Indy Transponder 09-MAY-2011 1800z

F-15E somehow steals Moscow air show from PAK-FA from The DEW Line | Huh? US Air Forces Europe apparently can spare an F-15E from raiding Libya to play acrobat over Moscow, but the Russian Air Force can't show off the PAK-FA at the country's biggest air show?  You read that correctly.  So far, the star attraction at the Moscow air show in August is a 15-minute display by a Boeing F-15E. Meanwhile, the most important ...

Thunderbirds Will Perform at Air Show at Kirtland AFB in October - ABQ Journal | By ABQnews Staff on Mon, May 9, 2011 Tweet The Air Force Thunderbirds are coming to Albuquerque this fall to perform at an air show at Kirtland Air Force Base. That's the word this morning from Albuquerque Journal reporter Charles Brunt. ...

Snowbirds Packing their Bags - Discover Moose Jaw | The Canadian Air Force Snowbirds kicked off their 2011 season with the Acceptance Show for family, friends and top military officials. The performance included a number of brand new, never seen manoeuvres and Commanding Officer Lt. Col. ...

Beale Air show from www.aafo.com
Just a few shots i took at Beale last weekend Shawn

Air show fans on cloud nine - Oxford Mail | SUNNY weather and the only Vulcan bomber still flying brought thousands of air show enthusiasts to Abingdon airfield yesterday. Last year, heavy rain meant the show at Dalton Barracks was almost a washout with many aircraft unable ...

Hangar Talk : Fun day from The Biplane Forum | Our Chapter had a Crawfish Boil Fly-in saturday that went pretty well.  I met Jeff Sutherland who came in his S1-S.  Nice airplane with "T" wings. My daughter, Laura flew in a Legend Cub and really liked that.  The doors were off on both sides and she says it is like you are really flying.  Later Jeff gave her an aerobatic flight in a RV-7.  She is still smiling. ...

The Story of Stars and Stripes Honor Flight - Documentary Trailer

Airshow Helps Wounded Warriors Take Flight - Patch.com | A special kind of airshow took place in Manassas on Saturday, May 7. The Wings, Wheels and Warriors airshow is in its first year after transforming from a 'hanger fundraiser' to an actual show that ...

Spitfire to fly past RAF Museum in Colindale for Veterans Day - Times Series | AN historic aircraft is set for a flypast of a Colindale museum this week to commemerate those who have served in the armed forces. The Battle of Britain Spitfire will take to the skies over the borough at 12.30pm on Wednesday for and ...

Army's Golden Knights, Marksmanship Unit hit target in tandem - DVIDS | More than 400 military and community members attended performances by the US Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team and Marksmanship Unit in an effort to support recruiting efforts and enhance community support. ...

Social media take flight, refuel shadow from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. | Kids make puppets with them, animals take refuge in them, some even chase them, but as media from around Indiana found out, you can do a lot more with a shadow.  Thirteen of Indiana's top social media representatives witnessed firsthand the refueling of a U.S. Navy E-6B Mecury, which went by the call sign "Shadow 20," during a media orientation flight onboard a 434th Air Refueling Wing KC-135R Stratotanker May 5. ...

Evan Flys -  Hi All my aviation friends. I just have a little bit to share with you guys this time.
We were at the Half Moon Bay Dream Machines show and here are my photos.  My dad got the air to air photos but I got almost all the rest. Here are two little videos he shot when he was flying in the back seat of an SN-J.  Video 1.  Video 2.  He was not happy about the dust spots in the videos.  Our next air show will be Hollister which will be great this year!  Evan

5 retired fighter jets on display at Sanya Maritime Military Museum - What's on Sanya | 5 retired fighter jets are on display at Sanya Maritime Military Museum since May 5, 2011. The 5 jets include a retired Annihilator-6, a super fighter jet and two fighter bombers, reports hinews.cn.  The show has attracted many young teenagers as they can sit in the cabin to have the experience as a pilot, says Li Wenke, the Director of Sanya Maritime Military Museum.  At present, a decommissioned warship, called Junbo 978, is displayed in the maritime Military Museum for the public to visit every day.  Sanya Maritime Military Museum, which was ...

Expansion plan for Coventry Airport aviation museum - Coventry Telegraph | BOSSES at a Coventry air museum have launched ambitious expansion plans to increase the number of visitors to the site. The Airbase museum, based at Coventry Airport in Baginton, want to increase footfall and cash in on corporate events ...

DC-6 diner at Coventry Airport - Flightglobal | Coventry Airport isn't up there on my list of desireable places to eat, but after reading about how a Douglas DC-6 has been converted into a restaurant, I might just be tempted to visit.  The aircraft has been restored to its original 1950s passenger configuration with seating for around 60 diners.  And what better use of an old aircraft that hasn't flown for almost four years than ...

Northrop Grumman Unveils Latest Spy Plane from Defense Tech | About a week ago I noticed a post over at The DEW Line talking about the appearance of a strange looking new aircraft in the vicinity of Beale Air Force Base, Calif. The plane looked, at first, like a new class of UAV. The fact that it was operating close to the home of the service’s U-2 and RQ-4 Global Hawk spy planes backed up this theory. It turns out the airplane is ...

Early X-22 Artwork from The Unwanted Blog | A Bell Aerospace painting of a not-final design of the X-22. The X-22 was a VTOL technology testbed; having seen it up close, it is remarkably small, and it worked reasonably well. Bell had hopes that it would serve as  ...

