Indy Transponder 22-NOV-2013 1315z

Relocation will allow air show to expand, organizers say - Post-Tribune | FAIR OAKS — Air show enthusiasts will have to head about 45 miles south next summer when the South Shore Air Show relocates to Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. The unique partnership was announced by the two entities in a news conference Thursday and shifts the focus of the air show from the shoreline to the only agritourism venue of its kind in the state...

St. Tammany CAP participates in regional fly-in, salutes veterans - CAP | LOUISIANA – The St. Tammany Composite Squadron of Civil Air Patrol recently participated in the St. Tammany Regional Airport Fly-In, which included a salute to U.S. veterans. Sixteen single and multi-engine civilian and prior military aircraft landed at the airport. “It was an honor to serve the pilots, especially the veterans,” said St. Tammany squadron Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Sarah Nogueras. Joining the St. Tammany squadron at the fly-in were the Billy Mitchell Senior Squadron from New Orleans and the Ponchartrain and Alvin Callendar composite squadrons.

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: L-39 Albatross Is the Jet of Choice for Airshows - The Aero Experience | Airshow organizers across the country faced a dilemma during the 2013 season: what jet aircraft performers to offer in the place of the idled USAF Thunderbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet teams. In some cases, the entire event collapsed for lack of a suitable substitute for the excitement of these military jet team headliners, while other airshow organizers persevered with innovative civilian jet teams and solo acts that successfully...

Video: Big jet that landed at wrong airport takes off safely - WTHR | WICHITA -The Boeing 747 jumbo cargo jet that mistakenly landed at a small Kansas airport yesterday evening, instead of at a nearby Air Force base where it was supposed to land, took off safely Thursday afternoon. The runway at the airport in Wichita is just 6,100 feet long -- much shorter than it should be for the takeoff of a plane like that. But airport officials said the plane should be able to take off....

'Flying Tigers' exhibition celebrates ROC-US air squad - Focus Taiwan News Channel | Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) An exhibition opened Friday to commemorate military cooperation between the United States and Republic of China during World War II, marking 70 years since the establishment of the Flying Tigers air squads. The exhibition, which features photos, relics and even a combat flight simulator, memorializes the contributions of the squads of American and Chinese pilots -- and brings back old memories for some...

Andre is Pilot of the Year - Kormorant | Hartbeespoort paragliding pilot, Andre Rainsford-Alberts, was awarded the coveted Lewis-Lang Trophy at the annual Aero Club of South Africa Awards function recently. This trophy is awarded to the 'Pilot of the Year'. This is the first time a ...

The Birth of American Aerobatics - Hiller Aviation Museum | In January 1910, the first air show in the United States was held at Dominguez, California, just a short road or rail journey from Los Angeles. Over a quarter million people flocked to the meet, with most seeing an airplane fly for the first time in their lives...

San Diego Air & Space Museum receives Atlas rocket film collection - San Diego Source | Lockheed Martin and United Launch Alliance have donated about 3,000 reels of 16-millimeter film on Atlas space launch vehicles and missiles to the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The collection will be digitized and put online for public access...

Meet Fitz Fulton - Air & Space Magazine | The photograph shows a boy of five or six, jug-eared and happy, holding on to the wing strut of a biplane. Taken in rural Blakely, Georgia, in the early 1930s, the image captures the joy afforded by small pleasures during hard times. But what boy would not be cheered by being close to a real, honest-to-goodness airplane? His mother evidently sensed the effect on her son, for she labeled the photo “1st. Love.”...

CAF Officially Votes to Relocate Headquarters 11/21/13 - KOSA | Midland - Officials with the Commemorative Air Force have confirmed that the headquarters is leaving West Texas. CAF members had to vote on the proposal earlier this year, for it to become final, 75 percent of the votes had to be in favor. Well the numbers are in and according to CAF President Stephan Brown, it passed by 75 point one percent, passing by only two or three votes...

Navy X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Completes Carrier Tests - Aero-News Network | The Navy concluded another round of carrier testing Nov. 19 to further demonstrate and evaluate the X-47B unmanned air system integration within the aircraft carrier environment. Tests aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) included deck handling, carrier approaches and landings in off-nominal wind conditions, digitized ship systems interfaces, and concept of operations development...

Zee.Aero's flying car concept would fit in a standard parking space - Gizmag | Zee.Aero, a small company located near the GooglePlex, home to Google, is working on a flying car concept that can take off and land vertically using a plethora of small electric motors turning four-bladed propellers. According to illustrations ...

