A lot of flying today, but as a passenger. One of the lengthiest flights around with 22 hours in the air, Chicago to Singapore. Since there was a delay heading through Tokyo, I was given the option of flying East instead of West since either direction is half way around the globe. I was lucky enough to snag a flight from Paris to Singapore, the 14 hour leg. Further, this would be flown in a new A380, the same plane featured at Oshkosh this year. It's immense. Sort of like the 747 with the double deck stretching all the way down the fuselage. Still had that new plane smell, which was in stark contrast to the Charles De Gaulle airport which is pretty tired and worn out .
There are two types of people: those whose job includes flying as part of their job responsibilities, and those who believe it would be really cool to do so. There is very little overlap between these two groups. Those in the “fly” group quickly realize that long-haul airline travel is akin to a day-long ride in a overcrowded school bus, with the only chance of excitement coming from the possibility of catching the tropical disease infecting the overweight guy stuck next to you.
It still is a unique plane. I noted that the overcrowded waiting area might take forever to board, hundreds of passengers (It will take on 555 and lift off with 1.2 million pounds). However, with multiple jetways it went quickly. Hanging underneath were the four huge Roll Royce Trent engines, each with 76,500 pounds of thrust. Which is a lot of push.
The boys at Kill Devil Hill would have been amazed. The distance flown by the original Wright Flyer was 120 feet. That's less than half the wingspan of an A380. Bigger is better. Unless you're flying low and slow for the fun that's in it.
Aug 25, 2009
Aug 23, 2009
Risky Business
Low level aerobatics have inherent risks:
There's little margin for error during aerobatic performances and practices, especially if there are control problems at low altitudes with the aircraft. A loss for the Cruse family and the entire aerobatic community.
American team manager Norm DeWitt said Cruse was flying the early-round "Q" program when she lost control of her Zivko Edge 540 aircraft by what appeared to be a mechanical problem in flight. The USA lost one of its most outstanding pilots, and the IAC lost the finest President we have ever had, DeWitt said."
There's little margin for error during aerobatic performances and practices, especially if there are control problems at low altitudes with the aircraft. A loss for the Cruse family and the entire aerobatic community.
Aug 21, 2009
Genetics or environment?
Probably Both and a Whole Lot of Hard Work
After four years Mike Goulian won his first ever 1st place finish in the Red Bull Air Race Championships. The course speed was 225 mph and low-level aerobatics as low as 20 feet. Scary altitude for that.
This has been four years in the making. It’s been so hard to get the right machine, to get the engine working the right way. After four years of hard work this is amazing. I knew we had an airplane that could do it. It’s a great win.
Goulian grew up around planes but also has the reputation as one of the hardest workers in the business. His Dad was an FAA examiner that also owned a flight school and his earliest "lessons" were washing planes and sweeping the hangar. He learned to fly before he could drive a car. Fast forward to 2009: Already a National unlimited aerobatics champion, Mike was selected as the top airshow pilot in the U.S.
Sometime, nice guys do finish first.
Aug 20, 2009
The 100 mile Pancake
The sky was hazy, but the day was calm. We were determined to get some time in the air even if visibility was suspected to be like the inside of a milk bottle. It was true. After lifting off everything became much harder to see. So it became an exercise in concentration when traffic call outs were made by ATC with my reply of “negative contact” each time.
So why bother if you can’t see where you’re going? To get pancakes. Sometimes it’s useful for general aviation pilots to have a mission. Sure we love to bore holes in the sky when practicing aerobatics or maneuvers but sometimes the sense of mission legitimizes the boring of holes. We look for an excuse to fly and it sometimes defies logic. Just try to explain why you need to get that winged marvel you’ve seen in Trade-A-Plane to your spouse with the explanation that it will save travel time. This irrefutable reasoning was the same used by my friend who told his wife that they would save money on fish by buying that cabin cruiser. Didn't work for him either.
