CoolPix On AirPigz... Over 160 Awesome Hi-Res Aircraft Images!

(click pic for hi-res) Precious Metal in the Gold Race final at Reno 2013 (posted 11-6-13) 

 The CoolPix category on AirPigz has grown to over 160 hi-res images. It's a mix of photos I've captured at events in the last five years along with either current military or older public domain photos... but the point is that they should all make you think or say something between wow and OMGosh when you open them up big to fill your screen! I try to make sure there's something special or very interesting about each one them.

 It's easy for this category to go unnoticed tho, so I've decided every now and then I'll give y'all a little reminder... so go now and spend a little time scrolling thru a fabulous batch of visual avgeekery!

CoolPix on AirPigz

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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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Video: Seriously Awesome RC XC-142 VTOL (Must See!)

 If you're short on time and just need an under-a-minute avgeek experience, you'll wanna go here instead of watching the video above... but if you like awesome, cool, and truly amazing examples of modern tech being used to make extremely difficult aircraft designs fly great in model form, then please take 15 minutes to watch this.

 The real XC-142 was a remarkably successful VTOL design from the early 1960's. However, even tho it proved capable of vertical takeoffs and landings along with over 400mph maximum speed, mechanical complexities and aerodynamic problems in certain phases of flight prevented it from moving beyond the prototype stage. Five XC-142's were built, and the only remaining example is the one turned over to NASA in 1966. It's on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and I have spend quite a lot of time looking this unique aircraft over on each trip I've made to Dayton.

 The December 2013 video above of the all-electric RC model XC-142 begins with northern California builder and pilot Ran D. St. Clair explaining a little about the design, then sharing some details on the open-source OpenAero2 flight controller software, and then showing the wing pivot process and interconnect with the horizontal tail. The first of the flying begins at the 3:10 mark. The flying footage is very impressive.
 

 As the inflight pic above shows, this model is extremely well built, but the really impressive work is how well the programming has been done to create a very controlled VTOL flying machine. Transitions from vertical to slow-forward-flight and then full-forward-flight and then back to vertical for landing are done with relative ease. The video is also very well done which gives you a really great opportunity to see this remarkable little model at its best.

 And in case you think that little vertical prop in the rear is a nod to the pitch-control tail rotor found on modern electric toy helicopters, think again... the real XC-142 has one there too for pitch control when in vertical mode.

 Bravo Ran D. St. Clair for some very impressive work! 

 
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CoolPix: Ryan SCW At Antique Airfield 2013 (Perfection!)

(click pic for hi-res)  The incredibly beautiful Ryan SCW owned by Russell Williams

 AirPigz is indeed back! I probably won't be posting everyday but you can expect several posts each week. You'll also soon see an update to the look with an exclusive sponsor of AirPigz... it's all pretty exciting stuff : )

 One thing I'd really like to ask of you all... if you like what you see here, if a post specifically connects with you or you thinks it's worthy of sharing with your avgeek friends, then please use the 'email article' feature at the bottom of the post. Or, if you see the link to the post on facebook or twitter, please share it with your followers. The time is right for AirPigz to increase its reach, but that happens most effectively when you let others know about what's going on here. Your help this way would be greatly appreciated!

 The CoolPix here today is of the Ryan SCW owned and flown by Russell Williams from the Seattle area. I had first seen his SCW at the Antique Airplane Association fly-in at Antique Airfield in 2012. It was one of the first airplanes I saw when I arrived onsite, which was the first time I'd been to an AAA fly-in since I was a kid over 40 years ago. But I have been a fan of the relatively rare SCW since I was very young... that long tapered wing is easy to fall in love with! I included some pix of Russell's in that first post about the 2012 event and then later in the year when we connected via facebook, Russell saw that I had an interest in his glistening beauty and offered a ride at the 2013 event. (more AirPigz SCW posts here and here)

 The pic above is from the day I got my ride at Antique Airfield in 2013. What a perfect day and such a wondeful airplane to experience. Russell let me fly it about 10 minutes over the beautiful Iowa contryside on our evening flight... it was everything I had hoped it would be. Thanks Russell! I look forward to seeing you and the SCW at Antique Airfield again : )

Video: Mutant Offspring Of A Super Cub... The Amazing DoubleEnder!

