Video: 1970 Super 8 Home Movie: Blue Angels In F-4J Phantom II's (Mesmerizing)

 With this video you get flicker, lint, and projector noise. But the cool part is, I think all of that is truly genuine. That's what makes this 3-1/2 minutes of vintage 1970 home movie (Super 8mm) so mesmerizing to me... it's just awesome. It's the most unusual little portal into a part of Blue Angels history in the early part of the 5+ years that they flew the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. Filmed at Suffolk County AFB in Long Island New York in 1970, this film reminds me so much of the many airshows I attended when I was around 10 years old in that same era.

 There's a chance some of you just won't get this video, it'll seem odd and very unimpressive. I'm willing to risk that to be able to share it with the others who, like me, will think it's one of the coolest things they've seen in a long time. It's also kinda neat that it was uploaded only a little over a month ago and only had 125 views when I found it. A big thanx goes to youtuber distar97 for putting this little gem of history on the net for us to see. And wow, I had definitely forgotten how hot the F-4 looked in that Blue Angels paint!

 

UPDATE 6-29-12: Wanna watch this video with amazing background music?

First, mute the audio in the video window (you might have to hit play first, then just click the speaker icon to mute), then click here to open new browser tab with some awesome music on youtube - then start the music (it may start on its own), and after about 8 seconds, start the Blue Angels video. It's stunning. Seriously. STUNNING. It made me cry.

A big thanx to Jenessa who discovered this combo and shared it on the AirPigz facebook page.

Video (film) screenshot: Blue Angels F-4J Phantom II during 1970 airshow in New York

Screenshot: The Super 8MM view shot thru trees of a Blue Angels F-4J in 1970

Poll: Awesome Or Ugly? The Late 1950's Fairey Rotodyne

The higly unconventional late 1950's Fairey Rotodyne - vote now: Awesome or Ugly?

 The first ever Awesome or Ugly poll with the 1931 Vickers Type 161 was a rather great success, both for the poll in general and for the Type 161... with about 200 votes, that really interesting 1931 pusher biplane snagged an 'awesome' score of almost 87%. Quite an impressive performance for such an unusual looking flying machine! However, I did have a few voters suggest a third option of both 'awesome and ugly', so you'll note that this new poll centered on the late 1950's Fairey Rotodyne gyroplane includes all three options for you. (poll below video)

 Like the first poll, this one is easy for me - the Fairey Rotodyne is pure AWESOME! The tip-jet powered rotor meant that this big boy could make vertical takeoffs without the need for a tailrotor and then that rotor autorotated in cruise flight, using the twin 2,800 shp turboprops and the small wing to push forward cruising to speed to about 175 mph. With a cabin capacity of 40 passengers, the Rotodyne was big enough to offer some serious practicality potential. However, those tip-jets were extreme loud during the few minutes they were used during takeoff and landing which seems to have led the program to cancellation even tho the aircraft performed amazingly well. Watch the video below, and then cast your vote in the second Awesome or Ugly Poll!

Video: MV-22 Osprey Full Demo At Andrews AFB May 20, 2012

 I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure all the people trash talking about the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey are people who have never designed, engineered and built a machine that can do something no other machine can. When those people accomplish something as full-force awesome as the Osprey, then maybe I'll listen to them. Til then, I'm gonna simply be blown away by what the Osprey can do. When you consider that this aircraft represents the only truly viable tiltrotor to be produced, and that it also has the weight and complexity penalty of massive system redundancy and the ability to fold itself up for storage, it's amazing it can even get off the ground. But it does way more than that! I know it's very expensive and there have been some tragic accidents, but that's the world of military aircraft... always has been.

Video screenshot showing the MV-22 in fast forward flight mode. Awesome!

 
 This excellent video is from the airshowfansh youtube channel and it provides the full MV-22 demo as seen at the Joint Services Open House at Andrews Air Force Base back on May 20, 2012. You get a great view of the entire demo along with very good audio of Rob Reider's announcing and interviews with servicemen related to Osprey operations. Of course they don't get very technical but it's still interesting to hear the commentary. I'm a fan of the V-22 Osprey and the people who have taken the tiltrotor concept and finally put it into operational reality. It's an impressive and amazing accomplishment to which I say: Bravo!

Screenshot of the MV-22 in vertical flight mode during the extensive flight demonstration

CoolPix - Air Racer: 3 Blade Rare Bear At The Phoenix 500 In 1995! (+ Video)

(click pic for hi-res) John Penney in the 3 Blade Rare Bear at the 1995 Phoenix 500

 Race permit & insurance in place... tickets are on sale now for Reno 2012: Sept. 12-16

 If there was one event I could make you go to this year it would be the Reno Air Races. And while this CoolPix is actually an old film image of Rare Bear I captured at the 1995 Phoenix 500 air race, I've posted it now to point to the fascinating race history an airplane like Rare Bear has. At Reno this year there will be a mix of aircraft that have years and years of race experience along with some airplanes (and pilots) that are experiencing air racing for their first time ever. But interestingly, the most important thing to be at Reno in 2012 will be the fans. Without the fans supporting Reno style air racing in a big way this year, it'll run the risk of simply going away. Given the challenges the event has faced since last year's tragedy, the support that comes from fans buying tickets and participating in the local Reno economy are more important than they have ever been.

