CoolPix - Airshow: Blue Angels 'Fat Albert' JATO(!) At Reno 2009

(click pic for hi-res)

 With the 2010 Reno Air Races less than a month away (September 15-19) I figure it's a good time to look back at a cool moment from the 2009 event. Even tho this CoolPix isn't from any of the racing, it is from the airshow part of Reno. It's also kinda special since they told us the Blue Angels were only going to do one more show after Reno with Fat Albert, their Lockheed C-130 Hercules support aircraft, demonstrating the supercool JATO big-kick-in-the-butt takeoff. It turned out to be a great opportunity to get a fab pic with the clear blue sky and the mountains in the background. Plus, I was just really glad to get to see it as I don't think I'd ever had the chance before. They're still using Fat Albert, but the JATO shows are over forever now.

 Apparently the JATO rockets are in short supply these days as they really aren't being used like they were back in the day when many military aircraft would eat up massive amounts of runway while belching enough smoke to give an environmentalist an instant heart attack. In fact, if you can handle looking at high pollutin' beasts from the past, check out the CoolPix of the B-47 JATO - it's crazy! NSFEW (not safe for environmental wackos)

 Anyway, it was a wonderful treat to watch Fat Albert spew fire and make some sweet noise at Reno last year. I'm hoping to be able to make the trip out west this year too, which would be great because the Canadian Snowbirds are scheduled to perform. I haven't seen them in years, but I have loads of memories from the 80's when I saw them many times. Graceful, precision aerobatics with up to 9 airplanes in formation... go Canada!

 2010 Reno Air Races - September 15-19

Add 'Cub Training Centers' To Save GA In America (CoolPix & Video)

(click pic for hi-res)         A perfect Piper Cub at Oshkosh 2010

 I've been spoutin' off about the near-perfection status of the good ole original Piper J-3 Cub for a long time now, but my post the other day about Sonex Aircraft's Onex and how it might be able to fix the desperate condition of General Aviation gave me a chance to suggest something fairly radical. What if we took a giant step backward and made a hardcore effort to put 200 or more original Cubs to work all across America teaching people how to fly? Why would we wanna do this? Well, a fully certified Cub in good condition can be bought for under $40,000, which means you can get about THREE of these antique airplanes for the cost of one of those supposed-to-be-really-affordable LSA's. And while I admit that I haven't flown any of the new LSA aircraft, I do have a lot of time flying a clip-wing Cub around with the window down and the doors open... I know there's no way any of the modern LSA's can be more 'fun' than a Cub.

 In my estimation, the 'fun' factor is essential in getting people into the amazing world of aviation. But we desperately need to find ways to make it more affordable too. The much lower initial investment of the Cub helps right away, and then the daily operating costs should be able to compete directly with an LSA, or maybe even beat it. Possibly most important is the idea that we NEED to make this kind of a solution happen. To me, this means that we need people passionate about flying that will dive in and make this work without the idea that it's all about money. I'm not suggesting they shouldn't make, sure they should! But if making money is priority number 1, then most likely the cost structure will be built in a way that makes it all cost too much. 

 I'm also thinking that we probably need to strategically place these Cub Training Centers at just the right spots around the country to be sure that they have enough activity going on to make the operations profitable. Ultimately, I think we need some benevolent, trusted group of people or organization to oversee this plan. With a bit of centralization, I would think the operations could be streamlined and standardized to make it all work very successfully.

 About now is when some of you are shaking your head at all this crazy dreaming. Well, it is a bit crazy, but it's way past time we get some sort of active 'pilot producing' plan into action. With the buying power of the average American shrinking a lot over the last 10 years and the cost of avgas over $4 a gallon, what are we gonna do? We can give up and watch it all dwindle down to nothing, but you and I both know that's not really an option here. 

 So, the real point to this post is just to soak in a little Piper Cub imagery. The CoolPix pic above should stir up a little passion in you, and the video clip from One Six Right below should really get your grass-roots blood pumping. You can be sure I'll be back on this subject soon with more of my ideas on how to make Cub Training Centers a reality. Til then, feel free to leave a comment... even if you think I'm crazy : )

CoolPix - Misc: The Majestic Goodyear Blimp at OSH10

(click pic for hi-res)

 The over 150 pix I've recently posted as part of AirPigz Oshkosh 2010 coverage has brought a lot of new people into the 'pig pen' - welcome aboard! If you're new here, you don't know about an ongoing feature I do called 'CoolPix'. With CoolPix, I take one of my own pictures or an interesting historical picture and present them as a 1600 pixel wide hi-res image so you can get up close and really experience the event. Like this picture I got of the Goodyear Blimp at Oshkosh, if you click it, it'll fill your screen. It's not quite like being there, but it sure beats an itsy bitsy pic. There's a fairy large number of CoolPix entries now for you to check out... and part of the idea is that they make a pretty dandy desktop pic too.

