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 : )

Poll: Awesome Or Ugly? The Piaggio P.180 Avanti/Avanti II

The very unique design of the extremely fast 3-lifting-surface Piaggio P.180 Avanti

 I was just finishing up high school back in 1979 when the initial design work was being done on the Piaggio P.180 Avanti, and thanks to Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine I was able to follow along with the development of the airplane. I admit that I loved the airplane way back then and I still do today. The 3-lifting-surface configuration makes this flying machine pretty easy to pick out of a line up! And the updated Avanti II, certified in 2005, injected new life into this design and truly made the airplane a success.

The exotic and very unusual (maybe too unusual?) Piaggio Avanti turboprop

 
 There so much about this airplane that's different than your typical business class turboprop, and interestingly, the max cruise speed that tickles 400 knots means that there aren't any other turboprops that can compete with the Avanti. The P.180 offers jet speeds with a roomy and comfortable cabin with overall enhanced efficiency. And the Avanti fleet passed the 500,000 flight hours mark back in 2010... it's just a really unique and very good airplane.

 But the big question of the day: is the Piaggio P.180 Avanti/Avanti II Awesome or Ugly?

Gettin' It Wright... Caption Contest #79 - Ends Wednesday 12.19.12 At 9PM EST

 What could be better for an avgeek on a December 17th than remembering what the Wright brothers accomplished on this day back in 1903 while you also set your thoughts on winning some tasty BACON! If you fry up the winning caption for the pic above you'll snag a bacon sandwich at Oshkosh 2013.

 And while we're talking about the Wright brothers, you might wanna consider joining in the AirPigz National Air and Space Museum MeetUp (in Washington DC) that'll take place January 25-27, 2013... the genuine and authentic Wright Flyer (as seen in the pic above) is on display there along with a massive collection of other historic and fascinating aircraft. The MeetUp currently has about 15 avgeeks that are planning to attend, but it would be great to have even more! Get more info in my previous post about the NASM MeetUp, and if you're interested in knowing more, be sure to use the link in that post that'll get you on the email list.

 Now back to the Caption Contest... you've got til Wednesday evening at 9pm EST to submit your clever/funny/cool captions. Then, I’ll pick the best 5 and put ’em in a poll for everyone to vote on for all day Thursday and Friday so we can find the winner. 

 The Rules: 

1) Max of 3 submissions per person

2) Submissions go in the 'comments' area 

3) Game ends Wednesday at 9pm EST 

4) Keep it clean!

 Then, anyone can cast their vote starting Thursday morning and running thru til 9pm EST Friday. The winner will be posted Saturday morning 12-22-12 (if we live that long : )

 And thank you Orville and Wilbur for getting aviation off the ground!

CoolPix: Gee Bee R-1 After Winning 1932 Thompson Trophy (+ Desktop Pix & Delmar Video)

(click pic for hi-res) Gee Bee R-1 after Jimmy Doolittle won the 1932 Thompson Trophy

 I'm convinced I should have been born in 1909... that would have made me 23 in 1932, a perfect age to be wowed by Jimmy Doolittle winning the Thompson Trophy race (closed course, 10 laps) in the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. You might not agree, but I think there is something incredibly magical about airplanes made of steel tube and fabric, and powered by loud awesome-sounding radial engines that bleed a lot of oil. Wow, this is real air racing!

 And air racing was a huge spectator sport back in these days. Why would it not be? These airplanes and the people who flew them were like the rocket ships and astronauts of the 60's. Just imagine that by 1932, less then 30 years since the Wright brothers had lifted off the rail at Kitty Hawk, we had aviation pioneers building and racing airplanes that were able to fly at speeds of 300 mph. An interesting side note here is that seaplanes that raced in the Schneider Trophy races passed thru the 300 mph mark somewhat earlier in 1928. It would seem that having a runway of water that is both essentially endless and allows for wind-always-on-the-nose takeoffs and landings allowed these airplanes to be designed for maximum speed in ways that weren't as practical for aircraft operating off the land. As aircraft design progressed and piloting skills increased, the land planes finally took over the speed records again by 1939.

 My quest for more knowledge and accurate history about Golden Age of Air Racing aircraft is just getting started. Fortunately I have several books printed many years ago that chronicle much of what went on back in the 30's, and as I have more time to soak it up, I'll share some interesting details here. But for now you get a really sweet CoolPix of the Gee Bee R-1 being shown off like a race horse after its win with Jimmy Doolittle at the controls with a speed of 252 mpg in the Thompson Trophy race of 1932.

