If there are limits to everything, no one told Chuck Aaron. The 60-year-old is the first and only civilian pilot to be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to perform aerobatics in a helicopter, which he does 25 times a year across the U.S. in a tricked up BO-105, courtesy of Red Bull. “People absolutely can’t believe what they’re seeing,” Chuck says, laughing. “How can a helicopter go upside down and flip over backwards and do all those crazy things?”
After flying 33 different helicopter models for more than 18,000 hours of flight time, you’d think Chuck, with his laid-back demeanor, handlebar mustache and surfer blond hair, would have absolutely no fear of flying. “I’m nervous every time I get in an aircraft for an air show,” Chuck says. “I have this ritual where I sit in the helicopter for 30 minutes and redirect my thinking to the maneuvers and the safety mechanics. But risk is what it takes in life.”
He’s been in charge of NASA’s Space Shuttle Air Rescue Program and done stunt flying in films like the Rock and television shows like NCIS. He helped the U.S. Department of Defense develop and test night-vision systems and rebuilt three Cobras from leftover military parts. He’s been a crop duster and traffic reporter and has flown banners at the beach. But it’s what he does these days in a helicopter—back flips, 360-degree rolls, and a heart-stopping combination known as the Chuckcilvak—that has earned him daredevil status.
The future is likely to find Chuck hovering upside-down in the Red Bull helicopter—“I’ve pretty much figured out the mechanics, I just need to convince the pilot,” he says. Whatever we catch him doing next, one thing is certain: The sky is the limit.
Master of His Art
The International Council of Air Shows presents the award each year to the performer or air show act that has best demonstrated those qualities by which Art Scholl himself set the standard for all other performers to try to follow.
Chuck is the only FAA-certified helicopter stunt pilot and is a master at making a helicopter do things ‘it isn't supposed to do’. He taught himself how to fly the aerobatic routine he performs at air shows in the Red Bull helicopter and now has 23 years and over 17,000 hours of experience.
Rated by many as the most talented air show pilot of his generation, Art Scholl was a renowned aerobatic pilot and consummate air show performer. Scholl flew before an estimated audience of around 80 million people over 20 years and he appeared in over 200 films, documentaries and television commercials.
The Selection Committee are therefore tough to impress; just to be in contention for this award, the nominee must fulfill a number of specific criteria, such as: What does the performer do and how has he structured his act to improve its entertainment value? How has the candidate distinguished and differentiated himself from other, more traditional air show performers? What has the candidate done to improve and increase the overall level of showmanship in the air show community? Does the candidate deserve to be recognized in the same context as Art Scholl and the 22 past recipients of this award?
More than 1,500 members of the aviation community were in attendance in Las Vegas at the awards banquet following the International Council of Air Shows’ annual convention on December 9 to witness Chuck receiving his award. His acceptance speech was rounded off with an enthusiastic exclamation of ‘Yeah Baby’, to the delight of the audience.
Helicopters Upside Down?
How Do Helicopters Fly Upside Down?Vizualize Prior to the early 1960s, a suggestion that a helicopter could fly upside down was likely to generate more laughs than serious consideration. However, Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) changed that thinking with its B0-105 "rigid rotor" design. This aircraft was originally developed to meet West German requirements for its military's speedy new Light Observation Helicopter (LOH). To resolve engineering issues associated with power-to-weight constraints, MBB re-engineered a portion of the rotor hub assembly by removing the hinges that helped control and connect the main blades to the aircraft's power shaft.
Semi-Rigid
Semi-rigid assemby: Robinson HelicopterPrior to the BO-105, all helicopters utilized what were referred to as semi-rigid rotor systems. In this configuration, the main rotor blades were connected to a central swashplate by articulating hinges that allowed each blade to flap up under power, while also allowing the blades to move fore and aft to accommodate for the lead or lag. As an assembly the system was heavy, and added significant maintenance complexity.
Rigid
While the original design requirements for the new helicopter were being published, a host of new high-strength, low-weight composite products were beginning to enter the commercial aerospace market. It occurred to MBB that if it could integrate these products within its helicopter, it would be able to generate a significant performance advantage. One of the engineering focus areas was the hefty nature of the hinged rotor assembly and accordingly, it designed and produced a new "hingeless" configuration that was stronger than the original, at a significantly lower weight.
Flopping, Not Flying
Once the aircraft was fully certified as a hingless system throughout its nominal flight regime, the MBB test community decided to see what else it could do with the aircraft and its new system. Since it was clear that the configuration allowed for significant strength under power, it followed that, since the blades were a part of the fully integrated central hub, the aircraft could actually roll inverted without having the blades fold up. The first time one of MBB's pilots took off to attempt the maneuver, there was probably some concern, but the aircraft's roll performance was acceptable at the end of the day. The only downside was that since the aircraft initially carried asymmetric blades it tended to fall, or "flop," through the roll, rather than producing a well-carved rotation. Once the MBB team mounted symmetric blades, the tendency to flop through was nearly entirely eliminated and the aircraft simply just became more and more aerobatic.
