Indy Transponder 09-MAR-2011 2200z

Canadian aviation history up for bids  from Aviation.ca News | For over 40 years the world famous Canadian Forces Snowbirds Demonstration Team have entertained millions of air show spectators as international ambassadors for Canada. Their aircraft of choice has been the venerable CT-114 Tutor Jet built in the mid-sixties by...

Precision with USAF Thunderbrids, NASCAR and NHRA - Bleacher Report | The US Air Force Thunderbirds take highly trained combat pilots and crews to higher levels of precision for top show speed. NASCAR stock cars and NHRA hot rods take top speed to the track, but the last thing they desire is going airborne. ...

VRT “Visit the Vulcan” Day – 17th April 2011  from Flightline UK | The Trust are planning to hold a number of events and open days – titled ‘Visit the Vulcan Days’ – during 2011, at Southend Airport, Eastwoodbury Crescent, Southend-on-sea, Essex, SS2 6YF.  The first ‘Visit the Vulcan Day’ of 2011 will be held on: 17 April 2011…

Luke Air Force Base Open House and Air Show - Spring Break  - Well, don't stay in your dorms, because Luke Air Force Base is having their biannual open house and airshow this March 19 to 20. On Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can drop by and watch an awe-inspiring air show. ...

Airmen preserve heritage, restore aircraft  from Air Force Link Top Stories by afnews@dma.mil (Tech. Sgt. Shawn J. Jones)  Sparks were flying inside one airplane hangar near the flightline here March 4, as active-duty and Reserve maintenance technicians worked to restore an air mobility artifact.  For decades, a C-118 Liftmaster stood on display near the passenger terminal here, but in October 2009, it was towed to a maintenance hangar in order to restore the deteriorating aircraft to its former glory.  Since the restoration project began, Airmen and volunteers have contributed more than 3,000 hours of work time, including nearly 750 hours of off-duty personal time, to get the Liftmaster back to its position as the sentry of the passenger terminal.  more...

Selfridge Museum Opens in April - Patch.com | See nearly $5-million worth of displays when the Selfridge Military Air Museum and Air Park officially opens early next month. Hours of operation were announced this week for the volunteer-operated ...

Kan. Aviation Museum opens new exhibit detailing history, restoration of ... - The Republic | The Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita is opening a new exhibit featuring the iconic Stearman Model 4D airplane. The museum plans a free open house from 4 to 7 pm Thursday to celebrate the opening of the exhibit. The museum says visitors can learn the ...

Rare Warplane To Be Recovered  from AVwebFlash Current Issue | A TBD Devastator war plane that was lost at sea in 1941 has been located off the coast of San Diego, and a Florida museum plans to raise it from the bottom. Capt. Ed Ellis (USN, retd.), head of aircraft restorations for the National Museum of Naval Aviation, in Pensacola, told EAA the Devastator is "the 'holy grail' in terms of naval aviation, and something we'd like to have in this museum." Many of the Devastator bombers were lost in World War II, and today there are none on display. About $300,000 must be raised to move ahead with the recovery…

EAA, HAI to Establish Heli Center at AirVenture 2011  from News from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh | Helicopter Association International (HAI) announced this week it will partner with EAA to establish a new, dedicated "Heli Center" for the international helicopter community at AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. The announcement came at the recently concluded HELI-EXPO in Orlando, Florida…

Getting Support  from Aviation Blogs by flyer98 | In last week’s Flying newsletter, our editor-in-chief Robert Goyer wrote about a study that AOPA conducted to find out why a staggering number of student pilots drop out prior to completing their license. It found that, in making the decision to continue flight training, the quality of instruction and sense of community were more important than the lack of the necessary funding. The second reason struck home with me since I had just returned from theWomen in Aviation, International (WAI) annual conference in Reno, Nevada…

High flying pilot keeps her feet on the ground - El Dorado Hills Telegraph | However, information about me has been published in a number of books such as “Hovering” by Henry M. Holden, “Ladybirds II: The Continuing Story of American Women in Aviation” and “Women and Flight” by Carolyn Russo. The latter is a Smithsonian ...