Indy Transponder 21-NOV-2013 1745z

Dubai Airshow Closes Early as Storm Collapses Roof, Floods Main Hall - Defense News | DUBAI — The Dubai Airshow has shut down after stormy weather hit the city on Thursday morning, causing a roof collapse and flooding at the venue’s main exhibition hall. Organizers say the show, which began on Sunday and was supposed to run through Thursday, will not reopen and warned the public, exhibitors and contractors to steer clear of the venue...

Photos: Dubai Airshow hit by flooding and thunderstorms - Arabian Business

Dubai Air Show amazed with JF-17 Thunder attainments - News Tribe | Dubai Air Show provided an international platform to at least 200 companies across the Globe willing to exhibit their aviation products and aircrafts. The PAC JF-17 Thunder, or CAC FC-1 Xiaolong, is a light-weight, single-engine, multi-role combat ...

Photos: U.S. Navy Blue Angels Hornet Crew Pays Visit to St. Louis - The Aero Experience | Two members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Aerial Demonstration Team arrived at Spirit of St. Louis Airport this afternoon in their Number 7 F/A-18D Hornet. Lt. Ryan Chamberlain, No. 7 Narrator, and Lt. Commander Michael Cheng, Events Coordinator, are visiting the St. Louis area for non-public events today and tomorrow before departing tomorrow afternoon...

South Shore Air Show lands new home at Fair Oaks - nwi.com | ...The 2013 South Shore Air Show was canceled because of the impact of federal budget sequestration. Batistatos said with the recent cancellation of the Indy Air Show, the move will draw even more visitors. The show, which traditionally took place at the beaches of Marquette Park in Miller and has featured Thunderbirds and F-22s, was sponsored by the city of Gary in its early years. Admission to the show always has been free and, since 2007 has been financed by a group of supporters, including the SSCVA....

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: Helicopters and Gyrocopters - The Aero Experience | EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is known for attracting a wide variety of aircraft in addition to the core homebuilt community. The Aero Experience continuing coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 now focuses on helicopters and gyrocopters from various manufacturers on display and on the flight line (excluding those in the "warbirds" and "airshow performers" groups to be featured in future posts). The main rotorcraft exhibit, the Heli-Center sponsored by Helicopter Association International (HAI), featured a Robinson R22 inside the...

Yankee Air Museum’s B-25 “Yankee Warrior” Birthday Celebration · Warbirds News | Airplanes are part of us aviation enthusiasts , for many they have a soul, a personality. They are almost like human creatures and as such they also have birthdays! On December 8,2013 the Yankee Air Museum’s B-25 “Yankee Warrior” is turning 70 years old , in fact this beautiful B-25D was manufactured by North American Aviation in Kansas City, Kansas in 1943 ans rolled out of the factory on December the 8th.For this day at the Yankee Air Museum Hangar 1 facility from 1-4pm museum’s members, volunteers , friends and family will celebrate this young lady in style...

Impressive Video Of The CAF Arizona Wing’s Bombers · Warbirds News | H5 is a production company which offers the convenience, technology and talent that make it easier than ever to capture brilliant, high definition aerial and ground videography. This video si an example.The company works has been broadcasted on national networks including History Channel and Discovery. IN occasion of the Veterans Day celebration...

75 years of Harvards' roar - Auckland stuff.co.nz | The distinctive roar of one of the world's most popular Warbirds aircraft will be heard over Ardmore this Sunday. The New Zealand Warbirds Association is holding an open day at its Ardmore Airport base to mark 75 years of service of the North American Harvard....

Congressional Gold Medal for Doolittle Raiders Would be Housed at Air Force Museum - ABC22 | WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Legislation moving through Congress would award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Doolittle Raiders of World War II and that medal would be housed in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved legislation that was co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown, and is endorsed by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. Brown introduced the legislation in the Senate...

VIDEO: Emotional tribute to B-17 crew 70 years on - Diss Express | Relatives of US airmen killed in an air crash in Redlingfield have paid their respects on the 70th anniversary of the disaster. In poignant scenes on Tuesday, a service at the memorial in the village paid tribute to the ten crew, serving with the 95th Bomb Group, who died when their plane crashed in Green Farm, Redlingfield, at about 8.30am on November 19, 1943...

World War I in Pictures - Air & Space magazine | In anticipation of next year’s world war I centennial, the United Kingdom’s Imperial War Museums and Alfred A. Knopf have produced a stirring retrospective: The Great War: A Photographic Narrative. The 20th century’s first titanic upheaval created a line between old world and new; when the war ended, almost nothing was the same as it had been...

