CoolPix - Vintage Military: Awesome Lineup Of 10 de Havilland Mosquitos

(click pic for hi-res)

 Here’s another CoolPix in the 'Vintage Military' category.  A lineup of 10 de Havilland Mosquitos that appear to be factory fresh and ready to go to war.

 In my mind, the de Havilland Mosquito is one of the best aircraft of all time for a variety of reasons.  Fabulous structural engineering resulted in an extremely light but strong airframe made mostly out of wood.  Great aerodynamic design made it an exceptional performer… extremely fast with a top speed of nearly 400 mph, and great handling qualities as well.  And then there’s the gorgeous lines of its shape.  Everything just seems to be in the right place.

 Be sure to view the hi-res version (click the pic) and look at the details of the airplanes.  It also looks like there’s a wind sock on beyond the last airplane in the line.  And look at that field… huge, smooth, and with short grass.  This is an absolutely awesome picture!

 Loads more Mosquito info at dhmosquito.com.

Advanced Aerodynamic Duct-Tapelogy... Alaska Style

(4 pix) 

 The origins of this story are a tad cloudy, but it appears that up in Alaska in the fall of 2009, a bear happened to find this unattended Super Cub (used for remote fishing excursions) with the oh-so-sweet aroma of fish emanating from the fuselage.  Not understanding the irony of a ‘bear’ tearing into a ‘Cub’, the wild beast ripped the defenseless airplane open looking for some easy eats. 

 I don’t even think the bear found anything for its efforts, maybe that’s why it slashed the tires too!  But it sure left a surprise for the pilot who radioed a request for 2 tires, some plastic sheet, and 3 cases of duct tape.

Click to read more ...

Project VP Hibernation To End Soon - ’Sponsor’ T-Shirts Ready To Ship (Help!)

(5 pix + Video)

 (for details on how to order a 6-color Project VP ‘sponsor’ t-shirt, please send an email to me at mcc@airpigz.com - current sizes available: S, L, XL , XXL)

 I’ve recruited the help of my cute niece Madison to help promote the t-shirt ‘sponsorship’ program for my modified VolksPlane homebuilt airplane called ‘Project VP’.  You may already know I started the airplane just 90 days before Oshkosh 2009 with the serious hope of getting it completed and flying in that short period of time.  Yes, it’s true that I lean pretty far over the ‘crazy’ line, but hey, my feet are always still over there on the sane side!  Anyway, I ran out of time, but mostly I ran out of financial resources, which has pretty much been the story of my life this past 18 months.  More on that in a minute.

 I sold several of these $50 Project VP t-shirts before Oshkosh last year - thank you very much to the awesome people who supported this effort from the start!  And now I’m back to get this project once again on track so we can get it done and in the air.  Obviously the shirt isn’t really worth $50, but the point here is: buying a shirt is all about being a supporter of the effort.  And I think I can give you several reasons why supporting this sweet little updated design of the VolksPlane is something you can feel good about.

Click to read more ...

TV Guy Evan Farmer Builds A ‘Sportsman 2+2’ In Two Weeks!

 In fact, pretty much anybody can build a Glasair Aviation ‘Sportsman 2+2’ that quick if you go thru their ‘Two Weeks To Taxi’ program.  It’s pretty innovative, and this video from late 2008 with TV personality Evan Farmer really helps to show the process.  It also helps you believe that it’s really possible to build the entire airplane that quickly. 

 The Sportsman 2+2 is an extremely versatile airplane with lots of configurational options and strong overall performance on either the 180hp or the 210hp option.  I think it really helps bridge the gap between a ‘normal’ factory airplane and the sometimes very compromise oriented homebuilts.  This airplane is full of genuine utility.

 I did a really nice interview with one of the factory guys from Glasair Aviation up at Oshkosh that I should have ready to go as a podcast here before long.  It was during that interview that I went from kinda knowing what the airplane was, to thinking wow, this is a really great flying machine!

