PropBlast

Chris Woods, a filmmaker and P-51 Pilot, has put together an amazing short documentary about the venerable P-51 Mustang and the brave young men who flew them into battle win WWII by focusing on the story of his neighbor and WWII Mustang ace Jim Brooks.

Woods' project began when he began restoration of a basket-case Mustang and discovered that the plane was named "February" amd was originally flown by his neighbor Brooks. You can watch this amazing HD movie on AirShowBuzz website or viewing the embedded video below. Or better yet, go to Amazon.com or the GrayEagles.org foundation website to order your own copy of the DVD. For every copy purchased, the Foundation will donate another copy to an educational institution so that youngsters can not only learn about these great men and fantastic machines but, perhaps, to help inspire them to great things as well. As Siskel and Ebert would say "Two Thumbs Up!"

Tags: p-51, movies, wwii

I stumbled on some new aviation podcasts that I've added to my phone (Android if you must know) for those times when I wish I was flying and can't (which seems to be all the time these days). To get to the meat of the matter:

• Mile High Flyers Podcast - I heard this podcast mentioned on another podcast (sorry, don't remember which one) and figured I'd give them a try. This is another hanger flying podcast but what is nice is that it is just regular guys (and Z), not aviation professionals. However, what I really liked about them is that they provided me with leads on a  whole bunch of other podcasts I hadn't heard about. Subscribe to Mile HIgh Flyers Podcast.
• Unusual Attitudes Podcast - This is self-billed as the first Aviation Podcast with and iTunes Adult Content tag. And deservedly so! The language is blue but it is probably closer to a REAL hanger-flying session than any of the others; an observation based largely on the fact that they don't censor themselves and take relish if raking each other over the coals whenever possible. The URL listed above may NOT be their ultimate location as it doesn't work know and they mentioned they might change the name (another aviation podcast is using this for their occasional postings. You'll find that you can subscribe using the following URL but YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED: This is not for the weak of knees or who shrink at foul (fowl?) language: Subscribe to Unusual Attitudes Podcast.
• Desert Pilot Podcast -   I haven't had the opportunity to listen to this podcast yet but if the blog is any indication, it should have some good stuff in it: Subscribe to Desert Pilot Podcast
• Plane Crazy Down Under -  This aviation-based podcast is self-described as having a focus on Asia/Pacific area. I haven't had an opportunity to listen to any episodes yet but I've heard good things about it.:  Subscribe to Plane Crazy Down Under podcast.

Tags: podcasts

Okay, if this isn't an excuse to get a rotorcraft rating, I don't know what is...

If this idea ever gets off the ground (pun intended) it should be able to cruise at 130 knots and cover about 43 knots per charge. Not a lot of range that is for sure but how long can YOU lay prone and hold your head so you can face forward?

Tags: rotorcraft

Stumbled across this humorous parody song and had to share it with you all. Our hats off to those Northwest pilots on Flight 188 for inspiring this hilarity.

And here's a YouTube video of it:

BTW - For those interested, here is the flight track of their flight:

Tags: humor

Garmin is launching a new line of dual-boot GPS units that will work equally as well in the car as they do in the air. The new aera line of portable GPS units can be booted in Aviation mode or Automotive mode (which simulates a Garmin Nuvi). One of the biggest features on this 4.3 inch-screened unit include touch screen to drive the normal Garmin aviation screens such as Map, Weather, Terrain, DirectTo, HSI/Panel, Active Flight Plan, Numbers, Nearest, Waypoint Info, position, XM radio and Tools.

MSRP on these items should be as follows:

• aera 500 - $799
• aera 510 - $1299 (same as 500 except it includes XM receiver for weather)
• aera 550 - $1499 includes advanced auto features including Navteq traffic compatibility over 500 and 510 model. Aviation mode improvements over the smaller models include high-res terrain database, SafeTaxi charts, AOPA director and one year free aviation database updates.
• aera 560 - $1999 (same as 550 except it includes XM receiver for weather)

If anyone is at the AOPA convention this week, we'd love to hear your comments on this product!

Tags: garmin, aopa

Garmin recently launched their G3000 system and manufacturers have begun jumping on the bandwagon; committing installations into upcoming offerings like the HondaJet and PipeJet. This new system offers a touchscreen interface to replace mechanical knobs and switches. Kinda makes that old “Cirrus Perspective G1000" system seem outdated in comparison.