Revenge of the Drones: target drone hits side of a Navy’s guided missile cruiser - The Aviationist | On Nov. 16, a Northrop Grumman BQM-74 target drone hit guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) punching a three to four foot hone in the side of the warship. The mishap occurred at 01.25 local time during a “tracking exercise during an air tracking event,” resulting in “minor injuries to two sailors,” according to Navy officials...

What's in an airport name? - CNN | ...We'll skip the presidential airports -- JFK, Reagan National and so on, and look at some of the less evident namesakes. Check out the gallery to meet the people behind the airport names.

Oops! Boeing cargo jet lands at wrong Wichita airport - CNN | A Boeing Dreamlifter landed at the wrong airport in Wichita, Kansas -- one with a runway apparently too short for the mammoth cargo plane to take off from again.... [Note: USA Today reports they will attempt to take off at 1pm EST]

Successful maiden flight of the world’s first green helicopter - sUAS | E-volo’s Volocopter is a revolution in aviation Made in Germany. Safer, simpler, and cleaner than normal helicopters, it has a unique way of moving – a groundbreaking innovation. The Volocopter is an environmentally friendly and emission-free private helicopter. Instead of one combustion engine, eighteen electrically driven rotors propel it....

Video: NASA Administrator Salutes International Space Station's 15th Anniversary - Spaceports | The station's first module, Zarya, launched from Russia on Nov. 20, 1998. The ISS now is the largest structure in space ever built, where international crews have occupied it since 2000...

Filmaker Biographies - Behind the Hangar Doors with #DisneyPlanes

KLAY HALL (Director) was born in Burbank, Calif. Mentored by several of Disney’s legendary “nine old men,” including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis and Ken Anderson, he received a Disney Scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts character animation program. Immediately upon graduation from CalArts, he was hired by The Walt Disney Studios to work on the featurette “Sport Goofy.” He subsequently joined Amblin Entertainment’s animated television series “Family Dog.” 

A two-time Emmy® nominee for his work on the hit animated television series “King of the Hill,” Hall also directed the popular “Natural Born Kissers” episode of “The Simpsons.” His additional television animation credits include “Father of the Pride” as supervising director and “A Wish for Wings That Work” as directing animator. In addition, he worked on the Rolling Stones’ music video “Harlem Shuffle.”

Hall returned to The Walt Disney Studios to direct “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” for Disneytoon Studios, a division of Walt Disney Animation Studios under the creative leadership of John Lasseter.

A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Hall is from an illustrious line of flyers and began drawing airplanes at an early age. His father and grandfather were both aviators, the former serving as a pilot in the Navy. Hall has flown in dozens of aircraft from World War II bombers to Vietnam-era Huey helicopters. He is also an ex-Motocross racer and still enjoys riding in his free time.

Hall resides Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.

KLAY HALL (Director)   ROGER BISHOP (Indy Transponder)
TRACI BALTHAZOR-FLYNN (Producer

TRACI BALTHAZOR-FLYNN (Producer) was born and raised in Southern California. Her early career in the entertainment industry began on the creative side as a background painter at Sony Pictures where she worked on many Saturday morning cartoons including “Extreme Ghostbusters.” She then segued into a management role on the studio’s CG productions including the popular animated television series “Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles.”

From there, Balthazor-Flynn was recruited by the Walt Disney Studios where she took on her first role as a digital production manager overseeing a team of technical directors and CG artists on such animated features as “Return to Never Land,” “Bambi II” and “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning.”

As she took on more responsibility, Balthazor-Flynn quickly rose through the executive ranks to support production for Disneytoon Studios, a part of Walt Disney Animation Studios under the creative leadership of John Lasseter. As director of production, Balthazor-Flynn was part of the team who helped launch the hit Disney Fairies film franchise. She has been instrumental in helping drive the expansion of Disneytoon Studios.

Balthazor-Flynn lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.

JEFFREY M. HOWARD (Screenplay by)

JEFFREY M. HOWARD (Screenplay by) is a staff writer at Disneytoon Studios where he serves as a member of the senior creative team. He has worked for Disney since 1998 as a screenwriter and creative executive on a wide range of animated movies.

Howard’s writing credits include the story and screenplay for “Tinker Bell,” the story for “Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue” and the story and screenplay for “Pixie Hollow Games.” He also contributed to the screenplays for “Disney Princess Enchanted Tales” and “Secret of the Wings.”

As director of creative affairs for Disneytoon Studios, Howard was involved in the development of more than 70 projects. He oversaw the story development and production of “Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas” and “Bambi II,” and helped create the stories for “Brother Bear II” and “The Three Musketeers,” among others.

Prior to his time at Disney, he worked in live-action development for Debra Hill Productions, and as an assistant to Hill on “Escape from L.A.,” “The Replacement Killers” and “Crazy in Alabama.”

