Archive for August, 2012

High Praise for the 50 year old CH-47 Chinook Helicopter

Posted on August 21st, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

Here are a few quotes from those who actually use and appreciate the venerable Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter.   “The Chinook has served as the backbone of U.S. Army aviation since the Vietnam era, revolutionizing how we move troops and supplies in combat, and save lives and deliver aid in..
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GOLDEN AGE OF FLIGHT TEST, X-Planes at Edwards AFB, 1947-1977, Painting by Mike Machat

Mike Machat, Your ‘Go-To’ Source for Aviation Art & Information

Posted on August 21st, 2012 · Posted in Pilots & Everyone Else, Wings & Airpower Articles

Artist, author, and historian Mike Machat is a well-known American aviation personality who has dedicated his career to the preservation and documentation of aviation history. If it’s about airplanes, Mike can illustrate it, write about it, or talk about it. His extraordinary archival resources and aviation experience allow him to..
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Chasing Atlantis, An Upcoming Film about the Shuttle’s Legacy

Posted on August 21st, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

Chasing Atlantis is a documentary film project exploring the pursuit of a dream. For over the 30 years the Space Shuttle has served as a symbol of collective exploration and international cooperation. The end of an era in human space flight approaches in July with the retirement of the space..
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WWII Spitfire pilot takes controls 70 years later

Posted on August 20th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News, Pilots & Everyone Else

He survived the daily dangers of being a pilot in the Second World War and even risked his life on a clandestine operation in the Soviet Union. Now aged 91, and seven decades on from his wartime exploits, Eric Carter has taken to the skies again at the controls of..
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First flight test successful for Army’s Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle air vehicle

Posted on August 19th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

For more than 90 minutes, Aug. 7, 2012 the hybrid air vehicle known as the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle stayed afloat above Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle, or LEMV, like a blimp, is capable of carrying multiple intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads for more than 21..
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Northrop Grumman, U.S. Navy Conduct First East Coast Flight of X-47B Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft

Posted on August 19th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

The Northrop Grumman Corporation X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System UCAS demonstrator has successfully completed its historic first flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent Pax River.   The 36-minute flight – the first for the tailless, strike-fighter-sized aircraft since it was transported to the Navy base in June from Edwards Air..
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National Aviation Day, August 19

Posted on August 19th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

The National Aviation Day (August 19) is a United States national observation that celebrates the development of aviation. The holiday was established in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who issued a presidential proclamation which designated the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday to be National Aviation Day (Mr. Wright, born in..
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Boeing Marks 50 Years of Delivering Chinook Helicopters

Posted on August 18th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

As Boeing marks the 50th anniversary of delivering the first H-47 Chinook military helicopter, the company is nearing completion of a $130 million renovation of its production line near Philadelphia that will help it meet global demand for the latest model, the CH-47F. “The Chinook has served as the backbone..
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USAF X-51A Waverider flight ends prematurely

Posted on August 18th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

The X-51A Waverider successfully launched from a B-52 Stratofortress over Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, Calif., Aug. 14, 2012, at approximately 11:36 a.m. PDT. The X-51 safely separated from the B-52 and the rocket booster fired as planned. However, after 16 seconds, a fault was identified with..
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Transformed X-48C Blended Wing Body Flies Successfully

Posted on August 18th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

The remotely piloted X-48C aircraft successfully flew for the first time August 7, 2012 at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert.   The aircraft, designed by The Boeing Co. and built by Cranfield Aerospace Limited of the United Kingdom, is flying again in partnership with NASA. The new..
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