(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 : )
(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 : )
(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 : )
(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 : )
(click pic for hi-res) The gorgeous Cub I plan to win in the drawing September 10th
Yeah, I know it crazy for me to think I really stand any chance of winning this little yellow cutie in the EAA Win The Cub Sweepstakes, but it never hurts to dream big! I bought a stack of tickets for the drawing during Oshkosh, and they'll pull the winning ticket out on September 10th. I figure this is my best chance to have an airplane of my very own for quite some time yet... so hopefully soon I'll be dealing with the hassles of registration paperwork and which airport am I gonna keep the ole girl at : )
I captured this image of the sweepstakes Cub on Sunday the day before Oshkosh started. I had just been down at Hartford Wisconsin for the Cubs 2 OSH event and I was dealing with a pretty severe case of yellow Cub fever by this time. And then, with the awesome blue sky and sun, and then waiting a few minutes for the people to clear away from the airplane, I was able to get this really nice image. I did a few photoshop tweaks to it and then noticed that it actually takes on the slight look of a painting. The shadows and reflections in the yellow of the paint all around the airplane are a little extra special here. Especially when you open this CoolPix up big and get in close.
Anyway, I just wanted you all to have a really nice look at my Cub before I get to bring her home : )
(click pic for hi-res) Antique airplanes and a young laptop user mix just fine at OSH12
Maybe you don't think like I do, but when I see the shapes and colors of fabulous antique aircraft like these Waco biplanes and that Ryan PT-22, I feel passion and excitement. I think that's the big missing ingredient in most of what modern General Aviation has to offer today, but that's a debate for another time. The point of this picture is how well these great old aircraft mix with a young man using a laptop while sitting in their midst. It's the kind of 'people and airplanes' sight you see at Oshkosh. A lot. There's something incredibly extraordinary about living everyday life surrounded by the magical world of aviation... especially when it's aircraft from the Golden Age!
I've posted this image as a hi-res CoolPix so you could take in those great colors, shapes and textures, but I didn't actually plan to make this one in the various 'desktop' sizes. I'd be happy to do that tho if anyone is wanting it - just let me know.
And, I'm making plans now to get myself over to Blakesburg Iowa for a couple of days at the Antique Aircraft Association invitational fly-in that runs August 29th thru September 3rd. My young aviation adventures back in the 1970's focused mostly on Oshkosh and the Reno Air Races, but I know my dad took me to one of the AAA fly-ins when I was about 10 or 11. For whatever reason tho, the AAA fly-in didn't become a staple for me. I wish it had. I can see that spending some time at Antique Airfield for this very grass roots event has the potential to be most satisfying! I really love old airplanes!
(click pic for hi-res) The flipped version of the amazing Pensacola Beach airshow pic
You might remember that I had a poll up back in July to see if y'all liked the original version of this amazing pic that the Blue Angels posted on their facebook page, or the one that I flipped over so that the world was right-side-up. I felt that the flipped image somehow had more impact, and interesting, so did 71% of the people who voted in the poll. The whole point of the poll was to determine which version I would re-post as 'desktop' images so you could easily put this awesome pic on your computer screen.
So, here ya go, this perfect pic for desktop use in four of the most popular sizes. Enjoy!
I'm posting this sweet video that focuses on Rare Bear back at the 2003 Reno Air Races for two reasons... first because last night on the AirPigz facebook page I posted the link to the CoolPix category of hi-res images here on AirPigz to encourage people to go experience a great collection of over 110 pix that are pure avgeekery. I needed a CoolPix thumbnail to put with the post on fb and chose the one I captured of Rare Bear back in 1995 at the Phoenix 500 race (below) that really showed off the 3-blade prop they used for many years. Then today I stumbled across this 2003 Reno video that really shows off that fabulous prop and the amazing music that the Wright R-3350 makes, especially at start up.
The second reason for posting this video is to show a little of the history of the Reno Air Races in an effort to encourage you to go buy tickets right now to the races coming up September 12-16, 2012, even if you can't get out there. The sport of air racing needs our support more than it ever has before... if you see the value that air racing brings to the larger world of aviation, then I encourage you to make an investment in the future. The significant increase in the insurance costs for the races after last year's tragic events mean that financial support is extremely important to the future of the Reno Air Races. Please make an investment in the future of air racing NOW!
