Video: The 'SLICK' Look At Oshkosh 2014 (Must See!)

 SLICK (Wesley Perkins) has crunched down the footage and his OSH14 video hit the streets (of youtube) over the weekend! This year's version is more of what we've come to expect in the way of a great video that captures the incredible aviation diversity that is Oshkosh, the world's greatest aviation event.

 With such strong attendance this year in both people and aircraft, there's no reason to think that OSH won't remain king of the hill for a long time to come. The reality tho is that Oshkosh isn't about being a mega event, it's really all about people with a passionate love for flying (and building, re-building, or restoring) airplanes of every imaginable kind. It's grass roots. It's down to earth. It's real. If for some reason this isn't the Oshkosh you know, may I suggest that you're doing it wrong. I've experienced 36 or 37 Oshkosh weeks since I was just 9 years old in 1970, and I love my time there every bit as much today as I ever have. 

 Thanx SLICK for another fabulous video reminder of how great Oshkosh Is!

(I've no idea what this A********e thingy is... I've never been to one of those and I never will. To understand what I mean, read reason #1 under 'WHY IT'LL NEVER HAPPEN'  : )

other Slick OSH videos:
OSH13
OSH11
 OSH10 

Like this post? Tell your friends... use the 'share' or 'email' article links below - thanx : )

CoolPix: OSH12 - Duggy! (The Little Yellow Aluminum Overcast : )

(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

Video: The Best Airline Commercial. Ever. (British Airways 2011)

 After I decided this must be the best airline commercial ever, I started thinking back to commercials over the years and wondering if any other one might be better. I've been paying attention to airline ads on TV for over 40 years, and I just can't think of one that connected with the aviator in me while still conveying the message that they're here to transportl people safely from point A to point B. I really think this is the best ever.

 Thank you British Airways... I like you more than ever before.

 This the-making-of video is every bit as captivating as the commercial. Bravo BA!

NatGeo TV Goes Cold... Really Cold With Ice Pilots Season 1!

Ice Pilots season 1 comes to National Gepgraphic TV starting Friday April 22, 2011

Get more info and schedule details at the National Geographic Ice Pilots page

(5 pix and 2 videos)

 I'm pretty sure you've heard of the Ice Pilots TV show that's been running in Canada on History Television since 2009, but if you're like me, you been a tad frustrated that we haven't had a way to watch the adventures of Buffalo Airways down here in 'land of the free and the home of the brave'. It's actually been even more frustrating since Ice boss Joe McBryan and general manager Mikey McBryan were on hand at Oshkosh 2010 with a DC-3 and DC-4 stirring up attention for the show.

 Well, we can fret no more because it's NatGeo to the rescue! Season 1 of Ice Pilots will premiere tomorrow night on The National Geographic Channel. And, while I don't have access to NatGeo with my cable package, I'm looking into an upgrade so I can finally sit at home in a nice warm house and watch semi-crazy people operate 50 to 70 year old airplanes in winter temperatures as low as -30F!

The Buffalo Airways DC-4 in the sunshine and snow

Click to read more ...

Videos: Oshkosh Dreamin' As We Head Toward Winter

 The high temp in northern Indiana today was right around the freezing mark, and with the clear knowledge that winter is on the way I found myself aching for some pure summer feelings... and that of course left me thinking about Oshkosh! It's pretty hard to beat a video (or two) from youtuber slickhutto for getting that OSH feeling stirred up, so here ya go! The 2009 Oshkosh video from Slick is above - I figured if you've already seen it, it's probably been a while, so it should feel pretty fresh...

...and this video is the one from 2010. Slick does a great job of capturing the real feel of Oshkosh, while also doing a fab job of editing. If you're a purist and would rather watch some Oshkosh without it bering a music video, check out Slick's youtube page for the more recent uploads that run 10 minutes and feature airplanes with all their natural (beautiful) sounds.

 I hope watching these videos inspires you to push ahead with whatever aviation project you're into. Whether you're building an airplane, learning to fly, upgrading your ratings, or maybe needing to fall in love with flying again (or just soaking up all the aviation knowledge you can find), watching moments from Oshkosh is one of the best ways to be motivated. I know it sure helps keep me going - thanx Slick : )

Caption Contest #40 Winner - DC-3 McDouble?

 

 If it looks like you're seeing mc'double', you are. We wound up with a tie in the original round of Caption Contest voting that ended on Friday evening. So early in the morning on Saturday, right before I departed for a 4 hour drive to Cedar Point for some rollercoaster induced smilage, I put up a tie-breaker poll to finally get the winner picked. After a full day of rollercoasters, chilly air, and my first ever ride on the maXair (review coming before long), I left America's Roller Coast at 10:15 pm and wound up checking the poll results while on the drive back home, I was very surprised to see that the tie-breaker had ended at midnight in a tie!