Shaun Lunt’s Blog Continues To Inspire Long After His Passing

"Best Time spent in Alaska?  Time spent with God.  He is good.  And the best things in life pale in comparison."  -Shaun Lunt

(4 pix + 2 videos)

 I learned of the remarkable life of Shaun Lunt about a year ago as I was searching the internet for interesting aviation related info.  Shaun lost his life about 6 months earlier, on the 6th of June 2008 in the crash of his Super Cub while flying in Alaska.  He had a vibrant passion for bush flying, adventure, photography and for spending time away from “normal” life to be closer to God. 

 He had made several trips to explore Alaska via Super Cub, and he was well experienced in many forms of adventurous activities.  But for reasons not fully known

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In A World Gone Crazy... A Moment of Pure Perfection

Caption Contest #21 Winner Crushes The Competition!

 I can just see it now… loads of Super Cubs with monster tires crushing Cherokees and 150’s while big crowds sit in the stands spilling popcorn and cheering them on! (TAILDRAGGERS FOREVER - TAILDRAGGERS FOREVER!)

 Congrats go out to twitter follower @s_crawford for coming up with the winning caption for this wacked out photochop.  I’m thinking’ a Monster Cub Rally might be a really cool idea! Thanx to everyone for getting in on the first Caption Contest at AirPigz 2.0 - and watch out for next Monday morning as we give it a go all over again : )

Some People Are Pilots... And Some People Love To Fly

photo: Richard Hallman via AntiquAirfield.com

Rob Bach/Carolyn Applegate via AntiqueAirfield.com

 For some people, flying is a great way to get from point A to point B.  It's fun, convenient, and gives them a sense of accomplishment.  That's all good.  But for others, flying is a foundation.  It's one of the building blocks of their life.

 To these people, an airplane isn't a machine to be conquered, but rather a deeply trusted friend with which the incomparable beauty and wonder of flight is shared.  It's a relationship.  One that changes who you are as a person.

 Some of these people are very passionate about antique airplanes... the kind that came from an era when pretty much everything was different than it is today.  Many of them work extremely hard keeping these airplanes doing what they were meant to do: fly.

 You'll find a lot of these people in the Antique Airplane Association.  The AAA began the same year that the EAA did, way back in 1953.  But the two organizations have taken different paths to wing up where they are today, which is decidedly two very different destinations.  For the record, I'm a pretty big fan of both destinations.

 The AAA is not a huge powerhouse group, but rather a much tighter knit group of extremely passionate people that have a really deep love for antique aircraft.  A trip thru their official website at AntiqueAirfield.com puts it nicely on display.  Once there, just start scrolling to see the people, the projects and the flying experiences that come from people living the life of aviation love.

Rob Bach/Carolyn Applegate via AntiqueAirfield.com

  The AAA, along with their sister organization APM (Airpower Museum), has an annual Fly-In as well, but it's technically ‘invitation only' for anyone who is a member of the association (or a guest of a member).  And of course, you can join on the spot.  The 2009 AAA/APM Fly-In will take place September 2-7 in Blakesburg, a small town in rural southeastern Iowa about 260 air miles mostly west of Chicago. 

 However, it's not the kind of event where general aviation aircraft swarm in to participate.  Their Antique Airfield airport (IA27) where the event is held, is private, with two grass runways, the longest of which is only 2350'.

 They have relatively limited facilities overall at the airport, but in the long run, this all serves to enhance the grass-roots feel of the event. This IS the way it was.

 If you only know the last 50 years of aviation, I encourage you to experience the first 50 years.  It's an amazingly rich heritage with the ability to inspire in a way that modern aviation rarely can.

 The pictures above, from the AAA's AntiqueAirfield website, give a little sliver of the feel of what antique airplanes are all about.  The sights, the sounds and smells, and of course the feelings that these airplanes inspire in people are truly amazing.

 And that last pic, taken leaning out the open door of a Piper Cub on final to a beautiful grass runway pretty much brings it all home for me.  I saw a lot of sights just like that back 30 years ago when I was a young kid flying a 1941 Clip Wing Cub around rural Indiana.