 With me being very busy with day-job work and having ongoing issues with 'focus', I've never posted anything yet about the very unique DoubleEnder homebuilt bushplane even tho I've known about it for since well back into last year. But since it's on the cover of the latest Sport Aviation magazine I figured today was a good day to post a couple videos of this awesome mutant beast!

 As a guy with loads of homebuilt Breezy time, I really like that the pilot sits forward of the wing on the DoubleEnder, even if just barely... especially since a bushplane with enhanced all-around visibility is a really great idea. The DoubleEnder just looks like a really fun airplane to fly, plus you have the added power and safety of being a centerline twin. It'll sure be interesting to see if their goal to eventually make plans and/or kits available is achieved. I'm guessing there's a pretty good Alaska and worldwide market for such a fabulous flying machine. Find out more at BushPlaneDesign.com.

 I can just imagine a 12 seat version with two 600hp PT-6's on it! Maybe a 300 foot takeoff with 5,000 pounds of friends, food and fuel in a built-like-a-tank taildragger. Now that sounds like some serious fun : )

The twin engine DoubleEnder homebuilt bushplane (photo: BushPlaneDesign.com)

Aero Telemetry And Their Dedicated Hughes H-1 Website (H1Racer.com) - With Video

The real Hughes H-1 Racer which is now at the National Air & Space Museum

 Aero Telemetry has had some great experience with one of the the world's most amazing aircraft... they built the flying RC model of the Hughes H-1 Racer that was used in the Aviator film, and then they built a museum quality version of the H-1, that also flies, for the AMA 75th anniversary back in 2011. And now the fine people at Aero Telemetry have introduced H1Racer.com, a website full of interesting info, images, and video about the real H-1 and the scaled down versions they have Built.

 What else can I say? It's a must-see website and you should go there now!

The big and awesome Aero Telemetry 75th AMA Hughes H-1 flying RC model

Must See GoPro Video: Re-Experience Felix Baumgartner's Jump From The Edge Of Space (Red Bull Stratos)

 This GoPro video was just released on Friday and it's already well past 3 million views... and it's easy to understand why once you've seen it. It's an all-new view of Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos jump from nearly 128,000 feet above the Earth's surface, and for me it was every bit as intense seeing it from these seven GoPro cameras as it was seeing it live on October 14, 2012.

 I haven't met Felix Baumgartner but I did meet and talk with both Joe Kittinger and Red Bull Stratos Technical Project Director Art Thompson at Oshkosh 2013 and I must say that these men are two of the nicest guys I've ever met. I was very impressed with their kindness as human beings, and would imagine Felix is cut from the same cloth. Knowing that these good people were at the core of the Red Bull Stratos project makes me respect what was accomplished on that day all the more.

 And to quote Felix while standing on the step about to jump: "Sometimes, you have to be up really high... to understand how small you are."  #humility

(more Red Bull Stratos posts on AirPigz)

(click pic to enlarge) GoPro HERO2 HD screenshot of Felix Baumgartner just off the step

Video: Brave New World Of Collective Pitch RC Quad Flying: Curtis Youngblood MantaRay

 If you're in the know about RC quad copters then you're probably aware that multiple world champion RC helicopter pilot and innovator Curtis Youngblood has pioneered the use of collective pitch blades into the quad copter concept. It's a lot like taking the tail rotor from an RC helicopter and adapting it for quad use... and tho the collective pitch adds some complexity, his design uses a single powerplant to drive all four rotorsets via belts and pulleys. His company CJ Youngblood Enterprises has been selling an electric collective pitch quad called the Stingray 500 since last year.