 Please, go to the official Reno Air Races website, airrace.org, and buy some tickets to support the event... even if you won't be able to attend (better yet, buy some tickets and show up!) - take my word for it that this sport both needs your help and is worthy of your support!

 As for the pic of the awesome Grumman F8F Bearcat named Rare Bear above from the second and last attempt at having air racing in Phoenix (back in 1995), I must say that the 3 blade prop was the most awesome propeller I think I've ever seen on an airplane. Massive blades snagged from a P-3 Orion, modified and mounted in a 3 blade hub, this polished prop also put out a fabulous sound. I wish the airplane was still spinning just 3 blades, but for detailed reasons I don't know, they switched back to 4 blades in 2004. Regardless of the number of blades tho, I'm still a Rare Bear fan at heart and I'll be hoping that this is the year that Strega might finally see a serious round engine challenge for the big trophy!

 Mostly tho, I want you you and me both to be there to show our support for the fastest motorsport in the world!

Desktop Downloads: Rare Bear at the Phoenix 500 in 1995

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3 blade Rare Bear at Reno in 2003 - wow! (youtube video from metalmelvin)

CoolPix 2Fer: Dave Folk's F4U-5 Corsair At The 2012 Indy Air Show

(click pic for hi-res) Dave Folk's awesome F4U-5 Corsair in the sunshine at Indy

(6 donations received so far - thank you, I really appreciate it)

I'm without a long lens of any kind for my awesome Canon T3i camera so I'm having to think up-close and personal this time around at the Indy Air Show. This might be a good time to mention how much I could really use YOUR support. Please don't be fooled by a good looking website that just keeps cranking out high-quality content... I promise you I am one of the poorest people you know! I continue to struggle so much financially that I slept in the car last night - not because I wanted to save some money, but because I didn't have the extra $60 for a hotel room. And I do work a day job, but climbing out of the massive hole in my life that 2008/2009 created has been extremely tough. So if you like what I do thru AirPigz.com, and you've been blessed financially, please consider making a donation (any size) via the PayPal 'donate' button above and to the left. I don't usually ask for support, and I don't usually get it. Now I'm asking.

 So, with me having to think up-close, I decided that the incredibly beautiful F4U-5 Corsair brought to Indy by Dave Folk would be an excellent subject for some nice tight images, kinda like what I did with Glacier Girl a while back: P-38 Glacier Girl - Up Close & Personal... Real Close! (23 Pix) - so I spent about an hour early today getting about 50 images of the Corsair, and I was gonna get a handful of them posted now, but there were so many good ones that there just isn't enough time to get all that prepped up. So I'm taking the easy way out and just giving you two images, in the CoolPix super size, to give you an idea of what to expect before long when I get 25 or 30 images strung together for you to enjoy.

 The first image above is the whole airplane so you can see what an F4U-5 Corsair looks like, if for some interesting reason you don't already know. And then the second image below begins the journey into looking at the Corsair more closely, and with a slightly skewed perspective. The beautiful sky and sunshine make these pix all the nicer... be sure to click them to open up the biggie size. And then keep an eye out in the next week for a big string of fabulous Corsair images to appear. I can hardly wait!

(click pic for hi-res)  Big prop, big sky: F4U-5 Corsair at the 2012 Indy Air Show

Seen On Eve Of Indy Air Show: FedEx Hiring Quiet Pilots? (Wilson!)

(click pic to enlarge)  Wilson the volleyball looks ready to go in this FedEx ATR-42

 I eventually got myself down to Indianapolis Regional Airport late in the afternoon today for the 'media' day before the official opening of the 2012 Indy Air Show tomorrow. However, getting here late meant I missed any media flight opportunities for the day. That's ok tho, there were plenty of excellent warbird arrivals to enjoy thru the evening and a variety of aircraft on the ramp to check out as well.

 One that I particularly enjoyed was this spotless FedEx ATR-42 that's on display promoting the fine work of FedEx. I thought the windshield placement of a 'Wilson' volleyball (from the 2000 movie Cast Away) was a really cool little detail. If you saw that movie you will remember that the character played by Tom Hanks worked for FedEx, and his volleyball campanion was a pretty important part of his survival after being stranded on an island all alone. I think it's ultra cool that this ATR has a 'Wilson' stuck up on the glareshield. I already like FedEx a lot... now I like them even more : )

CoolPix: Blue Angels Over Baltimore Last week (Now With Desktop Sizes!)

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 I've been bringing you what I call CoolPix images for a long time now, and I've always intended that you would use them as desktop backgrounds. But I imagine a lot of folks don't have the easy means to resize or crop an image to best fit their specific screen size. So I decided I'd give you some help, starting with this AWESOME Blue Angels image captured last Friday over Baltimore.