 It's when I learned for sure that I wasn't just a pilot, I was someone who loves to fly.

This Is How You Fly A B-17!

 This video is just a minute and 16 seconds long showing a really great airplane, a B-17, being flown in a really great manner.  What a fabulous example of a textbook landing!

 When I was just 13, my dad was unofficially teaching me to fly in a brand new 1973 Citabria 7KCAB that he'd just bought (he wasn't a CFI, but he was a great teacher).

 I remember that he taught me something very simple that can really make a big difference.  It was just this: make the airplane do what you need it to do, whatever it takes to make it happen.  It's the difference between mostly going along for a ride, and truly being in control.

 This landing shows what it looks like to be in control : )

'Project VP' Needs Your Help! Simple Poll Question Below

 I'm ready to actually start the building process on my updated and revised version of the old Volksplane that I call AirPigz "Project VP".  If you saw my initial post about the concept, you already know some of the ideas that go into making this extremely simple and affordable aircraft design a little more relevant to the world today.

 I'm confident this airplane is a great example of how we can get more people into the air without having them spend a lot of money or time building. And while the idea behind "kit" airplanes is great, this seems like a perfect time for us to encourage people to consider building an airplane the old fashioned way, from plans only.

 Typically "plans only" builds take a lot longer tho since you have to fabricate all the components yourself. That's where the genius of the original Volksplane comes in.  Built mostly from wood and utilizing several time saving ideas, the VP is about as easy as airplane building gets.  And while I think the basic VP is a tad on the homely side, my updated styling changes seem to make this a really cute little airplane!

 The basic idea here is to use Project VP to accomplish two specific goals.  First, to encourage people on several ways to get in the air affordably.  I plan to do a video update regularly of the build process to show what it's like.  This should help take much of the mystery out of the process for people who are overwhelmed by the thought of building an airplane.

 Second, I plan to build it in time to have it up on the flightline at Oshkosh 09.  The cool AirPigz paint scheme should attract a lot of attention, and this will help put AirPigz on the map!

 I've put a lot of work into the project already, but there's one important part that's missing for me.  It's been the hardest year of my life financially, and I've started AirPigz while being as close to going under as you can get. Fortunately, things are now getting better in my regular life, but I've got a pretty deep pit to crawl out of.

 There's only one way Project VP is going to become a reality... I need sponsors.  So I've come up with an idea on how you can get behind this unique, grass-roots idea. 

Project VP "sponsor" T-Shirt design concept... still need to add color to the airplane. 

  If you like AirPigz and the Project VP concept, then you might want to consider becoming an official "sponsor". The graphic above shows what I have in mind for very special, limited edition T-Shirt.  It's obviously not complete just yet, but will be soon.  It'll be a top quality shirt with at least 6 colors of ink. The shirt will be available for $50, which is a lot for a shirt, but in reality you're purchase is not about the shirt, but about supporting the airplane.

   Before I finalize the shirt design, and before I start making lots of sawdust fly on the airplane, I need to see if there's enough support out there to reach the goal of having the airplane built and up at Oshkosh 2009.  Since I have access to an airworthy VW engine I only need to raise enough money to cover the airframe, which should be under $3,000.

 Project VP, and my request for "sponsors" isn't a gimmick.  It's a genuine idea designed to help spark more interest in flying and to put a lot of attention on the idea that people can get into the air without spending a lot of money on an airplane.

 My opportunity to work my tail off communicating that message thru AirPigz.com just happens to coincide with a tremendous lack of financial resources in my life right now.  Your support will make all the difference.

 The poll below is just to get a general idea of where the idea stands right now.  If the potential for support looks encouraging, I'll have the details worked out soon about how you get on an official list for a shirt.  I hope you'll consider joining me in trying to encourage people to get out of their dreams and into the air!

Would you buy a special limited-edition AirPigz sponsor T-Shirt for 50 dollars to help make Project VP a reality for Oshkosh 2009?
	Sure, I'd definitely consider it!
	No, I probably wouldn't consider it.
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