Aerotoons Blog

This Airplane Changed the Way We Travel

Aerotoons 1 — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:11:31 +0000

While it seems that regularly scheduled air transportation has been around for quite some time in reality it isn’t even 100 years old. The 100th anniversary of scheduled air transportation is approaching however and will occur January 1, 2014.
This is where the Benoist XIV (pronounced- “benwah” 14) comes in. The Benoist XIV was the aircraft used for the world’s first regularly scheduled air transportation service, which happened on January 1, 1914, in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was started by the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line and they flew 4 round trip flights per day from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida (a distance of 23 miles).

The 22 minute flight doesn’t sound like much by today’s standards, but it would have saved travelers a lot of time when you consider that a steamship would take 2.5 hours to make the trip, a train would have taken you 12 hours, and who knows how long it would have been using a car on the unpaved roads of the day? It was a bargain at only $5 per one way trip!

The Benoist XIV
The Benoist XIV was built by the Benoist Aircraft Company

of St. Louis, Missouri in 1913. The Benoist Aircraft Company started in 1912 and while they were known to have produced a total of 106 aircraft between 1912- 1917, there were only two model 14’s ever built.

Specifications: Benoist XIV
• Open Cockpit, Biplane, Floatplane.
• Crew: 1
• Passenger: 1
• Length: 26 ft (7.93 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft (13.41 m)
• Width: 3 ft (Fuselage)
• Empty weight: 1,250 lb (567 kg)
• Powerplant: Roberts 6 cylinder in-line, mounted behind cockpit.
• Propeller: 1 chain driven, 2 bladed fixed pitch.
• Construction: 3 layers of spruce with fabric between each layer. The wings were of linen stretched over spruce spars.
• Price: $4250

Performance:

• Powerplant: Roberts 6 cylinder in-line, 75 hp. 2 cycle, liquid cooled.
• Fuel Consumption: 13 gal/hour gasoline, 1 gal/hour of lubricating oil.
• Cruise speed: 65 mph (56 kts)
• Range: 124.9 mph (108.5 nm)

Just a reminder that we have discontinued our t-shirt line in order to forge ahead with our custom graphics and children’s ebooks. If you would like to purchase any of our t-shirts at the bargain price of $5 there are still some left so hurry before they are all sold out! click here to visit our old site…
If you have any needs for custom graphics, logos, or basic web services go to the new Aerotoons site and contact me. AEROTOONS Custom Graphics • Logos • Web

Back To Basics

Aerotoons 1 — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:19:53 +0000

Aerotoons has decided to go back to basics. We are discontinuing our t-shirt line in order to forge ahead with our custom graphics and children’s ebooks. I would like to thank everyone that bought t-shirts from us. You can visit our old site if you would like to purchase any of the remaining shirts by clicking here…
Meanwhile, I will still be posting to the blog so stay tuned for more…
If you have any needs for custom graphics, logos, or basic web services go to the new Aerotoons site and contact me. AEROTOONS Custom Graphics • Logos • Web

Korean War Jets

Aerotoons 1 — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:52:41 +0000


MiG-15	North American Aviation F-86 Sabre

The Korean War began 60 years ago (June 25, 1950- July 27, 1953) and it was the first war to see jet vs. jet combat. The F-86 and MiG-15 are the two jet aircraft most commonly associated with the war but did you know that there were other jet types being flown at the same time?

Here are some of the other jets flying back then…


Grumman F9F Panther	Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star

McDonnell F2H Banshee	Republic F-84 Thunderjet

Yak-17uti trainer

Hand Signals Used In Aviation

Aerotoons 1 — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:29:55 +0000

Have you ever heard the old saying; “It’s easy enough flying there but the hard part is finding your way once you’re on the ground”?
Thankfully there are men and women on the ground who’s job it is to help. The military, airlines, and general aviation ramp personel all use the same basic hand signals to communicate taxi directions to you. It makes no difference if it is daytime or nightime, the signals are the same but at night lighted wands are used instead of hands or unlit wands.
You may or may not know what the aviation hand signals are or what they mean so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the different signals that are in use…

Aviation Hand Signals

*All Clear*	*Start Engine*	*Face Me*	*Taxi Forward*	*Taxi Slower*	*Turn Right*
*Turn Left*	*Stop*	*Set Brakes*	*Cut Engine*	*Chocks In*	*Chocks Out*

There’s more hand signals in use but if you remember some of these basic ones you’ll be “good to go!”

