The Legacy Flight Museum: Perks of Being a Volunteer

On my previous post, I did say I started volunteering at the Legacy Flight Museum located at Rexburg, Idaho. I started volunteering earlier this month and I wanted to do so while I'm here for part of the year while studying at Brigham Young University-Idaho. That way, I can learn more about aviation, be around the aircraft, and hopefully, make a small contribution (namely my time) to promote aviation and some of the history behind it. I love being around planes since I was a kid and needless to say, I have been enjoying every minute of volunteering thus far. I was told there are a few perks from being a volunteer. Though I haven't been working at the museum as long as others have, I have found enjoyment out it because every time I'm there, I learn something whenever I'm around the aircraft and the displays and I get to meet people as well.

Meeting People

Responsibilities as a volunteer varies, but one of my favorite things to do is give museum patrons a tour of the place (if they desire) and tell them about the aircraft and artifacts. Since volunteering, I've given tours to fellow college students who happened to find out the museum, scouting groups, families, and even fellow aviation enthusiasts. Just being able to talk to people about these sort of things overall have helped me to venture a little further out of my comfort zone (more or less because I have to if I'm going to give visitors tours!). And of course when I first started volunteering, there are the people who work at the museum as well; so I've already met good people when I started volunteering. As I've gotten to know the people who are dedicated to the Legacy Flight Museum, the greater the motivation I've gotten, to pursue my ambitions related to aviation. Since meeting the staff, I've come to respect them as well. To me, they are my superiors; they're the ones I answer to whenever I take time to volunteer there and I have nothing but respect for them.

Learning Backgrounds and Hearing Stories

What's considered the "centerpieces" of the museum regarding aircraft are the few World War II-era aircraft displayed such as the three P-51 Mustang fighters (Bob Hoover's famous Ole Yeller, the Mormon Mustang, and Section Eight) as well as a rare, flying example of the P-63 Kingcobra, an aircraft that saw more service in Soviet hands through the Lend-Lease program. The Kingcobra is considered rare because there are not many airworthy examples of it in the world out of about 15 total airframes that are still intact. Every single aircraft has a place in history as well as more personalized stories behind them.

I mentioned before that Ole Yeller was the pace plane for many years at the Reno National Championship Air Races:

Ole Yeller as it's seen in 2013. 

Section Eight as it's seen in 2009.

The Mormon Mustang as seen in 2014.

The museum's P-63 Kingcobra as it's seen in 2014, along with everything else currently housed and displayed.

Of course, the museum houses other aircraft as well. Some are non-military and I learned some things I didn't know before about these kinds of aircraft. Examples include the Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing:

The museum's Staggerwing

The Staggerwing was the premier corporate aircraft back in the day, just like how we see the Lear Jet is fulfilling that role today. It also got the name Staggerwing because the of the atypical negative stagger in its wings (the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing).

Another aircraft I learned more about since volunteering is the Howard DGA-15:

The museum's DGA-15

It's an interesting story on how the DGA-15 got its designation... Whether it's true or not, legend says a Chicago bootlegger asked the Howard Aircraft Corporation (Not Howard Hughes, mind you; it would be Hughes Aircraft if it was designed by Howard Hughes!) during the Prohibition  to make an airplane that can haul 15 cases of whiskey, hence the 15 in the DGA-15 designation. It makes sense it was a Chicago bootlegger because the factory that made the planes was based in Chicago at what's now the Chicago Midway International Airport (formerly Chicago Municipal Airport). The company presented the aircraft that was hoped to meet the requirements and bootlegger took the aircraft for a spin. Once he finished the flight, the bootlegger said "That's a damn good airplane!", hence the letters, DGA (standing for "Damn Good Airplane"). Did I know that before? Not until I started volunteering.

A Labor of Love/Being Around What I Love

I volunteered because I just love being around airplanes. My grandfather loved it, two of my uncles (who still fly privately) love it, and my dad loves it as well. My grandfather even volunteered at the museum a few years back. What's unique about the Legacy Flight Museum is that all the aircraft housed there is operational and they can be seen flying at one time or another. Of course, it is costly to keep these sort of pieces of history flying. But those who contribute their time and/or money do it out of love for these airplanes. The Mormon Mustang, which was acquired not too long after the museum was opened suffered a mishap and crashed on the U.S. 20 highway median that goes through Rexburg back in 2006. But the aircraft was properly restored and brought back to airworthy status.

