Indy Transponder 24-MAR-2012 0645z

Blue Angels return to Florida International Air Show in Punta Gorda - The News-Press | PANCHITO – B-25The North American B-25 was one of the most famous twin-engine medium bombers used in World War II.MH-53 SEA DRAGONNicknamed the Jolly Green Giant, this helicopter was a workhorse in the US Air Force. Eventually replaced by the Osprey, ...

WINK's Haley Hinds flies with the Black Diamond Jet Team - Wink News | They're called the Black Diamonds - a seven-ship aerobatic civilian-owned jet team. And they let us tag along for one of their flights. My pilot was Lt. Colonel Jerry Kerby, a graduate of the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School...

Safety paramount for air show in Punta Gorda - The News-Press | Organizers say interest is high, especially because the Blue Angels are scheduled to perform. Lindsey Barfield, director of marketing
for the show, said the average audience is about 50000 spectators. “It drops to about 45000 when we don't have a major ...

Miss those F-14s… Nice cockpit shot of this one with wings... from You like airplanes, too? by marvinsmith

Piper Celebrates 75th Anniversary at Sun 'n Fun from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | Vero Beach, Fla., March 23, 2012 - Piper Aircraft Inc. plans to display airplanes from its M-Class business aircraft and trainer product lines at the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In & Expo in Lakeland, Fla. beginning March 27. The company will also use the iconic fun flying venue to begin a year-long celebration of its 75th anniversary, highlighted with the display of a vintage Piper Cub...

Pilots Upset by Bill for Cleanup After Tornado at Sun 'N Fun from theledger.com | Controversy, hurt feelings and bills linger nearly a year after a tornado spun through the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, flipping planes, frightening visitors and damaging structures...

World War II aircraft will visit Oklahoma City - newsok.com | World War II bombers and fighters are among the planes that will be on display and available for flights at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City April 6-8...

Mustangs & Mustangs Returns to Fantasy of Flight for 15th Anniversary Celebration from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | Nation's Foremost Experts on Ford Mustangs of All Eras and Vintage P-51 Mustang Planes  will Come Together to Celebrate Shared Passion for Quality Aircraft and Automobiles-  POLK CITY, Fla. - Anyone who loves the throaty purr of a Mustang engine or the whirr of an airplane propeller will find their version of heaven on earth at Fantasy of Flight on Saturday, March 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.   Fantasy of Flight, Central Florida's premier aviation attraction and home to the World's Greatest Aircraft CollectionTM will host "Legends Having Fun: Aircraft and Automobile Show 15th Annual Celebration." ...

No Apache demo team in 2012 - Blikop112.nl (translated) | She won the overseas flying display during the Royal International Air Tattoo Fairford airbase on the British. The title of best overall helicopter flying display acquired them in England, the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton...

Profile 64: FINAL - "Kingfish One" as flown by Leo Thorsness from WWII & Korean Conflict Airplane Profiles by JSM | You might be interested to know that this very F-105F survived the Vietnam War, which, if you read the stats in a prior post, is a rare thing.  According to one statistician, an F-105 pilot in 1967 Vietnam had a 1:4 chance in completing his required tour of 100 missions.  One could say that "301" was fortunate to have made it. However, I don't think the word "fortunate" could be used to describe what happened to Leo.  Barely a week and a half after the mission that would result in Leo's Medal of Honor,  he and Weapons Officer Harold Johnson experienced a dramatic shock. They were shot down and became Prisoners of War....

Flying the DC-7 - Aviation Mentor | I wrote a while ago about two vintage aircraft that used to sit between the taxiways on Oakland's North Field: A P3 Orion that was cut up for scrap and a DC-6 that was refurbished and flew out on its own power. I've never flown on either aircraft types, but seeing the DC-6 do a last low-pass over 27 left before departing to the East was like going back in time....

A modern-day mission: Lancaster bomber crew prepares for action 70 years on in remarkable set of airfield pictures - Dail Mail | Posing tentatively in their uniforms, at first glance they could be a Lancaster Bomber crew preparing for a daring war-time mission. But these photos were not taken 70 years ago, but this week at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre - the former Lancaster bomber base at RAF East Kirkby.  Admirers of the war-time planes stepped back in time to relive the sights, sounds and smells of the famous bomber which helped destroy the Nazi war machine. They dressed up in original uniforms and sat in the cockpit of 'Just Jane', one of...

Golden Eagles highlight Women’s History Mont - Hookie | ..."We were a male and female mixed A-6 Intruder squadron from Key West, Fla. Even though the A-6 could land on carriers, our female pilots were not allowed to land on a flight deck. So we only participated in war games with carrier strike groups from locations like Virginia Beach, Key West and Puerto Rico. The progress today is amazing since now there are no restrictions to women in naval aviation,” Chesnutt said. Daring women in naval aviation history have cleared the way for future generations. In 1974, Lt. Barbara Allen Rainey earned her wings, becoming the first female naval aviator. On May 12, 1993, Lt. Cmdr. Kathryn Hire was assigned to Patrol Squadron 62 (VP-62), making her the first woman to fly the P-3 Orion and to serve in a combat air squadron....

