Video: Airbus A350 XWB Roll Out (Plus Composite Airliner Beauty Poll)

(vote in the composite airliner beauty poll at the bottom of the post)
 

  About a week ago Airbus rolled out the all new A350 XWB fresh from the paint shop looking like an airplane that's ready to fly before long. It appears that is indeed the case as they have indicated that the first flight will take place this summer, tho most likely not before the 50th anniversary Paris Air Show which runs June 17-23, 2013. Airbus didn't present the A350 with a big bash, instead it was a simple display of the aircraft with employees as seen in the photo below.

(click pic to enlarge) Roll out of the Airbus A350 XWB with employees  (photo: Airbus)

 The A350 looks just like it should given the market it's intended for, but it's interesting to me that so much of the basic design was driven by both the revolutions displayed in Boeing's 787 and by serious push from airlines and airline industry people demanding that Airbus respond directly (meaning an all-new aircraft) to Boeing's quantum leap in airliner design and function. I'd say Airbus was dragged kicking and screaming into the A350 program, but ultimately they have an airplane that will likely compete very well against the 787. I have no doubt that both aircraft will be very successful and that the people involved in designing and building these modern airliners have so very much to proud of.

(click pic to enlarge) A350 on May 13, 2013 - fresh out of the paint shop (photo: Airbus)

 I figured today was a good to share the video and pix of the A350 roll out since today is the day that United will put the 787 back into service after the lithium-ion battery issue. Ethiopian Airlines actually resumed 787 service way back on April 27, 2013 and Japan's ANA is expected to resume 787 service on June 1. The Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 will be battling it out for fleet dominance in the next 10 years+, and once the A350 flies and its performance figures become known, it'll be interesting to speculate which will ultimately dominate. Of course there's more to airliner success than just performance numbers... overall operating costs, reliability, and even passenger response all factor in.

(click pic to enlarge)  United 787 in Flight: UAL 787 resumes today May 20, 2013

 In the end, overall beauty probably won't have much if any impact on which of these aircraft is the most successful, but it's still something I'm very interested in... so I thought a little composite airliner beauty poll was a good idea. Based only only on the look of the aircraft, which do you think is the prettier airliner?

UPDATE: (5.20.13 1:43pm)  While I think the A350 looks nice, I admit that I find the 787 to be truly beautiful. If you doubt my opinion, watch this video: Mesmerizing HD Video Of The 787 Dreamliner In Flight (N787EX) - I'll do a follow up poll when we get a great video like that of the A350 to compare with : )

Video: Spend Some Quality Time With The X-47B (Carrier Suitability Testing)

 The video of the X-47B making the first-ever unmanned-aircraft launch from an aircraft carrier a few days was very impressive, but the one above, released a few days ago by Northrop Grumman, is also great because it gives you a much more in-depth look at both the X-47B itself and the rock-solid flying characteristics of this amazing unmanned aircraft. It's a compilation of the work done this Spring conducting the 'carrier suitability testing'.

 The video starts with the unfolding of its wings and includes many views of ground handling (including the use of the arm-mounted Control Display Unit [CDU] for deck maneuvering), great views of the control surfaces deflecting, and lots of takeoff and landing sequences (including shore-based catapult) showing how stable the X-47B is in all phases of flight. You also get some great air to air views of this most-unusual flying machine.

 And while we are getting used to aircraft that don't have vertical surfaces for stability, stop for a minute and wrap your head around how much is really going on every single second this thing is in the air to create such excellent stability without them.

 It's all a very impressive piece of work!

 
Video screenshot of the very unusual X-47B and its shadow on landing

Poll: Awesome Or Ugly? The 5 Engine, Short SC.1 VTOL (1950's)

Short SC.1 - Britain's first VTOL demonstrator aircraft - first flown in 1957 (1958 VTOL)

 I admit that I'm fascinated by experimental military aircraft from the 1950's... it was such an incredible time of let's learn everything we can! This unusual looking jet, the Short SC.1, is definitely one that fascinates me. It's Britain's first VTOL testbed, built by Short in Belfast in the last 1950's.