One aircraft with a story in how it came to the museum is the Grumman Tracker which was acquired by the museum in the summer of 2013:

The Grumman Tracker on display

Museum staff flew the aircraft from Ontario, Oregon to Rexburg with the landing gears down because not everything was all-systems-go with the aircraft. Before coming to the museum, it sat in a hangar in Ontario dormant for a few years, with wings folded. The owner who previously owned the aircraft had made plans to donate it to the Legacy Flight Museum because he knew the aircraft would continue to survive there rather than be possible parted out or scrapped. However, the man died before he got see it go to the museum. It was his wife who made sure the Tracker would get to the museum, fulfilling the previous owner's desire for the aircraft.

It's stories like these that make me appreciate the people who dedicate their lives to preserve historical aircraft, whether they're airworthy or static museum pieces. For me it's easy to experience the perks of volunteering because I love it. I love meeting people who come to see the museum, I love giving these people tours and explaining what I know about these planes, and of course, I love being around these planes.

Gallery Update: Legacy Flight Museum Revisit

I'm jumping at a unique opportunity while I'm at Rexburg. Though I technically visited the Legacy Flight Museum last June for the fly-in open house, I haven't spent time in the hangar that's actually the museum since 2009 so I decided to go and see what's new. I also stated my interest in volunteering at the museum and I'm going to do so every once in a while when I'm available so I am looking forward to that! Because I'm volunteering, I'm going to occasionally update this photo album whenever changes happen. Anyways, here's my latest in photo updates:

Legacy Flight Museum (Revisits)

Cell Phone Pictures (Update)

Here's a taste what I saw today:

The latest addition to the museum is this McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk painted in a Blue Angels livery. Unlike other aircraft that are in and out of the museum, this one is not airworthy. Plus, the Rexburg Airport runway is too short to handle one of these...

The museum is home to one of only three airworthy examples of the Bell P-63 Kingcobra.

I also got a chance of a lifetime when they allowed me to sit in the cockpit of the P-63:

Special thanks to the guys at the museum for allowing me such an opportunity!

I'm 5' 10" and the ideal pilot for the Kingcobra is 5' 6" if that says anything! When I sat down, it definitely felt a little cramped. Getting in and out was a little delicate as well because unlike traditional fighter aircraft, entry into the cockpit of the P-63 was through side doors (mounted on either side of the cockpit) instead of a sliding canopy normally seen on say, a P-51D Mustang.

Amazing Aircraft: The MiG-17, a Once Feared Sight

Cold War-era Russian-built aircraft have a uniqueness all on their own, and fighter aircraft like the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 falls into that category. Sixty-four years ago today, the Russian MiG-17 took to the skies for the very first on its maiden flight (January 14, 1950). Known as 'Fresco' under the NATO reporting name (as 'Type 38' by U.S. Air Force designation prior to development of NATO codes), the MiG-17 was developed from the MiG-15 (NATO code-name: 'Fagot') with a longer fuselage, a new thinner and more highly swept wing design and tailplane in order to reach near supersonic speeds. The MiG-17 is in fact a high-subsonic fighter but was able to fly at supersonic speeds in a shallow dive. It is technically one of the first fighter aircraft to have afterburning turbojet engines.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
The 'F' model was one of the very first variants, thus making this one a rare airframe.

The aircraft was widely exported, seeing service with air forces in the Soviet Union, other communist nations, several countries in the Middle East, as well as some African countries. The fighter is still active in service with air forces in North Korea, Mali, and Tanzania. The MiG-17 first saw combat action in 1958 in the skies over the Straits of Taiwan. It also saw extensive action in the Vietnam War, flying for the then-fledgling North Vietnamese Air Force, sometimes shocking American fighter communities by downing superior, technologically advanced aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief, F-4 Phantom, and F-8 Crusader. As a result, the U.S. Air Force acquired MiG-17s and other Soviet-built fighters through the HAVE DRILL program to properly train American pilots in successfully combating the communist aircraft in the Vietnam War.

The results of HAVE DRILL improved the kill ratio against the MiG-17 and there are now privately owned airframes flying and on display in the United States. Today, the Federal Aviation Authority lists at least 27 privately owned MiG-17s in the United States, in addition to license-built versions like the Polish PZL-Mielec Lim-5/6 and the Chinese Shenyang J-5 (F-5 when exported).

A privately owned PZL-Mielec Lim-5 (a licensed MiG-17F) taxiing during an air show.

