Early Morning Rainbow Over Antique Airfield During 2013 AAA Fly-In

(click pic to enlarge)  A rainbow over antiques at Antique Airfield on September 1, 2013

 The weather back on Sunday September 1st, toward the end of the Antique Airplane Association fly-in in Blakesburg Iowa, started out overcast and a bit rainy. But I happened to be in the right spot once the sun broke out to capture a really pretty picture! Sure seems fitting that this rainbow settles into a fine collection of beautiful old flying machines.

 I meant to get this posted in my coverage of the event but just didn't get it done... I figure now that the weather is really beginning to feel Fall-like already, a quick look back into the latter part of the summer just feels good. I hope you enjoy : )

(click for more pix from the 2013 AAA fly-in)

CoolPix: Precious Metal Shining In The Sun (Reno 2013)

(click pic for hi-res)  Precious Metal in the sunshine getting lots of TLC before more racing

 I was able to capture this unique CoolPix of Precious Metal in the pit getting some serious work done on the engine... no major problems there, just lots of fine tuning to get as much out of this 'spare' engine as possible. I decided this was a better pic than yesterday's pylon pix for right now, especially since it was taken about an hour ago, plus it's a lot easier to get one pic up during the day!

 Steve Hinton with Voodoo has been well collected after posting the fastest qualifying time this year, as has the Sea Fury 232 with Hoot Gibson who qualified faster than a Sea Fury ever has at just under 480 mph. The Rare Bear crew and pilot Stewart Dawson have been battling issues making all the power it should be able to, and Strega with Matt Jackson has been working its way up from the back of the pack after having the setback of losing the canopy several days ago and spending time making the repairs. Strega easily won its race earlier today tho and I believe will race tomorrow to try to earn its place in the big race.

 The Gold race for tomorrow is definitely shaping up!

Friday Morning At The 50th Anniversary Races: Reno 2013 (8 Pix)

(click pic to enlarge) T-33 Pace aircraft with home pylon in background before sunrise

 Between having to work Wednesday until noon (when I had hoped to hit the road at 6am), the 35 hour road trip from Indiana to Reno, and then nagging internet access and Adobe Creative Cloud subscription issues, getting a post up from Reno has been a real challenge! So, I'm trying to play catch-up now... here's a small collection of images from Friday morning that I had hoped to have posted by noon yesterday. If things go well I will have more of Friday up a little later today. Reno!

(click pic to enlarge)  Precious Metal lit by some lights in the pit before sunrise

(click pic to enlarge) Strega with rebuilt canopy prepping for an early morning test flight

(click pic to enlarge)  Close-up of the rebuilt canopy which worked great on Friday

(click pic to enlarge) Voodoo crew and Steven Hinton before an early morning flight

(click pic to enlarge) Rare Bear looks great but isn't making the power it needs for speed

(click pic to enlarge) Elliot Seguin with his Wasabi Siren heading out for a morning race

(click pic to enlarge) Elliot and crew riding the fire engine after winning that morning race!

Video: Excellent Reno 2013 LiveAirShowTV Update For Monday 9.10.13

 LiveAirShowTV has put together this excellent update of the excitement that's already been part of Reno 2013, the 50th anniversary of the National Championship Air Races. This 5-and-a-half minute video with some info about Monday qualifying in the Unlimited Warbird Racing Class is definitely worth your time to check out. (here's the link to the full RARA qualifier report for Monday September 10, 2013)

 And remember, if you aren't able to make it to the races, watch them on the internet via LiveAirshowTV's live stream on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Click here for the live feed page.

 I'm heading out by car tomorrow morning and hope to arrive on site at the races Thursday evening... I can't wait to get there!

Screenshot: Steven Hinton in Voodoo - fastest qualifier on Monday at 492.699 mph

Antique Airfield: Antiques, In The Air! (10 Pix)

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Cabin Waco flying over Antique Airfield last Saturday evening August 31, 2013

 I've got a boatload of pix from my weekend trip to the Antique Airplane Association fly-in at Antique Airfield near Blakesburg Iowa, but with my day-job's hectic schedule right now, I don't have a lot of time for prepping and posting. So I'm not gonna say much here... but I figure getting these pix up where they can be enjoyed is what really matters. This is just a slice of what I have to share over the next few months. There aren't really any incredible images here, but they are decent captures of some truly beautiful airplanes. (I worked and hour and a half before work and another hour and a half during lunch to get these prepped up for you!)

