(Click pic for hi-res) Kyle and Amanda Franklin: Franklin's Flying Circus & Airshow
(50 pix - 1 CoolPix - 1 video)
The husband and wife team of Kyle and Amanda Franklin put on some of the absolute best airshow performances in the world, and they do it while being really nice people too! If you don't know about their fascinating airshow heritage, check out my podcast with Matt Younkin and Kyle from back in February to learn more. If you do know about them, you still might be surprised to learn that they take that fabulous Waco 'Mystery Ship' biplane apart and put it in a trailer after nearly every airshow they perform at.
Kyle learned years ago from his dad Jimmy Franklin that taking the airplane apart and transporting it to the next show in a trailer had lots of advantages. You put a lot less hours on the engine this way, plus, you pretty much completely remove the variable of the weather from the equation. The wonderful speed and 'straight-line point to point' benefits of flying can quickly be undone by the weather. Maybe you've heard it said: "If you've got time to spare, go by air". And when you travel the country as much as Kyle and Amanda do, you really don't need the airplane stranded somewhere that the rest of the crew and support vehicle aren't at. Putting the airplane in a trailer keeps everything safe, and together.
But wow, doesn't taking the airplane apart seem like a huge task? Well, it is a huge task, but with lots of advance prep, and years of experience, the job can usually be done in about an hour and a half. That's pretty amazing when you really think it thru! The whole process was something I was really interested in, so I asked Kyle if he'd let me document the disassembly process with pictures. The following 49 pictures and captions tell the story of taking the apart right after the Indy Air Show back in June. It was hot, and Kyle and Amanda were tired from a long weekend, but there was work to be done!
I hope you enjoy this very special opportunity to see behind-the-scenes as the Waco Mystery Ship comes apart and gets secured in the trailer in preparation for moving on down the road...
The Waco was moved from the flightline to an available hangar to facilitate the tear down. Matt Younkin is sitting on the tug in the red hat, and his crew chief Jeff Gibbs is standing next to him. Matt's Twin Beech can just barely be see in the background, and there were several aircraft based at the airport in the back of the hangar. Jeff helped Kyle and Amanda take the Waco apart (Matt wondered off : )
Kyle backing the motorhome/tow-vehicle and the trailer into position. At first glance, you just wouldn't think all that airplane is gonna fit in that trailer! But I was watching closely, and I assure you, it all did.
After letting the trail ramp down, Kyle got out the large fabric sleeve used to store all of the flying wires that come off the wings and tail. This is an exciting moment actually because 'Rocky' the dog is rather infatuated with the flying wires! He gets all excited seeing the bag coming out again. I think it's the when the wires are slid into their labeled slots that he thinks there's something alive moving thru the fabric.
There are three dogs that travel with the crew that you'll see in the pictures here, but Rocky was by far the most enthusiastic about the airplane coming apart!
Here's a little better view of the stack of airplanes in the hangar. The disassemby process begins with screwdrivers removing lots of aluminum fairings and covers to gain access to attached bolts and pins. You also get a look at the top mounted stand that Amanda uses in parts of the wingwalking act. One of the tasks in the procedure is to remove the stand and replace it with temporary one that is used to be a safety support for the wings - details coming a few pictures down.
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 08:38PM 
By Friday, Oshkosh 2010 was getting closer to reaching the end, and I was really beginning to wear down from covering the grounds 12+ hours a day, but that doesn't mean there wasn't still a bazillion things to see! As usual, there were cool things to look at right up until I left the grounds on Sunday. These pix however are from Friday. This is the Plane Driven PD-1, a highly modified Glasair Sportsman configured to actually be able to drive down the road with the wings folded.
This big black pod under the cabin is hiding an 80 hp engine that is used to drive the main-gear wheels for road driving. Tho none of the pictures here show it, the pod actually gets moved way aft along those rails creating a really long wheelbase when in the driving mode. It's moved forward, as shown, for the flight mode to keep the weight of the engine and associated components on the airplane's CG.
It all makes a very unique solution to the decades long quest to make an airplane that also can roll down the road. But honestly, I still struggle with the idea of putting a lightweight airframe thru the potentially punishing experience of potholes and rough roads. And then there's all those crazy drivers on the road too! Overall tho, the PD-1 seems well executed, and only time will tell if this is an idea the world is really ready for.
I thought it was pretty cool to see three Pitts Model 12 aircraft with a KC-135, a C-5, and the Erickson Air Crane all in the background. As usual, loads of aviation diversity at Oshkosh.