AirMule flies again - sUAS News | Israeli Company Urban Aeronautics have started flying their ducted fan load lifter after a major refit.
The AirMule prototype has recently resumed its flight testing after a systems and structural upgrade that lasted 4 months. The vehicle is now flying with an expanded sensors suite and the new, energy absorbing wheeled landing gear. ...

Shepard’s Shot - Air & Space Magazine | It only lasted 15 minutes and 28 seconds. But Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 flight—officially designated Mercury-Redstone 3—proved the soundness of man and machine to travel beyond the atmosphere. It also demonstrated that the United States was not far behind the Soviet Union after all in the race to the new frontier of space.

Virginia spaceport poised to grow after shuttle program ends from Aerospace-Defense News | When the 30-year space shuttle program ends this summer, NASA will turn to the shores of Virginia and MARS to help fulfill the critical mission of transporting supplies to the International Space Station.  ...

Indy Transponder 07-MAY-2011 0434z

The Great Tennessee Air Show | Flying Friday - Leaving Terra Firma | I don’t know what your plans are this weekend, but if you’re near Smyrna, TN you should get to The Great Tennessee Air Show. The air show gates open at 8 a.m. this Saturday and Sunday at the Smyrna Airport. There are still tickets are still available for $20 at the gate or $10 for kids under 12 and kids under 4 are free...

Picture gallery: 2011 N'Awlins Air Show preview day thrills students, military families - NOLA | Near perfect weather greeted the crowd during the 2011 N'Awlins Air Show preview show for students, military members and their family members and invited guests Friday at the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, Louisiana...

VIDEO: High flyin' times at Central Texas Airshow - KCEN | Brace for daring stunts in the skies over Temple, with the return of the Central Texas Airshow! The three day event kicks off Friday, but pilots started arriving Thursday evening to practice their hair-raising tricks with our KCEN-HD camera on board...

War Dog - Foreign Policy | The question of how the dog got into bin Laden's compound is no puzzle -- the same way the special ops team did, by being lowered from an MH-60s helicopter. In fact, U.S. Air Force dogs have been airborne for decades, though the earliest flying dogs accompanied Soviet forces in the 1930s...

JetMan delayed his flight through Grand Canyon - Aviation News EU | Yves Rossy and his team want to do some test runs before the actual flight. Just before 10 a.m., they announced that they had scrubbed the event. Rossy reportedly saying he didn’t have enough time to train...

VIDEO: Aluminum Overcast B-17 Flying Fortress - BlueRidgeNow | The Aluminum Overcast B-17 is at the Asheville Regional Airport for tours and flight experiences.

Bomber brings back memories - The Adobe Press | High winds sweeping along the Santa Maria Public Airport runway couldn’t keep 88-year-old Joel Johnson from crossing the tarmac for an up-close look at a restored B-17 parked outside the Radisson hotel last week. A 10-year Nipomo resident, Johnson fought back tears as he examined the World War II bomber nicknamed Aluminum Overcast...

Honor Flight sends another 105 WW2 vets to Washington - KSFY |  They are among the best this nation has ever produced.
 The men and women of World War II literally saved the world from unspeakable evil. Friday morning, 105 World War II veterans left Sioux Falls for Washington D-C, to see for themselves the memorial dedicated to the war that left a mark on them and the world...

North Korea hands over remains of RAF pilot - Histroy News Network | North Korea has handed over the remains of a British pilot who died in the Korean War nearly 60 years ago...

Strizhi: 20 years up in the sky - Voice Of Russia | Russia’s famous aerobatic team Strizhi is celebrating their 20th anniversary. Breathtaking air shows by Strizhi ace pilots stunned the public in dozens of countries in the past years. Not a day passes without Strizhi’s six MiG-29 fourth-generation fighter jets rocketing almost vertically into the sky at Kubinka airport near Moscow on routine training flights...

Parachute Team Lands In Loudoun To Support Veterans' Project - Leesburg 2Day | Leesburg, VA - Residents shouldn't be alarmed Monday if they see a group of Army Rangers parachuting into Loudoun. The drop by the Obligated, Dedicated and Determined Ranger Group Veteran Parachute Team will be part of the Fisher House Golf Classic to be played on the Norman Course at Lansdowne Resort...

Women in Aviation receive scholarship pledges of $375,000 so far - Dayton Daily News | WEST ALEXANDRIA — Businesses and individuals have pledged a total of $375,000 in funding to be used by the Women in Aviation International organization for training and academic scholarships in 2012...

Young Eagles Flight Rally at Minute Man Airfield - Community Advocate | Stow - All those between ages 8-17 will have a chance to take to the skies Saturday May 14, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., as EAA Chapter 196 hosts a Young Eagles Flight Rally at Minute Man Airfield, 302 Boxboro Rd., Stow...

New Buoyant-Aircraft Design Could Lead to Fleets of Efficient Cargo Zeppelins - PopSci | A California company is working on a new airship design that could solve one of the biggest problems facing buoyancy-aided aircraft — how to control floatworthiness without wasting fuel.
Aeros, founded by Russian-born entrepreneur Igor Pasternak, is working on a rigid-hulled airship that varies its buoyancy to take off and land vertically...

