The Great Race of 2009

Once again the Great Race was an exciting one. In the stock class, "38" took first in the first heat, but took fourth place overall. That's a two spot drop from last year. Next year I will bring home the Woods Cross 5th Ward X Cup.

In the modified class, "N3811H" did a great job flying down the track. "N3811H" is a slightly modified version of a DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver. The main modification is the engine. I didn't have a radial engine, but I did have a small electric engine from an Air Hog plane. It was a fun one to build and will be hard to top next year.

Boeing 314 Clipper

The Boeing 314 Clipper was built as a transatlantic airliner as an agreement between Boeing and Pan American World Airlines. The 314 was first flown in 1938 with the first passenger flight in 1939. The 314 could carry up to 74 passengers which made it the largest airliner in the world. During WWII the Department of Defense bought five 314 mainly as transports for top officials. The 314 was retired from Pan American in 1946 due to more efficient land based aircraft. The last 314 was retired from service in 1950.

Speifications

Powerplant ...... 4 x Wright GR-2600 Twin Cyclone, 14 valve, air-cooled radials

Length..........................106 ft 0 in

Height............................27 ft 7 in

Wing Span...................152 ft 0 in

Maximum Speed................199 mph

Maximum Range................3,500 miles

Service Ceiling....................13,400 feet

I'm Back, for now.

Those of you who diligently check my blog for new posts, you have probably been wondering what I have been doing the past month and a half. Due to my very limited time since the beginning of January, I have been working two jobs. First I head off to the base at 0400 and come home (most of the time) at 1530. I am home anywhere from a half an hour to an hour before I have to leave for my second job. The great thing about my second job is that I get paid about $40.00 an hour, it only last three months, the location varies, most of my coworkers are great to work with, I get to exercise, and customers like to yell at me, but have no influence. I like my second job, but the time has come for it to end. Yes, I love officiating high school basketball. Now what am I going to do with all my extra time. Melissa already has that planned out. Time to finish the basement. I don't know when I will be posting again, but hopefully soon. It might be a plane or some rambling like this one. Nobody knows what it will be until I post it. I need to shut up now, so everybody, have fun.

Lockheed Vega

The Lockheed Vega is a four passenger aircraft that was first introduced in 1927. The Vega was considered to small for passenger service, so in 1929 the Vega was improved with a bigger engine and two more passenger seat were added. The Vega was built for speed in which it proved by setting a number of aviation speed records. The Vega was also built to last. The Vega is also known as the aircraft that Amelia Earhart flew when she became the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic. Wiley Post used his Vega to fly around the world twice. Both of those Vegas are on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. There were 132 Vegas built and only six exist today.

Specifications

Powerplant........................1 x Pratt & Whitney R1340C

Length................................27 ft 6 in

Height................................8 ft 6 in

Wing Span.........................41 ft 0 in

Maximum Speed..............185 mph

Maximum Range..............725 miles

Service Ceiling..................15,000 feet