Poll: Awesome Or Ugly? The Boeing 307 Stratoliner (Plus CoolPix)

Designed in the late 1930's, this is one of only 10 Boeing 307 Stratoliners built

 The Boeing 307 Stratoliner, the first pressurized commercial transport, would have been a much bigger success if World War II hadn't begun at pretty much the same time as the aircraft was introduced. The Stratoliner was at the cutting edge of aviation design in 1940 but by the end of the war it was quickly being left behind by bigger and faster aircraft like the Lockheed Constellation. However, the Straoliner's older sister, the B-17, became a key player in winning the war and proved without any doubt that this basic aircraft design was extremely capable.

 Only 10 Stratoliners were built, and the only one remaining is on display at the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy facility. The recent AirPigz NASM MeetUp gave me my first opportunity to see the Stratoliner up close, and of course it was a real treat to be in her presence. I've always been a big fan of this airplane so it's no surprise that I've voted her to be 'awesome' in the poll below... but what do you think?

(click pic for hi-res) The only Boeing Stratoliner left, on display at the NASM Udvar-Hazy

Video: Dancing With A Kite At The 12th Annual Windless Kite Festival (Amazing!)

 The 12th annual Windless Kit Festival was held last month in Long Beach Washington... and before you go off thinking this is some sort of twisted joke about trying to fly kites with no wind, you really need to watch this video! It shows Spencer Watson flying a 4-line Revolution kite (I have one of these!) flying indoors and winning the AKA Open Individual Indoor Unlimited competition. By moving away from the kite you make your own airflow for the kite to be able to fly, and with ultralight kites and no wind to disturb the air, fabulous things can happen in the hands of talented people like Spencer.

 This is such an awesome display of eye-hand coordination. If you've never flown a 4-line kite like a Revolution, you cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it is to control. And having this delicate of a touch while always being in control is mind-blowing to me. 

 I wish we could make all the video games on Earth disappear and that kids (and adults) would do things like this instead... there would be almost no limit to the good that would come from that! Plus, we'd brew a whole new generation of people that would be fascinated with the art of moving thru the air, that magical thing that you and I call flying. Open up your mind... go fly a kite!

Video screenshot of Spencer Watson wining at the Windless Kite Festival in January

Great Lakes (By Waco Classic) New Paint Scheme Design Contest! (Ends 2-17-13)

Click the pic to learn more about the Great Lakes paint scheme contest!

 You don't have to know me very well to know I'm a big fan of paint scheme design contests, and while we wait to see who the winner is of the race P-51 Precious Metal paint contest (winner to be announced 2-9-13) we now have another one to squeeze the creative juices onto! Waco Classic Aircraft has been building fabulous brand new open cockpit biplanes for years now, but now they also building a new version of the wonderful Great Lakes biplane, and they're having a paint scheme design contest to stir up interest.

 Click here to get the contest details, but most important, realize you only have until the end of the day (11:59pm EST) on February 17, 2013 to get your submissions in. (click here for the contest rules - please be sure to pay attention to all the contest details and rules!)

 The winner gets the following ffrom Waco Classic Aircraft:

A demo ride in the very first Great Lakes biplane!*

Your name on the plane.

A personalized commemorative award.

Credit for the great scheme, of course!  We'll  name you on the blog, our Facebook page, the newsletter, etc.

A WACO goodie bag.

Special invitation as our VIP guest at the public debut launch event for the Great Lakes. **

*  Demo to take place at a time and location convenient to both the prize winner and WACO Classic Aircraft Corp.  and is dependant upon weather conditions, aircraft availability and pilot availability.
**  Transportation, lodging and expenses not included.
Other conditions may apply.  Prize has no cash equivalent.
All submissions become the property of WACO Classic Aircraft Corp.
See rules for more details

 I'm cramped for time these days with too many things going on but you can count on me to try really hard to crank out an awesome paint scheme for the new Great Lakes... and you should too!

Click the pic to go to the new Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 page of Waco Classic Aircraft

Top Gun: Mach 2 With Your Hair On Fire In IMAX 3D Feb 8-13!

 3D movies haven't lived up to the hype for me, but the chance to see the pop icon film Top Gun (1986) on the big screen with big sound is enough to pique my interest. The movie is actually in IMAX 3D, but I honestly don't know if that's as impressive as it sounds. But again, F-14's on any big screen with full-rumble sound should be sufficient to tingle the nerves and pump up the heart rate... it might even take you right into the danger zone.

