CoolPix - Modern Military: Incredible View Of The V-22 Osprey

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 The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey has had a long and difficult journey to get where it is today. But as this hi-res CoolPix shows, an aircraft as unique as this, with the capabilities that it has, is really a pretty stunning sight in the air, especially from this view!

 For now, this pic should stir your thoughts and emotions on the Osprey... and you can expect more detailed info to come before long as it would seem this incredibly unique flying machine will need a week of AirPigz posts dedicated to it before long. Until then, roll those rotors forward and push this tiltrotor up to about 280 mph. YeeHaw!

CoolPix - Vintage Military: B-36 Tank Track Landing Gear... Really?

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Probably the most unusual looking CoolPix so far.

 Looking a lot like something out of a really bad 1950’s sci-fi movie, this tank style ‘track’ landing gear was actually tried on the massive Convair B-36 Peacemaker around 1950. Originally the B-36 was configured with a huge, single main wheel and tire on each main gear leg as the pic below shows. These were the largest tires ever built at the time with a diameter of 9 ft 2 in! The single tire idea was soon changed to a 4-wheel bogie configuration because the single tire concentrated the over 400,000 pound gross weight into too small of an area. Very few runways could support the weight.  It also increased the risk of loss of control of the aircraft in the event of a tire failure.

 This tank track idea is both interesting and bizarre. It certainly makes sense to try to increase the contact patch of the gear, but seeing it installed here feels a bit disturbing. Wikipedia says the system was heavy and made a lot of noise, but I’m intrigued enuf to continue to look for more info on how it performed. The pic above seems to show the tracks sunk down into the ground quite a bit, but there’s no way to know how soft that terrain was. I did see a page from a 1950 magazine article for sale on eBay that shows the airplane in flight with these wild things hanging off the gear legs.

 A couple interesting items about those huge single tires originally used on the B-36. I remember going to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio when I was 8 years old (1969) and seeing one of the gear legs with the massive tire attached. I haven’t been to the museum for several years (gonna fix that before long), but I’m guessing it’s still on display. It’s pretty amazing to see for sure. And, just 35 miles east of me in Fort Wayne, Indiana, an automotive maintenance business called Fox & Fox has one of the wheel and tire assemblies on display in front of the store… how weird is that?! (click Fox & Fox to see their store front)

 The original B-36 single-tire main landing gear: that's some big tires!

CoolPix - Modern Military: Getting To Know The GAU-8 (The A-10 Nose Cannon)

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‘A-10 Warthog Week’ continues with a CoolPix 4-pack…

Catch the Air Combat Command A-10 East Demo Team
at the Indy Air Show June 12th & 13th

 To understand the history of the Farchild-Republic A-10’s design, you really need to start with General Electric GAU-8 Avenger gatling-gun weapon, as the airplane was really designed and built around this huge 30mm cannon.  Interestingly, the GAU-8 wasn’t completed and operational when both the prototype YA-10A and the Northrop YA-9A first flew in 1972.  The gun was being developed in parallel to these two contenders for the ’Attack Experimental’ competition being held by the Air Force in the late 60’s and early 70’s.  Both prototype aircraft flew originally with the GE M61 Vulcan gun, a 20mm cannon similar to the upcoming GAU-8 but nowhere near as powerful.

  The complete GAU-8 system with full load of ammunition weighs in at just over 4,000 pounds which is about 16% of the A-10’s empty weight.  This gun and its bullets really are a significant part of the airplane.  The gun can unload those 30mm projectiles very quickly as well, at a rate of 3,900 rounds per minute, which means you could empty the entire load (1,174 rounds max) very fast if you don’t go easy on the trigger finger!  Warthog pilots say they never get tired of pulling that trigger, as the thrill of unleashing that kind of firepower never gets old.

 (click pic for hi-res)

 The rather amazing picture above really puts the size of the GAU-8 system into perspective… it’s pretty honkin’ huge!  The 7 rotating barrels measure 90.5 inches long, and the entire system from muzzle to the back end of the ammunition system is 19 feet 5.5 inches overall.  The large cylinder at the rear is the magazine where the ammunition is stored - typically 1,150 rounds.

 The gun is mounted on the airplane centerline to enhance accuracy, which also means that the nose wheel is offset to the side - one of many A-10 trademark features.  The  muzzle velocity is 3,500 feet per second and the gun is known for being extremely accurate.  One major innovation in the system was in using aluminum for the shell cases which allowed for significant weight reduction, a big advantage when dealing with systems for aircraft.  Many large challenges related to firing so many large bullets out the nose of a flying airplane had to be overcome, including an early problem of the firing gases causing engine flameouts, but in the end, a fantastically functional, reliable and accurate system was developed.

