Oshkosh 2012 Award Winners

This past week was the big show in Oshkosh and I have been on the internet every couple hours looking for pictures highlighting the event.  Sure looks like it was a good turn out.  This morning I pulled up the list of award winners and was not surprised at some of the winners.  Follow the link below to the 2012 Oshkosh award winners...

http://www.airventure.org/news/2012/120729_2012-aircraft-award-winners.html

Peter Ramm was awarded Antique Grand Champion for the restoration of his beautiful 1937 Lockheed 12, serial number 1222, registered as CF-LKD. (Photo provided by Mr. Ramm.)  Congrats to Mr. Ramm!  All the hard work paid off!  (For more on surviving Lockheed 12s see our survivors web page.  Follow the link at the bottom of this post.)

Walter Bowe collected the Antique Reserve Grand Champion award for his extremely rare 1929 Laird LC-RW300, NC4442. (Photo by Mark Todd.)  This is one racy looking biplane!  Congrats, Walt!

In the classic listing I spotted a 1954 Cessna 170B, N1899C that took the Classic Reserve Grand Champion.  Just a few weeks ago I found the blog where young Mr. Barron was posting the progress on the restoration of this 170B.  Go see the photos of this detailed restoration!

http://cessna170restoration.blogspot.com

On the Warbird listing two amazing restorations that I have been watching topped the charts.  Warbird Reserve Grand Champion - World War II went to Rod Lewis and his Curtiss P-40C, N295RL.  We featured a blog post about this airplane last year.  I can't hardly wait to see this early model Curtiss in person!

http://flytoanothertime.blogspot.com/2011/04/p-40c-takes-to-air.html

The award for Warbird Grand Champion went to The Collings Foundation for their North American A-36 Apache, N4607V.  (Photo by Jim Buxton.)  An off shoot of the Mustang design this rare fighter-bomber attracted a lot of attention and appears to be a restoration of the highest caliber!  Another one I can't wait to see in person.

Watch the news stands for the award winners to be featured in the aviation magazines over the next few months.

Links - Lockheed 12, EAA Airventure - Oshkosh, Collings Foundation, Lewis Air Legends, Barron Aviation

Lockheed Vega to be restored to flight

Good news for Lockheed Vega fans!  Kermit Weeks has sent his Vega to Jim Kimball Enterprises to be restored to flight.  Thanks to Jeff Eicher for the photo above of the Vega on arrival at the Kimball's shop.  This Vega spent many years on display at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin until it was purchased by Kermit a few years ago.  It has been on static display at Kermit's Fantasy of Flight until recently.  We look forward to seeing this Florida based beauty return to the skies!  It wears the color scheme of the famous Vega the "Winnie Mae" but is not the real Wiley Post Vega.  The Smithsonian National Air and Space museum in Washington D.C. is home to the real "Winnie Mae."  (My photo below of the Winnie Mae on display in D.C.)

Also coming to light is the restoration of another Lockheed Vega that will return to flight.  Differing from Kermit's all wood example is the metal fuselage model being restored in Arizona.  Click over to the Antique Airfield web site for photos of this restoration in progress.  Follow this link - http://antiqueairfield.com/articles/show/1268-vega-restoration-tail-installed-and-connected

If I were restoring a Vega.... this photo below would be my inspirational photo on the wall of the hangar!

Few Vegas survive today.  So to see one is a rare sight.  The possibility of two returning to flight is exceptionally rare and delightfully exciting!

Links - Fantasy of Flight, Jim Kimball Enterprises, Smithsonian, Antique Airfield

Aviation's Enduring Classics - New Book

I have been taking photographs of airplanes as long as I can remember.  Now I am excited to share my photographs through books that people can enjoy with friends and family.  My first work features vintage aircraft from the 1940s and 1950s.

These photographs were taken at various events on my travels to Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin and Texas, producing shining examples of the memorable airplanes that aviation enthusiasts love. My hope is that enthusiasts, pilots and their families will have stories to tell of one or more of the airplanes in this book.

I invite you to purchase a copy, sit down with family and friends and tell your own personal stories about Aviation's Enduring Classics.

Click on the book cover below to see the book in the Blurb book store.

Aviation's End...

Avation's most mem...

By Dan Linn

Book Preview

Flying Legends 2012 - Pictures from Duxford

It is that time of year again.  Texas is a long way from Duxford so I turn to the PlaneTalk forum to see pictures from this weekends Fighter Collection/Flying Legends Warbird show.  Take a look at a few pictures below from Brian Marshall of the pre-show activities.  Wow... the P-47 flying a few laps to prepare for the action, a hangar full of Warbirds and the Red Bull P-38 arriving for a weekend of flying!  I can hardly wait to see all the pictures that hit the forums from the show!

Thanks to Brian for allowing us to post the pictures.  To see more of the pictures from this weekends Flying Legends show visit... http://forum.planetalk.net/viewforum.php?f=16

On a similar note we just finished watching the DVD from last years event.  If you love Warbirds this is a must have video for your collection!  Purchase it here... http://www.planestv.com/

Enjoy the pictures and videos!

Links - PlaneTalk Forum - Red Bull/The Flying Bulls - The Fighter Collection - PlanesTV - Brian's Warbird Photography

The Great Wall - Keeping the mice out of the Cessna

Over the last couple weeks I have been working on a way to keep the mice from making my Cessna their new condo.  It seems that every couple years I was disposing of another nest built by the pesky rodents.  Enough is enough!  Time to build some protection for my ship!

