Video: 600HP, 5 Seats And 2 Wings - Addison Pemberton's Boeing Model 40

 This video isn't new but it's extremely well done and I'm as sure as I can be that you haven't seen it. Addison Pemberton's 8 year restoration of the only airworthy Boeing Model 40 put the impressive airplane back in the air in 2008. This video is from 2009 and gives a nice background on both the important historical significance of the Model 40 along with a little better understanding of just how large the airplane is, and how much work the restoration project was. I highly recommend giving the video your next 8 and a half minutes.

Screenshot: 1 open-air pilot seat and 4 inside the cabin of the 1928 Boeing Model 40
 

 The video is also a good primer for wrapping you head around the fact that this airplane is scheduled to participate in the Cow Pastures to Commercial Airways theme for the 2012 Antique Airplane Association Invitational Fly-In August 29 - September 3 in Blakesburg, Iowa. I've decided this is the year I MUST get to Blakesburg... the more I look at the fabulous Antique Airfield website, the more I realize that one of the biggest things missing in my life is Antique Airplanes! More on all this later.

Screenshot: Impressive size and beauty of the P&W 600HP powered Boeing Model 40
 

 Lastly, you may already know that this Boeing Model 40 and the 787 Dreamliner met up in the sky back in May of 2010, but you might not know the details of the story of how they got the amazing pictures that prove the meeting in the sky of the oldest and newest Boeing aircraft. Antique Airfield has a nice page with that air to air photo story too.

 I hope you take the time to enjoy this great video, and then I suggest you start thinking hard about getting to Blakesburg Iowa in late August!

Video: Fantasy Of Flight's Gee Bee Z Recently Making Beautiful Music!

 I've been hooked on the Gee Bee Z and the R-1/R-2 1930's era air racers since I was about 3 years old. Seriously. My dad was Gee Bee geek from way back and he had some static models of them, and one used to hang over my bed when I was about 3. Even at that young age I knew there was something very special about a Gee Bee!

 This video from a couple days ago shows the highly accurate Z replica that was built by Jeff Eicher and Kevin Kimball in Florida back in the mid 90's. This aircraft has been part of Kermit Weeks' collection at the Fantasy of Flight Museum for many years now... and Kermit might be thinking about flying the airplane once again. They prepped the airplane for an engine run and made this sweet little video about it. I'm really glad they did that!

 Just looking at this airplane is enough to make your heart beat fast and streak glorious thoughts of Golden Age of Air Racing through your mind, but it's almost too much to handle when you get to hear that awesome Pratt & Whitney R-985 makes beautiful music too. And if you're wondering if this is the exact aircraft used in the making of my favorite Disney film The Rocketeer, it isn't. This one is built to be very accurate to the original. The one used in the Rocketeer was built by Bill Turner way back in 1978, and it was slightly modified with a little more wing and a slightly longer fuselage to make it easier to fly. It's on display these days at the Museum of Flight.

 So take a few minutes now and enjoy the amazing sights and sounds of the awesome and beautiful Gee Bee Z : )

 
Video screenshot: Fantasy of Flight crew pushing the Gee Bee Z out for the engine run
 

Screenshot: Gee Bee Z engine start up... blue smoke and beautiful sounds!
 

Screenshot: the 450hp P&W R-985 purring right along - maybe flying again soon?

Looking Forward To Reno 2012 (Sept 12-16)... And I Hope I See YOU There

(click pic for hi-res)  Rolls Royce Griffon powered P-51 'Precious Metal' at Reno 2011
 

Race permit & insurance in place... tickets are on sale now for Reno 2012: Sept. 12-16

 Back in 2008 when I was brainstorming the idea for a high-quality aviation blog that would celebrate a wide range of aviation interests, there were two specific aviation events I knew I had to attend and share with you: Oshkosh and Reno. There are many great aviation events around the U.S. (and of course around the world) but these two really stand out.

 The incredible experience of Oshkosh has always been easy for me. I became an EAA member in 1970 at the age of 9 (#57138), and since that time I've lived within a 5-1/2 hour drive (or less) of OSH... that's why I've been there over 35 years. But Reno is a lot farther away from my home in Indiana and much harder to work into the yearly plans. Yet I knew that the Reno Air Races were important and unique to the world of aviation. I HAD to be there. This was especially true since the last time I had attended Reno was in 1970 when I was just 9 years old! (I was actually there 68-70)

 So, I made the long drive to Reno and back in 2009 and 2010, and then in 2011 I was fortunate to be able to let Southwest Airlines do the driving. Unfortunately, 2011 would be a year of great tragedy at Reno. The accident on September 16, 2011 involving The Galloping Ghost that took 11 lives (10 spectators and the pilot), seriously injured many more, and brought the races to an end two days early, put the future of the event in jeopardy. But I've been a firm believer since September 16, 2011 that the tragedy wasn't the result of poor planning or unacceptable risks being taken... instead, it was the kind of freak accident that simply can't be planned for. There is always risk in this life, and sometimes it catches us no matter how prepared we are.