The journey may be the reward, but a destination legitimizes the journey. It made perfect sense to travel a hundred miles for a pancake (Not to be c0nfused with the $100 hamburger). Even better was that a lot of others had the same idea. We followed this Stearman the last 15 miles.
all the way to the restaurant. Beautiful bird and recently restored. I could still smell fresh paint as sunlight danced around its leading edges. I could also smell bacon. The diner was full of pilots. Occasionally, you’d see hands mimicking plane maneuvers as the latest amazing flying story played out to an appreciative audience. As it was at Oshkosh, it was good to be around others that spoke the same language. The food was actually good and the crucial mission accomplished. A perfect morning.
Bonus: You might find something unusual on the ramp. This one doesn’t seem to be in any aviation book.
So why bother if you can’t see where you’re going? To get pancakes. Sometimes it’s useful for general aviation pilots to have a mission. Sure we love to bore holes in the sky when practicing aerobatics or maneuvers but sometimes the sense of mission legitimizes the boring of holes. We look for an excuse to fly and it sometimes defies logic. Just try to explain why you need to get that winged marvel you’ve seen in Trade-A-Plane to your spouse with the explanation that it will save travel time. This irrefutable reasoning was the same used by my friend who told his wife that they would save money on fish by buying that cabin cruiser. Didn't work for him either.
The journey may be the reward, but a destination legitimizes the journey. It made perfect sense to travel a hundred miles for a pancake (Not to be c0nfused with the $100 hamburger). Even better was that a lot of others had the same idea. We followed this Stearman the last 15 miles.
all the way to the restaurant. Beautiful bird and recently restored. I could still smell fresh paint as sunlight danced around its leading edges. I could also smell bacon. The diner was full of pilots. Occasionally, you’d see hands mimicking plane maneuvers as the latest amazing flying story played out to an appreciative audience. As it was at Oshkosh, it was good to be around others that spoke the same language. The food was actually good and the crucial mission accomplished. A perfect morning.Bonus: You might find something unusual on the ramp. This one doesn’t seem to be in any aviation book.
Aug 9, 2009
Aviation's Disneyland
There is no easy way to describe the Airventure experience. For one week, Oshkosh Wisconsin became the hub of general aviation news; innovation and activity and for thousands of people. Total immersion in all things aviation. It would be reason enough to make the trip to see countless airplanes parked by type and in many areas by model. Over 10,000 planes made the trip. Ultralights; Vintage Planes; Warbirds; Experimental; Aerobatic. I’ve seen small airports build a Fly –In Air show around the venerable P-51. At Oshkosh there were at least two dozen of them beautifully restored. 
There were DC-3’s that blazed the trail for passenger aviation , featured prominently in Gann’s “Fate is the Hunter”. I admired a Beech Staggerwing (below), 
“Executive Air travel” of it’s era while a Lancaster Bomber lumbered overhead. 
As I walked by a line of radial engine Cessna 195’s, a Globe Swift made ready for departure. 
Displays of new aircraft, engines and avionics dotted the landscape with thousands of folks meandering from one exhibit to the next. A delightful sensory overload with scheduled activities, speakers and events, about ten per hour, for most of the week.
Aeroshell square had some unique machines. The Airbus A380 was open for tours of the cabin. The Erikson Skycrane looked anything but aerodynamic, but could carry 2,650 gallons of water.
The Composite White Knight II sparkled nearby, built for passenger suborbital space travel. While it looks like a two ship formation flying really close it's one plane. It will hold Spaceship II under the middle wing along with lucky passengers who can afford the $200,000 ticket. (No word yet on coach fares) .
Before long it was time for the daily airshow which featured the very best aerobatic pilots in the world. Sean Tucker, Patty Wagstaff; Mike Goulian, Kirby Chambliss. We watched the A380 rotate, 1.2 million pounds, before it hit the 5,000 foot mark. It created a dust cloud on take off.
