CoolPix - NASA: STS-130 Endeavour Night Landing At KSC On 2-21-10

(click pic for hi-res)

 Another new CoolPix category… this time it’s NASA, and the pic isn’t even 48 hours old!  It’s the beautiful landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-130) on runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility - Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  It has a bit of a ’computer generated’ look to it given that it was a low light image, but it’s the real thing to be sure… and an awesome sight!  (lots more STS-130 NASA pix) 

 It’s also a fitting image given that there are only 4 launches left before the Space Shuttle program is scheduled to retire.  The image here speaks to that with the dark sky and overwhelming stillness in the air.  Yet, this image also shows the Shuttle looking proud, strong, and very American.  It was an excellent landing that once again demonstrated the rather amazing accomplishment of ’re-usable’ spacecraft.

 The Shuttle Program has certainly had it’s difficulties, setbacks and tragedies.  But ALL endeavors of mankind that stretch us to the limit carry great risk… and without question, the risk of death.  That IS the human experience. 

 The ’explorer’ in all of us is the most alive when these risks are faced head on.

 FYI: the small puffs of fire seen on the left side of the leading edge of the vertical fin are from one of the auxiliary power units as it does a controlled burn-off of the highly toxic and dangerously unstable hydrazine fuel that powers them.  It's completely normal, just not usually noticeable on daytime landings.  If you look close at the CoolPix image, you'll see a small puff is visible there as well.

CoolPix - Airliners: Airbus A380 Looking Really Big At Oshkosh 2009

(click pic for hi-res)

 Seeing the Airbus A380 at Oshkosh 2009 was fantastic no matter how you look at it.  To see the world's largest airliner put on a flight demo right in front of you was amazing!  And of course, a light airplane (if you can ever call an A380 light!) showing off in a sunny sky made it all the better.

 This pic I took does a really good job of highlighting the rubber-rich landing gear, which just happens to be at the very start of the retraction cycle - you'll notice the large nose and main gear doors are opening.  You also get a good view of both leading and trailing edge flaps here.  That wing is just unbelievably big, especially at the root.

 It's also interesting to see some moisture trails coming off the inboard nacelle strakes on the two right engines due to the high angle of attack.  I really enjoy looking at the details in a pic like this : ) 

 Having the A380 on display thru the week was a huge treat (no pun intended), and I'm so glad I had the chance to see her up close.  I'm really hoping we'll see a fanplastic 787 on display this year, but so far I haven't heard a word about the possibility.

CoolPix - Homebuilt: Ray Hegy's El Chuparosa At Oshkosh 1970!

(click pic for hi-res)

 I took this picture as a 9 year old at the first Oshkosh ever in 1970.  It’s not the best image as it was taken with a cheap Kodak Instamatic camera… and it’s 40 years old now too!  But, it’s definitely worthy of being the first CoolPix in the ‘Homebuilt’ category. 

 The airplane is called El Chuparosa (a Spanish way to say hummingbird) and was built by the late Ray Hegy over 9 years, with the first flight in 1959.  Thru the 60’s and early 70’s, Ray would fly the one-of-a-kind airplane of his own design from his home in Marfa, Texas to the EAA fly-in.  Back in those days at the fly-in, it was common practice to have the homebuilts flying around the pattern, running laps, for much of the day.  It was a great way for anyone to put their work on display in the sky for all to see.  Ray was always the first one up early in the morning and screaming around the pattern in the A-65 powered Chuparosa.  She’d make some pretty big noise and it was an awesome way to wake up in the campground!  I can still remember hearing him : ) 

 This is a pretty historical pic for several reasons.  One, simply because it’s of the El Chuparosa, which just happens to be on display in the EAA museum.  But also because in 1970, the EAA fly-in and convention had just moved from Rockford, Illinois to Oshkosh.  This was a pretty big deal to be sure, and it’s really neat to see a pic of the grounds from that first year. 