WWII Silent Wings

Aerotoons 1 — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:22:02 +0000

During World War II if you wore these wings and studied from this manual then chances are good that you were a glider pilot. Approximately 6000 men were trained to be glider pilots and the letter “G” on the wings was said to stand for “guts”, and perhaps it’s a joke but in reality the life expectancy of a glider pilot in combat was only 17 seconds.
Life Expectancy of Pilots in Combat:
Bomber Pilots………..1 hour, 46 minutes
Fighter Pilots…………………..19 minutes
Glider Pilots……………………17 seconds
It’s no wonder that these men were known as “gutsy”. Every landing in combat was a do-or-die situation, they had to land a heavily laden aircraft full of soldiers and equipment in unfamiliar fields often in total darkness. They were the only aviators during WW II who had no engines, no parachutes, and no second chances!

The original plan by the Army was to use existing power trained pilots in the methods of soaring gliders with the promise of graduating them to the rank of staff sergeants (if they were below that rank) but eventually all were awarded the rank of Flight Officer. In practice however, due to the shortage of pilots, offers were also made to enlisted men with no flying experience at all.

Early in 1941 pilots were sent to various existing civilian glider schools in the western United States where thermal conditions were great for soaring flights but soon it was realized that troop gliders were not like sailplanes but, rather, low-performance trailers that had to be towed to a point almost directly over the landing area. As a consequence, sailplane training was abandoned as soon as sufficient quantities of CG-4A’s were available for troop glider training. Several advanced training bases were established in the midwest but a major percentage of glider pilots were graduated from South Plains Army Air Base at Lubbock, TX.

(Waco CG-4A Glider being towed by a C47 at Bowman Field [KLOU], a training base in Louisville, KY 1943)

The Waco CG-4A

The Waco CG-4A, is an externally braced high-wing monoplane of 83-feet, 8-inch wingspan capable of carrying a useful load of over 3500 pounds. The cargo compartment can be directly accessed by raising the hinged nose section of the fuselage. This affords clear access to the cargo compartment (72″ wide x 65″ high) through which may be loaded rolling cargo, such as a Jeep, 75mm howitzer, ammunition boxes, crated engines, or similar bulky cargo. The cargo compartment can also provide seating for 13 fully equipped combat troops.
Two pilot’s sit in the cockpit side-by-side each having a full set of controls with the exception of brake pedals, which are found only on the left hand side. Flight controls are conventional with trim tabs controls provided for all surfaces, and in addition there are spoiler controls to aid in descents.

Construction:
Designed by the Waco Aircraft Company, CG-4A flight testing began in May 1942, and eventually more than 13,900 CG-4A’s were delivered. There were 16 prime contractors constructing them during the war.
The wings and tail group are constructed of wood and plywood and covered with fabric doped directly to the plywood skins. (They are braced externally with steel tubing.)
The fuselage consists of a rectangular welded steel tube frame with a plywood floor, and the entire structure is then faired and covered with fabric. There are two main entrance doors located on each side of the fuselage at the rear of the cargo compartment and two triangular emergency doors located at the forward end. All doors are jettisonable for emergency exit.
The conventional landing gear employs spring-oil shock absorbers in both the main and tail gear units. Hydraulically operated brakes are incorporated in the main gear and the solid rubber tail wheel is full swiveling and self centering.

