Video: Happiness Is A Piper Cub And A Roll Of Toilet Paper!

 It's true that dropping a roll of toilet paper and then making multiple passes to cut it with the prop is wildly fun from any old-school airplane, but the Piper Cub is especially well suited by being able to have the right side window and door wide open during this cheap thrill exercise. This video does a great job of showing the giggles that can be generated with just a Cub and a roll of toilet paper. This is best watched in 1080 HD and fullscreen : )

Video screenshot of the toilet paper being properly attacked : D

Star Wars? Whatever... I Just Found Out The Rocketeer Might Return!

The less common (more horizontal) Rocketeer movie poster image from the 1991 film

 I had a brush with Art Deco tonight (the 1930's graphic style not some guy named Art) and that pretty quickly drove me back into the arm of the Rocketeer. That Disney film from 1991 is still one of my all time favorites... tho I realized when I hopped into youtube for a little visual stimulation Rocketeer style that I haven't actually watched the film for several years now. That's gonna change real soon! I was a little surprised that the entire film can be watched at youtube in a string of just-under-10-minute-segments (wait till Mickey finds out about that!) - so I watched the first segment... wow I love that film! Any movie that shows me Miss Los Angeles, the Gee Bee Z, AND a Travel Air Mystery Ship all in the first 2 minutes pretty much owns my heart!

 So I felt compelled to say something about the Rocketeer tonight. And since you already know that my love for the film drove the design concept for the AirPigz logo, I had to find something else to say... and wow, did I find something interesting! In late August there was some gossip floating around the internet that suggests that the people at Disney are kicking around the idea for finally giving us a second Rocketeer movie! I'm not sure how I missed hearing about this, but I had no idea... so while the big news to most people right now is that Disney just bought all of Lucasfilm for $4 billion and now owns the rights to Star Wars, I'm way more interested in this new Rocketeer possibility. 

 However, it appears caution is needed here as we look to the future. It seems that this new Rocketeer thought is probably just that, a thought. I haven't seen any green light indications yet, just some info suggesting that Disney was shopping for writers and storyline ideas. Plus, it also looks like this might be a reboot of the story, which means it might get hammered and re-formed enough to make the old-schoolers like me get really really mad. However, it could also mean that a new project might steer itself more into the path of the comic book version of the Rocketeer (orginated by the late Dave Stevens in 1982) which would clearly be different than the Disney film but it night also be pretty fantastic.

 For reasons I don't understand, the 1991 Disney film of the Rocketeer didn't do very well at the box office (at least compared to what it cost to make) and it wasn't really very well liked by the critics. Joe Johnston was the director for the film, and he's had some recent great success as the director of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) which leads many to think he'd be the perfect fit to direct a new Rocketeer. It's funny tho, I remember him saying after the first Rocketeer, when asked if he'd do another one, he said something like: I'd fake my own death before I worked with Disney again.

 Oh well, all I know is that I'm a lot more interested in a new Rocketeer then I am three more Star Wars episodes...  

The first 9:59 of the Rocketeer movie from 1991

Winding Up A Winner In Caption Contest #77!

 Congrats to Chris Muncy for 'winding' up a winner in Caption Contest #77 - I hope Oshkosh 2013 is in your plans for next summer so you can claim your bacon sandwich prize! And a big thank you to everyone who submitted some avgeek humor this time around, that was a big collection of really good captions from everyone.

 So, is this pic for real? It appears to be real to me... but the heck was it all about? Well, I found the pic in this post over at Modern Mechanix where they had an article from 1930 claiming that an inventor had a solution to the problem of not being able to make repairs to an aircraft (especially at the tail) while in flight. Hmm, I'm not sure I'd call this a solution! The obvious risk of falling, the difficulty of carrying tools, and the affect on the CG having a man all the way back at the tail (along with the potential aerodynamic disruption complications) make me question the reality of this being serious.

 I'm thinking I'm gonna call this one a crazy stunt... what do you think?