 It appears you might have to light your afterburners tho if you wanna catch the film in theaters as it's only scheduled to run six days in 2013; from February 8th thru the 13th.  All of this is just ahead of the February 19th release of the 3D Blu-Ray DVD.

 You can get more info on the Top Gun facebook page or at this IMAX movies page which includes theater search by city or zip code.

 Lastly, the fate of the planned sequel to Top Gun is somewhat in question after the suicide death of the director of the original, Tony Scott, last August.

 F-14's on the big screen: Top Gun IMAX 3D in theaters February 8 thru 13, 2013

Video: November 11, 1956 - The Sexiest Jet (Ever) Makes Her First Flight! (B-58 Hustler)

 Quoting a friend, this is all I can say: O___O ...can't talk...too pretty...

The Convair B-58 Hustler is prepared for her first flight on November 11, 1956

1944 Dornier Do 335: A Really Big Push/Pull Speedster From WWII (+ Video)

(click pic to enlarge)  WWII German Dornier Do 335 at the NASM Udvar-Hazy Center

 The recent AirPigz National Air and Space Museum MeetUp was more than just a great time with historic aircraft and great avgeek friends, it was also a good time for me to develop a new obsession: the World War II German Dornier Do 335. This rather large (about 20,000 pound max takeoff weight) and very fast single seat aircraft is one that I honestly knew pretty much nothing about. It has slipped thru the cracks of my avgeek upbringing somehow, but now it has found its very own room in my mind and I am quite happy about that.

 The short story on the airplane is that only around 40 were built toward the end of WWII, and none ever entered actual combat related service. This unique push/pull arrangement meant that the Do 335 sits high on the gear to allow for good ground clearance for the rear prop. It sits so high that the average man can walk under that wing! Powered by two centerline mounted Daimler-Benz DB 603A inverted 12-cylinder engines making 1,750 hp each, the Do 335 appears to have been the fastest piston engine aircraft from the war. I haven't done the deep research, but it seems it was capable of 475 mph in level flight! Can you imagine what a clipped, streamlined and lightened Do 335 would do on the race course at Reno! However, since this example on display at the Udvar-Hazy is the only example that remains, racing one at Reno just isn't gonna happen.

(click pic to enlarge)  Closer view of the beastly Do 335 and its push/pull power

 The Do 335 was envisioned in several different roles: fighter/bomber; night fighter, reconnaissance and trainer (in a special two-seat configuration as seen in the video below), but with the aircraft being developed near the end of the war, it never made it into service with the Luftwaffe. Because of the rear mounted propeller, the Do 335 included an ejection seat for the pilot along with the ability to jettison the vertical tail and rear prop to add greater safety to an ejection. There are many more interesting and unique features of the 335 but I'll cover that later when I do an in-depth post on it... for now, I just wanted to take the uninitiated (like I was before last Friday) and open up your mind to a very interesting WWII aircraft.

(click pic to enlarge) Dornier Do 335 cutaway available for purchase from Flightglobal

Fascinating video (in German) of the Dornier Do 335

CoolPix: 1970's Reno Biplane Racer Sorceress At The Udvar-Hazy Center

(click pic for hi-res)  Over 40 years later, the biplane racer Sorceress still looks hot!

 I returned from the AirPigz NASM MeetUp about noon today after driving back from the Washington DC area... what a fabulous adventure it was meeting up with 15 other avgeeks at the National Air and Space Museum facilities! I hope to post many more photos before long, including the bacon salute at breakfast on Sunday, but for now I'm sharing a hi-res CoolPix of the 1970's era biplane racer known as Sorceress. The aircraft is on display at the Udvar-Hazy NASM facility in Chantilly Virginia. 

 Since I'm tired and preparing for a full week of regular work yet to do, I figure the easiest way to fill you in on this unusual and very interesting aircraft is to point you over to my post; Sorceress: Radical Sport Biplane Racer At Reno 1970 that I put up just over a year ago. I've got three pix in that post that show you how the airplane looked at Reno in !970 along with some history on the design. Be sure to click the pic above to see it hi-res and enjoy!

AirPigz NASM MeetUp Day 2! (Downtown Washington DC - 5 Pix)

(click pic to enlarge) The Bell X-1 that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier with in 1947

 Day two of the AirPigz National Air and Space Museum MeetUp was absolutely fabulous! We car-pooled to a METRO train station and then rode into downtown DC to experience the incredible collection of historic aircraft. Everyone had a great time... from the youngest at 9 years of age to the oldest at 78. It was a perfect day of great airplanes and great people!