Howard was born in California on Hamilton Air Force Base, just outside of San Francisco, and grew up in Allentown, Pa. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1991. Before moving to Los Angeles in 1995, he worked for a small TV station in Allentown (where he did everything from running the camera for local sports to being an on-camera reporter for a news magazine), and had a corporate video gig in Virginia.

Howard lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dachshund.

ART HERNANDEZ (Story Artist) DAN ABRAHAM (Head of Story)

DAN ABRAHAM (Head of Story) began his association with Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2005, and makes his debut as head of story on “Disney’s Planes.” In addition to his story credits at Disney, he has directed three Pixie Previews interstitial shorts for the Disney Channel and is currently directing a short called “The Vitaminamulch Air Spectacular.”

Born in Frankenmuth, Mich., Abraham got hooked on animation when he saw a theatrical reissue of the Disney classic “Lady and the Tramp” at age 10. He was deeply moved by the emotional scenes with Trusty and Jock chasing the dog catcher’s van. Drawing became a passion for him and he would go home from school each day to watch cartoons and practice.

Abraham was trained in traditional animation at Sheridan College in Toronto, graduating in 1993. He moved to Austin, Texas, to launch his career with Heart of Texas Productions, where he worked on several direct-to-video religious features and did clean-up animation on portions of the Warner Bros features “Space Jam” and “Quest for Camelot.” In 1999, he relocated to Vancouver to work on DreamWorks Animation’s home entertainment feature “Joseph: King of Dreams.”

Moving to Los Angeles in 2000, Abraham worked as a clean-up animator and animator for Klasky-Csupo on a variety of commercials, and also illustrated interactive children’s books and provided character design for The Learning Company. In 2005, he began an internship in story at Walt Disney Animation Studios, which led to fulltime roles at the Studio and at Disneytoon Studios.

Abraham was part of the story team and received credit for additional story on the first four “Tinker Bell” direct-to-DVD projects for Disneytoon Studios. For his role on “Disney’s Planes,” he oversaw a team of eight story artists in the challenging assignment of bringing a wide range of plane characters to life.

RYAN CARLSON (Art Director)

RYAN CARLSON (Art Director) began his association with Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1999 as an assistant animator/clean-up artist on such features as “The Emperor’s New Groove,” “Atlantis: The Lost Continent” and “Home on the Range,” and short films “The Little Match Girl” and “One by One.” He provided character design, concept art and worked with a talented team in creating the look and style of “Disney’s Planes.” 

Born in Palo Alto, Calif., Carlson recalls being interested in art as early as he could hold a crayon. He was fascinated with trucks and planes, and even joined the Civil Air Patrol and subscribed to aviation magazines while still in high school. He contributed cartoons and editorial drawings to his high school newspaper, and went on to study graphic design with an emphasis in illustration at San Jose State. In his senior year of college, Warner Bros. sponsored an innovative teleconferencing animation program, which gave Carlson a unique introduction to the art form, along with invaluable advice and critiques from top professionals.

After graduation, Carlson segued to his first professional assignment on the acclaimed Warner Bros. animated feature “The Iron Giant.” This led to a four-year stint as an assistant animator/clean-up artist with Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1999-2003. Carlson transitioned to character designer, background painter and visual development artist, with a variety of assignments including two years at Nickelodeon Animation Studios, where he worked on animated television shows including “Striperella.” He also served as a background painter on commercials for My Scene Barbie and for the Disney short “The Origins of Stitch.”

In 2005, Carlson began a two-year tour of duty with Disneytoon Studios, serving as art director on the first “Tinker Bell” direct-to-DVD feature. He helped to design Tinker Bell and her fairy friends for that film and provided additional visual development.

Carlson’s theatrical credits also include a role as art director on the 2011 animated feature “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil.”

Carlson’s work on “Disney’s Planes” allowed him to take his fascination with aviation to a whole new level. He had to explore the intricate details of each character’s mechanics and incorporate those authentic characteristics into the plane’s design and performance.

Carlson and his wife Wendy have two children, Abby and Bennett.

ART HERNANDEZ (Story Artist) began his association with Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1996 as an in-betweener on “Fantasia/2000,” and has been a character designer and story artist for Disneytoon Studios since 2004.

Born and raised in and around Los Angeles, Calif., Hernandez developed an interest in art and animation when he was just five years old. By the time he reached high school, he knew that he wanted to work for Disney, and found encouragement in that goal from several supportive teachers. After studying illustration at Antelope Valley College, he encountered Disney animator Ron Dias, who invited him to visit the Studio in 1993. He went on to study at the Animation Guild’s American Animation Institute, where he received some expert instruction in figure drawing and assistant animation from several Disney veterans.