Specifications CG-4A
• Crew: 2
• Capacity: 3,500 lb, 13 troopers, or quarter-ton truck (Jeep) and 4 troopers, or 6 litters
• Length: 48 ft 8 in (14.8 m)
• Wingspan: 83 ft 8 in (25.5 m)
• Width: 7 ft 0 in (Fuselage)
• Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.7 m)
• Empty weight: 3,900 lb (1,719 kg)
• Gross weight: 7,500 lb (3,400 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 7,500 lb (3,400 kg)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 150 mph IAS “…due to the possibility that windshield panels may blow in and other failures may occur.”
• Cruise speed: 73 mph (64 kts)
• Stall speed: 49 mph (43 kts)
• Wing loading: 8.81 lb/ft²
• Landing run: 600-800 ft (180-244 m)

Armament:
None

In Conclusion:
There aren’t many surviving Waco gliders left today. The helicopter has replaced the mission that the gliders performed during World War II with greater efficiency and dependability but many thanks goes out to the brave men that flew (and rode) in the gliders of yesterday!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Aerotoons 1 — Sat, 29 May 2010 14:00:44 +0000

Many thanks go to the veterans that made it possible for us to enjoy our freedom that we have here in the United States of America.

Air Traffic Control Shirt Added To Our Collection

Aerotoons 1 — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:51:01 +0000

Many thanks to all who stopped by and said hello at the Sarasota Spring Fly-in hosted by NATCA Charitable Foundation and Angel Flights.
We debuted our Air Traffic Control shirt at the event and it was well received so we have added it to our T-shirt line up. As you can see the tower was modeled after the actual tower at Sarasota and the radar scope has elements of the local airspace too.
If you would like to see the Air Traffic Control shirt and some of our other aviation t-shirts click here to visit our online store…

Titan T-51

Aerotoons 1 — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:28:16 +0000

Have you ever wondered what it was like flying a fighter airplane from the airfields of England during World War II? Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” and while flying during wartime is certainly the worst of times, being able to fly some of the thoroughbread fighters of WWII like the Spitfire and the P-51 Mustang would surely be part of the best of times.
The North American P-51 Mustang is one of the most succesful fighters that has ever been produced and while most of us will never be able to fly an authentic P-51, Titan Aircraft is offering an airplane that will allow you to do the next best thing. They have developed a 3/4 scale replica of the famous P-51 and I must say, having seen it in person, that it is a beauty! They call it the T-51 Mustang.

The Titan T-51
The Titan T-51 is an all metal two seat, dual control aircraft that can be built and licensed in either the Experimental or Light Sport categories. The category that you decide to license the airplane in basically dictates the engine, propeller, and landing gear configuration that you need to use.
Titan Aircraft designed the T-51 to be docile as well as good looking and that was certainly demonstrated in the flight that I saw at Sun ‘N Fun. The T-51 took off from a short grass strip, flew several flight manuevers and landed with ease and from a distance you could hardly tell that it wasn’t the actual P-51 flying! The absence of the sound of a Merlin V-12 might give it away but if you use the “Mini Merlin” V-6 engine option that Titan offers you will sound pretty convincing though.

Specifications T-51
• Crew: 2
• Length: 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) with rotors
• Wingspan: 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
• Width: 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) (Fuselage)
• Height: 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)
• Cabin width: 26 in (660.4 mm)
• Cabin Head Room: 48 in (1219.2 mm)
• Cabin Leg Room: 46 in (1168.4 mm)
• Empty weight: 850 lb (385.6 kg)
• Gross weight: 1450 lb (657.7 kg)
• Gross weight- Light Sport: 1320 lb
• Fuel capacity: 25 gallons (94.6 lt.)
• Powerplants: Rotax 912S or S/914S, Suzuki 2.5/2.7L V-6, Honda 3.5L V6

Performance T-51
• Maximum speed: 197 mph (171 kts)
• Cruise speed: 150 mph (130 kts)
• Range: 720 mi (626 nm)
• Stall speed: 42 mph (37 kts)
• Maximum limit loads: +6g/-4g
• Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,876.8 m) (Density Altitude permitting)
• Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (6.1 m/s)
• Take Off Distance (solo): 300 ft
• Landing Distance (solo): 300 ft

Kits and More Information
Titan Aircraft has estimated that the T-51 can be completed in as little as 1600 hours and their kits include all of the required materials, components and fasteners, with the exception of the engine, propeller, and instruments which are up to the customer to choose based on individual preference. They have everything available in a complete kit or you can build in stages, it’s all up to you.
For more information or pricing go to Titan Aircraft and ask them about the T-51.