Poll: Which LSA Can Best Save General Aviation? (RV-12 SLSA, CH750 SLSA, Piper Cub)

Just announced: Vans RV-12 SLSA - factory built / ready to fly starting at $105,000

 Today it was announced that Van's Aircraft will be making their 2-seat RV-12 aircraft available as a factory-built and ready-to-fly SLSA with an introductory price of $105,000. The RV-12 has been available as a homebuilt kit aircraft since 2008 with about 200 completed and flying. The RV-12 has a side by side cockpit, all aluminum airframe, tricycle landing gear and is powered by the Rotax 912ULS engine that makes 100hp for takeoff. This smallest RV from the family of wildly popular RV airplanes has a useful load of about 570 pounds and cruises about 120mph. The RV-12 SLSA will be built in the USA by Synergy Air of Eugene, Oregon. Orders are expected to be first be accepted in November 2012 with initial deliveries beginning in early 2013. Get more info on the Van's Aircraft website.

Now available: Tenn-Air CH750 SLSA - factory built / ready to fly starting at $74,900

 Tenn-Air has recently licensed with Zenith Aircraft Company to make a factory-built version of the popular 2-seat Zenith CH750 STOL aircraft available as a ready-to-fly SLSA with an introductory price for $74,900. The CH750 has been available as a homebuilt kit since 2008 with over 50 completed and flying. Over 800 of the smaller but similar CH701 homebuilt have been completed since it was introduced in 1986. The CH750 has a side by side cockpit, all aluminum airframe, tricycle landing gear and is powered by the Jabiru 3300 engine that makes 120hp for takeoff... a combination good for a useful load of about 550 pounds and cruises about 100mph while also offering very strong short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance. The CH750 SLSA will be built from Zenair kits by Tenn-Air in Shelbyville Tennessee, and first deliveries are expected to be available in November or December 2012. Get more info on the Tenn-Air website.

75 years strong: Piper J-3 Cub - rebuilt / ready to fly ('0' time) for ~$50,000 or less

 Production of the 2-seat Piper J-3 Cub ran from 1938 until 1947 with almost 20,000 aircraft being built. Today, a completely restored '0' time J-3 Cub can be bought, ready to fly, for around $50,000, or even less. This iconic aircraft that taught thousands and thousands of people how to fly features tandem seating, steel tube and wood structure with fabric covering, taildragger landing gear and is typically powered by a Continental engine ranging from 65 to 90hp. The Cub has a useful load of about 520 pounds and cruises around 75 mph. Thousands of Cubs are still around today with hundreds of them ripe for being restored to like-new condition (ready to serve as trainers and recreational aircraft indefinitely) all for a $50,000 (or less) investment.

 So there you have it, three aircraft that are somewhat similar yet still very different. And I'm here once again to make the case for the idea that our best step forward to try to save General Aviation is a giant step backward! I believe that the J-3 Cub makes way more sense than an RV-12 or a CH750 as a way to draw more people into aviation. Don't misunderstand, I think those two modern flying machines are both great little airplanes that have a lot to offer. But when the Piper Cub is cheaper to acquire (by far)... as cheap or cheaper to operate... has a longer lifespan... creates better pilots (because it's a taildragger)... and it's about 243% more fun to fly, you have a clear winner here.

 Maybe I'm in the minority, but I also absolutely believe that the Cub has significantly more curb appeal. That curb appeal is really all about passion. Passion for its fabulous style, its perfect nostalgia, and its pure and honest flying pleasure. Spend and hour or two flying over God's green Earth with a good friend and the door open and you'll experience the kind of flying that you'll wish would never ever end.

 My vote in the poll below is going to the '0' time restored Piper Cub as the LSA that has the most to offer in trying to save General Aviation in America. Now if I can just get a group of people together to agree on this so we can start cranking out like-new Cubs from a dedicated restoration facility, we can get a whole new generation of pilots into the sky... affordably, with great stick and rudder skills, and in love with the world's greatest airplane! 

How Many Generations Can You Fit Into One Flying Bathtub? (Newhouse Aeronca C-3)

(click pic to enlarge)  16 year old Hayden Newhouse - 4th generation to fly NC11422

(7 pix)

 I stumbled across a fabulous story a little over a week ago at the Antique Airplane Association Fly-In near Blakesburg Iowa... the story of 16 year old Hayden Newhouse and his journey from Rockford Illinois to Blakesburg in a 1931 Aeronca C-3. If the story stopped there it would still be a great one. A 16 year old with both the desire and the skill to fly an antique airplane powered by an Aeronca-built engine of just 36 horsepower. It's enough right there to give us all some great encouragement for the future of aviation. But, Hayden's cross country to Blakesburg is just the beginning of this story.