Pa. kin of Earhart hopes new search yields answers - Pocono Record | For years, Terry Earhart, a 69-year-old Hampden Township resident, wondered what happened to his father's cousin, the high-flying, record-shattering daredevil of aviatrix Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in July 1937...

McChord Airmen set Operation Deep Freeze record from GlobalSecurity.org | Reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing and active-duty Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing completed a record-setting season for Operation Deep Freeze....

Former FAA Administrator Delivers Keynote at Phoenix Symposium from State Aviation Journal by Kim Stevens | Randy Babbitt, former FAA Administrator was on hand to deliver the keynote luncheon address for day two of the Phoenix International Aviation Symposium. Babbitt joked that today the audience was getting "Babbitt unplugged."  The former FAA head was given a standing ovation after his talk which was, in his own words, unrestrained from the typical political strings attached to a federal agency head. However, Babbitt didn't stray too far in his talk which briefly touched on NextGen, airports, system infrastructure, equipage and funding...

Orbiter Autopsies - Airspacemag.com | What NASA will learn from dissecting Atlantis, Discovery, and Endeavour

Indy Transponder 28-FEB-2012 0100z

It doesn’t get much closer than that! EL CENTRO, Calif.... from You like airplanes, too? | Members of the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, perform a diamond formation maneuver over Naval Air Facility El Centro during a practice flight...

Flying the DC-7 from Aviation Mentor by John Ewing | I wrote a while ago about two vintage aircraft that used to sit between the taxiways on Oakland's North Field: A P3 Orion that was cut up for scrap and a DC-6 that was refurbished and flew out on its own power. I've never flown on either aircraft types, but seeing the DC-6 do a last low-pass over 27 left before departing to the East was like going back in time....

The Bücker of Charbo from Apache Roll, le blog de la patrouille Breitling by Grifil | The last two videos of beautiful Breitling Bücker evolving by Grégory Le Moigne. | With its beautiful blue livery system and smoke, he is ready to show what he has in the belly of the finest meetings. The F-Bücker AZVK No. 27, built in 1935, was based in Texas. Its new owner is Bernard "Charbo" Charbonnel, N ° 2 of the Breitling Jet Team. The aircraft...

Radio-controlled aircraft: Display at mall March 9, 10 - North Umberland Today | Learn to take flight at Pine Ridge Flyers annual show | COBOURG — Almost spring is almost time for the Pine Ridge Flyers Model Airplane Club’s annual show at Northumberland Mall. The display on March 9...

Women Soar You Soar Set to Inspire Young Women at AirVenture 2012 - EAA | Young women will be inspired to reach for their aviation dreams as Women Soar You Soar, a four-day mentoring camp featuring inspirational female aviators, returns for its eighth year in conjunction with EAA AirVenture 2012. Women Soar You Soar, scheduled for Thursday, July 26, through Sunday, July 29, will introduce 100 young women to aviation-based careers...

Speedbirds - Translated | The book SpeedBirds # 1 's friend Laurent Negroni being exhausted, it will be reprinted in large format (BD). At his request, I made an illustration of a plane of the Schneider Cup, an Italian Macchi M39 (which you have an excerpt here).  The release is scheduled for the meeting of La Ferte-Alais....

Dan Linn's Blog: Vintage Aviation Advertisements - Eaglerock from Antique Airfield News | This past week I was sorting some early period, vintage magazines from the 1928 and 1929. Some of the rare gems I pulled from the advertisement pages were of the Alexander Eaglerock biplanes. The text from one of the ads caught my attention...

The coolest photo of an F/A-18F you’ll see all day! Heck,... from You like airplanes, too? | ...An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Black Aces of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 breaks the sound barrier during an air power demonstration for ...

Boeing B-1 Bomber Completes 10,000th Combat Mission from AVIATION-NEWS by Rob Vogelaar | The Boeing [NYSE: BA] B-1 bomber aircraft has completed its 10,000th combat mission. The heavy bomber entered service with the U.S. Air Force on June 29, 1985, and has been in nearly continuous combat for the past 10 years. The milestone mission took off from a base in Southwest...

Training exercise has C-130 flying low in Evansville - 14news | If you've noticed a low-flying airplane around Evansville you're not alone. Air traffic manager Rick Polete tells 14 News that C-130 pilots are training at the Evansville Regional Airport. The pilots spent hours Monday working on their approaches....

CoolPix: Lean & Mean North American X-15 (1961) from AirPigz | I was born the same year this photo was taken of the #3 North American X-15 sitting on a dry lakebed, and I gotta say it was pretty cool growing up with the X-15 program still operational. This image seems to say it all when it comes to how cool the X-15 is. It's lean, mean and so secure in what it's designed to do that it didn't even need wheels on the main gear! It's part Batman and part astronaut all rolled into one....

