Short Story: How Big Would A Ford Tri-Motor Be If You...

(click pic to enlarge) 1929 Ford Tri-Motor N414H at NAHI 2012 in Reno last September

 This is the first post in a new and occasional series called 'short story'. None too surprising, these will be short little stories that hopefully are bigger on interest and intrigue than they are on words. Here we go...

 I was incredibly fortunate as a teen to get to know Chuck LeMaster from Ottawa Kansas, a man who had a very interesting life associated with several unique aircraft, including at least two antique Ford Tri-Motors and one of only two modernized Fords known as the Bushmaster 2000. In 1976, when I was 15 years old, Chuck offered me the chance to go along and help his crew as they journeyed to the Dayton Air Show and then Oshkosh '75 to sell rides in his fabulous Ford 5-AT Tri-Motor, N414H.

(click pic to enlarge) Corrugated aluminum skin: Ford Tri-Motor N414H at NAHI 2012
 

 It was late July and we were at the Dayton Air Show as a steady stream of people stood in line to buy their tickets to ride in this grand ole antique aircraft. The Dayton event was a little different crowd than we'd have at Oshkosh. There were more general public people at Dayton, many who just had a very passing interest in aviation. As a crewmember who did whatever little tasks were needed, I spent most of my time during operating hours answering questions for the people in the line and keeping them moving to the point where they would empty their wallets.

 When you deal with several thousand people over a busy weekend airshow you wind up interacting with all kinds... and you hear all kinds of questions. Good questions, bad questions, and for me, at least one that I'll never forget. One woman in line was very serious when she wondered just how big a Ford Tri-Motor would be if you flattened out all the corrugations in the metal skin! We'd definitely never heard that one before! It was actually an interesting question, the kind a guy like me with a slightly twisted mind actually found pretty interesting. Even more interesting to me that it came from a woman. I give her high marks for really getting a grip on what that metal skin looked in cross section : )

(click pic to enlarge) Just how big would she be if you flattened out the corrugations?!
 

 I never took the time to figure out just how much taller the fuselage and how much longer the wings would be if you could flatten the ole girl out. Most likely I never will. But I will never ever forget the most interesting (and odd) question asked about N414H.

 I'll add that the very first entry in my very first logbook is for 5.0 hours of dual received (Ford Tri-Motor introduction xc) from Dayton Ohio to Oshkosh Wisconsin on 7-26-76 in N414H. The entry is signed by CFI Charles A. LeMaster. Wow... Thanx Chuck, I'll never ever forget that either!

NOTE: N414H is the only Ford Tri-Motor in the world you can get type rated! Learn more at FordTypeRatings.com

CoolPix: Piper Cub Perfection At Oshkosh 2012 (With Desktop Sizes)

(click pic for hi-res)  A J-3P (Lenappe radial engine) and a J-3C at Oshkosh 2012

 I propose a challenge: take any two Cessna 150's and position them however you like and then take your best picture of the two of them together... then put a hi-res version on the internet for the world to see. Will heartbeats quicken? How many people will say 'wow' in their head. How many will say 'wow' out loud? I suspect not very many. I say this not because I dislike the Cessna 150, it's a wildly acceptable little airplane. I say this because airplanes from the past had a passion and a love for flight engineered into them, and it's rare to find that today.

 I think this CoolPix image of the somewhat rare Lenappe radial powered Cub painted black and yellow with the iconic all-yellow Continental A-65 powered Cub in the fuzzy background makes my point. That image borders on art. But it's not almost art because I captured a phenomenal image but because those airplanes are just beautiful to look at. As wildly acceptable as Cessna 150's are, they are not very often described as beautiful to look at.

 I figured a nice avgeek reminder of the warmth of summer, the awesomeness of Oshkosh, and the beauty of the Piper Cub might be a really nice little pick-me-up for anyone experiencing some winter-like weather right now. As we look ahead to 2013 and set our sights on Spring getting back here so we can have more chances to get in the air, I hope this picture will help some of you realize that old-school airplanes like the Cub do more for the heart and soul (and stick and rudder skills) than our modern airplanes do. To push that idea even harder, I've made this image available in four of the most common desktop sizes so you can put it on your computer to help you get thru the winter. Enjoy : )

Two Piper Cubs at Oshkosh 2012 desktop pix:

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For more Cub love, check out airpigz.com/blog/category/cub

Video: Stinson 108, GoPro HD, And Some Ice And Snow!

 Since there's a little snow in the air in my neck of the woods (northern Indiana) and quite a bit of it on tap for the northeast, I thought a nice little ski-flying video would be appropriate. After turning over a lot of youtube rocks I finally found one I felt was well worth sharing. It's of a 1948 Stinson 108-3 being flown in Wisconsin back in February 2012.

