Strategic Reconnaissance in the Cold War Symposium

Notice was received of the following symposium, which sounds fascinating:

Oct 6 - 7 Kalamazoo, MI. Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport (AZO).

View From On High: Strategic Reconnaissance in the Cold War Symposium.

Educational symposium on the SR-71, U-2 and their impact on the conduct of the Cold War. Speakers include four SR-71 crew members, two U-2 pilots, ground crew, engineers who designed the SR-71's engines, and a spy satellite specialist.

The two day event features a opening reception on Friday and a full day of sessions on Saturday, as well as admission to the Air Zoo, which is home to the world's only SR-71B Blackbird.

Contact Stewart Bailey, 269-382-6555, ext. 135 or sbailey@airzoo.org.

Website: www.airzoo.org.

New HondaJet ad

Honda announced a new global "sky" ad at the Honda stand, Paris Salon de La ’Automobile 2006, preceding Honda's press conference. The video features aerial shots of the HondaJet winging it's way through beautiful clouds. Shot from all angles, you get a good sense for the proportions of the aircraft.

You can also view performance information, technology description, specifications, a photo gallery (to come), and links.

See "sky," Honda's new global ad, on the "sky" special site. (Flash Player required.)

Special Site:
http://world.honda.com/sky/

FAA road map for UAVs

Lockheed Martin was selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to support the development of a 5-year "Road Map" for introducing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System.

"Lockheed Martin will evaluate the current state of UAS mission needs, forecast their near-term demands on airspace capacity and chart a strategic plan to safely integrate their operations into the nation'’s airspace."

A number of manufacturers are looking for the commercial UAV market to start. To date, the market has been characterized by government agencies such as the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

At the August 15, 2006 press briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Lockheed Martin described developments in unmanned systems technology, which includes:

"Polecat - Funded entirely with Lockheed Martin Internal Research and Development dollars, the Polecat Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) offers potential technology transfer to a future Long Range Strike Program and next generation ISR platforms.

"Morphing Vehicles -– A contract for Phase 3 for this unmanned aerial system effort was awarded by DARPA on August 3. After demonstrating the ability to maintain in-flight control of a small demonstrator, the next logical step would be to conduct a formal Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator. The demonstrator should be of sufficient scale to evaluate the potential benefit of this revolutionary approach under realistic mission conditions.

"PROTECTOR - Lockheed Martin has joined with BAE Systems and RAFAEL to bring the proven PROTECTOR unmanned surface vessel (USV) to support U.S. anti-terror/force protection missions and is investing in advanced USV hull designs, composite materials and control systems to bring the “best of breed” technologies for multi-mission operations.

"Remote Minehunting System (RMS) - The company's Remote Minehunting System (RMS) has logged more than 2000 hours of at-sea testing and is now in Low Rate Initial Production in preparation for deployment on Guided Missile Destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship.

"Advanced Development Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (ADUUV) - in development as the Navy's test bed for submarine launched 21-inch diameter UUVs."

Press release.

USS Macon Expedition Webcast

The airship USS Macon, a Goodyear-Zeppelin dirigible, was lost in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary after scouting for the Pacific Fleet in February 1935. Only two men of 83-man crew were killed. The remains of the craft were discovered...

They have a live video feed from the expedition. Fascinating...

Read more

Event update - Newark Air Museum

An update received to my posting below:

An Open Cockpit Week has now been arranged at Newark Air Museum from Saturday October 21 to Sunday October 29, 2006 inclusive.

The museum’s Cockpit Opening Team will be on-hand to open a range of different aircraft cockpits throughout the nine day period. This will include access to the following: Vulcan, Shackleton, Hastings, Varsity, Canberra, Phantom simulator, Wessex etc.

Normal museum admission rates will apply and a small additional fee is charged to cover access to each cockpit and not all cockpits will be open on each day. Nearer the date an opening schedule will be posted on the museum website www.newarkairmuseum.co.uk to indicate, which cockpits will be open on what days.

Telephone 01636 707170 or email newarkair@onetel.com for further details.

Military aircraft photos from Belgian Defense Days 2006

Sierra Bravo Aero Pictures is a great site for aviation photos and they have a written report and photo pages from the recent Belgian Defense Days 2006 event held September 02 and 03. Very cool photographs - check them out.

Also at the S.B.A.P. site you'll find some new spottings at Brussels National Airport, including the first "VIP flight to the moon" by the 21st Squadron of the Belgian Air Component! (Not really, but a wonderful photograph, nonetheless.)

Newark Air Museum enthusiast tours

Newark Air Museum is the UK's largest volunteer managed aviation museum. Last I knew, the museum's collection was 69 aircraft and cockpit sections from across the history of aviation. These include transport, training and reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters and a diverse selection of jet fighters and bombers.

I received the following concerning new tour dates for 2006:

ENTHUSIAST TOURS - NEW DATES

Further dates announced for the 2006 autumn period, now including dates on weekdays and at weekends.

Pre-booked entrance fee £15 per person includes: Welcome snack, Guide Book, aircraft admissions including: Hastings, Shackleton, Varsity, Vulcan, Canberra & Phantom Simulator and behind the scenes tour to see "missing airframes."

Bookings now being taken for: Tuesday 3rd October and Saturday 14th October. Other dates to be confirmed N.B. Only 12 spaces per day.

Spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis, depending on the date on which booking forms are received, email newarkair@onetel.com or telephone 01636 707170 for a Booking Form today.

