Boeing 787 Dreamliner Visits both Lubbock and Midland Airports

This blogger works for a nationally known rental car company.  The economy in Midland-Odessa is so booming, they have to hire people from out of town to come down to do some work at the Midland International Airport.

So twice aweek, I and others who live in Lubbock, make the two plus hour drive down to Midland, work all day and have a two plus hour drive back to Lubbock before we can call it a day.

And while at the Midland airport, I love to watch the different airplanes that pay a visit to that airport.  Military aircraft, old warbirds from the CAF, and other interesting things. Its something to see a USAF C-5 Galaxy doing Touch and Goes.

So, it was with some surprise that I witness a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (in Boeing colors) land at the Midland Airport.  I got as many photos as I could manage with my cellphone camera.  Biggest disappointment I had was not being able to get any of the aircraft in flight.

The bigger surprise came when we got back home to Lubbock, Texas- just before a big cold front arrived (with ALOT of Blowing Dust!).  Looking towards the old terminal building which now houses the Silent Wings Museum was the VERY SAME Boeing 787 parked on the ramp nearby.

Last year, the 787 was in the news for battery problems although that is supposed to have been fixed by now.  Plus the 787 is the replacement for the older Boeing 767.  Even more amazing, I found a news story about the 787 in Lubbock, but was not able to find something similar in the Midland news.

The accompanying pictures are the ones that I took with my cellphone camera.  The first two are from Midland International Airport.  The last three are from Lubbock International Airport. The closeup of the 787 in the dust storm - I had to take from inside my little pickup truck.

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Ref.
1. Everything Lubbock.com "Lubbock Airport Hosts New, Big Bird" April 4, 2014.  (http://www.everythinglubbock.com/story/d/story/lubbock-airport-hosts-new-big-bird/22461/AkOxfVMAR0SZEvgvsQaw5Q).

Chem - Jet Contrails Photographed Together

The following pictures of Chem-trails and Contrails were spotted over Lubbock, Texas, on Jan 28, 2014.

My friend came running back into the auto repair shop that he runs and told me to come outside to look up in the sky.  To which he said something along the lines of, "See, there is your proof about Chem Trails."  Granted, it's not an exact quote, but close enough.

In this sequence of eight pictures that I took with my camera phone, a Huawei 3.2 mp; you can see a thin layer of dark color clouds and then slightly above that layer - a jet passing over it.  The jet was making quote-unquote, cleaner white (regular) Contrails that went out for a distance and then disappeared.  The so-called Chem trails are still around.  The aircraft was travelling from east to west and the time of morning was about 10:00am to 11:00am.

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Ref.
1.  Images taken by Don W. Shanks (Shanksow),January 28, 2014.  If someone wants to link or repost this, then credit must be given to me and my blog.

XCOR in Midland, Texas!

I came across this information quite by accident while working down at the Midland International Airport (MAF) for Enterprise Rent-A-Car.  A co-worker told me that "some space" company was coming to Midland.  But, since he wasn't "really into" that space stuff - he had no additional information for me.

Finally, once back home in Lubbock, Texas; I searched out that information and found the following...

There was a joint announcement by the Midland Development Corporation (MDC) and XCOR Aerospace for the establishment of XCOR's new Commercial Space Research and Development Center Headquarters to be completed in late 2013.  It will be housed in a newly renovated 60,000 square-foot hangar that will house their office space and test facility.

Quote:  “XCOR will be upgrading an existing hangar at Midland International Airport,” stated Marv Esterly, director of airports at MAF. “This new R&D facility has the potential to open the door to even more economic development at our airport and for our community.” end quote.

Andrew Nelson, chief operating officer of XCOR Aerospace said the following:  “We are pleased to be establishing our R&D Center in Midland, Texas, where the weather, surrounding landscape, the airport, and the local & state government environment are ideally situated for the future growth and the ultimate realization of a fully reusable orbital system.  

"With future suborbital operational sites on the East and West Coasts of the United States and around the world, plus a manufacturing and test facility geographically separate from our R&D facility, Midland will truly be at the heart of XCOR’s innovation engine” end quote.