 When the lakes freeze over and then get some snow on them, you often wind up with some great winter-only airfields to play with that have some really long runways!. I remember being a teen back in the mid 70's and getting the chance to hop the frozen lakes of southern Wisconsin in a friend's Aeronca Champ... this is an unusual and very satisfying way to fly.

 I highly encourage you to ride along on the Stinson in this video. Be sure to select the HD playback quality and go fullscreen if you want the best experience. You get a couple different views of the Stinson from the GoPro, and the airplane's shadow has been used to great effect in several of the scenes. I never knew a Stinson's shadow could look so cute! The best of the video comes after the first minute so don't give up too soon. You also get a well done synth music background for the journey that I felt actually worked quite well with the visuals.

 This video definitely makes me sing: Let it snow, let it snow. let it snow!

Video screenshot of the shadow of the Stinson-on-wheeled-skiis looking very cute!

Video: Early Christmas Gift from Slick - Don't Stop The Aviation: GoPro 2012

 'Slick' is back again already with another must see video. He's mixed some sweet GoPro footage from fun-flying a Mini-Max, a Piper Clipper and his single place Pitts together in what makes a really nice early Christmas present for avgeeks. He's titled it Don't Stop the Aviation: GoPro 2012. Before I say anything else, when you start the video don't get confused thinking it's a swanky Audi commercial or a Top Gear segment, that's all part of the video... you know, the trip to the airport part! Just sit back and enjoy 6 minutes and 22 seconds of three very different airplanes that all just drip the AirPigz tag line: LOVE TO FLY.

 And if you missed Slick's recent return to video editing (due to some time off from the Navy) then be sure to check out SlickHutto Takes A Spin Back In The Video Saddle... 2012 Fort Worth Air Show - you'll also finds links in that post to his ultra fab Oshkosh videos from 2009 - 2011. 

 I'm compelled once again to say what I've said when I've posted his other videos: thanx Slick : )

Screenshot showing the GoPro view of Slick rolling his single place Pitts Special

CoolPix: Gee Bee R-1 After Winning 1932 Thompson Trophy (+ Desktop Pix & Delmar Video)

(click pic for hi-res) Gee Bee R-1 after Jimmy Doolittle won the 1932 Thompson Trophy

 I'm convinced I should have been born in 1909... that would have made me 23 in 1932, a perfect age to be wowed by Jimmy Doolittle winning the Thompson Trophy race (closed course, 10 laps) in the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. You might not agree, but I think there is something incredibly magical about airplanes made of steel tube and fabric, and powered by loud awesome-sounding radial engines that bleed a lot of oil. Wow, this is real air racing!

 And air racing was a huge spectator sport back in these days. Why would it not be? These airplanes and the people who flew them were like the rocket ships and astronauts of the 60's. Just imagine that by 1932, less then 30 years since the Wright brothers had lifted off the rail at Kitty Hawk, we had aviation pioneers building and racing airplanes that were able to fly at speeds of 300 mph. An interesting side note here is that seaplanes that raced in the Schneider Trophy races passed thru the 300 mph mark somewhat earlier in 1928. It would seem that having a runway of water that is both essentially endless and allows for wind-always-on-the-nose takeoffs and landings allowed these airplanes to be designed for maximum speed in ways that weren't as practical for aircraft operating off the land. As aircraft design progressed and piloting skills increased, the land planes finally took over the speed records again by 1939.

 My quest for more knowledge and accurate history about Golden Age of Air Racing aircraft is just getting started. Fortunately I have several books printed many years ago that chronicle much of what went on back in the 30's, and as I have more time to soak it up, I'll share some interesting details here. But for now you get a really sweet CoolPix of the Gee Bee R-1 being shown off like a race horse after its win with Jimmy Doolittle at the controls with a speed of 252 mpg in the Thompson Trophy race of 1932.

 I've also sized this image for desktop use on your computer in several of the common sizes, and then at the bottom of the page is a really great video of Delmar Benjamin flying his Gee Bee R-2 replica at the 1996 Cleveland National Airshow. (I'm working to gather MUCH more info on Delmar's incredible accomplishments doing low-level aerobatics with his R-2 replica... stay tuned!) Click here to see a pic of the retired replica at the fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City , Florida. 

Gee Bee R-1 1932 Thompson Trophy desktop pix:

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
Reno Air Races
more desktop images

More Gee Bee 'R' Awesomeness... With Some Help From Gizmodo.com.au

800hp Gee Bee R-1 from the 1930's - with the slightly more blunt cowl than the 450hp R-2

 It's true, my lifelong adoration for the Gee Bee racers is on the threshold of becoming an obsession. So we're taking another little journey into the Granville Brothers raindrop-inspired flying machines. The pic above is of NR2100, the R-1 powered by an 800hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340. This airplane was piloted by the amazing Jimmy Doolittle to victory in the 1932 Thompson Trophy closed-course race with a winning speed of 252.686 mph. The prize money for winning that race was $4,500.