The Past Becomes Today
Between the mid-sixties and 1991, when the BO-105 production line was finally closed in favor of a newer light helicopter variant, the aircraft and its rigid-rotor design became one of the most flown and purchased aircraft in history. The helicopter became a favorite among military aerobatic teams along with various commercial airshow teams. Of these, the Red Bull Aerobatic Team is probably best known. Every weekend in the summer, its blue and red helos pirouette across the sky doing seemingly impossible maneuvers.
The Future
As a result of the BO-105 and its original design nearly all military helicopters carry rigid-rotor systems today. The innovation has spawned a host of new ancillary systems including; bent-tipped blades for better speed, better all-round flight characteristics, greater lifting capacities and, of course, more complex aerobatics. In fact, the ability to roll inverted in military helicopter operations has engendered entirely new doctrinal thinking throughout the military helicopter community.source:redbull/youtube/rickcarlton/ehow/
F1-Powerboats The first Formula one powerboat championship in 1981 introduced the powerboats in the racing senario.Formula one was brought to the water to gain the same level of thrill what people got from the F1 car racing. No one predicted it would be such a hit and the powerboats will stand the test of time. But it did and the powerboats that were used way back in 1980's have exactly the same design as they have now. The tunnel boat design is the main feaature of these powerboats that have not changed yet. What has changed is the technology inside the boat and the material used.
The rules of the F1 car racing chapionship are similar to the F1 power boat championship. There are 12 teams and 24 powerboats competing against each other.
Dangerous When Wet
Over The Years The design is one aspect that has remained almost the same. So what has changed?
Initially powerboats were made of timber wood or plywood. But hardly could they stand the forces generated due to high velocity. Due to the phenomenal speed that the catamarons reached, many fatalities and accidents took place in a particular championship season. At that time the cockpit was not an enclosed cell and there were no safety harness or airbags for the drivers safety. The driver's life was at utmost risk. Chris Hodges, a British powerboat designer came to the conclusion that the level of safety should be increased to preserve the lives of the drivers and also to preserve the sport. It was then that he came up with the idea of an enclosed cockpit. He made a capsule from a strong composite material. This cockpit was not attached to the main structure, instead it was connected to the hull and the central part of the boat. The purpose behind this design was that, in case of an accident the timber hull will absorb the impact and break, which will protect the driver from the impact. This was how the idea of enclosed cockpit evolved.
Later on, the safety harness which are now known as seat belts, were introduced. In 1990's the concept of airbags was launched. The idea behind the introduction of airbags was that incase of a crash, the airbag will inflate which will not only protect the driver from the impact forces but also prevent the capsule from sinking till the time the rescue team arrived.
F1 Powerboat Racing
The Cockpit In the past, the powerboat cockpit used to consist of just a start button, a steering wheel and a throttle. But things have changed now. Drivers safety and operational ease is the utmost priority and to ensure this the cockpit is endowed with all kinds of facilities. A cockpit consists of a detachable steering wheel, a full throttle, a start button, a fuel pump switch, a red and yellow light which are controlled by the team's crew onshore to caution the driver for any obstacle on the course, a revolutions counter, air bag and oxygen supply.
Increased Saftey The tunnel hull boats still runs on the same principal that when the speed increases the bow raises up in the air, creating a cushion below it. The boat then runs on this cushion with least contact with water and negligible friction.
As far as safety is concerned there is a lot of room left for improvement. No doubt there has been an increase in the safety norms, the number of deaths caused by accidents is still high. Thus it is imperative that utmost care is given to safety. For this reason, cockpits are made of flexible and shock absorbing constuction and installed with airbags. Additonal head and safety devices are also provided. Moreover a crash box is a must on each and every powerboat.
F1 Powerboat Onboard
F1 Powerboat Racing Size does matter but sometimes speed matters more than size and nowhere is this truer than in water sports. So though we have been talking of giant ships till now of various types, we will take a look at relatively smaller sized power boats used in F1 circuits.
The F1 powerboat racing championship is analogous to the F1 car racing championship. It is supposed to be known as the most eletrifying water sport. It is believed that an F1 powerboat runs at a speed that is tough to acquire even by the best of the F1 cars. Now just imagine: a powerboat can reach a speed of 180-220 Kilometers per hour in just 4 seconds (97 - 119 Nautical Miles per hour). Seriously, you have to see it to believe it.
In an F1 powerboat championship, 24 boats compete with each other for a duration of 45 minutes, without the usage of brakes or gearboxes. Why? Because they don't have any brakes or gearboxes. Just imagine a vehicle racing on water at a speed of 220 kilometers per hour, maneuvering through the curvy tracks, balancing in air when lifted due to high speed and barely managing to preserve stability at hairpin turns. Its a tough roller coaster ride which requires great amount of courage and skills. The track is as long as 350 meters.