Garvey Spacecraft/Cal State Long Beach launch & return Prospector 18A rocket  from RLV and Space Transport News  | John Garvey of Garvey Spacecraft Corp. has sent me news of the most recent test carried out with the Cal State University, Long Beach rocket program. He noted the plans by Armadillo Aerospace to use parachute recovery of their Tube Rocket and informs me that…

Ninth Jet World Masters championship competition to be held at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force  from National Museum of the USAF Top Stories by nationalmuseum.usaf@wpafb.af.mil (Rob Bardua)  The Jet World Masters championship competition will take place in the United States for the first time July 24-Aug. 6 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.   Up to 100 pilots from over 50 different countries could compete during this two week event, which is free and open to the public.  The event features scale models with real turbine powered jets, detailed to exactly replicate full-size aircraft. Each pilot will perform 10 maneuvers typical of a full-scale plane in three or four sessions. The planes will be judged on their accuracy by a team of six international judges with a flying speed up to 200 mph. more...

Space Shuttle Discovery's Next Destination: A Noble Retirement in a Museum - Space.com | They include the visitor center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; the visitor center at KSC; the National Museum of the US Air Force in Ohio; the Museum of Flight in Seattle; and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. ...

March 9  from Cut and Paste Aviation by KenInfinite

Another fantastic image of the RAF Red Arrows. I feel like I...  from You like airplanes, too? | Another fantastic image of the RAF Red Arrows. I feel like I feature them a lot on this site, but I suppose I’ll stop featuring them when people stop taking pictures like these! Photo by Evan Wilson. Full version here.

Indy Transponder 04-MAR-2011 1800z

Canada Remembers airshow returns – StarPhoenix | After missing a year, Saskatoon's air show and tribute to veterans is back with a new name and venue. After missing a year... veterans is back with a new name and venue. ...

Riverside Airshow 2011 – March 26  by Scott | The Riverside Airshow is the envy of every municipal airport in the Inland Empire. Founded 19 years, the 2011 show will not disappoint, with a full day of fun at no cost…

Episode 57: Avalon Quick Cast #4  from Plane Crazy Down Under by Grant (Falcon124)  We’re up to day 4 of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (aka Avalon 2011) and the general public are arriving as of today. The PCDU team are pushing through more interviews, catching up with old friends and meeting listeners. The content we selected for this Quick Cast includes…

First Vicki Cruse Memorial Scholarships Awarded at WAI Conference  from WAI Connect Blog by Amy Laboda | Two Amazing Women Prepare To 'Get Their Acro On'What should have been but one more sad reminder of a tragic event has turned out to be one of the most uplifting pursuits we've undertaken all year. After receiving a number of impressive submissions, ANN CEO, Jim Campbell, finally had to make up his mind and make what turned out to be some very tough selections…

 Flying high as an airshow ace - Herald Sun | Herald Sun reporter Nathan Mawby returns to earth after a demo flight with the RAAF in a Hawk 127 fighter jet. Picture: Craig Hughes Source: Herald Sun MANKIND was never meant to fly. On the whole we're about as aerodynamic as a roast chicken. ...

Blue Angels Confirmed for Field of Flight - AM 590 - FM 96.5 | WKZO - Organizers of the Fourth of July weekend event received final confirmation Wednesday that the Blue Angels will perform on July second and third at the W.K. Kellogg Airport after the Navy scrubbed the team's appearance at the Muskegon ...

Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II from Planeshots 

'Holy Grail' of Warbirds Found Off San Diego  from EAA - The Experimental Aircraft Association | The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, announced last week plans to raise a pre-World War II Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bomber located off the coast of San Diego, California…

Spitfire flypast for 'world's only' woman pilot - BBC News | A woman thought to be the world's only qualified female Spitfire pilot is to fly her plane over Southampton on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of its first journey. When Carolyn Grace's husband was killed in a car accident in 1988, aged 52, ...

