Just Like This B-52 With No Fin And Rudder, I'm Gonna Make It!

Check out my June 2011 post on this amazing B-52 story! (with video)

 It's true, I'm feeling a lot like this B-52 from 1964... I've got some problems (kinda big ones) but I'm gonna make it! I won't go into details about my issues at the moment, but as they have for the last 4 years, they center around money. I'm about 6 months away from surviving the financial collapse of 2008 (it's been a long, slow, and painful recovery) and as they say, it's often darkest just before the dawn. It's pretty dark right now.

 So as I set my sights on getting thru the next few weeks (and Oshkosh) with not enough of everything, I'd like to ask for your patience as I try to keep up with AirPigz posting in general as well as putting up another post with some really nice aviation books to sell. If you're in a position to buy a book to help me thru this tough time, please do. It would be very much appreciated. The books are all in great shape and they're from the collection my dad had. They are special to me, but the current need is great, so they must go.

 And of course a big thank you goes out to those who bought about 10 books a couple weeks back! There's still some books in that post available, plus, my rather rare, like-new copy of the book Sled Driver (SR-71) is still available for someone looking for a great collector piece. A new post with more books will be up in a day or so.

 I'm confident that I'll survive this current income crisis, just like that B-52 survived... seriously, it really did! Check out the amazing story and video of how that B-52 made it back home with that much of the vertical tail missing. I find the story to be very encouraging : )

Video: Wow! Full Size Aircraft Flies Inside Building!

 Never mind that full-size for a Cri Cri is only a 16 ft 1 in wingspan and just under 13 ft long... but that does still make for a pretty big RC model! And when a model like this is built out of foam to keep the weight crazy low, you get such wonderful flying qualities. Did you see that video of the 10 ft wingspan C-47 that weighs less than 6 pounds? I just love these big and slow indoor flyers : )

 Hat-tip to my friend Elliot at Scaled for the link on this full scale Cri Cri flying indoors, and for that C-47 link a few years ago too!

 Keep 'em flying -

Screenshot showing the full size RC Cri Cri flying indoors back in 2011

(btw, I drove 12+ hours yesterday to Oshkosh and back to get CampBacon staked out for OSH13. Same place as the last two years, just bigger, better, and currently it's much dryer than 3 years ago and much greener than last year! Bacon Parties, here we come : )

Video: Disney's Planes - In Theaters August 9! (My Tantrum Is Officially Over : )

 I'm pretty sure you're already aware that Disney has an animated feature coming to theaters soon (August 9, 2013) that features airplanes, and it's called, not too surprisingly: Planes. As a follow on to the Pixar produced Cars (2006) and Cars 2 (2011), Planes is actually being produced by DisneyToon Studios instead of Pixar, and that's where some of my early frustration with the project began. Let me say first tho that my tantrum about Disney's Planes is officially over now, and that's why I've posted this second of the officially released trailers for the film above.

 But why would I throw a tantrum over an aviation-themed animation like this? Well, I first learned of this project way back in 2009, most likely long before you knew it was in the works. But at some point after knowing they were going ahead with the project, I learned that the plan was to release it straight to DVD, as in NOT in the theaters at all. What? Disney was gonna follow up Cars with Planes but it was gonna bypass bringing it to us via the big screen? That revelation hardened my heart toward the project. It meant they were either gonna cut a lot of corners on the CGI production, or they were so ashamed of our beloved world of aviation that they didn't think it was worthy of the theater. Either way, I had no interest in the project at that point. Childish response? Maybe, but hey, I felt I had a right to be very disappointed.

 And then, just last December, Disney announced that Planes was coming to theaters after all. I suppose I should have been pleased, but I admit that I was still pretty miffed. What changed my mind? The Gee Bee! Ok, maybe it was more than just the Gee Bee being included in Planes... maybe it was that they've done a really great job (or so it seems from the trailers) of capturing the fun and fascination of flight with the film. It's a good time to mention that the quality of the production is apparently what shifted the thinking at Disney that this project was worthy of the theater.

 Friday, August 9th is the official release date, and I do hope you get yourself, your family, and your closest friends to a theater to go support Planes... but if you're going to Oshkosh you can actually see a preview screening of the film on Friday, August 2nd at the Fly-In Theater, a whole week before it's officially released! It's likely to be very crowded that night, but I'm planning to go check it out -- be sure to say hi if you see me there. And then, after Oshkosh,  I'll go see it with popcorn in the theater on the 9th.