Lockmart unveils F-16V - interops with F-35 & F-22s from Black Horizon | The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon has been around for over three decades and so far there have been nearly 4,500 delivered. The F-16 will continue for many years to come and Lockheed Martin has today unveiled a new version called F-16V. The new version of the fighter jet was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow and has new feature enhancements to make the aircraft more formidable...

Flash Forward—Part 8: It’s Finished—Almost: The Continued Progress of Our First 737-800 - Nuts about Southwest | At the end of our last installment, our first Boeing 737-800 was being towed into the paint shop. As this batch of photos from some of our folks who travelled to Renton shows, the painting process is complete....

Soyuz images at English Russia from High Power Rocketry

Mojave Air and Space Port Asks for California State Legislators to Provide Help to Compete from Spaceports | Stuart Witt, CEO of the East Kern Airport District, which manages the Mojave Air and Space Port, said immediate action is needed to battle efforts by governors in several states to lure the new industry to their states. Speaking at the...

Astronauts4Hire Announces its Commercial Astronaut Training Programs from RLV and Space Transport News | Palo Alto, California – After more than a year of development, Astronauts for Hire (A4H) is proud to announce its proposed training programs for Research Specialist Astronauts and Operations Specialist Astronauts. These programs, which were developed by the nonprofit in close consultation with former NASA astronauts and astronaut instructors, are the most comprehensive commercial scientist-astronaut training guidelines available in the world....

Indy Transponder 27-DEC-2011 2345z

In 1937 or 2011, it is still Amelia’s Airspace: A photo recreation over Treasure Island - Flying with Amelia | Day one: Denver to Oakland | As we launched out of Centennial Airport at 7:00 am on Monday December 26th, a huge mountain wave cloud sat over the foothills of Denver, waiting to rock our wings and remind us that flying is still a challenge and a feat that is not for the faint of heart. After a clearance... [Also: 9News Coverage]

Cable Air Show Jan. 7-8 - Upland Now | The 37th annual Cable Airshow will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 7-8 at Cable Airport, 1749 W. 13th St. in Upland.  Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for kids ages 5-12 and free for children under 5 years old.  Parking is free.  Just in Time Skydivers and the Freedom Parachute Team will jump...

Warbirds, wheels to fascinate all - Otago Daily Times | After many months of preparation, the Warbirds and Wheels attraction at Wanaka Airport will open its doors to the public for the first time today.  The attraction is located in a purpose-built hangar opposite...

CAF B-29 Pilot David Oliver – Warbird Radio LIVE! – Tuesday | Commemorative Air Force B-29 pilot David Oliver joins Matt Jolley on Warbird Radio LIVE!  It’s our first...

Skip Hit - Low level flying in West Germany - Vintage Wings of Canada | Seems a long time since we had enemies we could trust!  The Cold War was real: a long, bi-polar stand-off stretching from the end of the Second World War until 1989 - when the time was right for The Wall to be taken down.  It was a time fraught with real uncertainty and both real and perceived risks affecting the entire world under the sword of nuclear deterrence.  The period was really a measure of why the RCAF and Canadian Army were stationed at bases and casernes across Western Europe.  After all the sacrifices of the Second World War, we had to continue our air and ground presence and readiness to swiftly counter the Eastern Bloc nuclear and conventional threat....

Aviation enthusiasts work to identify plane found in water off Jupiter - Palm Beach Post | Randy Jordan was just following the fish.  Diving at a depth of about 200 feet four miles off Jupiter Tuesday, the owner of Emerald Charters wasn't expecting to see much more than sand and seafood.  But the deep waters were hiding something: the remains of a mostly intact aircraft upside down on the ocean floor....

Scuba Diver Uncovers WWII Plane - ABC News Video | The fully intact plane could contain live ammunition or human remains.

Tonopah Air Field had its share of tragedy during WWII - RGJ | Tonopah has a secret, a jinxed World War II military base. The Tonopah Army Air Field played an important role during the war but is known today to few, except military buffs, outside the area....

Former female WWII pilot takes to the skies again - Sun Sentinel | Every person is filled with stories, and for Tex Meachem, the roar of a propeller is one that tells hers.  The 93-year-old woman lives in John Knox Village in Pompano Beach and her home shows hints of her past: a teddy bear dressed as a pilot, old photographs of her in a jump suit. While men were shipped overseas to fight in World War II, the women held down the fort back home. Meachem was one of a handful of women who pioneered the skies as a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs....

The Great Female Pilot – Pancho Barnes - Top Secret Writers | Pancho Barnes was an unconventional character that had a big effect on aviation and aviators during some of the most dynamic years in aviation history. Though living through pain, prejudice, and the Great Depression, she maintained a love of life. ...