Iowans' tales of WWII fill new book - DesMoinesRegister.com | DES MOINES RESIDENTS: Flight Officer Clair E. Harper, an Army Air Forces B-17 bomber pilot; Sgt. William F. Leasure, a paratrooper; 1st Lt. John C. Phillips, an Army anti-aircraft artillery officer; 1st Lt. Albert J. Greffenius, a P-47 Thunderbolt ...

Taking a B-17 for a Loop and a Spin from Pilots of America Message Board by Steve | My recent tour of some currently flying vintage bombers had me perusing the net on the subject and in doing so came across this interesting bit of history  http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/mc-ed-krupa-john-urban-20110303,0,7065295.story

Aerospace Camp registration now open at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force  from National Museum of the USAF Top Stories by nationalmuseum.usaf@wpafb.af.mil (Sarah Swan)  Registration for five affordable and exciting aerospace summer camps is now open at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Campers who have completed grades 2-9 will be able to learn about a variety of topics through hands-on activities that incorporate history, science and math concepts, as well as team-building skills. Base clearance is not required to participate.  The "Go for Launch!" aerospace camp will take place from 9 a.m.-noon on June 20-24. Students who have finished grades 5-6 and who have previously had little or no experience building model rockets, airplanes or plastic kits of any kind, will have the opportunity to learn about the history and science of rocketry, and build and launch several model rockets. Cost is $70 per camper.  more...

Patricia Mawuli Nyekodzi  from Flight To Success by Karlene Petitt | What appeared to be any other day in Ghana turned out to be anything but normal when Patricia walked out of the bush, in 2007, looking for work with the WAASPS—A social entrepreneurship project in West Africa. The WAASPS provide—pilot training, build aircraft, maintenance, expertise for aerial survey, agricultural surveillance and plantation selection work, and more…

Striving Across Sea, Sky and Space  from Hiller Aviation Museum by hillermuseum | Aeronautical Prizes from Louis Bleriot to Burt Rutan  By Jon Welte  …In 1996 an organization that would eventually become the X Prize Foundation was formed. Its mission was simple: establish a prize for a reusable airplane able to carry a human being to an altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers). Such heights had been reached by rocket planes before, most notably the North American X-15 research airplane that flew as high as 67 miles during a 1960s research program. The X-15, however, was a multiyear program funded by NASA and the USAF. The Ansari X Prize was reserved for a privately-funded endeavor. Within a decade, the prize was won by a team headed by maverick aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan…

Brits release UFO files and videos ...  from Black Horizon by Steve Douglass | The Ministry of Defense United Kingdom has released thousands of files with details of UFO sightings and an "alien abduction." These previously classified files document sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) by the military and members of the public dating back to the 1950s.  The files contain around 8,500 pages mainly covering the period from 1997 to 2005 and include photographs, drawings and descriptions of flying saucer sightings, as well as letters the Ministry of Defence (MoD) sent eyewitnesses in response to their accounts, the Sky News and The Telegraph reported…

Jetpack and skis are going uphill fast - Coolest Gadgets | The ski jetpack uses two engines from a decommissioned military UAV, and they propel him up the slopes at about 47 mph. Feel free to watch a video after the jump to see his ski-camera. For those who have never heard of Troy Harman, you should know that ...

Fascinating aviation art  from Bayou Renaissance Man by Peter | Courtesy of a link in the archives over at Dark Roasted Blend, I came across two articles at Voyages Extraordinaires, a blog that describes itself as:  "a weblog for people of intelligence and good breeding who enjoy rousing Victorian-Edwardian Scientific, Imperial and Planetary Romances, Retro-Futurism, Victoriana, silent and early cinema, and authentic tales of history and exploration."

