Video: LiveAirShowTV Will Take YOU To The Reno Air Races! (+ Precious Metal DeskTop Pix)

2014 Reno Air Races: September 10-14

 I'm fortunate to be able to squeak in another trip 2,050 miles west to the Reno Air Races... it'll be my fourth time driving there in the last six years of attendance. Driving is actually the cheapest way for to make the trip happen, tho it brings a special kind of fatigue. Anyway, getting to Reno is not something everyone can do, but LiveAirShowTV will take anyone there that has a computer and some internets to tap into!

 The video above gives you the details on when and how to catch the LiveAirShowTV coverage of the 2014 National Championship Air Races. Their coverage is fantastic and turns your inability to make the trip to Reno no big deal as you get to experience so much of the action right from home. They also have daily recap videos for you to check out if you can't find the time to watch the races as they happen. It's all an amazing opportunity to be part of the world's fastest sport! I will add however, NOTHING beats being on-site at the races! 

LiveAirShowTV

(click pic for hi-res)  Precious Metal and Thom Richard in the Gold race at Reno 2013

 I'm including another Precious Metal desktop image from the Gold race at Reno 2013. This time cropped in close for great detail! I'm planning for most of my 2014 Reno coverage to be focused on Team Precious Metal and Thom Richard as he returns with loads more Griffon power under the hood and another year of airframe tweaks. This really could be the year that PM shows that she's truly a contender for Reno Gold!

 Hopefully I'll have some nice pix and info to share during the races, and then afterward I hope to be able to share a very detailed post with much more behind-the-scenes info of what made Team PM tick at Reno 2014. Til then, I hope you'll consider downloading a free desktop pic of Thom and his mixmaster P-51 to put on your desktop as Reno fast approaches. #lowfastleft

Thom Richard and Precious Metal in the Gold race at Reno 2013:

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Part 3: Blue Angels Mega Post (Video+CoolPix+Desktop)

(click pic for hi-res)  Pensacola Beach airshow pic from 2012 #awesome

 The Blue Angels mega-post comes to an end today, but I hope it has served to drive you to their airshow schedule to see when and where you can experience them live and in person. I see several dates that will potentially work for me this summer and look forward to it!

 You might remember that when the Navy released the image above from the 2012 Pensacola Beach airshow, it was flipped over with the world upside-down, which is the way it was captured... and while that was very impressive to view, I had a feeling that it might be more powerful when flipped over with the world right-side-up. So I flipped it over in photoshop and it came alive for me. Then I decided to see if I was just a weirdo or if more of you agreed with me. The poll I put up showed over 70% agreed that it was a more powerful image when flipped over as seen above, so that's how I made it available as a desktop pic. Here it is again in four popular desktop sizes in case you didn't snag it before:

Pensacola Beach 2012 Blue Angels inverted pass:

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 Here's a very nice compilation video from a few years back that shows the Blue Angels in some truly beautiful views. It can be watched in HD and it has a non-offensive soundtrack... go full screen and enjoy!

 This excellent video from the KPIX (San Francisco) Evening Magazine is from back in 1985 and gives some background into the Blue Angels A4 Skyhawk training camp. It's fascinating to hear Blue Angels pilot Mike Gershon say that after his year with the team as narrator he assumed he understood the level of effort required to be one of the guys inside the cockpit... yet he realized when he made that transition to the cockpit that he had no idea of the physical and mental effort required to put a show on. Imagine how unaware you and I are.

 It's important to note that shortly after this program was recorded, Mike Gershon was killed when he and the other solo A4 flown by Andy Caputi collided at the crossover on the top of a loop. Andy Caputi ejected safely but Mike lost his life in the accident. You can learn more in a very respectful follow up video here.

 The risks are real for the Blue Angels, but then life is full of risk at every turn for each and every one of us. The challenge for us all is to seek wisdom and knowledge, making the best decisions we can in every situation. The Blue Angels serve as one of the greatest examples of this way of life.

 If you think about it, the extreme skill displayed by the Blue Angels is meant to represent a willingness and capability in defending the United States of America... and ultimately, the USA is only defended when men and women join the military (any branch) and prepare to fight if needed. So when you see the Blue Angels (or the USAF Thunderbirds) please remember that Americans (you and me) owe a lot to all the people willing to fight for this nation.

 This last video is from the Blue Angels era before the A4 Skyhawk. It's an old Super 8mm film shot in 1970 of the Blues in F-4 Phantom's at Suffolk County AFB in Long Island New York. There's an honest nostalgia in it that makes a guy like me, who lived as a kid thru that time frame, ache with a desire for the good ole days. But even if you weren't alive back then, I'm guessing you'll have no trouble agreeing with me that the F-4's look fantastic in that great paint.