 I've also sized this image for desktop use on your computer in several of the common sizes, and then at the bottom of the page is a really great video of Delmar Benjamin flying his Gee Bee R-2 replica at the 1996 Cleveland National Airshow. (I'm working to gather MUCH more info on Delmar's incredible accomplishments doing low-level aerobatics with his R-2 replica... stay tuned!) Click here to see a pic of the retired replica at the fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City , Florida. 

Gee Bee R-1 1932 Thompson Trophy desktop pix:

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
Reno Air Races
more desktop images

SlickHutto Takes A Spin Back In The Video Saddle... 2012 Fort Worth Air Show

 If you've been paying attention the last several years you know that the best post-Oshkosh videos have been made by youtuber slickhutto - but Slick's a busy guy these days with being in the Navy and playing working hard with airplanes, ships and textbooks. So busy in fact that he wasn't able to get to OSH12 to create a video... but there's hope for OSH13! It's not a slam-dunk yet, but he's got Wittman Field on the radar, and he's been recently flexing his video muscles when he found himself with a little free time.

 This video is from Sunday October 7th at the 2012 Fort Worth Alliance Air Show. It wasn't the most beautiful day for video, but as you can sure see it was a great airshow. And while Slick seems to think he's a bit rusty, I think he's looking pretty sharp! If you haven't seen his Oshkosh videos before, check out Videos: Oshkosh Dreamin' As We Head Toward Winter (posted 2 years ago) which includes the 2009 and 2010 OSH videos from Slick, and you'll find the 2011 video here: Heaven On Earth: 2011 Oshkosh Video Recap From 'Slick'.

 Thanx again Slick : )

Video screenshot from Slick's work at the 2012 Forth Worth Alliance Air Show in October

Video: War Is Hell... But Sometimes Mercy Rules The Day (A Higher Call - Book)

 This nearly 7 minute video shares the amazing story of the 1943 encounter of a heavily damaged American B-17 bomber and a German BF-109 fighter over German territory... what should have ended with an easy kill wound up being a mission of mercy. It's a fascinating story, but even more amazing, the pilots of these two aircraft met face to face in 1990. What a fantastic display of humble humanity between these two men in that meeting! Please watch this video and see the interaction between these two great men... (both passed away in 2008).

 This true story is about to be released as a book called A Higher Call. You can learn more about the book at this A Higher Call page at ValorStudios.com. The release date for the book is December 19, 2012 but it appears that the Kindle download version is available as of today at amazon.com. If you are interested in buying the book, I have placed an ad for A Higher Call on the right side of the page (or you can click this link) and a small affiliate-sales portion of your purchase will help support AirPigz.com.

 The associated artwork shown below gives you an idea of what the encounter looked like, including the significant amount of damage the B-17 had received before being found by the BF-109 (note the left stab on the B-17) - you can learn more about the artwork on this page.

 War is hell... but thank God for mercy.

Painting by John D Shaw titled the same as the book: A Higher Call (image: valorstudios)

Videos: Boeing 747 First Flight (Feb 9, 1969 - My 8th Birthday!)

 I stumbled across these two videos the other day and realized they were more than awesome enough for posting. You get about 15 minutes of the backstory leading up to the first flight of the prototype Boeing 747, which just happened to take place on my 8th birthday on February 9th 1969. This little piece of Martt trivia is part of the reason I have always felt very connected to the 747. (pretty amazing that the 727 also shares the same first-flight date, but that was on February 9th 1963, my 2nd birthday!)

 The Boeing 747 represents one of the absolute most amazing feats of engineering and manufacture in the entire history of mankind... and when you couple that with it being one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built and its wonderful flying qualities (both from the cockpit and the cabin), it stands as one of the top 10 most important aircraft. Ever. You get a sense of that from these videos, which by the way are pretty old-school productions with some of the scariest background music ever. Sure reminds me of a lot of 16mm films I watched in science class back around 1969. Anyway, the content of these videos is awesome!

