Video: Fascinating WWII Story Of Spitfire 944 And Lieutenant John S. Blyth (Must See)

 There are millions of fascinating stories from WWII, but not very many of them include 16mm film of actual events, and then connect directly with people involved in those events decades later. This short film is all about connecting the personal film footage shot in Great Britain during WWII by flight surgeon Jim Savage with the pilot of a photo recon Spitfire named John Blyth. Blyth had to make a gear-up landing in 1944, and his flight surgeon was on hand with his camera for the landing.

 This 14 minute video is all about the story that connected pilot John Blyth in 2005 with the film of his gear-up landing that he'd never seen before, film that had been shot during WWII by his flight surgeon Jim Savage who had passed away earlier in 2005.

 If you haven't seen this story, I encourage you to take the time now to do so. My understanding is that John Blyth, who as a very young man flew an unarmed Spitfire over German targets for photo recon, is still alive today... #thegreatestgeneration

Video screenshot: American operated Spitfire in WWII... and a fascinating story!

Join The AirPigz 'Naval Aviation Museum' MeetUp (Pensacola January 24-26, 2014)

Click the pic to check out the National Naval Aviation Museum website

AirPigz 'Naval Aviation Museum' MeetUp in Pensacola FL will take
place January 24-26, 2014 (Fri, Sat, Sun - come 1, 2 or all 3 days)

Click here to be aded to the email list for more details

 This is your official invitation to make a trip to sunny Pensacola Florida for the AirPigz Naval Aviation Museum MeetUp on January 24-26, 2014. You can join a handful of other avgeeks on any of the three days, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday... or all three if world-class aviation museums take you many days to truly experience, like they do for me!

 As we have done the last three years (the first two at the Air Force Museum and last year at the National Air & Space Museum) there's no charge to participate, but of course you need to cover your own transportation and accommodations. Museum admission is free and it's open every day from 9am to 5pm.

(click pic for 360 panorama!)  Naval Museum entrance with Blue Angels A-4 Skyhawks

 Click the link up above (or here) to get on the email update list for the details of the meetup. We'll communicate about accommodations, a basic daily schedule, and other details to help make your time there enjoyable. Typically about 15 people make the trip and everyone has a great time taking in the museum at their own pace and then gathering for dinner in the evening.

(click pic for 360 panorama!) Some of the diverse collection at the Naval Aviation Museum

 
 A quick and easy winter getaway to Pensacola is exactly what every avgeek needs, so get to making plans to join this 4th AirPigz museum meetup!

(note the happy avgeeks below from last year's event : )

Some of the group from the AirPigz Air & Space Museum MeetUp in January 2013

FLY Energy Bar Dips A Toe In The Water (Golden Age Of Air Racing Too!)

A version of the FLY Energy Bar logo... designed by me!
 

@FLYenergybar on twitter  |  FLY Energy Bar on facebook

 A came up with a concept for an energy bar and the branding to go with it in late October 2012. Since that time I have been developing the details of the graphic imagery and marketing concept, along with the actual food product itself. Yeah, I'm developing the recipe too! I've really enjoyed the research required to learn about how to make all this happen... and then there's the testing. Testing concepts, even food recipe concepts, is just pure awesome to me! I love the challenge and the quest for solutions.

 I'm very excited to present some of the details of what I've come up with. It's called FLY Energy Bar... they are premium-quality and all-natural energy/meal replacement bars made with grains, seeds, and fruit, with very little or no cane sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, low fat, most likely gluten-free, low sodium, high protein, good fiber, and with an energy kick! Best of all, these energy bars taste great! I'm still in development and tweaking the recipes, but I have two of the three flavors for launch already 95% defined.

 I don't have the cash to start a business like this, but crowd funding thru a website like kickstarter.com can make all the difference. That's why I'm revealing the basics of this project now, so I can create some awareness in preparation for launching a kickstarter campaign in July. That campaign will give you an opportunity to contribute to the project in return for some of the products, as well as a variety of unique rewards at varying contribution levels.

