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Old Aviators and Old Airplanes….
This is a good little story about a vivid memory of a P-51 and its pilot, by a fellow who was 12 years old in Canada in 1967. It was to take to the air. They said it had flown in during the night from some U.S. Airport, the pilot had been tired. I marveled at the size of the plane dwarfing the Pipers and Canucks tied down by her. It was much larger than in the movies. She glistened in the sun like a bulwark of security from days gone by.

The pilot arrived by cab, paid the driver, and then stepped into the pilot’s lounge. He was an older man; his wavy hair was gray and tossed. It looked like it might have been combed, say, around the turn of the century. His flight jacket was checked, creased and worn – it smelled old and genuine. Old Glory was prominently sewn to its shoulders. He projected a quiet air of proficiency and pride devoid of arrogance. He filed a quick flight plan to Montreal (Expo-67, Air Show) then walked across the tarmac.
After taking several minutes to perform his walk-around check the pilot returned to the flight lounge to ask if anyone would be available to stand by with fire extinguishers while he “flashed the old bird up, just to be safe.”
Though only 12 at the time I was allowed to stand by with an extinguisher after brief instruction on its use — “If you see a fire, point, then pull this lever!” I later became a firefighter, but that’s another story. The air around the exhaust manifolds shimmered like a mirror from fuel fumes as the huge prop started to rotate. One manifold, then another, and yet another barked — I stepped back with the others. In moments the Packard-built Merlin engine came to life with a thunderous roar, blue flames knifed from her manifolds. I looked at the others’ faces, there was no concern. I lowered the bell of my extinguisher. One of the guys signaled to walk back to the lounge. We did.

Several minutes later we could hear the pilot doing his pre flight run-up. He’d taxied to the end of runway 19, out of sight. All went quiet for several seconds; we raced from the lounge to the second story deck to see if we could catch a glimpse of the P-51 as she started down the runway. We could not. There we stood, eyes fixed to a spot half way down 19. Then a roar ripped across the field, much louder than before, like a furious hell spawn set loose—something mighty this way was coming. “Listen to that thing!” said the controller.

In seconds the Mustang burst into our line of sight. Its tail was already off and it was moving faster than anything I’d ever seen by that point on 19. Two-thirds the way down 19 the Mustang was airborne with her gear going up. The prop tips were supersonic; we clasped our ears as the Mustang climbed hellish fast into the circuit to be eaten up by the dog-day haze.

We stood for a few moments in stunned silence trying to digest what we’d just seen. The radio controller rushed by me to the radio. Kingston tower calling Mustang?” He looked back to us as he waited for an acknowledgment.
The radio crackled, “Go ahead Kingston.”
“Roger Mustang. Kingston tower would like to advise the circuit is clear for a low level pass.” I stood in shock because the controller had, more or less, just asked the pilot to return for an impromptu air show!
The controller looked at us. “What?” He asked. “I can’t let that guy go without asking. I couldn’t forgive myself!”
The radio crackled once again, Kingston, do I have permission for a low level pass, east to west, across the field?”
“Roger Mustang, the circuit is clear for an east to west pass.”
“Roger, Kingston, I’m coming out of 3000 feet, stand by.”
We rushed back onto the second-story deck, eyes fixed toward the eastern haze. The sound was subtle at first, a high-pitched whine, a muffled screech, a distant scream.

Moments later the P-51 burst through the haze. Her  airframe straining against positive Gs and gravity, wing tips spilling contrails of condensed air, prop-tips again supersonic as the burnished bird blasted across the eastern margin of the field shredding and tearing the air.

At about 500 mph and 150 yards from where we stood she passed with the old American pilot saluting. Imagine. A salute! I felt like laughing, I felt like crying, she glistened, she screamed, the building shook, my heart pounded.

Then the old pilot pulled her up and rolled, and rolled, and rolled out of sight into the broken clouds and indelibly into my memory. I’ve never wanted to be an American more than on that day. It was a time when many nations in the world looked to America as their big brother, a steady and even-handed beacon of security who navigated difficult political water with grace and style; not unlike the pilot who’d just flown into my memory. He was proud, not arrogant, humble, not a braggart, old and honest, projecting an aura of America at its best. That America will return one day, I know it will. Until that time, I’ll just send off this story; call it a reciprocal salute, to the old American pilot who wove a memory for a young Canadian that’s lasted a lifetime.

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Orange County, California, May 10, 2012—-American electric vehicle pioneer Chip Yates and his team of record-breaking engineers who created and raced the World’s Fastest Electric Motorcycle today announced the formation of a new aerospace company, Flight of the Century, Inc. with a website atwww.flightofthecentury.com

The company has been founded to develop, fly, and commercialize a recently filed worldwide patent (61/618,482) that enables electric aircraft to remain aloft indefinitely.

Flight of the Century (FOTC) Founder Chip Yates presented the technology at NASA’s Ames Research Center on March 31, 2012 as part of the Conrad Foundation’s Spirit of Innovation Summit.