 Photo of the 747 prototype during the official roll out event (photo: Museum of Flight)

 And if the fact that the 747 first-flight occurred on my birthday isn't enough to show you why I've always had a special place in my heart for this 713,000 pound sweetie (UAL 747-100 max taxi weight) - then take a look at the two pix below. That's me in July 1970 (9 years old) checking out United's very first 747, N4703U, on the ramp at LAX with my dad. He was currently flying out of LAX as a 727 Captain, but he was putting in a bid to become a 747 co-pilot. We moved east to Illinois by winter and somewhere around February 1971 he was flying 747 right-seat out of ORD, shortly after the airplane had gone into service. In addition to getting to walk around (and thru) United's first 747 even before it went on line, as these pix show, I even got to go thru one week of ground school on the airplane with my dad in Denver a few months later! Maybe some day I'll tell you what I remember about making 3 takeoffs and landings in the full-motion 747 simulator as an 9 year old! Yeah, I was extremely aviation-privileged as a kid. Wow... I even have a hard time believing a lot of what I got to do by the time I was 18 : )

9 year old me (1970) soaking up the size of UAL's first 747 before it had entered service

Me in the First-class lounge (in the hump) on UAL's first 747 before pax had ridden there!

 In the years that followed I had many opportunities to ride in the 747, with several of those rides with my dad up in the cockpit. He enjoyed the 747 more than any of the other airliners he had flown (DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7, Convair 340, DC-8, and 727) and he actually spent the entire remaining years of his career at United, a total of 16 years, in either the right seat or the left seat of the 747. He accumulated over 10,000 hours just in the 747! In ways I can't really explain, I feel like the 747 is a part of me... and wow, do I love that feeling!

 You can learn a little more about the 747 first flight in this excellent post from the blog of Randy Tinseth who is vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle. And that prototype 747, (N7470 - check out the FAA registry link) is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Here's their webpage about N7470. I must get out there one day and see that girl! (hmm, maybe AirPigz museum MeetUp 2014?)

 And the next time you see a 747 fly overhead, or even better get to spend some time letting her take you somewhere, I hope you take the time to realize how much she means to world of aviation that we all love so much... she is truly the Queen of the Skies!

AirPigz National Air And Space Museum MeetUp January 25-27, 2013 (Washington DC)

(click pic to enlarge) Shuttle Discovery at the Udvar-Hazy facility (photo: flickr/concord977)

 AirPigz 'Air and Space Museum' MeetUp in Washington DC will take
place January 25-27, 2013 (Fri, Sat, Sun - come 1, 2 or all 3 days)

Click here to be aded to the email list for more details

 Rather than make another trip to the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio like we've done the last two years, this year I'm looking to have an AirPigz meetup at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC on January 25-27 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), 2013.

 If you're interested in possibly attending, please send me an email via this link - you don't even have to put anything in the body of the email (the subject line is already filled in for you)... just hit send and then I'll have your info to include you in the mailing list so we can communicate and work out the details. I put out a little blurb about the MeetUp on facebook several weeks back and got a strong response to the idea from about 10 people... hopefully we can get 20 or more to participate! 

(click pic to enlarge)  Spirit of St Louis at the National Mall facility  (photo: NASM)

 Here's the basic MeetUp plan:

Friday, January 25th would be spent at the Udvar-Hazy facility of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. (Shuttle Discovery, Concorde, original Boeing 707 etc.)

Saturday, January 26th would be at the National Mall facility in Washington DC, about 25 miles away from the Udvar-Hazy facility. Wright Flyer, Spirit of St Louis, Voyager, Apollo 11 etc.)

Sunday, January 27th would be spent back over at the Udvar-Hazy facility.

Come for one, two or all three days (as your schedule will allow)
 

 There's no cost to be part of the AirPigz MeetUp, but of course you'll have to cover your expenses related to travel and accommodations. Museum admission is free at both NASM facilities. My plan is to work together with anyone looking to keep expenses low by coordinating room-expense-sharing. I've done some initial research and found the TownePlace Suites Chantilly Dulles South has good reviews and it's located literally just one mile from the Udavr-Hazy. It appears that a two-room suite could sleep 4 and cost $99 + tax total. That would allow for some very affordable accommodations for anyone willing to share some space with other avgeeks.

