It's So Old!
But it still smells fresh.
WEF 1001281601
With all this old stuff sticking around, you have to wonder how we keep it
smelling so fresh. Ha! I've got quite the secret up my sleeve.
You see, my wonderful wife makes candles. Not just any candles, but
soy candles. Highly scented, and at a price anybody can afford.
Even me.
So, cruise on over to Skyline Candle
Company, and pick yourself up a candle or twelve. I recommend the
Waterfall Mist. Smells so good. Way better than all these moldy
old headlines.
FMI: Skyline Candle Co.
Taildraggers, Inc. Archives - February 2010
These are our top stories and links from February 2010. They're still cool,
but we gotta keep the home page clean and quick to load! Enjoy the
Archives!
And as always, if you have a link or photo to share, we'd love to
hear about it, and hopefully add it to the site. We are also looking
for guest writers and photographers to submit content. If you would
like to write an article or a photo essay, shoot us an email. We
won't pay you (we don't even pay ourselves), but we will give you full credit for any contributions.
Drop us a line anytime:
webmaster@taildraggersinc.com
Grassroots
Adventures
Sometimes it's not the complicated,
fancy, polished airplanes. Not everything needs a glass panel, or
twin turboprops. 300 knots can be too fast. And there's
nothing to see at FL280. Sometimes it's the slow, simple, and
completely un-pretentious airplanes that bring us the most joy.
Listen, fool, there's a reason pilots love the Piper J-3 Cub.
The J-3 is slow. Slow as in airspeed, and slow as in handling.
It's no sports car of the sky. But who needs a hot rod when the view
is so good? Who needs fast when there's so much to enjoy low and
slow? The J-3 isn't about flying, it's about the adventure of
flying. It's a time machine, an equilibrium equalizer. It's
the kind of airplane
that
reminds pilots what flying is really about. Flying a Cub makes your
soul happy.
These photos are from a website called
Vintage Flying.
Bern Heimos has been flying his J-3 all over the U.S. and documenting his
adventures with photos of his travels since 2006 (although the photos on
the website only go back to 2008). He's been to Lock Haven,
Blakesburg, Brodhead, and nearly everywhere in between, all the while with
his camera in hand.
Bern's website it worth a visit. There are hundreds, of not
thousands, of photos on the site. All of them reminding us what it's
like to travel the country in a true time machine. As you scroll the
photos, just keep this in thought in mind,
"If you think aviation is just about flying, you are missing the
adventure." - Bern Heimos
WEF 1002260244
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
The Children are the Future
There's no secret that the pilot
population is getting older and smaller. For those of us who truly
have a passion for aviation, this is a very bad thing. It's like
watching our family slowly die off. As each generation passes on,
and no more children are born, the family name dies with them. There
are a hundred excuses as to why more people aren't getting involved in
aviation these days. It's too expensive. It's too regulated.
It's not as much fun as video games. It's not accessible. All
of those things may be true in certain contexts, but they are not enough
to stop someone with a passion. The real question is, how do we
ignite a passion for aviation into someone's soul?
I have an idea. It may sound crazy, but think about this:
Lighting a passion can be as simple as taking a young person flying.
If you have a child, or a grandchild, or friends with children, or
co-workers with children, or friends from church with children, or just an
acquaintance, offer to take them for a ride. Just a quick 20-minute
hop around the local area. Show them their school, show them the
church, show them the park or playground. But most of all, show them
that flying is fun. It's exciting. It's accessible.
But don't stop there. Offer to take their parents flying. Take
your friends flying. Take anyone you can flying. Spread the
gospel of aviation, and share your passion for flight. Enthusiasm is
contagious, you'll be amazed at the dividends your generosity will return.