Unlike its predecessor the MiG-15, the MiG-17 and its license-build copies were capable of going into afterburner thanks to advancement in engine technology, helping it to be able to reach near-supersonic speeds.

A PZL-Mielec Lim-6 on display at the Tillamook Air Museum; Tillamook, Oregon.

Having been operated by numerous air forces in many countries in many variants, over 11,000 MiG-17s were produced, including license-built versions from Poland and China. It has it's place in Cold War history as one of most feared sights in combat aviation from the perspective of the western world. As is the case with many rare and often foreign aircraft originating from the other side of the world, it is a privilege to see military aircraft like the Russian MiG-17 in person and more so when they take to the skies in air shows; it only gives you a small taste of what it must have been like to see this aircraft in action. Let's wish this venerable, former-adversary a happy 64th birthday.

Gallery Update: St. Anthony Pattern. Starting the New Year Out Right!

Back in Idaho getting ready for school.... School's not in session officially until after the weekend but I'd say I started the new year out right by going flying with my uncle in the St. Anthony pattern. That also means I snapped a few (not a lot) photos during this opportunity. I also started a new album and I decided to title it "General Aviation Wings". Like my commercial travel album, this one will but updated regularly but instead of the view of a wing from a commercial aircraft, this album is reserved for general aviation flights. Here are the links:

St. Anthony (U12) 4

General Aviation Wings

The weather was surprisingly gorgeous and that made for really good lighting. In fact, my uncle requested a digital copy of the following photo of his aircraft:

Clearing skies, perfect lighting, and winter conditions made this a very nice shot of an otherwise, plain aircraft.
(Sorry! Bad pun!)

Gallery Review: New Year's Montage 2013

Greetings to you all!

I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! It's that time of year again; time to continue a personal blogging tradition I started doing last year by presenting to you another montage of some of my best photos taken during the year 2013. This year wasn't the greatest in terms of what aircraft I was able to photograph due to me spending half of the year studying at school, plus a few factors outside my control (like the sequester, to name something!), but I kept my passion burning as best as I could. Enjoy the following photos!

Commercial Aircraft Spotting:

Alaska Airlines (Horizon Air) De Havilland Canada DHC-8-401Q Dash 8 Q400 (N407QX) in Oregon Ducks livery departing Portland International Airport (PDX).
Portland, Oregon.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N592AS) push-back from gate for departure from PDX.
Portland, Oregon.

So nice to see some of the old United tulip colors on the regional jets.
SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a United Express) Canadair CL-600-2C10 CRJ-702/ER (N796SK) taxiing for departure from Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO).
Reno, Nevada.

American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (N499AA) taxiing up to the gate after arrival at RNO. Catch these 'Mad Dogs' while you still can! And catch AA's livery like this one while you still can!
Reno, Nevada.

Bombardier BD-700-1A10 Global Express (N304CC) parked on the general aviation ramp at PDX.
Portland, Oregon.

Museum Shots:

FACE OFF! With the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum's Messerschmitt Me-262 reproduction replica.
McMinnville, Oregon.

ANOTHER FACE OFF!! With the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum's Focke-Wulf FW-190 reproduction replica.
McMinnville, Oregon.

ONE MORE FACE OFF!!! With the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum's newly acquired Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 'Flogger'.
McMinnville, Oregon.

A rather captivating evening shot of the main part of the museum with the Hughes H-4 Hercules 'Spruce Goose' visible inside and an F-14 Tomcat and a MiG-29 also visible. Note the road leading up to the building is painted like an airport runway!
McMinnville, Oregon.

Tillamook Air Museum's PZL-Mielec Lim-6 (N2503N) sporting a unique arctic camouflage.
Tillamook, Oregon.

One of only four left in existence, this Martin AM-1 Mauler (N7163M) can also be found at the Tillamook Air Museum.
Tillamook, Oregon.

This Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa Hayabusa 'Oscar' (N43JE) at the Tillamook Air Museum is a Texas Airplane Factory replica and is the only airworthy example of the type in the world.
Tillamook, Oregon.

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (NX47DA) on display at the Tillamook Air Museum.
Tillamook, Oregon.

Air Shows/Events:

P-51D Mustang (N551BJ) nicknamed 'Mormon Mustang' of the Legacy Flight Museum.
Rexburg, Idaho.

P-51D Mustang (N51RH) nicknamed 'Ole Yeller' taxiing at Rexburg-Madison County Airport (RXE).
Rexburg, Idaho.