 I'm just beginning to get my head better wrapped around the basic differences for easy identification between the R-1 and R-2. I probably knew all this when I was younger, but my head has a hard drive that's dangerously close to being full, or at the very least in desperate need of a defrag! It doesn't help that there are several variations or minor modifications of these racers over their careers, along with a hybrid of the two that appeared in 1934. That airplane, known as the R-1/R-2 Super Sportser, had the fuselage from the R-1 (lengthened about 18") and the wings of the R-2, plus the big engine (possibly putting out 1,000hp) and had a snug cowl with bumps on it for the rocker covers. That airplane crashed shortly after departing Burbank on the long race to Cleveland for the Bendix Trophy in the 1935 National Air Races. Pilot Cecil Allen was killed and the era of the stubby Gee Bee racer came to an end.

 Oh, the basic ways to ID the aircraft are:

 The R-1 has the big engine, the more blunt front shape on the cowl, the NR2100 registration number and the #11 race number.

 The R-2 has the smaller engine, the tighter fitting cowl, the NR2101 registration number and the #7 race number.

 The R-1/R-2 hybrid has a big engine, the snug cowl with bumps for the rocker covers, the old R-2 NR2101 registration number and race #7. 

 I hope to go much more in-depth on the wide range of Gee Bee aircraft in the future, but at least that gives you some basics to wrap your head around on the the 'R' model racers.

 For something extra and extremely cool, check out the awesome Gee Bee R-2 cutaway drawing that was recently posted by Gizmodo.com.au. Click the pic below to enlarge it over there (hi-res) and click here to see the other interesting cutaway drawings in their post that included the Gee Bee.

 Click pic to see the Gizmodo hi-res version from their post on cutaway drawings

I Finally Got My Upside-Down Pitts S2C Flight In With Billy Werth! (Grayout Aerosports)

(click pic to enlarge) Billy Werth and his beautiful Pitts S2C at Indy Regional Airport

 Billy Werth (Grayout Aerosports) and I have been trying to get together to go flying in his Pitts S2C for about 2 years now... every time we had it scheduled something would get in the way to keep it from happening. Well, yesterday it finally happened! This was my first time ever flying an airplane as hot as the Pitts and of course I loved it! My only complaint is that I'm taking a pretty heavy and constant dose of Vicodin these days to deal with my ongoing sciatic nerve pain, and that meant that the gyros in my head tumbled much sooner than I had hoped for. I didn't get sick, but I could feel that I was heading that way. But I did get the chance to get the overall feel for the airplane with some tight turns etc, and then with some verbal guidance from Billy, I executed three rolls and two loops - pretty nice ones at that!

 All this confirms that I MUST do more of this in the future! There are so many positives that come from getting some time in an airplane like this with an excellent instructor like Billy. I'll be putting a more detailed post together soon that'll share more of what we did together and also explain all the good things that come from some specialized training like this. I'm convinced that this is definitely for every pilot out there, and you will always emerge a better pilot after this kind of training. And as an added bonus, some time upside-down in a Pitts is one awesome kick-butt experience! Thank you Billy : )

Poll: Is The Gee Bee R-2 One Of The World's Most Perfect Airplanes?

The Gee Bee R-2 racer from the 1930's (with the tighter fitting cowl than the R-1)

 It's true that I'm a bit obsessed with the Golden Age of Air Racing at the moment... and not just because I posted a video with some amazing actual footage of the 1935 National Air Races, but also because I'm working on developing a mainstream business that actually ties in peripherally with the airplanes from that era. That business will hopefully be a kickstarter.com campaign sometime in the Spring, and you can be sure I'll be letting you know about it so you can be a contributor to its success!

 But for now I thought it would be interesting to see if you agree with me that the Gee Bee R-2 is one of the world's most perfect airplanes. And no, the poll isn't configured wrong, but if for some reason you aren't able to find the answer you were looking for in the poll, feel free to leave your disagreeable thoughts in the comments area : )

HD Video: Ride Along With Matt Younkin In The Airshow Twin Beech!

