Time Life Books: The Epic of Flight #TBT
RichC | December 2, 2021
The Time-Life series books have never been something I’ve collected, but I’ve enjoyed looking at them as I would an old set of encyclopedias. There is something fascinating about the photos and history that can distract for hours. An aviation friend included a “poster” from the 1982 series earlier this week which did the same […]
Embarrassing Ohio “First in Flight” License plate blunder
RichC | October 24, 2021
When your state takes pride in home of the Wright Brother’s and their “First in Flight” Wright B Flyer, you’ve got to at least get the flying direction correct. (Thanks for the link, Drew!) Ohio had to change the design of its new license plate because of an error discovered after it had already had […]
The Red Stewart Airshow and EAA284 Fly-in/Pancake Breakfast
RichC | September 2, 2021
Since I post the flyer and announcement over at my local EAA284 (Experimental Aircraft Association) website, I’ll double up and add it to my blog as usual too. Join us for the Red Stewart Airfield 24th Annual Airshow September 4, 2021 starting at 5pm and the EAA Chapter 284 Taildragger Fly-In/Pancake Breakfast Sunday September 5, 2021 […]
Music Monday: The Coasters, “Yakety Yak” and an aviation tweet
RichC | August 16, 2021
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The F-16 Agile Falcon variant precursor to the Mitsubishi F-2
RichC | July 21, 2021
My brother Ron spent his career as a civilian with the USAF and much of it was spent year working with F-16 modifications. He was a cog in the bureaucratic gears dealing with the many upgrades and decade long modification cycles. I saw this 60/40 international joint partnership model in a photo discussed by my […]
WW2 Aviation History: Why are F4U-1 Corsairs so taped up?
RichC | June 12, 2021
Well talking to Taylor at his birthday dinner, I mentioned someone posted a photo of a WW2 Vought F4U Corsair and asked about the “stripes” … or duct tape … on the cowl in front of the pilot. The answer from a HistoryNet.com researcher below is a great aviation tidbit for those with a curious […]
Music Monday: The Who – “I Can See For Miles” triggered by an astronaut Alan Shepard memory
RichC | May 10, 2021
The Who was never at the top of my music listening list, but like all who grew up in the 1960-70’s era, we all knew the music. This past Wednesday was the 60th anniversary of Alan Shepard‘s flight into space and as a boy who grew up mesmerized by our NASA space program (still am) […]
Experimenting with a Magnetohydrodynamic Drive demo
RichC | April 13, 2021
You can take the boy out of school, but you can’t take school (and learning) out of the boy ( or older man at this point). Over the weekend, I was talking to Brenda about how I’ve been following the NASA feed (tweet below) and waiting for the helicopter to take flight on Mars. The […]
Remembering a couple 1970s TV shows and commercials
RichC | November 24, 2020
A car enthusiast’s off-topic “Today’s Useless Tweet” got me thinking about old television shows that I enjoyed while growing up. I’m sure almost everyone my age flirts with nostalgia and can go on indefinitely with memories of their youth? His Banacek share (good show) and the George Peppard memory, which for me will always be […]
What is so appealing about the P-51 Mustang? #aviation
RichC | April 18, 2020
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is one of the most celebrated Allied fighter planes of WW II. It continues to have wide-spread aviation enthusiasm to this day … and one look (and listen – volume up!) will have you understanding why it is so admired.
Watching the Boeing 777X first flight today
RichC | January 25, 2020
EDIT – A Boeing 777X airliner lifts off for its first flight at Paine Field on January 25, 2020 in Everett, Washington. Getty images – Stephen Brashear The new Boeing 777X enters the next phase of its rigorous test program. Based on the most successful twin-aisle airplane ever, the Boeing 777, and with advanced technologies […]
Archive: Found a short Sonex airplane project video for #TBT
RichC | December 26, 2019
While sifting through a few old .MP4 files, I found one of my first iPhone 5 test video clips from 2012 and it had a bit of footage of my Sonex airplane project (posted a few photos back then) that I was working on a year before selling it. It was shortly before I sold […]
TSA air travel rules continue to frustrate pocketknife people
RichC | December 11, 2019
Pocketknives have been part of my life since I was a 5 year old … yes, you heard that right, FIVE YEARS OLD. My grandfather gave me my first 1-inch semi-toy pocketknife when my family was still living on Spencer Street in Toledo – which means I was likely still only 4 (it was a […]
So you want to be a aerospace engineer? Get inspired.
