Poll: Spiroids - Funky Circular Winglets, Love 'Em Or Hate 'Em?

 These highly unusual devices designed to dramatically reduce wingtip vortices are called Spiroids. I would have picked a different name for them, but that's another story. I got these pix on Sunday at Oshkosh 2010 after the Aviation Partners Inc. (API) Falcon 50 arrived in AeroShell Square to show off their experimental drag reducers. They're not as big as they look in some of the pix, but they're not small either... they appear to be about 6 or 7 feet tall. You might know that they tested a similar looking concept about 10 years back on a Gulfstream G II.

 You might also know that API has been building their 'blended winglets' for years now, most commonly seen on Boeing 737's. The blended winglets have a large radius transition as the structure sweeps it's way toward vertical. Many early winglet designs had a very sharp intersection with the wing. The Spiroids pick up on that idea, but thay take it to a pretty wild extreme, coming all the way over the top and then attaching back down on the wing a little farther aft.

 The research done years back indicated that they would reduce wingtip drag significantly more than a traditional winglet shape. However, for some reason we never saw them adopted. Now they're making a comeback on this Falcon 50 testbed. This Falcon is an API aircraft, and from what I can tell, it's just a platform for testing, they aren't specifically seeking to retrofit Falcon 50's. The testing is actually being sponsored by NASA to see what kind of efficiency gains the Spiroids offer.

 The bottom line for me is all about the way they look. I just can't see them being very well accepted by people because they're just too weird! Ok, I'll even say they're ugly. It's funny too, since I actually think they're very interesting, and I'd like to understand exactly how they work, but I keep coming back to the idea that they're ugly. What do you think? Answer the poll below and we'll see what you all think about... Spiroids!

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Can The Onex (1X) From Sonex Save General Aviation In America?

(click pic to enlarge)  
My rendering of a patriotic version of the yet-to-fly single seat Onex from Sonex

(6 pix + 1 video)

 I understand it might be a bit of a stretch for many people to consider that a small single seat VW powered homebuilt airplane might play any part at all in saving General Aviation in America, but at the moment, I can't think of anything more likely. I feel this way for several reasons, starting with the fact that this little sport-pilot compliant airplane, which hasn't even had its first flight yet, is the closest thing I've seen to what I call a 'Grand Slam' homebuilt. If you haven't seen my post from a while back on the Grand Slam homebuilt, here are the 4 parts that make it up:

 1) affordable

 2) great performance but not excessively demanding to fly

 3) relatively and realistically easy to build

 4) electrifying looks

 The one specific point I brought up previously when I mentioned the Onex as a contender for the four-run-homer was whether its looks could be classified as 'electrifying'.  Well, now that I've seen it in person, both at the Open House at their facility at Oshkosh on the day before OSH10 started, and at their booth during Oshkosh, I can say that the Onex definitely looks potentially low-voltage electrfying. True, I wouldn't call it full on electrifying like the 1970's BD-5, but the Onex appears to be so far down the road to fulfilling the other three elements of the grand slam that I gotta think this little cutie is gonna be the closest we've ever been to hitting it out of the park with the bases loaded.

Onex reveal at the Sonex open house on Sunday July 25, 2010

 The basic design philosophy of the Onex is to take all the great simplification ideas that John Monnett and crew have engineered into the Sonex family of airplanes, and apply them to a single seater intended to be as affordable as possible. The best news from my perspective is that the guys didn't make it as absolutely tiny as they could, and they aren't trying to get it to fly on the smallest engine available. You could insert some thoughts on the Moni here if you want to. However, by making the Onex a size that is both roomy and comfortable, and by putting an engine on the nose that they've proven can fly two people around quite nicely in a Sonex or Waiex, they are on the brink of offering an airplane that fits real people and will have some very sharp performance. It was obvious when looking in the cockpit that this little airplane has a lot of room inside.

 The more you study the lines on the airplane, the more you see how everything falls into just the right spot. If you want both simple-to-build and visually pleasing (a real rare combo in homebuilt airplanes), then I think you'll be pleased with the way this airplane looks. And, for those who've struggled a bit with the lines of the Sonex and Waiex airplanes, I think you'll find that the Onex is able to sidestep any weirdness and go straight to the head of the class. First, by being a much narrower fuselage, you don't get that sharp break in the slab sides as they work their way past the cockpit. And second, the cowling has a softer shape in the area where the Sonex cowl can be a little, shall we say, 'different'... plus having the heads of the cylinder banks push out thru the cowling sides not only narrows the cowling a bit, but it's one of the coolest nods to the classic cowl of the J-3 Cub ever!