These light weight catamarans do spellbinding summersaults, doing "close shave" over taking with impeccable adroitness in maneuvering ability and unquenchable courage. To win the championship, a driver must have loads of skills, courage and of course luck.
Powerboats The design of powerboats has remained almost the same since the start of this championship in 1981. The design of power boats is of tunnel hull catamarans, which due to its aerodynamic structure provides high velocity and maneuverability. This tunnel hulls produces an air cushion below them which facilitates the boat to lift up, creating least friction with water. The catamarans are made of carbon fiber or fiber glass. The overall weight is approximately 860 pounds which also include the weight of a V6 engine, giving 400 horse power output at around 10,500 rpm. The length is around 6 meter and width is 2.5 meter approximately. As mentioned earlier, there are no brakes and gear boxes.
The cockpit of the boat is an enclosed capsule which ensures the safety of the driver at the time of a crash or a collision. The new powerboats are all provided with safety belts and airbags. They are also provided with crash box which is similar to the black box that is fixed in aircraft. In case of a collision or an accident the crash box records and preserves the internal operations of the boat, which makes the crash-analysis extremely easy.
The future powerboats will come with collapsible hull and bows, so that in case of a collision or crash, they get deformed rather than penetrating the other boat's hull.
Blame it on the weather The weather and velocity of air, at the time of the race, play a vital role in the maneuvering and stability of the boat. If the water current and the wind condition is harsh, the water continuously splashes and sprays on the console screen, making visibility blurred and thus increase the chances of collision
High wind velocity is also a hinderance in the smooth sailing of the boats. The winds not only prevents attaining of high velocity but also leads to "turn around" of the boat, which may also lead to capsizing of the boat. In case of capsizing of the boat, the airbag installed in the cockpit inflates. The cocpits are also provided with oxygen suppy from the cylinders.
sources:picapp/brighthub/raunekk/youtube References: http://www.f1boat.com/history/introf1.html http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sports/driving/FMB.htm Power Boat Racing by T. J. Andersen
Hannah Reitsch In 1932, medical student Hanna Reitsch began soaring and went on to become one of the first few people to cross the alps in a glider.
As the world's first female test pilot and helicopter pilot, Hanna flew everyting the Third Reich had: from the first helicopter (the Focke-Achgelis) to the prototype of a piloted V-1. She went on to set more than 40 altitude and endurance records in motorless and powered aircraft in her lifetime.
In 1945 she flew the last plane out of Berlin hours before the fall of the city. Although politics had nothing to do with her love of flight, she was the only woman ever to be awarded the Iron Cross and Luftwaffe Diamond Clasp.
One of her first feats was to fly the world's first practical helicopter inside of an exhibition hall
Hanna Reitsch : Nazi Germany's leading woman pilot
Nazi Germany's leading woman stunt pilot and an enthusiastic admirer of Hitler who begged to be allowed to die with him in the Fuhrerbunker at the end of World War II, Hanna Reitsch was born in Hirschberg, Silesia, on 29 March 1912, the daughter of an ophthalmologist.
A young Hanna Reitsch
The diminutive, slightly built blonde, who was to become a symbol of virile heroism in the 1930s, originally aimed to be a flying missionary doctor in Africa, but turned instead to piloting gliders and powered aircraft with daring and unusual skill.
Hanna Reitsch, Apr., 1927
From 1931, when she set the women's world record for non - stop gliding (five and a half hours), extended to eleven and a half in 1933, to her world record in non - stop distance flight for gliders (305 kms) in 1936, and her woman's gliding world record for point - to - point flight in 1939, Hanna Reitsch's feats were unrivaled.
Hanna Reitsch
In 1934 she set the world's altitude record for women (2,800 m.), three years later she made the first crossing of the Alps in a glider, and in 1938 the first indoor helicopter flight in the Deutschlandhalle, Berlin.
Hannah Reitsch
Hanna Reitsch was born in Germany in 1912. She wanted to be a flying missionary doctor but, after the Versailles Treaty had clipped Germany's wings, she became an excellent glider pilot. She set records, she worked as a movie stand-in flyer, and she went on an expedition to study weather in South America. Hitler made her an honorary flight captain, the first woman to receive that award.
.
Hanna Reitsch wearing her Iron Cross and Luftwaffe Diamond Clasp
In 1937, the re-formed Luftwaffe hired her as a civilian test pilot. She accepted with near reverence, calling German warplanes, "Guardians of the portals of peace." Historian Judy Lomax tells how Hanna Reitsch's values were instilled by a mother who wrote her daily, warning against the sin of pride and praying for her safety.
A great deal has been written about German aviatrix Hanna Reitsch over the years, much is made of her various exploits, but not everything she did warrants the fame that seems to have endured since the birth of Nazi Germany. There is no doubt that she was an excellent sailplane pilot and a very courageous woman, but some of her escapades were down-right foolhardy.