 Here's a truly fabulous video uploaded a couple days ago to the Learn To Fly Canada youtube page that features an interview with pilot Matt Younkin, his crew chief Jeff Gibbs and then the most exciting part is the ride with Matt from the cockpit (and a few other HD cameras) as he performed his first ever airshow in Canada back in June at the 2012 Hamilton Airshow in Mount Hope, Ontario. The video runs a little over 28 minutes in all, so if you're in a hurry skip up to the 11:30 mark where you'll pick up with Matt making the long taxi out to get in position for takeoff. You'll notice on the taxi he pulls a couple strips off a roll of duct tape... I was thinking, hmm, what's that for? You'll just have to watch to figure that one out : )

 The way this video puts you right there with Matt in the cockpit of the Twin Beech as he horses the big ole gal around the sky is just fantastic. Plus, the classically styled Twin Beech with a really cool retro looking paint scheme and two perfect Pratt & Whitney 450hp radial engines making lots of music almost puts you right back in that Golden Age of Air Racing that I posted about yesterday. I know I sound like a broken record (I guess that would be a skipping CD these days) but airplanes were just way more awesome back in those days!

 Anyway, the video is a great piece of work done by (or maybe for) the people at LearnToFly.CA and definitely gets a 'must see' rating from me. You might also be interested in checking out my AirPigz Podcast #8 - Matt Younkin & Kyle Franklin: Sons Of Legends from February 2010 where Matt shares some details on what it's like flying the Twin Beech aerobatically, including the very challenging night shows he does as well. The interview includes a great chat with Kyle Franklin too. If you know much about Matt and Kyle, this podcast will certainly stir memories of Matt's sister Amanda Younkin Franklin (who was Kyle's wife) - a beautiful person and a great wingwalker for Kyle who tragically lost her life after a long battle with the injuries sustained in the forced landing and fire at the airshow in Brownsville Texas back in March 2011. Amanda is gone, but she will never be forgotten.

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Screenshot showing a relaxed Matt putting the Twin Beech thru lots of unusual atitudes!

Video: Actual Footage From The 1935 National Air Races In Cleveland

 
 This video tells some of the story of the 1935 National Air Races held in Cleveland Ohio where 65,000 people gathered to watch the daring men and their flying machines. I find it pretty amazing that there is quite a lot of actual film footage from this race this video! 1935 was an interesting year for the races as the designer of the aircraft that won the Bendix cross-country race (from Burbank California to Cleveland) as well as the two closed course races was the same man, Benny Howard. This was the first year for Howard's DGA-6 Mister Mulligan, the large 'cabin' airplane which had been specifically designed for the long distance race, and it was even flown by Benny on the eastward trek. By using oxygen and flying at a high altitude of 22,000 feet, the slower Mister Mulligan was able to beat Roscoe Turner and his faster single seat Wedell-Williams racer by making the long trip non-stop... and amazingly Mister Mulligan won that 8-1/2 hour race by only 23.5 seconds!

 In the closed-course Thompson Trophy Race (the equivalent of the Unlimited Class of racing at Reno today), Harold Neumann flew the same Mister Mulligan and won when race leader Roscoe Turner had engine troubles. It was pretty amazing that the 'big' airplane had won both the long distance race and the closed course speed dash... tho Mister Mulligan definitely owes the Thompson win to Roscoe's unfortunate engine troubles. That big 4-place cabin airplane would normally never be true competition for a single seat racer like Roscoe's Wedell-Williams. But Benny Howard's big racer proved so successful overall that is became the basis for the Howard DGA commercial aircraft that became popular as an executive and rich-man's aircraft offering both speed and comfort in the late 30's and 40's.

 The other race at the 1935 National Air Race was the Greve Trophy Race that limited engine displacement and typically featured smaller aircraft. Benny Howard's DGA-4 'Mike' was flown by Harold Neumann to victory giving Benny a sweep with his aircraft (and a race win as pilot to boot), and Harold Neumann two wins as pilot in two very different aircraft. An amazing year for these two men!

 Harold Neumann went on to become a pilot for TWA. After 30 years, he retired in 1966 and then bought a 2-seat Monocoupe and painted it white to look like Mister Mulligan... he named it 'Little Mulligan' and was a regular at fly-ins and airshows with it thru the late 60's and into the 70's. My dad and I were fortunate to spend an afternoon with Harold at Fond du Lac airport in the early 70's while we were on our way home after Oshkosh. Harold was such a gentleman to be around, and I was pretty much in awe of the man that had been such a successful air racer way back in the mid 1930's!

 I'm pretty sure I would have been happier if I had been born in 1910 and had been able to be right there in there middle of the Golden Age of Air Racing. Aviation was advancing so fast at that time, but there was also an element of passion and an amazing style that has never been equaled by our modern times. And as you can see in the video, there was a lot of class in these men as well... note how genuinely Roscoe Turner is congratulating Harold Neumann after Mister Mulligan had beaten Roscoe twice, in both the long and the short races. Classy people are awesome!

 Hmm, maybe we need to stir up some replica air racing, Golden Age style! Wow, leather clad pilots, grass runways, perfectly styled aircraft and lots of noise and oil! I'm definitely gonna have to do some thinking on that idea : )

Screenshot showing Benny Howard's Mister Mulligan (right) and 'Mike' And 'Ike' (left)