 With a delta wing, fixed landing gear and awesome 'spaceship-of-the-future' bubble windshield, the SC.1 was first built with just one centerline mounted Rolls Royce RB108 turbojet engine to allow for conventional takeoff and landing tests. The first flight of this version was on April 2, 1957. The 2nd and only other SC.1 was fitted with four more RB108's mounted vertically in the middle of the fuselage and made its first tethered vertical flight on May 26, 1958. By October of 1958 it had made its first completely free vertical flight. The first vertical to forward-flight transition was made in 1960.

 With fixed landing gear and 5 turbojet engines, the SC.1 was a very unusual jet!

 The SC.1 had a remarkable career as a VTOL testbed and both examples remain today, the first aircraft on display at London's South Kensington Science Museum and the second at Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Northern Ireland. However, it is important to note that the second aircraft did crash in 1963 due to a control malfunction killing the pilot J.R. Green. The aircraft was rebuilt and testing continued thru the late 1960's. All SC.1 testing ended in 1971.

 The SC.1 provided much valuable data on vertical flight and control, tho the use of 4 vertically-mounted engines for lift and just one for forward thrust proved to be an inefficient method... the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 (predecessor to the Hawker Harrier) first flown in 1960, proved that one large engine could be used to provide vectored thrust for both vertical and forward flight.

 I'm voting 'awesome' in the poll, but what do you think of the Short SC.1?

Video: No Pilot, No Problem: X-47B Makes First Unmanned Carrier Launch!

 Today is a big day for unmanned aircraft as Northrop Grumman's X-47B made the first ever carrier launch without an onboard pilot at 11:18 am EDT off the coast of Virginia from the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush. The catapult launch appears to have been a tremendous success! And while the X-47B can be operated autonomously (with no active human input) this launch was done with humans controlling the aircraft's actions.

 The launch is a follow up to the arrested landing test done back on May 4, 2013 on a shore-based runway (video below) where the aircraft showed no trouble catching the wire. The biggest test of all will come in the next few weeks or months as the X-47B will eventually attempt to land on the carrier deck at sea. It would seem that this will be a significant challenge compared to the tests completed thus far, but it would also appear that the aircraft is up to the task as it has looked rock solid at every turn since its first flight in February 2011.

 This aircraft certainly moves the military much closer to combat aircraft capable of operating in the tight and tense carrier environment, tho it's important to not that the X-47B is not itself intended for combat operations. It's also moving the military closer to the day when we will have aircraft of every capability being unmanned... and while many pilots see this as a huge negative, it does make sense to use the technology to protect human lives if it is able to function at a high level of safety.

 Maybe the brave new world will have a lot fewer jet jockeys but more hardcore aerobatic competition and airshow pilots! (these guys gotta get their vitamin G somewhere : )

(click pic to enlarge) Cropped screenshot of the first ever unmanned carrier launch: X-47B

A Gee Bee Built For Two! Replica Q.E.D. By Jim Moss

Click the pic to see more Q.E.D. pix from AntiqueAirfield.com
Recent pic of the massive Gee Bee Q.E.D. replica by Jim Moss  (photo: AntiqueAirfield.com)

 Jim Moss from the Seattle area is no stranger to building replicas of fabulous aircraft from the Golden Age. His Laird Super Solution from back in 2000 showed he's got the skills for this kind of work - check out this link about his Laird from another Super Solution builder Pete Groves (info on Jim's starts at pic 3 on that page). And now, his replica of the big Gee Bee, the 1934 Q.E.D. appears to be either complete or very nearly so. Wow, that's one big and beautiful airplane!

 Jim has taken a few liberties with this airplane, making it a very nearly accurate replica but with some changes. It's my understanding that the overall dimensions are the same as the actual Q.E.D. and most all of the details are meant to be accurate, but the original 675hp Pratt & Whitney R-1690 engine has been replaced with a Wright R-1820 of 1,425hp! The bigger engine (from a T-28) is actually the same diameter and only about 200 pounds heavier than the R-1690, a weight differential made up by reducing the original Q.E.D.'s fuel capacity from a whopping 480 gallons to just 240. Even with the bigger engine and lower fuel capacity, this flying machine will still have some serious range! Oh, and the fin and rudder have been upsized a bit to help make sure there's a plenty of tail to tame the power in the nose. 