A one-year gig at Turner Animation on “Cats Don't Dance” led to him being recruited by Disney. His first animation assignment at Walt Disney Animation Studios was as an in-betweener on the “Pomp and Circumstance,” “Firebird Suite” and “Steadfast Tin Soldier” segments of “Fantasia/2000.”  This was followed by credits as clean-up animator or assistant animator on such Disney features as “Hercules,” “Tarzan,” “Treasure Planet,” “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” and “Home on the Range,” among others. Additionally, he served a three-month stint as key assistant animator on the Warner Bros. 2003 feature “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.”

In 2004, Hernandez moved to Disneytoon Studios to provide character design (and assist acclaimed animator Andreas Deja) on the home entertainment release of “Bambi 2.” Around this time, he became interested in story and worked in that capacity on “Brother Bear 2” (for which he also did character design) and the first four “Tinker Bell” direct-to-DVD features. For his latest assignment on “Disney’s Planes,” Hernandez studied a vast array of aerial footage from classic films to documentaries. He became a virtual aviation expert and learned to incorporate the actual mechanics of planes into the personalities and actions for the film’s colorful plane characters. In addition to his current role as a head of story at Disneytoon Studios, he is also in the process of directing a new short.

THOMAS LEAVITT (Aerial Previs/Layout Artist)
JASON McKINLEY (Flight Supervisor)

SEAN BAUTISTA (Flight and Engineering Specialist)

THOMAS LEAVITT (Aerial Previs/Layout Artist) brings his expertise in previsualization (previs) and flight to his latest role. His credits include previs and layout (camera and staging) for six animated features and five student Emmy®-winning short films.

Born and raised in Glendale, Ariz., Leavitt was inspired by the Disney features of his childhood and developed an early interest in animation. His passion for the genre grew while making stop-motion Lego film while still in grade school. In high school, he studied the performing arts: choir, drama and band, and was a recipient of the first Imation Computer Arts Scholarship in 1998. He went on to receive a B.F.A. degree in animation from Brigham Young University, where he graduated in 2006. He won both a Student Emmy® Award and a Student Academy Award® for his short film “Turtles.” He went on to direct a team of 50 students on the senior project “Las Pinatas,” which won first place in the CG category of the Student Emmy® Awards. After graduation, Leavitt married his fiancé, Amanda, before moving to the east coast to launch his career.

Leavitt got his start in the animation industry at Blue Sky Studios in Greeenwich, Conn., where he worked on several feature films, including “Horton Hears a Who” (assisting designers in creating the look and feel of a CG Whoville), “Ice Age 3” (working in layout and previs), “Rio” (helping to create a camera language that enhanced the birds flight through the film in his role as camera and staging artist and previs), and “Ice Age 4” (creating 3D storyboards and blocking shots in his role as camera and staging artist). He also worked with a team of designers and an art director to create the 75th Anniversary 20th Century Fox logo in 2009.

He joined the previs team at Disneytoon Studios in June 2011 to work on “Disney’s Planes.” Leavitt and his wife have three children.

JASON McKINLEY (Flight Supervisor) came on board “Disney’s Planes” in 2012 to oversee the flight team. A pioneer in the world of aviation and flight animation, McKinley brought the unique skills and innovations he honed in creating spectacular aerial shots for the History Channel series “Dogfights,” and the 2012 Lucasfilm feature “Red Tails.” He played a key role in redesigning the sets to fit the flying scenes, and emphasized the need to use real proportions and real speed in the animation for believability and accuracy. He considers his work on “Disney’s Planes” to be the best aviation animation he’s ever helped to create.

A California native, McKinley was born in Oakland and raised in Danville. His fascination with airplanes began as a child, continuing throughout his life. McKinley graduated from UCLA in 1987 with a degree in psychology, but became interested in filmmaking during a three-year stint as personal assistant to director/film historian Peter Bogdanovich. Watching hundreds of classic films with the legendary director was the equivalent of a Masters class in cinema, and led to a decision to pursue a career in Hollywood.

While working on a television pilot, McKinley was introduced to the Video Toaster, Lightwave 3D (an award-winning 3D program) and his future wife (who was the editor on that project). After exploring and teaching himself 3D computer animation, he went on to form Radical 3D in 1994, a high-end CG animation company specializing in television and movie special effects. In 2006, McKinley (through Radical 3D) created the groundbreaking series “Dogfights” for the History Channel. Acting as co-executive producer, visual effects supervisor and director, he produced more than 30 hours of “Dogfights,” creating over 20 hours (nearly 5000 shots) of air combat visual effects. Additionally, he and his colleagues at Radical 3D have created amazing aerial animation for the film “Red Tails” and for the Tom Hanks-produced 4D “Beyond All Boundaries” film for the National World War II museum in New Orleans. The company, based in Culver City, Calif., has received both Emmy® and VES nominations for outstanding visual effects in animation and for large screen format films.