WEF 1002231420
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Homebuilding in a Really Small Space
Over the years, a lot of builders have
been forced to construct their aircraft in workspaces that would make most
people cringe. I've seen stories of builders having to knock out
basement walls to get their projects out, using ropes and cables to lower
a fuselage from a second-story workshop, and even working in makeshift
tarp "garages". Compared to some of those stories, Rob Holmes'
original workshop was first-rate. But it's still small and quite
inspirational to those desiring to build their airplanes in spaces smaller
than a two car garage.
Rob's website, MyRV3.com,
is chock full o'photos from the ongoing construction of his
Van's
RV-3. He shows us his townhouse "workshop", aka living
room,
and how he made the space work for him. He built the empennage and
fuselage in that tiny space. While he has since moved to a new home,
the story of his building an airplane in such a small space is still
motivational.
The workmanship on Rob's RV-3 appears to be first-rate. The photos
should be a good reference for builders currently undertaking an RV-3
project of their own. Oh, and just so everyone understands, the RV-3
ain't like the newer kits. You actually have to BUILD this one.
There's none of this "plug-and-play" convenience in the RV-3. Those
who build them are true builders, not assemblers. (I'm gonna get
hate mail for that...)
I'm sure there are many more builders with photos of their airplane
projects as part of their living room decor. If you have a great
photo or story to share, tell us all about it in the
Forums.
WEF 1002201509
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
One Six Right
If you haven't seen One Six Right, you
absolutely MUST watch this movie. It's not a movie so much as it is
a documentary on the Van Nuys airport, and a pro-aviation flick.
Filled with stunning air-to-air shots and very well done interviews, this
really should be required viewing for anyone with even a passing interest
in aviation. We should also force all of our governmental "deciders"
to watch it. Maybe the might make a good decision about aviation
every once in a while, but that's another issue all together...
For best viewing, I recommend watching this one in Full Screen. For
more information on One Six Right, please visit
Terwilliger Productions. Now they have One Six Left, too.
Looks like I have some DVD watching to do!
WEF 1002161445
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
The
Howard DGA-6 "Mister Mulligan"
I'm a very opinionated person, and in
my opinion, there are very few airplanes that match the beauty and power
of the Howard DGA-6 "Mister Mulligan". For my eye, it's about the
most perfect shape an aircraft has ever taken.
Built in 1934, Benny Howard and Gordon Israel flew the airplane to win the
Bendix Trophy by flying the entire race non-stop. The airplane was
flown at 22,000', and carried 300 gallons of fuel for the race from
Burbank, CA to Cleveland, OH at an average speed on 238.7 mph.
Powered by an 830hp Pratt and Whitney Wasp engine, the airplane was
slower than some of it's competitors in the long-distance race, but was
able to make up the difference by
not
having to stop and refuel. The airplane was also won the
Thompson Trophy race that year while flown by Harold Neumann, an accomplishment never
before achieved by the same aircraft.
There are lots of pages on the internet that talk about the Bendix and
Thompson Trophy races; and the Mister Mulligan. The photos here are
from
Holcomb's Aerodrome. Anyone with an interest in vintage
aircraft, and air races in particular, could spend hours going through the
photos on this site. It looks like it hasn't been updated in a few
years, but the information and photos never change. Cruise on over
to
Holcomb's Aerodrome and check out the rest of the photos of the DGA-6
"Mister Mulligan".
WEF 1002151428
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
On Top (Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter)
I usually like to do my flying between
500'-1000' AGL. I usually like to watch videos of flying low and
slow. I don't care much for altitude, the view usually sucks.
Usually.
Now here's something truly beautiful. Soaring in
Sion, Switzerland. At 10,000'-21,000'. The only time I've
ever flown that high in a small plane was to escape the summer heat, and
we only went to 8,500'. I've never seen any need to go any higher.
Then again, I don't normally "go places", and I don't fly sailplanes.
So what do I know?
Enjoy the video. I think maybe this fall I'll take some soaring
lessons at the local glider club,
Skyline Soaring.
WEF 1002102100
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Do
Something With Your Life...