 I'm hoping the combo of appearing complete along with plenty of fuel capacity mean that there's a good chance it'll be flying and at OSH13, but I really don't know if that's the plan. I sure do hope so tho!

 You can see several more great pix of the Q.E.D. from a post a couple days ago at AntiqueAirfield.com: Jim Moss' Gee Bee Q.E.D. Project - they will likely have the first info related to when this big beautiful beast is first flown so stay tuned!

CoolPix Triple Play: The Golden Glow Of Cubs At OSH12

(click pic for hi-res)  Camping Cubs in the evening sun at Oshkosh 2012

 The gathering of Piper Cubs at Oshkosh 2012 (and at Hartford Wisconsin the weekend before OSH - see great pix here and here) was a major highlight of my summer last year. A sea of Cub yellow to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the J-3 was most satisfying. And now that February has somehow turned into May, I'm just getting a handle on the idea that OSH13 will be here before you know it! (July 29-Aug 4)

 There probably won't be as many Cubs there this year, but there's no question that Oshkosh will once again be the greatest aviation gathering in the world. I look forward to Oshkosh more than any other event, year after year. I hope you've got plans to make it this year... and if you do, you better plan to attend an official AirPigz Bacon Party too! Details will be posted in June with the times and days of the two opportunities to have some crunch pig while hangar flying at CampBacon. Airplanes and bacon are definitely a perfect combo : )

 Below are two more great CoolPix images of Cubs that I captured at Oshkosh last year. I hope they give you a warm, glowing feeling inside for airplanes that drag their tail and are covered in fabric. Btw, Hartford Wisconsin will be the initial gathering and staging point for the 'round-engine rodeo' planned for OSH13. I enjoyed my time at Hartford so much last year that there's no way I'd miss this weekend gathering right before Oshkosh starts. I hope to see you there!

(click pic for hi-res)  A glorious sea of Cub yellow on the flightline at OSH12

(click pic for hi-res)  A tighter view of yellow Piper perfection

FLY Energy Bar Dips A Toe In The Water (Golden Age Of Air Racing Too!)

A version of the FLY Energy Bar logo... designed by me!
 

@FLYenergybar on twitter  |  FLY Energy Bar on facebook

 A came up with a concept for an energy bar and the branding to go with it in late October 2012. Since that time I have been developing the details of the graphic imagery and marketing concept, along with the actual food product itself. Yeah, I'm developing the recipe too! I've really enjoyed the research required to learn about how to make all this happen... and then there's the testing. Testing concepts, even food recipe concepts, is just pure awesome to me! I love the challenge and the quest for solutions.

 I'm very excited to present some of the details of what I've come up with. It's called FLY Energy Bar... they are premium-quality and all-natural energy/meal replacement bars made with grains, seeds, and fruit, with very little or no cane sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, low fat, most likely gluten-free, low sodium, high protein, good fiber, and with an energy kick! Best of all, these energy bars taste great! I'm still in development and tweaking the recipes, but I have two of the three flavors for launch already 95% defined.

 I don't have the cash to start a business like this, but crowd funding thru a website like kickstarter.com can make all the difference. That's why I'm revealing the basics of this project now, so I can create some awareness in preparation for launching a kickstarter campaign in July. That campaign will give you an opportunity to contribute to the project in return for some of the products, as well as a variety of unique rewards at varying contribution levels.

Gee Bee R-1 racer right after winning the 1932 Thompson Trophy race

 I'm most excited about the way I'm incorporating Gold Age of Air Racing aircraft into the packaging. I wish I could share the first package graphic with you but at the moment I can't, but I'll tell you that it's the coolest looking food package I've ever seen! I'm also confident that people who have no specific interest in aviation will find the packaging fun, exciting, and motivating. FLY bars are intended to be for everyone and anyone... it's just that people who love aviation will be all the more drawn in : )

 I'll be using custom artwork based on amazing race aircraft from the 20's and 30's like the Gee Bee R-1, Hughes H-1 and the Curtiss RC3 to encourage people to see how eating a FLY bar will help them feel like they're able to spread their wings and do their own flying thru the day.