 Yes, my tantrum with Disney and Planes is officially over - (I feel so grown up now : )

Screenshot from Disney's Planes (in theaters August 9) - woohoo, it's a Gee Bee!

CoolPix: The New Goodyear Blimp (Zeppelin) Is Taking Shape!

(click pic for hi-res) The first all-new Goodyear/Zeppelin airship coming together in Ohio

 Technically it's an airship and not a blimp (due to some internal support structure) but Goodyear is sticking with the blimp terminology even tho my small and highly unscientific poll from last fall is showing that about 45% of people say they shouldn't use the blimp term while 37% say it's a beloved term and totally acceptable... not surprising, almost 18% voted for: Really? Does anyone even care about this stuff?

 In a rare break with my desire for accuracy and proper detail, I'm ok with the blimp term being used going forward. I'm even more ok with the reality of what fabulous airships these new Zeppelins will be for Goodyear. This unique partnership between Goodyear and Germany's Zeppelin has its roots all the way back to early 1920's when they worked together before WWII on the huge military airships like the USS Macon and the USS Akron. So working together once again is actually a very interesting re-connection.

 I've been fascinated with airships since I was about 5 years old. In fact, in 1969 (when I was 8 years old) my dad and I got to ride in the Goodyear Blimp Columbia that was based near Los Angeles. My dad was flying 727's for UAL out of LAX at the time and lived in some apartments right next to the blimp mooring site in Carson California, so I was able to watch it come and go a lot. During our ride, the blimp pilot even let my dad hop in the pilot's seat and fly the blimp for a bit once he found out he was a 727 driver : )

(click pic for hi-res)  The Zeppelin Goodyear 'blimp' assembly in Akron Ohio 

 
 My only other airship ride was much more recent -- in 2011 when the Farmers Zeppelin NT stopped in Indianapolis on its tour around the country. It was shortly after Oshkosh 2011 where the Zeppelin had spent the week doing commercial rides and just generally filling the Oshkosh sky with pure airship awesomeness. My ride in Indy was fantastic... the Zeppelin NT is an amazing flying machine. It was everything I had hoped for, and more. Unfortunately, that particular Zeppelin NT, operated by Airship Ventures in California, has since been dismantled and returned to Germany after the company encountered financial difficulties.

 The new Zeppelins for Goodyear will be the best 'blimps' they've ever had, by far. The one being assembled in Akron Ohio in these pix will be flying in 2014 and two more are planned to join the fleet at some point in the future.

Video: Unmanned X-47B Makes First Carrier Landing - Very Successfully!

 On May 14, 2013 the unmanned Northrop Grumman X-47B made its first ever launch from an aircraft carrier... and today, less than two months later, the pilotless test aircraft has made its first carrier landing! The Northrop Grumman video above is the best one to really experience the excitement of the event, and the two below from the US Navy give some additional views well worth seeing.

 A huge congratulations go out to all of the many people involved in making this remarkable achievement so impressively successful!

Screenshot of the first ever unmanned carrier touchdown! Bravo X-47B team!

Jack Bally's MANNED 1/3 Scale B-17 Nearly Ready To Fly!

Jack Bally's incredible 1/3 scale B-17 next to a Cessna 140! (photo: facebook)

 Some new pictures surfaced last evening on the Bally Bomber facebook page showing Jack Bally's incredbile 1/3 scale B-17 replica fully assembled and sitting next to a Cessna 140. Wow! The mind is really tied up in a knot trying to process what's seen there... it looks like a model but sooo big - but then it looks like a real B-17 but sooo much smaller!

 This project, coming to life in Dixon Illinois, has to rank as one of the most fascinating homebuilt aircraft projects of all time. It's the kind of idea that weird people like me dreram up but rarely does anyone actually follow though. With an estimated 20,000 hours of labor required to build this cute little beast, it's understanable why. With a 34ft 7in wingspan, estimated 1,800 pound weight and four 60hp engines for a total of 240hp, the Bally Bomber is just pure awesome! Be sure to check out the hundreds of pix from the build process along with additional info at TheBallyBomber.com

 The not-so-big cockpit really shows the overall scale!  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 
 The project was started back in 1999 and is just now nearing completion. The airframe is all scratch built (of course) and made out of aluminum. The main gear retracts just like the real B-17, and has proven to be the most complicated part of the project. The engines are the Hirth 3002 4-cylinder 2-stroke that usually have a reduction unit and make about 80hp. Jack chose this engine because of its size... it was small enough to fit inside a properly scaled nacelle. However, to make it fit properly, the reduction unit is removed which will bring the power down around 60hp each, with the engines spinning the 46.4" diameter props at about 3,300 rpm.