 An alternate way to experience the video above is to first mute the audio (simply click the speaker icon next to the start button)... then click this link which will open a new tab and start an audio-only video... then come back to this tab and hit the play button as soon as you can. It's a beautiful experience.

Thank you Blue Angels... past, present, and future.

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Part 2: Blue Angels Mega Post (Video+CoolPix+Desktop)

 Here's more fabulous Blue Angels content to help you and me both feel a little more like we're at Vero Beach Florida today and tomorrow enjoying a performance from the world's greatest aerobatic team. You're seeing Baltimore back in 2012 behind the blue and gold here in the CoolPix above... the Navy does a great job of making awesome images like this available, but if you don't know where to look it's easy to miss out. I take it all a little farther down the road then too by sizing up some desktop images for you and passing them around for free.

Blue Angels over Baltimore on 6-15-12:

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 This short video gives you a great view of the Blues in a tight diamond formation as they slide in right behind Sean Tucker in his Oracle Challenger over Seattle back in 2010. What a sight to see these very different aircraft looking quite comfortable in formation... too bad there wasn't a GoPro on the tailwheel of the Challenger, that would have made for such a wonderful view of the Blues.

 This 33 minute video will make you feel like you're right there enjoying a full Blue Angels performance, which is exactly what it is. It's a broadcast-quality recording of the 2012 Miramar Air Show... from taxi-out thru til taxi-in, with the full show in between. It's also viewable in 1080p HD, which means this would be a great video to stream into a big flat TV, or at least full screen on your computer. There's no music, no talking, just pure Blue Angels all in high quality!

(click pic for hi-res)  Up close in formation showing how close they are!

 The CoolPix above is from 2011 over Pensacola Florida... imagine yourself inside about 30,000 pounds of jet going 300mph THIS close to another pretty blue 30,000 pound hunk of metal! And then imagine that the tolerance for how far you can be from the exact correct position is about 18 inches... and hold that tolerance for much of a 30 minute performance. The observe-decide-act frequency going on in their heads must be staggering. It's. Just. Awesome.

 Here's hoping you have a very Blue weekend! Watch for part 3 tomorrow.

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

Blue Angels 3-Part Mega Post! Fri-Sat-Sun (Video+CoolPix+Desktop) Part 1

(click pic for hi-res) Awesome Blue Angels pic from 2010 (Navy photo by Ron Trevino)

 The AWESOME Blue Angels are in Vero Beach Florida this weekend to wow airshow fans with what hard work, discipline, and pure dedication can produce... the world's greatest aerobatic team! But if you're like me, it doesn't look like Vero Beach out your window. So, I thought I'd do what I can to bring the Blue Angels experience to you in a 3-part Fri-Sat-Sun mega post. The pic above is a CoolPix so you can open it up big, or you can download one of the free desktop sizes I put together for you below.

Blue Angels Jax show 2010:

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 This first video is a short one uploaded to youtube just a few weeks ago and shows a backseat view during a Blue Angels practice. It's simply unimaginable that these guys can fly this close together, at these speeds, AND doing maneuvers! The Navy consistently finds (and trains) these super humans capable of doing what honestly seems impossible. It would be one thing to be able to perform at this level for a few minutes, but to put on a full show week after week requires a focus and disciple that boggles the mind. Bravo Blues!

 The second video is an older one that runs almost 10 minutes and is full of incredible backseat views of the team performing. Even if you see it before it's ALWAYS worth seeing again.

(click pic for hi-res)  The Blue Angels diamond formation at Reno back in 2009

 The CoolPix above is one that I captured at Reno back in 2009. It's another graphic example of just how close together these F/A-18's fly during a Blue's performance. Even better, they flew several days in a row that year... I never ever get tired of seeing and hearing the Blue Angels own the sky!

 This last video for the Blue Angels mega-post part 1 is one of the most impressive Blue Angels videos I've ever seen, and it doesn't even have a single F/A-18 in it. It's all about Fat Albert with a cockpit view of a 2009 performance of the C-130 at an airshow at Barksdale AFB. The cockpit crew communication and cooperation is outstanding! It's a great way to see the kind of discipline that makes the entire Blue Angels experience the best in the world.

 Enjoy, my avgeek friends, and watch for part 2 coming tomorrow!

