1919 Duesenberg Model H: V-16 Aircraft Engine - Amazing!

Amazing Duesenberg Model H engine designed for aircraft use

3 valves per cylinder and lots of springs!

(7 pix) 

 The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is housed in a building in Auburn, Indiana that was once the national headquarters for the company.  It’s a world class museum with an extensive display of cars, including a very large number of essentially perfect examples of the work done by the company in the 20’s and 30’s.  If you care about great design and the kind of work that made America great, this museum is a must see.  I’m fortunate that it’s only about an hour from where I live, which means I go about once a year.

 In addition to all the wonderful cars, there’s a couple very interesting pieces of aviation there too.  The one that boggles my mind is pictured here.  It’s the Duesenberg Model H: a V-16 (yep, 16 rather massive cylinders) in a liquid cooled engine designed for airplane use that makes 800+ horsepower… first built in 1919!  Hello, that’s like World War l times.  In fact that’s the reason this engine was being built, to be used in the war effort.  As it turned out, four prototypes where built, but the war ended in 1919 and development was stopped.  

 I admit that I’m not the most knowledgeable about all the world’s engines, but the ingenuity, design, and quality of the Model H appear to be simply amazing.  The thing is pretty huge, as in 3,393 cubic inches huge, but the beautifully compact design really seems to stand out.  As the close up pictures show, it’s remarkably well thought out, especially for the time period.

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Caption Contest #29 - The First Ever Three-Peat Winner!

 We have a new world record in the Caption Contest!  The first ever three-peat winner is ’Tony’.  Three wins in a row is pretty impressive, especially for a relative newcomer to the sport.  Great job : )

 Here’s the big question: are there gonna be some serious challengers to this avgeekin’ dynasty?  I sure hope so, cuz we’ll all have a ton of fun along the way.

 Be watchin' for a new wacky pic to drop Monday morning 2-15-10 for Caption Contest #30. Be sure to have your game face on, you gotta be in it to win it... ok, I think you get the idea : )

1937 German Heinkel He 119 With 2,350hp Armrest!

(5 pix)

 I remember learning about the Bell P-39 Airacobra as a kid, and how the engine was mounted behind the pilot and a shaft ran under the floor 10 feet forward to the prop.  It was an interesting configuration which was done to allow for the quite large cannon, that shot 37mm projectiles, to be mounted on the centerline up front where the engine would normally be.

 I also remember my dad and I talking about how we figured that it would always be on your mind when flying an airplane like this… what would happen if that shaft let loose that was running right under the seat?

 Well, I recently learned about the 1937 German Heinkel He 119, and my concerns about a shaft running under the floor in the P-39 are all pretty much gone now.  Why?  Because the He 119 had two, 12 cylinder, BMW 1,175hp inverted V engines (like the ones used in the Bf-109) mounted in an inverted W configuration and coupled to each other, positioned behind the cockpit with a shaft running forward to the prop.  Here’s where it gets weird… the cockpit is all that flush mounted glass directly behind the prop, and the pilot and co-pilot sit on either side of the housed shaft (that’s carrying 2,350hp) where it’s pretty much there for them to use as an armrest! 

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CoolPix - Airliners: Airbus A380 Looking Really Big At Oshkosh 2009

(click pic for hi-res)

 Seeing the Airbus A380 at Oshkosh 2009 was fantastic no matter how you look at it.  To see the world's largest airliner put on a flight demo right in front of you was amazing!  And of course, a light airplane (if you can ever call an A380 light!) showing off in a sunny sky made it all the better.

 This pic I took does a really good job of highlighting the rubber-rich landing gear, which just happens to be at the very start of the retraction cycle - you'll notice the large nose and main gear doors are opening.  You also get a good view of both leading and trailing edge flaps here.  That wing is just unbelievably big, especially at the root.

