Jack Bally's MANNED 1/3 Scale B-17 Nearly Ready To Fly!

Jack Bally's incredible 1/3 scale B-17 next to a Cessna 140! (photo: facebook)

 Some new pictures surfaced last evening on the Bally Bomber facebook page showing Jack Bally's incredbile 1/3 scale B-17 replica fully assembled and sitting next to a Cessna 140. Wow! The mind is really tied up in a knot trying to process what's seen there... it looks like a model but sooo big - but then it looks like a real B-17 but sooo much smaller!

 This project, coming to life in Dixon Illinois, has to rank as one of the most fascinating homebuilt aircraft projects of all time. It's the kind of idea that weird people like me dreram up but rarely does anyone actually follow though. With an estimated 20,000 hours of labor required to build this cute little beast, it's understanable why. With a 34ft 7in wingspan, estimated 1,800 pound weight and four 60hp engines for a total of 240hp, the Bally Bomber is just pure awesome! Be sure to check out the hundreds of pix from the build process along with additional info at TheBallyBomber.com

 The not-so-big cockpit really shows the overall scale!  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 
 The project was started back in 1999 and is just now nearing completion. The airframe is all scratch built (of course) and made out of aluminum. The main gear retracts just like the real B-17, and has proven to be the most complicated part of the project. The engines are the Hirth 3002 4-cylinder 2-stroke that usually have a reduction unit and make about 80hp. Jack chose this engine because of its size... it was small enough to fit inside a properly scaled nacelle. However, to make it fit properly, the reduction unit is removed which will bring the power down around 60hp each, with the engines spinning the 46.4" diameter props at about 3,300 rpm.

One of four 2-stroke Hirth 3002 (formerly F-30) engines  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 Even though the airplane looks finished, I noticed in a facebook comment last night that they say there's still some wiring, plumbing and detail work yet to complete. It would appear that the first flight is still off in the future a bit. Mostly that means that there's little hope of seeing the Bally Bomber at Oshkosh in a few weeks. There's little doubt in my mind that whenever this fabulous piece of work gets to Oshkosh, she'll be the Queen for the entire week!

 The accuracy in the scale shaping is simply fantastic!  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 The accuracy of the shapes and scaling look excellent on this project. I remember back in the 70's there were several scaled-down military one-of-a-kind replicas, but most all failed to get the profiles, proportions, or prop scaling correct... the Bally Bomber appears to be getting it done right. Bravo!

The amazing Bally Bomber is almost ready to fly!  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 
 Can you even imagine how cool it would be to see this 1/3 scale B-17 in the air! No doubt the videos of the first flight will be a huge internet sensation... stay tuned to the Bally Bomber facebook page for updates on the first flight... this might be as big a deal as the full-scale Mosquito last fall!

Flitzer Homebuilt Biplane: The Perfect Boredom Fighter!

Totally non-authentic and perfectly awesome: the Flitzer biplane (photo: flitzerbiplane.com)

 Back in the late 70's a homebuilt airplane emerged that had a WWI feel to it and was small and relatively easy to build... it was called the Boredom Fighter. I was in the process of building a Pober Pixie at the time (that I started in 1978 when I was a junior in High School) and I remember thinking that the Boredom Fighter was a great concept, but the reality of the design never really clicked with me. Then this morning I get an email from a friend asking if I'ver ever posted anything about the Flitzer Biplane from the UK. Hmm, I've never even heard of it (I can't know everything!) but when I checked it out I realized that the Flitzer Biplane is the PERFECT realization of the Boredom Fighter concept!

 There's no connection between the Boredom Fighter and the Flitzer, but what I see in the Flitzer is a perfect balance of faux WWI styling along with a small, primarily wood airframe that also is a great little flying machine. It's pretty much everything that the Boredom Fighter was meant to be but never really attained. The Flitzer was design by Lynn Williams in the UK, and from what I can tell that was about 10 years ago. A real emphasis was put on designing a stout airframe with really good flying characteristics. With an empty weight of around 500 pounds, this little 18' wingspan retro fighter was designed to be powered with a VW engine. With that in mind, its easy to imagine a variety of powerplants in the 50-80hp range being acceptable in a Flitzer.