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CoolPix: The Beauty Of Biplanes - Antique Airfield 2013 (+Desktop Pix)

(click pic for hi-res) Meyers OTW with a Stearman in the background at Antique Airfield

 Today is the first full day of the new AirPigz! The fine people at Oregon Aero have partnered up with me to give me the opportunity to make AirPigz sizzle once again... more on all that later, but right now I hope you'll check out their website (or the catalog download to the upper left below the AirPigz logo) and get to know the products and services they offer. You should also note the 10% discount coupon in the right column! I'm hoping you'll do business with Oregon Aero which will in turn keep AirPigz in the revenue-generating world : )

 The CoolPix image above is another from the 2013 Antique Airplane Association invitational fly-in in Blakesburg Iowa last year. The fabulous Ryan SCW CoolPix from the other day was from the same event. I think you can see that Antique Airfield is an amazing place to experience the beauty and majesty of the golden age of aviation. I'm just now realizing that I have several awesome images from the event that I should be sharing with you, so now I am!

 The Meyers OTW (Out To Win) in the foreground looks classic and timeless, but if you're not familiar with the airplane you might be surprised to note that the fuselage is actually aluminum instead of tube and fabric like most biplanes from the 1930's. When you click the pic to enlarge it (or download a desktop size below) you'll really be able to see the rivets. And of course the yellow Stearman in the background is a true icon of the era.

 I hope you enjoy the free desktop pix and the new 'sponsored' look of AirPigz.com!
 

Biplanes at Antique Airfield 2013:

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CoolPix: Piper Cub Perfection At Oshkosh 2012 (With Desktop Sizes)

(click pic for hi-res)  A J-3P (Lenappe radial engine) and a J-3C at Oshkosh 2012

 I propose a challenge: take any two Cessna 150's and position them however you like and then take your best picture of the two of them together... then put a hi-res version on the internet for the world to see. Will heartbeats quicken? How many people will say 'wow' in their head. How many will say 'wow' out loud? I suspect not very many. I say this not because I dislike the Cessna 150, it's a wildly acceptable little airplane. I say this because airplanes from the past had a passion and a love for flight engineered into them, and it's rare to find that today.

 I think this CoolPix image of the somewhat rare Lenappe radial powered Cub painted black and yellow with the iconic all-yellow Continental A-65 powered Cub in the fuzzy background makes my point. That image borders on art. But it's not almost art because I captured a phenomenal image but because those airplanes are just beautiful to look at. As wildly acceptable as Cessna 150's are, they are not very often described as beautiful to look at.

 I figured a nice avgeek reminder of the warmth of summer, the awesomeness of Oshkosh, and the beauty of the Piper Cub might be a really nice little pick-me-up for anyone experiencing some winter-like weather right now. As we look ahead to 2013 and set our sights on Spring getting back here so we can have more chances to get in the air, I hope this picture will help some of you realize that old-school airplanes like the Cub do more for the heart and soul (and stick and rudder skills) than our modern airplanes do. To push that idea even harder, I've made this image available in four of the most common desktop sizes so you can put it on your computer to help you get thru the winter. Enjoy : )

Two Piper Cubs at Oshkosh 2012 desktop pix:

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For more Cub love, check out airpigz.com/blog/category/cub

CoolPix: Crowd Favorite Rare Bear - In The Evening At Reno 2012

(click pic for hi-res) The beast lives on... the Grumman F8 Bearcat racer: Rare Bear

 I respect and admire the P-51 Strega for what it represents; a team of people that have pursued power, speed, reliability, and flying consistency. If you don't respect what that airplane stands for then you don't really love air racing... and a Sea Fury like September Fury is an awesome and beautiful airplane - one that I have loved since seeing Frank Sanders fly aerobatics countless times at Oshkosh way back in the day... and I really appreciate what the P-51 Precious Metal brings to Reno racing with its fabulous counter-rotating props and a colorful team that is really enjoying their chance to play in the big game... but deep down in my heart, I can't deny that I'm a Bearcat guy. With that in mind, I'm not afraid to tell you that Rare Bear stole my heart a really long time ago.

 It really all started for me when I was a kid and my dad took me to the Reno Air Races in the late 60's. Even tho I wasn't even 10 years old yet, I understood the amazing things going on out in the desert in Nevada. The first Unlimited racer to stir my imagination was another F8 Bearcat named Conquest 1 flown by Darryl Greenamyer. Conquest 1 wasn't just a Bearcat tho, it was the dominate racer of its day, and the airplane that set the speed record of 483.041mph on August 16, 1969. I had the amazing opportunity to be at Reno and see Conquest 1 race from 1967 thru 1970. The Grumman F8 Bearcat was forever burned into my mind as the ultimate racer, and Darryl Greenamyer was my hero.

