Indy Transponder 17-OCT-2011 1000z

Hoppers Video Ready to Launch!  from Airspeed by Stephen Force (Steve Tupper)  I finally had the opportunity on Saturday to finish editing the video that I shot while embedded with The Hoppers at the Battle Creek Airshow and Balloon Festival July 1-2 this supper. The team flew seven cameras and one audio unit on each of two performance hops. And I flew in the trunk of both the No. 3 ship and the No. 4 ship on the Saturday of the show to capture shots with a hand-held unit.  The weather was pretty overcast and visibility was low on both days. For those of you who kind of like the slightly sinister effect that that weather imparts, I did it especially for you. For those who much prefer sunlight glinting off of the aircraft, I did what I could with color correction without washing out the footage or making it look as though the Easter Bunny had thrown up on it…

Breitling Jet Team's spectacular show - AirNews Times | Jet aircraft, performing the world's largest and only professional flight crew having the characteristics of Breitling Jet Team, the Turkish Air Force's 100th organized a special show for the celebration of the Golden Horn in Istanbul. 9 pilot team of specially trained French military origin, the first show in Turkey Eyup, Sishane and they can be seen in Sütlüce…

Marshall University Winds Stops Gold Team  from US Army Golden Knights by Richard Sloan | The Golden Knights were invited back to Marshall University in Huntington West Virginia to perform at the homecoming game.  However the winds in rare form at the stadium were over 30 miles per hour.  Unfortunately the team was not able to jump just moments before the kick off at 3:05 p.m. against Rice University…

All eyes on the sky - Waikato Times | And the Royal New Zealand Air Force Red Checkers had everyone craning their necks to see their polished formation flying on Saturday. Mr Mitchell said an attempt to break a microlite fly-in record currently held by South Africa had to be abandoned ...

Passionate Pilot Longmont resident inducted into Colo. Aviation Hall of Fame - Longmont Daily Times-Call | Bonde will be inducted today into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame. He is one of seven folks, and the sole one from Longmont, to be honored this year. The hall of fame is an ongoing project that the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame started in 1969. ...

WWII plane still helping troops overseas - KPLC-TV | The old military plane was primarily used as a transport unit for paratroopers and cargo during World War II. Nearly 70 years later the large plane is still a work horse. Owner and pilot John Kiedinger said it's now used for research and development of ...

Texas Antique Fly-In 2011  from Another Time by Dan Linn | The forecast was clear skies and light winds for this weekends Texas Antique Fly-In.  So I gassed up and flew the 170 the short flight north to Gainesville, Texas. This year my buddy Keith Moody rode along for the early morning flight up.  We arrived to 10 to 15 airplanes on the field and joined some friends enjoying the pancake breakfast.  As the morning passed the airplanes kept arriving.  We stopped to inspect airplanes around the field with the occasional stop to say hello to friends.  A few of this years highlights include a Rearwin Cloudster, Stinson SR-10, Howard DGA, DC-3, Call-air, N3N and Temco Pinto...

Sackman Airport Fly-In in Columbia, IL Is a Fall Tradition  from The Aero Experience by Carmelo Turdo | Sackman Airport in Columbia, IL held it's annual fly-in today - a typical clear but windy fall day in southwest Illinois.  Among the machines on display were planes and automobiles, with a few trains also on the nearby Union Pacific tracks.  Here are some scenes from today's event…

Hot air balloon festival ends in Palo Duro Canyon - ConnectAmarillo.com powered by KVII | The pilots fly in festivals all over the country. The Amarillo festival is held once a year, usually the week after the festival in Albuquerque. This year's festival began with a balloon glow Friday night at the Don Harrington Discovery Center. ...

Little Egypt Fly-In at Mount Vernon Outland Airport Brings Variety of Aircraft  from The Aero Experience by Carmelo Turdo | This year's Little Egypt Fly-In at Mount Vernon Outland Airport featured a variety of aircraft from around the central Illinois area.  Along with Young Eagle flights, helicopter and Waco rides, there were RC aircraft, military uniforms and farm tractor displays as well.  Special thanks to Airport Manager Chris Collins and his staff for making this yet another successful Mount Vernon event.  Here are some scenes from Saturday…

WWII-era planes return to Burlington - Burlington Times News | The tour will bring a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator and a North American P-51 Mustang to the airport. “This is a rare opportunity to visit, explore, and learn more about these unique and rare treasures of aviation history,” ...

Two stories  from Pit Lizards, Unlimited by sandramore | This was shared with me by an elderly Air Force veteran, and it’s worth passing on. A lot of heroes came out of World War II. One of them was a fighter pilot named Butch O’Hare. Lt. Commander O’Hare was assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington, patrolling the South Pacific.  One day the entire squadron was sent on a mission. Upon becoming airborne, Butch looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He wouldn’t have enough fuel to complete the mission and return to the carrier. He informed the flight leader, who ordered him to drop out of formation and head back to the fleet. Reluctantly, Butch did so…

How to Fly the B-17 Flying Fortress  from AviationChatter.com by Pat Flannigan | “Maybe airplanes are a bit like people. You don’t really get to know them until after you’ve lived with them a while.” At least that’s what the narrator says in this 1943 Army Air Force training film. Even though this video and the associated technology is over 70 years old, a lot of the information is still relevant to pilots today. They stress the importance of checklist usage, reminders to trim the airplane and even crew resource management…

Video: MythBusters Prove Advanced Aerodynamic Duct-Tapelogy  by Martt |  I put a post up almost 2 years a go on the Alaskan story from 2009 about a bear that ripped up a Super Cub... and how the pilot fixed it well enough to fly it back to home base with a boatload of of duct tape. And now, the MythBusters are doing their part to see if this story is confirmed, plausible or busted! ...

Duct Tape Airplane On Mythbusters  from AVwebFlash Current Issue | Can an airplane covered with duct tape actually fly? That question seems to have already been answered in 2009 by an Alaska pilot who fixed significant bear damage to the fuselage and tail of his Super Cub with the fabled repair-all and reportedly flew it away, presumably toward a more permanent solution…

Today in Aviation History – October 17  from Calgary Recreational and Ultralight Flying Club by bikeal