CoolPix - UAV: General Atomics Unmanned Aircraft Triple Play!

(click pic for hi-res)          General Atomics MQ-1 Predator

 Like it or not, unmanned aircraft are fast becoming a large part of the workforce in the U.S. Military, and you can be sure we're gonna see them showing up in general aviation applications in the future. General Atomics-ASI is the company responsible for the best known aircraft, the MQ-1 Predator. To the casual observer, it's easy to confuse the MQ-1 with their other popular UAV, the MQ-9 Reaper (formerly known as the Predator B), so I figured a quick visual lesson using some big CoolPix images would be a great way to learn their differences. Plus, I've added their logical extension of their UAV program, the jet powered Avenger that's currently in development.

 MQ-1 Predator (inverted V-tail): Wingspan about 48 feet, max weight 2,250 pounds; powered by Rotax 914F (115 hp); cruise speed about 100 mph.

 2,000+ mile range, 24 hours endurance, service ceiling 25,000 feet. Over 350 built.

(click pic for hi-res)          General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper

 MQ-9 Reaper (Y-tail): Wingspan about 66 feet, max weight 10,500 pounds; powered by TPE331 turboprop (900 shp); cruise speed about 200 mph.

 3,200+ mile range, 14-28 hours endurance, service ceiling 50,000 feet (typical operations at 30,000 feet). Approximately 30 built (exact number unknown).

(click pic for hi-res)          General Atomics Avenger UCAV

 Avenger (in development): Wingspan about 66 feet, payload 6,000 pounds; powered by Pratt & Whitney PW545B turbofan (4,800 pounds thrust); speeds around 460 mph.

 20 hours endurance, service ceiling 50,000 feet. Prototype built and flying, with number two aircraft (slightly larger than prototype) in development. Avenger includes some stealth in the design, and is a combat-oriented aircraft with internal weapons bays.

1946 Seaplane With Diving Board Wing - Now That's Progress!

I wonder if the ICON A5 wing is approved for diving board use?!

1970's Dreamin' - Ford Powered Biplane Racer Concept

 With the 2010 Reno Air Races fast approaching (Sept 15-19), I thought now might be a good time to check out this little blast from the past. I remember seeing these pix when I was a kid, but I don't even know what this hot looking little biplane racer was called. And, it's just a model here, as far as I know, it never got built. It sure would be cool to know the whole story on it, but two things you can tell for sure from these pix - it's gorgeous, and it was meant for some Ford V power.

 Right around 1970 was a pretty exciting time in the world of biplane racing with airplanes like the Hot Canary and Sorceress coming on the scene. This airplane would have fit right in with them for sure. The extensive innovation that was going on actually led to some changes in the biplane class rules that ultimately may have brought all the really cool stuff to an end. In my opinion, the biplane class needs a little shot of this kind of thinking to stir up more excitement : )

 Lastly, I think it's worth mentioning how cool so many of the airplanes designed in the late 60's and early 70's were. Not just racers either, lots of experimental and prototype aircraft too. I know I'm old-school, and have 40+ years of aviation history crammed into my 49 years, but I really think we need more of the design 'spirit' from those days to weave itself into our fabulous new construction materials and engines. Sure, airplanes should perform well, but man, they should look cool too! 

Video: Swiss Pulse Jet Team: These Guys Are Crazy - I Love It!

 You'll be tempted to stop watching this video at about 20 seconds, and if you do keep watching, you'll probably be thinking there's a lot of drama going on with the guys in the pink shirts thru the first minute... but if you're smart and you stick with it, you'll see at 1:30 what it's all about. Holy kick-in-the-pants Batman, that's one high powered RC model!

 A 'pulse jet' powered model to be exact. The acceleration and the insane high speed kinda puts the pre-flight drama in perspective. Can you even imagine trying to keep your brain wrapped around that thing while it's in the air? Very, very cool stuff.

 And I do recommend you watch it all the way to the end (3:54) to see the sweet deadstick landing. Great job guys!

Video: Sumptuous 747 Landing In 120fps Slow Mo - Wow!

 I'm a freak for great video, and for great airplanes... guess you could say that makes me a 'super freak' for great video of great airplanes! That's exactly what youtuber GatwickSpotting has here. Shot from over 4 miles away, this slow mo 747 landing is a real treat to watch.