 I decided we'd just have to make them both a winner this time around. Congrats to 'seerjfly' for the top caption, and to 'TTurley' for the bottom caption. You'll each get a bacon sandwich if you can make it to Oshkosh 2011... or should I call them an AirPigz McBacon Deluxe? : )

 Lastly, due to the tie, and to my extreme Cedar Point fatigue (from acting liking a hyper 16 year old in a 49 year old body), we're gonna skip the Caption Contest this week and set our sights on next week. Cheers.

Video: 10' RC C-47... Under 7 Pounds & Flies Like The Real Thing!

Screenshot pix from the video below

Don't let the boring thumbnail fool ya, this is a Must See video!

 Radio controlled models are awesome, but one thing they don't do very well is look like real airplanes in the way that they fly. They're usually very quick on the response and move thru the air too quickly for their size to really look like a full scale airplane. However, this ultralight C-47 made out of foam has a 10 foot wingspan but it weighs less than 7 pounds. That may not seem like a big deal, but just watch it fly in this video... this big size and really light weight make it one of the coolest flying machines I've ever seen! (UPDATE 8.16.10: I talked with the builder of the C-47, Gary from Clovis, NM, and he said it actually only weighs 5.4 pounds! That really explains the great slow flying qualities. More coming soon.) 

 The much slower flying speed and the relatively low power of the motors makes it look amazingly real. This is especially true on the fabulous wheel landing at the end of the video. I could watch, or even better, fly this thing all day!

 I'll have more on this brand of off-the-scale avgeekery soon : )

OSHKOSH Pic Stream #8 - Departures (Includes C-5 Galaxy - 22 pix)

 Some people drool over a Piper Malibu, Beech Bonanza, or a Cirrus SR22, but if I was able to have any airplane that could take a few friends along and get there kinda quick, I'd want this Mr Mulligan replica! I'm assuming this is the one from the Arkansas Air Museum as I'm not aware of any other replicas of this most amazing aircraft from the mid 1930's. 550 hp hangin' off the nose and room for four... I'm likes it!

 I got this pic while on the way to help my friend @adamcanfly get his camping stuff moved from Camp Scholler to the far south end of the airport so we could load it into the Cherokee he had flown in from Kansas. We had to stop and let Mr Mulligan taxi by in front of us, and it's hard to catch me at Oshkosh without my camera. Mr Mulligan looked to be all loaded up and blasting off for home on this morning, the the last day of Oshkosh.

 Once we got down past the south end of 18-36 where the Cherokee was parked, which btw, Adam claims is actually far enuf south to be considered part of Fond du Lac and not Oshkosh(!), I realized that some of the departing aircraft were going right overhead. Another great time to grab the camera! This pic is a modern WACO with the nifty FlyWACO.com web address on the underside : )

Click to read more ...

Oshkosh 2010 Pic Stream #7 - The End Is Nearing (21 pix)

 By Friday, Oshkosh 2010 was getting closer to reaching the end, and I was really beginning to wear down from covering the grounds 12+ hours a day, but that doesn't mean there wasn't still a bazillion things to see! As usual, there were cool things to look at right up until I left the grounds on Sunday. These pix however are from Friday. This is the Plane Driven PD-1, a highly modified Glasair Sportsman configured to actually be able to drive down the road with the wings folded.

 This big black pod under the cabin is hiding an 80 hp engine that is used to drive the main-gear wheels for road driving. Tho none of the pictures here show it, the pod actually gets moved way aft along those rails creating a really long wheelbase when in the driving mode. It's moved forward, as shown, for the flight mode to keep the weight of the engine and associated components on the airplane's CG.

 It all makes a very unique solution to the decades long quest to make an airplane that also can roll down the road. But honestly, I still struggle with the idea of putting a lightweight airframe thru the potentially punishing experience of potholes and rough roads. And then there's all those crazy drivers on the road too! Overall tho, the PD-1 seems well executed, and only time will tell if this is an idea the world is really ready for.

 I thought it was pretty cool to see three Pitts Model 12 aircraft with a KC-135, a C-5, and the Erickson Air Crane all in the background. As usual, loads of aviation diversity at Oshkosh.

Click to read more ...

Oshkosh 2010 Pic Stream #5 - Sunny Thursday (And Wearing Down) (12 pix)

 Thursday found me wearing down from covering so much real estate on Wittman Field for Oshkosh 2010. So, I'm a little late getting these pix posted, and they're just a very small part of the day, but the sunshine and nice clouds made it a fantastic day to get great photos.

 I've seen a few Sikorsky S-64 Sky Cranes over the years, but the Erickson version of it called the Air Crane is by far the cleanest and most impressive. Like last year, the Air Crane put on a water-drop demo as part of the airshow. This very unique flying machine is always an awesome sight to see.

 This F4U Corsair was stunning to see. It was getting a lot of attention from its crew, but that was just to make look more perfect than you can imagine. It was also beautifully displayed in one of the corners of Warbird Alley.

Click to read more ...