1931 Aeronca C-3 NC11422 with Newhouse Flying Service (Princeton N.J.) paint
 

 NC11422 was bought new in 1931 by Hayden's great-grandfather Richard Newhouse. Richard had come to America from Germany in 1908 and shortly after started designing and building flying machines. In 1929 he started Newhouse Flying Service in Princeton New Jersey. This little Aeronca C-3 became part of the operation in 1931.

 The Newhouse family has been full of aviators since those early days, and now four generations have flown this humble little Aeronca C-3! Hayden flew to Blakesburg along with his father Robert Newhouse who brought their 1931 Bird CK biplane. Spending some time getting to know Robert and Hayden at Antique Airfield was definitely one of the highlights to my trip the the 2012 AAA Fly-In.

(click pic to enlarge) An original Aeronca engine of 36hp powers this 2-seat Aeronca C-3

Click to read more ...

CoolPix: 1934 Waco YMF-33 In The Air - Antique Airfield 2012

(click pic for hi-res)  1934 Waco YMF-3 departing Antique Airfield last Sunday morning

 This post is a lot like the last one - it's another CoolPix of a beautiful antique airplane departing the AAA Fly-In last Sunday morning. I'm doing another post like this for two reasons... one, it's a really sweet pic of an awesome ole biplane; and two, I'm seriously backed up with too much 'day job' work going on right now (plus some really frustrating sciatic nerve pain going on with my back) and I needed something relatively simple to post.

 I was really pleased that I got some pretty decent images at the fly-in like this one and the Command-Aire pic where I used a slow shutter speed for a really blurred prop but still kept the airplane pretty sharp. I've got a long way to go to get really good at this but I'm making progress. I like how the background blurs up a bit as well giving you a lot more of a feel for the speed of the airplane. This Waco was making a fast pass down the runway at the time. You gotta love an airport and a fly-in that encourages a proper and safe fast pass as part of the routine! 

 I'm really looking forward to finding a way to carve out the time to be at Antique Airfield and the AAA Fly-In for the entire event next year : )

CoolPix: 1929 Command-Aire 5C-3 In The Air - Antique Airfield 2012

(click pic for hi-res) 1929 Command-Aire departing Antique Airfield last Sunday morning

 I will freely admit that I don't know much about the Command-Aire aircraft that were built back in the late 20's and early 30's, but when I saw this recently restored 1929 example of a 5C-3 at the NAHI event at Reno during the air races last September, I was captivated by its great lines. The restoration was pretty amazing too, so you can imagine that I was really pleased to see it at Antique Airfield for the AAA Fly-In a few dyas ago. I was also pretty pleased that I captured several really nice pix of it when it departed before noon on Sunday. Be sure to click the pic to see it in a hi-res CoolPix.

 If I ever get to the point where I run AirPigz full time (any aviation angels out there interested in supporting this insanely underfunded effort?) I'll be able to get in-depth info on airplanes like this on a regular basis. As it was, my time at Antique Airfield was relatively short and dominated by getting the best images I could. Regardless, I continue the pursuit of Avgeek World Domination on next-to-nothing resources hoping y'all are enjoying the ride, I know I am : )

CoolPix: Iconic Stearman At Antique Airfield 2012

(click pic for hi-res)  Mike Porter's beautiful Stearman about to depart Antique Airfield

 My journey over to the Antique Airplane Association Fly-In near Blakesburg Iowa would have been completely worth it if the only thing I saw was the big Boeing 40C biplane, but wow, have I seen a fantastic collection of antique airplanes in the last 30 hours! And even tho there wasn't much happening in the air on Saturday with the drizzly sky and higher winds, Sunday brought much better weather and lots of flying at Antique Airfield. As it turns out, most of the aircraft moving Sunday morning were actually heading home from the event, but that still allowed me to get a lot of images with spinning props and airplanes off the ground. I'll have more posts with those pix soon.