The company’s potentially game-changing Infinite Range Electric Flight™ technology involves a continuously flying electric mothership capable of docking with flying supplemental battery packs configured as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Once depleted, a docked UAV battery pack is jettisoned away from the mothership and autonomously glides down to a ground or ocean-base collection and recharge station.

For infinite range electric flight, a replacement UAV battery pack is launched and is either hard or soft docked to the still flying mothership.

For missions where re-docking is not practical, the FOTC team is also commercializing its patent-pending Jettison & Balance System™ (JBS) that dramatically extends the flight range of today’s electric airplanes as follows:

An immediate 40% range increase is realized through weight reduction by configuring an electric airplane’s battery pack into two parts, and jettisoning one of them with a steerable parachute over a collection and recharge zone during the first half of a flight.  The remaining pack is rebalanced to maintain aircraft center of gravity.

Moreover, a 90% range increase is realized by splitting a battery pack into more segments and making periodic drop/rebalance operations as each segment is depleted sequentially.  Executing ten such drops during a flight nearly doubles the total range due to the massive weight reduction from jettisoning dead packs.

“Our approach to solving the problem of poor range for electric aircraft is fundamentally different because our systems dramatically extend range without relying upon promises of future battery improvements.  We believe our technology, and especially our JBS product, represents a near-term breakthrough that can literally be implemented today,” said Chip Yates.

The company is pursuing commercial and military applications and is in talks with collaboration partners from both areas, with more formal announcements forthcoming.

Flight of the Century engineers are also continuing the world record-breaking legacy of the company with the recent purchase of a Burt Rutan designed Long-EZ aircraft (N158TG) that is currently undergoing an all-electric conversion in the Orange County, California corporate headquarters.  Dubbed the “Long-ESA” for “Electric Speed & Altitude”, the 258 horsepower composite aircraft is scheduled for flight testing in July, 2012 followed by manned world record attempts for highest altitude and fastest top speed for electric airplanes.

“It’s exciting to be a part of the next big breakthrough in alternative fuel aircraft technology, while also extending the legacy of the Rutan Long-EZ,” said FOTC Aerospace Engineer John Kolaczynski.

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But he had never flown a helicopter before climbing aboard a simulator at the University of North Dakota’s School of Aerospace Sciences in Grand Forks.

“I tell you, I got a whole new respect for helicopter pilots,” Nalli said.

“It’s like standing on a basketball, no kidding. The balancing act is unbelievable,” said Nalli, who was in North Dakota this week to film segments for “The Aviators” at UND and at Weather Modification Inc., a Fargo-based business that does just what its name implies.

“They just wanted to know what we do and how do we do it, the basic physics of it,” said Hans Ahlness, vice president of operations at Weather Modification.

“It’s TV, so they’re looking for gee-whiz stuff. And flying around thunderstorms gets people excited,” said Ahlness, who stressed that pilots for Weather Modification get close enough to storms to seed clouds with chemicals, but they don’t make the mistake of thinking they can fly through a heavy thunderstorm.

“When I start a student pilot out, the first thing I’m going to tell ’em is: ‘If you see a thunderstorm, you stay far, far away from it,’’’ Ahlness said.

“We’re just working with the storm and whatever the storm will let us do,” he added.

Nalli had a different take.

“I think these guys might be a little crazy,” he said.

“In all of my training, if you’re 15 to 25 miles away from a thunderstorm that’s great, keep going the other way,” Nalli said.

“These guys,” he said, “skirt the edges of thunderstorms to do some very, very important work. But as a pilot, I can’t even imagine how you do that.”

The footage shot in North Dakota will appear in the third season of “The Aviators,” which Nalli said will start airing on many PBS stations in September.

The first two seasons have aired on area Prairie Public stations, but the show has been on hiatus locally as stations wait for the third season.

Nalli said footage of flight simulators is particularly popular with viewers.

In season one, Nalli took the controls of a simulator in Toronto to see if a private pilot could land an airliner.

“I did it. I was very proud of myself,” he said.

In a segment shot for season two, Nalli again took to a simulator to see if a private pilot could land an airliner that had lost one engine.

“That was very difficult, I can tell you,” he said.

When it comes to cloud seeding, Ahlness said the idea is to start precipitation falling a little sooner than it normally would and to keep it falling a little longer than it would otherwise.

That does not come without risk.

“Our planes have dents in them from hail and we get hit by lightning, occasionally,” Ahlness said.

Nalli said the segments shot in North Dakota fit well with the premise of “The Aviators.”

“It’s about all things aviation. We like to say it’s the people, places and planes of North American aviation,” he said.

“For people who aren’t familiar with the show, it’s not by pilots for pilots,” Nalli said. “It’s anyone who has even a passing interest in aviation.”

He said some viewers write to say the show inspired them to sign up for flying lessons. “And now they’re pilots,” he said.

Dave Olson is a reporter at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

- The Jamestown Sun

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Bob Hoover

“I am certain everyone in attendance will be delighted to hear the captivating stories of how famed test pilot Bob Hoover, as a young man, met Charles Lindbergh and engaged with him throughout their careers in aviation,” said Lindbergh Foundation Chairman and CEO Larry Williams. “Reeve Lindbergh will add her own personal recollections to the evening,

Reeve Lindbergh

including the importance of the Lindbergh Foundation’s work in carrying on the vision of her parents. I can’t think of a more compelling roster of speakers to help us celebrate our anniversary, and to encourage us to remember the significance of the contributions made by the Lindberghs to our lives today, 85 years after that historic flight.”