 The atmosphere at Antique Airfield is something you just have to experience to understand. If you feel any love at all for old airplanes, then I suggest you consider joining the AAA before next year's event and then get yourself over there to see what it's all about! Better yet, ditch some your thoughts about modern airplanes and find a sweet old antique that needs your affection and find out what real flying is all about. Maybe you'll be one of the people I'm taking pix of next year (and hopefully I'll have flown in with an old airplane myself : )

 Open cockpit Waco making a fast pass down the Antique Airfield runway

1929 Eaglerock biplane ventures skyward into the wild blue yonder

A very red, and very beautiful sounding Stinson Reliant on takeoff

About 70 Luscombes attended this year... including this one with a smoke system : )

Click to read more ...

Antique Airfield... Heaven On Earth! (AAA Fly-In 8.31.13 13 Pix)

(click pic to enlarge)  Ryan SC-W in front of the official Antique Airfield Hangar

 The 2013 Antique Airplane Association fly-in runs thru Monday September 2nd in Blakesburg Iowa... it's the most amazing collection of antique airplanes, and I made the drive over Friday to experience it again. I'll add that I made a swing down thru Indianapolis on the way Friday to go flying with Billy Werth in his Pitts S2C. I'm getting really close to having my financial problems of the last 5 years behind me, so some bartered time in the Pitts doing takeoffs and landings was a great way to knock of the rust of of my taildragger skills! I actually did really well and look forward to getting myself current before long in a Cub or something similar. I also hope to keep moving forward in the Pitts with both aerobatics and fine tuning the landing experience.

 So, the AAA fly-in on Saturday was near perfect, especially if almost 100 degree weather makes you happy. For most of us the heat was a bit much, but the winds were light with loads of sunshine, and the collection of antique airplanes was magnificent. There was plenty of flying going on all day, but by evening the sky was crowded with beautiful old airplanes making the sweetest music there is. The following is a quick post of some of the images I captured in the earlier part of the day... it should give you a good idea of what you're missing if you aren't here! (13 pix, be sure to click thru to see them all)

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Click to read more ...

Video: Building The Gee Bee Q.E.D. Replica (And First Flight Coming Soon!)

 Back in May I posted a pic and a link to more pix of the amazing Gee Bee Q.E.D. replica being built by Jim Moss out in the pacific northwest. This recently released high-quality video shares so many more details about the project, and the team of builders that have come together to make it all possible. Both the size and the workmanship on this airplane are amazing! The video is almost 20 minutes long but it's worth every minute. If you don't have the time right now to watch it all, check out the engine start up sequence that starts at 12:30, and the high-speed taxi test that starts at about about 16:50... but seriously, find the time to watch the whole video.

The incredible QED replica out in the sunshine and firing up the big 1,425hp radial!

 The first flight is hoped to take place sometime this fall, but it won't happen until everything is truly ready. Given the size and relatively complexity of this replica, which has over twice the the horsepower as the one-and-only original Gee Bee Q.E.D., this is definitely not an airplane where you wanna rush the first flight in any way.

 It's interesting to note that this replica differs from the original in that it has the much bigger engine, a slightly larger fin and rudder to deal with that extra horsepower, and the landing gear is set further apart to give much better ground stability. That wider gear has also caused the wingspan to increase 2 feet over the original as well. This must be one of the most beastly homebuilt airplanes ever built. Wow!

 Stay tuned for first flight info.

Video screenshot: Big, beautiful beast of an airplane! Replica Q.E.D. from Jim Moss & crew

Video screenshot: wide angle view of the Q.E.D. from a wing mounted camera

Video screenshot: high-speed taxi test... looks like it's right of the Rocketeer!