CoolPix: Scaled Composites Model 355 - Pilot Optional - Martt | A few days ago there were some aviation news stories about a mysterious, apparent Rutan designed, UAV-looking flying machine that had been spotted flying near Beale Air Force Base north of Sacremento California. Today, much more info has been revealed about what this airplane is. It started life as Scaled Composites Model 355, and it first flew in February 2010. It's now officially known as the Northrop Grumman Firebird...

SPACE.com Facebook Q&A: 10 Alan Shepard Questions for Biographer Neal Thompson - Space | This year marks the 50th anniversary of American human spaceflight, and yesterday (May 5), NASA celebrated the historic suborbital flight that made astronaut Alan Shepard the first American to reach space. On May 5, 1961, Shepard launched aboard his Freedom 7 spacecraft on a 15-minute journey that changed the face of the nation's space program...

STS-134 moves to NET May 16 target amid APU wiring and thermos work - NASA Space Flight | Endeavour’s final mission is now tracking a No Earlier Than (NET) May 16 launch date, following a Program level meeting to evaluate the schedule for the troubleshooting work on the orbiter’s Auxiliary Power Unit (APU-1) heater system. Work has – and continues to – focus on the Aft Load Controller Assembly (ALCA-2), while additional work is being performed on replacing wiring and thermostats to provide improved fault mitigation...

Indy Transponder 05-MAY-2011- Heritage and Space Edition

'Extremely rare' planes coming to JWA - OCRegister | Included in the Wings of Freedom Tour, which is appearing at the Lyon Air Museum, is the B-17 "Flying Fortress," one of only 11 such aircraft in flying condition in the United States, according to promoters. The B-17 "Flying Fortress" will be among the ...
   
World War II Planes and Pilots Share Experiences at Palomar Airport - Patch.com | On display, through were the B-17 and B-24 bombers and a P-51 Mustang fighter. There were no shortage of veterans at Palomar Airport to tell their amazing stories and experiences. Ed Davidson, of La Jolla, recounted his WW II experiences as a pilot of ...

Naval History & Heritage Command  - photos of the 1st Carrier Qualified Jet Squadron. Happy Birthday VF-17A. (ak)

It's not a bird. It's not a plane. It's JetMan in a Grand Canyon flyover! - USA TODAY | If the red rock splendor of the Grand Canyon alone isn't enough to knock your socks off, you might want to high-tail it over there on May 6 when Yves Rossy -- aka JetMan -- straps on a wing powered by four jet engines and jumps out of a helicopter for his own bird's-eye flyover of the rugged chasm. ...

Timeless Voices - Robin "Bob" Webb from eaavideo.org | Bob Webb joined the Royal Air Force in 1943 and spent the next 14 years as an engineer/mechanic. In 1957 he joined the British Overseas Airways Corporation as a flight engineer, finishing the last 8 years of his 26-year career on the Concorde.

He attacked the Yamato, world’s biggest battleship from War Tales | It was Ensign Woody Lindskog’s lucky day. The Navy pilot was plucked from Wasile Bay off Halmahera Island in the South Pacific by an Army Air Corps Catalina flying boat, right under the nose of a Japanese gun emplacement and thousands of enemy troops after his Hellcat fighter was hit by an antiaircraft flak and [...]

Herman 'Rex' Reheis - AugustaGazette.com | He then went through flight training and piloted a B-25 low-level strafer-bomber called “Seabiscuit” during 11 months of campaigns in the South Pacific in the 500th Bomb Squadron, rising to Captain. After the end of World War II, he served in the Air ...

WWII veterans honored with DC trip - Richmond-News | A World War II veteran from New Richmond was honored for his service to the country during a special trip Saturday. A World War II veteran from New Richmond was honored for his service to the country during a special trip Saturday. ...

100-year-old Jacksonville man says do what you love, and adventure will follow - Jacksonville.com | ... In 1927, he was 17, too young for the Army Air Corps. No problem: He lied about his age. He was too skinny, too. So the recruiter gave him 50 cents and told him to buy as many bananas as he could. Brown stuffed the bananas in him, one after the other, then was weighed again. Heavy enough this time. ...

Shirley grandfather aims to break wing walk record - Birmingham Mail | The grandfather from Shirley, who already holds the world record for the oldest person to do the loop-the-loop and the oldest person to wing walk across the English Channel, is about to undertake his greatest adventure yet. Daredevil Tom, who is due to ...

The Boeing Archives PART 3b: Interview With Boeing Historian Michael Lombardi from Airline Reporter | This is the second part to my interview with Boeing Historian Michael Lombardi. Here is the continuation of our exclusive interview:  ...
   
Aviation Museum Faces Another Roadblock in Lease Arrangement - Patch.com | The Horsham Land Reuse Authority hopes to sign the lease at its May 18 meeting; meanwhile residents request that an airport study be undertaken. By Theresa Katalinas | Email the author | 6:00am As the military clears off the 1100-acre base, ...

Poplar Grove air museum gears up for additions - Rockford Register Star | Bob Grist, 77, of Chicago laughs as his friend Bill Gwozdz, 67, of Berwyn toys with his camera during their visit Tuesday, May 3, 2011, to the Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum in Poplar Grove. By Betsy Lopez POPLAR GROVE — The Vintage Wings & Wheels ...

Yorkshire Air Museum to play host to the Battlegroup North and Military Wheels ... - The Press, York | HUNDREDS of historic military vehicles from across Britain will be helping draw the crowds to the Yorkshire Air Museum this weekend. The museum, at Elvington, near York, will play host to the Battlegroup North and Military Wheels And ...

