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Watching a Daredevil Pilot Fly This Low Is Absolutely Terrifying

6/14/2017

If you’re a nervous flyer, you’re probably going to want to skip this video, because after watching YouTube’s Linkerius fly so low to the ground that it looks like he’s perpetually going to crash, you’ll be terrified of ever stepping foot on a plane again.
As dangerous as skimming the earth at hundreds of miles per hour seems, it’s an actual technique used by military aircraft to help avoid threats. A nap-of-the-earth, or NOE, course allows a pilot to use natural geographical features like hills and valleys to avoid radar, and make it harder for an enemy to spot the aircraft since it’s not silhouetted against the bright blue

tags: breed of speed , nathan finneman , low flying aircraft , insane pilot , cool , aviation , airplane

GoPro on Weather Balloon Captures an Airliner Flyby at 38,000 Feet

6/12/2017

Strapping GoPro cameras to high-altitude weather balloons to shoot photos and videos of the edge of space has been growing in popularity, but on GoPro just captured something incredible that no GoPro had before: an extremely close flyby of a passenger airliner at 38,000 feet.

The project OLHZN High Altitude Balloons launched a GoPro balloon flight from Honeoye, New York, and the camera traveled to an altitude of 102,544 feet and landed near Syracuse, New York.
On the way, however, the camera captured an incredible moment in which a Delta Airlines Airbus A319 flying from Boston to Detroit zipped by at an altitude of 38,000 feet. The airplane passed within 500 feet of the camera, creating an extremely loud sound in the resulting footage (the moment starts at about 40 seconds into the video).
This is an extremely rare chance encounter for a flight that was conducted safely and legally.
“All of our flights follow FAA Federal Aviation Regulation requirements outlined in FAR 101 and have NOTAMs filed with the FAA and coordination is performed with the local ARTCCs and airports to ensure safe operations,” the project writes. “This is the raw audio version with no music added. No sound effects have been added at all. This audio is completely raw.”

tags: breed of speed , gopro weather balloon , nathan finneman , colorado , airbus flyby

British daredevil 'breaks world speed record' with 249mph wingsuit dive over California

6/4/2017

A British aerobatic daredevil is thought to have broken a world record for the fastest flight in a wingsuit after soaring through the air at 249mph - around the top speed of a Bugatti Veyron supercar.
Fraser Corsan, from Salisbury, leapt into the record books during an adventure after jumping 35,000ft above Davis in California.
But Mr Corsan, 42, missed out on three other records he had long hoped for – the world's highest wingsuit jump, the longest time flown in a wingsuit and the furthest distance flown, due to poor weather.

tags: wing suit speed record, wing suit , dive , bugatti , breed of speed , nathan finneman , racing

Paul Allen's Enormous Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft Rolls Out of Hangar for First Time

5/31/2017

The gargantuan Stratolaunch carrier aircraft, built by Scaled Composites and nicknamed the "Roc," has the longest wingspan of any aircraft ever built: 385 feet from tip to tip. The six-engine mothership is designed to carry rockets between its two fuselages. Once at altitude, the mega-plane will drop the launch vehicle, which will then fire its boosters and launch to space from the air.
The big aircraft is designed for a maximum takeoff weight of 1,300,000 lbs., making the plane capable of carrying launch vehicles and their payloads weighing up to about 550,000 lbs, with 250,000 lbs set aside for fuel. The first launch test will use only one Pegasus XL rocket, but Stratolaunch has designed the system so up to three launch vehicles can be dropped during a single flight. The company will also look to expand the types of launch vehicles that are compatible with its carrier aircraft.

It's a new way of approaching spaceflight, reminiscent of the X-plane testing the Air Force did in the 1950s and 60s, and Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch Systems is leading the way. The long-aircraft just rolled out of the Scaled Composites hangar for the first time earlier today, May 31. Fueling tests will begin in the coming days, followed by engine runs, taxi tests, and finally first flight.Stratolaunch Systems is still working on the rocket models that will be dropped from the carrier aircraft, but in October 2016 the company said it would use modified Pegasus XL rockets built by Orbital ATK for the first tests. In preparation for today's rollout, Scaled Composites spent the past weeks disassembling a three-story scaffold that surrounded the aircraft during construction. The aircraft's full weight rested on its 28 wheels for the first time, allowing Scaled Composites to weigh the almost entirely composite plane for the first time. It came in at 500,000 lbs.
Flightline testing will be conducted at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California over the course of several months, extensively testing all the systems of the new aircraft before flight. Stratolaunch is also preparing for delivery of the first Pegasus XL rocket to their facilities in Mojave. The new spaceflight company is on track to conduct the first launch test by 2019.
Stratolaunch is betting on a new way to launch rockets and payloads to space, and it has completed its gigantic aircraft for the job, revealing it to the world for the first time. If the Roc can drive up launch efficiency and drive down price, it might just change the orbital game.