Bob Hoover has flown over 300 types of aircraft and flight tested or flown nearly every type of fighter aircraft, and is also the holder of several aviation records. He has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldiers Medal, Air Medal and Purple Heart. He is the only person to serve two terms as president of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and was captain of the United States Aerobatic Team in the 1966 International Competition in Moscow.

“Bob Hoover has been a hero and mentor to me as well as the entire airshow industry for decades, saving countless lives,” noted Lindbergh Foundation Board member Sean Tucker. “He is a true aviation legend and is very honored to share the stage with these famous Apollo astronauts to celebrate the legacy of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.”

Reeve Lindbergh is the honorary chairman of the Lindbergh Foundation and the youngest of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s children. Since 2004, she has been recognized as Honorary Chairman of the Lindbergh Foundation following her years as its president, and as a member of the board of directors since the foundation’s formation in 1977. In this work, she leads efforts to further her parents’ vision for improving the quality of life through balance between nature and technology. Reeve is the author of numerous books for children and adults. Her other volunteer activities include various community organizations concerned with children, the arts, and support for handicapped individuals.

James Lovell, Eugene Cernan, Neil Armstrong

Lindbergh Foundation board and staff are continuing preparations to welcome astronauts Jim Lovell, Eugene Cernan, and Neil Armstrong to The Explorers Club for the anniversary. Following a reception and dinner for about 100 guests, Lovell, who served on the foundation’s first board, will share his recollections of the vision for the foundation;  Cernan will reflect on receiving the Lindbergh Spirit Award in 2007, and  Armstrong will offer his perspective on the Lindbergh Foundation, and his recollections of working with Jimmy Doolittle, who served with him as national co-chair of the fundraising effort that endowed the Lindbergh Foundation.

The Lindbergh Foundation celebration continues on Saturday, May 19, with a special anniversary program at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, a supporter of the Lindbergh Foundation and home to a remarkable and unique collection of rare aviation and space exhibits. Following a panel discussion with some Lindbergh Foundation Board members, the Cradle will dedicate a plaque commemorating Lindbergh’s departure from nearby Roosevelt Field, with an anniversary cake noting the 85th anniversary of that flight, as well as the Cradle’s 10th birthday, and the 35th for the Lindbergh Foundation.

For more information: LindberghFoundation.org

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The public is urged to vote online through May 21, 2012 for the preservation projects most important to them. The sites with the most votes will get the largest of $3 million in grants. Vote atwww.PartnersinPreservation.com or www.Facebook.com/PartnersinPreservation.   The top four vote-getters, to be announced May 22, are guaranteed to receive grants for their preservation projects.  A Partners in Preservation advisory committee of community and preservation leaders, will select sites that will receive the rest of the $3 million in grants.

Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awards preservation grants to historic places across the country. American Express has committed more than $15 million to Partners in Preservation, helping historic sites in six cities to date, which includes preservation projects in San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Seattle and Saint Paul/Minneapolis and has engaged more than a million people.

Through this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America’s historic and cultural places. The program also hopes to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities.

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The shuttle, which is being airlifted on the back of a 747, left Washington Dulles International Airport around 9:40 a.m. It’s expected to arrive in the New York area around 10:30 a.m. when it will fly over New York City before landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

PHOTOS: Space Shuttle Enterprise Comes To NYC

Enterprise was the first shuttle ever to be built by NASA. It never flew into space, but Enterprise paved the way for others that did. NASA engineers used the Enterprise to figure out how to land a shuttle, launching the glider from the back of a modified 747 in 1977.

After years at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, its new home will be on the deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

Last week, a Royal Navy fighter-bomber, a Douglas Sky Knight and a North Korean MIG-15 were hoisted from the flight deck and put onto a barge. The military aircraft were removed from the Intrepid’s collection to make room for the newest space shuttle exhibit.

PHOTOS: Aircraft Moved From Intrepid

“We’re just so thrilled that we’ll be the ones to perpetuate its history and tell the story to what will be the millions of people who will come to see it,” said Susan Marenoff-Zausner, president of the Intrepid Museum.

“Without Enterprise proving things, the rest of the fleet would have never been built, would have never flown in space,” said museum curator Eric Boehm. ”Enterprise is so important to history.”

After its flyover of city landmarks, the shuttle will be stored at a hangar at JFK until June.

“Then it will come up by barge on June 6 up to the Intrepid,” said Marenoff-Zausner. ”It’s going to be an amazing day. It’ll be a crane that will take it and put it on the flight deck.”

The exhibit will open to the public in mid-July.

For more information, visit www.intrepidmuseum.org.

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File this video under amazing! Air traffic controller and private pilot James Price built a flight simulator out of the nose of a 1969 Boeing 737 in his Pleasanton garage. He has been working on it as a hobby since 2000.

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