World’s largest (model) airport opens in Hamburg (Daily Mail) from Boeing and Aerospace News | Knuffingen Airport only cost around $5 million and took six years to build and yet is the world’s largest airport. OK, model airport. Knuffingen, based on Hamburg’s airport, just opened to the public at Miniatur Wunderland, in Hamburg. The airport features 40 aircraft that take off, land and taxi, with jetways that pull up to [...]

After 100 years, Goodyear ditches blimps for zeppelins [Planelopnik] from Jalopnik | After building blimps for almost 100 years, Goodyear's teaming up with Ze Germans and canning their three blips for a fleet of Teutonic zeppelins set to go into operation in 2013. The zeppelins will be longer, fly faster, and hold more people. None of which will help make it anything but a more novel way of providing a stadium shot before football and baseball telecasts go to commercial. ...

More than 130 local events now part of EAA’s International Learn to Fly Day - Planenews | EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis.: More than 130 events will help dreams of flight become a reality for tens of thousands of future aviators during the second annual International Learn to Fly Day on Saturday, May 21.  International Learn to Fly Day is an aviation community-wide effort helping people of all ages take that first step to ...

Warren girl gets to be Pilot for a Day - Vindy.com | Eleven-year-old Ashley Moorhead offered an apt description after the turbo-prop engines of the huge C-130 Hercules aircraft fired up.  “It was real loud. We had to wear earplugs,” said an excited Ashley after being named Pilot for a Day on Wednesday at the 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station. ...

South Korean Navy’s first female P-3C pilot from Warplanes Online Community | The Korean Navy has commissioned its first female pilot of a P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Lt. Jg. Lee Joo-yeon, 26, finished her copilot training for a P-3C aircraft on April 22nd. After a year of basic aviation training, she completed her first flight mission last Tuesday. ...

Air Force: F-22 Raptor pulls out of air show - Shreveport Times | The Air Force's cutting-edge fight aircraft, which was to have been the start of the 2011 Barksdale Air Force base "Defenders of Liberty" air show and open house, will not be able to make it to the show this year, the Air Force said today. ...

BREAKING: USAF orders F-22 fleet stand-down from The DEW Line | Got a tip today that all F-22s have been parked. Air Combat Command confirmed a few minutes ago, and our news article is posted here and is excerpted below. ...

50 years of US spaceflight: Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961 from Boing Boing | On May 5, 1961, NASA astronaut Alan Shepard piloted his Freedom 7 Mercury capsule in a 15-minute suborbital flight, becoming America's first astronaut. In this image, he is shown being hoisted aboard a U.S. Marine helicopter after splashdown. The flight carried him to an altitude of 116 statute miles.  ...

Alan B. Shepard, Jr. Honored at 50th Anniversary Celebration of Freedom 7 Flight from Spaceports | The Golden Anniversary of the flight of the first American in space was commemorated with a special ceremony at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Complex 5/6 blockhouse near NASA's Kennedy Space Center. That's where, on May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., began his historic, 15-minute mission aboard his Freedom 7 capsule. ...

Last combat veteran of WW1, Claude Choules, dies agd 110 from Military Photos | The world's last known combat veteran of World War I, Claude Choules, has died in Australia aged 110.  Known to his comrades as Chuckles, British-born Mr Choules joined the Royal Navy at 15 and went on to serve on HMS Revenge. ...

Indy Transponder 04-MAY-2011- Heritage and Space Edition

Marjorie Morris served in Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps in WWII from War Tales | Before she signed up for the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps in World War II, Marjorie Morris , who lives North Port, Fla.’s Jockey Club, said she led a rather cloistered life. Growing up in the Bronx in the late 1930s and early 1940s, she graduated from Manhattan Industrial High School and went to work in [...]

For Sale, An Amazing Piece of Local History: The "Last Fool Flight" of the Dallas Spirit - Dallas Observer | ... That meant first flying from Dallas to San Francisco to Hawaii for the so-called Dole Air Race of 1927, the winner of which would receive $25,000. Then Erwin planned on flying from Hawaii to Hong Kong and then back to Dallas, where local businessman William Easterwood Jr. was offering another $25,000 in prize money. ...

In Pictures: Work begins on restoration of Imperial War Museum's Flying Fortress - Culture24 | The large-scale project sees a team from the museum conserve the B-17 Flying Fortress Mary Alice, which is currently on display in the American Air Museum. Visitors can see the conservation team, who have already removed the propellers and engine from ...

The day the Dam Busters returned... in Canada from History News Network | “The physics of bouncing something on water is relatively simple,” says Dr Hugh Hunt, breezily. “But actually doing it, at scale, under a plane, building a dam and blowing it up, is much more of an engineering exercise than a science exercise.” ...

Yorkshire Air Museum to feature on The One Show - The Press, York | The Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington, will be providing the backdrop to The One Show. The theme of the programme will be major British inventions which have been attributed to others. The programme will focus on Sir George Cayley's glider, ...

Cold War Air Museum: Lancaster Airport, 1st Annual Air Race - 30 April 2011 from blog.cwam.org | Special event days start early for the Cold War Air Museum located at the Lancaster Airport. More activities and events attract more visitors and we are happy to see them. ...

