#SNF11 - A Great And Sunny Saturday (16 Pix)

 My Saturday morning at Sun-n-Fun 2011 started at the commercial exhibits not far from the camping area. This yellow and white biplane stood out right away as something special. Obviously not 'Pitts' special, but very cool nonetheless. It's the Fk12 Comet, a Rotax 912 LSA that promises fun in a way pretty much no other LSA could even dream about. The wings are fabric covered, but the structure underneath is all composite, and the fuselage is mostly welded steel tube with aluminum tube for the aft section. Lots of interesting and innovative thinking in this light, sporty, aircraft! 

 The American Legend display of modern Cubs included one with no fabric on it so all of the structure was visible. The use of modern materials and a variety of interesting design changes takes the timeless original Cub design even closer to perfection. I'm still dreaming about the one from yesterday on amphibious floats!

 After being hit so hard by the tornado on Thursday, the Air Cam display was looking almost back together. I was glad to see they hadn't given up after losing 4 airplanes... hopefully they'll head back home with several new orders on the books to take some of the sting out of a really rough year at SNF11.

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#SNF11 - Friday: Fun In The Sun! (Finally)

(16 pix) 

 With the damaging storm of Thursday over and gone, Friday began with a lot of mud on the Sun-n-Fun grounds. This scene above is oddly reminiscent of Oshkosh 2010 where muddy roads like this were all over. In another similarity to Oshkosh, wet grounds and mud weren't about to dampen the spirit of the event, and Friday wound up being a great day at SNF11.

 A quick run thru the commercial exhibit area first thing Friday morning revealed several vendors still in the process of cleaning up after the storm. Many of the temporary structures had collapsed as you would expect in such high winds. Some vendors were fortunate to only have displays damaged. Others, like the Air Cam people were left with a tremendous amount of damage to their aircraft.

 Three different Air Cam's can be seen in these pictures with devastating damage. A fourth airplane had been blown backward across the display area and also wound up with significant damage. Reports are indicating that the storm was possibly a tornado, and the very localized damage as seen here would seem to support that idea.

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#SNF11 - Severe Weather And A Day At 'Fantasy Of Flight' (16 Pix)

(16 pix) 

 The last several hours of my drive from Indiana to central Florida early Thursday were under low ceilings and rain, so I decided to start my Sun-n-Fun 2011 experience over at the Fantasy of Flight Museum since the weather wasn’t cooperating very well. The museum is about 20 miles northeast of Lakeland Linder airport were SNF takes place. Plus, the ‘Splash-In’ with seaplanes was scheduled to take place Thursday on Lake Agnes (right next to the museum) so it seemed like I had a plan. 

 As it turned out, the weather went from bad to worse. The Splash-In was cancelled and re-scheduled for Friday, but as you most likely already know, severe storms came thru the area in the afternoon (see the radar pic) causing substantial damage to a lot of aircraft and temporary structures at SNF. Fortunately it appears injuries were minimal… and as it turned out,  the museum site didn’t experience any damage at all that I’m aware of. 

 Getting Sun-n-Fun back on track will require a lot of effort, but I have no doubt that the job will get done. Similar to the challenges with extremely heavy rains at Oshkosh in 2010, the aviation community will come together and rise to the challenge. And while many people are dealing with the loss of their aircraft right now, we can all be thankful for minimal injuries, and for a very sunny weather forecast for the remaining days of SNF.

 The following 15 pictures and captions show some of the cool aircraft and aviation oriented experiences from my day at Fantasy of Flight. A lot of people were enjoying the chance to be an avgeek and stay out of the rain… and while this was my second visit to FoF, I have to say I enjoyed this time every bit as much as the first. It’s a great facility that I highly recommend you take time to experience anytime you’re in the area.

The Art Deco inspired entrance to the Fantasy of Flight museum. It was definitely an umbrella kind of day.

Fantasy of Flight is run by Kermit Weeks (arms folded) and he was seen all over the facility today… here he’s enjoying conversation with some people in the entrance area.  

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Video: Blue Angels 'Fat Albert' And Stellar Cockpit Discipline!

 I'm actually on the way to Sun-n-Fun 2011 right now - literally... this post is coming to you from a Panera Bread in downtown Atlanta. I needed something quick and awesome to share with you, and since I'm gonna see the Blue Angels this weekend, I thought I'd toss up this fabulous video for you to check out. It has the most excellent example of effective cockpit communication and discipline I've ever seen.  It's simply fantastic. It's probably not unique to just this crew from 2009, but rather a necessary discipline for all crews when herding such a large aircraft around so vigorously at low altitudes. 

 I admit that I've sorta looked at C-130 (Fat Albert) part of the Blues show as a bit of a yawn. My bad. Seeing it from this cockpit pov gives me massive respect for the demo being put on... I can't wait to see it now : )

 Hat tip to Matt at LeavingTerraFirma.com for finding this 2009 video before I did.