(click pic to enlarge)  Rutan Voyager at the National Mall facility  (photo: NASM)

 The MeetUp's the last two years at the Air Force Museum have been a really great time for experiencing amazing aviation history while also being able to visit with other avgeeks along the way. A MeetUp at the Air and Space Museum is sure to be more of the same! And how you spend your time at the museum is entirely up to you... there's no rigid MeetUp structure, tho we do try to get together for lunch at the eatery inside the museum. And, with some restaurants right next to the hotel I mentioned above, we would have an excellent opportunity for some serious hangar flying to take place over dinner each night.

(click pic to enlarge)  Air France Concorde at the Udvar-Hazy facility  (photo: NASM)

 Lasty, I'll mention that these MeetUp's are a great encouragement to me and my efforts with AirPigz... I very much appreciate the participation of those who attend. So if you're looking for an awesome aviation-history-experience with a small pack of other avgeeks (that also encourages AirPigz) then please be sure to click this link to send me an email so you can get in on all of the detailed discussion on the 2013 AirPigz National Air and Space Museum MeetUp : )

The Really Big Story From 71 Years Ago At Pearl Harbor...

 This post originated on Christmas Day 2010, but it's also perfectly suited to looking back 71 years after the events of Pearl Harbor, so I'm re-posting it now for December 7, 2012 (just as I did in 2011). While you are likely to see and hear many stories from that terrible day of December 7, 1941, the life story of Mitsuo Fuchida (the Japanese Navy Airman who commanded the Pearl Harbor air attack) is almost certainly the most stunning. War is hell... but from the experiences of World War II, men like Mitsuo Fuchida and Jacob De Shazer (a Doolittle Raid bombardier) came to find the path to heaven.

also see: Pearl Harbor, The Doolittle Raid, And An Epic Film Project: Wounded Tiger

Japanese Navy Airman Mitsuo Fuchida who commanded the 1941 Pearl Harbor air attack

 One of the most amazing stories to come out of World War II is likely one you've never even heard about. It's not only a fascinating story, but it's the perfect one to acknowledge on this, Christmas Day.

 Mitsuo Fuchida (1902 - 1976) was the Imperial Navy Airman who lead the air attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Fuchida had a passion for the Japanese Empire, and for flying. But events that took place shortly after the war was over would transform him into a passionate Christian who spent the rest of his life sharing the gospel, Christ's message of forgiveness and salvation, in both the United States and Japan. He even became a U.S. citizen in 1960.

 You might find this an odd story to have on an aviation blog due to the deep spiritual meaning, but the truth is that man's quest to understand where we came from and where we go when we die, is unquestionably the most important information on all of earth. So if you're inclined to turn away right now, I humbly ask you instead to read on. Read the words below from Mitsuo Fuchida himself about the events of Pearl Harbor, and then how he came to understand God's plan and purpose for forgiveness. Fuchida shared our love for aviation, but through an amazing sequence of events, he found that in the end, it is Christ who gives meaning and purpose to life.

Jacob De Shazer, bombardier of the last B-25 to take off in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo

 Fuchida's story includes a powerful connection to Jacob De Shazer, the bombardier of the last of the B-25's to take off from the USS Hornet in the Doolittle raid. 16 B-25's with 80 men total carried out that mission knowing they wouldn't have enough fuel to return. Of those 80 men, all but 3 survived the mission, but 8 men, including De Shazer were captured and became prisoners of war.

 But shortly after the war was over, Fuchida would receive a pamphlet from the hand of De Shazer entitled 'I Was a Prisoner of Japan', and that set in motion an amazing story of forgiveness. 

 Read now this account from Mitsuo Fuchida, starting with details of the attack on Pearl Harbor, about how the true meaning of Christmas (Jesus Christ!) changed his life forever...

 -  -  -  -  -  -  -

 I must admit I was more excited than usual as I awoke that morning at 3:00 a.m., Hawaii time, four days past my thirty-ninth birthday. Our six aircraft carriers were positioned 230 miles north of Oahu Island. As general commander of the air squadron, I made last-minute checks on the intelligence information reports in the operations room before going to warm up my single-engine, three-seater "97-type" plane used for level bombing and torpedo flying.

Click to read more ...

CoolPix: Airbus A350 XWB Roll Out... Well, Sorta

(click pic for hi-res) First flyable Airbus A350 airframe on 12-4-12  (photo: Airbus)

 Well, it wasn't an official roll out, but it was the first time a flight-capable Airbus A350 XWB airframe was structurally all there and looking mostly like an airplane. The airframe labeled 'MSN1' is shown riding on its wheels for the first time on a short trip from the main assembly hall (Station 40) to the indoor ground test station (Station 30) at the recently inaugurated 'Roger Béteille' A350 XWB Final Assembly Line in Toulouse, France.