 Speaking of the grounds, did you look at that grass?  Check out how trampled it is from a week of people walking around the airplane!  That’s not a shadow under the airplane, that’s the green alfalfa still standing.  I don’t remember if the event had already ended, but things do seem pretty well cleared out in the pic.  But that trampled greenery sure tells the story of thousands and thousands of people taking a close look at Ray’s little hummingbird.

 It’s also really neat to see the tower in the background.  It was just last year when it was torn down.  Also interesting to see the early version of the fence, on beyond the airplane, that separated the flight line from the rest of the event for so many years.

 Lastly, it’s cool to see some of the details that made El Chuparosa unique.  The pretty racy overall shape for the day, the plexi windows and windshield that enclose the area under and forward of the top wing, and the little hinged and blue tinted plexi cap that’s in the open position here.  Ray was a little kooky too, as can be seen by the ’Beware of Blast’ placard just above his cool augmented and flush exhaust port. 

 The airplane is a lot smaller than you’d think looking at the pic too.  Ray was a pretty small guy.  The top wingspan is only 12ft 10in and the overall length just 14ft 1in.  That helps to explain part of why I was so taken with it… it was just my size as a 9 year old!  Ray and El Chuparosa were an important part of the 60’s and 70’s in the EAA, and I’m so thankful to have memories of him over so many years.  Ray Hegy is a true icon of the spirit of aviation.

CoolPix - Racers: Rare Bear In The Sunshine At Reno 2009

(click pic for hi-res)

 Another new CoolPix category, this time it’s ‘Racers’... and what a sweet racer this is!  This is a pic I took at Reno 2009 as the sun made the colors in the new paint come alive.  I’ve been a huge fan of this airplane for many years, and I think this new scheme takes the airplane to a whole new level.  Be sure to click the pic to see it big and up close.  This is definitely desktop material : )

 The clear air and bright sunshine make the Reno Air Races an excellent event to get perfect pictures of amazing airplanes.  This fact alone should be enough to convince you to make plans to be at the races in September.

 Rare Bear has had a long and interesting race history that began in 1969 as ‘Able Cat’, followed by the name ‘Phoenix l’ in 1971.  It didn’t pick up the current name until 1980.  I’m guessing she’ll be Rare Bear forever now.

 The airplane looked hot in the new paint, but the engine wasn’t quite up to the task in 2009.  The crew, along with John Penney as pilot were able to snag second place in the championship race, helped by the fact that VooDoo had to mayday before the end of the race.  In theory, 2010 should be a stellar year for unlimited racing with a stronger Bear, scorchin’ hot P-51’s in VooDoo and 2009 Gold winner Strega, and there might be several surprise contenders show up as well.  Awesome stuff indeed. 

 To learn more about the Bearcat with the cool paint, check out the official Rare Bear website, as well as this indepth article at AirSpaceMag.com.  The Bear is definitely back… watch out Reno 2010!

CoolPix - Vintage Military: Awesome Lineup Of 10 de Havilland Mosquitos

(click pic for hi-res)

 Here’s another CoolPix in the 'Vintage Military' category.  A lineup of 10 de Havilland Mosquitos that appear to be factory fresh and ready to go to war.

 In my mind, the de Havilland Mosquito is one of the best aircraft of all time for a variety of reasons.  Fabulous structural engineering resulted in an extremely light but strong airframe made mostly out of wood.  Great aerodynamic design made it an exceptional performer… extremely fast with a top speed of nearly 400 mph, and great handling qualities as well.  And then there’s the gorgeous lines of its shape.  Everything just seems to be in the right place.

 Be sure to view the hi-res version (click the pic) and look at the details of the airplanes.  It also looks like there’s a wind sock on beyond the last airplane in the line.  And look at that field… huge, smooth, and with short grass.  This is an absolutely awesome picture!

 Loads more Mosquito info at dhmosquito.com.

