One of the most beautiful one-of-a-kind homebuilts ever: 1970's era Polen Special
(8 pix - click any pic to enlarge)
I'm definitely playing catch-up this year getting great images captured and put up for you to check out, please hang in there with this one-man-operation as I try to get a grip! I've pulled 8 images to share with you from Tuesday at Oshkosh... it was a very nice day with waaayyyyy too many things to see and do. Of course, that's one of the awesome things we love about Oshkosh!
Anyway, a handful of pix here to see with short captions to once again remind you why you should be here OSH12 - I hope you enjoy them : )
RV formation demo that includes my cousin Bill Gunn in the red RV-4 on the left wing
The big and very wide nose of a C-17 Globemaster III on display in Phillips 66 Plaza
(click pic for hi-res) The beautiful Collings Foundation's A-36 Apache arriving at OSH12
In recent years I pushed as hard as possible to put up a large number of images from each day at Oshkosh but there just isn't enough of me to go around these days - so for now I plan to scale back the OSH posts, sometimes giving you just one big pic that's definitely worth seeing. I think this CoolPix of the Collings Foundation's recently completed North American A-36 Apache is one worth seeing!
The A-36 is a lot like the early P-51's in that it has the razorback multi-panel canopy and higher aft fuselage behind the cockpit, as well as having the Allison engine, but it differed in a variety of ways, mostly by having dive brakes built into the wings. 500 of them were built but only three remain, with two them now airworthy. This A-36 is in nearly perfect condition after the restoration... it's was amazing seeing (and hearing) it taxi in after arriving today. I'll have more pix and info on this aircraft before long.
And just so you know, I'm capturing a huge number of images each day, but it's just too time consuming to be able to get very many posted at the end of the day.
This amazing picture was posted Monday on the Blue Angels facebook page - and of course you should go hit the like button there right now if you haven't already! Then today they made it the cover pic for the facebook page. However, they have the pic as it was taken, which is actually flipped from the way I have it posted above.
I decided it should definitely be a CoolPix image, so I also tightened it up quite a bit to make it 'pop' a lot more, and then just for fun I flipped it from the way it was originally taken. Wow, for me it just came alive when flipped! But you might disagree... so I figured I should have a poll to see if more people wanna see this pic made available in a variety of desktop sizes with the world right-side-up as I have it above or with the world up-side-down as seen below. The first one to get to 100 votes will be made into the desktop pix for anyone needing another stellar Blue Angels image for their computer. Please vote now!
The world up-side-down: Blue Angels at Pensacola Beach Airshow (photo: facebook)
I just finished two weeks of intense and nearly non-stop work in two of my other lives... one as a ceramic tile installer and the other doing graphic design/magazine layout. I feel like I've been run over by a truck. But I'm happy to say that this super slo-mo video captured at the 2012 Royal International Air Tattoo by FlyingMachinesTV was remarkably calming and satisfying. I'm feeling a little better already.
I love to watch props and rotors turn in slow motion, and I really enjoy seeing smoke from display aircraft in flight as it traces the track of the air around them. And my favorite moment is the view of the Lancaster. That was enough to make my whole day : )
Video screenshot of the Lancaster bomber captured in super slo-mo at RIAT 2012
The English Electric Lightning is a truly remarkable Mach 2 jet fighter from the U.K. that originated in the late 50's and remained in service until the 80's. The unique over-and-under twin engine design definitely set it apart from your ordinary fighter, and capabilities like being the first ever to supercruise (fly supersonic without afterburners) and the ability to climb at 50,000 feet per minute are pretty much astounding. Possibly even more impressive is the airplane's ability to fly while extremely campy 1960's music is played in the background... it just doesn't seem possible! And yet, there's a lot of that going on in this old promo film from the Central Office of Information for the Air Ministry. It's both weird and extremely cool stuff.
My favorite line from the film is: Want to fly a Lightning, and take your own thunder with you? It's at 4:18. Enjoy.
Video screenshot showing the English Electric Lightning's unique planform
(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
With this video you get flicker, lint, and projector noise. But the cool part is, I think all of that is truly genuine. That's what makes this 3-1/2 minutes of vintage 1970 home movie (Super 8mm) so mesmerizing to me... it's just awesome. It's the most unusual little portal into a part of Blue Angels history in the early part of the 5+ years that they flew the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. Filmed at Suffolk County AFB in Long Island New York in 1970, this film reminds me so much of the many airshows I attended when I was around 10 years old in that same era.
There's a chance some of you just won't get this video, it'll seem odd and very unimpressive. I'm willing to risk that to be able to share it with the others who, like me, will think it's one of the coolest things they've seen in a long time. It's also kinda neat that it was uploaded only a little over a month ago and only had 125 views when I found it. A big thanx goes to youtuber distar97 for putting this little gem of history on the net for us to see. And wow, I had definitely forgotten how hot the F-4 looked in that Blue Angels paint!
UPDATE 6-29-12: Wanna watch this video with amazing background music?
First, mute the audio in the video window (you might have to hit play first, then just click the speaker icon to mute), then click here to open new browser tab with some awesome music on youtube - then start the music (it may start on its own), and after about 8 seconds, start the Blue Angels video. It's stunning. Seriously. STUNNING. It made me cry.
A big thanx to Jenessa who discovered this combo and shared it on the AirPigz facebook page.