 I was really fortunate to get to ride the Goodyear Blimp when I was a kid living outside the L.A. area in the late 60's. This reminds me that I really need to go digging in the basement, cuz somewhere down there is an old 8mm color movie that my dad and I made when we got that ride. Wow, that would sure be cool to see again! Anyway, I've been mesmerized by the blimp from as far back as I can remember, and having it in the sky over Oshkosh pretty much puts me in total avgeek heaven. So, click the pic above to get up close with that big beautiful bag of helium, and if you have the time, check out the wide range of other CoolPix that I've posted in the last year - I think you're gonna like 'em : )

The Franklin's Waco 'Mystery Ship': Tear Down And In The Trailer! (50 Pix)

(Click pic for hi-res)    Kyle and Amanda Franklin: Franklin's Flying Circus & Airshow

(50 pix - 1 CoolPix - 1 video)

 The husband and wife team of Kyle and Amanda Franklin put on some of the absolute best airshow performances in the world, and they do it while being really nice people too! If you don't know about their fascinating airshow heritage, check out my podcast with Matt Younkin and Kyle from back in February to learn more. If you do know about them, you still might be surprised to learn that they take that fabulous Waco 'Mystery Ship' biplane apart and put it in a trailer after nearly every airshow they perform at.

 Kyle learned years ago from his dad Jimmy Franklin that taking the airplane apart and transporting it to the next show in a trailer had lots of advantages. You put a lot less hours on the engine this way, plus, you pretty much completely remove the variable of the weather from the equation. The wonderful speed and 'straight-line point to point' benefits of flying can quickly be undone by the weather. Maybe you've heard it said: "If you've got time to spare, go by air". And when you travel the country as much as Kyle and Amanda do, you really don't need the airplane stranded somewhere that the rest of the crew and support vehicle aren't at. Putting the airplane in a trailer keeps everything safe, and together.

 But wow, doesn't taking the airplane apart seem like a huge task? Well, it is a huge task, but with lots of advance prep, and years of experience, the job can usually be done in about an hour and a half. That's pretty amazing when you really think it thru! The whole process was something I was really interested in, so I asked Kyle if he'd let me document the disassembly process with pictures. The following 49 pictures and captions tell the story of taking the apart right after the Indy Air Show back in June. It was hot, and Kyle and Amanda were tired from a long weekend, but there was work to be done!

 I hope you enjoy this very special opportunity to see behind-the-scenes as the Waco Mystery Ship comes apart and gets secured in the trailer in preparation for moving on down the road...

The Waco was moved from the flightline to an available hangar to facilitate the tear down. Matt Younkin is sitting on the tug in the red hat, and his crew chief Jeff Gibbs is standing next to him. Matt's Twin Beech can just barely be see in the background, and there were several aircraft based at the airport in the back of the hangar.  Jeff helped Kyle and Amanda take the Waco apart (Matt wondered off : )

Kyle backing the motorhome/tow-vehicle and the trailer into position. At first glance, you just wouldn't think all that airplane is gonna fit in that trailer! But I was watching closely, and I assure you, it all did.

After letting the trail ramp down, Kyle got out the large fabric sleeve used to store all of the flying wires that come off the wings and tail. This is an exciting moment actually because 'Rocky' the dog is rather infatuated with the flying wires! He gets all excited seeing the bag coming out again. I think it's the when the wires are slid into their labeled slots that he thinks there's something alive moving thru the fabric.

 There are three dogs that travel with the crew that you'll see in the pictures here, but Rocky was by far the most enthusiastic about the airplane coming apart!

Here's a little better view of the stack of airplanes in the hangar. The disassemby process begins with screwdrivers removing lots of aluminum fairings and covers to gain access to attached bolts and pins. You also get a look at the top mounted stand that Amanda uses in parts of the wingwalking act. One of the tasks in the procedure is to remove the stand and replace it with temporary one that is used to be a safety support for the wings - details coming a few pictures down.

Click to read more ...

OSH10 Will Be The Best Oshkosh Ever! (Bonus CoolPix-Vintage)

(click pic for hi-res)    CoolPix - Vintage: the awesome Pitcairn Autogiro at OSH09

 It’s not a gimmick, as I said last year, the best Oshkosh ever is the one you’re at RIGHT NOW! With opening day just a week away, it won’t be long before the magical experience of gathering together with thousands of like-minded avgeeks, and airplanes of every imaginable kind, will turn Wittman Field into literally the best place on Earth.