Gee Bee R-1 racer right after winning the 1932 Thompson Trophy race

 I'm most excited about the way I'm incorporating Gold Age of Air Racing aircraft into the packaging. I wish I could share the first package graphic with you but at the moment I can't, but I'll tell you that it's the coolest looking food package I've ever seen! I'm also confident that people who have no specific interest in aviation will find the packaging fun, exciting, and motivating. FLY bars are intended to be for everyone and anyone... it's just that people who love aviation will be all the more drawn in : )

 I'll be using custom artwork based on amazing race aircraft from the 20's and 30's like the Gee Bee R-1, Hughes H-1 and the Curtiss RC3 to encourage people to see how eating a FLY bar will help them feel like they're able to spread their wings and do their own flying thru the day.

The Howard Hughes record-setting H-1 racer - first flown in 1935

 FLY Energy Bar is meant to represent more than just food... it's all about a culture of being driven to succeed while also making the world a better place to live. I have some huge concepts to go along with the making-the-world-a-better-place idea, but again I have to wait to tell you about them. I'm as sure as I can be tho that you'll really connect with what I have in mind. I also feel that these benevolent aspects will really encourage people to contribute to the kickstarter campaign once it's up and running.

Curtiss R3C seaplane in the late 20's... beauty and grace meet power and speed!

 One other plan for the culture of FLY Energy Bar is an annual event called FLYfest... mixing several cool elements all into one awesome event: a fly-in focusing on antique/classic and homebuilt aircraft, a small airshow, lots of live blues music, AND a BBQ food fest! The goal would be for the first event to take place in the summer of 2014. And, since I founded and ran a Christian rock music fest for 10 years (1999-2008), I'm thinking pulling off an awesome FLYfest would be right up my alley : )

 I hope you think this all sounds cool and that you'll consider contributing to the kickstarter campaign, once it's up in July, so you can be a direct part of making FLY come to life. 

 FLY: fuel for you.

It's Time For YOU To Catch Bugatti (100P) Fever! Support The Kickstarter Campaign Today

 You might remember my post from August 2010 titled Coming Down With A Bad Case Of Bugatti (100P) Fever - With Video where I expressed my adoration for what the Bugatti 100P represented back in 1930's, and for the massive effort to build a flying replica of the airplane. As I mentioned in that post, a mega-sized project like this is hard to hit specific timeline goals... and while the airplane still isn't quite finished, it's getting very close! But as is usually the case, money stands in the way of reaching the lofty goal of putting the incredible design of the Bugatti 100P in the air for the first time in history. You may already know, but the original aircraft, on display at the EAA Museum, never actually flew.

 Scotty Wilson has put up a kickstarter.com campaign to raise the funds to complete this beautiful airplane and get it in the air. Watch the kiskstarter video above to learn more about the airplane and the campaign. This is YOUR chance to turn some Bugatti fever into the kind of support that will really make a difference! With 18 days to go, they are just under half way to their $50,000 goal, so if you can, make a pledge today to get the 100P in the air.

 You can be sure that I'm gonna be making a pledge to be part of this fascinating and historic aviation project! #bugattifever

The Bugatti 100P replica is getting close to completion but your support is needed!

https://www.facebook.com/TheBugatti100pProject

CoolPix: Convair Ad Circa 1953 With B-36 (Orange Paint!)

(click pic for hi-res)  Awesome aerospace-diversity Convair ad circa 1953

 Fear not, AirPigz HAS NOT gone 'orange paint' for every post already... I just knew that today I'd be posting this sweet Convair ad from back in the day, and I figured preceding it yesterday with some extra Convair-related orange paint was gonna be a great lead-in. Be sure to open this CoolPix artwork up big and take it all in, and take note of the line drawing of the P5Y in the blue area at the top. That's an amazing airplane that I will tell you I knew nothing about. Never even heard of it before seeing this ad - I have sooo much to learn! I'll have a detailed post on the P5Y (aka R3Y Tradewind) before long with some amazing images.

 This fabulous ad from around 1953 definitely put Convair's extremely robust aerospace diversity on display! Wow, those post WWII years were pretty incredible! But it's not just the swanky retro graphics of amazing flying machines that make this image so retro to me, it's also the fact that the photoshop restoration of this image was done by a guy that I actually went to private school with in California back in the late 60's for 1st thru 3rd grades. It was my work on AirPigz that got us back in contact after not seeing each other since I left that school in the 3rd grade!

