OSH15 Dawn Patrol CoolPix... Corsair And Mosquito (11Pix)

(click pic for hi-res)  A great Dawn Patrol sunrise at OSH15 on Thursday July 23

 This summer has been a real blur for me as I've been working to build a new online business... today I launched www.loudflowers.com, high-resolution flower images printed exclusively on vibrant aluminum sheet. The ads I placed here today are designed to drive a little traffic that direction as I start off from ground zero. If you like my work there, I encourage you to spread the word, and I hope you stay tuned because I have an aviation derivative of Loud Flowers in the works. In early 2016 I plan to launch BleedingEgdeArt.com with an upscale collection of aerospace images that should be pretty cool : )

 But this post is to share 11 pix I captured on Thursday July 23rd at OSH15 (the best OSH ever!) of a Corsair and the Mosquito while on a Dawn Patrol photo mission in the warbirds area. And all of these images open up to the big CoolPix size, so I think you'll enjoy the journey!

(click for hi-res)  Man and machine prepare for an early morning mission

(click pic for hi-res)  Sun, smoke, and fire... the Corsair comes to life!

(click pic for hi-res)  Two of the four Corsairs heading out for this morning mission

(click pic for hi-res)  The Mosquito with its nose pointed into the western sky

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Reno 2014: Sunday 9-14-14 - Voodoo 1st, Czech Mate 2nd, And Precious Metal Disqualified??

(click pic for hi-res) Thom Richard and Precious Metal on the Unlimited Gold race takeoff 

 
 With a 2,050 mile drive ahead of me, I left the 2014 Reno Air Races just minutes after the Gold race on Sunday. But I stopped about an hour down the road to post a picture to celebrate that I watched Precious Metal easily capture third place behind another win for Steven Hinton (in Voodoo) with Sheman Smoot in Czech Mate taking second place... Strega was unable to race and Rare Bear was out of the race after just one lap. But when I checked the race results at reports.airrace.org I saw that they were showing Precious Metal disqualified in the Gold race with this note: "DQ by Contest Committee for showline cut".

 Uncertain of what was going on and confused by how such a thing could have happened, I decided to just continue home and post once I understood the situation. I'm home now and I still don't understand how Precious Metal was disqualified (which moved Dennis Sanders and Dreadnought into third place) and in fact my quick research of the situation makes me think there is a really big mistake taking place here. Hopefully soon there will be some info available that will either clarify what really happened, or maybe even reverse the situation.

 Regardless, Team Precious Metal did a fantastic job of getting the airplane into the Gold race and they have so much to proud of for their efforts. It was a great experience for me to be so close to the action in the PM pit, and I can verify that the team worked really hard and effectively in the quest for the Gold race. 

 I'll have more info on this confusing situation once it's available.

Reno 2014: Thursday 9-11-14 - Precious Metal Wins Bronze Unlimited (CoolPix 2Fer)

(click pic for hi-res) Thom Richard will advance after winning the Bronze Unlimited race

 So, it wasn't a surprise that Thom Richard and Precious Metal easily won the Bronze Unlimited race today against two P-51's and a Corsair, but then again, everything has to work to win any race at Reno. PM sounded like she was running great but barely breathing as she easily out paced the closer-to-stock competitors. Thom finished the race with a speed of 359mph while the other P-51's, Sparky and The Rebel, were neck and neck at 319mph, and the Corsair Korean War Hero came in last at 310mph. To see the full race results for all races, go to reports.airrace.org.

 A better test and challenge for Thom will come on Friday afternoon in the Silver Unlimited race. If Thom wins that race then he's back in the right division to compete against Voodoo, Strega, Rare Bear, Czech Mate (etc.) - so tomorrow's race will be one to watch for sure.

(click pic for hi-res) Some fire out both sides of the Griffon on the Bronze race start up

 Here are a couple CoolPix images from just a few hours ago... one as Precious Metal fired up for that Bronze race and one right after with Thom looking rather happy with the result. Note the fire coming out the left stacks in start up pic... and the heat waves showing that there was a lot more fire on the right side that we can't see. Thom kept cranking when the fire showed up and after another 10 seconds or so the engine was running and all the fires had been blown on thru. These big ole engines are awesome!

More to come from the 2014 National Championship Air Races!

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Video: LiveAirShowTV Will Take YOU To The Reno Air Races! (+ Precious Metal DeskTop Pix)

2014 Reno Air Races: September 10-14

 I'm fortunate to be able to squeak in another trip 2,050 miles west to the Reno Air Races... it'll be my fourth time driving there in the last six years of attendance. Driving is actually the cheapest way for to make the trip happen, tho it brings a special kind of fatigue. Anyway, getting to Reno is not something everyone can do, but LiveAirShowTV will take anyone there that has a computer and some internets to tap into!

