Fabulous View Of A Fokker 50 Takeoff In Iceland - mmm... Nice!

 The journey to finding this Fokker 50 takeoff video with the awesome perspective started with a desire to find a great video that showcased the sound of the Rolls Royce Dart turboprop engine. The Dart was a mainstay of many mid-sized prop airliners from the 1950's thru the 1980's... four of them powered the Vickers Viscount, and both the Hawker Siddeley HS748 and the Fokker F-27 were powered by two Darts, and both aircraft were built in rather large numbers back in the day. The Grumman Gulfstream 1 also had a pair of Darts. I was fortunate to get quite a bit of exposure to the G1 back in the 80's and that's where I really learned that the Darts had an awesome ear-piercing sound that I'm sure many people hated. I loved it. A lot! 

 But interestingly, this sweet video of the Fokker 50 departing Ísafjörður Airport in northwest Iceland (shot from up on a hill looking down) doesn't have any Rolls Royce Dart engines in it! The Fokker 50 was a 1980's updated version of the F-27 and one of the big updates was to replace the Darts with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B turboprops that put out 2,500 hp each. However, the engines aren't really the point of this 58 second video... it the amazing mountain and waterway setting along with the beautiful view looking down as the airplane makes a gentle turn immediately after takeoff as the gear comes up. Wow!

 Seeing a view like this is exactly the kind of thing that keeps my fire for flying burning nice and bright! And stay tuned, I'll keep looking for the perfect ear-piercing Dart video : )

This screenshot doesn't do this fabulous takeoff video justice... watch the video!

Back To The Future: Read The January 1983 FLYING Magazine (Happy New Year 2013!)

The shape of the future? Bellanca Skyrocket article from FLYING Magazine January 1983

The January 1983 issue of FLYING Magazine is an amazing read!

 When I posted my fantasy TBIRD 6 seater design I knew that it was meant to be the kind of airplane that would be cut from the same cloth as the Bellanca Skyrocket II. Hmm, you aren't familiar with the Bellanca Skyrocket II? There's good news then... FLYING Magazine from January 1983 (30 years ago!) has a great article on that incredible performing 6 seat aircraft. And Google Books just happens to have the entire magazine available online for you to read, just hit this link: FLYING Magazine January 1983 - the Skyrocket article starts on page 46.

 I won't tell you much about the Skyrocket II because I want you to read that very interesting article about it. But I will tell you that the airplane was powered by a 435 hp Continental engine and had a cruise speed over 300 mph! The Skyrocket II was the future back in the late 70's but possibly because it just sounded too good to be true, it never made it into production. (here's an AVweb article from Oshkosh 1999 about a more recent attempt to market this incredible airplane - scroll down to the article)

Burt Rutan back in the day: from a must-read article in FLYING Magazine January 1983

 How about a fascinating article on Burt Rutan from 1983 with text and pictures by Peter Garrison? It starts on page 60 and gives some great history on Burt's earlier work. I learned something that I don't remember ever knowing... that  the Scaled Composites was originally just called 'Scaled' and it was actually an acronym for: Scaled Composites: Advance Link to Efficient Development. I love learning these kinds of details! It's a great article for anyone interested in the amazing aeronautical career of Burt Rutan pre-Voyager, pre Boomerang, pre-SpaceShipOne.

 And there's a whole lot more in this January 1983 issue of FLYING Magazine... from an extensive article on the AT-6/SNJ/Harvard WWII trainer (page 36) to a fascinating accident account of a Rockwell Commander 700 crash that claimed six lives very needlessly (page 74). From an article on how modern airplanes were mostly just old airplanes made slightly different (page 52) to a boatload of small ads in the back for what was then a booming Ultralight marketplace. It's all fascinating to see... article after article that you are likely to find interesting in the January 1983 FLYING Magazine!

 So start your brand spanking new 2013 off with a trip 30 years back to the future! Click the cover pic below to go to the Google Books online archive of the magazine, and Happy New year!

Click the pic to go to the Google Books archive of FLYING Magazine January 1983

Would You Please Buy Me An Airplane? (Support AirPigz Today!)

VW powered Nieuport 11 replica homebuilt for sale on barnstormers.com - $8,900

Use this donate button to support AirPigz and help me buy this airplane!

