CoolPix Triple Play: 2012 Reno National Champion - Strega!

(click pic for hi-res)  Get up close with the 'Merlin Power' sticker on Strega's wingtip!

 I updated the AirPigz facebook cover pic last night with a version of my incredible pic of Thom Richard and his Precious Metal P-51 (with the Rolls Royce Griffon and conter-rotating props) and that got me all hot and bothered about Unlimited air racers. So, I dug out a couple unusual pix of Strega from Reno 2012 for a CoolPix triple play... the one above that brings you in really close with the Merlin Power sticker on the right wingtip, and the one below that shows the cockpit area of the airplane, with the canopy open, as it was sitting in their spot in the pit. I like the details in this cockpit pic along with the Reno National Champion history behind the canopy. I figure these pix might make for a sweet December treat for anyone who respects and admires this airplane, especially since as far as I know the airplane is currently still retired from racing (after having won again in 2012 with young Steven Hinton at the controls).

(click pic for hi-res)  Unlimited racer Strega: that's a lot of winning at Reno!

 And then, to put these up-close images in better perspective, I've included a pic I captured of Strega on Friday (9-14-12) at Pylon 4 at Reno 2012. That view from behind is the view every competitor in the last several years has had of this amazing Unlimited racer. Strega: a true Champion.

 Thank you Team Strega!

(click pic for hi-res)  Steven Hinton and Strega just past pylon 4 at Reno 2012

Video: Red Bull Brings The Airplane And The Parachute Together (Why Not?)

 So I'm gonna say that this fun little piece of Red Bull aerosportin' is a little less fantastic and a lot more awesome video entertainment. I might be wrong, but hangin' on the prop with a rate of sink that matches a skydiver under canopy doesn't seem like it's really all that big of a deal (not sayin' it's easy, but not sayin' it's hard either)... however, the way this HD video is put together is a really big deal. Definitely a must see!

 I love the view you get of an aircraft being tossed about the sky when shot from a roving helicopter. Wow. This is the kind of stuff that people like you and me could watch ALL DAY LONG! Hmm, I like that idea. How about a major motion picture (with an emphasis on motion) that's really just two hours of insanely hot aerobatics and the most incredible camera views ever. No big trumped-up plot, no sappy love story, just hardcore aeroports, lots and lots of smoke and a lotta g's! (I'll give my friends at Red Bull a call and we'll see if we can get right on that : )

disclaimer: I have no friends at Red Bull : /

Video screenshot of the Extra 300SR in formation with the skydiver under canopy

Video: San Diego Approach: "Can We Tighten This Up Some Guys?"

 This little 26 second video is sure a lot of fun to watch... it's an excellent mix of aviation and video creativity. It shows the stream of arriving traffic at San Diego International Airport (SAN) on Black Friday for a 4-1/2 hour period all crammed into one wingtip-to-wingtip approach! There's one little glitch in the process at about 11 seconds where a Bombardier CRJ gets wiped from the left wing inward but all things considered, this is just awesome greatness : )

Video screenshot of the crazy wingtip-to-wingtip approach on Black Friday into SAN

Itty Bitty Jets... FLS Microjet (Neo BD-5J) VS SubSonex JSX-1 (Videos)

 It's a pretty universal dream: a tiny little jet that feels like it has become a part of you... you think it, and it does it... the perfect dream machine that'll do pretty much anything you can think of. If you really love flying and you haven't had that dream yet, I'm guessing it's just a matter of time. It's a dream first made real by Jim Bede back in mid 70's with the BD-5J: as in J for 'jet'. And now, just about 40 years later, we've got two recent videos worth watching of two airplanes that are born, to one degree or another, out of Bede's original dream machine.

The updated BD-5J concept from bd-micro: the FLS Microjet (photo: flsmicrojet.com)
 

 The FLS Microjet looks like a BD-5J, and mostly it is. But it's been updated, modified, and is actually available as a kit (with builder assistance) for $189,500 from bd-micro.com. The video above gives a very nice overview of the BD-5J and the updated FLS Microjet as presented by AOPA Pilot Magazine. Their full December 2012 article is here: Micro. Little jet, big impact. I very much enjoyed the article on FLS Microjet as well as the video above... especially the pic on the left side of the screen starting at 1:05. Yeah, that's a pic either me (as an 11 year old) or my dad took at the Bede factory in 1972 that shows both Burt Rutan and test pilot Les Berven (see the full post on AirPigz here). It was pretty cool to see the pic in that AOPA video, tho it would have been nice if they woulda asked instead of just lifting it from AirPigz.com. Oh well, welcome to the internets.