UH-1 Iroquois “Huey”

Aerotoons 1 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:38:31 +0000

The Vietnam war was in “full swing” when I was growing up and hardly a day went by that a picture of a Bell UH-1 “Huey” didn’t flash across the TV screen. This versatile aircraft was a real workhorse during the Vietnam conflict so let’s take a closer look at it.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey”
In 1952 the United States Army determined that they needed a helicopter that was smaller and less complicated to maintain than the helicopters of the time and it was to fulfill medical evacuation and utility operations. Bell Helicopter was eventually chosen to build 3 prototypes designated XH-40, which first flew in October 1956. Later designated HU-1, it would be the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter production for the United States military, and more than 16,000 have been produced worldwide.
The helicopter quickly developed its nickname “Huey” from the Army HU-1 designation, and even after the re-designation in 1962 to UH-1 the nickname still held. (Huey became so popular that Bell began casting it on the anti-torque pedals which you can see in the cockpit photo below.)

Bell was awarded a production contract for 100 aircraft in March of 1963, which was designated as the HU-1A and the official name of Iroquois. The HU-1A models were powered by Lycoming T53-L-1A powerplants developing 770 shp.
Since 1956 when the XH-40 first flew, Bell has produced 46 variants of the helicopter with improvements in power, handling, and seating. Beginning in 1966, the UH-1H would become the most produced model (5,435 were built) with power increased to 1,400 shp. thanks to the Lycoming T-53-L-13 engine. Today there is even a twin engine model flying (UH-1N).

Slicks, Guns, and Dustoffs
While Huey was the nickname of the aircraft, the role or task that the helicopter performed during its service in Vietnam was given a term as well.

UH-1s tasked and configured for troop transport were often called “Slicks” due to an absence of weapons pods. Slicks did have door gunners, but were generally employed in the troop transport and medevac roles. Slicks could seat 2 pilots and up to 13 additional crew or passengers in the cabin.

UH-1s tasked with a ground attack or armed escort role were outfitted with rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and machine guns. These gunship UH-1s were commonly referred to as Frogs or Hogs if they carried rockets, or simply "Guns" if they had guns.

The medevac Hueys with large red crosses were known by their radio call sign "Dustoff" because of the dirt they kicked up as they took the wounded to safety. The UH-1H, could carry up to 6 stretchers with a trained medic inside the cabin.

Specifications UH-1H
• Crew: 1-4
• Capacity: 3,113 lb including 13 troops, or 6 stretchers, or equivalent cargo
• Length: 41 ft 10 in (12.50 m) with rotors
• Wingspan: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
• Width: 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) (Fuselage)
• Height: 14 ft 6 in (4.4 m)
• Empty weight: 4,973 lb (2,255 kg)
• Gross weight: 9,499 lb (4,308 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 9,500 lb (4,308 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, 1,400 shp
• Main rotor diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
• Fuel capacity: 211 gallons (2.8 hrs endurance no reserves)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 127 mph (110 kts)
• Cruise speed: 115 mph (100 kts)
• Range: 318 mi (278 nm)
• Service ceiling: 13,600ft (4,145 m) (Density Altitude permitting)
• Rate of climb: 1,600 ft/min (487 m/s)

Armament

Variable, but may include a combination of:

• 2x 7.62 mm M60 machine gun, or 2x 7.62 mm GAU-17/A machine gun
• 2x 7-round or 19-round 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pods

In Conclusion
The UH-1 has been around a long time, the first entering service with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the 82nd Airborne Division, and the 57th Medical Detachment. Although US Army has phased out the UH-1 with the introduction of the UH-60 Black Hawk, they still have 700 UH-1s that are to be retained until 2015. The U.S. Marines Corps are still using the twin engine variant (UH-1Y) which entered service in 2008. So if you hear the “thump thump” of helicopter rotors you might just see a Huey flying towards you!
(Click the play button below to hear a UH-1 Huey in flight.)

Cirrus Aviation Open House Event, April 3, a Success!

Aerotoons 1 — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:22:27 +0000

Many thanks to all who stopped by and said hello at the Cirrus Aviation open house.
There were several vendors there along with us plus the Sarasota Airport Fire and airport management crews too. It was a great day for the open house.
A great looking BT-13 landed and was on display along with the aircraft from Cirrus and Cessna.