2010 Indy Air Show Pic Stream #2 - Media & Practice Day

 Kyle Franklin flies this big beautiful Waco in airshows all over the country, but interestingly, he and his wing-walking wife Amanda take the airplane apart and pull it down the road in a big trailer between most shows.  It sounds like a lot of work, but it actually simplifies the process of getting the airplane where you need it.  As you would expect tho, after it's all back together, it's time to double and triple check that everything is where it should be.  

 This pic shows Kyle as he was working his way around the back of the airplane earlier today when he was about 30 minutes away from flying in the practice show.  He was making one last check to verify the airworthiness of the highly-modified UPF-7.  I talked to him about the process, and he shared that it really has the advantage of essentially having him 'annual' the airplane every time he puts it back together.  He's actually far more in tune with the airplane's structure because he's touching everything a lot before it goes back in the air.  Pretty interesting stuff.

 Here he's giving the wings, struts and flying wires a good tug to ensure they are properly installed and adjusted.  Shortly after this pic he was making some sweet radial music and billowing out lots of smoke to fill the sky!

 Red Bull Air Race pilot Michael Goulian in the ASB.TV Extra 330 a few moments before he fired up and headed out for his performance.  He had a nice mix of unusual maneuvers in his show that had the Extra doing some fun tumbling and rotating, and his RBAR experience makes him very precise on all the lines.

  The Horsemen all started their engines at the same time which of course was just off-the-scale-cool hearing their big Merlin engines all come to life at the same time.  They taxied out right after this pic was taken but the A-10 demo was up next.  Once the Warthog was done having some fun showing off its unique capabilities, the Horsemen put on a beautiful display of formation aerobatics in three authentic WWII Mustangs.  We like to call this a 'good day' : )

2010 Indy Air Show Pic Stream #1 - Coming Together

 I've been blessed with a great opportunity to cover the Indy Air Show from the inside, and I can already tell it's gonna be a great time.  Friday is the media and practice day, and it's open to the public for a very small price.  Saturday and Sunday are the big days for the event and there's gonna be a lot happening.

 I made the 3 hour trip south on Thursday to the Mt. Comfort Airport and got out on the ramp to get a few pix of airplanes in the evening.  The P-51's above are from the Horsemen Aerobatic Team, and boy do they ever look nice!  I've never seen them perform before so I'm really looking forward to hearing three Merlin's making music in tight formation!

 A pair of F-18's were on the ramp still unloading some of their goodies from the trip to Indiana.  These guys will be very effectively turning kerosene into noise... lots of noise!  Should be very satisfying : )

 The recent 'A-10 Warthog Week' I put together has me primed to really soak up the show coming up by the Air Combat Command East Demo Team.  I was happy to see their two A-10's already on the ramp bearing their teeth!

 Friday morning arrived after just 4 hours of sleep!  I was actually back at the airport at about 5:30am and was able to watch the sun come up.  The skies were somewhat overcast, so it wasn't as dramatic as it could have been, but it was still wonderful.  These three Jet Rangers made a nice sight as the day was coming to life.

  Another pic of the Horsemen P-51's, this time in the hangar where they spent the night.  Never get tired of seeing really big props!

 As the morning progressed, more showplanes where being pulled out and prepped for a day of media rides and practice performances.  This is Billy Werth's Pitts (grayout.com) with one of the Red Eagles in the background.  I likes me some hot biplanes!

 I'm scheduled to get a ride on a B-17 this evening over downtown Indianapolis, so you can imagine I'm pretty excited about that!  I'm planning to get some pix and maybe some video of that experience and hopefully I'll have something to post from it by tomorrow morning.  If things go well, I'll have another overall post up later today.  

 Check out the full list of Indy Air Show performers so you can either know who you're missing or who you'll see if you get here!

Video: Horsemen Aerobatic Team - Why We Love The P-51 Mustang

 I'm pretty excited to be heading down to Indianapolis later today for the start of the Indy Air Show tomorrow.  On Saturday and Sunday, the Horsemen Aerobatic Team will be flying 3 authentic WWII P-51's in the airshow, and this video shows why they (and all of us) love the P-51 Mustang so much.

 Wow.  What an airplane!

Coolest Bizjet Ever? The 1959 McDonnell 220!

Only one McDonnell 220 was ever built

 We think we're all cool and stuff these days, but I'm not so sure.  The McDonnell 220 first flew in 1959 (that's 51 years ago!) and could haul 10 people in sweet luxury at 45,000 feet and 520mph for about 3,000 miles.  Too bad no one ever expressed any interest in these capabilities back in the early 60's when McDonnell tried to find some deep pocket buyers.

 The airplane actually started as the McDonnell 119, a contender against the Lockheed JetStar to fill the Air Force request for a utility aircraft.  When the JetStar beat the 220 for the job, McDonnell next tried to market the aircraft as an airliner with a 26 passenger max capacity.  When that didn't fly, they turned to the idea of selling it as a bizjet.  There's little doubt that purchase and operating costs had to be astronomical (uhh, four J34 turbojets!), but it still seems there would have been some serious interest.  There wasn't.    

