Indy Transponder 14-JAN-2011 1100z

EAA News - Rebuilding the Prototype XP-82 Twin Mustang from http://www.eaa.org/ Not long ago, Tom Reilly, EAA 802376/Warbirds 552913, and his warbird restoration group got started on a restoration that, when finished, will resurrect one of the rarest airplanes in the world: the Merlin-powered North American P-82 (Twin Mustang) prototype, the only one of an estimated 60 built planned to fly…

B-29 left side gunners view of escorting P-51s from Planeshots | B-29 left side gunners view of escorting P-51s:

The North American P-51D Mustang from J Clark | One airplane which has always mesmerized me was the North American P-51D Mustang.  Truly, the airplane and the pilots who flew her into combat were in a class of their own. When I started flying in 1971, I came across my first issue of Trade-A-Plane.  I would learn Trade-A-Plane was the primary publication for those seeking to become aircraft owners or who were just dreaming.  I was amazed at the number of used aircraft available for sale throughout the United States.  I will never forget underneath the column, North American Aviation, finding flyable P51-D Mustangs for a mere $15,000…

Another Cure for Range Anxiety from CAFE Foundation Blog by Dean Sigler | Or at least an approach to provide angst-free cross-country flying, as Michael Friend explained in his Electric Aircraft Symposium presentation last April at Rohnert Park, California.  Friend, a Boeing engineer closely tied to the company's early fuel cell work, is the owner and pilot of N787M, one of the earliest production kit Silence Twisters.

"What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?" from ExpressJet Forum by BMD | "What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?" | Brian Shul, Retired SR-71 Pilot, via Plane and Pilot Magazine | As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give
you a little more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute…

Women In Aviation Announce Pioneer Hall Of Fame Inductees For 2011 from avstop.com | Women in Aviation, International has announced the new members of its Pioneer Hall of Fame. These women will be inducted into the Pioneer Hall of Fame during WAI's 22nd Annual International Conference which will be held on February 24-26, 2011, at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. The ceremony will take place at the closing banquet on Saturday, February 26, 2011…

F2Y Sea Dart — Part 2 from Travel for Aircraft by travelforaircraft | Part 1 posted previously on 12 January and described the Sea Dart design as well as listing where the four remaining examples are located — thankfully, three of them are on public display. This post serves to illustrate the unique hydroskis or the Sea Dart, one of only two waterborne jet powered fighter aircraft to fly. These hydroskis gave the Sea Dart its potential to be based almost anywhere in the world whether the location was a tropical isle, an estuary or inland water body…

Greg Baker from Flight To Success by Karlene Petitt | Far too often local heroes go unnoticed--- They're just too busy doing their hero stuff to stand up and take a bow. Today I'm celebrating a local hero: Gregory Baker. Pilot and part owner of Classic Helicopter Corp / SeattleHelitours.com  Greg is probably cringing at the thought of the hero status I've given him, but he deserves it…

Flying the S.79 over the Mediterranean Sea (the Damned Hunchback vs Royal Navy in WWII) by David Cenciotti | Nicknamed "Gobbo Maledetto" (Italian for "Damned Hunchback") for its distinctive fuselage "hump", the S.79 "Sparviero" is one of the most famous Italian aircraft of WWII. It was originally designed as a passenger transport aircraft and was used by the Regia Aeronautica in the bomber and torpedo-bomber…

Today in Aviation History – January 14 from Calgary Recreational and Ultralight Flying Club by bikeal

Long March 2F from High Power Rocketry by R2K:

NASA Updates Shuttle Target Launch Dates For Two Flights from Aero-News Network | February, April Now Most Likely For Next Missions NASA is targeting 1650 EST on Thursday, Feb. 24, for the launch of space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. The liftoff of shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 flight is planned for 1948 EDT on April 19, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida…

SpaceShipTwo glide flight picture from RLV and Space Transport News | Virgin Galactic posts a picture of SpaceShipTwo and its contrail from the water dump during today's glide test flight: Glide Flight 04: Successful Test Flights Continue - Virgin Galactic. Update: Leonard David reports on the flight: Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship Aces Another Glide Test - Space.com