Video: Avspecs Ltd Rolls The de Havilland Mosquito Into The Sun

 
 This under-2minute video shows a time lapse of the crew at Avspecs Ltd in Auckland New Zealand putting the wheels on their stunning de havilland Mosquito restoration and rolling it into the sunshine. If you don't know about Avspecs, you really should... I admit I'm just beginning to learn about them myself. I saw their stellar P-40 restoration at the 2011 National Aviation Heritage Invitation (NAHI) at Reno Stead during the Reno Air Races where it won 1st place in the Warbird Category. Honestly, that P-40 looked almost supernatural - it was truly stunning. (learn more about the P-40 here)

 I'd have every reason to think that this Mosquito will have a similar aura about it, especially since the de Havilland Mosquito is on my top ten list of most important aircraft ever built. From its advanced lightweight plywood used in the primary structure; the passionate beauty of its design; the phenomenal performance and versatility; and its critical role in World War II - these are just some of what made the Mosquito such an important aircraft.

 My understanding is that there aren't any airworthy Mosquitoes today, but this one isn't the only project in the works. I'm researching the details on the other projects and hope to post later on the status of putting one of Britain greatest accomplishments back into the sky! 

(click to enlarge)  Follow the Avspecs Ltd Mosquito progress at their facebook page

AirPigz Gets A Pic Into The January 2012 Air & Space Magazine!

(click for hi-res)  My picture of Kent Pietsch from the January 2012 Air & Space Magazine

 I had two great opportunities with the pic above... first was the awesome opportunity to be able to capture it at the 2010 Indy Air Show, and second was when Air & Space Magazine contacted me asking if they could print it in an upcoming article. And now it's out in their January 2012 issue in the story: A Pearl Harbor Mystery - How a 1940s Interstate Cadet trainer sent a famous airshow pilot on a journey to find a kindred spirit - the link takes you to the online version of the story. It's an interesting article that connects a small side story from the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor with Kent Pietsch and his Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet.

Young flight instructor Cornelia Fort from the Air & Space article: A Pearl Harbor Mystery

 
 The article is mostly about Cornelia Fort, Interstate Cadets, and Kent's journey collecting several Cadets and associated parts. But you can't talk about Kent Pietsch without having at least one great image of him having fun at one of his airshows. That's where my picture comes in! You can see my pic at Air & Space by clicking the view more photos link on the top right of the Cornelia Fort picture in the article (same as the pic above), or by simply clicking on that picture in the article - both take you to the image gallery.

 If you want to know more about how I got the picture, and to see it in a hi-res version, click CoolPix - Airshow: Kent Pietsch 'Jelly Belly' Motorhome Landing! (3 Pix). You might also enjoy my podcast interview with Kent leading up to the 2010 Indy Air Show: AirPigz Podcast #12: Kent Pietsch Akro And The Indy Air Show! 

 And thanx Air & Space Magazine for including my picture in a very interesting article!

Video: Clipped Wing Cub - Possibly The World's Greatest Airplane!

 
 This video of Brendan O'Brien (O'Brien's Flying Circus) at the Rougham (England) Airshow in 2010 gives you an idea of why I believe the Clipped Wing Cub is possibly the world's greatest airplane. On just 100hp (or 90hp like the one I used to fly way back in the day) you get a very sporting, aerobatic leaning, antique icon that is cheap to fly and nothing but smiles, smiles, smiles. You can open the window on the left and the whole door on the right and be almost open-cockpit, or you can button things up and go for a high speed cruise of almost 90mph!

Brendan O'Brien and his 100hp Clipped Wing Cub  (photo: O'Briens Flying Circus)

 It's both an easy and challenging taildragger... there's something very cool about having to fly it from the back seat, but it'll keep you busy when you've got a big person in the front that you can't see around. And to me, it's hard to beat the simple beauty of an old Continental hanging its cylinders out in the breeze!

 All things considered, flying just doesn't get any better than doing it in a Clipped Wing Cub! My personal financial recovery from the collapse of 2008 is both long and very slow, but I'm ever hopeful that somehow 2012 will give me the chance to wrap my arms around a Clipped Wing Cub once again : )

Me in N38365 in 1980 when I was 19 years old - my most favorite airplane ever!
 

N38365 in 2007 - it hasn't been part of my life since 1981 (photo: Terry Shepherd)

Sorceress: Radical Sport Biplane Racer At Reno 1970

(click pic to enlarge)  The very radical Sorceress biplane racer at Reno in 1970

(3 pix) 

I've been quiet about the Reno Air Races since shortly after the tragic crash of Jimmy Leeward in The Galloping Ghost that took his life and the lives of 10 people in the stands, along with injuring many more. Time has the ability to settle much of the shock of an event like this, but obviously there are many people for which this tragedy will forever define the rest of their life. For all of us though, regardless of how much time passes, it just seems like the kind of occurrence that we will never be able to make any sense out of. This is the reality of much of life... things happen that we would never dream of, and pain and confusion are the result. But if there's one thing that seems to be clear, even in the face of tragedy, it's that life goes on.