RichC | August 28, 2019
The 22nd Annual Red Stewart Airfield Airshow for 2019 and our 52nd EAA284 Taildragger Fly-In and pancake breakfast
RichC | August 26, 2019
Although our local EAA chapter’s EAA284.org Fly-In and Sunday’s pancake breakfast was questionable this year if there wasn’t an airshow on Saturday, the Stewarts were able to gather the pilots together for the Red Stewart Airfield 22nd Annual Airshow. The weekend is always well attended and appreciated by the community and those who enjoy aviation […]
How big is the Antonov An-225 Mriya? Total payload 559,580 lb.
RichC | April 7, 2019
The Antonov An-225 is one big aircraft … a strategic airlifter built in the Soviet Union in 1985 with a first flight in 1988 with the designed purpose of airlifting Energia rocket’s boosters and the Buran orbiter for the Soviet space program in the 1980s.
Creative bindery guy sets his machine up to fold paper airplanes
RichC | February 27, 2019
Since printing presses (and bindery equipment) is in my DNA, I can’t help but have a soft spot for this guy tweaking his equipment to spit out paper airplanes. Personally I would rather … and remember many-a-late nights … calculating $$$ as our sheet-fed offset presses mesmerizingly crank out piles of paper. 🙂
Sooner or later a close call with a drone will be too close
RichC | January 25, 2019
As more and more federal employees decide they aren’t going to continue to work without a paycheck, the focus has shifted to the unpaid in the Coast Guard, TSA and Air Traffic Control. Air travel has now moved front and center as the “shutdown-standoff” continues (the Senate is at least negotiating). Flyers are feeling it […]
BMW water injection and how it works to make +50 hp
RichC | January 17, 2019
One of my favorite YouTube channels is Engineering Explained and in this video car guru and mechanical engineer Jason Fenske explains just how BMW used water injection to increase power at full throttle and high manifold pressures. Great stuff. And if this kind of "automotive engineering stuff" interests you and you like aviation like me, […]
Aviation progress is poised to take-off
RichC | January 4, 2019
Aviation has bogged in the last few decades, but with computer assisted quadrotors, private space ventures and renewed supersonic travel … perhaps the next couple decades with be inspirational? Supersonic jets may be about to make a comeback – Reinventing Concorde
Air Force One “like” replicate being moved by barge
RichC | October 1, 2018
Air Force One is parked at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County. Want to board? Run for the highest office in the land or join the White House press corps. Or, for a slightly easier route, visit National Harbor as of Oct. 19, when what’s billed as an “identical model of the president’s aircraft” […]
Red Stewart Airfield 21st Annual Airshow and EAA chapter 284’s Taildragger Fly-In Pancake Breakfast at 40I on Sept 1 – 2 2018
RichC | August 25, 2018
This Labor Day weekend is the annual Stewart Airshow and our EAA chapter’s fly-in and pancake breakfast. If you enjoy aviation and mostly vintage aircraft flying in and out of a well cared for grass airstrip, this outing is for you. The gathering in Waynesville Ohio is always an enjoyable community time and is fun […]
Book and photo of WW2 bombs drop from a B-26 over Germany
RichC | August 17, 2018
While monitoring a military history Twitter feed, decided to add this “bomb bay view” photo from the World War II bomber group my father-in-law flew with. He was the navigator for the 394th Bomb Group of Martin Marauder B-26s and flew nearly 50 bombing missions over Germany. They were known as the “Bridge Busters.” (Read […]
Does a Lockeed SR-71 Blackbird call AAA for a tow?
RichC | June 28, 2018
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird The SR-71 was designed for flight at over Mach 3 with a flight crew of two in tandem cockpits, with the pilot in the forward cockpit and the reconnaissance systems officer operating the surveillance systems and equipment from the rear cockpit, and directing navigation on the mission flight path. The SR-71 was […]
Just in case Kim Jong Un is misleading us again
RichC | June 13, 2018
Just an impressive photo for North Korea to sleep on (and me to include on my blog) … and just in case Kim Jong Un is having second thoughts regarding his historic handshake and agreement with President Trump at the Singapore Summit. Let’s hope we are all on the same page and that hardliners in […]
Who really wants to fly ALONE with a 1-year old?
RichC | March 11, 2018
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Try the “Revenue Management” tip when frequent flying
RichC | February 25, 2018
For frequent long distance flyers, give this airline reservation travel tip a try … We have never bought an upper-class seat; if ever we’ve flown anywhere up front, we’ve used miles to upgrade from economy. If you want to do that, call reservations and drop the name “revenue management.” The reason is that revenue management’s […]
The flight of MH17 – National Geographic #video
RichC | February 22, 2018
Previously I’ve detailed a bit about the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and some of what I have learned … here is a National Geographic channel video that summarizes what we know in 44 minutes.
Drones on boats, a good idea?