Small and VW powered, the Flitzer biplane is cheap retro thrills  (photo: facebook)

 
 There's a good resource website run by a fan of the design (flitzerbiplane.com) with info on the history of the Flitzer plus a wide range of additional info. The Flitzer Variants page there is a great place to get the basics figured out while also planting the seeds for some serious infatuation of this homebuilt that's perfectly suited to individual personalization. You'll also find Lynn Williams' email address near the top of that page in case you're interested in finding out about buying a set of construction plans.

 If I had the time and money I'd start up a network of resources here in the US to encourage a large squadron of these little weekend warriors... I think it would be especially well-suited to a group of people getting together and building 4 or 5 of them, that way you have a built-in network of 'help and encouragement' along the difficult path of making it all the way thru a homebuilt project.

 In fact, if I had known about the Flitzer back in 2009 when I started the AirPigz Project VP (modified Volksplane) project, I'd probably have me an unfinished Flitzer in the garage right now! Btw, PVP remains unfinished due to my nagging financial recovery issues stemming from the 08/09 economy collapse, but I'm getting closer to the day when I'll finally have that chapter of my life closed (without filing for bankruptcy : )

 Anyway, the Flitzer is a homebuilt design worthy of consideration for anyone looking for a reactively easy to build head-turner that won't cost you an arm-and-a-leg. It's one of the most creative designs I've ever seen to capture great nostalgic lines and a wonderful retro-war look while also being affordable and really fun to fly. Now I just need to figure out if I'm more obsessed with the Skyote or the Flitzer! #littlebiplanesforever

Flitzer Biplane yahoo group

Flitzer Biplane facebook page 

Flitzer Biplane by Australian Mark Crawford: check out his Flitzer construction website

Why Oshkosh Matters (With CoolPix Marathon - 19 Hi-Res Images)

(click pic for hi-res)  Ray Hegy's El Chuparosa at Oshkosh 1970 (see original post)

 Oshkosh 2013 is fast approaching (July 29 - Aug 4), and I'm as excited as ever to be planning to attend. I was there in 1970 (as a 9 year old) when the very first Oshkosh took place at Wittman Field in beautiful Wisconsin. The annual EAA fly-in and convention was held in Rockford Illinois prior to Oshkosh and I was even at the last one of those in 1969. I've missed a handful of the events over the years, but I've attended well over 30 of them since that picture above of Ray Hegy's El Chuparosa was taken.

 Oshkosh has changed a lot over the years, but in the ways that really matter, it hasn't really changed at all. It's still people (lots and lots of people) who are in love with aviation gathering together to share that love with each other. It's goodness, discipline, ingenuity, and achievement all rolled into a week of learning, sharing, and enjoying. There's just nothing else like it... no other tool we have that does so much good for the world of general and sport aviation. That's why I believe that Oshkosh truly matters.

 I'm well aware that many people have frustrations at times with the EAA and the way Oshkosh is run, and while I've had the same kinds of frustrations going back even into the 1970's, I'm as convinced as ever that the EAA ultimately does a huge amount of good for those of us who love to fly. I can't imagine any other organization (or new group of people) who could, or would do better (or even as well) at fostering a genuine love for flying. So I hope you'll join me in being a big supporter of what Oshkosh does for us all... come to Oshkosh this year and be amazed, entertained, educated, and impressed. But please don't come expecting Oshkosh to do all that TO you, instead, come to Oshkosh and BE PART OF that process. Give, and share, and receive too. It's the human interactions that truly make Oshkosh the beautiful thing that it is.

 To celebrate some of the great avgeekery of Oshkosh, here's an extensive collection of CoolPix images I've captured since 2009 to get you primed and ready for the world's greatest aviation event. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and you might notice that I never ever call the event A**V******, it's Oshkosh to me and always will be. I look forward to the day when that ad agency concocted word is dropped from the EAA vocabulary. And hey, maybe they should go back to a logo that looks more like tho old one too : )

(click pic for hi-res)  Pitcairn Autogiro at Oshkosh 2009  (see original post)

(click pic for hi-res)  Airbus A380 preparing to depart Oshkosh 2009  (see original post)

Click to read more ...