Pam Welch, executive director of MDC stated in the press release the following: “The decision to establish XCOR’s Research and Development Center Headquarters in Midland came after intense competition from other locations." end quote. She also added this: once the technical and operational needs of XCOR were met, the final factors influencing the decision to locate R&D to Midland included the friendly business climate, a predictable regulatory environment, and the State of Texas tort reform initiatives. These factors allowed XCOR to see a long term future happening in Midland.” end quote.

With XCOR coming to Midland, the City of Midland is applying to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a Commercial Space Launch Site designation for MAF.  A process that is expected to take a year to 18 months to complete.  Once that is done, the XCOR operations will increase.

Marv Esterly stated the following, “When our application is approved, the MAF will be the first “Primary Commercial Service Airport” to be granted this designation, and the combination of the two makes Midland attractive to other commercial space companies.” end quote.

Texas Governor Rick Perry was very happy with XCOR's decision to set up shop in Midland.

Midland, Texas, is expecting XCOR Aerospace will create 100 jobs for the area.  That $12 million will be spent over the next five years in capital improvements and wages.  And with MAF being designated as a spaceport - that will attract other  commercial space companies who are developing horizontal takeoff and landing spacecraft.

The Lynx is a suborbital two-personal winged spacecraft designed to go up to 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface after taking off from a runway using a rocket engine.  Then, once the mission is completed, it will return to land at the same runway like a normal aircraft.

The spaceport in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, is a bit worried about being passed over by XCOR and a few other commercial space companies.

Quote from the Foxnews article follows:  Locally, officials blame the lack of new businesses on the legislature's refusal to pass laws that would exempt spacecraft suppliers from liability for passengers should the spacecraft crash or blow up. When New Mexico was developing Spaceport in partnership with Virgin Galactic, it passed a law to exempt the carrier through 2018, but not parts suppliers. Colorado, Florida, Texas and Virginia have adopted permanent liability exemption laws for both carriers and suppliers. 

The laws, called informed consent, are much like those that exempt ski areas from lawsuits by skiers, who waive their rights for claims when they buy a ski pass. Spaceport officials emphasize the carriers and suppliers would not be exempt from damage on the ground, or in cases of gross negligence. end quote.

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Ref.
1. XCOR Press Release. "XCOR AEROSPACE AND MIDLAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ANNOUNCE ESTABLISHMENT OF XCOR’S NEW COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT R&D CENTER HEADQUARTERS" July 9, 2012. (http://www.xcor.com/press-releases/2012/12-07-09_XCOR_to_open_midland_resaerch_headquarters.html ).
2. news.yahoo.com. "XCOR Aerospace Announces Midland, Texas, R&D Headquarters" by Mark Whittington. July 9, 2012. (http://news.yahoo.com/xcor-aerospace-announces-midland-texas-r-d-headquarters-203100205.html).
3. Space.com. "" by Denise Chow. July 9, 2012. (http://www.space.com/16494-xcor-aerospace-texas-test-site.html).
4. Foxnews.com. "World's first spaceport nearly ready in New Mexico" by Patrick Manning. July 9, 2012. (http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/world-first-spaceport-nearly-ready-in-new-mexico/).

AT-802U Air Tractor Arms' its Cropduster into a Gunship!

A cropduster used as a COIN gunship.  The AT-802U.  I spotted this on the Stephen Trimple blog:  The Dewline.

First of all, its made in Texas!  

The company is known as Air Tractor.  They operate out of Olney, Texas.  

I live in West Texas all of my life (so far-49 years and counting).  I've seen these type of planes for what seems like forever to me.  I have a A&P license-but dont' use it anymore.  I thought after I earned that ticket, that my life would improve - it didn't.  I didn't get to work on very many airplanes.  Pan Am's mechanics flooded the market when they went bust.  I even thought taht I would be working on some cropdusters - but that never happened, saddly. But getting back to the AT-802U.

