Bearracing

I can't begin to tell you how I feel Tom, but over the years you've always been a good friend and I wish and hope you'll defy the odds, just enjoy every moment of every day my friend. My Prayers are with you! Steve Cartwright

I'm going to assume you posted here in error!

Some of you may remember several years ago when a China Air Lines Boeing 747SP had a problem and dropped into a very steep dive and I'm quite sure it did break the sound barrier, but it also sustained a tremendous amount of damage as well. I recall seeing photographs of that aircraft and it was no longer flyable, the damage was so severe. Steve (Bear) Cartwright

Superglide17 and Viperpilot, Great quotes guys, I especially like the line "....the only time there was too much fuel aboard any aircraft was if it was on fire." I'm going to remember that one. LOL! Though not necessarily a quote, I did run across an item that the Navy pilots in WWII, who flew the Douglas SB2C "Helldiver", claimed the designation "SB2C" was actually "Son of a B*T*H Second Class"! One of my other favorite quotes is from the billionaire investor Warren Buffet: "The worst sort of business is one that grows rapidly, requires significant capital to engender the growth, and then earns little or no money. Think airlines! Here a durable competitive advantage has proven elusive ever since the days of the Wright brothers. Indeed, if farsighted capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk, he would have done his successors a huge favor by shooting Orville down." Steve (Bear) Cartwright

William, Yeah, we all have some of those don't we! Here are some more I have: "Arguing with a pilot is a lot like wrestling with a pig in mud, after awhile you begin to think the pig likes it." –Rex Thorp "This doesn't look like California, what state is it?" -Douglas Corrigan (Wrong-way Corrigan, who flew from New York to Ireland in 1938, claiming he intended on going home to California, but got lost after his compass malfunctioned) Steve (Bear) Cartwright

