Video: Time-Lapse Mass Ascension At The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!

 I highly recommend you watch the video above for it's fabulous time-lapse presentation of hundreds and hundreds of hot-air balloons lifting off at the recent Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta... and then, you should watch the video below that includes more great balloon scenes but also some great overview narration about the event. The 42nd running of the event ran October 5-13 this year and once again proved to be the largest balloon gathering anywhere in the world!

 
 I've always marveled at this event simply because balloons are awesome, and a collection of over 700 balloons in one spot is much more awesome! This is also an exciting time for me as I have had the opportunity to do balloon crew work often in the last year for my son-in-law Mitch who is both a fixed wing and balloon pilot. This has led to having the opportunity to plan to get my balloon rating in the next 6 months. If things go well I might even be buying a used set up so I can work toward running a sideline balloon ride operation. I'll add here that finally emerging from the financial crisis of the last 5 years sure feels good! 

 My interest in hot-air balloons is nothing new. I traveled to Statesville North Carolina back in the early 80's to get my first balloon ride from an employee of the Balloon Works (now FireFly Baloons) and got a great tour of the factory. I almost got my rating back in the mid 80's when my dad was considering setting up a ride operation. That idea didn't fully materialize back then, but here I am about 30 years later with the chance to see it all come together.

 There's also a fair chance that I'll be at Albuquerque next year if Mitch is able to get thru the registration process. I've offered to drive the truck and trailer out there and crew all week for him. Can you imagine the images I could capture there! I'm confident that nine days at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta would be one of my life's greatest memories!

Video screenshot of a mass ascension recently at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Video: SNC Dream Chaser 'Space Shuttle' Free-Flight Test: Successful, With A Problem

 This just released video shows the first free-flight test of the Sierra Nevada Corporation 'Dream Chaser' spaceplane on Saturday October 26, 2013. While the Dream Chaser will have the capability to carry up to seven crew members, this flight test was carried out with no one onboard using the automated flight control system. The video shows the lifting body space-shuttle-like vehicle being released from the Erikson Air-Crane helicopter and then flying extremely stable and right on glide path thru the short flight (less than one minute) and includes the approach to runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base.

 What isn't seen in this video is the aftermath of the touchdown when the left landing gear failed to extend. During the flare the right main and nose gear deployed properly but for reasons yet unknown, the left main did not deploy. Some reports indicate that the vehicle sustained significant damage due to loss of control after touchdown.

 While the landing gear issue and subsequent damage to the test vehicle is certainly a setback, the team has much to celebrate with this test. A teleconference scheduled for later today will give insight into the damage to Dream Chaser and how the mishap will affect the program.

 It's interesting to note that it appears that the landing gear on this particular Dream Chaser, known as the engineering test article (ETA) which is not intended for any space flights, is not the same design as will be on the flight test article (FTA). I'm sure we'll here more about these details before long.

www.sncdreamchaser.com

Video screenshot of the Dream Chaser about to land without left main gear extended

HD Video: 'Must See' Pilot's Eye View... This Is Why We Fly

 This recently uploaded HD video of a stunningly beautiful approach into Queenstown Airport in southern New Zealand shows why most of us love to fly... the view of the Earth from above is simply awesome. And when the landscape you're flying over looks as beautiful as these mountains, this thin layer of low level clouds, and this finger at the eastern edge of Lake Wakatipu that leads right up to runway 5 at NZQN, you've got a recipe for an amazing video. Be sure to watch it in HD and full screen!

 Queenstown is a resort area and the airport is the fourth busiest in New Zealand. Traffic is handled by smaller regional aircraft and 737's and A320's. Based on the visual clues of the windshield etc this appears to be an A320. It also appears that the video is showing a now outdated approach, so it's hard to know exactly when it was captured... but the important part is that it was captured and shared for you and me to see : )

 I love this simple statement from the video description: ...sometimes what a pilot sees in a day, people won't see in their lifetimes..

 Hat tip to my friend Gavin in New Zealand for sending me the video link!

Video screenshot of the beautiful approach into Queenstown Airport in New Zealand.

Video: Wow, We Were Amazing! Apollo 11 Launch - July 16, 1969 (USA)

 I bought a cool NASA meatball t-shirt at Target last weekend and I was wearing it yesterday evening... gotta say it made me feel special. Seriously. And while I know there are great things done everyday by modern NASA, most of that 'special' feeling came from looking back to our stellar past. Those thoughts are magnified even more since I may be stopping by Wapakoneta Ohio and the Armstrong Air & Space Museum this Saturday while taking my roller-coaster-buddy (niece Madison) to Cedar Point on the season ending weekend.

 I've never been to this little museum located in Neil Armstrong's birth town but my dad (1929-2009) had stopped by a few times and said it was definitely worth checking it out. If I do get to stop by on Saturday I'll get some pix to report back.

 Today's post is about experiencing the launch of the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket, which of course Neil was the Commander of. The video above does a great job of capturing the massive power generated by the five Rocketdyne F-1 engines in the first stage... 7,648,000 pounds of thrust!