 Chris Bryan and I not only went to the same school, but we both had dad's who flew for United and we were both pretty hardcore avgeeks at a very young age. Chris runs the really cool website BoxArtDen that has an incredible collection of box art from old-school plastic models that have been digitally restored. So much of that old art is off-the-scale cool to look at... and Chris loves to focus on the avgeek aspect of it. Be sure to take some time and go check it all out.

 I also found out a few years back when Chris and I got back in contact that he has a younger brother Hal, who I had never met when we were kids. Turns out that Hal and I had been emailing each other right at that time concerning issues related to AirPigz and the EAA... Hal is the online community manager at the EAA! (wow, it really is a small world! But, as a comedian once said, "I'd hate to have to paint it!" : )

 Thanx Chris for sharing this sweet old Convair ad that includes some orange paint! 

Poll: Awesome Or Ugly? Ed Lesher's Record Setting 1960's Era 'Teal'

The late Professor Ed Lesher in his early 1960's record setting homebuilt 'Teal'

 I have a pretty long list in my head of aircraft (and the people behind them) that I hope to do in-depth postings on at some point in the future. That'll most likely happen after I become somewhat wealthy and have lots of extra time - obviously, don't hold your breath! Anyway, Professor Ed Lesher (1914~1998) and his 'Teal' are definitely on the list.

 The all-metal homebuilt Teal that he designed, built, and first flew in 1965 was a significant part of my early years of Oshkosh from 1970 thru 1975. Seems like the airplane was always on display out on the flightline, and as a kid who really enjoyed unusual aircraft design, I spent a lot A LOT of time looking the airplane over. I'll say it right now, I love this little airplane and think it's off-the-scale awesome!

 Not only did the Teal look different, but it was quite effective in accomplishing the goals that Ed had for it: setting records. With its Continental O-200 100 hp engine, it was built to compete in the 500kg (1,102 lbs) class, and by 1968 Ed had captured the records for fastest speed over the 500 km (181.55 mph), 1,000 km (169.20 mph), and the 2,000 km(141.84 mph) distances.

Ed Lesher's Teal, part of the EAA Museum collection, on display at Oshkosh 2012

  Ed and his homebuilt Teal represent the amazing bridge between a talented tinkering man and expanding the envelope of aerodynamic knowledge that the EAA and the 60's and 70's embodied. I wish we could go back to that era right now, I miss it. (don't misunderstand, there's plenty of that going on today, but it was different back then, and I'd say it was better back then)

  So anyway, you know how I feel about the Teal, but what do you think? Is is Awesome or Ugly?

Video: November 11, 1956 - The Sexiest Jet (Ever) Makes Her First Flight! (B-58 Hustler)

 Quoting a friend, this is all I can say: O___O ...can't talk...too pretty...

The Convair B-58 Hustler is prepared for her first flight on November 11, 1956

AirPigz NASM MeetUp Day 2! (Downtown Washington DC - 5 Pix)

(click pic to enlarge) The Bell X-1 that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier with in 1947

 Day two of the AirPigz National Air and Space Museum MeetUp was absolutely fabulous! We car-pooled to a METRO train station and then rode into downtown DC to experience the incredible collection of historic aircraft. Everyone had a great time... from the youngest at 9 years of age to the oldest at 78. It was a perfect day of great airplanes and great people!

(click pic to enlarge) Most of the 14 people at today's meetup under the Rutan Voyager

 You meet the nicest people at an AirPigz MeetUp! Seriously, what a great bunch of people to share some wonderful avgeekery with. If you've never joined in before, you should definitely consider it when the next chance rolls around.