High Flying Fiorello and the Airfield that Bares His Name - Patch.com | And with so much oft-overlooked trivia about this hub of aviation history, there's certainly a whole lot for passengers to ponder the next time they wait patiently in line at LGA's security check point. Like the fact that Time once called Queens' ...

Secret Japanese Aircraft of WWII - Military Photos | History Channel - Starting in the 1930's, Japanese aircraft designers made incredible strides, and by the time hostilities broke out, the Imperial Air Force had some of the most sophisticated and effective planes in the world. SECRET JAPANESE AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II traces the development of the Japanese industry and its famous creations, like the Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. But the program also exposes the...

Eastern Airlines DC-7B — her latest challenge - Travel for Aircraft | Ralph Petterson wrote this article from September 2008 on the aircraft and the work done by the Historical Flight Foundation (link also provided by Dave “Mac”).  There is also this more recent article from August 2010, also by Ralph Petterson.  She has been flown on revenue flights for the last year or so, as far as Oshkosh. On her latest flight, in...

Notes on the Sea Dart and the Atlantis - Travel for Aircraft | ...article written by Robert F. Door that is the most concise and thorough history of the Convair Sea Dart I have read....may be the last photos of the cockpit as well as payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis prior to her preparation for display...

F-16 Pilot Reaches 4,000 Flight Hours - Airforce-magazine | Lt. Col. Brian Egger, an instructor pilot with the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, became only the 34th USAF pilot to amass 4,000 flight hours in the F-16, according to members of the unit. "This is very rare," said Lt. Col Aaron Piepkorn,...

Rise of the drone: From Calif. garage to multibillion-dollar defense industry - Washington Post | Lake Forest, Calif. — In 1980, Abraham Karem, an engineer who had emigrated from Israel, retreated into his three-car garage in Hacienda Heights outside Los Angeles and, to the bemusement of his tolerant wife, began to build an aircraft.  The work eventually spilled into the guest room, and when Karem finished more than a year later, he wheeled into his driveway an odd, cigar-shaped craft that was destined to change the way the United States wages war....

China to start work on world’s highest airport - Pilot News Magazine | China will start work on the world’s highest airport next year, in Tibet’s Nagqu town, state media said on Tuesday, which will be about 100 metres (328 ft) higher than the existing record holder in another part of the remote and restive region.  Nagqu airport will be at an altitude of 4,436 metres (14,553 ft) above sea level, slightly higher than the airport in Qamdo town at 4,334 metres (14,219 ft), Xinhua news agency reported....

Replica of Wright brothers' invention soars at Bozeman High - Bozeman Daily Chronicle | Kelsey Horn was thrilled Thursday when the replica she built of the Wright brothers' 1902 glider was installed in its permanent home in Bozeman High School's library...

Aspiring pilots win Young Eagles scholarships from General Aviation News by Janice Wood | Four young people are on the path to fulfilling their aviation dreams as recipients of scholarships through the EAA Young Eagles Scholarship Program, which funds flying lessons and flight experiences for teenage student pilots interested in aviation and aviation careers...

December 27, 2011 Girl Scouts at Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport  - Ely Air Lines | It was a stormy day last week when eight girls, ages 8-9, climbed inside the airport fire truck. There a fireman entertained and educated the group, pushing the water cannon button blasting 750 gallons a minute in a high arch across the ramp so they could see how it works....

Why aviation people need to be better at telling media's stories from Letters from Flyover Country by Bob Collins | I'm a big fan of the podcast, Uncontrolled Air Space, which is three very knowledgeable gentlemen gassing on for an hour about all things (general) aviation. They're smart, they make excellent points, and they're a great companion for me out at the hangar....

The Dungeon's Top Ten of 2011 - The Orginal Rocket Dungeon

Indy Transponder 17-MAY-2011 1933z

Air Force Thunderbirds to demonstrate flights with biomass fuels - WJLA | The United States Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team has been testing the use of "green" biomass fuels. The public is invited to watch flights burning the alternative fuel for the first time at the Joint Services Open House at Andrews Air Force Base, on Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22...

Warbirds over the beach - Suffolk News-Herald | If you didn’t get your fill of up-close planes during the Virginia Regional Festival of Flight two weeks ago, you can visit the annual Warbirds Over the Beach Air Show May 21-22 at the Virginia Beach Airport...

Take a Trip in Time with WWII War Planes (With Video) - Fox4KC | KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Two World War II era airplanes will be available for public flights this weekend. A B-17 and a P-40 Warhawk took off from the Downtown airport on Monday. It's part of a living museum tour to educate younger people about life during WW II...

WWII-era aircraft dreams take flight - Examiner.net | Kansas City, MO -- Oh, just look at her. Just really look at her. The stately wings, the proud nose. The aquiline body full of curves. Jim Jarvis of North Kansas City saw her sitting on the tarmac at Charles B. Wheeler Airport in Kansas City on Monday afternoon. She was so unexpected to his eyes that he just had to stop and look at her through the chain-link fence...