tags: giant jet, paul allen , breed of speed , aviation news, nathan finneman , pilot , space x , personal astronaut

Wisconsin skydivers jump to safety after two planes collide

5/18/2017

Skydiving instructor Mike Robinson was at 12,000 feet, just seconds away from his fourth and final jump of the day, when a second plane carrying other skydivers struck the aircraft he was in, sending them all tumbling toward the ground.
None of the nine skydivers or two pilots sustained serious injury when the two planes collided in midair Saturday evening in far northwest Wisconsin near Lake Superior. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration were in the area Sunday talking to those involved, and the cause of the incident was still being investigated, said FAA spokesman Roland Herwig.
Robinson, an instructor and safety adviser for Skydive Superior, said the skydivers had gone up for their last jump of the day – called the "sunset load" – and the two planes were flying in formation. It was supposed to be a routine jump, and a fun one for Robinson, who usually jumps as a trainer.
All of the skydivers were instructors or coaches and had hundreds, if not thousands, of jumps under their belts. It was Robinson's 937th jump.
"We do this all the time," Robinson said. "We just don't know what happened for sure that caused this."
He and three other skydivers were in the lead plane, and all four had climbed out onto the step at the side of the Cessna 182 and were poised to jump. The plane behind theirs had five skydivers on board, three in position to jump and two more inside the plane, at the ready.
"We were just a few seconds away from having a normal skydive when the trail plane came over the top of the lead aircraft and came down on top of it," he said. "It turned into a big flash fireball, and the wing separated."
"All of us knew we had a crash. ... The wing over our head was gone, so we just left," he added.
The three skydivers who were on the step of the second plane got knocked off upon impact, Robinson said, and the two inside were able to jump. The pilot of Robinson's plane ejected himself, and the pilot of the second plane landed the aircraft safely at Richard I Bong Airport, from where it took off. The plane was damaged.

Robinson said his group was lucky.
"It might've been a lot worse," he said. "Everybody, to a person, responded just as they should, including the pilots."
He said that as he tracked away from the plane he grew concerned when he saw only one emergency parachute – meaning only one pilot had ejected. He was relieved to learn that the pilot of the second plane was able to stay with the aircraft and land it.
Robinson said he suffered no injuries, but a few jumpers had bumps, bruises and muscle soreness. And despite the scare, he said he would not hesitate to jump again.
"Whenever the clouds and winds allow us to be up, we'll be jumping," he said, although now the company is without aircraft.

tags: breed of speed, plane collision , nathan finneman colorado , sky diving crash , plane collides , insane airplane crash

The Wingsuit BASE Jump That Broke The Internet

5/17/2017

I’m just going to leave this here. Don’t ask what you’re about to watch, just watch it and be thankful this exists on the Internet.

tags: wing suit fail, broke internet, breed of speed , nathan finneman colorado, funny base jump

Elon Musk says flying cars aren't a good fix for traffic — here's why

5/9/2017

Tesla CEO Elon Musk may be known for disrupting transit, but he won't be touching flying cars.

Musk told Bloomberg's Max Chafkin he thinks flying cars are a dumb idea for city travel in a profile about his tunnel plans published on Thursday. He said even though his plan to build an underground network of tunnels might seem crazy, it's actually less crazy than flying cars.

“Obviously, I like flying things,” Musk told Bloomberg. “But it’s difficult to imagine the flying car becoming a scalable solution.”

Several companies are pursuing flying cars. Google co-founder Larry Page is funding secretive startup Zee.Aero to build a flying car. Uber has also launched a flying car project.

These ventures don't involve building a flying car per se because they aren't intended to drive on roads. Zee.Aero is building a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft that, like the name suggests, can take off vertically without a runway. Uber plans to use VTOL aircrafts for city transit, but plans to partner with other companies and the government to actually build the aircraft.