Hanna Reitsch about to test fly a Horten III Flying Wing Glider
In Nazi Germany of 1937 Hanna Reitsch was a role-model, her earlier fame had by then spread beyond national boundaries, and Ernst Udet appointed her as a test pilot to the Luftwaffe test center at Rechlin. This was not an officially published appointment, but a private gesture from Udet. It meant that she could fly only under the direction of Karl Franke, the chief test pilot at Rechlin, largely because her background experience did not justify her appointment.
Hannah Reitsch
Hannah Reitsch
In 1932, medical student Hanna Reitsch began soaring and went on to become one of the first people to cross the Alps in a glider. After graduating to powered aircraft, her daring and skill landed her in the forefront of Germany's aviation efforts.
Even before the second World War, Hanna was recognized as Germany's leading aviatrix for her work flying experimental aircraft. One of her first feats was to fly the world's first practical helicopter inside of an exhibition hall. Always the professional flier, she was quickly recruited as a test pilot.
The world's first female test pilot became known for her courage as she took on many unbelievably dangerous jobs, including testing a V-1 flying bomb equipped with a cockpit.
Hanna Reitsch - The Last Interview (Part 1 of 3)
Hanna Reitsch - The Last Interview (Part 2 of 3)
Hanna Reitsch - The Last Interview (Part 3 of 3)
Focke-Achgelis FW-61
In 1937, Professor Heinrich Focke and another German named Achgelis joined forces to conduct helicopter research. The result was the production of the FW-61, based on the fuselage of a small biplane trainer with two outriggers supporting the contra-rotating rotors. The cut-down propellor mounted on the front of the radial engine was used only for cooling.
Hanna Reitsch, FW-61, Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, February 1938
The FW-61 rose to fame when it was demonstrated by Flugkapitan Hanna Reitsch inside the Deutschlandhalle stadium in Berlin. Hanna said that the machine was very easy to control, and claimed that she had only 3 hours experience on the machine before she made the first demonstration flight in the stadium. The FW-61 made its first autorotative (descent without power) landing in 1937.
High on the short list of helicopter pioneers must come the name of Doktor Heinrich Karl Johann Focke, whose Fw 61 made its first free flight, lasting 28 seconds, on 26 June 1936.
This was, coincidentally, exactly one year after the less-publicised flight of the Breguet-Dorand machine, which can thus claim to have been the first really practical helicopter to have flown in Europe. But the Fw 61, once it had begun to fly, rapidly proved itself a much superior machine to the Breguet, not only as regards performance but as a practical basic design capable of much further development.
Hanna Reitsch, FW-61, Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, February 1938
"Professor Focke and his technicians standing below grew ever smaller as I continued to rise straight up, 50 metres, 75 metres, 100 metres. Then I gently began to throttle back and the speed of ascent dwindled till I was hovering motionless in midair. This was intoxicating! I thought of the lark, so light and small of wing, hovering over the summer fields. Now man had wrested from him his lovely secret" Hanna Reitsch, German test pilot describing the first helicopter flight.
The Focke-Achgelis GmbH was an offshoot of the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau, established after Focke had been dismissed from the latter company by the Nazis as a political embarrassment. Focke's first experience of rotorcraft construction and operation was gained from building the Cierva C.19 and C.30 autogiros under licence, and then in 1934 he built and flew successfully a scale model helicopter that rose to a height of some 18m. There followed a period of research into, and testing of, rotor and transmission systems before, in 1936, the Fw 61 prototype made its appearance.
Using as a starting point the experience gained from the Cierva Autogyro, and test models, Professor Focke now had enough faith in the concept of a true helicopter to proceed on to the construction of a full scale prototype, the FW-61. The fabric covered fuselage was of welded steel tube construction with conventional looking vertical tail and rudder.
FW-61, c.1938
The horizontal tail was mounted on top of the vertical tail in a T like configuration. Today T-tails are common, but in the '30s this was a very unusual empennage arrangement. The horizontal segment had no elevator, but was adjustable in incidence by use of a trim wheel.
Most people equate the development of the true helicopter as an American achievement, not realizing that the first rotary winged aircraft were developed in Europe, and that the process was long and tedious. Although there were Americans who experimented with rotary winged aircraft, the first successful types were developed by Cierva in Spain.
In 1935, Focke designed and built a prototype of an autogyro which competed in the Luftwaffe contest to develop a utility and liaison aircraft. The winner was the Fieseler Fi-156 Storch, and only one FW-186, which was essentially a FW-56 Stosser advanced trainer fuselage with a single rotor assembly and a modified tail and landing gear. This provides the basis for another kit conversion, but not here.
FW-61, c.1938
After the concept was established, Focke test flew a scale model of the design, and in 1934, this model achieved an altitude of 59 feet, which was equal to the altitude record for previous manned unsuccessful experimental helicopters.
THE KIT
The origin of this project began when, many years ago, I obtained a Pegasus 1/72 scale Focke Wulf FW-44 Stieglitz training biplane. It was a little crude, even by the standards of the day, so I held on to the kit, hoping that something better would come along. When Huma released their FW-44 kit a few years ago, my problem was what to do with the old Pegasus kit.