Video: Kermit Takes The Gee Bee Z Out For A Spin

 
 Don't get too excited here, there's no 'spinning' or even leaving the ground with the beautiful replica Gee Bee Z that's part of Kermit Weeks' Fantasy of Flight collection, but he did fire her up again and do some taxi testing in preparation for possibly getting her back in the sky before long. Just seeing (and hearing) this replica of the iconic Golden Age air racer move around on the ground is enough to significantly elevate my heart rate : )

 You might remember a Fantasy of Flight video I posted about a year ago of Kermit running the engine on the Z... this airplane is stunning to look at whether it's in the air or not! And just to clarify once again, this replica is NOT the one seen in the 1991 film the Rocketeer. The one seen in the film was built in 1978 by Bill Turner and was modified from the original design by increasing the wing area some and lengthening the fuselage a little to help make it easier to fly. That replica is currently on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle.

 The replica that Kermit has (in the video above) was built in 1996 to the same dimensions as the one-and-only original that was destroyed in a crash during a speed record attempt 1931. You can read a little more about the original Gee Bee Z history in the wiki. This replica is housed at Kermit's Fantasy of Flight museum and is where this video was shot the other day. 

Screenshot: Kermit Weeks doing taxi tests his replica Gee Bee Z the other day

 There's plenty of avgeek awesomeness to see in this video of the Z, but I wanted to point out what really caught my eye. Note how the tail lifts off the ground just a little at 1:50. On one hand it's no big deal... it's a small taildragger with a Pratt & Whitney R-985 making 450 hp hanging off the nose. You might easily expect the tail to get really light when running the engine up and holding the brakes. However, note that Kermit has the stick back and the elevator deflected in a manner meant to keep the tail on the ground, yet even with all that air going over the tail it still comes off the ground! It looks like the combination of buckets full of power and that short fuselage (limiting the arm that the elevator is mounted on) mean that this thing is a bona fide beast!

 Even more, the wing-loading on the Gee Bee Z is somewhere in the area of 30 to 35 pounds to the square foot which puts it more inline with fighter aircraft from WWII. I think you can imagine that a fairly high wing-loading and a short-coupled fuselage make an airplane that's definitely a handful to fly. The first flights on this replica back in 1996 were done by Delmar Benjamin of Gee Bee R-2 fame - and I saw him post on facebook not long ago that the Z was his favorite Gee Bee to fly. Kermit also flew this airplane, 13 years ago, so he's knows what it's like. It's sure gonna fun to see if he gets her back in the air once again!  #geebeelove

Video: Jetpack By Troy Hartman - The Real Rocketeer? (Hmm, Maybe Not)

 So you probably know about the Martin Jetpack, and also about Yves Rossy - aka Jetman (who will be making his first public flights in the US at Oshkosh 2013!) but do you know about stuntman Troy Hartman and his Jetpack? If you do, you're a step head of me... I just learned of this sorta Rocketeer project this morning. The video above is actually from last August.

 I was leaning in pretty close watching the video until I realized that Troy is using the Jetpack mostly as a source of thrust to get him in the air under a parachute. However, he claims to have about 200 pounds of thrust with the twin turbine setup, and it also appears that he's working toward using this as the thrust to power a Jet Wing similar to what Yves Rossy uses. I guess the use of the parachute is just an easy way to test the Jetpack hardware.

Video screenshot: Stuntman Troy Hartman - Rocketeer in training?

 
 Is vertical launch a possibility? Without a wing and much like the Rocketeer? That seems like a good question but I'm guessing any attempt like that is along way off. It does seem possible tho since those good ole rocket-powered jetpacks (like this one) are stable and controllable. Plus, small turbine thrust will certainly continue to improve... but the list of challenges to solve seems exceedingly long and the likelihood for disaster seems very high. You never know tho, maybe one of these days Troy, or some other person with 'issues in the head' will actually make a Rocketeer Jetpack work!