Seeing the demonstrator interface with system reminds one more of working with an iPhone or an Android cell phone what with all the gestures to initiate scrolling of the interface as well as typing on virtual keypads/keyboards. One only hopes that this system is less likely to “stop and think” about keypresses like my Android phone does from time to time. I can barely put up with that on my phone; the last thing I want in a avionics interface is having to wait for it to respond to my input!

Aside from that, this is pretty darn cool technology!

Tags: avionics, garmin

Flying doctor to Tangier Island

Pass it on!

Tags: general aviation serves america

General Aviation serving farmers

Pass it on!

Tags: general aviation serves america

Chopper Chick pointed out this great selection of aviation photos posted in the news lately on Boston.Com website.

At left is an EXTERMELY low pass by a Mig-35 in Russia. Amazing the difference between how low and close to crowds they can fly as opposed to here in the states.

This collection of photos has a great mix of airshow and normal aviation photos of fixed wing and rotor craft that should be checked out by anyone with a love of aviation.

Tags: photos

Medical service for rural New England

Pass it on!

Tags: general aviation serves america

Morgan Freeman speaks on the value of General Aviation to the general public

Pass it on!

Tags: general aviation serves america

Here is a link to a thread in the Aviation Photographers of Southern California thread on Firefighting Aircraft pictures. Here are some of my favs…

Another instance of General Aviation serving America in it’s time of need!

Tags: general aviation serves america

New public service announcements from GAServesAmerica.com.

Pass it on!

Tags: general aviation serves america

Not only is AirShowBuzz TV is offering a chance to ride in a P-51 Mustang, but the ride is with "The Horsemen"; the world's only P-51 Formation Aerobatic Team!

This would be the opportunity of a life time and all it takes is a few moments of your time and a little personal information at http://www.asb.tv/p-51. They are doing this to celebrate the premier of their brand new TV show “The Horsemen Cometh”.

I LOVE the concept of this TV Series (not sure at this point if it is online only or if we’ll see this on the Military Channel, Speed or ??? anytime soon). unfortunately, they don’t seem to make it easy to find just the videos of the show on their website. Seems to me the show should have it’s own page, prominently linked from the website… Ok, I guess that I should take part of that back. Just hacking around with URLs, I tried http://www.asb.tv/horsemen/ and much to my surprise, it worked! Of course I would argue that this really should be prominently featured on their site as this is probably more relevant to most users than the advertisement to buy an AirShowBuzz TV commemorative coin.

On the whole, great photography, great airplanes, a must for any fan of the greatest piston fighter ever (IMHO). Oh, and here is what ASB.TV says about the show:

The Phrase “The Horsemen” often evokes images of mystery and power. Today, the Horsemen ride again, this time as the world’s only P-51 formation aerobatic team.

Now AirshowBuzz has harnessed the thundering power of the Horsemen’s three P-51 Mustangs to represent the heartbeat of a new beginning.

For the past year, AirshowBuzz has been quietly creating a pioneering network that will transform your computer into the next generation of television.

Soon AirshowBuzz.com will be called ASB.TV and just like the mighty Mustang, the new ASB.TV is powerful, graceful, and full of adventure.

ASB.TV is NEW TV. it’s high def, interactive, and revolutionary. The “Horsemen Commeth” promo is just a rumble of our thunder to come.

NOTE: Edited 8/13/2009 to correct the URL to the Horsemen microsite.

Tags: airshows, p-51, contest, free

If you are looking for a worthwhile organization to support, then the VAC is probably one of the best. They provide

Here are some links to the story on MSNBC’s website:

• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#31495902 (Brian Williams/Natalie Morales)
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#31071375 (Interview with founder)

Tags: volunteerism

Our thoughts go out to the family of Ed McMahon who passed away this week. While known best as Johnny Carson’s sidekick for years, Mr. McMahon served with distinction during two wars in the USMC.

During WWII, flew as an instructor in Corsairs (http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=3562) and was recalled for service during the Korean War where he flew OE-1 observation planes (the Marine Corp designation for the venerable Cessna L-19)(http://waltshiel.com/2009/06/23/ed-mcmahon-marine-bird-dog-pilot/).