 So now, in the 'modern era' of Reno air racing, the ultimate racer role (in my mind) has been played by Rare Bear. The Bear has a long and impressive history of winning, even tho for the last several years it's been looking at Strega from behind... sometimes pretty far behind. But it remains a crowd favorite. At this year's Gold race, the announcers stirred up crowd reaction to the different racers, and Rare Bear got the biggest response. We love all the racers, but there's just something special about Rare Bear! So today I'm sharing an awesome CoolPix image of Rare Bear that I captured on Thursday evening at Reno. It was actually about an hour before I got that amazing pic of Precious Metal running after sunset with the wild reflections coming off the props. That was a really great evening for me!

 I hope you enjoy this beautiful CoolPix image of a truly fabulous racing airplane. And, for your continued enjoyment, I've made it available to you in four popular desktop sizes in case you'd like to look at this amazing beast every day : )

Rare Bear in the evening at Reno 2012 desktop pix:

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
Reno Air Races
more desktop images
over 110 CoolPix images

CoolPix: Reno 2012 - Precious Metal Evening Engine Run... Wow!

(click pic for hi-res)  Precious Metal engine run on Thursday evening 9-13-12 at Reno

 I had several really great opportunities to take my photography up a few notches at the Reno Air Races this year, and one of the best of them was when Thom Richard moved his Rolls Royce Griffon powered P-51 Precious Metal out onto the Reno/Stead Airport ramp for an engine run up after the sun had set. Thom adds a lot of fun to the Reno pilot list with a very outgoing, open and accessible style... and when you add in that beautiful counter-rotating prop P-51, you get a really colorful addition to the Reno Air Races scene!

 The possibility of having the chance to capture an image like this one is exactly why I packed a full size tripod (disassembled) into my small suitcase for the trip. And when I found out that he was gonna do this after-sunset engine run, I knew there'd be some sort of cool prop effect going on, especially since the prop was very freshly polished. You may already know that the prop on Precious Metal this year is actually an all new one. This one has longer blades with a very different tip shape. The reworked prop has added 64 mph to the airplane's top speed! That's a huge increase and has put the airplane in the position of being faster than it's ever been in its race history. In fact, the race on Friday last week was the first 'Gold' race that the airplane had ever been in. If not for the pesky loss of an inner gear door during the Championship Gold race last Sunday, Precious Metal stood a very good chance of being in third place. It's exciting to realize that the future is looking very bright for this shiny Unlimited racer.

 I had the chance to sit down with Thom last Thursday and got some cool details on the changes to the prop - I'll have that post will be up before long. For now tho, I've taken one of the best pix from the evening engine run and put it here as the CoolPix image above. It's also available below in four popular desktop sizes in case your looking for something a little different for your computer's desktop pic. Those six polished blades made some wild reflections from the lights off in the distance. It really makes that wild prop combo look electrified! And you always gotta love some blue flames coming out of the exhaust too! Enjoy : )

Precious Metal evening engine run desktop pix:

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
Reno Air Races
more desktop images
over 110 CoolPix images

CoolPix: The Flipped Blue Angels 'Pensacola Beach' Desktop Pix!

(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!

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
more desktop images
over 110 CoolPix images
20 Blue Angels related posts

CoolPix: Michael Goulian In Formation With The Blue Angels - Wow!

(click pic for hi-res)  An amazing display of blue and yellow paint!  (photo: facebook)

 Last night, Michael Goulian posted this amazing picture on his Goulian Aerosports facebook page, and it just happened to be hi-res enough that I was able to make it into a CoolPix. What a fantastic display of aerobatic blue and yellow paint as Michael flies formation with the incredible Blue Angels! His caption for the pic on facebook reads: Some days are just better than others. Thanks to "Boss" & The Blues for the honor and the privilege!!!!!!

 I was already really enjoying the new Goodyear paint on his Extra 330SC, but when you put it in front of the similar colors of the Blues you wind up with a stunning combo. I'm not sure, but I think this pic is from the prep days for the Dayton Air Show this weekend July 7-8 where both the Blue Angels and Michael are performing, so I'm guessing it's from yesterday or the day before.

 I knew right away when I saw this pic that it would make for an excellent desktop image, so I've prepped up the standard sizes for y'all... I hope you enjoy this awesome pic as much as I do : )

Desktop Downloads: Michael Goulian with the Blue Angels 2012

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(check out the AirPigz 'Desktop Pic' category)

(check out my 2010 podcast interview with Michael Goulian)