N.B. During each Enthusiast Tour the museum is open as normal.

www.newarkairmuseum.co.uk

Next Generation Global Hawk

Northrop Grumman has rolled out the first production version of the new RQ-4 Block 20 Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance system.

This UAV can carry up to 3,000 pounds, has two-and-a-half times the power of its predecessor, and flies at altitudes up to 65,000 feet for more than 36 hours with a range of 13,500 nautical miles.

Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk is based at Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems' Unmanned Systems Development Center in San Diego, Calif. The company performs Global Hawk sub-assembly work at its Unmanned Systems Center, Moss Point, Miss., and final assembly at its Antelope Valley Manufacturing Center in Palmdale.

press release

photo

Global Hawk RQ-4 Block 20/30/40 specifications:

Wingspan: 130.9 ft (39.9 m)
Length: 47.6 ft (14.5 m)
Height: 15.3 ft (4.7 m)
Gross Take-off Weight: 32,250 lbs (14,628 kg)
Payload: 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg)
Ferry Range: 12,300 nm (22,780 km)
Maximum Altitude: More than 60,000 ft (18.3 km)
Loiter Velocity: 310 knots TAS
On-Station Endurance at 1,200 nm: 24 Hours
Maximum Endurance: 36 Hours

Sensors
Synthetic Aperture Radar: 1.0/0.3 M Resolution (WAS/Spot)
Electro-Optical: NIIRS 6.0/6.5 (WAS/Spot)
Infrared: NIIRS 5.0/5.5 (WAS/Spot)

Global Hawk RQ-4 Block 10 specifications:

Wingspan: 116.2 ft (35.4 m)
Length: 44.4 ft (13.5 m)
Height: 15.2 ft (4.6 m)
Gross Take-off Weight: 26,700 lbs (12,110.9 kg)
Payload: 2,000 lbs (907.2 kg)
Ferry Range: 12,000 nm (22,236 km)
Maximum Altitude: More than 65,000 ft (19.8 km)
Loiter Velocity: 343 knots TAS
On-Station Endurance at 1,200 nm: 24 Hours
Maximum Endurance: 35 Hours (31.5 Hours Demonstrated)

Source: (Northrop Grumman)

A new edition of Boeing Frontiers Online

The September 2006 issue of Boeing Frontiers, the online magazine for Boeing employees is now available:

The EA-18G Growler last month was unveiled to Boeing employees and VIPs and made its first flight. The cover story of this month's issue explains why this new electronic attack aircraft is important to Boeing - and its customer, the U.S. Navy. Read the article at http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/cover.pdf.

Auburn Tooling Services, a part of Boeing Fabrication, produced the main swing-zone hinges for the 747 Large Cargo Freighter. This critical complex work demonstrates how Fab applies innovation and technical excellence to produce short-flow specialty parts that support new-product development across Commercial Airplanes. Also in Commercial Airplanes coverage this month: How a unique livery designed for a model 787 airplane eventually turned into a series of posters honoring the home nations of 787 customers; why teammates on the 777 line in Everett, Wash., "banded" together to boost morale; and how a recent study underscores why air travel liberalization and point-to-point travel are important to Commercial Airplanes' strategies. Read more about these topics at http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/i_ca.html.

Members of the Japan Apache team come from two locales with different cultural backgrounds: Mesa, Ariz., and Japan. The teammates recognized how respecting cultural differences and working to build personal connections helps lead to program success. This month's IDS stories also include an account of how the St. Louis Paint Shop implemented improvements to the process of applying customer-specific marks to aircraft and spread these ideas to other IDS paint facilities; and a look at the CH-47F Chinook heavy-transport helicopter, which features reduced operating and support costs and an extended useful life of the Chinook. Visit http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/i_ids.html to read these stories.

A full A380 flight

From the Airbus press release:

The Airbus A380 took off from Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse at 09:58 am local time this morning with 474 passengers on board for the first in a series of four long flights or "Early Long Flights". During the flights, the passengers, comprised of Airbus employees and cabin experts, will put the cabin through its paces.

The Early Long Flights are an important step towards the A380'’s entry into service. Though not part of the technical certification programme, these flights allow Airbus to assess the cabin environment and systems in flight ahead of final certification ensuring that airlines will benefit from a fully mature aircraft on delivery.

You can also watch a video clip.

Aeromodelling Auction

This announcement recently received:

DARK PEAK MODEL AIRCRAFT CLUB
AN OPEN INVITATION TO ALL AEROMODELLERS
AEROMODELLING AUCTION
HELD ON
TUESDAY OCTOBER 10th
AT
THE WINDY HARBOUR HOTEL
WOODHEAD RD (B6105)
GLOSSOP
DERBYSHIRE
doors open at 7.30 starts at 8pm

BRING AND SELL YOUR AEROMODELLING ITEMS ON THE NIGHT FOR CASH
AND PICK UP A BARGAIN AT AUCTION
FREE ENTRY
FREE POTATO PIE SUPPER

£1.00 RAFFLE TICKETS ON SALE
RAFFLE DRAW ON THE NIGHT FOR AEROMODELLING GOODIES
DONATED BY
FUNFLYSUPPLY.COM
THE ONLINE MODEL SHOP
FOR ENQUIRIES PLEASE PHONE 0161 336 8489 OR E-MAIL funflysupply@ntlworld.com

What is this plane?

Do you know what this aircraft is and who operates it?

Post a comment if you know the answer, or contact me directly.

The photo was taken on Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas on 26 August 2006.

The first person providing the correct answer gets to claim to be the first person with the correct answer. I don't know the correct answer so you also get to be the judge!