A tip of the wing to a true gentleman.

Tags:

NTSB update released yesterday leaves many questions unanswered.

The report goes into great detail about the wreckage information (what was found where, etc) but not much that tips their hand as to where the investigation is going. I know these folks are great at their jobs as investigators but one has to wonder how they can figure out what happened when so little information is available.

The plane, which appears to have never had any maintenance performed on it and who’s fuel was found to be free of contamination or anomolies, just appears to have dropped out of the sky. Speculation abounds on whether this might have been an in-flight breakup given the pilot’s report to line staff at his last stop about turbulence that really had him shaken up to the point that he waited out the winds for over 2 hours before continuing on with his journey. However weather reports for the time don’t really indicate that this would be the cause.

Well keep posting more on this as we find out more about it.

Tags: sad

For those of you who’ve been following this blog, you’ll not be surprised about my enthusiasm for this event! I’ve posted before about the Antilles Super Goose which seems to be very similar in terms of philosophy: take a venerable flying boat design from the middle of the last centrury and bring it up to date with modern composits, engines and avioinics.

You can find more information about this project at the Gweduck website. Their first flight took them up to 1500 feet over Lake Washington in Seattle. When you look at the fuselage in profile, it seems that they have taken quite a few departures from the Widgeon that inspired it. Most notably, it takes on more of the shape of a modern float than the more bulbous shape of the old Grummans.

Anyone got one on order that they could take me up in? Or if you were there for any of the flight testing, please leave us a comment below. Or leave us a note even if you are just interested in the rebirths of the flying boats!

Tags: seaplanes

Our condolences go out to the family of Bernard Laferriere, president of Explorer Aeronautique, as well as to the employees and investors of the same firm that produces the Ecoflyer and Private Explorer that we poked fun at in an earlier posting.

Laferriere was killed Tuesday, reports AvWeb, while en route to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec in an Ecoflyer. While no details of the crash are yet available from the NTSB, we hope that this unique aircraft, and Laferriere’s legacy, will fly on.

Tags: sad, lsa

Want to help? If you’d like to, you can donate to Veterans Airlift Command via their website . Better yet, if you are a pilot, or know one, consider signing as a mission pilot with the Veterans Airlift Command.

I’ve not had the honor of being able to fly a mission yet but hope to when I can make it happen.

Tags: duty, honor

I was browsing through the excellent photos from Sun/Fun on AvWeb and found something odd about this airplane.

They had it listed in Light Sport section of photos and the first thing that caught my eye was that it seemed a bit, what’s the word, bloated? I mean, this flyer must be designed for the average American today rather than they mythical 180 pound adult from the 50’s. This is the most bulbous Light Sport I’ve ever seen.

Then it hit me, even though they’ve got an engine in this thing (or so it appears), the tail is propped up! Perhaps the engine really isn’t in there after all…Here’s a picture of “the biggest LSA ever designed and built” according to the factory website:

Of course, this is the same company that is developing the Private Explorer, described as “the first camping plane” that will deliver a “’Winnebago’-style cabin and a big useful load”. That one is even going to come with bed, table, fridge, stove, toilet, shower, water pump, heater, opening screen window and lighting!

Tags: lsa, humor

William Steele stopped by the virtual PropBlast hangar today to drop us a note about what is new and exciting with the VirtualHUD we talked about in an earlier post called HUD for the Masses. Evidently he had been exhibiting his technology at the Sebring Light Sport Expo. You can read his comment on the above post describing what Corky Fornof of LoPresti (mentioned in an earlier post about the Fury) thought of his technology. Perhaps we’ll see some more about this innovative technology in the traditional press if the LoPresti folks do some testing with it.

more

Here is a video from their website (hosted on YouTube) that shows the Highway In The Sky (HITS) capability during the daytime.

William mentions that the flickering you see is a limitation of the video camera’s inability to reproduce what the eye sees. This makes perfect sense since the the frame rate of the video camera will interfere with the visibility of the display that is projected on the back of the screen.