 In the end, only one was ever built.  But looking back at this machine, I think it's simply awesome.  It's like a baby DC-8 with a little jet fighter mixed in.  What a way to fly!

 The airplane still exists today, and was actually listed for sale at the end of 2009, presumably in non-airworthy condition.  I wasn't able to find info on its current status... other than it's still likely the coolest bizjet ever : )

Video: Australian RC Model Of Jimmy Franklin's Jet Waco!

 Jimmy Franklin took 'extreme' right over the edge when he introduced his Waco biplane powered by a 450 hp radial AND a 3,000 pound thrust turbine engine in 1999.  If you ever saw him fly it, I doubt you'll ever forget it.  Sadly, both Jimmy and the airplane were lost in the 2005 accident that also claimed the life of his friend and fellow airshow great Bobby Younkin.

 This amazing 40% size RC model from Australia brings Jimmy's incredible Jet Waco back to life.  The model is powered by the fabulous Moki 400 radial and a small turbine engine.  'WOW' pretty much says it all!

 The only other person to fly the full size Jet Waco was Jimmy's son Kyle, and he's also the only person to ever walk the wing of the Jet Waco.  

 The tremendous legacy of both Jimmy Franklin and Bobby Younkin continues today with the 'Sons of Legends' as Kyle Franklin and Matt Younkin are two of the most popular airshow performers today... working hard, along with Matt's sister (Kyle's wife) Amanda, to keep the memory of their fathers alive.

 They'll all be performing at the Indy Air Show this weekend, June 12th and 13th.

Freaky Cool LUCY THM: First Flight Coming Soon

(click pic to enlarge)

 I posted several pix and lots of info on this very unique aircraft in my LUCY THM: The Fine Line Between Genius And Insanity post a couple weeks back.  Then I sent an email to the contact address on their website expressing interest in whether or not the machine had flown yet.  I got an answer back a few days later, which is now a little over a week ago, that said they were still doing some development work and that the first flight should be made before long.

 I've got a good feeling about this most unusual aircraft, but I could be wrong... I was pretty sure Clinton wouldn't get elected the first time, and I knew he couldn't get elected the second time!  Oh well, I think it's gonna be very interesting to see what the results are of the first flight attempts.  Feel free to keep an eye out with me by watching the LUCY THM website for updated info on flight testing.  Then I'll race ya to see who can tell Batman first that his airplane is finally flying : )

AirPigz Podcast #12: Kent Pietsch Akro And The Indy Air Show!

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 Kent Pietsch and his Jelly Belly sponsored Interstate Cadet

Interview with Kent Pietsch - 37:47

 It's not every day you talk with a guy who often lands an airplane on top of a moving motorhome or pickup truck!  But that's exactly what Kent Pietsch (sounds like 'peach') does on a regular basis, as the video below shows.  He's been performing at airshows since 1974 and he does some really cool flying with his 1940's era Interstate Cadet... like landing on that tiny moving platform; or doing a crazy comedy act that has him bouncing all over the place, dragging wingtips and even losing an aileron; or his 'deadstick' routine where he does aerobatics with the engine shut down from 6,000 feet, and then stopping the airplane exactly where he wants it back on the ground. It's great airshow performing by an excellent pilot and a really nice guy.

 Kent is one of many fabulous airshow pilots that will be making the 2010 Indy Air Show such a great event to take the family to if you're anywhere near the Indianapolis area Friday thru Sunday June 11th - 13th.  It'll be my first year at the event and I'm really looking forward to it.

 In addition to Kent, other performers that I've talked to recently for podcasts that will also be at Indy are Red Bull Air Racer Michael Goulian (podcast #10) as well as Kyle Franklin and Matt Younkin (podcast #8).  These interviews really help to give you some insight into what it's like for these unique people to be flying at the highest levels.  Turns out they're all really nice people too!

 If you're an A-10 Warthog Fan like I am, you'll love seeing the Air Combat Command put on a special A-10 demonstration at Indy.  This video from 'A-10 Warthog Week' gives you a great idea of what to expect!  Check out IndyAirShow.com for all the details, schedule, and ticket info... it's gonna be more aviation than you can shake a stick at(!) and I hope to see you there : )   

I'm looking forward to some great aviation at the 2010 Indy Air Show!

 Learn more about Kent Pietsch at PietschAircraft.com

Video: Red Bull Air Race... C-Eh? N-Eh? D-Eh? Style!

I wish I was there.

Video: NFL Pre-Game Fly Overs - Red, White And Blue!

 This video puts the work and purpose of the pre-game fly overs in great perspective : )

Takeoff Downhill And Land Uphill... If You Dare!

 This video has a little noise in the background, but it's still amazing to watch.  What a crazy runway!