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Contact me at starfightersmodelblog(at)mindspring(dot)com

Airplanes, Rocketry, Missiles, Spacecraft and things that go WHOOSH! in the night.
What's flying around my head at the current time.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Another B-17 to Take to the Air  

An ongoing effort to get another Flying Fortress on the airshow circuit.

The Liberty Foundation

God's Scale 

I primarily model in 1/72 (1" on the replica is equivalent to 72" on the real thing) scale, and have mostly resisted any move to the "dark side" of 1/48th. This is a specialist site dedicated solely to cataloging 1/72 kits.

The Definitive 1/72 Scale Model Census.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Photos of a "New" Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 

A Bf-109 back modified from a Hispano Ha1112 to take a "part-built" DB605. Currently flying in Germany.

Photos here:
DB605 Photos
Bf109 Detail Photos
Bf 109 G-4 Photos

Videos:
Cockpit Video
Walkaround Video
Engine Start
Prop Wash
Low Pass & Barrel Roll
High Pass
Loop
Loop 2

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

More Quizzes 

Water
You are water. You're not really organic; you're
neither acidic nor basic, yet you're an acid
and a base at the same time. You're strong
willed and opinionated, but relaxed and ready
to flow. So while you often seem worthless,
without you, everything would just not work.
People should definitely drink more of you
every day.


Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla



The Judgement
You are the Judgement card. Judgment has also been
called the Aeon and Rejuvenation. Judgment is
the final decision that allows for a new
growth. The concept of Judgment day refers to a
time when those in existence are brought into a
new era. This new era may occur symbolically in
your own life, but it may appear with mystery,
not declaring itself boldly but instead
promising a new adventure to be had. The
feeling may come within, as the desire to make
a change in your life. This change is one that
is actively persuaded by your own actions
rather than one that is thrust upon you. Image
from: The Maninni Tarot deck, Mike Willis.
http://www.calweb.com/~queribus/maninni.html


Which Tarot Card Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday, October 04, 2004

They DID It! 

Talk about playing up the significance of the date. Will this be the first day of the Private Space Age?

MSNBC - SpaceShipOne wins $10 million X Prize

200 Things 

Saw this on several blogs:

200 Things

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink--no
02. Swam with wild dolphins-- no.
03. Climbed a mountain--a couple of small ones
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive-- Does a Porsche count?
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid-- no
06. Held a tarantula.--No, why would I want to?
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone--Candlelit? No.
08. Said "I love you" and meant it --- yes
09. Hugged a tree-- no
10. Done a striptease--Yes
11. Bungee jumped--No, My Momma raised two fools, an idiot, and me
12. Visited Paris--No.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea-- From the shore, bunches of times, I was an Aerographer in the Navy.
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise-- Yes, see above
15. Seen the Northern Lights-- No, but I want to
16. Gone to a huge sports game-- Olympic Volleyball, 1996
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa--No.
18. Grown and eaten my own vegetables--No, But I did a lot of grunt work in my Dad's garden
19. Touched an iceberg--No.
20. Slept under the stars-- Yes more than once.
21. Changed a baby's diaper-- No
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon--No.
23. Watched a meteor shower-- Yes! Several times and a couple of Comets, too.
24. Gotten drunk on champagne-- No, never gotten more than a buzz.
25. Given more than you can afford to charity--No.
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope--Yes.
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment--No, Busted out laughing at the wrong time a couple of times, though.
28. Had a food fight-- No.
29. Bet on a winning horse--No, never bet on any losing ones, either.
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill-- I plead the 5th Amendment.
31. Asked out a stranger-- No.
32. Had a snowball fight-- Yes.
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier--No.
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can--Yes a couple of times.
35. Held a lamb-- No, just newborn puppies and kittens.
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy-- Yes.
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip-- Yes.
38. Taken an ice cold bath--Yes
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar-- Does "Get a job!" count?
40. Seen a total eclipse-- Yes, and several partials
41. Rode on a roller coaster--Yes.
42. Hit a home run--Yes.
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days--Yes
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking-- yes.
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day--No.
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors-- Not Yet.
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment--Yes.
48. Had two hard drives for your computer-- Working, at the same time? Yes
49. Visited all 50 states--No.
50. Loved your job for all accounts-- No.
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced-- Yes, More than once
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied-- Yes.
53. Had amazing friends--Yes, still do.
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country--No.
55. Watched wild whales-- No, Bbut I have watched dolphins play in the bow wave of a boat
56. Stolen a sign-- I plead the 5th Amendment.
57. Backpacked in Europe--No
58. Taken a road-trip-- Lots, inluding marathon coast-to coast trips in three days when I was a kid.
59. Rock climbing--A couple of times.
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice--No
61. Midnight walk on the beach-- Yes, more than once.
62. Sky diving-- No, and I never will jump out of a perfectly good airplane (see bungie jumping above).
63. Visited Ireland-- No, but I want to.
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love. No.
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them--no.
66. Visited Japan--I was born there, but haven't been back
67. Benchpressed your own weight-- Yes, back when I had the body of a Greek god, instead of the body of a Greek.
68. Milked a cow--No
69. Alphabetized your records-- Yes, and they still are.
70. Pretended to be a superhero-- Yes, as a kid and in Role-Playing Games
71. Sung karaoke-- No, but I have played lots of "air guitar"
72. Lounged around in bed all day--No
73. Posed nude in front of strangers-- No.
74. Scuba diving--No. My inner ear will not take the pressure
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye--No.
76. Kissed in the rain--Yes.
77. Played in the mud--yes.
78. Played in the rain--Yes.
79. Gone to a drive-in theater--Yes.
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it.--Yes.
81. Visited the Great Wall of China--No.
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog--Not Yet.
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better--No.
84. Started a business--No, Unless the lawn-mowing service I had when I was 12-14 counts?
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken--yes.
86. Toured ancient sites-- Define Ancient.
87. Taken a martial arts class--Yes, Studied fencing, foil and sabre for a while.
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman--I was in the SCA for years. Still have my Lady's favor, too.
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight--More than once, and other games, too
90. Gotten married--Once.
91. Been in a movie--No.
92. Crashed a party-- No
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have-- No.
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy--I think so.
95. Gotten divorced--never
96. Had sex at the office--Never.
97. Gone without food for 5 days--No.
98. Made cookies from scratch--Lots of times.
99. Won first prize in a costume contest--No.
100. Rode a gondola in Venice--No
101. Gotten a tattoo--No.
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on--OH, YES!!!!
103. Rafted the Snake River--No.
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"--No
105. Got flowers for no reason-- No.
106. Masturbated in a public place-- No.
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything--No.
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug--never
109. Performed on stage---Several times
110. Been to Las Vegas--Yes
111. Recorded music-- no, but I have recorded voice work
112. Eaten shark--No, swordfish, yes
113. Had a one-night stand---no
114. Gone to Thailand--No
115. Seen Siouxsie live--Who?
116. Bought a house-- One
117. Been in a combat zone-- No
118. Buried one/both of your parents-- Just one, so far.
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off-- Yes.
120. Been on a cruise ship--No, Unless Cruisers and other warships count
121. Spoken more than one language fluently--No
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone--Yes.
123. Bounced a check--yes, sorry to say. Made them all good
124. Performed in Rocky Horror--No
125. Read - and understood - your credit report--Yes.
126. Raised children-- No, just puppies.
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy--Yes.
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour--No.
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars--No.
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country--No.
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did--Yes.
132. Called or written your Congress person--Many times.
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over--Yes
134. ...more than once? - More than thrice?-- Twice only.
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge--No.
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking--Oh, Yes
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did--No, thank God.
138. Had plastic surgery-- No
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived--No
140. Wrote articles for a large publication-- No
141. Lost over 100 pounds--No, but I should.
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback--Yes.
143. Piloted an airplane--Yes, would do it againin a heartbeat.
144. Petted a stingray--No
145. Broken someone's heart-- Not that I know of.
146. Helped an animal give birth--No, it was always a fait accompli by the time I found out about it.
147. Been fired or laid off from a job---Several times
148. Won money on a T.V. game show--No.
149. Broken a bone-- Yes
150. Killed a human being -- No, don't ever want to, either.
151. Gone on an African photo safari --No
152. Rode on a motorcycle--Yes.
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph--yes.
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced-- No.
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol--Lots, all three, I need to get in some more range time soon.
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild---No
157. Rode a horse--no.
158. Had major surgery--- Yes
159. Had sex on a moving train-- No.
160. Had a snake as a pet--No
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon--No.
162. Slept through an entire flight takeoff, flight, and landing--No. I love to fly
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours--I don't remember. I was asleep.
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states--No.
165. Visited all 7 continents--No.
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days--no.
167. Eaten kangaroo meat--No, But I have had alligator and venison.
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground--No.
169. Been a sperm or egg donor--- No
170. Eaten sushi-- No, as far as i'm concerned, that's bait, not food.
171. Had your picture in the newspaper--- Several times, not recently.
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime-- Yes
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about--Yes.
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions---Yes.
175. Gone back to school--Yes.
176. Parasailed--No, see skydiving and bungie jumping
177. Changed your name-- No
178. Petted a cockroach--Roaches are for crushing under your boot!!!
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes--no.
180. Read The Iliad-- Yes
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read--Yes.
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them--No.
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you--No.
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch--Yes.
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating--No.
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt--Never needed to, as far as I know.
187. Skipped all your school reunions--Yes, and I'll probably skip the rest of them.
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language--No.
189. Been elected to public office--Not since Student Government in High School
190. Written your own computer language-- No
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream-- Yes.
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care--No.
193. Built your own PC from parts--Several times.
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you--yes.
195. Had a booth at a street fair--No
196 Dyed your hair--no.
197 Been a DJ--No
198 Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal--No.
199 Written your own role playing game--No, but board wargames, yes.
200 Been arrested---never.

Sunday, October 03, 2004

The Clock is Now Ticking for SpaceShipOne 

They're on the way. The Scaled Composites team made their first of two qualification flights for the X-Prize. Despite a scary series of barrel rolls, they made the altitude and landed successfilly. The second flight is planned for MONDAY! All systems are go. Go, baby, go!

SpaceShipOne Reaches Space Again, Lands

More info as well as video and more still pictures:

Tier One Home Page

More on the X-Prixe as well as links to the other teams:

Ansari X-Prize Home Page

Richard Branson has entered into an agreement with the SpaceShipOne Team to use their system for space tourism They plan start flying paying passengers to sub-orbital space by 2007. More Info:

Virgin Galactic

Lockheed House Organ 

A good reference source on current and historic Lockheed Martin aviation projects. The photo and artist archinves are extremely impressive.

Code One Magazine On-line

Sweet! 

Sugar at the center of the galaxy? Is our galaxy a giant candy Bar?

Sweet Discovery at Centre of Milky Way

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