($220 in donations as of 3:59pm EST on 1.13.13)
 

 This might be preposterous (btw, that's the first time I have ever spelled out preposterous in my life!) but I'm asking you to consider supporting AirPigz today with a least a $10 donation (or more, or much more if you are willing and able) so I can buy a very inexpensive flying machine. A great example, and one that I would absolutely consider if it's in good airworthy condition, is the Nieuport 11 replica pictured above that I found on barnstormers.com last night. It's a VW powered homebuilt with 160 TT and is available with an asking price of just $8,900. Just $10 from about 1,000 AirPigz friends gets me back in the air! I floated this idea on twitter and facebook last night and raised $50 already... so maybe I'm not so crazy afterall for asking : )

 But why would you give me money to buy an airplane? Good question, and I'm glad you asked. Well, I have a list of reasons starting with the fact that I'm four years into running AirPigz.com and the total amount of revenue thus far is around $1,000. That's pretty sad. And there are many reasons for it... but it isn't because I haven't been working hard! It's also not because I don't have a pretty good sized audience... I am now solidly over 50,000 page views each month with 25,000 or more unique visitors each month. It's taken quite a while to get to that level, but that's a pretty good aviation audience for a one-man operation. Seems like a small donation to support the one-man-show efforts here at AirPigz isn't really so preposterous! (you paid how much for that fancy cup of coffee?)

 Btw, this might be a good time to point out the CoolPix category here on AirPigz which includes a rather big collection of large images (many now also available in 'desktop image' sizes) - some are historical images, but many are photos I've captured and made available here for you to enjoy at no charge.

A weathered AirPigz logo and web address would look perfect on this Nieuport replica!
 

 I have spent an unbelievable amount of time developing this website as a fun and interesting outreach, and as an entertainment tool for aviation. But the ads you've seen here on AirPigz (except for the book ads like the one currently at the top right) have been just me trading promotion or service with other avgeeks. The book ads are a good idea, but so far the revenue there isn't enough to cover my $20/month blog platform fee. And, in the last 18 months, my day job as a ceramic tile and hardwood/laminate installer has picked back up to the point that it's about all I can do to keep the quality content showing up here 5 to 7 days a week. There's not much time left for figuring out the enigma of generating internet revenue. Most all of my day-job income is still going toward undoing a pretty severe financial crisis that occured in 2008/2009... I'm still on the deep stall side of the power curve!

 I'll happily answer any questions you have about my financial situation, but mostly I'd like to ask you to consider making a donation to support the quality avgeek content that I put out on a consistent basis... and if enough money comes in from this request to buy an airplane like this cute little Nieuport 11 replica, then you can feel good about putting a passionate avgeek, who has worked hard to bring the best of avgeekery to you, back in the air again. (I have about 1,000 total time but haven't been current since 1995)

Thank you for considering my request : )

Short Story: How Big Would A Ford Tri-Motor Be If You...

(click pic to enlarge) 1929 Ford Tri-Motor N414H at NAHI 2012 in Reno last September

 This is the first post in a new and occasional series called 'short story'. None too surprising, these will be short little stories that hopefully are bigger on interest and intrigue than they are on words. Here we go...

 I was incredibly fortunate as a teen to get to know Chuck LeMaster from Ottawa Kansas, a man who had a very interesting life associated with several unique aircraft, including at least two antique Ford Tri-Motors and one of only two modernized Fords known as the Bushmaster 2000. In 1976, when I was 15 years old, Chuck offered me the chance to go along and help his crew as they journeyed to the Dayton Air Show and then Oshkosh '75 to sell rides in his fabulous Ford 5-AT Tri-Motor, N414H.

(click pic to enlarge) Corrugated aluminum skin: Ford Tri-Motor N414H at NAHI 2012
 

 It was late July and we were at the Dayton Air Show as a steady stream of people stood in line to buy their tickets to ride in this grand ole antique aircraft. The Dayton event was a little different crowd than we'd have at Oshkosh. There were more general public people at Dayton, many who just had a very passing interest in aviation. As a crewmember who did whatever little tasks were needed, I spent most of my time during operating hours answering questions for the people in the line and keeping them moving to the point where they would empty their wallets.

 When you deal with several thousand people over a busy weekend airshow you wind up interacting with all kinds... and you hear all kinds of questions. Good questions, bad questions, and for me, at least one that I'll never forget. One woman in line was very serious when she wondered just how big a Ford Tri-Motor would be if you flattened out all the corrugations in the metal skin! We'd definitely never heard that one before! It was actually an interesting question, the kind a guy like me with a slightly twisted mind actually found pretty interesting. Even more interesting to me that it came from a woman. I give her high marks for really getting a grip on what that metal skin looked in cross section : )

(click pic to enlarge) Just how big would she be if you flattened out the corrugations?!
 