 This beautiful image is in the standard CoolPix size of 1600 pixels wide above (when you click the pic) and then below I have links to several of the most popular sizes for screen resolution. If I get some positive feedback on making the cropped and resized images available (for free!) then I'll see if I can make it regular part of CoolPix images in the future. So download and then gimme some feedback!

Blue Angels over Baltimore on 6-15-12:

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 Lastly, here's the description of this pic from the US Navy website:

 BALTIMORE (June 15, 2012) Capt. Brandon Cordill, left wingman of the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, flies an F/A-18 Hornet over Baltimore during the Star Spangled Sailabration, which coincides with Baltimore Fleet Week 2012 and commemorates the War of 1812 and the writing of the "Star Spangled Banner." (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Johnson/Released)

Video: ANA 767 Makes Hard Landing Today (That's Not Gonna Buff Out)

(also check out this older post: Video Proof: Boeing 777 Is Built Ford Tough!)

 Watching this video captured earlier today of an All Nippon Airways Boeing 767 making a hard landing at Tokyo Narita Airport seems kinda funny at first... it looks a lot like of those wacky landing videos that you've probably seen before on youtube on some night when you couldn't sleep. But, while it appears no one was hurt in this incident, the airplane is damaged pretty severely in this landing.

 In the video you'll see views from both the right and left side of the aircraft once parked at the gate that show substantial fuselage skin wrinkling. And I would guess if there's that much visible damage, then there's probably a lot more that isn't easily seen. Wow, that's gonna be a really expensive repair, and then there's always the possibility that the basic airframe is damaged bad enough to end up being scrapped. Either way it's not a good day for the crew. Even if the investigation shows that it wasn't pilot error, no one wants to be be sitting up front when an airplane is damaged bad enough to require scrapping.

Video screenshot: ANA 767 with visible skin wrinkles after hard landing early today
 

 We seem to see so much more of these kind of hard landings these days (with or without damage), but it's very important to remember that easy-to-shoot video is everywhere in this modern life. It wasn't all that long ago that the vast majority of airliner landings were made with absolutely no visual record of them. Tho I will say that it would sure be interesting to see some data on the number of landings that result in airframe damage today compared to 40 years ago.

 It'll be interesting to see what the outcome is for this particular airframe, hopefully that info will be easy to find when it's finally determined what the full the extent of the damage is. Ultimately tho, I'd sure like us to get to the point where airframes that are expected to operate for thousands and thousands of cycles never have to endure the stress that these hard landings impart into them.

'Name The Plane' - ID MAKE And MODEL For Free Bacon! (6.19.12)

GAME OVER - correctly ID'd by 'Tim' as the Boeing 2707 SST cockpit

 It only took about 12 minutes to find a winning answer, and it came from 'Tim' on his second try after providing a little more detail. This cockpit is the Boeing 2707 SST, or technically the 2707-300. It's from the prototype mockup of the forward fuselage section that's on display at the Hiller Museum south of San Francisco California.

 There's so much story to share about the Boeing effort to build a large and extremely fast SST in the late 1960's. One day I'll get around to putting together an extensive post about it... til then, check out the Boeing 2707 wiki entry and the Hiller Museum page on the Boeing 2707. And thanx to everyone who played this time around (even tho it was a really short game : ) 

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GAME OVER - correctly ID'd by 'Tim' as the Boeing 2707 SST cockpit

 I never know when I'll feel the urge to throw up a little Name The Plane action here on AirPigz... usually it happens on a Saturday night, but here we are on a Tuesday night with a special 'cockpit' edition for you to check out. Best of all, the winner snags a bacon sandwhich at OSH12!

 All you gotta do is ID both MAKE and MODEL to win - so if you've got sharp aircraft ID skills, be the first person to ID both MAKE and MODEL of this aircraft to be the winner!

 Your answers must go in the 'comments' area in this post, and as always, please don't use the shotgun approach to answers - only put up truly educated guesses that you've arrived at via really thinking it thru.

 And I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but to win, you have to give me both the MAKE and MODEL! : )

Video: Kick The Tires And Light The Fires! F-35C Makes First Night Flight

 The carrier based variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 is the C model... it's got the bigger wing, larger control surfaces, stronger landing gear and a hook, among other differences. One thing in common with the A and B models, which are much farther ahead in the flight test program, is the ability to use the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan to turn kerosene into a massive roman candle! Wow that afterburner looks hot!

 This video is a nice compliment to the one I posted the other day of the first F-35A night refueling excercise. The airplane looks very nice in the night sky... and I'm really beginning to love the way it looks in the day sky too! A few more rock music videos like this from Lockheed Martin featuring the F-35 and even the haters are gonna have to let up a little. As for me, I'm liking me some Lightning II : )

 Oh, and yeah I know... the F-35 really only has the one 'fire'.

Screenshot: beautiful afterburner fire on the first night flight for the F-35C - 6.13.12