Second, it follows the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid!) principle.  These smaller Air Forces need both a trainer and a light attack aircraft.  And this baby does it.  And thats why its heading to Paris and the Great Airshow that they hold there.  Air Tractor even thinks that it can sell some of these babies to the American Air Force.  I like the idea and its thinking outside of the box which is another plus in my book.  However - the current USAF leadership has only fighterjocks on the brain.  If it turns and burns and you can stick the name Stealth on the airframe somewhere - they go batty over it.  

But submit this "Tail-dragger" to this current bunch is a lost cause.  I mean - lets face it!  Trail-draggers went out of style back in the good war.  World War Two for Pete's Sakes!

This is getting off subject, but I have also heard and read here and there that there are problems with the fighter pilot types flying the UAVs.  Like having hard landings and such.  However, put gamers or better yet, folks who know how to fly radio control model airplanes - then the UAVs have a better safety record.  I chalk this up to attitude.  Again, if it turns and burns and you can tagged it with the moniker Stealth or put "Super-Cruise" engines on the damn airframe and charge billions of dollars - then the USAF will be yoru best friend.  

Come up with something following the logic of KISS - Then that item is screwed and will not be approved for purchased by the United States' government.  Try to save the taxpayer some $$ and they turn their sharp noses up in the air and away form good ideas.  

And thats the sad part about all of this.  This Air Tractor gunship MAKES SENSE!  But I am affraid that we will never see the American "Star and Bar" on its fuselage or wings.  

Check out this link (http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2009/06/photos-new-gunship-flies-to-pa.html ).   

1915 La Porte, Texas, UFO Sighting

I was visiting the Coast to Coast AM website on May 29, 2009, and noticed the photo of the day entry submitted to C2CAM by a Brian S.  This is just a amazing picture for me to see.

The photograph shows a street scene in the daytime of La Porte, Texas - Main Street to be exact.  Wooden buildings and dirt roads and a few autos and trucks seen in the distance.  Above a chimney to a two story building in the left side of the photograph is the strange object.

I wished that the photograph that was submitted to the C2CAM site was better in the resolution area.  I downloaded the image to see if I could see any details in Photoshop and I wasn't able to do it.  Other people might be able to do it, but I wasn't able too with this example.  

I think Brian S. is wishful in regards to seeing a extraterrestrial sticking it's head up out of the circular looking vehicle/object.  That may or may not be a spoiler sticking up above the main body of the hull.  I'll go along with him that something that looks like smoke from an exhaust is below the object.  

But, this is a amazing picture nevertheless - because of the era it represents.  This picture is pre-1947 offical start date for UFO sightings.  I think that you could classified this UFO photograph in the twenty-thirty year time period known as the great "Airship" sightings at the close of the 19th century.  This photograph EXTENDS that time period well into the 20th century now as far as I am concerned.  

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Ref. Coast to Coast Am, Photo of the Day. May 29, 2009. Submitted by Brian S. (http://www.coasttocoastam.com/photo/photo-of-the-day)

9th Annual T-38 Jet Rally (August 13-16, 2008)

One of my hobbies is playing with radio control model airplanes and the club that I belong to help put on, what in the past was a big money maker for our organization, the T-38 Jet Rally. This year, the 9th year of the event and with gasoline prices being what they have been; it was a very low key affair. Members of our hobby that have the need for speed and can afford it – fly model airplanes that are equipped with either a duct-fan or an actual, miniature turbine.

This article will be broken up into two parts.

The first part deals with the hobby of flying model airplanes, with a focus on turbines, but will include regular duct-fan and electric duct-fan power aircraft. Recently, in the August 2008 issue of Model Aviation which is put out by the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics), there were several articles about model jets. One article by Pete Oochroma detailes how someone can get into the Turbine part of the hobby (“Turbine Modeling Made Easy,” page 51). In another article (“Instant Jetification” by Curtis Mattikow on page 41) deals with electric duct-fans. Finally, for larger electric jet models, there was an another article written by Curtis Mattikow entitled “Large EDF Comes of Age” on page 65.