 The A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) has had an interesting journey from the point of original concept to what you see here sitting on wheels. Of course every airliner has a rather incredible journey from idea to completed machine, but the early A350 concept was ignored or even put down by potential customers a little more than usual. In the end, Airbus finally agreed that they really needed a full clean-sheet airplane (rather than a hybrid of a mostly A330 fuselage with new wings, tail and engines) to compete with what Boeing had turned into a reality with the 787. I think competition is good... and this time around it sure seems that Boeing's courage to pioneer a composite airframe really set the course for the direction of the industry.

 As an American, I'll freely admit that I'm very pro-Boeing. That doesn't mean I'm anti Airbus, but I do struggle at times to find a warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart for some of the Airbus DNA. So you can imagine I am a bit pleased to see that 2012 looks to be on track to be the first year since 2003 that Boeing will deliver more new airliners to the market than Airbus will. The numbers thru November were: Boeing with 537 and Airbus with 516. And with 787 deliveries ramping up and the the rather amazing increase in 777 production from 7 aircraft per month up to 8.3, 2013 might also see Boeing come out on top.

Illustration of the mostly-composite Airbus A350 XWB in flight  (source: Airbus)

 As an avgeek with a pretty extensive childhood history around the airline industry there's no doubt that seeing the A350 on its gear for the first time is quite exciting. The amount of thought, engineering, and labor required to get a project this far along is simply staggering. You'd have to be crazy not to respect it. And with over 550 orders on the books, the A350 is well on its way to being a successful program. I hope it is successful... I just hope the 787 is even more of a success : )

 With that in mind I thought I'd share a few observations about the A350, as compared to the 787, including some that are rather superficial. The A350 comes in with 53% of its airframe being constructed from composite materials while the Boeing 787 is right at 50%. The number for the 787 might actually go up a little as they are working aggressively to trim the overweight problems of the early production aircraft, and increased use of composite materials might be the key to getting the Dreamliner to hit its original weight targets.

 The A350 has a fuselage designed and built more like an aluminum aircraft with panels of composite material attached to a composite frame. The 787 has the fuselage sections built barrel style (wound around a form) which Boeing suggests reduces fasteners significantly and overall weight. Interestingly, the center fuselage section for the A350 is built by Spirit Aerosystems in Kinston, North Carolina. Spirit also produces the forward fuselage section on the 787 at their Wichita facility.

 The 787 pioneered the shift away from using engine bleed-air to run a number of subsystems and instead has turned to using electrical power, but the A350 is continuing the use of bleed-air. It'll sure be interesting to see how these two methods impact efficiency... as will the overall performance figures for the two aircraft with their significantly different approaches to creating a very efficient airliner. But that comparison is still a way off as the A350 isn't expected to be ready for first flight any earlier than mid year 2013. I think we all know how these first-flight targets go, so I wouldn't hold your breath on that one!

 One other major difference is that the A350 continues with the Airbus side-stick controller while the 787 has a floor mounted center control column. I know there are loads of Airbussers out there that love the side stick, but I have a pretty long list of reasons why I feel the the center control column is vastly superior in the cockpit of an airliner. According to this poll I put up a while back, I'm not the only one: Poll: Airliners, Side Stick Controller Or Center Control Column?

 Lastly, my superficial comparo definitely gives the nod to the 787. There's a grace and beauty in the lines of the Dreamliner that I'm just not seeing in the A350. Maybe that'll change when we see a fully completed airframe (with paint) flying formation with an A380, but somehow I don't think it will. The 787's smooth contour from the nose up thru the windshield, with no deviation in the shape, is truly beautiful. You might be tempted to think the A350 has a similar nose shape but it appears there really is a shape interruption at the windshield. And then those 787 wings, wow - they are truly magnificent, especially with the lack of winglets. Once the A350 is done I'll put a poll up to see which one YOU think looks better : )

 Oh, one more thing: click the pic below to check out an official Airbus 360 panoramic view of the A350 cockpit, including those pesky side-stick controllers : /

Click the pic to check out an Airbus A350 cockpit 360 panoramic view!