(click pic to enlarge) Side view of the amazing Howard Hughes H-1 racer from 1935

(click pic top enlarge)  Front view of the H-1 racer (wood wing, aluminum fuselage)

 As I expected, I spent quite a lot of time with the Hughes H-1 racer today. Trust me when I say I got waaayyyyy more than just the two pictures you see here of this amazing race aircraft from the mid 30's! But for now this is all you get... more pix and details yet to come at another time : )

(click pic to enlarge) Wide span of history: Spirit of St Louis, Bell X-1 and SpaceShipOne

 In the future I'll be posting much more from the experiences at the Udvar-Hazy on Friday, the National Mall from today, and from the last day of the MeetUp tomorrow back at the Udvar-Hazy, but for now this is all I have the time and energy for.

 A big Thank You goes out to everyone participating in the MeetUp this year, you've made it a real joy!

CoolPix: Gee Bee R-1 After Winning 1932 Thompson Trophy (+ Desktop Pix & Delmar Video)

(click pic for hi-res) Gee Bee R-1 after Jimmy Doolittle won the 1932 Thompson Trophy

 I'm convinced I should have been born in 1909... that would have made me 23 in 1932, a perfect age to be wowed by Jimmy Doolittle winning the Thompson Trophy race (closed course, 10 laps) in the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. You might not agree, but I think there is something incredibly magical about airplanes made of steel tube and fabric, and powered by loud awesome-sounding radial engines that bleed a lot of oil. Wow, this is real air racing!

 And air racing was a huge spectator sport back in these days. Why would it not be? These airplanes and the people who flew them were like the rocket ships and astronauts of the 60's. Just imagine that by 1932, less then 30 years since the Wright brothers had lifted off the rail at Kitty Hawk, we had aviation pioneers building and racing airplanes that were able to fly at speeds of 300 mph. An interesting side note here is that seaplanes that raced in the Schneider Trophy races passed thru the 300 mph mark somewhat earlier in 1928. It would seem that having a runway of water that is both essentially endless and allows for wind-always-on-the-nose takeoffs and landings allowed these airplanes to be designed for maximum speed in ways that weren't as practical for aircraft operating off the land. As aircraft design progressed and piloting skills increased, the land planes finally took over the speed records again by 1939.

 My quest for more knowledge and accurate history about Golden Age of Air Racing aircraft is just getting started. Fortunately I have several books printed many years ago that chronicle much of what went on back in the 30's, and as I have more time to soak it up, I'll share some interesting details here. But for now you get a really sweet CoolPix of the Gee Bee R-1 being shown off like a race horse after its win with Jimmy Doolittle at the controls with a speed of 252 mpg in the Thompson Trophy race of 1932.

 I've also sized this image for desktop use on your computer in several of the common sizes, and then at the bottom of the page is a really great video of Delmar Benjamin flying his Gee Bee R-2 replica at the 1996 Cleveland National Airshow. (I'm working to gather MUCH more info on Delmar's incredible accomplishments doing low-level aerobatics with his R-2 replica... stay tuned!) Click here to see a pic of the retired replica at the fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City , Florida. 

Gee Bee R-1 1932 Thompson Trophy desktop pix:

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
Reno Air Races
more desktop images

Video: War Is Hell... But Sometimes Mercy Rules The Day (A Higher Call - Book)

 This nearly 7 minute video shares the amazing story of the 1943 encounter of a heavily damaged American B-17 bomber and a German BF-109 fighter over German territory... what should have ended with an easy kill wound up being a mission of mercy. It's a fascinating story, but even more amazing, the pilots of these two aircraft met face to face in 1990. What a fantastic display of humble humanity between these two men in that meeting! Please watch this video and see the interaction between these two great men... (both passed away in 2008).

 This true story is about to be released as a book called A Higher Call. You can learn more about the book at this A Higher Call page at ValorStudios.com. The release date for the book is December 19, 2012 but it appears that the Kindle download version is available as of today at amazon.com. If you are interested in buying the book, I have placed an ad for A Higher Call on the right side of the page (or you can click this link) and a small affiliate-sales portion of your purchase will help support AirPigz.com.

 The associated artwork shown below gives you an idea of what the encounter looked like, including the significant amount of damage the B-17 had received before being found by the BF-109 (note the left stab on the B-17) - you can learn more about the artwork on this page.

 War is hell... but thank God for mercy.

Painting by John D Shaw titled the same as the book: A Higher Call (image: valorstudios)