

I've said all this before:  Can The Right Coat Of Paint Save General Aviation In America?

 
 Video screenshot of a student and instructor in a Cessna 170 back in 1953

Video: 'Flexible' VTOL Powered By World's Smallest ICE - Wow!

 I figured I had three choices for what I was gonna post this morning: There was the successful Virgin Galactic flight on Friday, the third conducted using the rocket engine to power the suborbital spacecraft (story and video here)... then there's the Southwest Airlines 737 that mistakenly landed yesterday evening on the 3,738 foot runway at M. Graham Clark Airport, 7 miles away from the 7,140 runway at their intended destination of the Branson Missouri Airport (the only privately owned, privately operated commercial service airport in the US) - see the story here in case somehow haven't seen it 10 times already... and then there's the video posted a couple years ago on youtube of the 'flexible' VTOL aircraft that's powered by the world's smallest production internal combustion engine.

 I decided that you've probably seen one of the awesome previous rocket-powered test flights of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, and it was just back in November, just 240 miles from last night's mistaken landing that one of the DreamLifters landed at Col. James Jabara Airport in Wichita Kansas instead of the correct destination 8 miles away at McConnell Air Force Base. It seems that mistaken landings are fast becoming the norm in the heartland... But when have you ever seen a Cox .010 gas engine power a shop rag into vertical flight?

 Yeah, I'm pretty sure for most of us, this flexible VTOL with the screamin' 27,000 rpm Cox .010 engine is avgeek story of the day : )

Screenshot of the Cox .010 and the shop rag 'airframe' ready for engine start and flight!

Excellent Intentional Deadstick Landing Video Via Tailwheeler's Journal

 Between the bitter cold this week and starting a new (and large) ceramic tile install, I've been scrambling to keep up with my pig work. Early this morning I spent some time over at vimeo.com looking for a unique avgeek video to unearth, but I ran out of time to get it up because I wasn't finding just the right thing. However, shortly before I headed out the door I found this cool deadstick landing instructional video... which I'm finally getting around to sharing this evening.

 I think there's a lot of value in being capable and comfortable flying an airplane like a Cessna 140 when the prop is stopped. When you pursue a cautious and educated process to learn how your airplane flies deadstick, you significantly increase the likelihood of a positive outcome should the engine ever up and quite of its own accord. I hope you find this video both entertaining and educational.

 I'd never heard of Brian Lansburgh and TailwheelersJournal.com until this morning, but I can see I would sure get along well with this group of taildragger loving pilots. It's not just because I think taildraggers are simply better airplanes (and make better pilots) but because you often find taildragger pilots are serious about wanting to be the best pilot they can be. 'Taildragger' is a lifestyle, and it's one that I was fortunate to be exposed to very young when my dad taught me to fly in a 150hp Citabria when I was just 13 years old. Even better, the airport I learned to fly at in Elgin Illinois, which was permanently closed in 1983, had a main runway 2,600 feet long but only about 30 feet wide, and prone to crosswinds. I learned very quickly to use my feet carefully and very accurately!

 I'll add that I was talking to Billy Werth from Grayout Aerosports a couple days ago about getting together here before long to get back up in his Pitts S2C so I can finally get a flight review in the logbook. That'll mark the first time I've been officially current in about 18 years. Back in September I did 45 minutes of takeoffs and landings in the Pitts, and while it sounds like bragging to say it, I had no trouble handling the airplane doing touch and goes... what's interesting about that is that I've only been hands-on with any kind of airplane less than 5 hours in the last 10 years, and only made 2 landings in those 10 years. Am I special? I don't think so, but I do think learning to fly that Citabria at a very young age and on such a narrow runway programmed me with some important foundational skills. Those are the kind of skills that Brian Lansburgh and Tailwheeler's Journal are all about : )

Video screenshot: circling and descending over the airport with the prop stopped!