During my ten years of conducting research for my book "From The Ground Up" (an unpublished book detailing the actual history considering "ALL" of the early pioneers of flight), I ran across a number of quotes, some of which I found interesting, some profound, while others simply humorous, so I would like to share with you some of my personal favorites: "There is an art, or rather a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss!" –Douglas Adams (English humorist and novelist) "The optimist invented the airplane, while the pessimist invented the parachute." –George Barnard Shaw (Irish Playwright) "With the earliest aviator experimenters, the chief designer was almost always the chief test pilot as well, which tended to weed out the bad engineers!" –Igor Sikorsky (aviation pioneer and inventor of the world's first practical helicopter) "If black boxes survive air crashes, why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?" -George Carlin (an American stand-up comic) "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky!" –Amelia Earhart (award winning aviation pioneer, author, and first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932) "He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." -Friedrich Nietzsche (German philosopher, poet, and composer) "My soul is in the sky."-William Shakespeare "If God had really intended men to fly, he'd make it easier to get to the airport."-George Winters (American actor) "It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill." –Wilbur Wright (quote from Wilbur’s initial letter to Octave Chanute, dated; May 13, 1900) "Over here Bubbs, the European machines are guilty of just about everything, except the ability to fly!" -Wilbur Wright (quote from a letter Wilbur wrote in June of 1907 to his brother Orville, after spending the spring and summer at Paris in 1907 and having witnessed numerous attempted flights by Delagrange, Bleriot, Dumont, Esnault-Peltrie, among several others with the Aero Club of France. Bubbs was Wilbur’s pet name for Orville) "No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris." –Orville Wright (a 1911 quote, something which in 1938 Charles Lindbergh reminded Orville of, after the two became good friends) "Some fear control system flutter because they don’t understand it, everyone else fears it because they do." –Theodore von Karman (Hungarian born aerospace engineer) 　 "The Wright Brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention of writing. The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together." –Bill Gates (co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation) "october 5 (1905) wilbur wright flight of 24 miles circling field confirmed STOP hundreds witnessed flight STOP method of turning unusual STOP letter to follow with details STOP" -H.M. Weaver (H.M. Weaver sent this telegram to his brother-in-law, L.S. Lahm, who was a member of the Aero Club of France and this telegram, as well as the follow-up letter detailing the Wright's experimental Flyer III test machine and the details of their work, were handed over to Ernest Archdeacon and Captain Ferber at the Aero Club of France, in December of 1905. It was ironic that 4 years later on September 9, 1908, that Orville Wright would, during his flight trials for the US Signal Corp, take up his first military passenger at Ft Myer, one Lieutenant Lahm, who just happen to be the son of L.S. Lahm) ====================== On Saturday August 8, 1908, Wilbur Wright took to the air on European soil (Le Mans) with the Wright’s first production Flyer III model "A", the first officially recorded public flight of a "practical" airplane (an airplane engineered to function as we know aircraft today) and Wilbur’s flight was dully witnessed by the newly formed FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale of France). In attendance were a number of so-called aviation experts, most specifically several members of the Aero Club of France, including their acting 1908 President and co-founder, Ernest Archdeacon. "For a long time, the Wright brothers have been accused in Europe of Bluffing… They are today hallowed in France, and I feel an intense pleasure to be among the first to make amends!" -Ernest Archdeacon (Co-founder and the 1908 President of the Aero Club of France and the known leader of those who had been promoting the Paris newspapers on relentless attacks against the Wright brothers. Rather ironic considering his above quote from that day?) "..for months I have witnessed what I had thought were flights of an aeroplane, but today I find I just witnessed my first aeroplane flight, ever!" -Unnamed Federation Aéronautique Internationale official The most beautiful dream that has haunted the heart of man since Icarus is today reality. I would have waited ten times as long to see what I have seen today, Monsieur Wright has us all in his hands!" -Louis Blériot (famous French aviation pioneer and in 1909 was the first aviator to successfully cross the English Channel) "Wilbur Wright has completely dissipated all doubts. Not one of the former detractors of the Wrights dare question, today, the previous experiments of the men who are truly the first to fly….." -Georges Beancon (Editor of L’Aerophile, the official magazine of the Aero Club of France) "...the Wrights have beaten us all with their machine and I want one!" -Leon Delagrange (early French pioneer aviator and the 1907 President of the Aero Club of France, Delagrange was also the first to order a French built Wright Flyer III "A") "Il vole,...Il vole,...Il vole!" (he flies, he flies, he flies!) -Yelled by 3 or 4 young boys from their bicycles, while riding through Le Mans the late afternoon of August 8, 1908, after witnessing Wilbur Wright’s first demonstration flight on European soil. =========================== My favorite "T-Shirt" quote, spied at the 2008 Reno National Championship Air Races: "Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right, But Two Wrights Make An Airplane!" Steve (Bear) Cartwright

I've been a proud member of AVSIM for more years than I care to remember (LOL, geezz I'm getting old) and have personally met most staff members at some point in time and I consider Tom a personal friend. Statements from these guys, like Mr Anderson, are at times extraordinarily annoying and frankly just a bit over the top with their distorted opinions and their belief that everything, in their mind, is some kind of conspiracy against them. I suppose what is even more frightening, at least to me, is that people like this are actually allowed to vote(?). SpiritFlyer has, quite eloquently I might add, stated the general feeling of all us who have volunteered our time and efforts to the success of AVSIM and every once in awhile individuals like Carl Anderson do pop up. Considering the total number of registered users here at AVSIM, the percentages dictate that there are going to be a small number that act this way. There have been many more like him in the past and frankly I generally feel they are simply not worth the time and effort to respond to, but that changes when these kind of individuals get personal and then simply make up things just, I suppose, to get noticed, I don't know and frankly don't care. My personal response to "Mr Anderson"; don't go away mad, just go away! As far as MS Flight, I really don't have a strong opinion one way or another about it, but Microsoft is a private company that has the option of self-determination and if the product didn't come up to their expectations, they have the right to drop it or not. On the other hand, I may have an opinion about what or how they should have more effectively marketed the product, but unfortunately I don't get paid to make those decisions for them. Back to the subject of Mr Anderson, and others like him, Mr Anderson's comments were seemingly pointed at Tom, but the reality is they were on the whole directed to "all" of us here at AVSIM and as already stated previously, by someone else before me, its time we as a group respond from now on. Reminds me of the line I once announced at a public forum concerning one of our competitors (in the aftermarket oil business I've been in) where I said: "...look, I'll make a deal with you, if you'll promise to stop lying about us, we'll promise to stop telling the truth about you!" Steve (Bear) Cartwright