VIDEO: WATER SKIM - Short Final | Today's clip is a quick 15 second low pass flyby over water where the pilot, Cesar Falistocco, skims his wing on the water in a display. (He must have gotten the idea from Scully Levin and team when they flew their Harvards over water.) This took place at a Lake just outside the town of Cinco Saltos, Argentina. Enjoy!

Warbirds, airshows and autogas - GA News | Few aspects of an aviation event attract greater crowds than an airshow. Growling radial engines, the smooth whine of Merlins and Allisons, screaming unlimited aerobatic planes, and jet-powered trucks/school buses/outhouses are what many people have come to expect in exchange for admission. Imagine though what would happen if leaded avgas suddenly became unavailable, either through environmental, technical or economic reasons...

EAA Hotline - EAA | At EAA headquarters this week, a flying copy of the a 1911 Wright Flyer Model B arrived, donated by EAA Chapter 610, New Carlisle, Ohio, which built the aircraft over a four-year span, beginning in 2001. The aircraft stays true to the original save for some safety improvements in the flight controls, an engine from a Model A Ford, and a larger radiator, which only added 80 pounds to the original design...

Jetman sought for AirVenture - AOPA Blog | Schedules seem in conflict at the moment, but EAA is negotiating with the staff and sponsors of Yves Rossy, the former airline pilot who straps a wing with four model-airplane jet engines to his back, to make an appearance at EAA AirVenture...

When Opportunity Knocks… - Flight Monkeys | This past weekend was interesting for me. I had the pleasure and the honor of moderating a symposium on D-Day at Fantasy of Flight. Located in Auburndale, Florida – right alongside Interstate 4, Fantasy of Flight is a monument to antique and classic aircraft, as well as the potential of the human spirit...

Stealth Black Hawk updated rendering: 1978 document suggests a different shape for the modified UH-60 - Cencio4 | This is how the Stealth Black Hawk (dubbed also “Silent Hawk”) could look like based on the analysis of all the information available to date. It is sensibly different from the previous sketch; if you read below you’ll understand why...

Royal newlyweds may visit Calgary site where Kate's grandfather trained during war - Calgary Herald | The former Kate Middleton — now half of the newlywed pairing known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — will get the chance to explore her late grandfather's Alberta connections during the royal couple's upcoming visit to Canada, a British newspaper has reported...

Early Photo Reconnaissance P-51 Mustang (1943) - Retro Mechanix | In the early stages of WW II, the need for a fast, maneuverable low level photographic airplane had been stressed by Army Air Force Ground-Air Support Command, resulting in the study of the feasibility of a photographic installation in the P-51. This study was conducted at the North American Aviation Corporation, Inglewood, California, and a representative of the Photographic Laboratory, Materiel Center, Wright Field, was present during the study, design and fabrication of the installation...

Victor Archer Heart Attack - AAFO | Hello Everyone, This is Jill, Victor's wife. I wanted you to know that Victor had a heart attack last night. He had 100% blockage in one artery and 70% blockage in another. They placed a stent in the 100% blocked artery and will do the other one at a later date. He is in the hospital now and the Doctor says he will have a speedy recovery...

How lightning safely struck that Emirates A380 - Flight Blog | The above screenshot of an Emirates A380 being struck by lightning while on approach to London Heathrow (full video below) may look scary, but our operations and safety editor David Learmount reminds us aircraft are designed to withstand such events...

Eastern Airlines DC-7B restored to promote awareness of aviation history - MSNBC | A restored former Eastern Airlines DC-7B airplane taxies on the runway after arriving from Miami, Fl. in San Juan Puerto Rico Monday, May 16, 2011.Eastern Air Lines existed from 1926 to 1991 and the plane is part of an initiative of the Historical Flight Foundation to promote the aviation industry, educate and train youth in the aircraft maintenance and create awareness on the fundamental role of aviation in history.

General Aviation Day is This Saturday at Paine Field - Airline Reporter | General Aviation Day at Paine Field is back! What an amazing and great event celebrating aviation. People from all over will fly and drive in to share their love of flight...

More smiles as Arlington, WA, celebrates its awards - Women of Aviation | As I drove to Arlington Airport on May 7, it felted like “deja vu”. The rain was coming down pretty heavily in patches as it had done on March 12 when I drove to Arlington to offer my moral support to the pilots of Arlington Airport who joined forces under the leadership of Cathy Mighell and introduced 144 girls and women to flying in a single day...

These Are Last Four Humans Ever to Ride a Space Shuttle - Gizmodo | Endeavour is now en route to the International Space Station, loaded with space Lego sets. It's the penultimate shuttle flight, STS-134. This is the crew for the last shuttle mission, STS-135, next to their ride: The mighty Atlantis...