CoolPix - X Planes: Vertol VZ-2 Tiltwing Research Aircraft Circa 1960

 (click pic for hi-res)

 Another new category for the CoolPix feature here at AirPigz… this time it’s ’X Planes’, which is meant to reflect predominately any experimental or research aircraft sponsored by a government agency.  That means that while it certainly includes the ‘official’ X-Planes that started with the X-1, it also includes many other ‘X’ designated aircraft, like the XFY-1 Pogo (video) as well as others like this sorta freakish looking Vertol VZ-2, which doesn't have an ‘X’ in the designation at all.  I hope that all makes sense.

 As with all the CoolPix, viewing the hi-res version is what it’s all about.  This pic was taken in December 1960 and shows several of the rather bizarre features of the VZ-2.  It was powered by a single turboshaft engine in the 700hp range that sits on top of the fuselage, right behind the tiltable wing.  That engine drives to the prop/rotors (presumably via shafting) which allows the wing-mounted nacelles to be rather small.  The engine also drives two small ducted fans at the rear, incorporated into the ‘T’ tail.  One for added pitch control, and the other, seen in the pic at the end of the fuselage, for yaw control.  It also has both a small nosewheel and tailwheel.  This hi-res pic allows you the chance to see lots of interesting details of a very unusual flying machine!

 The program ended in 1965 after the odd VTOL made about 450 flights, including 34 full transitions from vertical to forward flight.  The aircraft is believed to be currently in storage at the National Air and Space Museum.  The rare video below shows the VZ-2 in flight - cool stuff!

CoolPix - Airshow: Blue Angels At 2009 Reno Air Races

 (click pic for hi-res)

 This is only the second post in the new AirPigz feature called ‘CoolPix’, with this one coming in under the category ‘Airshow’.  After seeing how nice it was that the first post with the pic of Hangar One at Moffett Field was also viewable in hi-res, I’ve decided that I really need to try to work that element into as many CoolPix as I can.

 So, this one is available in hi-res too simply by clicking the picture.  It’s actually a photo I took of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels at the 2009 Reno Air Races.  The F-18 is one of the most beautiful jet fighters ever built, and when flown with the unbelievably high level of precision demonstrated by the Blue Angels (like as close as 18” apart!), it’s simply a mind-boggling experience.  This diamond formation looks especially nice with the airplanes all in tight, the perfect colored sky and the beautiful clouds in the background.  I hope you enjoy it : )

CoolPix - Vintage Military: US Navy Airship In Hangar One At Moffett Field

(click pic for hi-res)

 CoolPix is a new regular feature that’s starting right now.  Intriguing pictures (hopefully!) from all over the world of aviation.  From the past and the present,  broken down into at least 12 categories, like ’Vintage Military’, that will follow the word ‘CoolPix’ in the title so they can easily searched.  I also plan to have pre-sort links set up after the database builds up so you’ll be able to quickly experience some fab pix that are meant to inspire and educate.  I hope you’ll take the few extra moments these pix deserve to really take in what is going on.  You can just glance at them, but I promise you’ll be missing a lot if that’s all you do : )

 So, the very first CoolPix is an awesome view of a U.S. Navy airship in Hangar One at Moffett Field.  These type of hangars are awe-inspiring to say the least.  The hangar measures 1,133’ long, 308’ wide, and 198’ tall!  Airships, like the USS Macon and USS Akron were 785’ long, so it obviously took a super-sized hangar to house them.  Hangar One was built in the 1930’s.

 Most CoolPix won’t be available in hi-res (click the pic) but this one is, which is especially cool as it pulls you in close so you can see more of the structure details… but the best part for me is to look really close and notice the people inside.  They are so small!  It’s then that you really get the sense of how crazy huge both the hangar and the airship are.

 Lastly, this is an interesting pic because there have been efforts to possibly tear down, or at least remove all the skin from the still-standing Hangar One landmark.  There have been several ’rescue’ thoughts and attempts, but it appears at the moment that a final decision still hasn’t been made.  Anyone with more info on the status please share them in the comments - thanx!