 After you get past the simple fact that this is a great looking airplane that obviously wouldn't be complex to build, you can move on to some other really cool aspects of the Onex. The folding wings specifically. The idea was to create a folded size that would allow for easy trailering and easy storage in a normal sized garage. With the wings folded, it's just a tad over 8' wide, and it's just under 7' tall. all while still giving the airplane 78 sq ft of wing area total, which is enuf to keep the slow end of the speed range from being too hot. Even cooler than all that is the fact that it literally takes about 5 seconds to fold a wing panel. They've very cleverly designed the mechanism to not require any kind of disconnecting of the control linkages to be able to accomplish the fold. You unlock the wing. You fold the wing up!

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CoolPix - Misc: The Majestic Goodyear Blimp at OSH10

(click pic for hi-res)

 The over 150 pix I've recently posted as part of AirPigz Oshkosh 2010 coverage has brought a lot of new people into the 'pig pen' - welcome aboard! If you're new here, you don't know about an ongoing feature I do called 'CoolPix'. With CoolPix, I take one of my own pictures or an interesting historical picture and present them as a 1600 pixel wide hi-res image so you can get up close and really experience the event. Like this picture I got of the Goodyear Blimp at Oshkosh, if you click it, it'll fill your screen. It's not quite like being there, but it sure beats an itsy bitsy pic. There's a fairy large number of CoolPix entries now for you to check out... and part of the idea is that they make a pretty dandy desktop pic too.

 I was really fortunate to get to ride the Goodyear Blimp when I was a kid living outside the L.A. area in the late 60's. This reminds me that I really need to go digging in the basement, cuz somewhere down there is an old 8mm color movie that my dad and I made when we got that ride. Wow, that would sure be cool to see again! Anyway, I've been mesmerized by the blimp from as far back as I can remember, and having it in the sky over Oshkosh pretty much puts me in total avgeek heaven. So, click the pic above to get up close with that big beautiful bag of helium, and if you have the time, check out the wide range of other CoolPix that I've posted in the last year - I think you're gonna like 'em : )

Alan Klapmeier, The Kestrel, And Epic Confusion

The 6 to 8 place 400mph turboprop Kestrel at Oshkosh 2010

 One of the hazards I face covering nearly every aspect of aviation is that there's a lot going on out there to keep up with! Plus, there's a relatively recent span of years where I wasn't keeping entirely up to speed on every project in development. So, when I saw Kestrel pictured here at Oshkosh, I was a bit confused. I read a little about it in the official daily newspaper of Oshkosh, so I knew it was destined for certification rather than the homebuilt market. I also read that former Cirrus Aircraft co-founder Alan Klapmeier was stepping in to head the project, but it obviously looked like an Epic LT, so I assumed that somehow the two were directly related.

 My confusion was complicated by the fact that at Oshkosh, the Kestrel Aircraft Company (KAC) display booth was right next door to the Epic Aircraft booth. In the picture above, the airplane in the background is an Epic LT, that's how close together they were. This actually made is easy to compare the two, and while I could see some small differences, it was clear that they were essentially the same airplane. And, even after talking a bit with booth people, I was still confused.

 Well, after some research, it appears that the two airplanes are kinda like cousins that used to live on the same street as kids, but these days they're living far apart and don't talk anymore. The Kestrel has been in development in the U.K. by Farnborough Aircraft as a certified airplane intended for air taxi work. The aerodynamic work they did for the Kestrel was also used to develop the Epic LT. For a period of time between 2003 and 2005, Farnborough and Epic were in some form of a joint venture. Both airplanes use the same basic wing, and while the fuselage is almost the exact same shape, the Kestrel's is a little longer and has increased interior volume. A comparison also reveals that the airstar door on the Kestrel is located quite a bit farther aft from the wing trailing edge.

 To complicate even further the path these airplanes have been on is the fact that Epic went thru bankruptcy issues in late 2009 and into 2010. They were also in the process of trying to get the LT certified with the FAA under the name Epic Dynasty, but that project never reached the goal. Epic has recently been re-formed by a combination of LT aircraft builders, and if the wikipedia entry is correct, a Chinese company that plans to market the Epic aircraft around the world. Apparently the U.S. marketing and support for Epic is to be provided by the LT Builders Group operating out of the original Bend, Oregon location.

