Just thought I’d share this great video by Lockheed Martin showing the F35B undergoing ‘suitability testing’ on board USS Wasp. One of the items on my ‘bucket list’ is to experience a carrier takeoff first hand. But judging by the remarkable footage it’s looking like catapult takeoffs are once more an endangered activity. Particularly impressed with the way that the clamshell doors slide open like a giant insect’s wings as it slows to the hover. The proud Brits will doubtless comment on how we got there first decades ago with the Harrier. Sadly, like may British innovations, we leave it for others to improve and perfect.

Don’t just watch the embedded movie, click it full screen and watch the HD footage, it’s impressive…

Apologies for yet another aviation video post, but after being given the heads up on this amazing flying, it cannot pass without comment. As the narration says at the start, where has this type of entertainment gone? Sadly Mr Health and Safety and the hi-res-jacket brigade have managed to control our lives and there’s no way I can envisage this happening today. It’s basically an air display by a Jetranger and accompany stunt man inside a football stadium. And not an empty stadium, but a capacity crowd. If you’re in the risk assessment business and love filling out those forms, you might want to look away now…

I’m not normally a fan of this type of contest, but because it includes an Extra 300, I’m making an exception. What the video, click the link and try winning a trip in Spain in an Extra 300……….

In the tradition of 1930′s barnstorming pilots, this is a superb piece of flying. Hang on to the end, his dismount is simply superb…

The Turbine Toucan

“The performance mission of this aircraft is to create an aerobatic biplane capable of sustaining +8/-6 G’s, a greater then 300º per/sec roll rate, while creating a better-than-one-to-one power-to-weight ratio. Target air show weight will be less than 2000lbs with thrust targeted at 3300lbs. This will be close to a 1.65:1 ratio, unheard of in any general aviation (GA) aircraft. To put it in perspective, the F/A-18 Hornet (at fighter mission weight) is 36,700lbs@32,000lbs of thrust. This is about .87:1 thrust to weight ratio performance at a cost of $39.5 million dollars.”

I haven’t seen any video of this machine yet, but company head David Kervinen plans on creating some HD footage very soon. Meanwhile, here’s a short sequence of it starting up

Just a shame it’s only a single seater and on the western side of the Atlantic ocean, as it would have a queue right down to the airfield perimeter for passenger rides here in the UK. The single seat issue is due to the compact installation and is optimised for performance. Plus, the turbine likes to drink it’s Jet A1, so no room for passengers. So meanwhile, I need to get my PPL done, add a turbine rating and make these guys my best friends…. As soon as I have more info, I’ll be sure to post it here, meanwhile, find The Turbine Toucan website here.

It’s probably too late now, the current UK Government has seen fit to be rid of the Harrier force, despite the worrying uncertainties in the world in 2011. This superb video shows brilliant in-cockpit footage of the last days of the Harrier in the UK. Thanks to FastAirUK on Twitter for the heads up. Have to say, I wasn’t keen on the music at first, but by the end, I was looking to see who it was by. Take a look, play it full screen and enjoy British fast jet flying. I’m told by a man who should know these things that right now, the Harriers are still being ground run, something that would not normally happen if the axe was definately falling. Perhaps someone, somewhere, is realising that in these uncertain times, perhaps we need these aircraft and the skilled people who fight in them. Here’s hoping….

ItsNotWar from One F on Vimeo.

Those Canon 5D’s are tough little cookies. When it first came out, we were wondering if it might survive being rigged on the outside of a BMW M3 rally car and driven at 80 mph across a frozen lake in Sweden at -25c. It handled that, no problem and I never gave it another thought until I saw this footage of the new Brietling advert and the ‘making of’ reel.

Check out the Canon HDSLR’s being rigged in the cockpit with what looks like a 14mm fisheye, but also at around 1:34 the 5D being rigged inside the wingtip pod on the L39 jet before departing for some high G formation flying with Nigel Lamb’s Edge.

DoP is the highly experienced Eric Manann, responsible for many of the famous aerial sequences you’ll have seen over the years. His YouTube channel makes interesting viewing, but be warned, you’ll be happy to spend hours watching superb formation flying of French air force fast jets.

I’d often thought that the Canon 5D Mk2 had the perfect form for being mounted on high sped aircraft, but was unsure about triggering, monitoring, exposure etc. Judging by this movie,shot on a combination of Canon 5D and RED cameras, it survives prolonged high G just fine.

There are literally thousands of helicopter videos on YouTube, a large slice of them rescue footage. I never tire of watching the amazing airmanship of the pilots and the bravery of that guy on the winch. But what made me want to comment on this one is that it shows how what can be a normal day can gradually turn into somewthing extraordinary.

This one is around 10 minutes long and after the first 90 seconds you may want to click away, but don’t, keep watching. The early part shows the routine rescue using two machines, but then when one is diverted away leaving just one to lift 22 sailors to safety, then the weather goes bad, it all gets a bit interesting.

Watch at around 7 minutes in as the waves begin to break around and grab at the hovering helicopter. You might want to make your self a coffee first….

My pal Andy McKenna and I had been talking about how competitive Red Bull Air Race is this year and how aggressive the flying is these days. A couple of years ago, you could turn up with pretty much any Unlimited Aerobatic machine and expect to be in the hunt, but not any more. We love the flying and the fact that the Silver Haired Brits are at the sharp end!

We’d also commented on how hopefully we’d be wrong, but the odds were shortening on a shunt….

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the headlines in Perth, but the word ‘survived’ brought a lump to my throat. Low level aerobatic accidents are not survivable. But watching the footage and seeing the incderibly professional emergency crews on scene within seconds and whipping Adilson out was truly impressive. They obviously practice A LOT.

Nigel Lamb’s website gave his grounded viewpoint on the whole thing, including the interesting fact that the centre section of the Edge was intact. So, now that we know that a high speed water impact is potentially survivable, perhaps it’s time to look to motorsport for the next advancement.

In the seventies, a HANS device in F1 was pointless. Whiplash was the least of your problems as the chassis crumpled around you then more than likely caught fire. Today, massive impacts are survivable, so HANS is mandatory in many forms of motorsport. So with a tightly harnessed pilot, a crash proof structure and great emergency crews, the next thing is surely making sure that the pilot is still conscious to get to oxygen and that he hasn’t suffered irreparable brain injury?

Perhaps it’s time for HANS in Red Bull Air Race?

Sorry, but I can’t pass by a Tweet, magazine, bookstore or DVD without stopping if it has the word “Spitfire” written on it… So when I caught this DVD release being dicussed on Twitter, I had to take a look. It’s an Australian production by indy film maker Simon Van Der Spoel and documents the sacrifice and experiences of Australian aircrew and groundcrew fighting with the Spitfire in World War Two.

It’s a new take on a familiar subject and looking at the trailer, there’s a great combination of archive footage and interviews of veterans, something I always find fascinating. Take a look at the the trailer below, then click through to the website where you can order a copy via PayPal.