It did have some good points, but it really was fairly crude by modern standards, although the fuselage offered some promise. Then I got the idea of converting it to the FW-61 helicopter prototype, since the FW-61 was, in essence, a modified FW-44. The basic problem was research, since there was little information available on the FW-61.
FW-61, c.1938
Fortunately, the internet came through, and I was able to find a pretty good selection of photos, data, and even a small three view of the helicopter described as being a "factory drawing". It wasn't all that helpful, as it seems that the FW-61 went through several configurations, with the rotor assembly remaining constant while the braces and strut assemblies changed from time to time. The only solution was to pick a photo of the aircraft taken at a particular time and use that as a guide.
Two good sources for information, besides the photos I turned up on the internet, were Heinz Nowarra's German Helicopters, 1928-1945, a paperback published by Shiffer Military History, West Chester, PA, (ISBN 0-88740-289-5) published in 1990, and an article in Wings (date unknown) by Mal Holcombe entitled "Vertical Lift: A Little Known Look At German Helicopter Development Through the End of World War II, Which Preceded Our Own By Nearly Two Decades".
I suspect that the issue was published before 1990, but the copy I have has no documentation. Both sources have a lot of information, and the Nowarra book has a number of three views, including that of one configuration of the FW-61, purporting to be of "factory" origin.
Their eggbeaters aren't in the kitchen." That statement encompasses the philosophy of the Whirly Girls, the premiere organization of international women helicopter pilots. Founded on April 28, 1955, it has grown into a major organization.
At the outset, they were an unofficial group with no officers, no dues and no record of meetings. Six of the thirteen women helicopter pilots known in 1955 met on the mezzanine of the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. and decided to form a group to help other women who also desired to be helicopter pilots.
The group was international in scope with three Americans, two French and one German. Today, there are over 1,000 Whirly Girls representing about 30 countries. The membership roster includes physicians, engineers, reporters, homemakers, airline pilots, and military pilots, all united by their single love of helicopter flying.
Hans Jacobs designed the Reiher for the international contest 1937 on the Wasserkuppe. It was layed out for highest performance and for easy handling at the contest. Its elegant shape shows the fine aerodynamics. The wing of the Reiher was designed to give the machine the highest performance of any contest machine of that time. With a proven L/D of 33:1, it is no surprise that it won the 1938 and 1939 contests.
Wolf Hirth and Hanna Reitsch, c. 1930
The gullwing had a span of 19m. The wing chord was 140 cm, but a considerable proportion of this was a camber changing flap. Plywood covering of varying thickness from the wing root outwards was taken back to the rear spar. Wing ribs, close together, supported it to make the wing skin contribute more than usual to the wing's rigidity.
Rare colour photo of Hanna Reitch, Libya, 1939 (tbc)
In February 1939 an expedition to Libya under the leadership of Prof. Walter Georgii took place. Hanna Reitsch participated with a Reiher. Six Reihers where announced for the Rh^n contest in 1939, five appeared in the final results. Reihers came 1st, 9th, 12th, 16th and 19th. Erwin Kraft flew the winning Reiher, Spooote came 9th although his Reiher was damaged during transportation. Heinz Huth, who later became world champion in standard class twice, came 12th.
Nobody knows what happened with the Reihers after the war and later. Perhaps one of them came to England after the war, but the traces there are lost.
Fieseler Fi 103 A Pilot For The German V-1 Buzz Bomb
It is lesser known that the Germans designed a manned version of the V-1 called the V-1e. The V-1e was not intended to be recovered. It would have been launched, then guided to its target by a pilot on a suicide mission. Similar to the Japanese kamikaze concept, the V-1e group was code-named Project Reichenberg.
Fieseler Fi 103, FZG 76 and its later manned version the Fi 103R
The V-1e was about 27 feet long and employed a cockpit and pilot instrumentation. The V-1e was test flown several times by German test pilot Hanna Reitsch. Reitsch confirmed that the basic V-1 airframe was prone to severe vibration resulting from engine noise.
She believed the deployment of the V-1e as introduced would result in significant pilot losses, even if the pilot had agreed to perform a suicide mission. The Germans could not sustain design changes late in the war, so the V-1e was never deployed in combat.
The Fieseler Fi 103R manned missile was one of the many desperate projects conceived as the German situation became more hopeless. Basically the Fi 103R was a piloted version of the V-1 flying bomb, powered by the same Argus pulsejet engine. By mid-1944, preparations had been made for mass production, in time for the operation to attack the Allied forces amassed in southern England.
The Fi 103R was to be carried by a parent aircraft and released near the target. Then the pilot would take over and direct the bomb into a dive towards the target. The pilot was to detach the canopy and bale out just before impact. The canopy, however, would almost certainly block the pulsejet inlet and reduce the chance of pilot survival to almost zero.