Okay, Hot-shot. You think you've
got what it takes to pilot one of the most aggressive aerobatic mounts in
history? You think you can just saddle up to this steed and ride off
into the wild blue yonder with no instruction or experience? You're
pretty sure of yourself, huh? Well, go on and give it a try. I
dare you.
If you have a job, you probably spend as much time as possible trying to
avoid actually doing any work. This game will help. If you
don't have a job, well, go get one with internet access so you can play
this game at work. Make sure you ask them about that in the
interview. No one should
have
to work at a place that doesn't have high-speed internet with unrestricted
access. Aren't you glad we have so many great websites out there so
we can screw off all day instead of doing whatever our jerk-face boss
tells us to do? Those guys are so inconsiderate to our needs.
So, this is a cheesy flight simulation game from
FreeOnlineGames.com. The
graphics are poo-poo, and the controls are really hard to master, but who
really cares when it's fun?! Use your mouse to control pitch and
roll (apparently, this Pitts doesn't have a rudder), and click your mouse
for more "throttle", as it dies off after a few seconds. To fly from
behind the plane, click on the "Move" button. Click on the screen
shots above to go to the game, or click
HERE, or click on the red underlined text below.
Pitts Simulation Game
I'm sure there are more fun things to do on the
FreeOnlineGames.com website, but
I'm too busy trying to keep this website updated to waste time playing
stupid games. :)
WEF 1002131555
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
The Green Machine :: Ohio Bush [Snow] Planes
So I just came inside from another
three hours of shoveling the white fluffy stuff, trying to think of what
to put up on the main page for today. I've got a pretty good stash
of links and videos in the queue, but I wanted something that made me feel
good. Really good. Something that would make all the snow
shoveling torture of the last week fade away as I dreamt about flying.
Flying in the snow, perhaps?
Enjoy this video from Greg Swingle and
Ohio Bush Planes.
Don't forget to pick up your copy of the
Season 1 DVD. I also heard that Greg's
looking for some new stars. Why not be in your very own OBP
video?
WEF 1002102100
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Chevrolet Presents: Sky Billboards (1935)
At this point, I'm starting to wonder
how I even find this stuff...
This is a video sponsored by the Chevrolet Motor Company and produced by
The Jam Handy Organization (says so in the video). The website I
found it on,
Internet Achive, says it's from 1935, and I believe it could be.
It's a long, silly video that explains how skywriting is done. The
acting is poor, but the flying is just wonderful. Three old
biplanes, I believe they're all Waco's, twisting and cavorting through the
skies selling whatever Chevrolet tells them to sell. I just can't
figure what letter requires a snap roll.
WEF 1002081831
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Sweet
Snowy Beaver!
What you're looking at is the absolute
coolest
1.0L Sigg bottle ever produced. I take this puppy with me
everywhere I go. It keeps my water oh-so-cold and delicious.
It's got a nice seal to the lid to keep everything fresh, too. Who's
that feller on the front? I ain't telling. I will tell you
this, however... You NEED a ton of these. You need one for the
hangar, one for the cockpit, one for the car, one for the house, and one
for the office.
What does "Sweet Beaver" mean? It's an expression of excitement,
satisfaction, and joy.
Say you just glued up the first wing rib for your new Pober Junior Ace.
In all the excitement of a job well done,
you
yell out, "Sweet Beaver!"
Imagine the tires of your Aeronca Champ are just ever-so-smoothly kissing
the grass after a perfect landing at the end of a perfect evening flight.
As you let out a sigh of satisfaction with your perfect life, you mutter,
"Sweet Beaver".
Are you starting to get the idea? Whenever life gives you a moment
of joy, that's a "Sweet Beaver" moment.
Now, if you just can't get enough of all this "Sweet Beaver" nonsense, get
yourself a
T-shirt, a
mug, or perhaps a nice pair of
thong underwear for
your lady-friend(s). See, I put that in parenthesis because I'm
pretty sure you've got at least two lady friends, you bug stud, you.