 The video above gives you the details on when and how to catch the LiveAirShowTV coverage of the 2014 National Championship Air Races. Their coverage is fantastic and turns your inability to make the trip to Reno no big deal as you get to experience so much of the action right from home. They also have daily recap videos for you to check out if you can't find the time to watch the races as they happen. It's all an amazing opportunity to be part of the world's fastest sport! I will add however, NOTHING beats being on-site at the races! 

LiveAirShowTV

(click pic for hi-res)  Precious Metal and Thom Richard in the Gold race at Reno 2013

 I'm including another Precious Metal desktop image from the Gold race at Reno 2013. This time cropped in close for great detail! I'm planning for most of my 2014 Reno coverage to be focused on Team Precious Metal and Thom Richard as he returns with loads more Griffon power under the hood and another year of airframe tweaks. This really could be the year that PM shows that she's truly a contender for Reno Gold!

 Hopefully I'll have some nice pix and info to share during the races, and then afterward I hope to be able to share a very detailed post with much more behind-the-scenes info of what made Team PM tick at Reno 2014. Til then, I hope you'll consider downloading a free desktop pic of Thom and his mixmaster P-51 to put on your desktop as Reno fast approaches. #lowfastleft

Thom Richard and Precious Metal in the Gold race at Reno 2013:

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Warsaw Indiana Rocks A Great Little Airshow! (Plus Hot Air Balloon CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res)  Friday night at the Warsaw Indiana Airshow  (photo: Andy Kerr)

 This post is really all about having the chance to share the awesome photo above captured in my hometown by local photgrapher Andy Kerr during last weekend's Warsaw Airshow. This was the second year for an airshow at the Warsaw Airport (ASW) and even more than last year's kind-of-a-surprise success, this event was awesome with great attendance! Congratulations to the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors that made it all happen. (note: I wasn't involved in any way other than to participate) - I did however help my son-in-law with the hot air balloon tethered rides on Friday evening and the Saturday morning launch. His balloon is the one in the air in the pic above, tethered late evening rides!

(click pic to enlarge) The C-54 Candy Bomber flew several times and was open to tour

 I've been living in Warsaw Indiana for almost 20 years now... it's a nice, small city of about 14,000 that has a good sized airport due in part to the city being the Orthopedic Capital with major players in the industry headquartered here. While the Warsaw Airport doesn't usually show a fun side, this Friday evening and all day Saturday it was pure passion and sport aviation central! I'm thrilled to see that this is possible right here in my backyard : )

(click pic to enlarge) Great weather Friday, and nice Saturday for airplanes & people

 The big features this year were the C-54 (DC-4) Candy Bomber from Berlin Airlift Histrorical Foundation, plus Dave Folk's F-4U Corsair,  along with a T-33, several T-6's, and a variety of other aircraft on display. The airshow included all the big aircraft mentioned plus a Pitts, a Chipmunk, and a Super Stearman, as well as some fun runway races between cars and airplanes, and a motorcycle racing the Chipmunk as well as doing a wingtip handshake with it! There were also lots and lots of airplane rides sold both days in Waldo Wright's New Standard 4-pax biplane, along with helicopter rides, hot air balloon rides and some local 172 rides. I was very pleased to see how much business they were all doing! Great food and both live and recorded music gave it all a nice festival atmosphere too. 

(click pic to enlarge) 4 passengers at at a time! 1931 New Standard biplane 

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OSH14: Saturday August 2 - Cessna 195 Heading Home (CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res)  Beautiful Cessna 195 heading home Saturday morning

 I spent some time out by 18/36 on Saturday morning watching a long string of wonderful aircraft taxi out and then takeoff on their way home. It was obvious that attendance at OSH14 was up dramatically in both people and airplanes, and that included a lot more aircraft still on the grounds Friday. But Saturday morning saw a lot of departures as people left the dream-like world of OSH to return to the real world.

 This beautiful Cessna 195, shot with a slow shutter speed and with what appears to be a Cessna 120 or 140 in the air behind it, is a perfect example of what Oshkosh is all about... people who are passionate about great airplanes and who love to fly them.

 Oshkosh truly is The Spirit of Aviation. I can't wait to get back there.

(see over 170 CoolPix posts)

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OSH14: Friday August 1 - Big Prop 'Super' Back Yard Flyer (CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res) The 'big thrust' Back Yard Flyer with VW engine and belt reduction

 I've been intrigued with the Back Yard Flyer from Valley Engineering (the Culver prop people) for several years now. They sell it as a ready-to-fly package for $19,500 with the big twin 4-stroke engine that makes 40hp and it comes with a BRS safety parachute. It's a remarkable ultralight with a 275 pound max pilot weight and strong climb performance. It's quite a bit different looking than everything else out there and it packs a variety of unique features... like the swing wing that pivots as all one piece to orient the wing in line with the fuselage. Far more simple than regular folding wings, the swing wing allows for very slim hangar storage or even large enclosed trailer storage.