Nevertheless, the Germans went to great lengths to distinguish their Selbstopfermo/oonner (self-sacrifice men) from the Japanese Kamikaze pilots, whose cockpits were sealed close before take-off. The Fi 103R's operation was codenamed Reichenberg and a total of about 175 manned Fi 103Rs (R for Reichenberg) were made. The R-I, R-II and R-III were used for test and training, and R-IV was to be the production model. Two Rechlin pilots crashed while test-flying the Fi 103R, and afterwards trial flights were transferred to DFR test pilots Hanna Reitsch and Heinz Kensche.
Flying the Fi 103R was quite simple, since the Fi 103R's unmanned version could fly without direct control. Landing, on the other hand, was very difficult dur to the primitive control system, absence of landing gear and high landing speed. This should not have mattered much because the Fi 103R was not designed to return anyway! The project never took off, due to the Germany high command's apathy, even though some 70 pilots volunteered for training.
According to William Green's Warplanes of the Third Reich, the piloted version of the Fi 103 "buzz-bomb" missile WAS intended as a suicide weapon. The piloted Fi 103 was intended for use against shipping or heavily-defended ground targets, and was developed under the code name Reichenberg.
Fieseler Fi 103 Reichenberg
The project was the brain-child of the famous woman pilot Flugkapitan Hanna Reitsch and of the redoubtable adventurer SS-Haupsturmfuhrer Otto Skorzeny. Earlier, Flugkapitan Reitsch had promoted a scheme for the recruitment of a cadre of suicide pilots willing to sacrifice their lives in defense of the Fatherland by crashing their aircraft onto important targets.
The scheme met with little favorable response except from a few Nazi fanatics, and was only pursued on a limited scale
The Fi 104R-I was the brain child of Hanna Reitsch and SS-Hauptsturmfurhrer Otto Skorzeny. They knew that Germany needed a space fighter if it was to be able to defend its holdings in orbit, and they also knew that it was going to take time to come up with something properly built.
As a result, they proposed a stop gap measure of a converted F1 103 with controls for a pilot, life support and a small weapons package which would replace the warhead. The craft was not a success. The cockpit was cramped with very basic controls and life support systems. The engine, while reasonable, was not manoeuvrable and slow to respond, and over all, it is fair to say that the space craft was not liked.
Further Reading
The Sky My Kingdom A Biography by Hanna Reitsch http://www.aircraftdesigns.com/ The story of the world's most extraordinary test pilot. Personal test flight stories of such aircraft as the Me163 "Rocket Aircraft" in which Hanna climbs to 30,000 ft. in 90 seconds and it almost cost her, her life.
She flys a sailplane into a thundercloud and climb 100 mph to 10,500 feet and has the aircraft and controls lock up from icing. By the grace of God, she survives. Land with Hanna in a sailplane in the middle of a football game in South America. The landing was easy, but the crowd was not.
Fly a sailplane a distance of 100 miles over the Swiss Alps with Hanna. This is a story of a darling and daring little woman (she is only 5 ft. 1 inches tall) who sets world records in sailplanes, aircraft, and in the world's first helicopter.
From Nazi Test Pilot to Hitler's Bunker The Fantastic Flights of Hanna Reitsch by Dennis Piszkiewicz, Praeger, 1997 http://www2.gasou.edu Hanna Reitsch's father was an opthamologist and wanted her to be a doctor. Her mother taught her a simple faith in God.
Above all else, Hanna (1912-1979) wanted to fly. As a result of these influences, young Hanna planned to be a flying missionary doctor. However, over time, the flying influence won out.
Hanna started with gliders. She became the twenty-fifth pilot and first woman to earn the Silver Soaring Medal (for a cross-country flight of fifty kilometers). She set the Women's World Record for distance and the Women's World Altitude record for gliders. She flew in South America, Finland, Portugal, and here in the U.S. at the National Air races at Cleveland, Ohio in 1938.
By this time she had moved to powered flight and had flown the first practical helicopter, the FW61 - indoors even. Once she demonstrated this revolutionary aircraft for Charles Lindbergh. The Luftwaffe gave her the Military Flying Medal for this and accomplishments with other aircraft. She was the first woman to receive it.
Virgin Galactic’s SS2 And WK2 Unveiled, Will Make Commercial Space Flights In 2011
By Evan Ackerman
We saw renderings of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip2 and its mothership, White Knight 2, back in January. This week, the finish craft were both officially unveiled at the future location of the as yet unfinished Spaceport America in New Mexico, and Virgin Galactic says they’ll be heading to space several times a day as early as 2011.
Each spaceflight will last about 2.5 hours round trip. White Knight 2 carries SpaceShip2 up to an altitude of 52,000 feet, at which point SS2 separates and fires its rocket to accelerate at mach 3 to an altitude of about 70 miles. 5 minutes of glorious views and weightlessness ensues, after which the passengers hopefully survive the crushing g-forces (maxing out at 6 gs for 20 seconds) and glide back to a safe landing. The cost of all this? $200,000.