Hawker Hunter F51 (N611JR) on static display at the Oregon International Air Show.
Hillsboro, Oregon.

The Classic Aviation Museum's PZL-Mielec Lim-5 (N1426D) in afterburner during the Oregon International Air Show.
Hillsboro, Oregon.

With red, white, and blue smoke, the Patriots Jet Team does their thing as the main headliner in their six L-39C Albatross at the Oregon International Air Show.
Hillsboro, Oregon.

A brand new tri-jet is a rarity these days! A Dassault Falcon 900LX (N265LX) in a demo flight during the Reno Air Races.
Reno, Nevada.

Patriots Jet Team also performed in Reno this year as well so I got to see them twice! Smoke on and they're showing off their LED wingtip lights installed by Fry's Electronics.
Reno, Nevada.

Okay, it's not an airplane but the Coin Force Smoke 'n Thunder jet dragster is always an air show favorite; especially when there's some fire involved!
Reno, Nevada.

The British always had some cool names for their planes... The Commemorative Air Force's Supermarine 379 Spitfire FR14 parked in the pits during the Reno Air Races.
Reno, Nevada.

I was so thrilled to see this Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero (N712Z) of the Commemorative Air Force fly this year at the Reno Air Races.
Reno, Nevada.

It's always nice to catch aircraft from different parts of the world and a Brazilian Embraer is no exception! This years Jet Class Pace Plane at the Reno Air Races was this Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 (N900HT).
Reno, Nevada.

Racers for the 2013 Unlimited Warbird Class lined up for the final Gold Heat race waiting for the Pace Plane. In the foreground are the Patriot Jet Team's L-39s parked on the ramp.
Reno, Nevada.

Happy New Years everyone! The year 2013 is over, and in the world of aviation, we have seen quite a lot of things (both good and bad) play out this year:

• The 787 Dreamliner getting grounded for three months due to battery problems.
• U.S. Government sequester grounding much of the military from performing at air shows; many air shows throughout the country were cancelled.
• Drama concerning the merger of American Airlines and US Airways which eventually did go through.
• 2013 saw over 20 major incidents and accidents worldwide.
• Allowing the use of electronic devices on flights even during take-off/landing.

As for me, I did what I could keeping my passion for aviation alive. May the year 2014 be full great things to come, including more awesome photos! AND hopefully a better air show season this year, with military jets and demos!

Regards from your fellow aviation enthusiast,

Michael with a "K"

Amazing Aircraft: The DC-10, the End of an Era

This day marks the end of an era in commercial aviation with the final day of scheduled passenger service for the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines. The DC-10, an amazing aircraft for it's time has the distinct feature of being a tri-jet, with two engines mounted under the wing and the other being mounted on top of the rear fuselage under the vertical stabilizer. Introduced in the early 1970s, the DC-10 fulfilled an industry need for an innovate aircraft smaller than jumbo jets like the Boeing 747 with capabilities to operate long-distance routes to and from airports with shorter runways. Depending on the configuration, the aircraft is capable of carrying up to 380 passengers with a range of medium- to long-haul operations.

Despite it's role and unique design, the aircraft type was involved in several accidents that gave it an unfavorable reputation. Major incidents include American Airlines Flight 96 and Turkish Airlines Flight 981, where the aircraft cargo door design had mechanical issues. Then there was American Airlines Flight 191, where one of the wing-mounted engines detached after taking off from Chicago, damaging the leading edge of the wing and causing the ill-fated DC-10 to roll and crash, killing 271 people on board plus two on the ground. The main culprit of this major accident was improper maintenance procedures carried out by the airline during the engine removal process. And the most famous DC-10 accident would have to be United Airlines Flight 232, when it made a crash landing in Sioux City, Iowa caused when the aircraft lost its hydraulic systems vital for flight control after an uncontained engine failure in the rear engine. The engine failure that started the chain events was caused by a manufacturing defect in the engine fan blades. The Sioux City crash, made famous due to television coverage, killed 111 passengers while 185 survived.

Wired Magazine even called the DC-10 "the fifth worst stupid engineering mistake in history." But what would those at Wired know? Pilots who have flown the DC-10 describe it as reliable, fun to fly, roomy, and quiet, even comparing it to like flying an old Cadillac Fleetwood. Despite improving safety records, as design flaws were properly addressed and resolved, it would be one of the final nails in the coffin for the DC-10 as public confidence in the aircraft was never restored. The DC-10 had it's share of accidents; but let's keep in mind that popular and iconic commercial airliners like the Boeing 737 and Boeing 747 has a fatal accident-rate close to the DC-10.

