Month: July 2025

My Favorite “Dinosaur”

/ niffer90 / 2 Comments
A dino made of drones.

WordPress offers up a daily prompt to encourage people to write more often. Since this is an aviation blog and the prompts typically have nothing to do with aviation, I usually don’t bother to look at them. But what if I try to provide an aviation response to a throroughly non-aviation question? Hmmm… sounds like a challenge! So here I go.

Prompt

Today’s prompt is: if you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be? First I think I need to define what an avaition dinosaur is. To honor the spirit of the prompt I think it must be an airplane type that is no longer flying anywhere. This cuts out planes I’d be tempted to name, like the Lockheed Constellation (there are at least a couple still flying) or the F-14 Tomcat (Iran still uses them, darn it!).

There are two of these flying so… not a dinosaur.

The prompt also states that I can bring back ONE dinosaur. That’s painful because there are several airplanes I’d like to bring back. I mean really – how on earth can I choose just one???

Honorable Mentions

OK, I’m going to cheat by listing some contenders before I tell you the ONE “dinosaur” that I’d bring back. These planes are all amazing and I just have to give them a mention!

PB2Y Coronado

This airplane takes the concept of a flying boat to a whole new level in that it is impossibly huge. (And you all know how much I love big planes!) The Coronado was used during WWII as both a patrol plane and a bomber. Frankly, they could have used it as an ark if they wanted to because you could easily fit a zoo inside. That’s probably why it was often also used as a military transport. At the end of the war most of them were decommissioned with many being scrapped and others being used for target practice. (Argh! Stop using beautiful old planes as target practice!) A few apparently found their was into civil service including one that went to Howard Hughes to use to practice water landings for flight of the Spruce Goose – another amazing plane that could be on this list… but isn’t.

XB-70 Valkyrie

Ah, the Valkyrie! Be still my beating heart! There’s just something about this plane. Not only is it a dino, but an incredibly rare one as only two were ever made and neither entered actual service. The point of the Valkyrie was to fly fast. Really, really fast. Over Mach 3. The theory being that you cannot be intercepted if you cannot be caught. But there were limitations to its capabilities and the advent of things like intercontinental ballistic missles made it less useful than expected. Plus the fuel bill had to be enormous. The planes continued to be used for supersonic test flights but then one of them had a mid-air collision with another plane during a photo shoot and was destroyed. So the decision was made to park the other at the USAF Museum, which is great for me because I get to visit regularly.

Drum roll, please! My one dinosaur is…

The SR-71 Blackbird!

Who doesn’t love the Blackbird? It (and its variants) were pretty much everything you want an airplane to be. It flew fast, was loud, and looked futuristic yet menacing at the same time. And it managed to be super stealthy. Like the Valkyrie, it could fly Mach 3+. It could also fly at high altitudes making it quite good for aerial reconnaissance. It was used in that role during the Vietnam War to keep an eye on North Vietnam. Later in life it was used to monitor Soviet activity. According to Wikipedia it was also used in the search for DB Cooper which, frankly, seems like a bit of overkill. The Blackbird was retired then reactivated a couple of times. It retired for good in 1999, after which the remaining planes and variants were dispersed aviation museums.

So there you have it – if I could bring back one dinosaur it would be the Blackbird. Yes, yes – I know! All those airplanes are military. Well it is MY list after all! Make up a list of your own and let me know what dino you’d bring back.

OSH25 – Fisk Arrival and a Hot Night

/ niffer90 / 4 Comments
Photo by Logan Lynch

My coverage of Airventure continues! The weather was nice… mostly. The airplanes are amazing… always! And adventure is everywhere.

Tuesday

The day began in the most awesome way possible – we went flying! Mike (Flying and Life Podcast) decided to take his airplane out for a spin and he took me and Logan (my intrepid photographer) along. This meant I had to get up early. And I had to skip donuts. But it was soooo worth it!

Aerial view of the South 40

Mike camped in vintage near the South 40 so I hopped a bus and met him near his plane. Logan helped push it out of its parking spot and we all hopped in. Taxiing at Osh is almost as fun as flying (at least from the passenger perspective). It is cool to see Boeing Plaza from the airfield point of view. Also, until you fly you may not appreciate all the marshallers and ATC personnel out on the field, moving things along.

What a wind farm looks like from above.

We departed from 18R. The original plan had been to fly over Airventure but a layer of haze prevented that. So we flew around a bit then headed to Green Lake to get in line for the Fisk arrival. Mike got to “rock his wings” and then we headed in to land back on 18R. In case you were wondering, it’s quite a turn to final!

Flight path

After we landed we taxiied down to Mike’s campsite and parked the airplane back where it had been. I can now say I’ve flown the Fisk arrival as a passenger twice. Can confirm – it’s an amazing experience no matter how many times you do it.

A video overview of the flight!

The rest of the morning was spent in warbirds then back down to Mike’s plane to watch the air show. We were just off the end of the runway where we got some pretty great shots of the action – particularly of take-offs and landings.

Photo by Logan Lynch

Wednesday

The day kicked off with rain. I had hoped to get to the media center before it arrived but I was riding the struggle bus and just couldn’t get my act together. So… I was pretty wet by the time I got there. But I dried out quickly, helped along by donuts and coffee.

Photo by Victor Andrew Karrels – his first time using a “real” camera and taking pics at Osh. And he’s better than me already, dang it!