 It's also interesting to see some moisture trails coming off the inboard nacelle strakes on the two right engines due to the high angle of attack.  I really enjoy looking at the details in a pic like this : ) 

 Having the A380 on display thru the week was a huge treat (no pun intended), and I'm so glad I had the chance to see her up close.  I'm really hoping we'll see a fanplastic 787 on display this year, but so far I haven't heard a word about the possibility.

Red Bull Air Race 2009 Recap Video As Excitement Builds For 2010 Season!

 2009 was the year I really discovered the Red Bull Air Races.  Yeah, I'd known about them before, but I just didn't really pay all that much attention.  That's all changed now.

 There are so many reasons why this is an amazing sport.  It's extremely well run and presented, and the races are intense with some serious flying challenges facing the large field of international pilots... it's not just a glorified airshow stunt.  Then, add the incredibly hot video coverage of the events and you wind up with a full package of A+ motorsports!  I watched the entire race day events from the Budapest race live via the free internet feed and it was the most impressive motorsports presentation I've ever seen.

 Now is a great time to watch this 2009 recap video to get up to speed on how last season went as we begin to set our sights on the 2010 season.  The first race is scheduled for March 26-27 in Abu Dhabi - that's not very far away!  And for Americans, there will be a June 5-6 race at Windsor, Ontario (near Detroit) and one June 19-20 in New York City. Loads more details and the full race schedule at RedBullAirRace.com.

Hiller HJ-1: One Minute Video With Flaming Rotor Tips From The 50's

 As this article about the 1950's era Hiller HJ-1 over at aviastar.org tells, it appears that high fuel consumption and extra, extra challenging autorotations kept this ramjet powered, tail rotor-less helicopter from being a success.  I dunno... it might be those wild trails of flame engulfing the ramjets as the rotor starts to spool up that turned people off a bit!  I love how the narrator is telling how it's "practically foolproof" as we see the fire fly : )

 Either way it's very cool to see it flying, and especially as it slides by so close to the cameraman.  I never get tired of seeing the fascinating ideas that people actually built and flew in those amazing 1950's!

CoolPix - Homebuilt: Ray Hegy's El Chuparosa At Oshkosh 1970!

(click pic for hi-res)

 I took this picture as a 9 year old at the first Oshkosh ever in 1970.  It’s not the best image as it was taken with a cheap Kodak Instamatic camera… and it’s 40 years old now too!  But, it’s definitely worthy of being the first CoolPix in the ‘Homebuilt’ category. 

 The airplane is called El Chuparosa (a Spanish way to say hummingbird) and was built by the late Ray Hegy over 9 years, with the first flight in 1959.  Thru the 60’s and early 70’s, Ray would fly the one-of-a-kind airplane of his own design from his home in Marfa, Texas to the EAA fly-in.  Back in those days at the fly-in, it was common practice to have the homebuilts flying around the pattern, running laps, for much of the day.  It was a great way for anyone to put their work on display in the sky for all to see.  Ray was always the first one up early in the morning and screaming around the pattern in the A-65 powered Chuparosa.  She’d make some pretty big noise and it was an awesome way to wake up in the campground!  I can still remember hearing him : ) 

 This is a pretty historical pic for several reasons.  One, simply because it’s of the El Chuparosa, which just happens to be on display in the EAA museum.  But also because in 1970, the EAA fly-in and convention had just moved from Rockford, Illinois to Oshkosh.  This was a pretty big deal to be sure, and it’s really neat to see a pic of the grounds from that first year. 

 Speaking of the grounds, did you look at that grass?  Check out how trampled it is from a week of people walking around the airplane!  That’s not a shadow under the airplane, that’s the green alfalfa still standing.  I don’t remember if the event had already ended, but things do seem pretty well cleared out in the pic.  But that trampled greenery sure tells the story of thousands and thousands of people taking a close look at Ray’s little hummingbird.

 It’s also really neat to see the tower in the background.  It was just last year when it was torn down.  Also interesting to see the early version of the fence, on beyond the airplane, that separated the flight line from the rest of the event for so many years.