 So take 4 minutes and experience what three Americans did back on July 16, 1969 sitting on top of the most powerful machine ever built by mankind... blasting off for a visit to the moon to put human footsteps there for the very first time. 

 We were amazing.

 
Video screenshot: 7,648,000 pounds of thrust on Apollo 11 launch on July 16,1969

AirPigz #CampBacon Gets Some Love From AOPA And Av8rdan : )

Me with fresh bacon at an OSH13 bacon party at #CampBacon!  (photo: Ron Klutts)

 Avgeeks and social media seem to go together very well... kinda like how bacon and mmmm go together! In the five years since I started AirPigz I've found that connecting with people who love aviation is pretty easy and has led to lots of great friendships. That same kind of friendly spirit spills over into those of us who make up some of the new media that use the internet to educate and entertain about the wide world of flying. A good example of that is how @Av8rdan (Dan Pimentel) has just posted a story about AirPigz #CampBacon (at Oshkosh) on the AOPA Opinion Leaders blog page.

 Since I've not done a very good job of showing what the bacon parties look like at #CampBacon during OSH, it's great to see Dan doing that for me. Special thanks to fellow #CampBaconer Ron Klutts (@Captain_Ron) for sharing a few of his pix from one one of the bacon parties this year... I've included one of them here showing me with a fresh pan of crunch pig. And a big thanx goes out to my friend @larryoverstreet for helping me plan and pull #CampBacon together these last several years... I'm looking forward to many more : )

 So please go checkout the #CampBacon post on the AOPA blog, and then make some plans right now to stop by at one of the AirPigz bacon parties (most likely Tuesday and Saturday evening at OSH14) to chew the fat avgeek style!

(check out future Opinion Leader posts by going to aopa.org and then hover over the "News & Video" tab at the far left of the nav bar... Opinion Leaders is then found under the "Videos & Blogs" heading)

Replica Gee Bee Q.E.D. In The Sky (The Beauty Of Teamwork)

(click pic to enlarge) The Jim Moss Gee Bee Q.E.D. in the air! (photo: James Polivka)

 There's a good chance you already know that the Gee Bee Q.E.D. replica envisioned by Jim Moss made its first flight back on September 26, 2013. But if you're like me you didn't realize that Jim had been ill for some time during the latter stages of the project, and in fact he passed away on September 1st. It was the team of dedicated friends (wonderful aviation craftsmen) that carried Jim's Gee Bee dream into the sky.

 This helps to explain why the Q.E.D. video that I posted back in August didn't feature Jim and instead showcased these friends who honored Jim by never giving up.

 It appears that the first flights were very successful, and it's encouraging to see that getting the airplane to Oshkosh 2014 to share it with the aviation world is definitely a goal. Congratulations to all involved for building an incredible aircraft, but even more for being such dedicated and hard-working friends.

(click pic to enlarge) The Q.E.D beauty is deeper than its skin (photo:  James Polivka)

more info:

QED Flight Update (Antique Airfield)

Jim Moss's Gee Bee Q.E.D. Makes Maiden Flight (EAA)

Video: Remember The Blue Angels? A-4 Skyhawks From The Mid 80's

 Disclaimer: if you only want to see some great retro Blue Angels footage without a little political commentary, please just click play above and enjoy. More robust individuals can continue to the words that follow : )

 The video above does a great job of showcasing the Blue Angels from back in the mid 80's when they were not far from the end of the A-4 Skyhawk era. Seeing the A-4 again reminds me of how much I liked that airplane as an airshow performer. Looking past the Skyhawk, it's hard to believe that they've been flying the F/A-18 since 1986! That's 27 years with the Hornet, and it still looks like a perfect aircraft after all these years... well, it would if you'd have had the chance to see it this year. Only the first two shows of the 2013 season were performed, the remaining 33 shows were cancelled as part of the sequestration.

Video screenshot of a tight 19080's Blue Angels formation in the A-4 Skyhawk

 Don't get me wrong here, I'm all for the idea of reducing government spending, in fact I feel that the sequestration cuts didn't even begin to go far enough (see the U.S. debt clock), but the way the government chose to deal with the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds seems like a spiteful act against the heart of America rather than a smart spending cut. According to the wiki entry, the budget for the Blues is about $37 million. However, there's no way we saved $37 million by cancelling essentially the entire season... the entire Blues infrastructure is still in place and being maintained, so the actual savings was much smaller. But the real issues here is about how much it cost in terms of lost revenue by metropolitan areas all around the country. The cancelled performances led to most of the events they were to headline being cancelled as well. The financial impact to Americans (which IS America) certainly had to exceed the amount 'saved'. This leads me to the question of what the motivation really was from those supposedly leading the country.

 It's here that I've come to the complete conclusion that the U.S. government is not interested in what's good for the people of the United States, but rather what's good for the people running the government. To some of you that's crazy talk. To me it's plain and simple fact. The events of the last several weeks only prove it more.

 The mission of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds isn't to give Americans something fun to do on a weekend, it's to promote the U.S. armed forces for the purpose of bolstering American pride and encouraging young people to consider a career in service to their country. The value to the nation right there vastly exceeds the Blues $37 million budget.