The Kestrel crew on Sunday setting up the booth for Oshkosh 2010

 But back to the Kestrel. Farnborough Aircraft has somehow morphed into Kestrel Aircraft Company, with Alan Klapmeier as CEO, and is actually planning to built the aircraft here in the U.S. A recent deal has been struck to set up shop on what used to be the Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. It also appears that some changes are coming to the design of the Kestrel as it moves further into the certification process, including a wing re-design that will remove the curved leading edge that can be seen in the picture above. One of the goals of KAC is to also downsize the engine from the 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6 currently installed to a slightly smaller version that will help reduce costs. With additional aerodynamic tweaks, they may be able to get essentially the same performance on a smaller engine.

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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 : )

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Video: Oshkosh 2010 Recap Music Video - Wow! (Hot Stuff)

 I've been looking for the Oshkosh 2010 recap video that I would have made if I could. This is it... Wow!

 A great job by youtuber slickhutto, and while the music background in the video works quite well, I'm really looking forward to the '10 minute series' coming before long that looks like it will run without the music background.

 If you haven't been to Oshkosh, or it's been a while, this video should show you why you need to be there next year! Oshkosh 2011: July 25-31... start making your plans now : )

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.

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Oshkosh 2010 Pic Stream #6 - Seaplane Base Serenity (15 pix)

 In my 34 years of Oshkosh experience, I've only been to the Seaplane Base four times, and that's all been relatively recently. But just those four trips there are like giant steps moving me to the brink of getting a seaplane rating (never mind the financial obstacle currently in the way). The Seaplane Base at Oshkosh, and the people that operate out of it, are so intriguing to me that I feel an active draw to experience it... this feels kinda new to me as most of the cool stuff I've experienced has strangely just 'happened', but seaplanes are off in the distance, calling my out to me. The call is getting louder, and my ability to resist is about to breakdown : )

 After driving over the the base and parking, I walked down the beautiful tree-lined path that leads you to the gorgeous spot where water, land, and airplanes all come together. Along the way, you pass by some of the camping area as seen in this picture. Wow, what a place to camp! It just fits right in with how the whole Seaplane Base experience is very special.

  I had planned to get over to the base at some point during the week, but sometimes it's so hard to pry me away from the Wittman Field that it gets difficult to work it in. But this year, I had a catalyst. It was Thursday, and I'd been pushing my 'media cart' all over the airport for several days by this time, so it was getting more common for me to stop for short breaks to get some rest. During one of them, a guy named Tom saw the AirPigz graphics on the cart and since he's a fan of the site, he stopped to say hi. We had a great time talking, and when I asked if he flew in, he said he was with a group that flew into the Seaplane Base in and airplane I probably hadn't heard of... a Noorduyn Norseman. As it turns out, I did know what a Norseman is, and I thought wow, what an adventure his 12 hour flight down from Canada must have been! Anyway, he said they were leaving in the mornng at 8 am. I figured I should make a plan to be over to watch that depature.

  The Norseman crew was right on time with their 8 am departure, and I didn't get there early like I should have, which meant I didn't get to talk to anyone as they were actually just starting the engine as I spotted the airplane. I did get to watch it taxi back and forth thru the small bay area on the north side of the base as they warmed up the engine. It's interesting to see the operational differences that seaplanes experience compared to land based airplanes, like the simple fact that you don't warm up the engine by holding the brakes and sitting still.

 The picture here is shortly after the power has come up and the Norseman begins the take off run. With a long trip home and what I imagine was a cabin pretty full of people and stuff, the airplane was far off in the distance before I could see the wing dip a little as one float was lifted off the water, then followed right away by the other as the big ole seaplane became airborne.

 You can tell that this pic is from a really long way away, but I thought it looked cool with the small boat also visible. You can also see how the wings haven't leveled out yet from the float un-sticking procedure where one float is lifted out of the water before the other. This makes it much easier to get the water to let go of the airplane.

 I trust that Tom and the crew had a good trip back home to Canada.

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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.

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Oshkosh 2010 Pic Stream #4 - AvGeek Nation! (26 pix)

 You see a little bit of everything at Oshkosh... this portable toilet 'environment enhancement' is just down the road from me in Camp Scholler. I would never have thought to do such a thing. Never.

  I've been seeing the very cool mega-super-sized-kind-of-a-Super-Cub airplane called Sherpa for years at Oshkosh, but I've never really got the idea that airplanes were being built, delivered or otherwise getting into the hands of people who want them. So, I stopped by the booth to find out what's going on. The bottom line is that after years of not quite having things all sorted out, things are now finally all sorted out. It looks like the Garrett prop-jet powered 8-place super STOL homebuilt airplane is ready to take on the world. I'll have more info on this big beautiful beast before long.

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