Caution: Wake Turbulence

I caught this An-124 departing KBFI soon after I landed the other day. As I taxied in, it was being shepherded to the runway like a ship guided by tugboats. It waddled into position (LUAW, in aviation-speak, but it didn’t look anything like a hula) and, after a considerable wait at the end of the runway, trundled its way into the air. Given the relatively short takeoff roll, I suspect it wasn’t heavily loaded. To learn more about this behemoth, catch a documentary in the Mighty Planes series that the Smithsonian Channel runs periodically.

Interview with Solar Impulse Pilots

Today’s Diane Rehm show on NPR includes an extended interview with the pilots of the Solar Impulse electric airplane. You can see photos and read background information here; a podcast will be available later today.

Solar Impulse

An Aerobatic Ride near Seattle

Here’s another video that shows a typical aerobatic ride on a beautiful day in Seattle. We’re in the Extra 300L. The maneuvers include aileron rolls, loops, half-Cuban 8s, hammerheads, point rolls, slow rolls, vertical rolls, and inverted flight. The video also shows a typical approach and landing in the Extra 300L.

Aerobatics—As Seen from Seat 1A

The aerobatics season in Seattle has returned, and Tuesday I gave an aerobatic ride. It was gorgeous day.

I set up a GoPro to look out at the left wing to capture the scenery as I demoed a series of basic maneuvers. This is the view you’d have from a window seat on an airliner–if airliners did aerobatics.

Enjoy the ride. More at my YouTube channel, BruceAirFlying.

An aerobatic ride in the Extra 300L near Seattle.