Other large aircraft thundered in including a C-17 Globemaster and C-5 Galaxy. There were two teams of wing walkers. I was especially impressed by the Kyle and Amanda Franklin, a husband / wife team that staged a swordfight in midair. 
I watched dumbfounded as the Chuck Aaron and the BO-105 Red Bull helicopter performed aerobatics. Who knew a helo could do loops and rolls?
Orange County Choppers, Paul Teutul Sr. attemped to race Greg Poe's MX-2 but knew he was outmatched from the beginning . He was lost in the airplanes smoke half way down the runway.
Although Teutul has star power, the real stars that stole the show were the warbirds. A flight of T-6 and T-28 warbirds as well as P51’2 flying formation. They were joined by flights of L-39 and T-2 jets as well as bombers and other WWII aircraft. 
Everyone knew this was something special.Rare planes were commonplace. Even the most famous planes had to wait in line like everyone else.
Many predicted this year’s AirVenture attendance numbers would be way down. But those pessimistic prognosticators were wrong. Turnout far exceeded expectations hitting 578,000, a 12 percent increase over 2008.
Despite massive cutbacks in commercial, general and military aviation, this was a celebration of flying, an aviation Disneyland. It was the kind of thing that made us all a little more optimistic that investments were being made in new technology and the there was a bright future ahead for general aviation.
I can't wait until Airventure 2010.
Photos by Tom Densmore
There were DC-3’s that blazed the trail for passenger aviation , featured prominently in Gann’s “Fate is the Hunter”. I admired a Beech Staggerwing (below), “Executive Air travel” of it’s era while a Lancaster Bomber lumbered overhead. As I walked by a line of radial engine Cessna 195’s, a Globe Swift made ready for departure. Displays of new aircraft, engines and avionics dotted the landscape with thousands of folks meandering from one exhibit to the next. A delightful sensory overload with scheduled activities, speakers and events, about ten per hour, for most of the week.Aeroshell square had some unique machines. The Airbus A380 was open for tours of the cabin. The Erikson Skycrane looked anything but aerodynamic, but could carry 2,650 gallons of water.
The Composite White Knight II sparkled nearby, built for passenger suborbital space travel. While it looks like a two ship formation flying really close it's one plane. It will hold Spaceship II under the middle wing along with lucky passengers who can afford the $200,000 ticket. (No word yet on coach fares) .Before long it was time for the daily airshow which featured the very best aerobatic pilots in the world. Sean Tucker, Patty Wagstaff; Mike Goulian, Kirby Chambliss. We watched the A380 rotate, 1.2 million pounds, before it hit the 5,000 foot mark. It created a dust cloud on take off.
Other large aircraft thundered in including a C-17 Globemaster and C-5 Galaxy. There were two teams of wing walkers. I was especially impressed by the Kyle and Amanda Franklin, a husband / wife team that staged a swordfight in midair. I watched dumbfounded as the Chuck Aaron and the BO-105 Red Bull helicopter performed aerobatics. Who knew a helo could do loops and rolls?Orange County Choppers, Paul Teutul Sr. attemped to race Greg Poe's MX-2 but knew he was outmatched from the beginning . He was lost in the airplanes smoke half way down the runway.
Although Teutul has star power, the real stars that stole the show were the warbirds. A flight of T-6 and T-28 warbirds as well as P51’2 flying formation. They were joined by flights of L-39 and T-2 jets as well as bombers and other WWII aircraft. Everyone knew this was something special.Rare planes were commonplace. Even the most famous planes had to wait in line like everyone else.
Many predicted this year’s AirVenture attendance numbers would be way down. But those pessimistic prognosticators were wrong. Turnout far exceeded expectations hitting 578,000, a 12 percent increase over 2008.
Despite massive cutbacks in commercial, general and military aviation, this was a celebration of flying, an aviation Disneyland. It was the kind of thing that made us all a little more optimistic that investments were being made in new technology and the there was a bright future ahead for general aviation.
I can't wait until Airventure 2010.
Photos by Tom Densmore
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