Video: The Antique Airplane Association Fly-In! (Aug 28 - Sept 2, 2013)

2013 Antique Airplane Association Invitational Fly-In: Aug 28-Sept 2
(must be a member, or join the AAA on-site)

 I was at the 2012 Antique Airplane Association fly-in last year near Blakesburg Iowa... it was the first time I had been there since I was a kid. This fabulous video is from Thursday evening during the event (I didn't get there until Saturday) and it shows you everything you need to know about why I love the AAA fly-in! I was only there two days, but it was a great experience making the journey back in time where the airplanes were far more beautiful and being alive seemed to have more purpose. I even got some pix of that gorgeous Ryan SC-W, which, by the way, is owned and flown by Russell Williams who maintains the AAA AntiqueAirfield website. 

 In nearly every way, the AAA fly-in is the anti-Oshkosh, but both events are built on the exact same love for aviation. But Antique Airfield (the grass runway airport where the event is held) is a true step back in time where everyone who flew was part aviation pioneer. Common sense and responsibility rule the day, and the sounds of old aircraft engines fill the air with beautiful music. It is a very, very special place.

 That amazing Ryan SC-W in the video has recently been fitted with an overhauled Warner 165hp radial engine which should put in great shape for making the trip to southern Iowa from near Seattle where Russell is based (see first engine run video here). There's even a chance I might get a ride in that rare antique airplane... I can't wait to get back to Antique Airfield in a little over a week!

 Oh, and the kicker in the video is the theme song from the Rocketeer - perfection!

Screenshot of Russell Williams in his 1938 Ryan SC-W over Antique Airfield last year

Video: Wasabi Reveals Hot New Formula One Air Racer! (Wasabi Siren)

 Elliot Seguin works for Scaled Composites in Mojave California, but he also runs Wasabi Air Racing with his crew chief Jenn Whaley. They've been busy for the last couple years designing and building an all new Formula One race aircraft for Reno... it's called the Wasabi Special, but its also known as the 'Siren'. You might already know that for a while Elliot was part of Team Nemesis (Jon and Patricia Sharp, last raced in 2009) which is very well know for having been the first team to break 400mph with a Sport Class racer (actually Super Sport at the time) - and Elliot's exposure to the amazing design of the very successful Nemesis NXT has trickled down somewhat into the much smaller Continental O-200 powered Formula One Class Siren. Seems like good thinkin' to me!

 I don't really have a lot of details on the airplane, but the video above gives you a variety of looks at the Siren, along with a fun and kinda artsy presentation of some of the flight testing that's been done in relative secret over the last year. Given that Elliot has a few years of Reno race experience in his antique old-school Cassutt racer, getting out on the race course in a possible contender should be both a thrill and a great learning experience. With this being the 50th anniversary of the Reno Air Races, I don't think he could have picked a better time to introduce an all-new racer!

Reno Air Races: September 11-15, 2013

Go Green... Go Wasabi!

Video screenshot: all-new Formula One racer from Wasabi Air Racing: The Wasabi Siren

Video screenshot: The Wasabi Siren showing its Nemesis NXT heritage planform

OSH13: Wide Angle View Of Opening Day (Monday 7.29.13 - 9Pix)

(click pic to enlarge) Wide-angle view of a beautiful Jim Clement built Wittman Tailwind

 While the few days before Oshkosh 2013 began were almost chilly enough for us to call it FrostKosh, opening day was about as perfect as it could have been. There was a low overcast very early but that quickly gave way to some gorgeous blue sky appearing, and then by mid morning the sun was shining, the temperature was great, and it stayed that way all day. It was perfect!

 I started the day by finding a nice collection of Wittman Tailwinds gathered on the flightline and decided to try some really wide-angle views of this classic homebuilt design originally designed way back in the early 1950's. I've always liked the Tailwind because it's relatively easy to build (steel tube/fabric fuselage, all wood wing) and is very fast for the power. I've got a set of plans for the Tailwind and still hope that one day I'll build one.

 So here are two different Tailwinds both built by Jim Clement... and both absolutely beautiful. I really enjoyed the unique views that a borrowed extra-wide-angle lens provided - thanx @adamcanfly! And just in case you don't care for the slab sides and very angular look of the Tailwind, I've got two pix of a perfect Pitts Model 12 for you. And then the last pic is an unusual self-portrait in the spinner of the Piaggio Avante II on display : )

 All I have left to say is: if you're not at OSH13, you should be!

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more pix coming soon!