Getting To Know NYC's Space Shuttle: The Enterprise - Gothamist | As America's space vehicles are launched into retirement, and the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum anticipates its very own shuttle, the Enterprise, the press is busy kicking its tires... or at least reflecting back on the glory days. For the shuttle Enterprise, there really aren't that many exciting stories (except that time the cast of Star Trek came to visit) because it never orbited space...

Indy Transponder 06-APR-2011 0423z

Aaron Tippin: Fit for the job at the Aquarius - Laughlin Entertainer | Talk about a grand entry. Forget about getting to a concert in a tripped out bus or the fanciest of stretch limos. Aaron Tippin had plans to arrive in Laughlin for his concert at the Aquarius on Saturday, April 9, in the only flying B-29 bomber in existence...

Legends Over the Colorado Fly-In - Laughlin Entertainer | If you see a B-29 bomber flying overhead from Thursday through Sunday, April 7-10, don’t call 911. We aren’t being strafed and it’s not the “Enola Gay” loaded with deadly intent. It’s a sister “ship”, the “FIFI” the only flying B-29 in the world, loaded with tourists and history buffs flying over the area as part of the “Legends Over the Colorado Fly-In”...

Blue Angels "Centennial of Naval Aviation" This Weekend - Kiii | CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) - On Saturday and Sunday, April 9th and 10th, eighty thousand people are expected to visit the base thru the weekend. Gates at NAS Corpus Christi open at 8am, shows start at 10am each day and runs thru 4pm....

Historical Flight Foundations DC-7B - Rand Peck | I'm still away from home, have about four more weeks to go, but I just received these photos from my friend John Brier and wanted to share them. Let me introduce you to a couple of good friends from my past. This is Frank Moss, he was hired with me in 1974 to fly at Hyannis based, later Boston based Air New England...

Aerobatic prowess wins NZ titles - Southland Times | Two Wanaka pilots have their feet back on terra firma after winning national titles at the New Zealand aerobatic championships...

American Heroes Air Show lands at historic Camp Mabry - HeliHub | Buckle up the entire family for high-flying excitement when the American Heroes Air Show, the nation’s premier aviation event devoted exclusively to helicopters,  returns to the Texas Military Force’s historic Camp Mabry in Austin on Saturday, April 16th...

Martin Jetpack flies again, sees IPO on horizon but no commercial sales yet (video) - Engadget | We were all aflutter this time last year when it was announced that the Martin Jetpack was finally available commercially and would be heading out to eager buyers in exchange for $86,000. Regrettably, the time since then hasn't been filled with...

Doolittle granddaughter to speak at Fantasy of Flight - General Aviation News | On April 15 and 16, visitors to Fantasy of Flight will have the opportunity to hear from a direct descendant of one of history’s most famous aviators and war heroes, General Jimmy Doolittle of the renowned “Doolittle Raiders.” Doolittle’s granddaughter, Jonna Doolittle Hoppes, author of “Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle,”...

Mere Mortals Step Into the World of Fighter Pilots - Fighter Pilot University | Rick Reilly, is a longtime sports writer and most recently contributor to ESPN.  A number of years ago he wrote this article for Sports Illustrated.  It’s still funny today and shows one of the things that set fighter pilots apart from the lowly...

SpaceX Falcon Heavy to be ‘world’s largest rocket’* - Seattle PI | * Still in existance, that is. Space Exploration Technologies will launch what it called “the world’s largest rocket” in 2013 or 2014, the company announced Tuesday...

SpaceX Reveals The Falcon Heavy, The Most Powerful Rocket Since The Mighty Saturn V - CrunchGear | SpaceX teased the world last week with some rocket pr0n that hinted that the company was finally ready to reveal its Falcon Heavy mega rocket. Well, that’s what the company did minutes ago in a Washington DC press conference...

Astronaut Brings Back Medal of Honor After Six Month Stay on ISS - News Release | After living aboard the International Space Station for six months, NASA astronaut Douglas Wheelock will return to Harpursville, N.Y., on April 6 to relive his spaceflight experience for students of Harpursville Central School District and to return the Medal of Honor he carried with him in space...

Podcast: The RC Scale Builder Show - WarBird Radio | Join Mike Chilson and friends tonight on the RC Scale Builder Show LIVE! Tonight’s show our guest will be Gary Sibert, owner of Pink-it. Also, we’ll have other great segments and info from the world of R/C Scale Building...

Best photo I’ve seen all week! - You Like Airplanes, Too? | Beautiful snap taken aboard a TWA Lockheed Constellation...