Astronaut Garrett Reisman Joins SpaceX  from RLV and Space Transport News | An announcement from SpaceX: Astronaut Garrett Reisman Joins SpaceX - Joining Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance Team as SpaceX Prepares to Carry Astronauts - Hawthorne, CA– Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is proud to announce that NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman is joining the company as a senior engineer working on astronaut safety and mission assurance…

Strange But True Aviation News from Things with Wings by Benet Wilson

March 4  from Cut and Paste Aviation by KenInfinite

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

Friday's Fix of Pix - 4th March, 2011 from Military Photos by marek | A Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, assigned to the USS Carl Vinson, receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron in the skies above Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, March 2, 2011. Photo by Master Sgt. William Greer 

Young Eagles Ford Mustang Raffle Opens This Weekend from Aviation Blogs by Av8tor | If you’re attending EAA’s Hops & Props fundraiser on Saturday night, March 5, at the AirVenture Museum you can be among the first to buy a ticket to win one sweet ride – a 2011 Ford Mustang GT convertible! That car is the grand prize for the annual Young Eagles Raffle, which supports EAA’s Young Eagles program and other youth aviation education initiatives.  Only 1,500 tickets are available in the raffle, which continues through July 31 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Tickets are $100 each and will also be available in the coming months at the AirVenture Museum as well as during AirVenture. The prize drawings will be held at 4:30 p.m.  on Sunday, July 31, the final day of the fly-in.  Other prizes to be awarded include four cash prizes ranging from $500 to $5,000. The Mustang, valued at $42,000, is provided with assistance from Ford Motor Company and Kocourek Ford of Wausau, Wis.  Source: http://www.eaa.org/

Indy Transponder 26-FEB-2011 1045z

70 Years of Thunder - Luke AFB | Details

Newest fighter jet to headline Selfridge air show - Daily Tribune | The military’s newest fighter aircraft will headline the 2011 Selfridge Air Show in August.  A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor team will conduct one of the flying performances during the free show, Aug. 20-21.  “For the majority of our visitors, I am certain this will represent their first opportunity to see an F-22,” said Lt. Col. Sean Campbell, director of the air show. ...

ILLOWA Sport Flyers to meet March 5 - Quad-Cities Online | The club will be joining in with the Davenport Airport and the Quad City Air Show June 18-19 with an area display of the club and aircraft. This year The Blue Angles will be the featured show. The Quad City Air Show is one of a few air shows that have ...

City says no to funds for air show - Wisconsin Dells Events | The Wisconsin Dells Council's Finance Committee said no to a request for funds for the annual air show at the Baraboo-Dells Airport, but said yes to a proposal to ...

The Horsemen P-51 Mustangs - Fargo AirSho | The Horsemen are widely know for flying the world’s only P-51 Mustang aerobatic team. The team flys only a limited number of select shows each year, and have named Fargo as a site for 2011. The Horsemen are comprised of three highly skilled warbird pilots who have passion for showcasing the planes that made America great: Jim Beasley, Dan Friedkin, and Ed Shipley.  The trio is also featured on a reality series on ASB.TV that follows the team from the creation of the team to their aviation adventures around the world.

Gateway Aviation Day set for takeoff - Arizona Republic | 26, 2011 06:24 AM It's called Gateway Aviation Day, and there will be a lot to celebrate while ducking under the wings of an aircraft-refueling tanker, standing closer than most people ever do to an Apache helicopter and checking out a McDonnell ...

Kemble air show salute to Hunters - Wiltshire Gazette and Herald | The 2011 Cotswold Air Show is planning a flypast consisting of nine of the iconic jets, many of which were built and maintained at the airport. From 1954 to 1989, RAF Kemble became known as the Hunter HQ, as virtually every UK Hunter, more than 1200 ...

Big Band Hangar Dance and WWII Musical Show - Arizona Reporter | ... a fund raiser for the non-profit CAF Aviation Museum, 2017 N. Greenfield Rd at Mesa's Falcon Field, NE corner of McKellips and Greenfield; The CAF is an organization dedicated to keeping aviation history alive for current and future generations. ...

Officials celebrate 100 years of aviation Dominican - Nuevo eldiario | The 100 years of aviation in the Dominican Republic will be held on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March, with the display of Caribbean Air Show 2011, a great air show in which acrobats and aircraft pilots will participate in various countries along the waterfront of the capital, between Avenida Maximo Gomez and Abraham Lincoln, between the hours of 13:00 to 19:00. ...