Oh, and here’s a little nugget of awesome for you: the first two spacecraft are reportedly named Enterprise and Voyager.
Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2
Spaceship 2 Assembly
Design White Knight Two is roughly three times larger than White Knight, in order to perform a captive carry with the larger SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. The WK2 is similar in wingspan to a B-29 Superfortress. Despite that comparison, White Knight Two is a thoroughly modern aircraft - even the flight control cables are constructed of carbon fibre, using a new patented design.
WK2 will provide preview flights offering several seconds of weightlessness, before the actual suborbital event. It is intended to have a service ceiling of about 60,000 ft (18 km), offering a dark blue sky to passengers. This will allow tourists to practice before the real flight.
White Knight Two consists of a twin boom with two jet engines per hull. One hull is an exact replica of that of SpaceShipTwo (to allow tourist training), and the other will carry cut-rate day-trippers into the stratosphere.
The design is quite different from the White Knight, both in size, use of tail, engine configuration and placement of cockpit(s). The White Knight uses two T-tails, but the White Knight Two uses two cruciform tails. Engine configuration is also very different, with engines hung underneath the wings on the White Knight Two as opposed to engines on either side of the sole cockpit on the White Knight.
Timeline of commercial introduction Virgin Galactic contracted aerospace designer Burt Rutan to build the mothership and spacecraft. On January 23, 2008 the White Knight Two design was revealed. On July 28, 2008 the completion and rollout of the first aircraft, Eve, (Tail Number: N348MS)occurred at Scaled's Mojave headquarters. Branson predicted that the maiden space voyage would take place in 18 months: "It represents... the chance for our ever-growing group of future astronauts and other scientists to see our world in a completely new light." The launch customer of White Knight Two is Virgin Galactic, which will have the first two units, and exclusive rights to the craft for the first few years. Flight test program The initial flight tests were planned to begin in early September 2008, but they were delayed.
An extensive flight test program of VMS Eve, with nearly twenty flights between December, 2008, and August, 2009, is now underway to validate the design and expand the aircraft operating envelope. The flight tests are expected to be complete by September, 2009.
Whiteknight 2 Test Flight..
Flight test program The initial flight tests were planned to begin in early September 2008, but they were delayed.
An extensive flight test program of VMS Eve, with nearly twenty flights between December, 2008, and August, 2009, is now underway to validate the design and expand the aircraft operating envelope. The flight tests are expected to be complete by September, 2009.
White Knight Two Flight Test Summaries The following list includes summaries of the flight test activity of the White Knight Two (WK2) aircraft. White Knight Two is the mothership/ launch aircraft for SpaceShipTwo (SS2) and potentially other large payloads. It is equipped with many common system components to SS2 (cabin, ECS, speed-brake actuators, avionics, trim servos, air data, test data, video & TM). Thus, the flight test program of WK2 includes many tests that focus on SS2 systems qualification and maturity.[citation needed]
Flight: 05 Date: 20 May 9 Flight Time: Aprox. 3 hours Pilot: Siebold Copilot: Nichols FTE: None Objectives: Aft center of gravity handling qualities evaluation. Initial evaluation of pressurization and environmental control systems (ECS). Results: All objectives completed. Pressurization and ECS worked as designed. Airspeed increased to 188 KTAS. Max altitude 20,000 ft. After landing, conducted an emergency response drill, including both Scaled and Mojave Air and Space Port resources.
Flight: 06 Date: 2 June 9 Flight Time: 3.1 hours Pilot: Siebold Copilot: Nichols FTE: None Objectives: Weight expansion at mid cg. Further pressurization/ECS functionality checks to 35,000 ft. Gear-down speed envelope expansion. Results: All objectives completed. Pressurization and ECS worked as designed. Speed envelope expanded to 250 KTAS with the gear down. Peak altitude increased to 35,000 ft. Starship was onboard for video and safety chase. Two low approaches were followed by a full stop landing.
Flight: 07 Date: 8 June 9 Flight Time: 6.1 hours Pilot: Siebold Copilot: Alsbury FTE: None Objectives: Weight expansion at mid cg. Further pressurization/ECS functionality checks to 45,000 ft. Speed envelope expansion. G envelope expansion. Airborne engine relights Results: All objectives completed. Pressurization and ECS worked as designed. Speed envelope expanded with the gear up and down to 340 KTAS. Peak altitude increased to 45,000 ft. Wind-up turns were performed to 2.5g's. Engines were shut down and restarted per plan.
Flight: 08 Date: 11 June 9 Flight Time: 1 hour Pilot: Siebold Copilot: Nichols FTE: None Objectives: FAA Monitored flight for pilot "Type Rating" Results: Rating Issued
Flight: 09 Date: 15 June 9 Flight Time: 7.5 hours Pilot: Siebold Copilot: Stucky FTE: None Objectives: Weight expansion at mid cg. Further pressurization/ECS functionality checks to 51,000 ft. Speed envelope expansion. Airborne engine relights. Results: All objectives completed. Pressurization and ECS worked as designed. Speed envelope expanded with the gear up to 370 KTAS. Peak altitudes increased to 52,400 ft. Performance, stability and handling evaluation performed at altitude. Engines were shut down and restarted per plan. Practiced instrument approaches.