The Howard Hughes record-setting H-1 racer - first flown in 1935

 FLY Energy Bar is meant to represent more than just food... it's all about a culture of being driven to succeed while also making the world a better place to live. I have some huge concepts to go along with the making-the-world-a-better-place idea, but again I have to wait to tell you about them. I'm as sure as I can be tho that you'll really connect with what I have in mind. I also feel that these benevolent aspects will really encourage people to contribute to the kickstarter campaign once it's up and running.

Curtiss R3C seaplane in the late 20's... beauty and grace meet power and speed!

 One other plan for the culture of FLY Energy Bar is an annual event called FLYfest... mixing several cool elements all into one awesome event: a fly-in focusing on antique/classic and homebuilt aircraft, a small airshow, lots of live blues music, AND a BBQ food fest! The goal would be for the first event to take place in the summer of 2014. And, since I founded and ran a Christian rock music fest for 10 years (1999-2008), I'm thinking pulling off an awesome FLYfest would be right up my alley : )

 I hope you think this all sounds cool and that you'll consider contributing to the kickstarter campaign, once it's up in July, so you can be a direct part of making FLY come to life. 

 FLY: fuel for you.

Video: 19 Foot Wingspan RC B-17 In Austria - Wow!

 Dude, that's one big RC B-17! And since we played with a B-17 in the Caption Contest last week, I figured now was a perfect time to post the video of this amazing piece of work. It appears to be both built and flown by Peter Pfeffer in Austria. The first flight, as seen in the video, is from just over 2 weeks ago.

This view before completion gives a great perspective on the size of this RC B-17!
 

 This beast has a 19 foot wingspan, is 14 feet long and is a whopping 187 pounds of retro WWII UAV! The four engines appear to be VT 42 single cylinder four-strokers like in this video. They come from Armin de Vries, a model engine builder in Germany, and are known for high power, low weight, and a great sound.

 You can also see an extensive gallery of construction pix at this flickr page.  Truly an amazing accomplishment of both construction and flying... long live the Flying Fortress!

 Man and machine... Peter Pfeffer and his 1:5.6 scale RC B-17

Caption Contest #82 Winner - Safety First! (With Videos)

 As is often the case, a short and sweet caption wins the bacon! Congrats to 'JD' for coming up with the most popular caption as voted by fellow avgeeks. I hope JD has OSH13 plans so I can cook 'em up a tasty bacon sandwich : )

 And if you didn't know, this pic came from a video shoot for a "Don't Mess With Texas' anti-littering campaign back in the 90's. The videos below show the actual ad first and then you can watch a behind-the-scenes video of multiple passes over the film crew with the B-17 and a few with a P-51 and F4F. Great ad concept and looks like it was fun for everyone... sure wish I had been there for it!

The 'Solar Impulse' Electric Flight Across America Is Underway!

Solar Impulse early today (5.3.13) departing Moffet Field (CA) headed for Phoenix

 Back in July 2010, the Swiss designed and built Solar Impulse all-electric aircraft made an amazing 26 hour overnight flight (video recap of that flight here) - and early this morning, May 3, 2013, the airplane departed Moffet Field in Mountain View California on a journey across the United States of America. It's a multi-leg trip with the first stop at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix Arizona... expected arrival is after midnight local time. The aircraft had just entered Arizona when this post went live.

 You can follow the progress of the cross country trip while it happens, including live video, at live.solarimpulse.com - and you can learn more about the overall journey from California to New York, as well as about the aircraft at solarimpulse.com/en/across-america. The aircraft will remain at the various checkpoints of Phoenix, Dallas, St Louis, Washington DC, and New York for several days each with potential opportunities to view the aircraft. Check the website for more details.

 The Solar Impulse is a unique and thus far very successful effort to create an airplane that not only uses electric power, but is ultimately powered by the sun. A follow up aircraft that is slightly larger is being built with the goal of flying completely around the world in 20 to 25 days, probably some time in 2015.

 Godspeed Solar Impulse and crew!