(click pic to enlarge) Most of the 14 people at today's meetup under the Rutan Voyager

 You meet the nicest people at an AirPigz MeetUp! Seriously, what a great bunch of people to share some wonderful avgeekery with. If you've never joined in before, you should definitely consider it when the next chance rolls around.

(click pic to enlarge) Side view of the amazing Howard Hughes H-1 racer from 1935

(click pic top enlarge)  Front view of the H-1 racer (wood wing, aluminum fuselage)

 As I expected, I spent quite a lot of time with the Hughes H-1 racer today. Trust me when I say I got waaayyyyy more than just the two pictures you see here of this amazing race aircraft from the mid 30's! But for now this is all you get... more pix and details yet to come at another time : )

(click pic to enlarge) Wide span of history: Spirit of St Louis, Bell X-1 and SpaceShipOne

 In the future I'll be posting much more from the experiences at the Udvar-Hazy on Friday, the National Mall from today, and from the last day of the MeetUp tomorrow back at the Udvar-Hazy, but for now this is all I have the time and energy for.

 A big Thank You goes out to everyone participating in the MeetUp this year, you've made it a real joy!

CoolPix: Space Shuttle Discovery Up Close At The Udvar-Hazy Center

(click pic for hi-res)  The unique textures of the skin on Space Shuttle Discovery 

 The first day of the AirPigz National Air and Space Museum MeetUp was agreat success! 13 people in all gathered today at the Udvar-Hazy Center to enjoy a fabulous collection of great aircraft. It was a great start to three days of avgeekery and friendship that should see several more people join the event as we move into Washington DC to tour the legacy NASM facility on the National Mall tomorrow. It's sure to be another fantastic day!

 I had hoped to have the energy to post several pix from today, but I'm just a bit too tired for that... but I have selected what I think is a very interesting look at one of the star exhibits at the Udvar-Hazy, Space Shuttle Discovery. This CoolPix gives you the opportunity to see the unique textures of the some of the shuttle's outer skin. I was surprised to see that there's A LOT of texture on the surface of the shuttle. Much of the white-colored areas of the orbiter are actually somewhat quilted fibrous silica batting material. I think it's fascinating to see these textures and other details up so close when you click the pic to open it up big.

 It was an incredible experience walking around Discovery and seeing her in such detail up close. Despite her well-used appearance, she is a stunning beauty! The 10 hour drive over here from Indiana was worth it just to be able to stand in the presence of this significant space traveler. I'll be posting more detailed pix later of Discovery, but now it's off to sleep with dreams of seeing the Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St Louis, the Bell X-1 and so much more at the National Mall building tomorrow!

CoolPix: Hughes H-1 Racer (AirPigz NASM MeetUp Starts Tomorrow!)

(click pic for hi-res) 1935 Hughes H-1 racer at the Air and Space Museum (photo:NASM)
 

 The third AirPigz MeetUp starts tomorrow, Friday January 25, and this year we’re meeting up at the National Air and Space Museum! The first two MeetUp’s took place in late January (2011 and 2012) at the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio, but I’m currently en route via car to the Washington DC area so I can gather with 15 or more avgeeks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the two NASM facilities.

 The legacy NASM facility is located at the National Mall in Washington DC where they have a large collection of some of the world’s most important historic aircraft, including the Hughes H-1 racer shown here in an image from the NASM website that I’ve tweaked a bit and posted as a CoolPix. I saw this airplane nearly 40 years ago when I was a young teen, and while it was impressive to me, my appreciation for what it represents is greater now than ever before. I will stand and stare at this stunning piece of high-performance aviation art for quite some time this Saturday! Btw, here's the post from back in December that gives the overview of the AirPigz NASM MeetUp.

 The more recently opened NASM facility known as the Udvar-Hazy is located about 25 miles west of DC on the edge of Dulles airport in Chantilly Virginia. There is a very large collection of aircraft there also, including the recently positioned Space Shuttle Discovery. There’s no question that this is gonna be one hardcore avgeek meetup!

 Keep watch the next few days as I try to post some great pix that show why you should get to the NASM sometime soon... and why you should consider making the trip to the next AirPigz MeetUp : )