 I never took the time to figure out just how much taller the fuselage and how much longer the wings would be if you could flatten the ole girl out. Most likely I never will. But I will never ever forget the most interesting (and odd) question asked about N414H.

 I'll add that the very first entry in my very first logbook is for 5.0 hours of dual received (Ford Tri-Motor introduction xc) from Dayton Ohio to Oshkosh Wisconsin on 7-26-76 in N414H. The entry is signed by CFI Charles A. LeMaster. Wow... Thanx Chuck, I'll never ever forget that either!

NOTE: N414H is the only Ford Tri-Motor in the world you can get type rated! Learn more at FordTypeRatings.com

CoolPix: Piper Cub Perfection At Oshkosh 2012 (With Desktop Sizes)

(click pic for hi-res)  A J-3P (Lenappe radial engine) and a J-3C at Oshkosh 2012

 I propose a challenge: take any two Cessna 150's and position them however you like and then take your best picture of the two of them together... then put a hi-res version on the internet for the world to see. Will heartbeats quicken? How many people will say 'wow' in their head. How many will say 'wow' out loud? I suspect not very many. I say this not because I dislike the Cessna 150, it's a wildly acceptable little airplane. I say this because airplanes from the past had a passion and a love for flight engineered into them, and it's rare to find that today.

 I think this CoolPix image of the somewhat rare Lenappe radial powered Cub painted black and yellow with the iconic all-yellow Continental A-65 powered Cub in the fuzzy background makes my point. That image borders on art. But it's not almost art because I captured a phenomenal image but because those airplanes are just beautiful to look at. As wildly acceptable as Cessna 150's are, they are not very often described as beautiful to look at.

 I figured a nice avgeek reminder of the warmth of summer, the awesomeness of Oshkosh, and the beauty of the Piper Cub might be a really nice little pick-me-up for anyone experiencing some winter-like weather right now. As we look ahead to 2013 and set our sights on Spring getting back here so we can have more chances to get in the air, I hope this picture will help some of you realize that old-school airplanes like the Cub do more for the heart and soul (and stick and rudder skills) than our modern airplanes do. To push that idea even harder, I've made this image available in four of the most common desktop sizes so you can put it on your computer to help you get thru the winter. Enjoy : )

Two Piper Cubs at Oshkosh 2012 desktop pix:

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1366x768
1280x800
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For more Cub love, check out airpigz.com/blog/category/cub

Video: Stinson 108, GoPro HD, And Some Ice And Snow!

 Since there's a little snow in the air in my neck of the woods (northern Indiana) and quite a bit of it on tap for the northeast, I thought a nice little ski-flying video would be appropriate. After turning over a lot of youtube rocks I finally found one I felt was well worth sharing. It's of a 1948 Stinson 108-3 being flown in Wisconsin back in February 2012.

 When the lakes freeze over and then get some snow on them, you often wind up with some great winter-only airfields to play with that have some really long runways!. I remember being a teen back in the mid 70's and getting the chance to hop the frozen lakes of southern Wisconsin in a friend's Aeronca Champ... this is an unusual and very satisfying way to fly.

 I highly encourage you to ride along on the Stinson in this video. Be sure to select the HD playback quality and go fullscreen if you want the best experience. You get a couple different views of the Stinson from the GoPro, and the airplane's shadow has been used to great effect in several of the scenes. I never knew a Stinson's shadow could look so cute! The best of the video comes after the first minute so don't give up too soon. You also get a well done synth music background for the journey that I felt actually worked quite well with the visuals.

 This video definitely makes me sing: Let it snow, let it snow. let it snow!

Video screenshot of the shadow of the Stinson-on-wheeled-skiis looking very cute!

Merry Christmas From All Of Us At AirPigz.com!

 Oh wait, there is no 'us' at AirPigz it's all just 'me', but that's perfect... instead of some mushy Happy Holidays or even worse Season's Greetings, I can easily, with great confidence and pleasure wish you a Merry Christmas!

 And when you get a Merry Christmas from me, you're getting a this-is-the-day-we-set-aside-to-acknowledge-the-birth-of-the-Savior-of-mankind. Yeah, Christmas really is all about Christ to me. I can't make it that way for you, but I'm sure not gonna hide the fact that this is exactly what it is to me.

 To me, flying is a creation of God, and the opportunity to see His green Earth from the sky is an incredible blessing. Far more important is the reality that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to carry the penalty for the sins of those who will put their trust for salvation in Him and Him alone. (He is risen, He is risen indeed!)

For a little something extra, click past the jump for the poem: Twas The Night Before Jesus Came

Click to read more ...