Here is a video showing a high resolution overlay that is superimposing a Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) projection of a the view ahead of you at night:

Note, this demo is being done inside using a RC propeller as opposed to the real thing. Taking advantage of new, lower cost FLIR systems (like those offered as optional in the Cirrus and Husky) he is going into production on his VirtualHUD NightVU system for just under $7500! Of course, this assumes you already have the FLIR system installed but how fantastic to have it projected across the propeller arc rather than being limited to a 2, 3 or even 6” display down out of your live of site?

William and company will be exhibiting at Sun-And-Fun (April 21-26) so if you are down in Florida for this event, stop by their booth (outside Hangar A in booth N-96) and tell them PropBlast sent you! And if you do go, stop by here and leave us a comment and let us know what you think after seeing the technology in person.

Tags: virtualhud, technology

Ok, despite their protestations that “You probably know us as innovators and high tech engineers but in a lot of ways we're really quite old school.”, these guys pay attention to the industry and are releasing/marketing their new plane right!

Perhaps I should back up a bit though and admit that I’m a big fan-boy of this plane ever since I first saw images of it. The LoPresti Fury is essentially a Globe Swift beaten into submission by the aerodynamic boffins at LoPresti.

Performance specs on this plane are listed as follows on their website:

Red Line speed - 285 MPH
Max speed (Lycoming IO360) - 222 MPH
Cruise speed - 215 MPH
Stall Speed (flaps) - 54 MPH
Fuel Burn 75% - 10 GPH
Range (with 45 minute reserve) - 1000 SM
Rate of climb (at sea level) - 1350 FPM
Service Ceiling - 21,000 FT
Design Gross Weight - 2300 LBS
Empty Weight - 1450 LBS
Useful Load - 850 LBS
Engine - Lycoming IO 360A1B6
Horsepower  - 200 HP
Wing Loading  - 16.6 LB/SQ FT
Fuel Capacity (Useable Fuel)  - 60 GAL
Wing Area  - 138.6 SQ FT
Wing Span  - 29.3 FT
Cabin Width  - 44 IN
Cabin Height  - 45 IN
Wheel Base  - 12 FT 5 IN
Baggage Capacity - 200 LBS
Fully Aerobatic (exceeds FAA +/- G aerobatic requirements)
Ultimate Load 7+G's
Military style HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick)
Dual independent redundant brake systems
Curved parallax correction instrument panel
Roller bearing jet design push rod controls
Sequenced main gear doors
RAM boost air induction
Custom gauge selection (Analog or Digital instruments)
Completely flush riveted

This is not some fly-by-night wanna-be plane designers who plan on taking deposits and disappearing into the night. When you place an order for a new plane (the first year’s production of 60 is already sold out) the only deposit you need to make is $35k certificate of deposit (CD) in YOUR NAME ONLY. This means that you are free to take your money out and walk away at any time. Your agreement is that they can’t touch that CD until they have scheduled your plane for production and given you the 90-180 day window for build time. The balance of the cost of the plane isn’t due until your personal aircraft’s empennage has been skinned.

The capper on the whole thing is their anticipate delivery process. They claim the delivery process is going to be a one week process that will include going through their Top Gun Combat training program! I love the idea of rolling a transition training program into a Top Gun aerial combat format. What a fantastic way to get your attention.

I’m guessing I’ll need to put out a tip jar now if I ever plan on getting one of these babies though.

Want to learn more about this fun little steed? You can check out the LoPresti Fury site or visit Plane&Pilot’s pirep of the Fury. Tell us what you think about this sexy little beast in the comments section below.

Tags: lopresti fury, airplanes, acrobatic

In case you didn't see this posted on AvWeb, here it is for your consideration!

Tags: cirrus, the-jet

Hot on the heels of yesterday's published high-speed taxi tests, Aero-News Network has more photos and store about the first flight of "The-Jet" from Cirrus!

After an uneventful 45-minute test flight the new plane landed safely at Duluth International, home to Cirrus Design. I know someone who just can't WAIT to get his hands on one of these....

The quote of the day from this article is "Billed proudly by Cirrus as the "slowest, lowest and cheapest jet available"." I don't know, 300 knots at FL250 is nothing to sneeze at! You can learn more about "The-Jet" at it's dedicated website: http://www.the-jet.com/.

THIS JUST IN: AvWeb has also posted a story about this with many more (and better) pictures.

Tags: cirrus, the-jet