 Lastly, it’s cool to see some of the details that made El Chuparosa unique.  The pretty racy overall shape for the day, the plexi windows and windshield that enclose the area under and forward of the top wing, and the little hinged and blue tinted plexi cap that’s in the open position here.  Ray was a little kooky too, as can be seen by the ’Beware of Blast’ placard just above his cool augmented and flush exhaust port. 

 The airplane is a lot smaller than you’d think looking at the pic too.  Ray was a pretty small guy.  The top wingspan is only 12ft 10in and the overall length just 14ft 1in.  That helps to explain part of why I was so taken with it… it was just my size as a 9 year old!  Ray and El Chuparosa were an important part of the 60’s and 70’s in the EAA, and I’m so thankful to have memories of him over so many years.  Ray Hegy is a true icon of the spirit of aviation.

Caption Contest #29: DinoCopter Challenge - Ends Wednesday 2-10-10 At 9PM EST

 I shoulda known that we’d all live long enuf to see a helicopter merged with a dinosaur.  Poor little Hughes 500, what a way to ends its life. 

 Oh well, the loss of one helicopter to the skies is our chance to have some fun, and I think this one has 'wacky caption' written all over it!  The best caption will avoid the tar pit and will put the winner in line for $20 in AirPigz funny money - (prizes for trading will be coming soon : ) 

 Here’s how it works: you’ve got til Wednesday evening at 9pm EST to submit captions, then I’ll pick the 5 best captions and put ’em in a poll for everyone to vote on. 

 The Rules:

1) Max of 3 submissions per person

2) Submissions go in the 'comments' area 

3) Game ends Wednesday at 9pm EST 

4) Keep it clean!

 Anyone who wants to cast their vote will be able to after the poll goes up around an hour after the 9pm Wednesday submission deadline.

 We'll vote for 24 hours, til 9pm EST on Thursday. Then the winner will be posted  Friday morning 2-12-10.  Have fun, and think extinct!

Caption Contest #28 - A Winner Emerges : )

 Wow, 'Tony' does it again with back to back wins!  Great job : )  He'll get another $20 in AirPigz funny money for being such a great caption writer.  The even better news is that I'm currently gathering some exciting (some might say mediocre) aviation goodies to make available so all the winners can cash in their loot.  More info on that soon.

 A big thanx again to everyone who put forth a piece of avgeek humor, and to everyone who voted... it just wouldn't be a darn thing without y'all.  Keep watch for Monday morning when we'll do it all over again... do it all over again... do it all over again...

AirPigz Podcast #7 - Follow Up Interview With Wasabi Air Racing

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Elliot Seguin in his #68 Cassutt racer

 When Elliot Seguin did podcast #5 with me back in June of 2009, we covered some of what he was working on with his Cassutt race plane as he was preparing Wasabi Air Racing for Reno 2009. 

 In this interview, we talk in great detail about how his second year at Reno went,  including having an airplane that was indeed faster than it had been in his first year out, and what it was like dealing with some ‘mayday’ issues with the airplane as well. 

 We also chat a bit about the races overall from the perspective of a fan of air racing which of course both of us are.  I was so fortunate myself to be able to attend the races… my first time there since I was just 9 years old in 1970!  I highly recommend that you make plans to be at the Reno Air Races in 2010.

 We were also going to talk some about the interesting work he does at Scaled Composites, but we spent so much time on the racing that we’ll have to do the Scaled talk the next time we get together.  Elliot’s a fun guy doing a lot of cool stuff… I hope you enjoy listening to his firsthand experience as a race pilot at Reno.

Wasabi Air Racing: Elliot Seguin and crew chief Jenn Whaley

Elliot and Jenn playin' with epoxy and making airplane parts

A tall Elliot in a short airplane on takeoff roll at Reno 2009

Wasabi Air Racing blog