McKinley and his wife (who continues to run Radical 3D) have three children.

SEAN BAUTISTA (Flight and Engineering Specialist) brings nearly 40 years of piloting experience and a lifelong passion for flying to his role.

A former Air Force top gunner in the 194th Squadron with 16 years of military flying experience (including F16 and F4 fighter jets) and 27 years as a professional pilot for the major airlines, Bautista was called upon to assist the filmmakers in assuring accuracy in all dialogue and action scenes related to aviation.

Born in the Central Valley town of Atwater, Calif., Bautista became fascinated with planes and trains at an early age and started flying by age 16—he had his pilot's license by his senior year of high school. The son of an Air Force aviator and World War II bombardier, he received encouragement from his dad and two uncles, who were also pilots. Both of his brothers are pilots, and his son recently received his pilot’s.

Bautista graduated from Fresno State University in 1982, but took two years off during his studies to pursue aviation as a profession. In 1978, he went to work as a pilot for a Federal Express subcontractor, flying a Twin Beech aircraft, later deciding he really wanted to fly fighter jets. At one point, he was flying six days a week, twice a day, attending school full time, and working with the Air National Guard on weekends. This led to a pilot's training program at Reese Air Force base in Lubbock, Texas, and ultimately 16 years of military aviation experience. Bautista earned leadership awards at officer's school, and was at the head of his class in pilot training. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1986 as a major, and for the past 27 years has been a pilot for major airlines, serving as captain for 747s and other aircraft.

While pursuing his other passion—scaled railroading—with fellow enthusiast John Lasseter, Bautista met director Klay Hall, ultimately receiving an invitation to consult on “Disney’s Planes.”

Bautista, his wife and son live in Reedley, Calif., on a ranch that is also home to his Hillcrest & Wahtoke Railroad and his 15-inch gauge tracks and trains. 

From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters in 3D on Aug. 9, 2013, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters. For more information, check out Disney.com/Planes, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyPlanes and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures. 

Indy Transponder 24-JUN-2013 1045z

Jane Wicker Tribute cinziava | Dedicated to the memory of Jane Wicker, who lost her life while performing her Wing Walking demonstration on June 22, 2013, at the Vectron Dayton air show. This video contains footage of Jane that I've taken over the years.

The bar is set high for Atlantic City Airshow on Wednesday - Press of Atlantic City | This year's Atlantic City Airshow might not draw the record-breaking crowds of years past, but that doesn't mean it can't pack a significant economic punch, officials charged with marketing the show under new circumstances say. Crowd estimates in one report by the Center for Regional and Business Research at Atlantic Cape Community College place attendance at last year's show at a record 908,000. While that number might prove unattainable Wednesday, the measure of success for Greater Atlantic City Chamber President Joe Kelly will be how many people come to the resort who wouldn't have come on a typical Wednesday in June, before the heart of the summer...

Green Party Takes Aim at Austria’s Airpower Air Show - Warbird News | Austria’s premiere biannual air show, Airpower, has recently come under criticism from the Green Party. Airpower13 is being held this Friday and Saturday at Hinterstoisser Air Base located just north of of the town of Zeltweg, in the province of Styria....

Red Arrows provide real rush on Armed Forces Day - Belfast Newsletter
Thousands of people packed into Carrickfergus on Saturday for Armed Forces Day in Northern Ireland. This is the fifth year that Armed Forces Day has been held in the Province. National events won’t take place until next weekend with Armed Forces Flags being raised throughout the United Kingdom this week.

Check out the vintage warbirds, and notice some of the nose art, in this photo album. Unfortunately, they were all queued up for destruction :-(
Oh the stories that Ninety-Nines members tell about participating in the Women O... · Women of Aviation Worldwide Oh the stories that Ninety-Nines members tell about participating in the Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week celebrations. Rea the Ninety-Nines' magazine and enjoy.

Home grown hero receives aviator award - NBC40 | EGG HARBOR TWP. - "Acts of valor happen everyday, they're happening as we speak," says Lt. Col. Eric Grace. And one act of valor from Egg Harbor Wownship native is definitely not going unnoticed. "As a close air support pilot, we want to make sure that we can do everything we can to protect the friendlies on the ground." Protecting troops on the ground in Afghanistan was all that was on his mind back on February 8th of last year, as Grace made a groundbreaking decision by commanding the use of a low collateral missile, one that saved many soldiers lives...