The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 would be later succeeded by the MD-11, similar in design but larger both in the wings and fuselage, and with the addition of winglets.

An MD-11F operated by FedEx Express. FedEx currently operates the world's largest cargo air fleet and also the world's largest operator of the MD-11.

McDonnell Douglas would eventually merge with Boeing with the latter being the surviving company. After the merge, Boeing continued production of the MD-11 and also conducted an upgrade program for old DC-10s by equipping several aircraft with glass cockpits, leading to the re-designation as MD-10s; this upgrade eliminated the need for a three-person crew and allowed a common type rating with MD-11. This allowed airlines like FedEx Express, which operates both MD-10s and MD-11s to have a common pilot pool for both aircraft.

A FedEx Express-operated MD-10, a DC-10 that received the glass cockpit upgrade from Boeing. FedEx is also the world's largest operator of the DC-10/MD-10 type.

There is also a military variant of the DC-10 introduced in the 1980s used for aerial refueling, designated as the KC-10 Extender.

A United States Air Force KC-10 Extender on static display at an air show.

As an aviation enthusiast and aircraft spotter, it is a sad day to see DC-10 retired from scheduled passenger service. But at least we will still be seeing them operational in cargo and military services in the years to come. However, we all probably know that in some time, the retirement of cargo and military DC-10 variants are somewhere around the corner.

The deciding factors that have sealed the DC-10's fate is operational costs and fuel consumption. Newer, two-engine aircraft consume less fuel, making the tri-jets and even four-engine airliners (like the Boeing 747 and Airbus A340) expensive to operate. The original DC-10s also required a three-man crew (Captain, First Officer, and Flight Engineer), which is a rarity in the commercial aviation industry today and also another costly factor for the airlines that operate them.

Let us say "good-bye" and salute to an old commercial aviation workhorse. May it's legacy of troubled beginnings, public doubts, and major improvements be one for the history books.

Gallery Update: A Dark Morning at PDX

I am pretty much kicking myself now... I had to drive up to PDX this morning so my sister could catch her flight back to Utah. After dropping her off, of course I would take some time to go planespotting at my usual place. Unfortunately, it was still dark outside so I wasn't able to photograph half of what I saw, which was frustrating because there was some really good air traffic activities. Here's the photo gallery link:

Portland (PDX) 10

What's even more frustrating about this spotting trip was that it was cloudy weather (typical Oregon...). Even worse, the weather really screwed up my lighting. And here's where I'm kicking myself: After coming home, I read the manual on what settings my camera has and lo and behold, there WAS a setting I could have switched to in order to compensate for the weather lighting conditions. Wish I knew about that earlier... Anyways, my photos turned out okay after tinkering with them in Picasa. Here's a preview of some things that were my highlights:

Last time I photographed the Canadians, they were still branded as Air Canada Jazz. Now this De Havilland Dash 8 DHC-8-301 (C-GTAG) is in the Air Canada Express (Jazz Air) livery.

Though a common sight and livery here at PDX, this Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-490 (N788AS), being a 400-series is one of the older 737s in the fleet (It entered service with Alaska in 1997). These older versions of the "baby Boeing" aren't going to be around much longer...

Not really a whole lot of CRJs in Alaska Airlines colors... This Canadair CL-600-2C10 CRJ-700 (N217AG) is operated by SkyWest Airlines and is mainly utilized on some of Alaska's West Coast routes where it is not feasible to operate with Horizon's Bombardier Q400s or Alaska's Boeing 737s. SkyWest purchased N217AG from Horizon Air (ex-N609QX) when they retired their CRJs and went to an all-Q400 fleet. This aircraft pictured here is seen initiating a go-around for some unknown reason.

I finally photographed a McDonnell Douglas MD-11! Operated as an MD-11F (freighter) by FedEx Express. Unfortunately, this is one of the photos of mine that got affected by the poor lighting so I can't identify it through the aircraft tail-number. It's such a shame on what's become of the once mighty tri-jet. In an era where twin-jets can do a lot more efficiently, the tri-jets are becoming obsolete. 

Here's another new sight for me: UPS Airlines Boeing 767-34AF/ER flaring over the runway. Again, I'm having a hard time identifying the tail number from the multiple photos I've taken of this aircraft. UPS recently started fitting all their 767 freighters with winglets.