Aircraft specifications
General characteristics
Payload: 17,000 kg [23] to 50000 ft.; 200 kg satellite to LEO (test) Length: 24 m (79 ft) Wingspan: 43 m (141 ft) Height: () Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308 turbofan Performance
Service ceiling: 21.3 km (70000 ft)
Virgin Galactic SpaceShip VSS Enterprise RollOut
SpaceShipTwo Roll Out Fighting against the stormy Mojave weather SpaceShipTwo was rolled out to a spectacular display at Mojave Spaceport On Monday 7th December Virgin Galactic unveiled SpaceShipTwo to the world at Mojave Spaceport, California. 800 press, future astronauts and VIP guests gathered in the desert for a press conference and to view the roll out of the world’s first commercial spaceline.
Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan led the press conference, special recognition went to the team at Scaled Composites whose hard work and dedication have made this happen. Governors Bill Richardson and Arnold Schwarzenegger both contributed at the press conference, celebrating this huge milestone and also joining Holly, Richard’s daughter in naming the spaceship, VSS Enterprise.
Despite gale force winds and stormy weather, guests gathered on the runway after the press conference to see SpaceShipTwo for the first time. The spaceship was carried down the runway by her mothership, VMS Eve, to a spectacular display of lights, music and snow which only helped increase the anticipation of her arrival and excitement and awe as she appeared before the crowds.
2009 Red Bull Air Race Season Review, World Champion Paul Bonhomme
Bonhomme wins Red Bull Air Race World Championship title in Barcelona
LATEST ARTICLE Bonhomme wins Red Bull Air Race World Championship title in Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain – Britain’s Paul Bonhomme won the 2009 Red Bull Air Race World Championship on Sunday with a thrilling victory in the final race of the season in Barcelona in front of a record crowd of 800,000 spectators, holding off a ferocious challenge from defending champion Hannes Arch of Austria. Bonhomme had finished a heartbreaking second in both 2007 and 2008 but got the elusive first title with a sensational performance under pressure to clinch his first title with 67 championship points to Arch’s 60. Australia’s Matt Hall took 3rd place overall, the best result ever for a rookie, with 36 points.
On a gorgeous day in Barcelona with temperatures around 25 degrees, Britain’s Nigel Lamb got the first podium of an otherwise disappointing season with second place after a brilliant performance in the final on the 6.4-km long track through a challenging 15-Air Gate obstacle course set up just metres above the surface of the Mediterranean. German rookie Matthias Dolderer treated the largest crowd of the season packed along the Front Maritim beaches to some fancy flying to take third place, his first podium.
“Fantastic, thank you Barcelona,” Bonhomme said after letting out a loud shout for joy when he heard the news he had won the title on his cockpit radio. He had watched his four-point lead melt to three on Saturday when Arch won the 1 point for fastest Qualifying time. “I'm very happy. It's been a lot of hard work but we got there in the end. It's been a huge amount of pressure. It's just a question of how you deal with it at the right time. I thought I'd better get my skates on and that worked.”
Bonhomme was the epitome of consistency with three victories and three second places even though his Edge 540 plane was not as fast as Arch’s for most of the season. Arch had outclassed Bonhomme in the Qualifying sessions this year, winning the 1 point three times compared to just once for Bonhomme. The two were the protagonists of the most riveting championship battle in the five-year history of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
“It was a real good fight all year,” said Arch, who warmly congratulated Bonhomme after their pulsating duel was finally over. “Paul didn’t get anything for free. I was always setting the fastest times and pushing him. I had to go all out in the final. You can’t win if you sit on the brakes. I’m really happy with my performance. There’s nothing to be disappointed about. I gave everything I had. We’ll see what happens next year.”
Two other rookies ended the season on a high note. Japan’s Yoshi Muroya had a career-best sixth place and Canada’s Pete McLeod got 12th, his second-best result. But it was a disappointing race for Americans Kirby Chambliss (5th), Michael Goulian (11th) and Mike Mangold (14th). Spain’s Alejandro Maclean was hoping to give the fans in his home country a strong showing but finished 10th.
A total of 1.2 million spectators enjoyed the weekend’s racing, the most exciting this season
Red Bull Air Race 2009 Highlights
What a race! The Big Final 4 Showdown, Red Bull Air Race Barcelona
~Video Production~
Specializing in Motor & Extreme Sports,
Pro Sony Camera Systems,
Multi Camera Onboard Systems,
Helmet Camera Systems,
Complete w/Tech.Event HD Filming & Event Photography..
From The Weekend Sports Extremist to The Full Time Pro Racer Onboardz Serves all of So. Cal. & Beyond...
Posts