The Boeing Archives PART 3a: Interview With Boeing Historian Michael Lombardi from Airline Reporter | Here is the long awaited part 3 of my inside look at the Boeing Archive. I apologize it has taken so long to get this published.  In part 1 I took a look at what is inside the Boeing Archive. Then part 2, I took a closer look at some of the models in the Boeing archive. Now, I will post my interview with Boeing Historian Michael Lombardi. What is amazing is Lombardi did our whole interview from memory. I broke our interview it into two parts, with the second one posting tomorrow. Enjoy is our exclusive interview: ...

Wow! Virgin Galactic Completes First 'Feathered' Flight! from blog by AirPigz | (3 pix and full flight details) Early on Wednesday 4th May 2011, in the skies above Mojave Air and Spaceport CA, SpaceShipTwo, the world's first commercial spaceship, demonstrated its unique reentry ‘feather’ configuration for the first time. ...

Astronaut Alan Shepard Immortalized on Forever Stamp from PR Newswire: Aerospace/Defense | The Postal Service dedicated two stamps today commemorating two historic events — one that occurred a half century ago, and the second that's making history now. ...

FAQ: Alan Shepard's Historic Flight as First American in Space from SPACE.com | Here are a few basic questions and answers about astronaut Alan Shepard's historic spaceflight of May 5, 1961.

Spotted: A Very Rutan-Looking Experimental Aircraft Cruising California Skies - Popular Science | Very, Very Rutan gazurtoid via Militaryphotos.net | An undeniably Burt Rutan-esque aircraft has been spotted in the airspace just a few dozen miles south of Beale Air Force Base, prompting aerospace buffs to post the question: what is this Burt Rutan-esque aircraft doing in the air near Beale Air Force Base? Flight Global has since identified (possibly) the plane as Scaled Composites Model 355, but what’s less clear is what sort of aircraft it might be.  ...

Elon Musk comments on SpaceX costs and "why the US can beat China" from RLV and Space Transport News | Why The US Can Beat China: The Facts About SpaceX Costs | Whenever someone proposes to do something that has never been done before, there will always be skeptics.  So when I started SpaceX, it was not surprising when people said we wouldn’t succeed. But now that we’ve successfully proven Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Dragon, there’s been a steady stream of misinformation and doubt expressed about SpaceX’s actual launch costs and prices. ...

Indy Transponder 04-MAY-11 0900z

Blues kick off centennial bash - Pensacola News Journal | Aviation Week air show: The Blue Angels took to the sky for a special air show celebrating the centennial of Naval Aviation. Greg Walker points out the approaching Blue Angel F/A-18 jets to his three-year-old son, Nathan Walker, during the Centennial ...

More interesting developments about the bin Laden raid  from Bayou Renaissance Man by Peter | More and more information is coming to light following the mission to kill Osama bin Laden last weekend. I wrote about some areas yesterday. I've found four more points of interest today.  1. Most interesting to aviation enthusiasts is that the raid appears to have revealed the existence of a previously-unknown 'stealthy' variant of the Sikorsky MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Ares reports…

Stealth Helo  from Neptunus Lex | Navy went downtown hi-tech in Abbottabad, no doubt courtesy of the Army’s 160th SOAR, according to Aviation Leak:  (The downed aircraft) was a secretly developed stealth helicopter, probably a highly modified version of an H-60 Blackhawk. Photos published in the Daily Mail and on the Secret Projects board show that the helicopter’s tail features stealth-configured shapes on the boom and tip fairings, swept stabilizers and a “dishpan” cover over a non-standard five-or-six-blade tail rotor. It has a silver-loaded infra-red suppression finish similar to that seen on some V-22s…

AirFest is just plane ol' fun for Abilene families - ReporterNews.com | Since Ethan Peacock likes to watch airplanes fly over his home in eastern Abilene, his parents brought him to the Dyess Big Country AirFest on Saturday morning to experience all the adventure a young aviation buff could handle. ...

Annual Dreams on Wings Event Cancelled Due to Severe Weather  from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | BIRMINGHAM AL-   When a child is faced with a serious illness it affects the entire family. Dreams On Wings, an annual event, is designed to give those children and their families a day to forget about the issues they're dealing with and do something few people get to do-FLY!...

Pilot's daughter takes trip down memory lane at the Air Station - Montrose Today | In October, 1936, Captain Findlay and three of his crew took part in the Johannesburg Air Race flying a twin-engined Airspeed Envoy. Unfortunately a decision to fly in inclement weather was to cost him his life and he died when the plane crashed taking ...

Foundation, tourist center plans given hard look by Havelock commissioners - ENC Today | HAVELOCK — Havelock commissioners have taken a hard look at future plans for the Eastern Carolina Aviation Heritage Foundation and its plans for expansion at the Havelock Tourist and Event Center. In the end, they voted to provide most, but not all, ...