 (click pic for hi-res)

The GAU-8 is an amazing piece of firepower that has been very happily married to the A-10 airframe to create one of the most impressive and effective military aircraft ever.  It’s a very capable and dangerous combination that puts anything on the ground, especially tanks, in great peril.

 I highly recommend you read the wikipedia entry for the GUA-8 as it’s filled with many interesting technical details about the cannon.  And, watch for more of ’A-10 Warthog Week’!

 (click pic for hi-res)  The A-10's amazing GAU-8 gatling gun cannon

CoolPix - NASA: Shuttle Endeavour Riding 747 SCA (2008)

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 With Shuttle Atlantis currently in space, and just two launches left in the program (scheduled for the fall), it seems like it's a good time to begin to look back... so you can expect lots of CoolPix and videos of NASA's Space Transportation System.  This pic comes from myitforum.com and shows a very awesome view of Shuttle Endeavour riding on top of a 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft as it made a pass over Johnson Space center in Houston back in December 2008.

 It's pretty amazing that the picture is aligned about as close as you could ever imagine getting to straight down the centerline of both aircraft!  It's also a very unique view from behind, definitely the kind of pic you could look at for a long time - enjoy!

CoolPix - Modern Military: The Ferocious A-10 Warthog

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 The video I posted a couple days ago with a fabulous and rather large A-10 RC model powered by 2 small turbine engines really got me fired up (again) on the A-10 Thunderbolt ll (Warthog), so I went looking for a pic to make into a CoolPix.  This one seemed to capture the essence of Farchild’s tank killer pretty well, especially since the big cannon in the nose is hard to miss.

 The A-10 is an extremely unique aircraft that really stands out both visually and operationally when compared to traditional military hardware.  It’s full of great design and engineering that make it excel at the role of close air support for ground forces.

 The airplane was conceived in the late 60’s, first flew in 1972 and after winning the fly off against the Northrop YA-9A, it became operational in 1976.  715 Warthogs were built, with production ending in 1984, and the airplane is expected to remain in service for many years to come.

 I can feel the need for an ‘A-10 Week’ beginning to brew as this airplane has so many unique and interesting features to explore.  It’s also been a remarkable success story that probably needs to be celebrated… but for now, enjoy this awesome pic of this awesome, ferocious airplane.

CoolPix - Homebuilt: 1959 Trautman 'Road Air' Flying Car (Sorta)

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Most of the large collection of airplanes at the Fantasy of Flight Museum are either military or production models, there are only a handful of special ’experimental’ aircraft.  The one pictured here in this CoolPix is one of those exceptions… it’s a one-of-a-kind flying car named ‘Road Air’ built in 1959 by a guy named Herb Trautman.  Now it’s important to understand that the term flying car has to be used rather loosely here as it seems this unusual machine only flew once, getting just 3 feet off the ground.  Herb decided after that 90 mph experience that ‘Road Air’ really wasn’t fit for either the road or the air.

 The somewhat lifting body design actually has pivoting wings that are stowed behind the main gear.  In these pictures, the left wing is partially swung out.  I couldn’t find any pictures of this thing with the wings fully deployed, but after giving it some thought, I think Mr. Trautman was on to some pretty good thinking here.  To me,  the biggest problems are that the wings are pretty small, it’s kinda heavy with a 1,000 pound gross weight, and it only has 85hp.  Add to that the likelihood that he didn’t have the benefit of wind tunnel testing to ensure that the tail surfaces were up to the task, and it’s easy to see why it only flew once.

 However, when I think thru all of the flying car designs I’ve seen over the years, the basic design philosophy here seems remarkably viable.  It sure would be interesting to see how a lightweight carbon fiber version with about 120hp and more wing area would perform.  We may never know, but at least it’s really cool to see this unique piece of aviation history beautifully on display at Fantasy of Flight : )

Left wing of the 'Road Air' flying car partially deployed

All things considered, the 'Road Air' was a really interesting concept

CoolPix - Modern Military: 1960's Era OV-10 Bronco!

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 I woke up this morning with a craving for OV-10 Bronco!  I started digging thru the internet and came across this sweet pic and thought: yep, that looks like a CoolPix to me.  So I tweaked it a tad in photoshop and now here it is for you to open up nice and big and take a good look at one of the neatest little military aircraft ever made.  And don't forget that CoolPix images make pretty nice desktop backgrounds as well, that's part of the reason I make them available like I do.

 The OV-10 has a very interesting development history, as does the entire Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) project that took place in the early 1960's.  You can see some detailed info and pix of many of the aircraft entered in that competition at this CombatReform.org page.  The original concept for the OV-10 was for it to be a very small lightweight aircraft able to operate from roads in a jungle setting.  A really small 20' wingspan was envisioned along with a 6.5' main gear stance, but as things progressed, pretty much everything changed.  By the time a prototype was built, it was much heavier and had a 30' wingspan.