 There’s no other place I know of where so many people gather in a creative, technical, peaceful, and respectful manner, and then do so for a whole week. No where. I’m blessed to be able to go all week again this year, which will also be my 34th Oshkosh experience. I joined the EAA in 1970, the same year as the first Oshkosh (the annual EAA convention was in Rockford, IL prior to moving to OSH), and even tho I was only 9 years old, I was at Oshkosh 1970 - thanks dad!

Airbus A380 stirring up lots of dust and attracting every eye at OSH09

 I get a chuckle out of the people that go for a day or two and say they saw it all. I’ll be there all week long, I’ll cover the grounds all day long, I’ll keep moving thru the evening, and then do my best to be back out there by 7:30 in the morning… and I’ll still only scratch the surface of what this event has to offer. If it’s just some airplanes sitting on a Wisconsin airport in the summer to you, then I guess a day or two will cover it. But Oshkosh truly represents the spirit of aviation, and no aviation event can inspire a person, in a thousand different aviation ways, like Oshkosh can.

A beautiful example of the highly unusual homebuilt Dyke Delta at OSH09

 If you’ve never been to the event, and you aren’t coming this year, I encourage you to keep watch of AirPigz.com during the week from Monday July 26th thru Sunday August 1st. I’m planning to post an update every night. Hopefully these posts will help to display the amazing diversity of aircraft and people that attend, and, what you’re missing. My biggest hope is that it will inspire you to make attending next year a priority. And of course, if you know how great Oshkosh is, but you aren't able to attend this year, please enjoy these daily posts... I hope they'll help you to feel like you're there on some level : )

The remotely piloted Predator B UAV at OSH09

 And if you’re are headed to OSH10, I highly recommend you dig deep and really take the event in (use the awesome, unofficial ’events scheduler’ at OSHplanner.com to help with that), and remember, because you’re livin’ it, OSH10 Will Be the Best Oshkosh Ever!

CoolPix - Racers: Jimmy Doolittle And The Perfect Curtiss R3C-2 Seaplane

(click pic for hi-res)

 If I understand the documentation correctly, the year for this picture of Jimmy Doolittle standing on the Curtiss R3C-2 racer is 1928. Hello? Can you really believe that it was just 25 years earlier that the Wright Brothers first flew their kind-of-awkward Wright Flyer? It was even a few years earlier than this picture was taken that this same Jimmy Doolittle won the 1925 Schneider Trophy race with this little piece of aviation perfection, being pulled thru the air by that cool prop at a speed of 232.57 mph. This stellar Curtiss airplane was actually the fastest airplane in the world in 1925, tho it was the R3C-1 version, the same airplane but with wheels installed, that set that record of 249.342 mph with Lt. Cyrus Bettis sitting in the cockpit. 

 Due to the shocking awesomeness of the aircraft that raced in the Schneider thru the 20's (and in the last year of 1931), I'll be doing a lot more coverage of the details relating to these airplanes over time. I've got a book from about 20 years ago that has loads of terrific info in it, and there's no shortage of amazing things to share about these stunning aircraft.

 But for right now, I suggest you click this picture so it's nice and big, and then slowly run your eyes all over this thing... just like you were right there, gently laying your fingers on it and carefully tracing its perfect curves. Imagine the smell of a 650+ hp liquid-cooled V-12 engine with still-warm oil leaking out of the joints. Breathe in the burned and unburned fuel smells that create a cloud of aromic perfection. Imagine for a moment what it would be like to sit in that cockpit and push the throttle forward... you are a race pilot!

 Please, don't miss the opportunity to experience this amazing airplane in your mind!

 And lastly, did you know that this was actually an Army airplane? Both the airplane AND the engine were built by the same people; the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, and this was all done with the support of the military in the effort to promote better, faster airplanes. What an amazing time in the history of aviation. 

CoolPix - Electric: EADS 4 Motor Electron Burning Cri Cri

(click pic for hi-res)

 Holy electron Batman, electric airplanes are popping up all over the place these days!  I'm posting this CooPix, in the new 'Electric' category, as the fabulous Solar Impulse is well into its 24 hour solar powered electric flight... and working extremely well it seems. And this here pic is of a project revealed a few weeks back from EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) of an updated Cri Cri homebuilt that's powered by 4 small electric motors with counter rotating props.

 It's part of an effort to continue to push 'electric propulsion system' technologies forward opening the door to more potential aviation applications. This is actually a pretty exciting time as we're beginning to see a lot of progress being made in this area. The practical application of stored electric power for everyday aviation use is probably still a long a way off, but it wasn't very long ago when it really didn't seem like it could ever be practical. Barriers are being knocked down on a regular basis these days.