Video: NASA's Flying 747 Observatory - AVweb | How do you cut a hole the size of a two-car garage door into the side of a 747 and fly with it at 0.8 Mach without turning the thing into a 300-ton organ pipe? In this exclusive AVweb video, find out how NASA did exactly this for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (or SOFIA). AVweb recently visited the program at its Palmdale, California headquarters.

Indy Transponder 14-APR-2012 1500z

Fast Lerner - News 4 Tucson's Danielle takes flight with the Thunderbirds - KVOA Tucson News | TUCSON - News 4 Tucson's Danielle Lerner had the rare privilege of flying with the US Air Force's Thunderbirds today - the F-16 squadron is in Tucson to perform at Davis Monthan's "Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona" Open House tomorrow...

Sonic boom from air show jets rattles Tucson area - AZFamily | A sonic boom during practice from an upcoming air show at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base broke some windows in homes and businesses in Tucson. Authorities say the incident was reported about 2:45 pm Friday in the midtown area as aircraft ...

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base - TucsonSentinel.com | The Thunderbirds, the Air Force's elite fighter jet demonstration team, screamed across the desert skies Friday afternoon in a practice run for VIPs and guests ahead of their weekend performance. The team was established at Luke Air Force Base in...

Robins AFB gears up for April air show with Blue Angels, 20 other performers... - The Republic | The US Navy's famous Blue Angels and many other flying performers will soon be taking to the skies in middle Georgia. Robins Air Force Base is gearing up for its annual air show the weekend of April 28 and 29. In addition to the headlining Blue Angels, ...

Air Show Pep-Rally For Area Students - KIII TV3 | Ahead of this weekend's air show at Naval Air Station-Kingsville, there was a pre-show pep rally Friday at Javelina Stadium on the Texas A&M University -Kingsville campus. The 90 minute show featured a flyover with several civilian and military ...

Air show prep already under way - News-Press Now | Once the FAA relinquishes control, the air space around Rosecrans will be controlled by Wayne Boggs, the air boss. The air boss manages air show activities on the ground and in the air. The weekend of activities will kick off Friday night, May 4, ...

AirFest set for Memorial Day weekend - Janesville Gazette | Also expected are the US Army Golden Knights, a US Air Force F-16, a P-51 Heritage Flight, Susan Dacy and "Big Red," and a jet-powered truck. According to the Black Diamond Jet Team website, the group is a seven-ship aerobatic, civilian-owned jet team ...

Blue Angels Hauled Through Jonesville MI - Mike Venturini | ...Today, I was informed that two Blue Angels Navy Jets were coming through Jonesville on flatbed trucks. I ran downtown just in time to see the last of the two Navy Fighters. It was so cool... 

BAFB prepares for worst case scenario at air show - KTBS | Planning for an event as big as the Barksdale Air Force Base Airshow involves specialized training for the unthinkable - an airplane crash. "We've created a bunch of injuries and so we have a lot of casualties, a lot of people that are badly hurt... 

Red Arrows to showcase skills at flight festival - This is Grimsby | The Grimsby Telegraph can reveal that the famed RAF aerobatic team is to perform its full display over Cleethorpes seafront on June 10, and bring the town's two-day celebration of the skies to an awe-inspiring close. world famous: The Red Arrows will...

No Red Arrows - No Problem, say visitors - Falmouth Packet | For the first time in four years, the world famous Red Arrows will not be performing at Falmouth Week this summer. In the past, they have drawn crowds numbering in the tens of thousands - but what affect, if any, will their absence have on the turnout ...

the Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant (via) from x planes

Air Show scavenger hunt to start Monday - Havelock News | By Drew C. Wilson A first-ever web-based scavenger hunt will be put on next week to boost interest in the upcoming Cherry Point Air Show. “The purpose of it is like any marketing initiative for the air show, to gain awareness and hopefully attendance,” ... 

Vintage WWII aircraft fly into Scottsdale - KPHO Phoenix | By Diana Kendall - email History buffs can get an up-close look at vintage WWII aircraft during the "Wings of Freedom" tour, honoring WWII veterans at the Scottsdale airport through April 16. Sponsored by the The Collings Foundation, the 110-city ...

The Aggie Air Flying Circus from sUAS News by Brett Whalin | Another positive use story and in essence something being undertaken by commercial operations in Europe and Australia. USU students are flying under COA’s hopefully before some of them finish their courses rules will be in place to make this a commercially viable operation in the USA. Those students will be leaving with valuable skills. Well done to the team from...