Musk said flying cars need to generate a lot of downward force to not fall out of the sky, which would result in a lot of wind and noise for people on the ground. He also said there's a risk of falling debris if falling cars were to get in a mid-air fender bender.

“If somebody doesn’t maintain their flying car, it could drop a hubcap and guillotine you,” Musk said. “Your anxiety level will not decrease as a result of things that weigh a lot buzzing around your head.”

Company Plans to Inexpensively Launch Satellites via F-104 Starfighter

2/22/2017

Successfully placing a satellite in orbit is no small expense, often costing tens of millions of dollars. In addition to the cost of the satellite itself, there’s the cost of the launch vehicle and the ground control system to bring all the elements together. If the satellite is tiny, less than 12 pounds, often referred to as a CubeSat, organizing a launch becomes even more problematic because few rockets exist of the size needed for a successful launch. The easiest way to launch a small satellite today is to simply sit back and wait for enough space to become available on a larger rocket. That can sometimes turn into a long wait.

Enter a little aviation history to the rescue: the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Designed in the 1950s, the F-104 was the first manned aircraft in the U.S. Air Force arsenal capable of top speeds in excess of Mach 2. Starfighters were used to train pilots to fly hypersonic X-planes as well as test new materials like the heat-resistant tiles used on the Space Shuttle.

Florida-based launch firm CubeCab has designed rockets small enough to act as the source of launch propulsion for the tiny satellites. The small rockets will be attached to the F-104’s former rocket pylons beneath the wing. The launches are expected to take place once the F-104s, leased from Starfighters Inc., have reached altitudes near 60,000 feet.

CubeCab’s chief operating officer Dustin Still believes a launch should be able to happen in as little as 30 days from order to orbit. He hopes the Starfighters will be ready to begin launching CubeSats sometime next year.

tags: f104 launches satelites , nathan finneman , breed of speed , fighter jet , nasa , space , rocket , f104 ,

Lockheed-Martin’s Newest Jet Completes First Flight

2/21/2017

Lockheed-Martin has announced that their latest trainer jet the T-50A has completed a successful test flight. As fighter jets continue to evolve so should the methods of learning to fly them. The Lockheed-Martin T-50A was designed for the purpose of training pilots to prepare them for fifth-generation fighter jets.The T-50A emphasizes Advanced Pilot Training (APT) for modern aerial combat for fighters such as the F-22 and F-35. The advanced version of the T-50A has completed its first test flight and will move forward towards being the trainer of tomorrow’s pilots.

“Lockheed Martin’s accompanying T-50A Ground-Based Training System features innovative technologies that deliver an immersive, synchronized ground-based training platform. The T-50A team also brings extensive experience in world-class, worldwide logistics support.”

The testing facility in Greenville, South Carolina has flown a pair of these new jets together with stellar results. Pilots are pleased with the ease of use, low-cost and low-risk flight after the inaugural tests. Footage in this clip demonstrates the capabilities from this new advanced trainer as it enters the realm of pilot training.

tags: jet , t50 , nathan finneman , breed of speed, usaf trainner

Heroic Ace Pilot Reunites With His P-51 After 65 Years

1/11/2017

Clayton Kelly Gross is a man with many stories to tell about his aerial battles during World War II. Gross has so many stories about his time flying a P-51 Mustang that he even wrote a book about them. Now after 65 years this heroic pilot is reunited with the plane that changed his life.

t is a truly heartwarming sight to see a veteran pilot back with his plane after such a long time. Clayton Gross managed to score 8.5 kills in his P-51 Mustang and was one of the first pilots to shoot down a Messerschmitt Me 262. His Mustang with the nickname Live Bait came from a mission where his wingmen told him to fly low and visible to draw out enemies while the rest of them remained high in the clouds.

Clayton and Live Bait saw a fair share of action during the war, enough for his book which is also named Live Bait. It’s great to see the joy on his face from the reunion and even better that he still has a sense of humor about his experiences.

“I told the pilot on the plane that flew me here, I said. I’m on board if you need help. I’ve never flown a jet but I shot one down it shouldn’t be too hard.”

– Clayton Kelly Gross

Clayton and his war tales with Live Bait are too good to be missed, check them out in this clip

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