A Pilot’s Blog
A blog about aviation, aviation news, and space.

I have to say that the Cosmosphere has been having some very cool speakers lately. On Friday, July 3rd I had yet another amazing opportunity. I went to the Cosmosphere to attend a lecture by Major General Joe Engle, a former X-15 and Space Shuttle pilot. He has the unique distinction of being the only person to have piloted two winged spacecraft. He gave a very interesting talk about the X-15 program in general and his experiences in it. Afterwards he signed autographs in the lobby, so I got a very nice signed picture. Thanks Gen. Engle!

On Friday, June 19th I had the pleasure of attending a lecture at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center by world-renowned Apollo author and historian, Andrew Chaikin. His presentation gave some fascinating glimpses into the personalities and experiences of the Apollo astronauts – having met and interviewed 23 of the 24 of them (Apollo 13 Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert had passed away before he began his research) for his book “Man on the Moon“. His presentation lasted only an hour or so, but I could have sat there and listened all night. One of my favorite stories was him giving partial credit to Neil Armstrong for his then recent engagement to his girlfriend (and fellow space enthusiast) Victoria. He said, “Introducing her to Neil Armstrong on our third date couldn’t have hurt!” After the presentation he was kind enough to autograph his books in the lobby – I got a copy of “Voices from the Moon and he wrote a very nice inscription. He was a very personable and funny gentleman. If you ever have a chance to hear Mr. Chaikin speak, don’t miss it!

A picture from the lecture. It’s a cellphone picture so I apologize for the quality.

From SpaceflightNow comes news of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft that is set to launch on June 17th. It will be able to take high-resolution photographs of the Lunar surface, as well as look for water ice on the Moon’s polar regions. One of the more fascinating aspects of the mission is that its orbit will allow it to take photographs of many of the unmanned probes and rovers sent to the moon over the years and also every Apollo landing site. That alone will be a treasure-trove of information to see how well each of the sites has been preserved over the past 30+ years. It might even finally put an end to all the “moon landing hoax” nonsense, but I sadly doubt it.

I would have to count two events that I experienced today among my life’s highlights so far. Our local space museum hosted NASA’s traveling “Driven to Explore” exhibit today. Though the wind speeds forced them to close most of the outdoor display, they did have the “touch a moon rock” trailer open. So, today, I got to touch a rock brought back from the moon by the crew of Apollo 17! It was highly polished, possibly from lots of use, and felt very much like hematite.

The primary highlight of the day, however, was meeting NASA astronaut Steven G. Bowen who flew to the ISS as part of the STS-126 crew last fall. He gave a very informative talk about his mission and took several interesting questions from the audience. Afterwards, he very generously signed autographs for those in attendance. They had pre-printed lithographs available for him to sign, but anticipating the possibility of autographs, I had printed out a nice picture of him on a spacewalk for him to sign. He said that it was “one of his favorites” and wrote a very nice note.

Thanks Captain Bowen!

The latest rumblings from Washington have taken an interesting tone:

WASHINGTON — Congress will consider next week whether to split up a lucrative Air Force contract between Boeing and Northrop Grumman, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.

Washington, D.C. bureau reporter Scott MacFarlane said that under the plan, each company would get some of the work in the $35 billion program for new air refueling tankers.

As much as I love Boeing, this may be for the best. The Air Force needs these new tankers badly, and any further delays are doing nothing but hurt the military. If a split order between both companies is what is needed to resolve the argument, then let’s do it. Get the Air Force the tools it needs to do the job right!

Related: GAO Sustains Boeing Protest | The Tanker Deal

This is an amazing story. Jessica Cox was born without arms, but that doesn’t stop her from living her day to day life – as well as have some fun. She recently earned her sport pilot certificate flying a 1946 Ercoupe that apparently was designed well enough that you can fly it with your feet! Very, very cool.

“I like it when it’s less windy, but this plane can handle 20 knots,” she says. “The manufacturers of this plane wanted to make it simple, use the concept of driving and apply it to a plane. But it’s still the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”
She already has spent about 25 hours doing solo flights without instructor Parrish Traweek. Her goal is to reach 150 hours and become a sport pilot instructor.
In the cockpit and ready to take off, Cox puts her left foot on the throttle and her right foot on the yoke, then checks her headphones and the radio. The propeller now makes a loud “thrum.” She fixes her eyes forward, and the tiny plane motors up into the blue, cloud-dotted sky.

Best of luck to Jessica in her future flying endeavors. I’m sure she’ll make an excellent instructor.

By now, no doubt everyone has heard of the miraculous water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 after multiple birdstrikes on takeoff disabled both of her engines. All 155 souls on board survived the landing thanks to the impeccable skills of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, the entire cabin crew, and all of the rescuers who quickly came to their aid.

A US Coast Guard surveillance video has been released that shows the splashdown of the aircraft as well as the initial rescue operations. The splashdown happens in the far left frame at around 2:00 in. Within seconds, once the video operator zooms in on the aircraft, passengers are already filing out onto the wings. And not more than three minutes after landing, the first boat arrives. Absolutely amazing response. Way to go NYC!

According to an article on Flight Global, the Air Force is considering their options for replacement of the two VC-25 Presidential aircraft (known as Air Force One when the President is on board), with three new aircraft in 2017, 2019, and 2021. The obvious choice would be the 747-8I, Boeing’s latest model of the 747 line. However, the Air Force is also considering other alternatives, including the Airbus A380. I sincerely hope that the Air Force stays with Boeing. It would be a shame for the President of the United States of America to be riding around on a foreign aircraft. The Air Force may end up with a foreign replacement for their tankers, and I can live with that, but for the sheer image that it presents, the primary “Air Force One” should only be American.

I’m sure by now most of you have seen those fascinating photos modified by the “tilt-shift” method that makes the subject of the photo look miniature. Someone has created a clever online tool to easily modify your own photos with this method: TiltShiftMaker.com.

I tested it out with this picture I took in 2002 at Wendover Air Field in Wendover, NV. The result is here. Pretty slick.

On this day in 2004, the first of two Mars rovers, Spirit, successfully landed on the red planet. Originally only a 90-day mission, the rovers’ longevity has surprised everyone. Three cheers for all of the scientific discoveries made thus far by the rovers, and for those to come! Way to go NASA!