"update January 4, 2012: It seems that the 49th annual Reno National Air Races are on, barring any unseen events concerning "Insurance" and/or FAA "permits", according to Mike Haughton, President of the Reno Air Racing Assoc. Mike says they're going to move ahead and continue with the event, as it is a very important event for the Reno area."Steve (Bear) CartwrightReno, NV

It has not been publicly announced yet, but someone I met with last week, who's on the Reno Air Race Committee, told me that due to the tragedy last September, where 11 people lost their lives and dozens more were injured, some very seriously, those involved with the Air Races just can't go on with the event.The RARA officials, before making the actual public announcement of the ending of the Reno Naitonal Air Races after a 48 year run, are looking at what they are going to replace them with, before going public.Steve (Bear) CartwrightReno, NV

I really like the first screenshot!Steve (Bear) Cartwright

That video seems to support the note I previously posted, the one I started this thread with, doesn't it? Steve (Bear) Cartwright

I don't know one way or another, but that report was given to me by someone attached to the Reno National Air Races and I can only take it on face value. If Matt Jackson says he didn't say it, then I take him on his word, as Matt Jackson is a class guy, that much I do know. I do know the insurance carrier part of the story is true, as there I do know someone that works for the insurance carrier (actually, to be more accurate, I have a personal friend who's wife works for the insurance carrier). Steve (Bear) Cartwright

The altitude at the Reno Air Race course is 5,050 feet elevation. Steve (Bear) Cartwright

Recently Matt Jackson (Vice President of the Unlimited Racing Class and director of the Reno Air Racing Safety Committee) gave the following information to a fellow competitor, at the Reno National Air Race Association. The FAA/NTSB investigation has shown that the cause of the crash of the Galloping Ghost unlimited air racing P-51 may have been caused by something other than the failure of Jimmy Leeward's port side elevator trim-tab, as suggested in the preliminary report. "Original note removed by author" Following a conversation I had with someone associated with Matt Jackson, they stated that Matt Jackson never said what was in that report I was given or least in that verbatum. Even if the report was true, it was in fact part of a conversation speculating on possible causes and is not a definitive answer to the root cause of the accident. I've opt'd to remove the note until such time as Matt Jackson tells me personally it is or is not true. The final report from the FAA should be out in February or March of next year. Steve (Bear) CartwrightReno, NV

First of all, I'm no expert on the rules and regulations pertaining to air shows and/or air racing, but as is to be expected, we've been getting a lot of information on local television and radio about the crash a week ago at the Reno Air Races. With that in mind, I am only repeating what I have learned from those in charge of the Reno Air Races and from the FAA, as has been discussed over the last few days. They explained that in the specific case of the Unlimited and Jet course layout, the critical turn is mid-way threw pylon 7, with the distance to the most western grandstands is 5,200'. The minimum distance for the "show line" is 500', but Reno maintains a minimum 1,200' separation distance. There are two considerations for their determination of scatter, one is "scatter distance" (based on the average known aircraft race speed and average race altitude at the critical turn) and the presumed "scatter cone" in the event of a crash (relating to an expanding debris field from the point of impact). The Jets run a rather short course to keep their average speeds below 475 mph, while the Unlimited "Gold" classification aircraft run a longer course, where they average 475 - 505 mph. (in 2009, an Air Force F-16 completed a lap on the Unlimited course at an average speed of 612 mph) In all, there are 3 courses for the 5 classes (sport plane, sport biplane, formula one, jets, unlimited, and AT-6), with the sport biplanes & formula one on course 1. Jets, AT-6, and the sports planes run on course 2, with the Unlimiteds running on course 3. Pylon 7 and 8 being the only common pylons listed as being the critical turn for all 3 courses. The accident involving Jimmy Leeward's "Galloping Ghost", a highly modified P-51, was outside any of their prior computer modeling, as this accident scenerio had never been considered or anticipated. They are considering future regulation modifications, including a redesigning of the trim-tab system on those aircraft exceeding 300 mph (or some speed to be determined later) and the application of a dead-man throttle switch or control on "all" race aircraft. Steve (Bear) CartwrightReno, NV