 It's with this idea in mind that I'm sharing these pictures from Reno in 1970 of one of the most unique aircraft ever to show up to the races. There's a long and very rich history since the races began in 1964, and it feels like looking back is one of the best ways to look to the future.

 Sorceress arrived at Reno to shake up the Sport Biplane Class, but according to the amazing race history book Racing Planes & Air Races 1968-1971 (by Kinert), Sorceress did fly, but the lack of time on the aircraft put it in the position of a fill-in and was only allowed to finish in last place. I was fortunate to be at these races in 1970 as a 9 year old, and my dad took these pictures as we were able to see Sorceress up close. I knew it was a big deal even as a kid to see this game changing racer, but I don't have any memory of how the races turned out. I'm so thankful to have this book (and the previous edition that covers the years 1909-1967) to be able to re-experience some of the history that I witnessed from 1967 to 1970. These two books are highly recommended.

(click pic to enlarge)  Sorceress: All metal, negative stagger, and inverted gull  lower wing

Click to read more ...

Video: Coolifying A Straight Tail Cessna 150 - Nice!

Thelma, a recently restored & converted straight tail Cessna 150 by Taildragger Aviation

 You might remember that quite a while back I posted an old Cessna 150 ad from 1966, the first year for the swept tail. This brought the 150 fully into the 'modern' era with the Land-O-Matic tricycle gear, the Omni-Vision rear window and now the new Flight/Sweep swept tail. The only problem for me was that all the things that made Cessna airplanes great thru the 40's and 50's was pretty much gone. In my opinion, the 1966 Cessna 150 had no heart. No soul.

 Then I posted a story about how the nice people at Taildragger Aviation took an old straight tail 150 and restored it while also converting it to a taildragger. Check out that post: This Is What The 1966 Cessna 150 Should Have Looked Like! And now they've done it again. The pic above is another old straight tail that's been restored and converted... and wow, does it ever look great. I still think this is how the 150 shoulda looked thru the 1960's. 

 This restoration also comes with the video below to show the work and the finished product in 4-1/2 minutes. The best part? Watching that perfect landing on a beautiful grass runaway at the very end of the video. Wow. That my friends, is flying!

Video: Scratch Built Electric RC Autogyro = Fun, Fun, Fun!

Super simple electric RC autogyro - screenshot from the video below

 I admit that I've never been the biggest fan of gyrocopters, but old-time autogyros (or autogiro's) like the 1930's Pitcairn make me tingle as much as any flying machine I've ever seen... so it's no surprise that I really enjoyed seeing this scratch built autogyro from Gary Jones, the man behind ultra cool RC aircraft like the 5.4 pound, 10 foot wingspan C-47and the VTOL Dark Deltoid.

 Not only does this simple little rotary wing flyer with the tractor mounted electric motor fly great, but as usual, Gary's video is very well done too. His secret on the video is a camera mounted on a baseball cap. That way, all he has to do is keep his head pointed at the aircraft to give us a smooth track thru the air. This works much better than trying to have someone who doesn't know where the airplane is headed running the cam. And, these very light weight models also make it safe to fly them very close by so that they fill the frame. It's these great views of slow flying machines that really capture the magic of flight. And listen closely when the autogyro gets really close the the camera... you can hear that awesome 'whirlybirds' rotor sound! I love this stuff!

 If you watch the way Gary flies, you'll also see a pure love for the simple art of steering a flying machine thru an ocean of air. So, if flying is just a job to you, or a means to move you or some stuff from point A to point B, I encourage you to watch a video like this closely and see what it really means to Love To Fly : )

 Here's the simple HatCam that makes these sweet videos possible

Spotted For Sale: $18,500 Wittman Tailwind - Speed On The Cheap!

Great looking homebuilt Wittman Tailwind for sale: just 18,500 at barnstormers.com

(click the pic to go to the barnstormers.com listing)

 I've been a fan of the simple-to-build and rather speedy Wittman Tailwind for a really long time. In fact, I've got a set of plans for the modernized, extended wing tip W10 version just waiting for the day when I have lots of time and a little bit of money. It'll likely be a long wait. But wow, if I just had a small stack of cash ($18,500) I could buy this little cutie right here and be flying immediately! I'm amazed at what a little searching will turn up these days if you're looking for a great flying machine priced well under $20K... and this one sure seems to be a dandy.