 This particular airplane, based on the rather amazing all metal Cri Cri homebuilt that was made somewhat popular in the 70's and 80's, is actually made with composites to further lighten the structure. They claim it will be able to fly for 30 minutes at about 70 mph. It may have made its first flight already, but I was unable to confirm that at the moment. It is however extremely cool to look at.. and to image what fun it might be running bugs thru those 4 cute little props : )

UPDATE: FlightGlobal.com story on the first flight of the EADS electric Cri Cri 

CoolPix - Modern Military: V-22 Osprey Will Stir Air At Oshkosh 2010!

(click pic for hi-res)

 Yep, here's another CoolPix with the Bell-Boeing V-22 already... but technically it's actually the Air Force version known as the CV-22. Oh, wait, the other one is the CV-22 version too. Oh well, the bottom line: both this and the previous Osprey CoolPix are off-the-scale fantastic! (If you don't say 'wow' when you click the above pic, there may be something wrong with you!)

 I'm really happy to have just found out that this amazing tiltrotor flying machine will be at Oshkosh 2010. Looks like it'll be on display, and perform a flight demonstration as well. I'm really excited about that since I haven't seen one fly yet. You can get more detailed info at this EAA link with the Osprey schedule for Oshkosh.

 Oshkosh (the greatest aviation event on planet Earth) runs July 26 thru August 1, 2010. It's kind of a big deal : )

CoolPix - NASA: A Green SST Concept... In More Ways Than One

(click pic for hi-res)                                                       photo: NASA/Lockheed Martin

 This CoolPix in the NASA category is really a recently released rendering of a new concept for a 'green' Super Sonic Transport by Lockheed Martin in conjunction with NASA. Note the Skunk Works logo above the outboard engine. The design was presented in April 2010 to the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate for its NASA Research Announcement - funded studies into advanced aircraft that could enter service in the 2030-2035 timeframe. One of the primary objectives of the design is to achieve supersonic cruise speeds while dramatically reducing the sonic boom when flying over terrain. Boeing's Sonic Cruiser was a concept meant to cruise just under the speed of sound, but this needly green machine appears to have cruise speeds well in excess of Mach 1 in mind. Certainly a design that could acceptably cruise supersonic over land would be quite an accomplishment. 

 I wasn't able to find much detailed info about the concept, but it seems they're also interested in minimizing the environmental impact as well. I think it's always a good idea to strive for maximum efficiency with minimal impact on the environment, but I lean that way because that's usually where the best overall experience is found for everyone. I admit that I'm not overly concerned for the impact on the planet at large, mostly because I believe it has shown itself to be more than robust enough to deal with anything we can throw at it. I realize you might disagree.

 Regardless, there's another 'green' issue here. Money. It would take some pretty big buckets of money to engineer this into a fully successful transport. As much as I enjoy dreaming of wild flying machines for the future, I honestly have to wonder if the money it would take would really be worth it.  Again, my point of view here is probably a little different than most folks. I think we desperately need transport aircraft that bring classic comfort and fabulous I-can't-wait-to-fly-again experiences to everyone. That doesn't necessarily have anything to do with going fast. We should be able to engineer the poor passenger experience out of the airplane, but for whatever reason, we haven't. Sure, we've got some incredible luxury experiences available in the sky these days, but ultimately, there shouldn't be a single bad seat on any airliner. I'm hopeful that the 787 will actually be at the leading edge of this kind of thinking... and we should have a good idea of where it stands on 'passenger experience' before long.

 So, please be sure to click the pic and check out this needle-nose SST up close. But if you're an aeronautical engineer and schooling up on great aircraft designs for the future, could you please consider finding ways to make airliners profitable while also offering lots of leg and elbow room for everyone? Me and about 2 billion other cheap seat passengers per year would like to thank you in advance for your help : )

CoolPix - Airshow: Inside Matt Younkin's Twin Beech

(click pic for hi-res)

 Sure, this CoolPix would more interesting if it was taken when Matt Younkin was sitting up front and the airplane was upside-down like the pic below, but first I'd have to figure out how to get that picture! I still think it's pretty sweet taking a look inside the beautiful ole Twin Beech that Matt does his fabulous airshows in.

 I got the pic recently at the Indy Air Show. I had never seen inside his airplane before, and I was a little surprised by how nicely it's finished off. That gorgeous headliner kinda seals the deal for me... really helps to give it that golden-age-of-aviation feel. I was also pleased with the way the pic turned out since I wasn't actually inside the airplane. I just held the camera inside and had the self-timer set so I could try to get things centered and framed well. It's almost right down the middle!

 Matt will be up at Oshkosh in July flying the Twin Beech in both the day and night shows. Between the sound, the massive smoke, and the graceful flying, it's pretty hard to beat what Matt brings to the airshow world!

Check out my podcast with Matt Younkin to learn about flying Twin Beech aerobatics