So, what are you waiting for? Don't you want excitement,
satisfaction, and joy in your life? Of course, we all do (Sally
Struthers). Cruise your high-speed internet on over to
Sweet
Beaver Cafepress Store, and pick up some sweet "Sweet Beaver" gear for
you or your sweetie. Get something for your airport pals, too.
They might look at you funny at first, but they'll thank you for it later.
Trust me, I'm a professional.
WEF 1002072200
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Alphabet Soup Aerobatics: RV-4, DR-107, S-2C, S-1T
Do you like airplanes? Do you
like aerobatics? Do you like to watch airplanes do aerobatics?
Do you like to feel like you're piloting one of those airplanes while
they're doing aerobatics? No?! Well then, buster, you're gonna
hate this video.
This video has most of my favorite things. There are two Pitts', a
One Design, and even an RV-4. Not one of those plug-and-play
"modern" RV's where you just line up the holes, but a real, honest to God,
build it yourself RV. Am I the only one who's getting bored with
RVs? I mean, they're damn good airplanes, but seriously, do they
have to be so popular? But I digress...
I like airplanes, I like acro. I like watching airplanes do acro.
I even like to pretend I'm up there doing the acro, and I like this video.
This is from 8KCAB.com
The site has some good information about the Citabria and Super Decathlon,
plus info about the One Design and Pitts. Most importantly, there's
a whole page full of pictures and videos. With airplanes and
aerobatics. What more could you ask for?
WEF 1002072038
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
59
Lonely Years
I spend a lot of time surfing the net
looking for interesting stories for Taildraggers, Inc. The web of
aviation sites is overwhelming sometimes, and as you weave your way
through it's tangled mess of somehow-connected pages, every once in a
while you come upon something truly extraordinary. This is one of
those stories.
Charles Moseley bought NC7057H brand new in 1946 and he and his daughter,
Charlotte, used it for flying between his ranch operations for the next
several years. When the ranch was sold in 1950, the airplane was no
longer needed, and was pushed back into the barn. It had 197 hours
on the airframe.
Jared
Calvert discovered the airplane in 2009 while looking for a project to
turn into a Clipped Wing Cub. Realizing the very rare opportunity he
had found, the Cub is now being restored back to original condition, and
will no doubt be one of the lowest time Cubs in existence.
The project is underway at Ranger Airfield in Ranger, TX (F23).
Intentions are to use the Cub to introduce more people to aviation, and
expose and inform people about the efforts to preserve Ranger Airfield.
To read the full story of the Barn Cub, please read the Texas Chapter of
the Antique Airplane Associations
April 2009 Newsletter. To learn more about Ranger Airfield, and
the Cub restoration project, please visit the
Ranger
Airfield website.
WEF 1002061431
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Eric
Clutton's F.R.E.D
I met Eric Clutton at a R/C model
aircraft swap meet in Tennessee sometime back in 2005. At that time,
I didn't realize that the humorous and emphatically polite older gent from
"across the pond" was the same Eric Clutton who designed and built
F.R.E.D., a simple, single-seat homebuilt that I had seen advertized in
the magazines for as long as I could remember. Known as "Doctor
Diesel" in the R/C community, Eric has been supplying modelers in the US
with small diesel engines for their aircraft, and all the specialty fuels
needed to keep them running. When I caught up with him again at
another R/C event, this time in Eric's new hometown of Tullahoma, TN, I
bought a PAW diesel engine from him, and used the
opportunity
to ask about F.R.E.D. I also picked up a copy of his book, "An
Aeroplane Called FRED". F.R.E.D. is an acronym for Flying Runabout
Experimental Design, and was first flown in 1963. It is a economical
"fun-machine" intended for recreational flying, and features a novel
folding wing design so that the airplane may be towed home and avoid the
added costs of a hangar.