Indy Transponder On Site At Sun-N-Fun Saturday 4-2-11 (AirPigz)

(16 pix) AirPigz.com 

 My Saturday morning at Sun-n-Fun 2011 started at the commercial exhibits not far from the camping area. This yellow and white biplane stood out right away as something special. Obviously not 'Pitts' special, but very cool nonetheless. It's the Fk12 Comet, a Rotax 912 LSA that promises fun in a way pretty much no other LSA could even dream about. The wings are fabric covered, but the structure underneath is all composite, and the fuselage is mostly welded steel tube with aluminum tube for the aft section. Lots of interesting and innovative thinking in this light, sporty, aircraft! 

 The American Legend display of modern Cubs included one with no fabric on it so all of the structure was visible. The use of modern materials and a variety of interesting design changes takes the timeless original Cub design even closer to perfection. I'm still dreaming about the one from yesterday on amphibious floats!

 After being hit so hard by the tornado on Thursday, the Air Cam display was looking almost back together. I was glad to see they hadn't given up after losing 4 airplanes... hopefully they'll head back home with several new orders on the books to take some of the sting out of a really rough year at SNF11.

 This awesome DC-7 was at Oshkosh in 2010 but for some reason I never got around to doing the $5 tour thru it. Today I decided I really needed to check it out. What a great experience. I wound up spending some time with the operators and really enjoyed talking airplanes with them. They're into all kinds of cool stuff that I'm going to posting about in the future, and I'll have a detailed post up before long on the DC-7 too.

 These two Stearman trainers were parked in the vintage aircraft area, and as you can clearly see they were camping there too. You just can't beat camping with an airplane that has two wings and a round engine. This is really living!

You may have noticed that I'm a bit of a Pitts Model 12 fanatic. I just can't resist posting pictures of them from time to time. Not only are they just gorgeous to look at from a design point of view, but almost every one of them you see has a fantastic paint job. This one belongs to Kendal Simpson, aka Acronut.

There's a good variety of warbirds to check out this year. Lots of T-28's or course, and this B-25 was interesting with the big guns in the nose and the access hatch opened up. It made for another good spot to use my camera-on-a-stick procedure.

For some reason, seeing those huge props and spinners on the P-3 just scream out 'airshow' to me... and a flag jump obviously does too. I don't think I ever remembering seeing a flag jump that includedcanopy relative work like this tho. I liked it.

 The F-22 Raptor was pretty high on most people's list of things they wanted to see today, and I was no different. I was able to get positioned in a really cool spot which allowed me to get the picture looking up the tail pipes after engine start. Wow, what a cool sight! There's a lot of heat being made there. You can also see the heat in the takeoff pic. Love the heat!

 The flight display (which most effectively turns kerosene into noise) had only been underway a few minutes when the pilot got a cockpit warning that something wasn't right. Fortunately the problem allowed him both the chance to get some altitude and then plenty of time to set up an approach. He landed with the P-51 that would have later been part of a Heritage Flight off his right wing.

 It would appear that there was something actually wrong with the airplane since it was towed back from where it had rolled out on the runway. I didn't hear any verified word on what the situation was, but ultimately all that mattered was that it all ended well.

 The special spot I was in that allowed me to get the great view of the F-22 from behind also gave me this view of the P-51. Pictures of great airplanes are really nice, but wow, I wish you could have heard what I heard about 3 seconds after I took this pic. I just don't know if there's a better sound on Earth than a Rolls Royce Merlin!

 I'm planning to get some great pix of the Blue Angels up in the next post... stay tuned : ) 

Indy Transponder 29-MAR-2011 1754z

Video screenshot

Video: DC-7 Visits Sun 'Fun - AVweb | There's not much you can do to a beautifully restored DC-7B passenger airplane to make it more interesting than it already is — except, perhaps, to pair it with a strikingly young captain. 23-year-old Glen Moss showed us around the venerated DC-7 (the last flying passenger version) and shared her story with us at Sun 'n Fun 2011 in Lakeland, Florida...

Double whammy of Red Arrows in Clacton air show - Clacton Gazette | CLACTON celebrates its 20th air show with a double whammy by the world famous Red Arrows. Clacton air show fans can look forward to breathtaking displays from the best loved aerobatic display team on both days of the town’s summertime air show...

More Than 450 Young Eagles Fly During Skycatcher Tour - EAA | Young Eagles Co-Chairman Jeff Skiles and EAA Chapters in four communities opened the world of flight to young people over the past two weekends, as more than 450 kids were flown during EAA’s Young Eagles Skycatcher Tour that wrapped up Sunday at Spruce Creek, Florida...


Plane Featured in ‘Amelia' Took 17 Years to Rebuild - The Ledger | LAKELAND - Joe Shepherd's 1936 Lockheed 12 was used a couple years ago in filming the 2009 movie "Amelia" starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor...

Video: Bleriot at Sun 'n Fun 2011 - AVweb | A modernized version of the airplane Louis Bleriot used to cross the English Channel isn't for everyone. "You really have to fly it all the time to get it where you want it," cautioned builders Pascal Kremer and Robert Bassley, who were both at Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida...