(learn more about Troy and his Jetpack)

Desert Sun & Fun - The Mojave Experimental Fly-In (12 Pix)

Stars and stripes! Close-up of Dick Rutan's beautiful Berkut  (photo:Craig Spirko)

(click any pic to enlarge)
 

 The Mojave Experimental Fly-In last Saturday drew a diverse collection of aircraft under a typical sunny desert sky. It's pretty cool to see these aircraft gathered in front of the hangars of some of the most cutting-edge experimental aerospace companies in the world!

 I wasn't able to attend the event as I had hoped, but AirPigz follower Craig Spirko did and shared some pix of the event for y'all to see. I've included a couple images from the official Mojave Fly-In website as well... there's a nice post there too you might wanna check out.

(click any pic to enlarge)

Wide view of the Berkut and its awesome paint  (photo: MojaveFlyIn)

I think this one is self-explanatory!  Scaled.com/careers  (photo: Craig Spirko)

Lots of windmills, and a little Christen Eagle  (photo: Craig Spirko)

Click to read more ...

Mojave Fly-In April 20th (Tomorrow) - Experimental Oasis In The Desert!

Chip Yates will have his electric Long-EZ at the Mojave Experimental Fly-In April 20th

 As if having the world's most fascinating collection of aerospace companies gathered together on one California desert airport wasn't enough, the Mojave Air & Spaceport will also be attracting a very sweet collection of experimental aircraft tomorrow April 20th for the Mojave Experimental Fly-In. Chip Yates and his fast (over 200 mph) electric-powered Long-EZ will be there along with many other unique and impressive homebuilt and race aircraft from the past, present, and future. Race aircraft like the biplane speedster Phantom and the amazing over 400 mph Nemsis NXT will be there, along with Burt Rutan's Catbird, and a wide range of other great aircraft... you can get a better idea of what's expected to attend by checking out mojaveflyin.com.

 In addition to the extremely cool aircraft to look over (and their pilots and owners to talk to), Scaled Composites will have reps at the event as well as Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company. 

 I had planned to make the trip to Mojave to soak up all this fabulous experimental avgeekery and bring back a boatload of pix to share with you, but my regular work schedule got in the way again and I won't be able to get there. Hopefully I'll still be able to fetch up some great images from some sources out there for a sweet follow-up post.

 If you're deeply interested in cutting-edge aerospace design and manufacturing on the fringe of the future, Mojave is definitely the place to be!

Poll: Awesome Or Ugly? Ed Lesher's Record Setting 1960's Era 'Teal'

The late Professor Ed Lesher in his early 1960's record setting homebuilt 'Teal'

 I have a pretty long list in my head of aircraft (and the people behind them) that I hope to do in-depth postings on at some point in the future. That'll most likely happen after I become somewhat wealthy and have lots of extra time - obviously, don't hold your breath! Anyway, Professor Ed Lesher (1914~1998) and his 'Teal' are definitely on the list.

 The all-metal homebuilt Teal that he designed, built, and first flew in 1965 was a significant part of my early years of Oshkosh from 1970 thru 1975. Seems like the airplane was always on display out on the flightline, and as a kid who really enjoyed unusual aircraft design, I spent a lot A LOT of time looking the airplane over. I'll say it right now, I love this little airplane and think it's off-the-scale awesome!

 Not only did the Teal look different, but it was quite effective in accomplishing the goals that Ed had for it: setting records. With its Continental O-200 100 hp engine, it was built to compete in the 500kg (1,102 lbs) class, and by 1968 Ed had captured the records for fastest speed over the 500 km (181.55 mph), 1,000 km (169.20 mph), and the 2,000 km(141.84 mph) distances.

Ed Lesher's Teal, part of the EAA Museum collection, on display at Oshkosh 2012

  Ed and his homebuilt Teal represent the amazing bridge between a talented tinkering man and expanding the envelope of aerodynamic knowledge that the EAA and the 60's and 70's embodied. I wish we could go back to that era right now, I miss it. (don't misunderstand, there's plenty of that going on today, but it was different back then, and I'd say it was better back then)

  So anyway, you know how I feel about the Teal, but what do you think? Is is Awesome or Ugly?