Astronaut Al Shepard, and Me  from Flight Monkeys | May 5, 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of sending the first American into space. Ask most people who were around during the golden age of American space flight, and they will tell you that the first American in space was none other than, John Glenn. While John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth, he was not the first American to be shot out of our atmosphere. That honor goes to, Alan Shepard…

The second cruise missile — the Fieseler Fi 103 (V-1)  from Travel for Aircraft | As posted before* during WW I the Kettering aerial torpedo — nicknamed the “Kettering Bug” — was developed but not placed into use. As well all know the V-1 was placed into use during WW II. Both weapons are more accurately described as aerial torpedos since they followed a compass course upon launch and were gyroscopically stabilized to maintain horizontal flight…

Welcome Virgin Australia – Pictures from flight.org by Marty | Virgin Blue re-branded its domestic and narrow-body international operation (excluding the one Polynesian Blue operation that consists of just one aircraft) into Virgin Australia.  We have lots of information coming – including video of the Sydney press conference with Richard Branson and John Borghetti. In the meantime, here’s a few photos from today’s event. We’ll upload hundreds of photos to Facebook…

Today in Aviation History – May 4  from Calgary Recreational and Ultralight Flying Club by bikeal

Indy Transponder 04-MAY-2011 0435z

Identify this helo - PPRuNe | ...saw these in the comments section of AvWeek blogs....supposedly this was the crashed MH60K from the UBL raid. A 5 bladed TR on a hawk derivative would seem an awfully substantial modification.

Blues perform over Pensacola Bay - Fox 10 TV | PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Crowds gathered along the seawall at Naval Air Station Pensacola Tuesday in anticipation of watching their hometown heroes, the Blue Angels. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the base is continuing its celebration of 100 years of naval aviation by inviting the public out for special shows...

This is only a test - Bossier Press | Officials at Barksdale Air Force Base say they expect tens of thousands of locals and out-of-towners to make their way onto base for the 2001 Defenders of Liberty Air Show this weekend. To ensure the safety of all spectators, base emergency responders along with Bossier Parish first responders engaged in a Major Accident Response Exercise, or MARE, Friday morning to ensure the readiness of all response crews. The scenario: an aircraft crash near the spectator line...

Airlines to airshows: Pilot overcomes cancer, spreads hope - AOPA | Shutting down the engine of his highly modified experimental 1946 clipped-wing Taylorcraft Texas T-Cart at 5,000 feet agl, airshow performer Randy Henderson completes a three- to four-minute series of aerobatic maneuvers—loops, rolls, or hammerhead—before landing (engine still off) in front of a crowd of spectators...

Aviation hero Cedric Mah dies - CBC | Well-known Edmonton aviation hero Cedric Mah has died. Mah, 88, died Friday at the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre. Mah was born in British Columbia. He flew during the Second World War, but because of prejudices at the time, was not allowed to join the Canadian Air Force because he was of Chinese descent...

Videos from AIRBOYD:
Martin Mars Flight - California To Hawaii (1944)
Memphis Belle Returns Home (1943)
Bombing School For Air Cadets (1943)

Podcast: Episode 145 – Anne has 15,000 Acronyms - Airplanes Geeks | Aviation historian Anne Millbrooke is our guest. Anne is the author of the award winning book Aviation History, as well as Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Alphabets of Aviation: A Guide to Contemporary and Historical Terms Found in Aviation Literature.

Podcast: We’re On Location At Fighting Colors.com – Warbird Radio | WEDNESDAY – Matt’s on location at Fighting Colors.com with Gary Velasco for a special Warbird Radio LIVE!  Tune in tomorrow and hear the latest news from the world’s expert on nose-art, Mr. Gary Velasco.  The show starts at 10am (EASTERN) right here on Warbird Radio.  Thanks for listening!

Thanks for WWII Heritage days - The Citizen | On behalf of the history teachers of the Coweta-Fayette County area, we are most thankful to the men and women of the Dixie Wing Commemorative Air Force for hosting WW II Heritage Days at Falcon Field...

PHOTO: F-35A haunts Phantom Ray 1st flight - The Dew Line | Boeing has released some very cool photos of the first flight of the Phantom Ray today, but none cooler than this one. A Lockheed Martin F-35A lurks in the background on the ramp at Edwards AFB, Calif.. The air force's present (manned fighters) meets perhaps its future (unmanned combat air vehicles).

100th Anniversary of Turkish Air Force Thread - MilitaryPhotos.NET | Lots of great pictures!

Large Force Exercise - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. | An F-22A Raptor refuels mid-air from a KC-135 Stratotanker during a large force exercise over North Carolina May 2, 2011. The exercise consisted of a strike mission with offensive counter air and suppression-of-enemy-air-defense support. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Gino Reyes)

Pratt & Whitney Celebrates Museum Installation of JSF119 Engine at Smithsonian Institution - AviationNews.EU | Pratt & Whitney announced yesterday that its JSF119 propulsion system has been installed by the Smithsonian Institution at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia... 

NASA celebrates astronaut Shepard's historic first flight - USA Today | WASHINGTON — Alan Shepard never became a household name like fellow astronauts John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon. But 50 years ago — on May 5, 1961 — Shepard became the first American to reach space at a time of heightened Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union...

Meet an Astronaut & Kids Free at the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s Eighth Annual Space Day - AMT Online | San Diego, CA - May 2, 2011 -The San Diego Air & Space Museum's Space Day celebration is set to launch on Saturday, May 28th, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Come and engage in fun hands-on demonstrations, giveaways, and activities with local and national space experts...

Indy Transponder 25-APR-2011 0407z

Airshow one of 'world's greatest' - Marlborough Express | (68 picture gallery!) The Classic Fighters Omaka Airshow has grown to be one of the world's great air spectacles, Kiwi film-maker Sir Peter Jackson says. Sir Peter is the chairman of the trust which owns many of the exhibits at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre...