Having seen other sheet metal covers for airplane gear legs I thought I would try a similar covering.  The main wheels and gear legs don't offer a way into the Cessna 170 so the tail is where the protection was needed.  A trip to the local hardware store produced the sheet metal from a type of metal ducting.  Each edge has a groove bent into it for attaching back to itself.  I purchased six pieces and set about making The Great Wall.  Using tin snips I cut off the ends of the ducting that were crimped and flattened out all the pieces.  Once clipped together I added some duct tape to keep the top edge from scratching the underside of the airplane.  The unit now slides easily under the horizontal and is held closed with some vice grips and a bungee cord.  Easy on, easy off.  Will it work to keep the mice at bay?  Time will tell.

Airshow Reports - Chino, La Ferte Alais, World War Two Weekend

There have been a couple airshows over the last month that are worthy of your time to take a look at the photos.

The Chino Warbird show was back in May and Mike Shreeve has an outstanding report over on The Global Aviation Resource web site.  Mike compliments his article with some stand out photography. Be sure to click on the photos in the article to see them in the large format.  Especially the P-40C that is highly polished in early U.S. Army Air Corps markings!  Great article Mike!

http://www.globalaviationresource.com/reports/2012/airshows-usa-chino-2012-review/index.php

More photos from Eric Van Gilder on his site here...

http://www.vg-photo.com/airshow/chino2012/chino2012.html

Over in France the La Ferte Alais show looked to have nice sunny weather and a unique showing of European Warbirds and classic aircraft.  Below are two links to photos from the show.

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=45795

http://www.zap16.com/2012/06/la-ferte-alais-airshow-2012/

Then back in the U.S. up in Pennsylvania at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum for their World War Two Weekend we got to a forum post for a great series of photos.

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=45856

These shows all looked to be highlights from the start of the summer airshow season.  I will post more links as I find them!  Hope you enjoy the photos.

P-47 Snafu - First Flight

Running a few weeks late to post the pictures but as you can see the P-47 Thunderbolt named "Snafu" belonging to The Fighter Collection has flown!  It flew April 21 and is now flying its test time off so that it can fly the summer airshow season.  Very exciting to see a "razorback" P-47 in the air.  Friends of The Fighter Collection Blog has a short video clip from the first flight.  Click on the link below.

As more pictures become available I will post links or watch the Plane Talk forum.  Thanks to Brian Marshall for allowing us to post his photos.

Links - The Fighter Collection Blog - The Fighter Collection web site - Plane Talk Forum - Brian Marshall Photography

Hangar Time

It is May in Texas so I have switched from afternoons and evenings at the hangar for the cool mornings.  I spent two Saturday mornings chasing the smell of mouse in my airplane... again.  Not fun.  All cleaned out and some air freshener sprayed.  I am in the process of finding another way to keep the mice from crawling up the tailwheel.  A metal wall should be hard to scale!  When completed I will post more pictures.

Several vintage airplanes graced the blue skies while I was working on the 170 this morning.  A beautiful Cessna 195 and a really nice Waco UPF.  Ah... I love the sound of radials in the morning!  I was able to snap a couple of nice shots on their departure.

Let the summer flying season begin!

Images of Light and Lift - Air to Air Photography

On numerous occasions Scott Germain has graciously allowed us to repost his awesome photography on this blog.  His Warbird photography has captured attention worldwide but one of my personal favorites is the Staggerwing photo above.

Do you want to know the story behind the photos and the man behind the camera?  Follow the link below to read an in depth interview and sample a selection of Scott's powerful photography.

MegaDeluxe Sports article - Scott Germain, Images of Light and Lift

Keep shooting Scotty!  You produce some great shots!

Links - Images of Light and Lift

The Vintage Aviator - The Aircraft Collection

While looking over a few posts of one of my favorite internet forums I spotted a post by Dave Homewood featuring pictures from his visit to The Vintage Aviator.  The Vintage Aviator is a company in New Zealand that specializes in World War One aircraft.  Take a few minutes to look through this collection of pictures!

Forum Post Link - http://rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Airshows&thread=15918&page=1

After looking through the photo tour of the collection be sure to follow the link below to The Vintage Aviator web site.  This is one VERY nice web site.  Still can't get enough picture of World War One aircraft?  I highly recommend the book Ghosts - The Great War by Philip Makanna.

Links - The Vintage Aviator - Ghosts - The Great War (book)

Spartan Executive Restoration - NC4444

Being that I am addicted to vintage airplane pictures my buddy Keith helped feed my addiction by sending me pictures this weekend from the heavily vintage airplane populated airport in Creve Coeur Airport near St. Louis.  As soon as he sent the first picture my mind turned toward the Spartan that is under restoration on the field.  Keith did not disappoint!  A few minutes later my iPhone had multiple Spartan pictures to scroll through.  Serial number 18, Spartan 7W, NC4444 is being restored by John Cournoyer.  It has been on a slow but steady pace the last few years and it looking very nice!  As I say quite often in this blog... I can't wait to see this one in the air!  Thanks to Keith Moody for the pictures and thank you John Cournoyer for saving and restoring this rare Spartan Executive.

Links - Creve Coeur Airport - Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum - Spartan Executive Survivors