The easiest way into the jet part of this hobby is the electric ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) or now, the two new boys of the store shelves RR (Receiver Ready) and PNP (Plug and Play). Most of the models in this class are foam models. Such models would have all the radio servos, wiring, speed controller, and the motors and duct-fans already installed. To power these models, Li-Poly batteries are used. In this mode, just the basic components are used to make it fly. It is up to the modeler if he or she wants better performance, then they can upgrade the speed controllers, motors, etc. Curtis Mattikow included a list of RR models. Those include a F-15 from E-Do, a F-18 RTF(Ready to Fly) from StarMax. Kyosho has both scale and sport model electric jets such as the F-16 and the A-6 Intruder. A sport scale model jet is something that looks cools, but was never made into a full scale aircraft. Hobbico offers a electric duct-fan called the Diablo. It offers upgrades that take you from novice to a ace with the same airframe. GWS offers a electric duct-fan kit of the F-15 Eagle.

Now we make the jump up to larger jets. The ones that use glow motors inside a duct fan or actual turbines. The leader of the pack is Bob Violett Models (BVM). He offers both sport scale and scale jet models. For the past few years, his scale models have finished quite high in the standings at a event known as Top Gun. Sport scale models that he offers are the Bobcat, Kingcat, and the Ultra Bandits. BVM's scale offerings include such aircraft as the F-4, F-86, the F-16. BVM is also working on conversion kits for their big models that can be switched over to electric power. Now, there are other jet companies out there such as Composite-ARF, Aviation Designs, Jet Hangar Hobbies, and more. Companies that build and sell the turbines are several in number. Jet-Cat Turbines, WREN Turbines, Jet Central Turbines, and others. But, here in the United States, in order to operate a turbine power model airplane, the modeler must go through a process of training in order to secure for themselves what is known as the AMA (Turbine) Waiver. This helps supplement your home owner's insurance in case something goes wrong. This is basically a notarized form that is sent to AMA headquarters in Muncie, Indiana. As a bit of trivia for you – there are about 900 turbine waiver holders in the United States right now. To learn more about this and other issues dealing with model aviation in general, go to their website (http://www.modelaircraft.org/).

Part Two will cover the 9th Annual T-38 Jet Rally in particular. Lets begin with a little history behind our local jet rally.

Our club (WINGS Miniature Aircraft Society) was able to use the main runway of the former U.S. Air Force base west of Lubbock, Texas, that was known as Reese Air Force Base. Now it is known as the Reese Technology Center. From the late 1990s up until the early 2006, our club was able to operate out of there since Reese Technology Center no longer operated full scale aircraft. Now, when Reese Air Force base was operational, it was a training base operating T-37s and T-38 jets. Reese had three north-south runways. The shorter, eastern most runway was closest to the flight line. The other two runways were longer and further west. These latter two runways were used by the T-38s and thus, that is where the name for our jet rally came from.

In 2006, rumors of the runways being purchased by Wal-Mart or some other group for storing shipping containers came true and the happy times of flying out there on Reese's runway came to an end. Our club eventually located a runway near the small town of Abernathy, Texas, that welcomed us. Different rules had to be observed since the Abernathy airport is still a active airport. With that in mind, WINGS Miniature Aircraft Society began site improvements with the pouring of concrete pads with little taxiways going out to the main active runway. As time and as additional money comes in, additional site improvements will be made.

Now, as for this year's Jet Rally, the weather played havoc with us during the overnight hours, but gave us some great flying weather in the afternoons. Friday, there were crosswinds for the flyers to deal with. The rest of the time, the wind was usually out of the south. For the onlookers and support people, we would usually stick under the tents or the pop-up shelters to beat the afternoon heat. Saturday evening, the Contest Director Mike Danchak handed out the wooden plaques to those who flew and or help out with putting the event on. Eahc plaque had a metal plate with the T-38 Jet Rally logo on the bottom and on top, behind a clear plastic cover, was a photograph of the person with one of the jet planes that was present.