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Hearding Cats

By this time last year we’d wrapped up filming the first season of Dangerous Flights  and had ten international ferry flights in the can.  This year due to the late decision in picking us for season two we have exactly zero.  OK, although the Malibu trip in Africa was a disaster they probably got enough film to make an episode so we’ve got that going for us.  The good news is that things are heating up with at least four flights getting ready to launch including my trip to Uruguay.  The bad news is that the filming for episode one of season two has been pushed back.  The plan was to get all the pilots from season one together at CB Aviation’s base in Ogden Utah for a reunion so we could drink beer and talk smart.  We were going to film next weekend and the production company spent a ton of time trying to get all eight pilots to arrange their schedules to allow then to all be in one place at one time.   Everything was in place and I was looking forward to the trip, I was even going to fly my Queen Air to Utah so as to make the grand entrance don’t you know, when we found out that one of the pilots couldn’t make it.  What a bummer, I was really looking forward to the trip but seeing that Super girl and I will be leaving on a long trip soon, and over Christmas time, it’s just as well that I have a little more time to spend at home before leaving for two or three weeks.

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New Zealand Mosquito rebuild pictures

The worlds only flying Mosquito.

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I’ve always loved the Mosquito and with a top speed of 408 mph, a 37,000 foot ceiling and the ability to carry a bomb load of up to 4000 lbs it was probably the most versatile aircraft of WWII.  The heavy bombers always get the credit for bombing Germany into submission but in my opinion allied air power would’ve been much more effective if they had scrapped the idea of high altitude bombing and instead focused of using fighter bombers like the Mosquito.  This opinion is backed up by a study done by the RAF after the war that concluded that the Mosquito was 4.95 times more cost effective than the Lancaster.  This is probably due to the fact that with a fighter bomber you don’t need to waste man power and resources defending them against enemy fighters.

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Warning Order

Well here we go!  I was informed yesterday that “Dangerous Flights”, the Discovery Channel TV show that I’m starring in, finally has a ferry flight for me.  They want me to fly an A-36 Beech Bonanza from Uruguay to North Carolina leaving sometime in the next few weeks.  I’m always  excited about an upcoming ferry flight but this one should be particularly fun for a number of reasons.  Number one; I’ve never been to Uruguay and I always love visiting a new countries and putting another black line on my “flown there” globe.  Number two; It’s a great time for a trip to the southern hemisphere because it’s really freaking cold here in Wisconsin this time of year and until there’s snow to ski on I’d rather be take a trip that brings me north along most of South America, across the equator and up to North Carolina,oh did I mention at least three stops in the Caribbean? Yea, nice.  Number three; I’ll get to stop in about eight different countries at Christmas time and I’m sure each city we stop in will be more beautifully decorated than the last.  Number four; My co-pilot for this trip is going to be my daughter “Super Girl”.  This will be SG’s first ferry flight and I couldn’t be more excited to be able to share this adventure with her.  This trip is going to be a long one and adding the filming on each end will make it longer but it’s going to be worth it.  I just hope we can get back home in time for Christmas.

 

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Negative Ghostrider, The Pattern Is Full

‘TOP GUN’ SEQUEL ON HOLD, BUT 3D VERSION EXPECTED

Plans were in the works for a sequel to Top Gun, one of the most popular aviation films ever, when director Tony Scott’s suicide in August stalled the project, but a 3-D Imax version of the original movie now is expected to debut in February.

This is terrible news, I was really looking forward to a new TOPGUN film using today’s movie making technology.  I’m sure someone will take over and sincerely hope that they resist the temtation to appeal to women viewers by adding in some lame love story like they did in the original.  A good fighter pilot movie should only have flying, drinking, fighting, fast cars or motorcycles, one night stands, crashes, getting chewed out, carrier landings, bad guys, ejections and more flying, period.  My wife doesn’t this kind of movie and you shouldn’t ruin it by trying to get her to.