One of four 2-stroke Hirth 3002 (formerly F-30) engines  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 Even though the airplane looks finished, I noticed in a facebook comment last night that they say there's still some wiring, plumbing and detail work yet to complete. It would appear that the first flight is still off in the future a bit. Mostly that means that there's little hope of seeing the Bally Bomber at Oshkosh in a few weeks. There's little doubt in my mind that whenever this fabulous piece of work gets to Oshkosh, she'll be the Queen for the entire week!

 The accuracy in the scale shaping is simply fantastic!  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 The accuracy of the shapes and scaling look excellent on this project. I remember back in the 70's there were several scaled-down military one-of-a-kind replicas, but most all failed to get the profiles, proportions, or prop scaling correct... the Bally Bomber appears to be getting it done right. Bravo!

The amazing Bally Bomber is almost ready to fly!  (photo: theballybomber.com)

 
 Can you even imagine how cool it would be to see this 1/3 scale B-17 in the air! No doubt the videos of the first flight will be a huge internet sensation... stay tuned to the Bally Bomber facebook page for updates on the first flight... this might be as big a deal as the full-scale Mosquito last fall!

Flitzer Homebuilt Biplane: The Perfect Boredom Fighter!

Totally non-authentic and perfectly awesome: the Flitzer biplane (photo: flitzerbiplane.com)

 Back in the late 70's a homebuilt airplane emerged that had a WWI feel to it and was small and relatively easy to build... it was called the Boredom Fighter. I was in the process of building a Pober Pixie at the time (that I started in 1978 when I was a junior in High School) and I remember thinking that the Boredom Fighter was a great concept, but the reality of the design never really clicked with me. Then this morning I get an email from a friend asking if I'ver ever posted anything about the Flitzer Biplane from the UK. Hmm, I've never even heard of it (I can't know everything!) but when I checked it out I realized that the Flitzer Biplane is the PERFECT realization of the Boredom Fighter concept!

 There's no connection between the Boredom Fighter and the Flitzer, but what I see in the Flitzer is a perfect balance of faux WWI styling along with a small, primarily wood airframe that also is a great little flying machine. It's pretty much everything that the Boredom Fighter was meant to be but never really attained. The Flitzer was design by Lynn Williams in the UK, and from what I can tell that was about 10 years ago. A real emphasis was put on designing a stout airframe with really good flying characteristics. With an empty weight of around 500 pounds, this little 18' wingspan retro fighter was designed to be powered with a VW engine. With that in mind, its easy to imagine a variety of powerplants in the 50-80hp range being acceptable in a Flitzer.

Small and VW powered, the Flitzer biplane is cheap retro thrills  (photo: facebook)

 
 There's a good resource website run by a fan of the design (flitzerbiplane.com) with info on the history of the Flitzer plus a wide range of additional info. The Flitzer Variants page there is a great place to get the basics figured out while also planting the seeds for some serious infatuation of this homebuilt that's perfectly suited to individual personalization. You'll also find Lynn Williams' email address near the top of that page in case you're interested in finding out about buying a set of construction plans.

 If I had the time and money I'd start up a network of resources here in the US to encourage a large squadron of these little weekend warriors... I think it would be especially well-suited to a group of people getting together and building 4 or 5 of them, that way you have a built-in network of 'help and encouragement' along the difficult path of making it all the way thru a homebuilt project.