70th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid: Minnesota's Untold Story - FOX 9 News | On the Hornet's deck, there were 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers and 80 crew members anxiously preparing to make a daring mission in the outset of WWII. For each of the B-25s, this would be their final flight in a mission that began in Minneapolis...

100th anniversary of Royal Flying Corps celebrated at Yorkshire Air Museum - The Press, York | THE 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Flying Corps has been celebrated at the Yorkshire Air Museum. Marking the anniversary today, Ian Reed, director of the air museum, said: “The scope of our historic aircraft collection, which includes ...


Low pass from Planeshots

Humble hero could get lofty honor - Boston Globe | CONCORD - As America's first black naval aviator took to the sky over North Korea one frigid December afternoon in 1950, skeptics still questioned the wisdom of a racially integrated military. Critics feared that prejudice would bleed onto the ...

Lost Spitfires buried in Burma since WW2 - British Forces News | Twenty "lost" Spitfires that have remained boxed and buried in Burma since the Second World War could be recovered and flown again. David Cameron and Burmese president Thein Sein have agreed to work together to find and restore the historic aircraft as ...

Northrop Flying Wing N-1M (1941) from AIRBOYD.TV

Ready to fly the 4,000th from Randy's Journal by Randy Tinseth | When you talk about the world’s best-selling airplane, it’s easy to get lost in the mind boggling numbers. But today, we celebrated a milestone that really proves how wildly popular the 737 is with our customers—and shows just how busy our employees are in Renton...

Boeing Celebrates 4,000th Next-Generation 737 from PR Newswire: Aerospace/Defense | SEATTLE, April 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) executives and more than 500 employees, suppliers, union representatives and government officials joined China Southern Airlines to celebrate the 4,000th Next-Generation 737 at a special event today at Seattle's Boeing Field. The...

Space Shuttle and 747 Mating: In-Depth Look | Video from SPACE.com | The orbiter and its flying taxi, a retrofitted jumbo 747, have shared many a flight. Take a look at the history and development of the Mate-Demate Device (MDD) and catch a time-lapse of the joining of these two massive aerial machines....

Indy Transponder 31-OCT-2011 2345z

? (via) from x planes

Video: NAS Jacksonville Air Show Promo - ASB | Head to the birthplace of the USN Blue Angels for a fantastic show featuring the Blues, The Horsemen flying vintage Bearcats, Mike Goulian, Patty Wagstaff, Matt Chapman, and more.
  
Like the Blue Angels? There's an app for that - Pensacola News Journal | The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation last week released a Blue Angels app for both the iTunes and Android markets that allows mobile device users to get the latest news on the Blues. The app, which was released Oct. 25, includes current show schedules,...

Tryouts 2011: Jacket Day and Graduation — US Army Golden Knights | The United States Army Parachute Team, Golden Knights are the official aerial demonstration team for the US Army. Stationed at the home of the Airborne, Fort Bragg, NC.

Randolph AFB Heritage - ASB | The Heritage Formation today at Randolph AFB was something special. Many people don't get to see all of the planning and prep that go into a dissimilar formation as unique as an F-16 and P-47 combo. Timing, deconfliction, speeds, formation position etc...

Hundreds remember Red Arrows pilot - The Press Association | Hundreds of RAF service men and women have joined family and friends to remember a dedicated and inspirational Red Arrows pilot with an "infectious smile" at a memorial service. Flt Lt Jon Egging died in August while completing a Red Arrows display at ...

JMR Tech Demo - the Concepts from Ares by Graham Warwick | Now that all four teams are under contract to conduct configuration trades and analyses for the US Army's Joint Multi Role (JMR) technology demonstrator program, we have a glimpse of what they are studying for the JMR medium utility (UH-60 Black Hawk replacement) concept...

Threatened Toronto museum gets vote of support from director of Smithsonian - CityNews | A plane is shown at the Canadian Air & Space Museum, which has been evicted by landlord Parc Downsview Park Inc. CITYNEWS A Toronto museum facing the wrecking ball has received a letter of support from the world-famous Smithsonian....

Uncontained engine failure on 747 photos from Things with Wings | Photos have emerged of an uncontained engine failure suffered by a Delta Airlines Boeing 747-400 last week en-route from Detroit to Tokyo’s Narita airport in Japan. The engine failure, which occurred to N6301NW on Oct 23, took place as the Pratt & Whitney PW4056-powered aircraft was climbing through 5,000 ft. The crew heard a large compressor stall and muffled explosion followed by the immediate rollback of engine number two. The...