Even with some nagging development delays, Northrop Grumman's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) still went thru the design/prototype/first flight process in the pretty short time frame of just over 24 months. Working with several partner organizations (most notably Hybrid Air Vehicles in England) and pulling together the latest hybrid airship technology, NoGr has taken a giant step forward in creating the first truly viable military airship concept. Some critics out there see this as just a batch of hot air, but a closer look at the capabilities and operating costs associated with the helium filled LEMV point to this being an impressive project.
The first flight, over 90 minutes in duration, was conducted on Tuesday August 7, 2012 at Lakehurst, New Jersey (sound familiar?) and it appears it was a great success. The plan at this point is for the LEMV to complete all testing and be deployed to Afghanistan by the U.S. Army in early 2013 as an airborne platform for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). The ability to remain airborne for up to 21 days radically transforms the capability of an ISR platform. And, with the ability to operate with a manned crew, as a UAV, or completely autonomously, the LEMV adds significant versatility to the method in which it operates.
Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) first flight video - August 7, 2012
One of the most valuable capabilities of the 302' long LEMV is the enhanced payload. By using the helium in the advanced envelope to drastically reduce takeoff weight, the LEMV then uses the shape of the envelope (with forward airspeed) to generate 40% it's overall lift and the vectored thrust from four engines with ducted fans to generate about 25% of it. It's still unclear to me if the engines are Thielert 350hp diesel V8 engines, or turboprops, or a combination of the two. For heavy payloads (2,750 pounds), and especially for extremely heavy payloads (15,000 punds - Heavy Lift Configuration) the LEMV requires a takeoff roll to become airborne. It appears tho that the takeoff distance is at or below 1000 feet even at the heaviest weights.
The hybrid airship can operate as high 20,000 feet and has a loiter speed of 30 kts with a dash speed of 80kts. Airships have always been challenged by the difficulty of landing in strong and gusty winds, but the impressive vectored thrust capabilities on the LEMV, combined with its long endurance would mean that landing frequency would be greatly reduced and also far easier to accomplish. Additionally, landings could be more easily scheduled to occur during more desirable weather conditions. The Zeppelin NT airship has certainly shown how much more versatile a 3-axis vectored thrust airship can be in the takeoff and landing phase.
Front view of the LEMV on first flight (photo: US Army Space & Missile Def Command)
Overall, the LEMV appears to headed toward a successful deployment, despite the past attempts and failures of a variety of heavy lift airship concepts, and the ever challenging world of acquiring defense funds and operational support. The next few months of this program will really tell if the LEMV can live up to its potential.
Lastly, you should note that the first flight video shows the LEMV flying at a very light weight where a takeoff run isn't required. And, instead of rotating the entire duct and prop, the LEMV appears to use movable vanes behind the ducts to vector the thrust. I also noticed in the hi-res CoolPix image, when looking at the nose of the airship, the right envelope body looks to be a different shape than the left body. When you look at the image just above here that shows a more frontal view, you can see what appears to be a larger radius nose on the right body, and it may actually protrude forward of the left body. I'm not really sure what exactly is going on there, or why, but it does look intentional. There will be lots more interesting details to learn about this very unusual airship in the coming months!
(click pic for hi-res) Duggy, 'the smile in the sky' DC-3 going almost directly overhead
I'm getting closer to getting things back under control at AirPigz after the failure of my primary computer during OSH12. I'm still taking the easy way out today with just a CoolPix and a couple complimentary images... but very soon I should be able to get back on track with some detailed posts of some cool things from OSH12. The new computer is working great and I should have the all the files restored in the next 36 hours.
It's hard not to notice Duggy at Oshkosh. A beautiful all yellow DC-3 with a smile on the nose that also doubles as a workhorse for the airshow skydivers. I just happened to be in a good spot one day as the airshow was preparing to begin and had this view of Duggy almost directly overhead. (I'm all about the details: note the tailwheel, it's not on the centerline... a clear sign that the airplane isn't actually 'directly' overhead)
So if you've ever wondered what the bottom of a DC-3 really looks like, here's your chance. Click the pic to open up the hi-res and have yourself a look. If you're like me, you'll scout around the bottom of the airplane looking for something interesting. The small 'tm' trademark after 'Duggy' was the only thing I specifically noticed, other than the bottom looked pretty clean to me. That's a lot of wing area to keep clean!
A rare look at Duggy without a crowd around the happiest DC-3 in the world at OSH12
The rather small front office of the smiliest Douglas DC-3 during taxi - Duggy.com
Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 12:30PM 
(click pic for hi-res) 1934 Waco YMF-3 departing Antique Airfield last Sunday morning