 What's especially unique about the video above is that this is a prototype for a larger collective pitch quad that also expands overall utility by being powered either by electric motor or via a gas engine. I only learned of the collective pitch quad idea yesterday, and in my research this morning I've seen how some in the traditional quad community don't see the advantages of a gas-powered quad... but the most obvious is the ability to dramatically increase flight time. It would also seem that payload potential would increase as well. Clearly the gas-powered quad is not meant to dominate the quad world, just dramatically expand it.

Video screenshot of the larger electric or gas powered MantaRay collective pitch quad 

 The bigger overall issue tho is the incredible increase in controllability that variable pitch blades allow. The smaller electric-only Stingray 500, which can be bought for $600, takes the quad into 3D hyper aerobatics. The two videos below give you a very good idea of what that really means. But the potential for a larger gas-powered quad like the MantaRay expands the commercial potential of the idea exponentially.

 Watching the video directly below of the Stingray is the closest thing I've ever seen to the flying robots seen in sci-fi films in the last 15 years... the ability and style in which this thing can be flown is straight up spooky. Beyond the extreme 3D nature of quads like the Stingray, Curtis is hoping the idea of extreme terrain racing might catch on where the capabilities of these amazing flying machines will break open an entirely new world of race courses and extreme pilots.

 Brace yourself for the brave new world... there's no stopping it now.

Hyper Scale PAPER Boeing 777 (The Fine Line Between Genius And Insanity) - MUST SEE!

(click pic to enlarge)  Luca Laconi-Stewart's UNBELIEVABLE paper 777!  (photo: flickr)

 If my research on this fresh and incredible internet phenomena is correct, Luca Laconi-Stewart lives in America and started this hyper-detailed 1:60 scale PAPER (manila folders to be more precise) Boeing 777 model five years ago! He took a couple years off the project while in college, but then dropped out to focus on the paper 777. The detail, especially in the moving parts is simply unimaginable.

 Watch the videos below and then go check out the extensive gallery of photos on the Luca Laconi-Stewart flickr page. 'Mind blown' is not hyperbole when you try to wrap your head around the reality of this effort.

 My understanding is that the project is not quite finished but it's getting close. And, he seems to be thinking he's gonna try an even better model next... that is if he doesn't have to go find a job to support this sitting-on-the-fence-between-genius-and-insanity obsession. 

 Bravo Mr. Luca Laconi-Stewart, BRAVO!

Video: 'Flexible' VTOL Powered By World's Smallest ICE - Wow!

 I figured I had three choices for what I was gonna post this morning: There was the successful Virgin Galactic flight on Friday, the third conducted using the rocket engine to power the suborbital spacecraft (story and video here)... then there's the Southwest Airlines 737 that mistakenly landed yesterday evening on the 3,738 foot runway at M. Graham Clark Airport, 7 miles away from the 7,140 runway at their intended destination of the Branson Missouri Airport (the only privately owned, privately operated commercial service airport in the US) - see the story here in case somehow haven't seen it 10 times already... and then there's the video posted a couple years ago on youtube of the 'flexible' VTOL aircraft that's powered by the world's smallest production internal combustion engine.

 I decided that you've probably seen one of the awesome previous rocket-powered test flights of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, and it was just back in November, just 240 miles from last night's mistaken landing that one of the DreamLifters landed at Col. James Jabara Airport in Wichita Kansas instead of the correct destination 8 miles away at McConnell Air Force Base. It seems that mistaken landings are fast becoming the norm in the heartland... But when have you ever seen a Cox .010 gas engine power a shop rag into vertical flight?

 Yeah, I'm pretty sure for most of us, this flexible VTOL with the screamin' 27,000 rpm Cox .010 engine is avgeek story of the day : )

Screenshot of the Cox .010 and the shop rag 'airframe' ready for engine start and flight!