 This year the Valley folks showed up with their 'super' Back Yard Flyer that has a large displacement VW engine with a belt-drive speed reduction unit. This combo, swinging a big 86" Culver prop, makes thrust like crazy! Even better, the exhaust stacks they have on the VW come as close as I've heard to having a flat 4 sound almost as good as a radial. The amazing STOL performance, the incredible rate of climb, and the nostalgic sound all come together to make one very desirable light aircraft. It's obviously not an ultralight with that much bigger and heavier engine. I watched this overpowered (100+hp) Back Yard Flyer for quite a while Friday morning and 'want' is the word that keep running thru my mind.

 The only downside (unless you don't like its look) is that the welded aluminum fuselage and wing structure makes it very difficult to build from scratch (since few people can effectively weld thin wall aluminum)... or even from a kit since a pre-welded wing and fuselage would leave very little left for the builder to do. The pesky 51% rules gets in the way there. Their $19,500 ready-to-fly price for the ultralight is quite reasonable for what you get, it's just still a chunk of change compared to how much lower the cost would be if built from plans. They don't actually market the big VW engine version, tho it sounds like they'd build one for you, but the price jumps significantly.

 I talked to them about my desire to see the big engine/big prop version being redesigned with a simple steel tube fuselage and then maybe an aluminum wing that didn't need welding. If this design was made available in plans-only, I think they'd have a serious winner. Imagine a retro sounding beast that climbs like crazy, uses nearly no runway, and could be built for $15,000, or even less if you're a good scrounger. You can be sure I'd buy a set of those plans!

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OSH14: Thursday July 31 - See the Sea Of Airplanes! (CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res)  This is the good life... this is Oshkosh!

 Well, I ran out of gas for keeping up with the 'same-day' posts at OSH14, and in fact between doing the Thursday bacon party, the general walk-your-butt-off-everyday fatigue, and a little detailed research on some airplane designs for my own personal purposes, I didn't get anything posted after late Wednesday night. So now that I'm back home, I'm playing catch up - (it's not helping that the hard drive on my laptop is currently freaking out, I'm posting with the ole beater laptop from two generations back)

 It was a fantastic Oshkosh 2014. More airplanes than I remember seeing in many years, more people than I remember seeing in many years, and as always it was just perfect hanging out with avgeek friends in the campground. That goes double for the friends at #CampBacon. There were 30 to 35 people staying in CampBacon this year, and the Wednesday Bacon Party was clearly the largest ever with at least 60 people chewing the fat.

 Since I'm dealing with ongoing fatigue and and a failing hard drive on the primary computer, I'm keeping it simple with this CoolPix post. Just one nice big pic to share showing off a very diverse sea of Oshkosh airplanes in the Vintage camping area. There's just nothing like Oshkosh!

 In case you haven't figured this out yet, I don't post this stuff so you can see what you missed... I post it so you'll get serious about making plans to get to the next OSH. I mean it. If you're a genuine avgeek (and you don't have overshadowing political reasons to be anti-EAA) then please start working on a way to carve out the time and a little pile of cash to make OSH15 the highlight of next summer. I promise to give you some free bacon if you do!

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OSH14: Wednesday July 30 - It's A Wonderful Life! (QED CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res)  The big and beautiful beast... Gee Bee QED replica!

 After a busy but perfect day of sunshine and very comfortable temperatures followed by an evening with a very successful Bacon Party (about 60 people attending, including the guys from glass.aero) and then some quality #CampBacon time around the fire pit with s'mores, I only have enough energy left to post one wonderful CoolPix.

 I hope you enjoy this great pic of the Gee Bee QED on takeoff for its flight demo today.

 This is Oshkosh!

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OSH14: Tuesday July 29 - Another Big Day (CoolPix Triple Play)

(click pic for hi-res)  The very tall (and very awesome) Just Aircraft Super STOL

 Tuesday at OSH14 was a lot like this big and bold Super STOL from Just Aircraft... but then everyday at Oshkosh is like that. So much to see and do, it's not even close to possible to take it all in. You simply have to pick the things you want to learn, or see, or experience hands-on and then chase the day.

 With it being difficult to keep up with everything I have decided to only post a CoolPix triple play here, and not a lot of words. I strongly suggest you check out what the Super STOL has to offer and then please enjoy these really wide angle hi-res pix by clicking on them.

 I like unusual airplanes. I like extreme airplanes. I like taildraggers. I really like the Super STOL!

(more tomorrow from the world's greatest aviation event!)

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