CoolPix: Pitts Special As Art! Betty Skelton's 'Little Stinker' At Udvar-Hazy

(click pic for hi-res)  Betty Skelton's Pitts Special on display at the NASM/Udvar-Hazy

 I'm trying to find the time and energy to get a boatload of pix from the recent AirPigz National Air and Space Museum MeetUp posted, but my day job as a ceramic tile installer is more-than-full-time these days... plus I'm trying to develop an all new biz to produce a wildly successful packaged food item so my life as an underpaid ceramic tile installer can come to an abrupt end. That abrupt end is also where my career as a smiling-ear-to-ear aircraft owner is supposed to begin! But the bottom line right now is that there just aren't enough hours in the day.

 Anyway, I have found the time today (early before work and then over my lunch break) to post a CoolPix of a fabulous little airplane that was flown spectacularly by an amazing woman back in the late 40's. Betty Skelton won first place in three consecutive International Feminine Aerobatic Championships in '48, '49 and '50. The airplane in her first championship year was her 1929 Great Lakes, and the last two years were in this exact airplane, the Pitts Special that she had named 'Little Stinker'. However, that winning streak might not be too surprising when you realize that she actually made her first solo flight at age 12 in a 40hp Taylorcraft! Of course that wasn't legal, but it does appear to have been well within her capabilities. This woman was meant to fly, and nothing was going to stop her. When she met Curtiss Pitts and his little Pitts Special in 1948, the airplane had met the woman who would make it famous.

 It's especially interesting to note that this is the second Pitts Special ever built! The airplane is hanging upside down in the entrance to the Udvar-Hazy facility of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly Virginia. It's easy to not take much notice of the airplane as you enter in, but I hope when you get to the Udvar-Hazy (the next time or on your very first time), you'll take some time and really contemplate what that little red and white airplane represents. There's so much amazing history wrapped up in that little package... and it also makes for an awesome piece of classic art!

Betty in N22E, the second Pitts Special ever built by Curtiss Pitts  (photo: NASM)
 

 Betty had a massive amount of experience and opportunity to fly, to race cars, and to do all kinds of amazing things thru the 50's and 60's. Just as impressive as the fact that she had mad skills operating machines that move, Betty also had an incredible ability to remain a classy woman all along the way. She wasn't out to prove anything specific for the woman's movement, she just wanted to fly and to go fast. Rather than use her femininity to force her way or manipulate opportunities, Betty used her excellent skills to open the doors for her. She had a peaceful patience believing that the opportunities for women in flying would come in due time, and of course she was right. Betty Skelton was one amazing human being. She also spent many years in the advertising business working closely with GM, especially on the Corvette. 

 The amazing Betty Skelton passed away at age 85 on August 31, 2011.

 Back in 1999, Betty sat down for almost a 90 minute interview at the time when Eileen Collins was about to become the first female pilot (and first female commander) of the Space Shuttle on STS-93. This interview covers Betty's amazing life and it puts her graceful attitude on beautiful display. Click the video screenshot of Betty below to go to the video interview in the C-SPAN video library.

Click the screenshot to go to the 1999 84 minute C-SPAN interview with Betty Skelton
 

 You can expect more Betty Skelton history to come as I find the time to dig much deeper into the unique life of this very special woman.

CoolPix: 1970's Reno Biplane Racer Sorceress At The Udvar-Hazy Center

(click pic for hi-res)  Over 40 years later, the biplane racer Sorceress still looks hot!

 I returned from the AirPigz NASM MeetUp about noon today after driving back from the Washington DC area... what a fabulous adventure it was meeting up with 15 other avgeeks at the National Air and Space Museum facilities! I hope to post many more photos before long, including the bacon salute at breakfast on Sunday, but for now I'm sharing a hi-res CoolPix of the 1970's era biplane racer known as Sorceress. The aircraft is on display at the Udvar-Hazy NASM facility in Chantilly Virginia. 

 Since I'm tired and preparing for a full week of regular work yet to do, I figure the easiest way to fill you in on this unusual and very interesting aircraft is to point you over to my post; Sorceress: Radical Sport Biplane Racer At Reno 1970 that I put up just over a year ago. I've got three pix in that post that show you how the airplane looked at Reno in !970 along with some history on the design. Be sure to click the pic above to see it hi-res and enjoy!