 In fact, if I had known about the Flitzer back in 2009 when I started the AirPigz Project VP (modified Volksplane) project, I'd probably have me an unfinished Flitzer in the garage right now! Btw, PVP remains unfinished due to my nagging financial recovery issues stemming from the 08/09 economy collapse, but I'm getting closer to the day when I'll finally have that chapter of my life closed (without filing for bankruptcy : )

 Anyway, the Flitzer is a homebuilt design worthy of consideration for anyone looking for a reactively easy to build head-turner that won't cost you an arm-and-a-leg. It's one of the most creative designs I've ever seen to capture great nostalgic lines and a wonderful retro-war look while also being affordable and really fun to fly. Now I just need to figure out if I'm more obsessed with the Skyote or the Flitzer! #littlebiplanesforever

Flitzer Biplane yahoo group

Flitzer Biplane facebook page 

Flitzer Biplane by Australian Mark Crawford: check out his Flitzer construction website

Independence Day Aviation Book Sale! (AirPigz OSH13 Fundraiser #1 - 15 Books)

8 of these 15 books have been sold - click to see all the avaiable books

 It's not really the 4th of July to me, it's Independence Day... I think there's some very important disctinction there. My guess is that about 20% of you are rolling your eyes right now and the other 80% are nodding their head in agreemment. Regardless, it's a big day to remember and acknowledge how this country came to be, and maybe an even more important day to ponder where it's going. As it turns out, it's also a day for me to ask you to consider checking out this first wave of really nice gently-used aviation books from the collection my dad had gathered over the last 40+ years. He passed away in 2009, just two months after I started AirPigz, and if you don't know about his amazing life in aviation, you need to check out my extensive tribute post to his life in the sky. 

 I'm in pretty desperate need to generate some funds to cover my camping expenses at Oshkosh 2013, and unlike the FAA's strong-arm tactics against the EAA over Oshkosh tower operations during the fly-in (I'm glad the EAA is fighting back), I'm simply giving you the opportunity to see if you find any of these books interesting enough to purchase at fair market value. In case you're interested, at the very bottom of the post is a short explanation of why it's necessary for me to raise some funds to make it thru Oshkosh, and why I'm using these special books from my dad's collection to do that.

 Aviation Books (gently used) For Sale:

 This post features the first 15 books (of about 45 that'll be available in the next two weeks) shown in a composite photo of each book. The images below are showing the same book (I only have ONE copy of each book) with the cover displayed on the left and the open book shown on the right. There's a description under each book, including the condition, and the price if you're interested in buying it.

How To Pay:

 The prices are firm and INCLUDE the packing and U.S. shipping cost. If you see one or more that you like, click the email link under the book pic and let me know you want to purchase it. I'll update the pic with a sold banner right away. You can then send payment either via PayPal (using mcc@airpigz.com as the receiving email identifier) or by check (made out to Martt Clupper - 209 Shaffer Dr - Warsaw, IN  46580) and I'll send the book out the same day I receive payment.

 If you have any questions, just ask: mcc@airpigz.com

(click pic to enlarge - this is a composite pic of the same book, closed and open)

Sky Ships $50.00 William Althoff 1990 304pgs signed by the author Ex Cond

* To purchase, send me an email at mcc@airpigz.com telling me you want it...

* I'll then mark the picture as 'sold'

* Make your payment via PayPal or send me a check (details under 'How To Pay' above)

* I'll send the book the same day I receive payment

* Donations over and above the book price will be gladly accepted!

(click pic to enlarge - this is a composite pic of the same book, closed and open)

Stuka Ju87 $20.00 Alex Vanags-Baginskis 1982 56pgs Ex Cond

* To purchase, send me an email at mcc@airpigz.com telling me you want it...

(click pic to enlarge - this is a composite pic of the same book, closed and open)

National Air-Race Sketchbook $30.00 Buehl and Gann 1966 85pgs Ex Cond

* To purchase, send me an email at mcc@airpigz.com telling me you want it...

(click pic to enlarge - this is a compositie pic of the same book, closed and open)

First Fifty Years of the Swift $100.00 Charles Nelson 1995 213pgs Ex Cond
(numbered: 851/1000 with signed greeting to my dad from the author) 

* To purchase, send me an email at mcc@airpigz.com telling me you want it...

  * I'll  then mark the picture as 'sold'

  * Make your payment via PayPal or send me a check (details under 'How To Pay' above)

  * I'll send the book the same day I receive payment

  * Donations over and above the book price will be gladly accepted!

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Tom Cruise Turns 51 Today (With Top Gun Music Video!)