RichC | January 29, 2018
My friend Jeff is planning on ordering a DJI Mavic Pro this weekend. I sent him a recent article that has him pondering models. Jokingly I sent him this ani.gif suggesting he let me borrow it when I head to the boat … to which he replied, “Sure, if you put down a $1000 deposit. […]
Once in a while I can still find a super cheap flight on Southwest
RichC | January 3, 2018
Before sending another check to the guy I have doing some bottom work on Encore, I really need to inspect the work. I don’t want him to stop working, but I don’t want bottom paint slapped on the new epoxy fiberglass repair before double checking the layers, fairing and keel work and epoxy barrier coats […]
Red Stewart 20th Annual Airshow Labor Day Weekend 2017
RichC | July 22, 2017
Along with the Red Stewart Airfield airshow and night airshow on Saturday September 2, 2017, my EAA284 Chapter will be serving up a pancake breakfast for those camping over or flying in on Sunday morning September 3rd. Always a great time.
Stratolaunch emerges from the hanger
RichC | June 3, 2017
Stratolaunch, cited as the "world’s largest plane," has been under construction for four years, but is finally ready to come out of the hanger. The plane has a wingspan larger than a football field and according to the design firm Stratolaunch Systems, is designed to carry rockets into the stratosphere before firing the payload into […]
Looking back a few years to when I started to blog
RichC | April 28, 2017
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World War I surveillance DRONE – or pigeon photography
RichC | February 5, 2017
Homing pigeons were outfitted with lightweight cameras in WWI with time-delayed shutters for aerial reconnaissance photography, likely the first "drones." They were used very effective as messenger pigeons prior to wireless radio and effectively in communicating behind enemy lines in World War II. Interestingly the Swiss Army continued they military pigeons until it was disbanded […]
Aviation and sailing in one great Shot of the Week photo
RichC | January 15, 2017
The quality of the photo isn’t the best, but the content is pretty impressive. The latest issue of the weekly Cruising Compass had this photo as the "Cruising Shot of the Week" … excellent! This busy shot of Boston Harbor from July 2013, with the Navy Blue Angels flying over the USS Constitution (Old Iron […]
Craziness and flight are synergetic terms
RichC | November 10, 2016
When contemplating just how crazy men were when trying to fly in the era of the Wright brothers, you realize "some" are still testing the envelope when it comes to craziness and flight (or perhaps "stupidity and flight?")
Archiving some quadcopter video footage from Wayzata, MN
RichC | October 26, 2016
The advancements in unmanned aviation continue to impress me as a new generation of pilots is flying by remote control rather than “stick and rudder,” “yoke and peddle” … but all can still fly by the “seat of their pants.” I’m still unsure what to call these computer controlled devices nowadays … quadcopters, quadrotors (what […]
A beautiful quadrotor aerial video from Lake Michigan
RichC | September 1, 2016
My son-in-law Drew shared a really impressive Phatom3 movie clip on YouTube after his July 2016 vacation in Michigan. There were some incredibly beautiful views, sunsets and shoreline video … of course it didn’t hurt that the weather was perfect for Katelyn and Drew’s vacation at his parent’s “cabin” (as they call it). Although I’ve […]
Nineteenth Annual Labor Day Red Stewart Airshow
RichC | August 28, 2016
Generator woes, beating the rain and EAA Chapter 284’s TDFI
RichC | August 21, 2016
As John “Hannibal” Smith (the late George Peppard) from the A-Team would say, “I love it when a plan comes together.” As was the case when I had acres of grass to to mow into a rain filled weekend schedule — it is great when “plans come together.” I was able to squeak in and […]
MH17 anniversary: Meet the man suing Vladimir Putin
RichC | July 18, 2016
Two years has passed since a missle downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, yet 298 families are still without closure. In the US we’ve heard the slogan “too big to fail” when giving a pass to big banks, companies or their decision makers. When it is the powerful like Vladimir Putin and Russia, one wonders if […]
Archive: Phantom 3 quadrotor-drone video from Iowa
RichC | July 6, 2016
My daughter Katelyn and husband Drew were in Iowa over the July 4th holiday weekend with his family. Since they were visiting the old farm homestead, it was a perfect time to get his new Phantom 3 quadrotor out and take a little more video. The time to visit northwestern Iowa is obviously the summer […]
Quadrotors are likely going to be the next personal aircraft
RichC | June 28, 2016
I’m not sure how the whole "drone" future is going to turn out, but it is exciting to watch the improvements over a short period of time. The ease of flying, improvements in batteries and quality of video have really advanced. It will not be long before we’re "jumping" around town in a quadrotor. I […]
A great night for taildragger flying from Molnau Airfield
RichC | June 21, 2016