The rest of the morning was spent wandering through the Fly-Mart as well as the exhibit hangars. The Fly-Mart is an aviation-themed flea-market where you can find anything from aircraft parts to airline seats to memorabilia. They also have non-aviation items. I always check out the car-related booths to see if there is anything for my 1954 MG.

Photo by Victor Andrew Karrels

In the afternoon I attended a forum presented by the Airline Dispatchers Federation (ADF). Several of my friends were participating so I was pleased to see a large crowd in attendance. The rest of the day I spent dodging the heat – in the Lifetime Member Oasis (where there are free drinks and snacks plus AC and nice potties) and in the Media Center.

Drone tribute to Rob Holland.

The evening brought the first night air show of the week. In many ways it is the crown jewel event of Airventure. Even if you don’t care anything about aviation, you are going to love the night show. Every year I think EAA will not be able to outdo the prior year. And yet every year they manage. This year they added lasers to the already spectacular line-up of aircraft, drones and fireworks. If you can only visit Airventure for one full day, make that day Wednesday. I promise you won’t regret it.

The night show has it all!

That’s it for me for Osh 2025. I hope to be back next year and I really hope I see YOU there!

OSH 2025 – Mass Arrivals and Test Beds

/ niffer90 / 4 Comments
Planes and more planes and more planes.

Well here we are – day one of Airventure is in the books and things are truly under way. As is always the case, the fun actually starts before the show begins.

Saturday

If you read my last post then you may recall that I gave myself a “stretch goal” of getting to Osh early enough to see the Bonanza mass arrival, I was up and on the road early Saturday to get there before noon. As it turned out there was no need to hurry – the arrival was pushed back till later in the day. This was first really big mass arrival I’ve ever seen and it did NOT disappoint.

Many Bonanzas

I was watching from the North 40 so when they began to arrive they looked like specks in the sky. Many, many, many specks. And they just kept coming. A long line of Bonanzas was taxiing by to their camping area and still planes were landing – over 120 in all.

Sunday

Aren’t you a little short for a 747?

Osh is a marathon and not a sprint. As a result I wanted to take it easy and save my feet for all the walking I’d be doing during the week. I found a nice spot along the runway and spent the afternoon watching planes land and taxi by. Some of the more interesting planes to come in were the Lcokheed Constellation (one of very few still flying), the Boeing 747 SP Pratt and Whitney test platform and the Dragon Lady. That’s right – a U2 spy plane landed at Airventure. As you may know, a chase car is used to help the U2 pilot coordinate the landing. In this case they used a chase truck.

Connie!

Monday

The very first thing I did upon arrival on the grounds was get donuts and coffee. Hey – they are REALLY good donuts! But the next thing I did was tour the Boeing 747 SP. From the front it looks like a regular 747. From the side it looks oddly stunted. This is because it is much shorter than a regular 747. Apparently it was built in response to requests from airlines for a smaller plane. Makes sense. But looks strange. Adding to the strangeness is a bump just outside the cockpit where test engines can be fitted.

Where test engines are attached.
Computers.

Most of the interior is taken up by computer servers and then rows of desks and monitors. A crew of 12 are capable of testing engines with up to 25,000 lbs of thrust. The plane can go up to 45,000 feet. I took pictures and texted them to my boss to tell her I found our new mobile office. She replied that only if we can get it cheap. Darn.

My desk! (I wish)

Oh More to come… Tuesday is looking great to far! A preview:

South 40 – from the air!

Osh Madness – 2025 Edition

/ niffer90 / 5 Comments
The view from the ATC tower during Osh week.

Well hello there, intrepid readers. If you are still lurking about on this blog I commend you! I’m sorry that I have been away so long. I was on a bit of a roll towards the end of last year. But then the holidays came. Then I got the flu. Then other life events happened. I woke up this morning to discover that somehow it is already July and Airventure Oshkosh is only a week away. Time to get a new post out! As usual there’s lots of interesting and exciting events scheduled for this year. Here are a few of the things I’m most looking forward to.

Pratt & Whitney Flying Test Bed (747SP)

You guys know how much I love big planes. (C-5!) You also know how much I love odd planes. (Super Guppy!) well the P&W Flying Test Bed is the best of both worlds. It’s a giant 747 with an odd growth on the side of its face. I cannot wait to see it!

Super Guppy

Goodyear’s Good Year

Goodyear is bringing not one but TWO blimps to Osh this year to celebrate 100 years of airships. I believe one of them will be in a retro livery. Hoping I can sneak a close-up look at some point during the week.

A Boatload of Bonanzas

OK, I don’t know what the official term is for a group of Bonanzas, but whatever it is I’m hoping to be there to see it in person when the Bonanza mass arrival happens on Saturday. This is a bit of a stretch goal. The arrival is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00pm and I’m going to have to hustle to get on location in time. Cross your fingers for me! My “phantastic” photographer Logan is back this year and participating in the arrival so even if I miss it, he’ll hopefully have pics to share.

Meow

Old Friends

The Connie is scheduled to return this year. So is the Flight of the Cats (Wildcat, Bearcat, Tigercat, Hellcat). And, as always, I hope to meet up with my dear friend Old Crow, the P-51 Mustang. I hope to meet up with many human friends too. Perhaps I’ll see YOU there!

Connie!

Keep an eye on this space during Osh week for updates. I plan to post lots of pics and video on social media as well so I hope you’ll check them out. I’m on:

Twitter (I refuse to call it “X”): @Jen_Niffer

Blue Sky: @Jen-Niffer

Instagram: @talesfromtheterminal

Stay tuned!

F-14 at the Sullenberger Aviation museum.