Video (film) screenshot: Blue Angels F-4J Phantom II during 1970 airshow in New York
Screenshot: The Super 8MM view shot thru trees of a Blue Angels F-4J in 1970
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure all the people trash talking about the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey are people who have never designed, engineered and built a machine that can do something no other machine can. When those people accomplish something as full-force awesome as the Osprey, then maybe I'll listen to them. Til then, I'm gonna simply be blown away by what the Osprey can do. When you consider that this aircraft represents the only truly viable tiltrotor to be produced, and that it also has the weight and complexity penalty of massive system redundancy and the ability to fold itself up for storage, it's amazing it can even get off the ground. But it does way more than that! I know it's very expensive and there have been some tragic accidents, but that's the world of military aircraft... always has been.
Video screenshot showing the MV-22 in fast forward flight mode. Awesome!
This excellent video is from the airshowfansh youtube channel and it provides the full MV-22 demo as seen at the Joint Services Open House at Andrews Air Force Base back on May 20, 2012. You get a great view of the entire demo along with very good audio of Rob Reider's announcing and interviews with servicemen related to Osprey operations. Of course they don't get very technical but it's still interesting to hear the commentary. I'm a fan of the V-22 Osprey and the people who have taken the tiltrotor concept and finally put it into operational reality. It's an impressive and amazing accomplishment to which I say: Bravo!
Screenshot of the MV-22 in vertical flight mode during the extensive flight demonstration
If there was one event I could make you go to this year it would be the Reno Air Races. And while this CoolPix is actually an old film image of Rare Bear I captured at the 1995 Phoenix 500 air race, I've posted it now to point to the fascinating race history an airplane like Rare Bear has. At Reno this year there will be a mix of aircraft that have years and years of race experience along with some airplanes (and pilots) that are experiencing air racing for their first time ever. But interestingly, the most important thing to be at Reno in 2012 will be the fans. Without the fans supporting Reno style air racing in a big way this year, it'll run the risk of simply going away. Given the challenges the event has faced since last year's tragedy, the support that comes from fans buying tickets and participating in the local Reno economy are more important than they have ever been.
Please, go to the official Reno Air Races website, airrace.org, and buy some tickets to support the event... even if you won't be able to attend (better yet, buy some tickets and show up!) - take my word for it that this sport both needs your help and is worthy of your support!
As for the pic of the awesome Grumman F8F Bearcat named Rare Bear above from the second and last attempt at having air racing in Phoenix (back in 1995), I must say that the 3 blade prop was the most awesome propeller I think I've ever seen on an airplane. Massive blades snagged from a P-3 Orion, modified and mounted in a 3 blade hub, this polished prop also put out a fabulous sound. I wish the airplane was still spinning just 3 blades, but for detailed reasons I don't know, they switched back to 4 blades in 2004. Regardless of the number of blades tho, I'm still a Rare Bear fan at heart and I'll be hoping that this is the year that Strega might finally see a serious round engine challenge for the big trophy!
Mostly tho, I want you you and me both to be there to show our support for the fastest motorsport in the world!
Desktop Downloads: Rare Bear at the Phoenix 500 in 1995
I'm without a long lens of any kind for my awesome Canon T3i camera so I'm having to think up-close and personal this time around at the Indy Air Show. This might be a good time to mention how much I could really use YOUR support. Please don't be fooled by a good looking website that just keeps cranking out high-quality content... I promise you I am one of the poorest people you know! I continue to struggle so much financially that I slept in the car last night - not because I wanted to save some money, but because I didn't have the extra $60 for a hotel room. And I do work a day job, but climbing out of the massive hole in my life that 2008/2009 created has been extremely tough. So if you like what I do thru AirPigz.com, and you've been blessed financially, please consider making a donation (any size) via the PayPal 'donate' button above and to the left. I don't usually ask for support, and I don't usually get it. Now I'm asking.
So, with me having to think up-close, I decided that the incredibly beautiful F4U-5 Corsair brought to Indy by Dave Folk would be an excellent subject for some nice tight images, kinda like what I did with Glacier Girl a while back: P-38 Glacier Girl - Up Close & Personal... Real Close! (23 Pix) - so I spent about an hour early today getting about 50 images of the Corsair, and I was gonna get a handful of them posted now, but there were so many good ones that there just isn't enough time to get all that prepped up. So I'm taking the easy way out and just giving you two images, in the CoolPix super size, to give you an idea of what to expect before long when I get 25 or 30 images strung together for you to enjoy.
The first image above is the whole airplane so you can see what an F4U-5 Corsair looks like, if for some interesting reason you don't already know. And then the second image below begins the journey into looking at the Corsair more closely, and with a slightly skewed perspective. The beautiful sky and sunshine make these pix all the nicer... be sure to click them to open up the biggie size. And then keep an eye out in the next week for a big string of fabulous Corsair images to appear. I can hardly wait!
(click pic for hi-res) Big prop, big sky: F4U-5 Corsair at the 2012 Indy Air Show
Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at 01:41PM 
One of the most beautiful one-of-a-kind homebuilts ever: 1970's era Polen Special
RV formation demo that includes my cousin Bill Gunn in the red RV-4 on the left wing
The big and very wide nose of a C-17 Globemaster III on display in Phillips 66 Plaza