My son-in-law Drew had a special treat after an evening at the Ridgeview Medical Center fundraiser in Waconia, Minnesota. It looks like my daughter Katelyn persuaded her colleague, fellow pediatrician Dr. Adam Weber, to take Drew up for an evening flight in his Bellanca Citabria (Of interest: When the original manufacturer Champion Aircraft derived the name for this […]
Jerry Skinner talks about #MH17 with @MariaBartiromo
RichC | June 8, 2016
As the second anniversary approaches of the downing of #MH17 by Russian missiles over the Ukraine, my brother-in-law Jerry Skinner is doing what he can to keep the tragedy in front of the public eye. Pressure on politicians for them to pursue justice, compensation and a admission from Russia and Putin (a long shot) is […]
Airline litigation lawyer Jerry Skinner explains the case – #MH17
RichC | May 25, 2016
My brother-in-law Jerry Skinner has been busy working on the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 case in order to bring closure for the families of victims. It is hard to imagine that shooting down of a commercial airliner was anything but a mistake, but who should be held accountable for Buk missiles capable of this kind […]
Russian jets make provocative passes over Navy ship
RichC | April 14, 2016
This isn’t the first close call incident according to the news coming from the Pentagon, but a very close and dangerous pass over the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic. They halted exercises with a Polish helicopter landing on the flight deck and shared the video below. Thankfully cooler head prevailed but at some […]
Kee Bird B-29 Superfortress story
RichC | March 16, 2016
Watched an older aviation documentary this past weekend on YouTube (remembered reading about it years ago). The attempted rescue of the Kee Bird was a 1996 video story and heroic attempt ending in disaster — NOVA: B-20 Frozen in Time.
From my personal perspective, the TSA did their job well
RichC | November 21, 2015
What a duffus! I don’t want to admit, but I made a MAJOR airport security mistake on Friday morning … and am thankfully a free man to tell the tale. KUDOS to the much maligned Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for doing their job and doing it well. Neglectful Rich left an extended round full 9mm […]
This Delta plane gets struck by lightning
RichC | August 26, 2015
A passenger who was waiting for a storm to pass to board his flight caught the exact moment when a lightning bolt struck a Delta airliner. Source: Watch this Delta airliner get struck by a lightning bolt!
The Sony Mobile and ZMP Inc tests their new UAV
RichC | August 25, 2015
After getting a chance to play with a quad copter last week, I’ve been a little more intrigued with the advancements in “drones.” Who knows, this innovation may find its way into the first realistic personal transportation device someday? Sony’s Aerosense drone that takes off and lands vertically but during flight gets most of its […]
What a fun time flying a quad copter or #drone
RichC | August 19, 2015
Well … one of the positive things that happen at funerals (and weddings) is that families get together. Taylor took a funeral day (plus weekend) from his job and Katelyn and Drew drove home from Wayzata (Minneapolis, MN) and brought along his “new toy” … quadcopter with a camera – what a great distraction. We […]
Preparations for the EAA Chapter 284 TailDragger FlyIn
RichC | August 13, 2015
This year’s September 5th and 6th Red Stewart Airshow and our EAA284 TalilDragger FlyIn not until Labor Day weekend in September, but with my full plate I want to get my part done early. I’ve been up most every morning this week with Brenda (pain issues), and so while the PT/OT persona was at the […]
EAA 2015 Airventure app is available for smartphones
RichC | July 11, 2015
For those aviation “nuts” who flock to Oshkosh each July for Airventure, EAA has a couple smartphone apps for you. I am told (thanks Bob) that version are in both iOS and Android so both major mobile operating systems are supported. I've just download myself so am not sure how helpful it will be, although […]
Air travel on the cheap. First flight on Frontier Airlines.
RichC | July 11, 2015
It was a quick and inexpensive flight to Florida this past week to do a little tropical weather prep aboard Encore. Summer is the time of year that “commuter cruisers” double their line, remove sails and store an extra windage in case hurricane winds target the area … besides I really was looking forward to […]
Buy airline tickets 47 days in advance & on Tuesday afternoon
RichC | June 17, 2015
Now I’ll be the first to admit, I spend too much time agonizing over purchasing things wondering if I’m buying the right model or brand … and am I paying too much. The Internet has only complicated matters since there is even more information to process. It’s the same thing when booking travel … although […]
Why is there a tiny hole in airplane windows?
RichC | June 13, 2015
If you have already traveled by airplane, chances are you’ve noticed a tiny hole on the lower portion of all airplane windows The hole is designed to balance out the pressure between the last two layers of a typical pressurized-cabin window. For more images and a more detailed explaination see the article at Interesting Engineering.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.