Mighty show over Omaka - National | Kiwi film-maker Peter Jackson was one the thousands treated to a classic World War I dogfight above Omaka Airfield at the weekend that could be the largest since the end of the Great War. The 14 planes, including seven Fokker triplanes – The Magnificent Seven, took to the air along with another seven Allied and German WWI fighters in a mock dogfight at the Classic Fighters Omaka Airshow on Saturday...

No room for error - Marlborough Express | The bright yellow planes bank right in tight formation, streaking above the parade of graduating airmen at Woodbourne Air Base. The gesture takes less than 30 seconds, however planning the fly-over has taken most of the morning for the Royal New Zealand Air Force's Red Checkers aerobatic team...

Rep. Giffords cleared to attend shuttle launch - CNN | Astronaut Mark Kelly visits U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords twice a day, witnessing and aiding her recovery from a devastating bullet wound suffered nearly four months ago. Friday, the Arizona congresswoman will witness her husband's own inspiring moment: Commanding the space shuttle Endeavour on its last launch...

NASA Honors Pioneer Astronaut Alan Shepard With Moon Rock - Avstop | NASA will posthumously honor Alan B. Shepard Jr., the first American astronaut in space who later walked on the moon, with an Ambassador of Exploration Award for his contributions to the U.S. space program. Shepard's family members will accept the award on his behalf during a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 28, at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, located at 74 Greenbury Point Road in Annapolis, Md...

Indian Probe Nets 19 Fake Pilots - AVweb | So far 19 airline pilots, including six captains, have been fired as a result of a government investigation into India's corruption-plagued aviation oversight system and the probe is only half complete. The Indian government is trying to restore confidence in its burgeoning air transport sector with the probe, which has uncovered widespread bribery, cheating and falsification in pilot testing and records...

Formation flight Sunday. Wellingtons - Planeshots

Second Runner Up for April 25, 2011 - Airfighters | 1990's

Third Runner Up for April 25, 2011 - Airfighters | Live fire exercise.

Indy Transponder 05-FEB-2011 0300z

Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame Class of 2011 Announced from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | -BIRMINGHAM AL-The Board of Directors of the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the selection of four Alabama aviators to be honored in recognition of their distinguished contributions to aviation. These individuals will join the sixty-eight men and women previously honored with induction into the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame. The ceremony is to be held on March 26, 2011 at the new venue, the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham.  The 2011 Inductees include: ...
   
Parade of Flight To Mark 100 Years of Naval Aviation - Mission Times Courier
The Leap Frogs will join more than 200 historic and modern-day aircraft in the Parade of Flight over San Diego Bay on Feb. 12. ...

2011 Great Tennessee Air Show Teaser :15 - www.youtube.com | This is a teaser TV spot we created for the 2011 Great Tennessee Air Show featuring the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. Visit www.GreatTennesseeAirShow.com for additional details and ticket information.

Aerobatic show in Al Ain thrills thousands - GulfNews | The Blue Voltig from Italy perform during the Al Ain Aerobatic Show 2011 at the city's international airport yesterday. ...

Photoblog: Fiery scenes from the Al-Ain International Aerobatics Show - MSNBC

Two Eurofighter Typhoons arrive for Bangalore''s air show - MSN India | The aircraft will showcase it''s flying skills during the five-day long air show here. Besides Eurofighter, other companies in the MMRCA deal are Lockheed ...

Five Tejas fighters to light up Aero India - Business Standard | India's home-built Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is poised to grab a large share of the limelight at the five-day Aero India 2011 air show in Bangalore, ...
   
Bournemouth Air Festival staff want more overseas display teams - Bournemouth Echo
BOURNEMOUTH Air Festival representatives are heading for the European Airshow Convention (EAC) in a bid to woo more international teams to ...

New Paint Job for Breitling Jet Team from TAKEOFF TUBE | The Breitling Jet Team are a civilian aerobatic display team based in Dijon, France. They fly seven L-39 Albatros jets in the colours of their sponsor, Breitling. They are the world's first civilian formation team flying jet-engined aircraft. The team currently comprises ...
    
Russia to unveil new air defense system at Indian air show - RIA Novosti | ... will disclose information about a new mobile short-range air defense system based on the Strelets launcher at the upcoming Aero India 2011 air show. ...

1979 Reno Air Races -- Part 1 - YouTube

Colorado Air Racer Takes On Reno Source: www.youtube.com
Centennial, CO air racer John Zayac and is T-6 (airplane) race team fights for a first place win at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, NV this past September. How does the team do? Watch this report by Angel A. Rosado for Fox31 News.

Early Aviation - x planes | “Early aviator, James “Bud” Mars, and his wife sit on a Curtiss aircraft, circa 1910. (Courtesy photo from National Archives)”

Mireille talks about the Women of Aviation Worldwide Week initiative -  www.youtube.com
Mireille Goyer discusses Women of Aviation Wordlwide Week initiative with Deneka Michaud on Delta TV ...

Tail Turret Success!  from CAF Minnesota Wing Blog | Congratulations to Armament Project Lead Nate Timm for the successful operation of the B-25's Bell Tail Turret Assembly! Nate worked with Ray Miller to finish the hydraulics, bleed them, and get  ...

Syd Blue from Flight To Success by Karlene Petitt | Friday's Fabulous Flyer | Syd flies planes, writes novels and looks like a model! Not only is she talented and beautiful, but she has the voice of an angel, a great sense of humor and when she's not writing, she's inspiring and motivating young pilots. ...