This is a guest post... Author Bio: Alex Smith is a freelance film and television blogger for Direct2TV.com who has been a huge fan of Tom Cruise, Top Gun and things that go fast since childhood. He enjoys writing celebrity profiles and reviews of new movie releases as well as retrospectives on films from the 1970s and 80s, and riding his motorcycle (it’s the closest he’ll get to piloting an F-14). He lives in Washington, D.C.

Tom Cruise: Aviation Ambassador? 

 Tom Cruise is celebrating another birthday (he’s 51 today), and he continues to be one of Hollywood’s top stars after more than three decades in the film business. It all started for Cruise with the movie Taps in 1981, with his first leading role coming just two years later in Risky Business with its iconic “dancing in underpants” scene. Since then, Cruise has appeared almost exclusively in big-budget, critically and financially successful movies, including Rain Man, A Few Good Men, War of the Worlds and the Mission: Impossible franchise.

 But perhaps Cruise’s best known role, and certainly one that established the persona that has allowed him to essentially play “himself” in many subsequent action flicks, came when he played Maverick in the 1986 hit Top Gun. This is the role that not only propelled Cruise to the top of A-list but also seems to have put a love of aviation in his blood, and arguably helped popularize and glamorize flying for much of the general public as well.

The amazing Grumman F-14 Tomcat - anytime baby!  (photo: wikimedia)

 
 When Cruise was preparing for the role of Maverick, he was taken up for three separate rides in the back passenger seat of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat that his character would fly in the film, a taste of jet-powered flight (and the view afforded by the Tomcat’s bubble canopy) that must have been a peak life experience even for a rich and famous actor. The first flight reportedly resulted in him vomiting, but he handled the other two flights well, and some actual in-flight footage filmed using F-14 cockpits can be seen in the finished movie.

 
F-14's and ground crew on a carrier in 2002  (photo: U.S. Navy)

  Top Gun was originally inspired by an article in the May 1983 issue of “California” magazine that described the training, activities and culture at the Navy’s Top Gun School for fighter pilots. The movie itself pays homage to the real training facility it portrays in several ways:

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Why Oshkosh Matters (With CoolPix Marathon - 19 Hi-Res Images)

(click pic for hi-res)  Ray Hegy's El Chuparosa at Oshkosh 1970 (see original post)

 Oshkosh 2013 is fast approaching (July 29 - Aug 4), and I'm as excited as ever to be planning to attend. I was there in 1970 (as a 9 year old) when the very first Oshkosh took place at Wittman Field in beautiful Wisconsin. The annual EAA fly-in and convention was held in Rockford Illinois prior to Oshkosh and I was even at the last one of those in 1969. I've missed a handful of the events over the years, but I've attended well over 30 of them since that picture above of Ray Hegy's El Chuparosa was taken.

 Oshkosh has changed a lot over the years, but in the ways that really matter, it hasn't really changed at all. It's still people (lots and lots of people) who are in love with aviation gathering together to share that love with each other. It's goodness, discipline, ingenuity, and achievement all rolled into a week of learning, sharing, and enjoying. There's just nothing else like it... no other tool we have that does so much good for the world of general and sport aviation. That's why I believe that Oshkosh truly matters.

 I'm well aware that many people have frustrations at times with the EAA and the way Oshkosh is run, and while I've had the same kinds of frustrations going back even into the 1970's, I'm as convinced as ever that the EAA ultimately does a huge amount of good for those of us who love to fly. I can't imagine any other organization (or new group of people) who could, or would do better (or even as well) at fostering a genuine love for flying. So I hope you'll join me in being a big supporter of what Oshkosh does for us all... come to Oshkosh this year and be amazed, entertained, educated, and impressed. But please don't come expecting Oshkosh to do all that TO you, instead, come to Oshkosh and BE PART OF that process. Give, and share, and receive too. It's the human interactions that truly make Oshkosh the beautiful thing that it is.

 To celebrate some of the great avgeekery of Oshkosh, here's an extensive collection of CoolPix images I've captured since 2009 to get you primed and ready for the world's greatest aviation event. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and you might notice that I never ever call the event A**V******, it's Oshkosh to me and always will be. I look forward to the day when that ad agency concocted word is dropped from the EAA vocabulary. And hey, maybe they should go back to a logo that looks more like tho old one too : )

(click pic for hi-res)  Pitcairn Autogiro at Oshkosh 2009  (see original post)

(click pic for hi-res)  Airbus A380 preparing to depart Oshkosh 2009  (see original post)

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