F.R.E.D. enthusiast Matthew Long has developed a new website dedicated to
the airplane for the purposes of spreading the word about the design.
He has compiled photos of F.R.E.Ds throughout the years, and even has a
video of an interview with Eric Clutton. If you'd like to learn more
about F.R.E.D., visit Matthew's website.
F.R.E.D. plans are still available from Eric Clutton for the reasonable
sum of $50. Eric is still flying the original F.R.E.D. prototype
from his hangar in Tullahoma, TN. The design has been accepted by
Britain's Light Aircraft Association (LAA). If you're looking for an
affordable, LSA-compliant homebuilt, why not consider a F.R.E.D.?
Fly on over to
F.R.E.D.'s new home on the internet.
WEF 1002051620
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Wichita
Photos - 1929
Wichita, Kansas has claimed itself to
be "The Air Capital of the US" since 1927. Clyde Cessna began building
aircraft in Wichita for nearly a century ago.
Matty Laird formed the E.M. Laird Airplane Company in 1920, employing men
who whose names are still synonymous with aviation: Walter Beech, Clyde
Cessna, and Lloyd Stearman.
These three men formed the Travel Air company in 1925, and built the two
aircraft featured here. The Travel Air Model R (1929, at right), and the
Travel Air Mystery Ship (1929, below). History tells us that the Clyde
Cessna and Walter Beech left the company in 1927 over a dispute over
whether to build monoplanes or biplanes.
In
the last 90 years, Wichita has seen aircraft businesses come and go,
companies absorbed into ever larger conglomerates, but "The Air Capital of
the US" will forever be remembered for it's role in helping to give birth
to not only the Golden Age of aviation, but also the Post-War production
boom that gave us some of our most treasured classic aircraft.
Wichita is still a major player in the aircraft manufacturing business,
but global economics have changed the rules. Cessna is now manufacturing
airplanes in China (disgusted), and the cost of new aircraft are
continually pushing higher, making it even more difficult for the average
person to afford a new airplane manufactured in the US. Blame it on the
lawyers, blame it on China, blame it on unions, blame it on mismanagement
and poor timing. You can place the blame anywhere you want, but it's still
true.
As
our government continues to develop more burdensome regulations to provide
the illusion of safety and security, we are left only with the memories of
the "good old days". Days when a man with an idea could revolutionize an
entire industry. When a pilot had the freedom to fly his ship anywhere he
pleased, and the evolution of the machine seemed never-ending.
The pictures here are from a website called
Wichita Photo
Archives. They have photos of all things Wichita from the 1860's
through today. If you're like me, and you have a passion for
aviation, you will really enjoy taking a trip back in time to view these
photos.
The photos are searchable and categorized for easy surfing. These
three images I've chosen are just a sampling of the many photos on the
site. Take a trip back in time to the early days of Wichita aviation
at the Wichita
Photo Archives.
WEF 1002021737
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Learning To Fly In 1953
YouTube is a wondrous cavern full of
mysterious and often delightful treasures. As you carefully thread
your way past the videos of
funny
animals,
fat
chicks on dirt bikes, and
morons shooting bottle rockets out of their posteriors (not safe for
work OR children), you will occasionally see the glint of something truly
spectacular.
Bomberguy's
YouTube channel is one of those shining diamonds hidden amongst the piles
of crap.
This video is a great reminder of how life used to be. I know a lot
of us long for "the good old days". Some lived through it, and some
of us can only dream about what it must have been like. Tag along
with this student pilot as he learns how to fly in 1953. Be sure to
watch it all the way to the end. They show some unique old birds
that any modern aviator would love to have "new" all over again.
Here's a line from the flick to make you just a little nauseous, "It costs
less than a hundred dollars to learn to fly, and less than five hundred to
become a qualified, licensed pilot."
WEF 1002011715
Discuss this in the Taildraggers, Inc.
Forum
Looking for some more Aerotainment? Go to January 2010 :: OR :: Check out the Archives!