Video: Early Christmas Gift from Slick - Don't Stop The Aviation: GoPro 2012

 'Slick' is back again already with another must see video. He's mixed some sweet GoPro footage from fun-flying a Mini-Max, a Piper Clipper and his single place Pitts together in what makes a really nice early Christmas present for avgeeks. He's titled it Don't Stop the Aviation: GoPro 2012. Before I say anything else, when you start the video don't get confused thinking it's a swanky Audi commercial or a Top Gear segment, that's all part of the video... you know, the trip to the airport part! Just sit back and enjoy 6 minutes and 22 seconds of three very different airplanes that all just drip the AirPigz tag line: LOVE TO FLY.

 And if you missed Slick's recent return to video editing (due to some time off from the Navy) then be sure to check out SlickHutto Takes A Spin Back In The Video Saddle... 2012 Fort Worth Air Show - you'll also finds links in that post to his ultra fab Oshkosh videos from 2009 - 2011. 

 I'm compelled once again to say what I've said when I've posted his other videos: thanx Slick : )

Screenshot showing the GoPro view of Slick rolling his single place Pitts Special

Wright On! Caption Contest #79 Has A Winner

 The number of captions and people voting were down a bit this time around... do you think the last minute Christmas shopping rush had anything to do with that? Ha! I was way ahead of the curve this year and got all my shopping done well over a week ago! (what the heck?)

 Anyway, there were indeed captioners and voters to make this fun little avgeek game come to life, and 'Steve' came out on top with the caption above. Congrats on the winning effort and I hope you've got plans to be at Oshkosh 2013 to fetch up your tasty bacon sandwich prize!

 This is the last caption contest of 2012, but there'll be another before long as we steam our way into the new year. Thanx again to everyone for playing along - it just wouldn't be any fun without you : )

The 6 Seat 250 MPH TBIRD... A New Idea From The 'Aircraft Designer Wannabe'

TBIRD: 6 seats, around 400hp, a 250 mph cruise speed... and she's pretty too!

 Ok, it's not actually a new idea... I drew this fantasy design back in 2011 as part of a logo for a project I was working on. It was just meant to look cool as the 'airplane' part of that aviation related logo, but I noticed that it actually looked really cool. I dug up the drawing last night because I thought it might be fun to post it here, and once again when I checked it out I thought, wow, this thing is really pretty! I decided it needed a name, so this morning I came up with TBIRD since it's got a really sweet looking T-tail.

 I wondered what it would be like if the TBIRD was run thru the aeronautical engineering lab in my head (note: I have NO engineering degree, NO experience, and NO financial resources... so this is just an aircraft-designer-wannabe fantasy) - here's the conceptual info I've come up with: It's kinda big but not any bigger than it needs to be. With six seats total, there's no center aisle, so it's not the kind of cabin you enter at the rear and walk up to the front. On one hand, a center-aisle cabin seems like a cool idea, but that aisle is usually so narrow that it's a pain to walk between the seats. I think that center area would be far better used for a wide fold-down armrest between the seats that includes cup holders, headset jacks, and maybe some inflight entertainment controls. To make entry/exit an easy task, the TBIRD has a door for each row of seats. I'm thinking the left side has the both the cockpit door and the last row door, and the right side has the middle row door.

 The TBIRD is meant to be as simple as possible. There's only one moveable control surface on each wing; 75% span flaperons. It seems like a good modern laminar-flow airfoil could be found that gets a suitable amount of flap benefit from a deflection-limited flaperon setup. Another simplicity concept is to retract only the nose gear. I admit that the airplane might look a little weird in those awesome magazine cover photo shoots with the really slick faired main gear legs and wheels hanging out in the breeze with no nosewheel to be seen, but the idea seems to be worth considering for keeping both weight and complexity down.

 And the hunk of metal for making the prop go round and round could be a water-cooled V-8 diesel or a small turbine (in the 400 hp range) so you skirt the avgas issue. And rather than be a wildly overpowered beast, the TBIRD is reasonably powered to offer a balance between cruise speed and cost to buy and operate.

 I subscribe to two basic aircraft design philosophies: Bill Stout's awesome credo: 'simplicate and add more lightness', and, if the airplane looks right then it'll fly right. So the TBIRD is nicely proportioned with a gorgeous shape, and it's as simple and light as is practically possible while still offering a cruise speed of 250 mph.

 Feel free to let me know if you like the look, or have other comments... but flame-throwers are encouraged to remain silent. Oh, and if you're interested in seeing a few more of the aeronautical ideas inside my head, check out the Dreambird, the Empress 400, and the Sharkbite : )