Updates from WAI

• A View From The Author's Table
• Why Men at Women in Aviation?
• What’s up in the Exhibit Hall At The 2011 WAI Conf...
• Soaring Siblings Attend WAI Conference
• Love at First Flight

Flying the Friendly Renton Skies - Renton, WA Patch from renton.patch.com | Back at the end of December, Delta Airlines pilot and Renton resident, Karlene Pettit organized a free event, dubbed “Fly it Forward,” which had the dual purpose of being part of a worldwide celebration of the Centennial of Women Pilots and a push to help Renton Municipal Airport earn the designation of the Most Female-Pilot-Friendly Airport in the World.  Sadly, we missed out by a whisker, but as Karlene points out in her excellent blog post on the event, we started late but had an AMAZING finish and ultimately earned a top finish in the United States!  ...

1941 Air Race: Porterfield Gets Whipped By JATO Ercoupe! from AirPigz | OK, it wasn't a real 'air race', but it was a pretty historic event: the first ever JATO (Jet Assisted Take-Off) in the United States. And the massive brute of an airplane chosen to try this new technology? Why the Ercoupe of course... all ~1,200 pounds of it! My research on the internet turned up some confusing info on how much thrust is on display in this picture, but I'm inclined to believe the claim that the Ercoupe is ...

Crews To Use Video To Help Raise Rare WWII Airplane - 10 News [video] | TBD Devastator Bomber Discovered Off Coast Of San Diego | Recovery crews will be relying on new video footage in an effort to raise a World War II plane discovered off the coast of San Diego.  A&T Recovery revealed the first-ever glimpse of the TBD Devastator, which is considered the "Holy Grail" of naval aviation restoration. In the video, a robotic camera captures video of a weathered cockpit and instrument panel, along with the remnants of an airplane wing. ...

LaVoy Poehlman, 91 / Sept. 10, 1919 — Feb. 24, 2011 - Niles Daily Star | As a young man, LaVoy served in the United States Air Force as a flight instructor for B-25 bombers. On April 16, 1945 in Buchanan he married the former Colleen M. Mellen, who would be his wife and constant companion for more than 65 years. ...

Six decades later, World War II airmen honored with medals in Utah - Salt Lake Tribune | Also honored was Sgt. Paul Sersland, an aerial gunner on a B-17 who participated in 35 bombing raids over enemy occupied Europe in 1944 and 1945. “It's perfectly appropriate, even though it's decades late, that we still recognize the work these men did ...

A captured Junkers Ju 88A in U.S. colors from Planeshots | More Ju 88's in the archives

“Bell D188A Mach 2 VTOL Fighter Project” now in print from The Unwanted Blog | This is the real First Edition of the thing, with (hopefully) all the bugs worked out. It is revised from the original ...

February 26 from Cut and Paste Aviation 

Dream of flight within reach for scholarship winner - AOPA Pilot | Women in Aviation International President Peggy Chabrian and AOPA President Craig Fuller waved from the cockpit of the giant replica and climbed down the stairs to welcome attendees at the opening reception of the twenty-second annual International ...

Student balloon project images Discovery from above from The Original Rocket Dungeon | Alan Boyle reports on the Robonaut-1 balloon project, which imaged Discovery/STS-133 from the stratosphere.  The project was a joint project by between the Challenger Center for Space Science Education and Quest for Stars.  The balloon payload included a smart phone, however, the team found that the cell coverage over the south Florida swamps was poor.  They have recovered the Robonaut-1 and are extracting more images. ...

Boeing Receives IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing for the Mercury Spacecraft in Ceremony Today from The Aero Experience | Boeing received the IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing for the Mercury Spacecraft in a ceremony today at the St. Louis Campus Building 100 Prologue Room.  The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a non-profit, professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation related to electricity, and recognizes the advancements made by the Mercury Spacecraft team in the areas of navigation and control systems, including fly-by-wire.  Here are some views of the ceremony: ...