 It's so interesting to me to see how much shaking goes on with the flaps, the horizontal tail and other stuff you usually don't think is supposed to move around like that! I also like seeing the reflection of the runway lights in the bottom of the fuselage. It's really a fabulous 1:28. I highly recommend you go check out the GatwickSpotting youtube channel - lots of cool stuff over there with a really unique perspective. Great job!

CoolPix - Airshow: Thunderbirds F-16 And A Big Blue Sky!

(click pic for hi-res)

 Wow! A Thunderbirds F-16 up-close against a big and beautiful blue sky - what an awesome sight. Especially when you click this CoolPix to make it really big. This Air Force photo was taken as the airplanes were arriving at Hickam AFB in Hawaii for the 'Wings Over the Pacific' show in September 2009.

 I can still remember following along back in the early 70's when General Dynamics was developing the F-16. My dad subscribed to Aviation Week and Space Technology back in those days, so while a lot of other 11 year olds were playing tag in the neighborhood, I was learning about new airliners and military aircraft, in great detail, in the pages of that awesome weekly magazine.

 I also remember how the F-16 changed the game for me by not only having amazing performance, but by having a look that was pure sex appeal. I hadn't seen anything this beautiful in a jet military fighter in... well, ever! And here we are, 40 years since this shape was drawn on paper, and it's still one sexy looking airplane!

 The Thunderbirds put on a great show with their F-16's, but I noticed something interesting when I saw them at Sun-n-Fun this past April. It was a fuzzy, hazy, white-sky-overcast kind of day when I saw them, and it was interesting how little the airplanes stood out against that sky. It was an excellent show to watch and hear, but I was thinking if they had been that other team that flies those blue F-18's, they would have been easier to see. So, I had an idea. Maybe the Thunderbirds need a new paint scheme. That's when I decided to put my overactive thinker to work and design an all new, kick butt paint scheme for our beloved Thunderbirds. All the basic work is done, and I must say it looks pretty stinkin' hot to me. Unfortunately, it's not ready for you to see just yet. Hopefully I'll have it done here before long, but I want to be sure it looks really good in the rendering so the Air Force will be so impressed that they'll want to get to booking some time in the paint shop asap : )

Poll: Spiroids - Funky Circular Winglets, Love 'Em Or Hate 'Em?

 These highly unusual devices designed to dramatically reduce wingtip vortices are called Spiroids. I would have picked a different name for them, but that's another story. I got these pix on Sunday at Oshkosh 2010 after the Aviation Partners Inc. (API) Falcon 50 arrived in AeroShell Square to show off their experimental drag reducers. They're not as big as they look in some of the pix, but they're not small either... they appear to be about 6 or 7 feet tall. You might know that they tested a similar looking concept about 10 years back on a Gulfstream G II.

 You might also know that API has been building their 'blended winglets' for years now, most commonly seen on Boeing 737's. The blended winglets have a large radius transition as the structure sweeps it's way toward vertical. Many early winglet designs had a very sharp intersection with the wing. The Spiroids pick up on that idea, but thay take it to a pretty wild extreme, coming all the way over the top and then attaching back down on the wing a little farther aft.

 The research done years back indicated that they would reduce wingtip drag significantly more than a traditional winglet shape. However, for some reason we never saw them adopted. Now they're making a comeback on this Falcon 50 testbed. This Falcon is an API aircraft, and from what I can tell, it's just a platform for testing, they aren't specifically seeking to retrofit Falcon 50's. The testing is actually being sponsored by NASA to see what kind of efficiency gains the Spiroids offer.

 The bottom line for me is all about the way they look. I just can't see them being very well accepted by people because they're just too weird! Ok, I'll even say they're ugly. It's funny too, since I actually think they're very interesting, and I'd like to understand exactly how they work, but I keep coming back to the idea that they're ugly. What do you think? Answer the poll below and we'll see what you all think about... Spiroids!

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Audio Comparo: Yuneec E430 Takes On The Radial Rocket (HeHe)

 I've been doing a lot of research on electric powered flight these last few days which has left me remarkably encouraged for where the state of the art will soon be. There are a lot of projects in the works and some leaping and bounding going on. I'll be posting more about that before long.

 One of the things that's hit me hard about electric flight tho is the sound of the airplanes... or the relative lack thereof. So, to make me feel a little better, I did a little audio comparo today, pitting the Yuneec E430 all-electric aircraft against the Radial Rocket powered by the 360hp Russian M-14 radial internal combustion engine. Is it a fair comparo? Of course not. That's not the point. But it does kinda point out how much the sound can drive the passion for flight. At least it does for me.