  In the months since the accident, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) has been diligent in seeking to make any changes deemed necessary to insure maximum safety for all involved, and they have worked with all the required authorities... best of all, they have been successful in securing the permits and insurance to make the Reno Air Races a reality for 2012. I think this is great news. It's the right answer. It's the right response to what happened on September 16, 2011.

(click pic to enlarge)  Multiple championship P-51 'Strega' up close at Reno 2011
 

 You can be sure I'll be doing everything in my power to be at the world's greatest air race at Stead Field in Reno Nevada this September 12-16 - But I want YOU to be there too! Maybe you're one of the thousands of people who's always been interested or wanted to go to Reno, but for whatever reason you've never made it... or you've been before but not for several years. This is your year. The event needs your support. Air racing needs your support. Please do whatever you can to make plans to be at the 2012 Reno Air Races. This non-profit event has endured significant financial hardship, and for the races to face the future successfully, they need our support, and they need it now.

Please, meet me in Reno this September!

HD Video! Sean Tucker Onboard Cam: Takeoff To Touchdown At Manassas 2012

 I never get tired of seeing a great onboard video of a great aerobatic pilot on a day with great weather, do you? I sure hope you don't cuz if you do there's something very wrong with your avgeekery. This video is from May 12th at the Manassas Wings-Wheels & Warriors Airshow and the camera is mounted in front and above the windshield (unlike the amazing Chicago 2010 video mounted inside the cockpit) - you get a little engine and wind noise here but no audio of Sean. 

 It looks like the weather was beautiful that day and Sean and the Oracle Challenger III didn't miss a beat. The video is the entire routine from takeoff to touchdown, so if you don't have 13 minutes to invest in this video, skip up to 2:30 for smoke-on and enjoy the ride. I especially like the rolling tail slide (torque roll if you're not old school like me) that starts at 6:20, and also the very high angle of attack ride around the super tight loop that starts at 7:50 - it's so cool to see the smoke indicate that insane angle of attack on the way around that loop. You can thank the 400hp under the hood and that big fan up front to pull off a maneuver like that!

 The whole video is an awesome and wild ride, I highly encourage you to take it all in... especially if getting to an airshow somewhere this weekend isn't in your plans. You can feel like you went to one just by watching this 13 minute video!

(to watch in HD: hit play and then pause - then look for the 'gear' icon in the lower 
right of the video window & select 1080p... click 'fullscreen' and enjoy!)

Video screenshot of Sean Tucker in the Oracle Challenger III at Manassas 2012

Poll: Awesome Or Ugly? The 1931 Vickers Type 161 Biplane Pusher

The very interesting 1931 Vickers Type 161 - vote now: Awesome or Ugly?

 The poll from last Friday with boomin' bombers (supersonic US bombers) has over 200 votes and the B-58 Hustler is snagging the lead with about 47% of the vote. Yay! I was hoping it would be the overall fave.

 Today I'm trying something new: Awesome or Ugly? It's a simple poll to see what you think about really unusual aircraft while also showing you some thinking from the past that you may have never seen. This one is the 1931 Vickers Type 161 pusher biplane designed as an interceptor attack aircraft. Apparently it performed quite well but for whatever reason the concept wasn't put into production.

 The most unusual design aspect to me is that aft tail cone mounted behind the approximately 500hp Bristol Jupiter radial engine, which just happens to spin a 4-blade prop! The Vickers Type 161 was just very, very different! I'm guessing it was a pretty big rush to fly too, especially with all that power and no prop blast in your face!

 I think it's awesome... what about you?

HD Video: Kirby Chambliss, Red Bull, And GoPro Make A Great Combination!

 This sweet promo video from the GoPro youtube channel for the HD HERO2 makes for fun 4 minutes! It has a strong music video feel with a loud background and edgy editing... usually I'm all for just let me hear the airplane but I gotta say I like this as entertainment. And the crazy-boy smile on Kirby's face as he flies inverted around some Arizona rock formations pretty much says it all.

 Btw... I miss the Red Bull Air Races : /

(to watch in HD: hit play and then pause - then look for the 'gear' icon in the lower
right of the video window & select 1080p... click 'fullscreen' and enjoy!)

Video screenshot showing Kirby Chambliss having GoPro fun in the Arizona desert!

Caption Contest #74 Winner - 'Pancake Man' Superhero Edition!

 Yesterday's post about the flying machines in the awesome Marvel Comics movie The Avengers (in theaters now, check local listings : ) has us in a superhero kind of mood... and that's perfect for this Caption Contest winner! Cograts to 'Tailgear' for getting the most votes and securing a bacon sandwich at OSH12 for the effort. And just as important, Pancake Man finally gets some recognition!

