Verna and Bob's Weblog

Aerospace

Air Inglewood

Fiji 747We have been going to visit Mom and Dad very often in recent weeks. Dad is quite ill, but is at home. When we visit, we often sit out in their patio to get fresh air and enjoy conversation with Mom and my sisters who also are frequently there (one of them is almost there full time taking care of Dad.

Mom and Dad’s house is near the approach path to LAX; consequently, airliners on approach pass close overhead. While relaxing in Mom’s patio, I took this picture of a Fiji Boeing 747 in landing configuration about two miles from touchdown. What a pretty paint job! Click 4 really big.

January 17, 2009 by Aerospace Family Photography

On Approach to LAX

I was at Mom and Dad’s today. They live near the Los Angeles Airport. I took this picture of an airliner on approach to the airport from their front yard. I thought the sun and the clouds made a nice backdrop for the airplane. Click for a larger view.

approach.jpg

December 16, 2008 by Aerospace Family Photography

Sierra Sue

N12KLast spring, we visited the Western Museum of Flight. Today, I was going through some of the photos from our visit and found this one of “Sierra Sue,” a 1953 demonstration aircraft.

Image: Sierra Sue (Click to enlarge)

Here’s what the Western Museum of Flight webpage says about this aircraft:

Built in 1953, the Sierra Sue was Northrop Company’s flying demonstrator for the Air Force’s AX close-support aircraft design competition in 1972. The AX Competition led to the manufacture of two prototypes, Northrop’s A-9A and Fairchild-Hiller’s A-10A. After an extensive flight test program, the Fairchild-Hiller design won the competition.

Designed and flown by Ron Beattie and Walt Fellers, the aircraft was manufactured by Acme’s (Sierradyne Inc.) Crawford and Keeney. It was used by Sierradyne in the ’60s to test and promote Northrop’s and Dr Werner Pfenninger’s boundary layer control concepts. The plane was never officially considered a Northrop aircraft.

  Manufacturer   Acme Aircraft Co ( Sierradyne Inc)
  Number Built   1
  Wing Span   20 feet 2 inches
  Overall Length   18 feet
  Empty Weight   590 pounds
  Number of Seats   2
  Power plant   85 hp Continental C-85 pusher
October 16, 2008 by Aerospace Nostalgia

Island Express Helicopter Crash

Readers here may or may not know that I know a thing or two about helicopters – I have an airline transport helicopter rating with hundreds of hours of instruction given, charters flown and cross-country ferry flights. I have had a mishap or two along the way, but I’m still here to blog about it.

I can’t comment about the crash of the Island Express helicopter on Catalina Island other than to observe that the pilot had a lot of experience and that the weather conditions were certainly less than optimal. The FAA and NTSB state that the investigation might take up to a year to complete. We offer our condolences to the families and friends of the victims in this terrible accident.

We have been passengers several times on Island Express – we were married in Avalon, and often go back, especially for our anniversary.

We’re going again this year as well and we’re planning to fly over on Island Express helicopters. We believe that it is a safe and enjoyable way to cross the channel.

So, with that in mind, click on the video to the right and see for yourself just how nice an adventure you have when taking the helicopter to the Island.

May 29, 2008 by Aerospace Culture

Airship USS Akron

This giant dirigible, the USS Akron, was in the Navy’s Aviation inventory between 1931 and 1933. My Mom saw either this one or the USS Macon flying over Long Beach, California, when she was a teenager. Here, it is seen over Manhattan Island, New York.

sepia-akron-manhattan.jpg

March 5, 2008 by Aerospace Military

Unique Topology

This aerial photo of the Isthmus of Santa Catalina Island shows Catalina Harbor and Isthmus Harbor – each within walking distance of the other. This year when we take our annual trek to the Island, we plan to visit Two Harbors, either by inland tour or an evening boat cruise.

2 harbors

Click on the image for a larger view.

February 4, 2008 by Aerospace Leisure Photography

Avalon 1998

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