 So, take a listen to the Yuneec in the video above. It's only 23 seconds long, so you'll get the important sound bite quickly. It's actually pretty interesting how much that little electric motor and prop sound like a smooth and powerful turboprop as it flies by. I was somewhat surprised by how much I liked the way it sounded.

 Then, after you listen to the Yuneec, check out the Radial Rocket video below. If you're anything like me, by 30 seconds into it your heart rate will quicken and large amounts of saliva will begin to pool in your mouth. By a minute into the video you might be thinking something like: "If I sold the house and lived in my car, I could have one of those beasts!" Yeah, the sound of a radial engine, with a bazillion moving parts rubbing up against each other with a little oil between them, controlled explosions of hydrocarbon  fuel and air going on at an amazingly high rate, and an exhaust output that would curl ole Al's hair are really a large part of what makes a really great airplane. So, while I'm ok with electric airplanes moving in and changing the game, I just hope will have some gasoline (and the bucks it'll take to buy it) for as long as I live so we can be sure to have airplanes that sound like the Radial Rocket does!

(more details on the Radial Rocket coming soon... this is definitely one to talk about!)

Copenhagen Suborbitals: Low Budget Rocketeers - Go Denmark!

All images from CopenhagenSuborbitals.com

The 'HEAT' booster and the one-man spacecraft from Copenhagen Suborbitals

(4 pix) 

 Did I really just say 'Go Denmark'? That's never happened before. Not that I'm anti Denmark or anything, I've just never felt the need to cheer them on... especially since I've gotten a good idea of how many calories they hide inside those in the oh-so-delicious pastry thingys they've been tempting us with. But, after getting a load of what Kristian von Bengtson and Peter Madsen have been working on for the last 5 years or so with their non-profit, donation funded and volunteer supported space quest called Copenhagen Suborbitals, I'm cheering the little Scandinavian country on.

 The rocket illustrated above is their current generation booster called HEAT, for Hybrid Exo Atmospheric Transporter, with their MSC (micro space craft) called Tycho Brahe taking up about the top third of the rocket system. The one-man MSC has a glass globe top that will allow the occupant a pretty fabulous view of the ride, which might help to keep extreme claustrophobia from setting in since the whole package is just over 24 inches in diameter. From what I can tell, the basic goal with this project is the simplest and least expensive way of being able to say you went to space. It looks like it might make the Virgin Galactic operation seem like a mission to Mars by comparison, but it will still be a pretty amazing accomplishment if they can pull it all off. Actually, both space systems are designed to achieve a height that's a little over 100 km in altitude, which is often considered the edge of space, and translates to over 328,000 feet. But the Copenhagen Suborbitals ride will more like a hyper (galactic?) rollercoaster ride than a more traditional space journey.

The approximately 30' long rocket with crash test dummy in the MSC (micro space craft)

 They have a launch of the HEAT-1X booster scheduled for a couple days from now on August 30th, tho the launch window is actually set for August 30 thru September 13, 2010. I don't know if there will be any live coverage of this unmanned test flight, but you might wanna keep in touch with CopenhagenSuborbitals.com just in case... currently, there's a countdown clock on the main page. It's also important to note that this test flight is intended to go no higher than 30 km or about 100,000 feet, and that's not into space.

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Video Update: Voodoo P-51 For Reno 2010 - Gettin' Ready To Race!

 This video from a couple weeks back gives a nice update on the work done on the Voodoo P-51 in preperation for Reno 2010, which will be here soon! Check out my Voodoo post from Reno 09, and then keep your eyes on this colorful beast this year. The Unlimited Gold race on Sunday last year saw the airplane running very strong in second place right up until some serious engine trouble. Fortunately the 'mayday' pull up and landing were no major problem, but their Reno dreams were over for 2009.

 There's good reason to think that Voodoo will be right there in the mix again this year. I highly recommend you get to the Reno Air Races if at all possible... it's an awesome sight and sound - September 15-19, 2010.

 Here's an interesting view from inside the cockpit at the 2008 Reno Air Races. I recommend you watch this one full screen for max effect.

 I especially like watching the shadow of the airplane (or both VooDoo and another airplane) as they run around the course at 450+ mph at less than 100 feet of the ground!  Crazy and Cool!