 The Flying Pancake theme was used to good advantage in the captions offered up this time around, tho I'll have to say that the Round EZe concept was a great one too!

 The Vought V-173 Flying Pancake is one of the most unusual airplanes ever designed and built, and it actually flew pretty darn well. I've been planning to do an extensive feature on the aircraft but haven't got it done yet. Til then, you may wanna go check out some very nice pix of the recently restored V-173 at this Zone-Five.net modeling forum post. You might also wanna check out this page from the Dallas NBC5 TV station that includes a video and info on the V-173 from its recent arrival at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas where the restored V-173 will be on display for the next 10 years (on loan from the National Air & Space museum)

 More avgeek caption fun on the way on another Monday morning when the time seems right... watch for it.

First Customer-Built Onex Flies... Let The Revolution Begin!

Bill Fisher and his 'first customer-built Onex': first flight was yesterday! (photo: Sonex)

 Thursday May 10th 2012 was a big day for the little single seat VW powered freedom machine known as the Onex... the first customer-built airplane made its first flight! I think this is the start of a quiet revolution for the homebuilt aircraft world. The Onex from Sonex Aircraft represents the most affordable, practical and desirable combination of design and function that I've ever seen in a homebuilt aircraft. I'm sure there are those out there who don't agree or aren't attracted to the Onex, but I believe that this little airplane offers more fun and realistic ability to reach completion for the average pilot than anything else that's ever been available. Learn more about the Onex kit at the Sonex website. 

 Congrats to Bill Fisher from Jackson Tennessee for making the first flight on the first customer-built Onex! From these pictures (from the Sonex website) it sure looks like he's done a great job putting the little cutie together... and if you know anything about me, you know I couldn't be happier that the first one done is a taildragger!

The affordable single seat sports car of the air - Onex from Sonex. (photo:Sonex)

 As you can see from the video below from the first flight (which really just shows a nice fly by), the VW engine has finally found the perfect home in the sky. The performance with the AeroVee engine is excellent... and the affordability and low operating costs only make it all the more attractive.

 Plus, the roomy cockpit, the folding wings, and the simplified kit, which includes more pre-formed parts and matched-hole assembly, means that there's very little compromise in the Onex package. I stand by my assessment that the Onex is the closest thing to the homebuilt grand slam that we've ever seen. I think you can expect to see these little machines popping up all over the place! If I wasn't still struggling just to survive financially, you can be sure there'd be one of these in progress out in my garage : )

The roomy cockpit of Bill Fisher's 'first customer-built' Onex kit  (photo: Sonex)

Hot! Air To Air Video & Stills With Holland, Goulian, Stewart And Coleman

 Really fab aviation photographer Jessica Ambats did a hot air-to-air photoshoot with Rob Holland, Michael Goulian, Skip Stewart and Kevin Coleman down at Sun-n-Fun, and this recently released video from the Nflightcam youtube channel takes us all along for the wild ride!

 Please join me in watching this awesome video... and in wishing we were any of the people in the air that sunny Florida day : )

Awesome video screenshot from the Jessica Ambats photoshoot done at Sun-n-Fun

Awesome Videos Of Kent Pietsch Landing On A Pickup & Motorhome!

Kent Pietsch airshows

 Yesterday I posted some cool C-5 Galaxy videos including one from Stevo71 and that led me to find out another fabulous video on that account... the one above of Kent Pietsch landing his Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet on that really small landing platform on top of a pickup truck at the 2011 Beale AFB airshow. The video is only a little over a minute long but wow it sure is fun to watch. The GoPro is pointed just right to be able to get a great view of Kent having loads of fun putting the airplane right where he wants it.

 You might remember that I had the incredible opportunity to be hanging out the side window of a pickup that was speeding down the runway at the Indy Air Show back in 2010, right in front of the other landing platform that Kent uses (the motorhome) as he made several several landings for a promo video that was being shot. I got loads of pix from that adventure and the best one is both an AirPigz CoolPix and a picture used in a recent article about Kent and his Cadets in Air & Space magazine.

 

My pic of Kent Pietsch landing the Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet on the motorhome!
 

  I once heard someone say when talking about Kent's airshow flying abilities that he was a really good 'stick and rudder' pilot (as tho he at least had that going for him) - I actually thought is was kind of a weird thing to say because in my mind, that's all there is to flying... your stick and rudder skills. And yes, Kent has mad skills with the stick and the rudder - truly one of the best!

 As an added bonus here I'm including another video below that has some extra views of Kent doing his routine in that beautiful 90hp Jelly Belly Cadet from the 2010 Shaw AFB airshow. I mention the 90hp because it is much more difficult to fly these kinds of routines on limited horsepower, which again points to having stellar skills at managing aircraft airspeed, attitude and altitude. You'll also notice that in this video he's landing on the motorhome, just like the pix I took at Indy in 2010.

 I hope you enjoy watching Kent entertain the crowds in these videos as much as I did : )