 Given the views of the man who sits in the Oval Office, I guess there's no surprise that he would consider it a success to keep the Blues from being able to do their job. 

 Lastly, LCDR Mike Gershon, who was was featured in the video above as solo pilot in the #6 aircraft, was killed in a Blue Angels airshow accident not long after the video was made. A follow up video about Mike and the accident can be seen here. It does a great job of showing Mike's history and his strong wife, who lost her husband when their son was just over a month old. Both videos were produced for Evening Magazine broadcast on KPIX in San Francisco. The video about the accident, and the way it portrays Mike's family is extremely well done, especially when compared to today's style of sensational 'victim' exploitation.

 The slippery slope gets ever steeper.

CoolPix: Thom Richard In Precious Metal - Reno 2013 Gold Unlimited Race

(click pic for hi-res)  2 props, 6 blades, and a thundering Rolls Royce Griffon engine!

 My day job has me buried at the moment (and for the next 2 weeks) so I needed something impressive and quick to post this morning. I think this pic I captured of Thom Richard in the Reno Unlimited Gold Race on Sunday September 15th from pylon 2 will suffice!

 With lots of mods done over the last year, Thom had hoped that Precious Metal would be a true contender this time around, but the failure of the 'race engine' during a ground run shortly before leaving Florida for Reno meant it was major scramble time. The backup engine was installed and he just barely arrived to the races in time. And while they tweaked the lesser engine thru the week, there just wasn't enough there to put it near the front of the pack.

 However, with no failures during race week, Precious Metal looked good in the new paint working its way into 5th place. With another year of mods and more horses under the hood with that modified race engine repaired, 2014 might be the year we see this mixmaster P-51 become a serious contenda : )

Videos: 49 Homebuilt Aircraft Build World Record Formation Over Arrowhead Stadium!

UPDATED 10-14-13 at 7:33pm: additional video now posted at the bottom of the post... Tom McNerny, who races at Reno in his Lancair 360 'Unleashed' (race 55) shared the link to his youtube video as the 'formation dresser' for the fly-over. His video is shot from inside Unleashed and directly below the formation as he coordinates the pilots positions within the formation. It's another stunning view of this great piece of work!

 The video above gives you some details about the prep for the massive 49 aircraft fly-over of Arrowhead Stadium yesterday... it's an incredible Van's overcast of RV's! It was performed by the KC Flight Formation Team and it shows that we sure don't need the government to put on an awesome stadium fly-over! The video below shows the amazing 'arrowhead' shaped formation from inside the stadium.

 The fly-over was more than just a fantastic civilian aerial demonstration to open the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, it was also tied into the fundraising efforts related to breast cancer research. Accordingly, the RV's were outfitted with pink smoke!

 It was a great day overall in Kansas City as the KC Flight Formation Team set a Guinness Book world record for largest aircraft formation (49 aircraft), the crowd set a world record for being the loudest in a stadium, and the unbeaten Chiefs won the game 24 to 7. The heartland scores big yesterday!

Video screenshot of the 49 RV homebuilts in an 'arrowhead' formation yesterday!

Caption Contest #84 Winner - Dope On A Rope!

 This has definitely been the most unusual Caption Contest ever here on AirPigz, and for many reasons... first I'll say that I usually have the winner posted fairly early on Saturday morning, but I left the house before 7am this morning to go do hot air balloon crew work. My son-in-law has a balloon (actually two envelopes, one at 77,000 cubic feet and another at 90,000 cubic feet) and even tho he flew last evening, he had another flight scheduled for this morning, and I try to crew for him any time he needs the help. We were kinda short on crew this morning (it was just me and him, plus the pax) which meant it took longer to get everything wrapped up than usual, so I wasn't able to get this post all pulled together until afternoon.

 Below is a phone pic I grabbed while the balloon was approaching for landing. Bright morning sun and only about 2 mph winds on the surface. I love doing balloon crew/chase vehicle work, but today I can officially report that starting tomorrow morning (weather permitting) I'm gonna begin training to get my balloon rating! As a rated balloon pilot, my son-in-law can act as the instructor, and this will give me the chance to trade being crew/chase for the 10 hours of flight time I need. Propane cost is low these days so it won't even cost very much for the fuel! Sure sounds like fun : )

 
Early morning balloon flight over Indiana farmland that I did crew/chase for today

 Anyway, back to the caption contest. There were quite a few more submissions than usual, plus there were a lot more really great ones than we tupically see as well. I don't know if it was the unique bizarre nature of the pic or what, but this time around really stirred up lots of creative and entertaining captions. And then the total number of votes was about 4 times higher than normal too. I haven't figured out yet if the voting was 'gamed' this time around or if captioner 'Jason D' just got everyone he knows to vote for him, but as it stands right now, his caption snagged almost 60% of the 281 votes. For now I'll say congrats Jason, and let you know that you've won the book seen below, Concorde by Philip Birtles... it'll be on the way soon once I make email contact.

 Thanx to all the people who submitted this time around, I really appreciate everyone's participation. Hopefully the next time we play we see this kind of turnout again!

The prize for winning this caption contest: a used copy of Concorde by Philip Birtles