CoolPix - Amazing View Of Space Shuttle Atlantis

(click pic for hi-res) Incredible view of Shuttle Atlantis from the VAB roof (photo: NASA)

 I just love a perspective that you don't normally get, and this CoolPix view looking down on Atlantis is definitely not your normal view. The pic is from several years back, and it's not actually at the launch pad but rather it's just beginning the journey from the massive Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) out to the pad. It is sitting on the Mobile Launcher Platform tho, which serves as the actual platform for launching. You can see the holes in the platform for the engine exhausts. This is a great photo to study and see things from a different point of view. I love it!

 With only the fast approaching April 19th (scheduled) launch of Endeavour on STS-134, and then the final scheduled Shuttle flight of Atlantis on STS-135 in late June, now is the best time ever to be paying close attention to what these fantastic flying machines can do. Don't miss it!

Listen To 484 MPH Strega Speed! Awesome 21 Second Video!

 If you listen to this short but awesome video of the highly modified P-51 Strega qualifying at Reno in 2010, and the sound of 484 mph makes your head tingle, or the hair on your neck stand up, or your salivary glands overproduce (or all three), then I suggest you make plans to get the Reno Air Races. September 14-18, 2011. Wow : )

Caption Contest #54 Winner - Let's Here It For 7-Eleven!

 Sometimes it's the first thought that pops into your head that's the best one. That's what happened here as the sharp captioner known as 'airpigz lurker' was not only the first to respond, but y'all voted that caption the most popular too. So it's another bacon sandwich at OSH11 for the lurker... whoever you are (and would you like a Big Gulp to go with that? : )

 Thanks to everyone who submitted this time around - there were so many good ones to choose from that it wasn't easy. There's more pressure on me than you might think when it comes time to pick the captions going into the poll. But just remember, we're all here for good ole avgeek fun, so if yours didn't make it, it's ok, just go with the flow.

 I'll probably have another contest up Monday morning, but next week will be a challenge as I'll be driving down to Sun-n-Fun. Between the time on the road, and then a variety of enhanced aviation media tasks, it'll be a busy week! But I'll try to have another contest up if I can.

 Hmm, I'll have to look for a 7-Eleven on the way down too... 

Spotted For Sale: 1947 Round Engine Fieseler Storch Project!

French made Fieseler Storch with 245 hp Jacobs engine for sale at barnstormers.com

 I saw Kermit Weeks fly the Fieseler Storch at the Fantasy of Flight Museum last year during Sun-n-Fun and was really impressed by how it looked like a lot of fun to fly. It's big, weird, kinda ugly, and a taildragger... those are just the kind of things that make me pretty happy with a flying machine! If you don't know, I used to fly a Polish built PZL-104 Wilga 80 back in the late 1980's (and loved it) so you know I'm not very normal : / 

 This here Fieseler Storch isn't German built like we typically think of them, instead it's one of the ones built by Morane-Saulnier in France after the War. Instead of the inverted V-8 Argus engine of 240 hp that is also typical of the type, this one has a Jacobs R-755-9 radial that makes 245 hp. I know some of the French Storchs had radials, but I don't know if the Jacobs was what they were putting on them, but regardless, that's the engine on this one. One thing for sure... it must sound purrfect. If I had money and time, I'd be all over this project.

 So, if you're looking for an unusual airplane that needs restoration, and one of your goals is to turn heads at any and every airport you stop at, this Fieseler Storch might be just the ticket. Click either of the pictures to click thru to the listing. And if you buy it, please let me know when it's done because I really wanna go for a ride!

 This 1947 Fieseler Storch project is not your run-of-the-mill ride!

Video: No Surprise - Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Really Flies!

 The first version of the Boeing 747-8 to fly was the Freighter that made its maiden flight back in February of 2010... but now the 747-8 Intercontinental, the passenger version, has made its successful first flight on Sunday March 20, 2011. And successful it was! Benefiting from the approximately 2,000 hours of certification test flying already accumulated on the 747-8F, the Intercontinental's 4 hour 25 minute first flight accomplished all that was planned and more.

 I admit I'm not a big fan of the swooshy paint scheme and the tacky '8' on the tail, but this big gal is sure a beautiful sight to see. Congrats to Boeing for making the world's greatest airliner... a little bit better!

 Video screenshot as the 747-8 Intercontinental leaves the ground for the first time

The majestic Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental on its first flight

Video: Please Continue To Pray For Kyle And Amanda Franklin

 The Today Show on NBC aired a feature story this morning on Kyle and Amanda Franklin's airshow accident and their current condition. While Kyle is doing remarkably well, we find out that Amanda's injuries are extensive. But Amanda is young, fit, and a very strong person... there is great hope that she will recover well from all of this, but I personally hope you will join me in praying everyday for her (and of course for Kyle and all of the family and friends close to this situation)

 Godspeed Kyle and Amanda Franklin

Kyle and Amanda Franklin in the summer of 2010