 And then we have the second video below from Sonex Aircraft and their sorta pre-prototype SubSonex itty bitty jet. The SubSonex JSX-1 uses the same PBS JT-100 turbine engine that powers the FLS Microjet and winds up having size and performance numbers that are remarkably similar. They have the same 416 pound empty weight, with the Microjet having a gross weight 10 pounds higher at 860 pounds. The Microjet has a slightly higher cruise speed (183mph) and a slightly higher Vne (288 mph). What you get in a big way with the Microjet is beauty. The SubSonex looks nice but it can't begin to compare with the flowing compound curves of the BD-5J / FLS Microjet. And you'd expect that cleaner look (and fully retractable landing gear on the Microjet) to yield higher speeds, but the SubSonex (with only a retractable nose gear) runs a very close second in this race. 

 You can learn much more about the SubSonex here on their Hornets' Nest SubSonex page (most recent update on the project posted today, 11-30-12), and also in this December 2012 AOPA Pilot Magazine article: Jet in a box.

SubSonex JSX-1 single seat jet from Sonex Aircraft  (photo: Sonex Aircraft)
 

 What remains to be seen is whether the SubSonex progresses to the point of actually becoming a kit aircraft, and if so, what kind of cash would a fella have to lay down to get one in the air. In theory, it's far simpler construction should make for a more affordable airplane that still brings some seriously large smiles to the guy with the side-stick controller in his right hand... but it's gonna be hard to see ANY airplane ever look as cool as the BD-5J / FLS Microjet!

More Gee Bee 'R' Awesomeness... With Some Help From Gizmodo.com.au

800hp Gee Bee R-1 from the 1930's - with the slightly more blunt cowl than the 450hp R-2

 It's true, my lifelong adoration for the Gee Bee racers is on the threshold of becoming an obsession. So we're taking another little journey into the Granville Brothers raindrop-inspired flying machines. The pic above is of NR2100, the R-1 powered by an 800hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340. This airplane was piloted by the amazing Jimmy Doolittle to victory in the 1932 Thompson Trophy closed-course race with a winning speed of 252.686 mph. The prize money for winning that race was $4,500.

 I'm just beginning to get my head better wrapped around the basic differences for easy identification between the R-1 and R-2. I probably knew all this when I was younger, but my head has a hard drive that's dangerously close to being full, or at the very least in desperate need of a defrag! It doesn't help that there are several variations or minor modifications of these racers over their careers, along with a hybrid of the two that appeared in 1934. That airplane, known as the R-1/R-2 Super Sportser, had the fuselage from the R-1 (lengthened about 18") and the wings of the R-2, plus the big engine (possibly putting out 1,000hp) and had a snug cowl with bumps on it for the rocker covers. That airplane crashed shortly after departing Burbank on the long race to Cleveland for the Bendix Trophy in the 1935 National Air Races. Pilot Cecil Allen was killed and the era of the stubby Gee Bee racer came to an end.

 Oh, the basic ways to ID the aircraft are:

 The R-1 has the big engine, the more blunt front shape on the cowl, the NR2100 registration number and the #11 race number.

 The R-2 has the smaller engine, the tighter fitting cowl, the NR2101 registration number and the #7 race number.

 The R-1/R-2 hybrid has a big engine, the snug cowl with bumps for the rocker covers, the old R-2 NR2101 registration number and race #7. 

 I hope to go much more in-depth on the wide range of Gee Bee aircraft in the future, but at least that gives you some basics to wrap your head around on the the 'R' model racers.

 For something extra and extremely cool, check out the awesome Gee Bee R-2 cutaway drawing that was recently posted by Gizmodo.com.au. Click the pic below to enlarge it over there (hi-res) and click here to see the other interesting cutaway drawings in their post that included the Gee Bee.

 Click pic to see the Gizmodo hi-res version from their post on cutaway drawings

Video: The Amazing 'Mojave Air & Spaceport'... The Real Frontierland!

 This recent video shows some of the reasons why the Mojave Airport is a genuine Mecca for aerospace innovation and progress. It's like a real-world and modern day Frontierland! The combo of being literally in the middle of nowhere along with an airport management that understands how their cooperation is directly related to the success of the many companies based on the airport means that the Mojave Air & Spaceport creates the near-perfect environment for true innovation. The freedom from highly populated adjacent areas, and from the often ridiculous overly-restrictive rulemaking mindset allows for thinkers, big and small, to test their ideas here like no other place on Earth allows.

Mojave Airport has represented true American innovation at its very best!

 
 Mojave is a Wild-West full of modern cowboys (and cowgirls) that are truly inventing the future. I've said this before and I'll say it again... if life wasn't standing in my way, I'd be trekking west to Mojave to see how I could carve out my little piece of the future of aviation and aerospace! I'll add that my favorite line in the video comes from Dick Rutan (at 2:40) "Don't be afraid to fail... you learn more thru failure than you do thru success. Every single time."

