NEWSPIX
In addition to pictures from my files or those borrowed from news sources, I receive a great many email photos from friends and associates. Some are real "News Pix," some are pictures of the sender's airplane (you are invited to send yours, please), others are "doctored" just for fun. Check here often to see what's new:
Subject: FW: VMU Test A380
A380 performs low speed takeoffs.
Equipped with a special tail bumper, (see sparks)the A380 performed a series of
spectacular low speed takeoff tests to determine the optimal slat
and flap settings for commercial service.
These tests, known as VMU (Vitesse
Minimum
Unstick) are carried out to check the different slat and flap
configurations that will be used in-service.
Whee..
New Arrival
The F22, on its way to Langley AFB, VA to "join up."
Turning final to Langley.
Touchdown.
Welcome, Tiger.
Tempel 1
In case you missed it:
July 4th, 2005. The impactor craft from the Deep Impact spacecraft hits the
Tempel 1 comet "dead on," spewing material that gives earth-bound scientists
all kinds of new information about the formation and life of comets.
The picture was taken by the mothership's High-Res camera as it swept on by,
transmitting the shots to the folks back home.
 Another viewpoint in the Missing Man formation, sent to us by Joe McGuire. Thanks, Joe.
 It's an optical illusion, thank the Lord. They're so big they look like they're colliding, but they're not. They're on final to the parallel runways at SFO..well and truly separated.
The following was collected by Colonel Manfred Rietsch, USMC (Ret) and forwarded to us by Bob Button of Jersey City, NJ. Our thanks to both of them for a really special story:
 DC-2 at Long Beach, CA. on November 2.
Colonel Rietsch, November 2, 2004: "Semper Fi. Some of my fellow workers have been restoring the only flyable DC-2 in the US. The project is complete and it will be flying to Seattle tomorrow (Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004) and inducted into the Air Museum at Boeing Field. The following is an article from the local newspaper on its history. I was privileged to fly the DC-3 early in my career and I get almost misty eyed thinking about this one."
As reported in Long Beach: The skies over Long Beach, at least the always-interesting skies over Bixby Knolls and California Heights, will have a decidedly retro look for a few glorious moments Wednesday morning as a vintage Douglas DC-2, the last flyable one in America, takes to the sky on its final flight. The magnificent twin-prop, 18- seater DC-2, is heading to its plush new home in a hangar, protected from the elements, at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. This particular DC-2 came off the line as No. 77 (out of 156), on March 13, 1935, to join the fleet of Pan American Airways. No. 77 flew commercially in the U.S. for a couple of years before Pan Am transferred it to Mexicana Airlines. In 1953, the plane came back to the States, where it was purchased by Johnson Flying Service, out of Missoula, Montana, and served mainly to carry fire jumpers to battle forest fires. In 1974, it was donated to the Donald W. Douglas Museum and Library in Santa Monica, where it suffered corrosion from the salt air from the nearby Pacific. Eventually, a small and devoted group of former McDonnell Douglas/Boeing employees began to put No. 77 back together in showcase shape, and, after putting more than $150,000 and 16,000 volunteer hours into the project, they succeeded. If you're near the Long Beach Airport, especially on its west side, it'll be worth the effort to glance up at around 9:30 a.m. to watch No. 77, christened Donald W. Douglas by the volunteers who got it back into flying shape, to grab the sky one last time.
Oh, boy..how straight can you go???
747 on final to Rand Airport, South Africa (elevation 5568 feet with a 4898' long x 50' wide runway!)
Whoa, Nellie!!Paul McVickar, old USAF and Hurricane Hunter driver, sent these spectacular shots along through our mutual friend, John Primm of USAF TV. Paul says this is one of South African Airways 74's being flown into retirement. Some grand finale!! The 747-100 outer-to-outer main gear tire width is 41.33 ft. Empty aircraft Vref was 115 kts! Right on the center line.
The happy (and relieved) crew. Sorry, we don't have their names. Can anybody supply them?
These ought to make your day..
Artist's illustration of the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn. Photos supplied by NASA (who else?).
 Lord of the Rings.
Aiming to pass through the outer rings.
Magnificent.
In the "Uh-oh, wrong button" category..
Here she comes..
There she goes..
Nobody hurt, thank God.
Click to continue. . .
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