Lane Wallace Now Contributor to EAA Publications - EAA |  Lane Wallace, an internationally known aviation columnist, will be supplying her unique viewpoints to flying and an adventurous life in EAA Sport Aviation magazine beginning in the May 2011 issue...

Skagit Aero's Blog: Barn Find – WWII Wooden Constant Speed Propeller - Antique Airfield | Some times its the parts that are almost as much fun to find as the airplanes themselves. This was recently the case when Jim was crawling around a barn belonging to a friend of the museum down the river. Amidst the large number of airplane fuselages and other pieces, was a long wooden box with a brand new propeller inside...

Skagit Aero's Blog: New Piper Pictures – J-5A & PA-16 Clipper - Antique Airfield | We took advantage of some nice evening light recently to add some pictures to our galleries. Last summer we did some air-to-air photos of the J-5A and the Clipper, but we forgot to get some simple ground photos of each airplane. So with sun setting in the west and snow on the mountains to the east...

'Space!' is the theme of this month's Family Day - Air Force Museum | DAYTON, Ohio -- Visitors can learn about "Space!" through free hands-on educational opportunities during Family Day from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on April 16 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. This month's theme commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first human...

Don’t Sell Your Spy Drone on the Internet - Gawker | Raven spy drone lying around? If so, don't try to sell it on the internet! A Philippine man, Henson Chua tried to do that last year when he offered up his Raven for $13,000 on eBay in violation of the Arms Export Control Act — a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison...

Cessna unveils new Corvalis - AOPA | Cessna revealed its latest piston single—the Corvalis TTx—March 29 at Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, Fla. The TTx is an upgraded version of the Corvalis TT, and its central feature is Garmin’s newly-introduced G2000 in a package that Cessna is calling its Intrinzic Flight Deck....

Indy Transponder 29-MAR-2011 1030z

37th-Annual Sun 'n Fun Takes Flight Today - The Ledger | (LR) Frank Moss, pilot, and Carlos Gomez, a founder of the Historical Flight Foundation Inc.the owner of the aircraft, stand in front of the recently restored 1958 Eastern Airlines DC 7B at the Sun 'n Fun International Fly In & Expo on Lakeland Linder ...

City to explore U.S. navy plans - Windsor Star | The city will move ahead with efforts to bring US warships to the 2012 edition of the Windsor International Air Show. Capt. Patrick Burns of the US navy gave a presentation at city hall Monday night, providing details on the navy's plans to have ...

Weekend of events planned to mark 70th anniversary of the Blitz in Liverpool - Liverpool Echo | A World War II Spitfire plane will perform an aerobatic flying display over the Mersey and veterans of all ages from all conflicts will parade through the streets during the Bank Holiday weekend of April 30 to May 2. There will be a climbing wall in ...

Female high flyers at show - Cambridge News | Daring female pilots will show off their talents in celebration of the role played by women in the development of flight at Duxford's Spring Air Show. The Imperial War Museum Duxford has created a formidable line-up of talented female aviators for the ...

Historic military aircraft find new life at Tucson's 'Boneyard' - TucsonSentinel.com | At Tucson's "Boneyard," row upon row of B-52s, F-4 Phantoms, A-10 Warthogs and some of the rarest military aircraft dating back to World War II provide a panoramic vision of aviation history. But there is more to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and ...

88 YEARS OF ITALIAN AIR FORCE - It was celebrated yesterday the anniversary Ottantottesimo Italian Air Force...

Museums vying for NASA shuttles to meet in Dayton - Dayton Daily News | “On the day of the shuttle announcement, Dayton will be the center of the universe with respect to the museums who want, and may get, a shuttle,” said Tony Sculimbrene, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, a Dayton-based ...

Shuttle hopefulls to gather as winners named (Dayton Daily News)  Seattle Post Intelligencer | “On the day of the shuttle announcement, Dayton will be the center of the universe with respect to the museums who want, and may get, a shuttle,” Tony Sculimbrene, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, which is promoting the ...

Internet poll wouldn't give Seattle a shuttle, so far - Seattle Post Intelligencer ... Adler Planetarium, in Chicago (6 percent), the National Museum of the United States Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio (4 percent), Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, in McMinnville, Ore. (2 percent), March Field Air Museum, in Riverside, Calif. ...

The Mojave Launch Lab  from Air & Space Magazine 

Meanwhile, at Stately Ward Manor..."  - Last year, I was made aware of a cool web site for the geek in all of us, The Sci Fi Air Show. A passion project of Hollywood visual effects supervisor Bill George, the site is played straight and presented in a "real world" style, offering up air show-type pics of some of the coolest space vehicles from science fiction film and television. In addition to providing "histories" for the vehicles in question, pictures show visitors walking in and around such craft as the Eagle from Space: 1999, climbing up to check the cockpit of a Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper, touring the Orion space plane from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even checking out the "Flying Sub" from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea…

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