 While many Tailwinds have either a Lycoming O-320 (150hp) or a Continental O-300 (145hp), this one has a C-85 that's been modified to be more like an O-200 (100hp). While there are obvious trade offs when you don't have the extra ponies up front, this Tailwind most likely has remarkable speed and fuel efficiency. Plus, I think it's just a great looking airplane. What fun it would be to take this on a 1000 mile adventure : )

 If you're looking to learn more about one of the most amazing little homebuilt aircraft ever designed, check out this Tailwind pilot report by Budd Davisson from many years back. It's just all the more evidence that Steve Wittman was an amazing master of the skies!

Clean and simple is what makes the Tailwind such a great flying machine

1920's Cessna AW - My Kind Of Cessna (With Video)

A 1929 Cessna AW - 110hp 4-place piece of classic antique beauty

 I haven't been emotionally moved by the sight of a single engine Cessna since they moved that little wheel in the back up to the front back in the mid 1950's. And if you go way back to the 1920's, you find the first aircraft that Cessna built in any large numbers (even tho only 83 were built), the Cessna Model A. The AW version was powered by the 110hp Warner, and yet it performed remarkably well even with 4 seats! How can we have had so little progress (or none) in all those years? That's a long discussion - we'll save that for another day.

 Anyway, I've known about the AW for many years. I followed along with the AW restoration that Gar Williams did thru the late 70's, and I've always thought the airplane had a really special charm about it. I was also always intrigued by that unique wing. It's fabric covered, but it doesn't have any struts to control twist. Quite an engineering feat for the late 20's.

 So, I thought I'd put a quick post up about it with the video of the AW that Gar restored when it was recently moved from Illinois to the Eagles Mere Air Museum in Pennsylvania... but when I looked at that classic image above of an AW, it reminded me a little of my fantasy design I call the Dreambird. What really caught my eye was the fact that the pilot's eyes are right at, or even forward of the leading edge of the wing. That was one of the primary things I wanted to accomplish with the Dreambird. And while I envisioned the Dreambird with a 110hp radial engine (Rotec), it's actually just a 2-seater with a really big baggage area. Here's the graphic I drew last year of the Dreambird.

My fantasy design from 2010 called Dreambird

 Check out the video below, and let me know if you think an antique like the AW is more interesting than what Cessna builds these days. I certainly do.

MythBusters Video Digest Of The Duct Tape Plane (4 Videos)

MythBusters even did an all-duct-tape version of the Belite! (aftershow video screenshot)

 So, did you catch the MythBusters episode last Wednesday (or the re-runs since) that showed their Alaskan duct tape airplane re-creation? If you didn't, I've got good news. Here's 4 short videos (<13 min total) that give you most of the meat from the episode... plus the aftershow (last video) that covers several things not shown in the broadcast.

 They did a pretty good job overall with this aviation myth, tho as usual, they were a little whacked on some things. Mostly I'm just glad it all worked out ok. I didn't doubt the airworthiness of the Super Cub in Alaska, or that the test aircraft would fly, but I was a little concerned about the MB crew doing the assembly on the cute little Belite (provided and flown in the first test by Belite owner James Wiebe), but they must have done ok.

 It was especially cool that they then went all the way with the duct tape idea by replacing ALL of the dacron with duct tape in phase 2 of the show. It added some weight, but it worked just fine! You can see some of that part of the show by watching the aftershow - the last video below.

The myth? Confirmed!

Spotted For Sale: 1941 Culver Cadet - 120 MPH - 5 GPH - Super Cutie!

Designed by Al Mooney - a 1941 Culver Cadet!  $21,000 at barnstormers.com

 You might have noticed my drooling on twitter (@AirPigz) a while back after I found a different Culver Cadet for sale for just $17,000... and now here's another amazingly great looking airplane for just $21,000. If I had some cash (or a credit rating that wasn't face-down-in-the-mud) I'd be all over these little cuties. In fact, I'd probably have more than one!

 Where else can you buy a true antique aircraft that has retractable landing gear and can scoot around the sky at 120 mph on just 5 gph... AND can be bought for about the price of a new nicely equipped Toyota Corolla? I don't know of any other production aircraft that can match the uniqueness, affordability and retro cool factor of the little Culver Cadet - even if the useful load is only a little over 400 pounds.

 Wanna know more about the quirky little Cadet? Read this great Vintage Airplane magazine article from 2007 - but watch out, you just might find yourself in the buying mood : )

 1941 Culver Cadet: Cheap thrills on a budget, and an elliptical wing!

Taildragger with a stick, an 85 hp Continental, and room for two = FUN!