 Rock on : )

MojaveAirport.com

Video: F-35 Goes On The Attack... And Wins!

 Ok, it was only the 'air' that was attacked, but right up to the limit angle of 50 degrees the Lightning II proved to be up to the task. To be able to maintain control at these insane AOA's is quite impressive and would tend to indicate that the F-35 still has the ability to live up to its potential. It also appears that the aircraft was tested into this extreme part of the flight envelope very quickly, a sign that it is well prepared for such an extreme environment.

Here's part of the official Lockheed-Martin press release on the testing: EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., November 19, 2012 – An F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft rapidly expanded its high angle of attack (AOA) test envelope to its 50 degree limit in only four flights during recent flight testing here. F-35A test aircraft are limited to AOAs of 20 degrees until their controllability is proven at a higher AOA limit of 50 degrees.  The ability to rapidly progress to the maximum AOA indicates a sound aerodynamic and flight control system design. High AOA testing will continue on the F-35A for several months testing the capabilities of all design loadings and the flight control system.

 Also, this story from Eglin AFB in Florida, where 33rd Fighter Wing is testing the F-35, shows that they recently trained four pilots in the F-35 from no experience with the aircraft to fully qualified joint strike fighter pilots in less than half of the time allotted. This is another great accomplishment and good sign overall for the F-35 program.

 I'm sure the F-35 will continue to have problems, issues, setbacks and frustrations... but you can't possibly hope to develop the most technologically advanced fighter jet in the world without all of these undesirable elements. I'll add that I believe people who have to use the 'lefty-loosey-righty-tighty' crutch should remain completely silent about the progress of the F-35 program. #journalistsandbloggers

F-35A with its nose to the sky at very high angles of attack in recent testing (photo: LM)

Video screenshot showing the attached spin recovery parachute hardware on this F-35A

I Finally Got My Upside-Down Pitts S2C Flight In With Billy Werth! (Grayout Aerosports)

(click pic to enlarge) Billy Werth and his beautiful Pitts S2C at Indy Regional Airport

 Billy Werth (Grayout Aerosports) and I have been trying to get together to go flying in his Pitts S2C for about 2 years now... every time we had it scheduled something would get in the way to keep it from happening. Well, yesterday it finally happened! This was my first time ever flying an airplane as hot as the Pitts and of course I loved it! My only complaint is that I'm taking a pretty heavy and constant dose of Vicodin these days to deal with my ongoing sciatic nerve pain, and that meant that the gyros in my head tumbled much sooner than I had hoped for. I didn't get sick, but I could feel that I was heading that way. But I did get the chance to get the overall feel for the airplane with some tight turns etc, and then with some verbal guidance from Billy, I executed three rolls and two loops - pretty nice ones at that!

 All this confirms that I MUST do more of this in the future! There are so many positives that come from getting some time in an airplane like this with an excellent instructor like Billy. I'll be putting a more detailed post together soon that'll share more of what we did together and also explain all the good things that come from some specialized training like this. I'm convinced that this is definitely for every pilot out there, and you will always emerge a better pilot after this kind of training. And as an added bonus, some time upside-down in a Pitts is one awesome kick-butt experience! Thank you Billy : )

The Caption Contest #78 Winner Slides To A Stop!

 My friend 'seerjfly' offered up the most popular caption as voted by y'all in the poll... and I have to agree, it's the one I voted for too! Congrats for the coming up with the winner and I sure hope you're gonna be able to make it to Oshkosh 2013 to collect you're tasty bacon reward : )

 There sure were a lot of great captions submitted this time around. Here's a big thank you to everyone who got in on that. I appreciate you playing along in this harmless avgeekery exercise! Keep and eye out for another Caption Contest to slide in again before long.

Videos: Building And Flying The LAN Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Video seen by LAN employees right before being shown their 787 for the first time

 Here are three videos that all relate to LAN Airlines (Latin America) and their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner that went into service back in September. There are now 35 Dreamliners that have been delivered worldwide in 2012, bringing the total of delivered 787's across eight different carriers up to 38. Boeing is on track finally with the 787 delivery schedule which is giving hope to the idea that they will indeed achieve their goal of eventually ramping up production to 10 aircraft per month.

 These three videos here (all viewable in 1080p HD) offer a nice visual experience into the start of the service life for another example of the world's most advanced airliner, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The skeptics and doubters have all had their day, but the 787 is moving forward on its mission to be the best airliner the world has ever seen.

First flight of LAN Airlines 787 CC-BBA fro Paine Field on 8-6-2012

Boeing video on the prep leading up to the first LAN Airlines 787 delivery

Video screenshot showing the graceful LAN 787 in flight