B-25 Bomber Hits Empire State Building (1945) - YouTube (AirBoyd.TV) | On Saturday, July 28, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel William Franklin Smith, Jr. was piloting a B-25 Mitchell bomber on a routine personnel transport mission from Boston to LaGuardia Airport. At 9:40 a.m., the plane crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building, between the 78th and 80th floors, carving an 18 ft (5.5 m) x 20 ft (6.1 m) hole in the building where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located.  One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and flew as far as the next block where it landed  ...

Today in Aviation History – February 4 from Calgary Recreational and Ultralight Flying Club

LSA's and "Able Flight Scholarships" Keep Pilots Flying from Arizona Aerospan

Apollo 14 Moon shot: Alan Shepard 'told he was too old' - BBC
When Apollo 14 landed on the Moon, 40 years ago this week, mission commander Alan Shepard was the oldest astronaut to have flown in space. ...

Yuris Night Announcement – Live Show 4.02 from Spacevidcast  | Dr. Ryan L. Kobrick, Executive Director of Yuri’s Night joins us live to announce the new video contest and your chance to win $500! Everyone seems to be stepping up their space program from  ...

Kelly will fly in Endeavour's final flight - KSN-TV | STS-124 commander Mark Kelly addresses the media after arriving at the shuttle landing facility at Kennedy Space Center May 28, 2008 in Cape Canaveral, ...

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Indy Transponder 29-DEC-2010 0200z

Blue Angels Return Monday - KXO Radio
The United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron , The Blue Angels , will arrive at Naval Air Facility El Centro on Monday , January 3, 2011. ...

Honor Flight organizers make thanking WWII vets their mission - Wausau Daily Herald
Two men who worked tirelessly to honor central Wisconsin's World War II veterans with fully funded trips to view a national memorial have been named the Wausau Daily Herald's 2010 Persons of the Year.
The newspaper's Editorial Board chose Jim Campbell and Mike Thompson for the annual recognition from among dozens of nominees and 10 finalists. ...

Flood sank Lunken plans - Our History from cincinnati.com
The aviation craze that swept the nation after World War I had a big impact on a large, flat field in eastern Cincinnati that had been part of the city’s first settlement, Columbia.
Barnstorming pilots – many of them former World War I fighter pilots – began landing and taking off from the field near Beechmont and Wilmer avenues in an area known as Turkey Bottoms, named for the wild turkeys that roamed through the cornfields. ...

Memorial Mass Celebrated Today for Rainey Bell, Belleville, IL Area Resident and Aviation Icon from The Aero Experience 
Rainey A. Bell, 88, of Belleville, Ill., born Feb. 19, 1922, in O'Fallon, Ill., passed away Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010, at home with wife, Carol and faithful companion Buddy at his side.
Mr. Bell retired from Army Aviation Systems Command as weapons systems manager and served in the Illinois Air National Guard. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. He received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot and Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Awards, and a War Department Commendation for exceptional civilian service. He was a member of ...

Up, Up, and Away: 10 Out of This World Hot Air Balloons from ASB.tv 
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology yet it remains one of the most majestic modes of contemporary flight. It can be a leisurely float at dawn or sunset when the air is calm and the winds gentle when only the blast of the burner breaks the stillness.  In recent times, it has also become a fierce competitive sport where precision flying and computers combine with age-old balloon basics to ...

Skydiving jumps to memorialize Alex Gilmer, pilot who died over Boulder - Daily Camera
If you see a four-story illuminated American flag fluttering 10,000 feet above Boulder just after midnight New Year's Eve, it's not necessarily a sign that you've had too much to drink.
The 38-foot by 70-foot flag, which will be attached to a skydiver and lit up by two other jumpers as part of a dramatic descent through the night sky Friday, will serve as a memorial to a pilot who perished over the city in a mid-air plane collision nearly a year ago. ...

Gulfstream G200 sets records from Aviation Blogs 
A Gulfstream G200 business jet recently set two city-pair speed records, connecting Savannah, Ga., to Keflavik, Iceland, and Keflavik to Vnukovo, Russia.
The large-cabin, mid-range G200 took off ...

Alfred Kahn, Godfather of Deregulation Dies - AVIATION WEEK
Alfred Kahn, the former head of the Civil Aeronautics Board and widely acknowledged godfather of U.S. airline deregulation, died Dec. 27 at his home in Ithaca, N.Y., at age 93.
A renowned economist, Kahn was a vocal opponent to government control of industry, and in 1971, while a professor at Cornell University, published “The Economics of Regulation,” a two-volume work that included a call to deregulate U.S. aviation. ...

Alfred Kahn from Airport Check-In 

VIDEO: Lufthansa features Runway Girl in Cloudstream from Runway Girl
Always on the cutting edge of technology and social media Lufthansa has launched an innovative new service called CloudStream, which allows travelers to create a digital carry-on of web content in advance of their trip (or during their trip if in-flight Wi-Fi is available).
Check out the video below, and then ...

Alan Shepard to be honored on US stamp from Spaceports 
Alan Shepard will be depicted on a 2011 U.S. postage stamp wearing the silver spacesuit in which he made history as the first American astronaut to fly into space and the fifth human to walk on the surface of the moon.
While honoring Shepard as the “First American in Space” — as the stamp’s inscription describes — the design, unfortunately, omits reference to Shepard also having been the fifth out of only 12 men to the walk on the moon. ...

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