 This unique CoolPix is of Mike Porter and his Stearman as they were about to depart Antique Airfield, but he wasn't headed for home... he was heading east a bit to Galesburg Illinois and the National Steaman Fly-In. And since Galesburg is right on my way back home to Indiana, I think I just might stop by to check out the aircraft that are already on hand as they prepare for the first day of their fly-in tomorrow. Maybe I can even snag a ride in that beautiful Stearman since I've featured it in a CoolPix!

 Btw, I used a really slow shutter speed to get that prop in one nice big disc, and then I did a few unique things to the image in photoshop to give it a special look. The enhanced contrast and shadows were a bit of an experiment for me but I really like they way it turned out. If you like the effect, feel free to let me know... and if you don't like it, feel free to remain silent : )

Grass Roots Perfection: Antique Airplane Association Fly-In 2012 (9 Pix)

(click any pic to enlarge)  The amazing Boeing Model 40C at Antique Airfield (2012)
 

(9 pix - click any one to see enlarged)

 I was a member of the Antique Airplane Association when I was a kid (thanks dad!) but I haven't been active as a member or to any of the official Fly-Ins since the early 70's... until today. I joined the AAA again (you have to be a member to participate in the fly-in) and I'm at Antique Airfield near Blakesburg Iowa right now! The AAA/APM Invitational Fly-In runs August 29th thru September 3rd, and I drove over from northern Indiana yesterday afternoon and evening, slept in the car (of course) and arrived at Antique Airfield this morning. Btw, the APM in the official event name stands for Airpower Museum, the museum that's based at Antique Airfield. Also, just to clarify, the official website for the AAA is AntiqueAirfield.com.

 The weather wasn't the best when I arrived early this morning - overcast skies with some wind and a light drizzle. But there were awesome and beautiful antique airplanes all over the place! There weren't very many people milling about just yet either making it easy to get some great pix. Antique Airfield and the fly-in are pretty much at the total opposite end of the spectrum from Oshkosh. It's very calm, quiet and really laid back at Antique Airfield, and I love that. If you know much about me you know I love Oshkosh very passionately, but I can already see that Antique Airfield is Awesome with a capital AAA : )

The following are some pix from the first hour of checking out the goodies at the fly-in under the morning misty sky. I love this place! The only problem I have is wondering where exactly did we take a wrong turn in the design of aircraft? How and why did we move away from flying machines that inspire passion and excitement? That would make for a very interesting discussion, and we won't debate that right now, but I'm thinking the words Tri and Pacer are a pretty good starting point. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first look at some of the antique aircraft at the 2012 AAA fly-in... and watch for more to come soon.

Wow, I have always had a very soft spot in my heart for the Ryan SCW!

Click to read more ...

75 Piper Cubs At Hartford Wisconsin! CoolPix 2Fer

(click pic for hi-res)  75 Piper Cubs on 7-28-12 (for the 75th anniversary) all in one pic!

 I went for a ride in a Cub on Friday afternoon July 28 (2012) during the CUBS 2 OSH event going on at the Hartford Wisconsin airport and was able to capture this sweet image of the Cubs on-site at the time. When I was prepping the pic tonight I thought wouldn't it be cool if there were 75 Cubs in the pic to match the 75th anniversary... and when I counted them I couldn't believe it - exactly 75 Cubs! I even counted a second time to be sure : )

 There were actually more than 75 Cubs on the airport and even more still were on the way, but it's pretty amazing to see 75 Piper Cubs all in one picture in the year 2012! The mass arrival at Oshkosh the next morning then moved this amazing sea of yellow into the middle of the world's greatest aviation event to celebrate the 75th anniversary. I'm guessing as long as there are people on Earth, there will be Piper Cubs here too. At least I sure hope so.

 As an added way of showing the indelible nature of this iconic airplane, I'm posting this second CoolPix below. I also captured this pic at Hartford, and I thought it was really interesting how even tho Cub logo sticker was no longer on the fabric covering, you could still make out the details. How cool is that?!

Long live the Piper Cub... and the people who love to fly them!

 (click pic for hi-res) As long as people are on Earth, the Cub will NEVER fade away : )