 As the pic below shows, the prototype wingspan looks pretty short!  The wingspan was increased to 40' for production aircraft which meant any ideas that related to operating off of roads in really tight locations was just a distant memory.  However, the airplane still wound up being useful in a wide variety of roles in Vietnam.  The U.S. Air Force, Marines, and Navy all had variants of the OV-10.

 Comparing OV-10 production wingspan to the prototype aircraft

 Boeing now has the manufacturing rights to the OV-10 and is actually considering putting a modernized version back into production as the OV-10X.  Here's an informative Flightglobal story on the OV-10X from September 2009, and the picture below shows that visually it's essentially the same aircraft.

 Boeing illustration of a possible updated Bronco - the OV-10X

CoolPix - Homebuilt: John Moody Flying The Easy Riser At SNF10

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 I might be throwing a lot of new CoolPix images at you in the near future since it’s so much more interesting to see an image fill your monitor so you can get in on the details.  This ‘Homebuilts’ entry is a picture I took last Saturday morning at Sun n’ Fun of John Moody flying the Larry Mauro designed Easy Riser. 

 As I mentioned in the SNF 35 picture post from several days ago, John Moody pretty much started the ultralight movement many years ago flying a foot-launched Easy Riser up at Oshkosh.  Prior to that event, it just wasn’t really thought by the masses that a small powerplant could transform a hang glider into a self-motivating flying machine.  I just think it’s so cool to see him still flying an airplane like the Easy Riser about 35 years later!

 The large version of this image really pulls you in and lets you see details like the many cables used for bracing the airframe, the translucent wing and rudder covering, and John having fun in the morning sunshine.  It’s also interesting to ponder just how advanced this little airplane is with its biplane, swept wings and no horizontal tail.  There are even kits available for the Easy Riser which allow you to get yourself off the ground in style for not much cabbage.

 You can learn more about John and get more info on the Easy Riser kits at PioneerFlyer.com.

CoolPix - Vintage Military: Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando Cockpit

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 Here’s a really neat picture of a Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando cockpit for another CoolPix entry in the 'Vintage Military' category.  Big versions of pictures like this are particularly good for spending some time studying how things are laid out.  I especially like how you can imagine how open this cockpit would feel since there are second row of windows at the knee and hip areas.    

 When I was a kid I learned quickly to tell a C-46 from a Douglas C-47 (DC-3) by looking for the crease that runs along the fuselage, the smoothly integrated cockpit windows, and by its chubbier overall look.  But back then I always thought the two airplanes were very similar in capability.  The truth is that the C-46 Commando is a bigger, more powerful aircraft with a significantly larger payload.

 Originally designed in the late 30’s as an airliner, the CW-20, as it was designated then, was meant to take what the DC-3 could do to a higher level, literally.  The CW-20 was pressurized.  That’s why the crease was there... it was part of a fuselage design to minimize pressurization stresses.  With the onset of WWII, the CW-20 quickly wound up as the unpressurized cargo aircraft we know as the C-46. 

 Ultimately ending up with two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines of about 2,000 hp each, the C-46 had a payload about twice that of the C-47, and it could take that load higher as well.  That led to the airplane being used extensively in the China/Burma/India regions in WWII flying over the Himalaya Mountains.

 Even tho over 3,000 of them were built, that’s a relatively small number compared to C-47/DC-3 production.  Plus, the much higher operating expenses of the larger engines made it difficult for the airplane to compete with the DC-3 after the war as a small airliner.  As it turns out, very few C-46’s remain airworthy today.

Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando

CoolPix- Racers: Strega (Italian For Witch) In The Pit At Reno 2009

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 Here's a CoolPix in the 'Racers' category... and it's another pic I took at Reno 2009.  I thought it was particularly interesting because of the witch that's hanging from the roof over the business end of the P-51 Strega, the 2009 Unlimited Gold Race Champion.

 I'm guessing many of you already knew that 'Strega' is the Italian word for 'witch'.  It was new to me, but I don't think I'll have any trouble remembering now after this pic!  And while I don't think Strega was tapping into any supernatural powers at Reno 2009, there's no doubt there was a lot of horsepower involved.  With 22 year old Steve Hinton Jr in the cockpit, Strega had both the strength and the endurance to come out on top.  It was pretty special too as Steve is the youngest winner ever of the Gold Unlimited Race.

 Another thing I like about this pic is that it shows the airplane in the pit area where the race prep work is done.  If you have the pit pass, you're able to walk around and watch as the airplanes are being extensively worked on.  It's a pretty amazing opportunity to see this kind of work being done right in front of you, and it's another reason why the Reno Air Races are so interesting.  This view is also a little different as I had the camera raised high on a monopod to give a little different perspective, and it made the witch easy to see : )

 The 2010 Reno Air Races will take place September 15-19.  

    Strega doing her thing!   photo: Curtis Fowles / MustangsMustangs