This beauty hangs in the Public Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Driggs Skylark Biplane, Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

The Driggs Aircraft Company of Lansing, Michigan, built only twenty-one Skylark biplanes between 1929 and 1931. Most of them were used in Western Michigan and Northern Indiana for training pilots, stunts in airshows, or carrying passengers on short business and pleasure trips. The Skylark was the favored aircraft of Northern Air Service, Central Air Service, and the Kent and Impala Flying Clubs, all based at the old Kent County Airport.

Even though its economic success was cut short by the Great Depression, the Skylark represented a leap forward in light aircraft technology. The lightweight canvas over frame design (less than 1,000 pounds with the engine) and more powerful engines were stable in the air, and allowed them to become airborne with shorter takeoff distances.

This is the only surviving production Skylark. It had a 96 h.p. engine that gave a top speed of 100 mph and a cruising range of 300 miles.

Murdoc took this photo this past weekend. A couple of more views below:
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I’ve been told that the seeming disregard for sensible and responsible fiscal policy these days is because it’s all part of a master plan to let the market completely tank and stay tanked for the 2nd quarter 401(k) statements. At which point no one will care if the program is scrapped or at least taxed.

I’ve not allowed myself to buy into that theory, but I’ve also had trouble coming up with a better explanation.

This doesn’t help: So Much for the 401(k). Now What?

The New Era of Spend and Blame

For a guy who talks so much about wanting a new era of re sponsibility, President Obama spends an awful lot of time blaming Republicans for all the wild and reckless spending he crammed into his own budget.

After running a campaign against the $1 trillion deficit he “inherited” from President Bush and the Republicans, Obama quickly matched it. During his first 50 days in office, he and his Democratic-controlled Congress spent $1 billion an hour.

Under Obama’s proposed budget, the overall national debt doubles in five years and triples in 10. [emphasis Murdoc's]

I wonder if this sort of thing is what Pete Townshend meant when he said that Obama’s election was “the most wonderful result” and that “maybe” the “meet the new boss, it’s the same as the old boss” didn’t apply this time.

I also wonder what the people who voted for Obama on the platform of “change” think. Because I think they were suckers. (via Instapundit)

F-22 crashes in California desert near air base

No details.

Murdoc ended up with an extra hardcover copy of Inside Gitmo: The True Story Behind the Myths of Guantanamo Bay by Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu

So let’s give it away!

Leave a comment here if you’d like to be entered in the drawing. The rules will be the same as for the Air & Space Magazine drawing a couple of months ago:

Contest Rules:

• Book will only be mailed to US mailing address. Sorry. No exceptions.
• Murdoc’s immediate family cannot enter.
• Please enter only once.
• Sending Murdoc cash is permissible but will not improve your chances of winning.
• If (and only if) you win you will have to give me your real name and mailing address.
• Winner will be chosen randomly and all results are final.
• Entries must be posted to the site by 2359 hours ET on Wednesday, 1 April 2009
• I can’t think of any more right now but I’ll add them if I do.

To Enter:

• Leave a comment on this post.

That’s all there is to it. Leave a comment and I will have a winner chosen from all entrants using the Random Integer Generator at Random.org. If the random number 13 and you have the 13th comment on the post, you win a copy of Inside Gitmo: The True Story Behind the Myths of Guantanamo Bay. Simple as that.

Guest Post by Threat Watcher Rob at the Threat Axis Log.

This was a flight demonstrator for the Shaped Sonic Boom program. The thought was that a modified underside of the aircraft’s fuselage could potentially reduce the sonic boom that an aircraft made when going supersonic (Mach 1+) speeds.

The newest jet engines – i.e. the F119 on the F-22 Raptor – no longer have to go to afterburner to get to supersonic speeds. One of the reasons that the Concorde wasn’t able to make money (and got retired) was because it was constantly on afterburner (and burned a huge amount of jet fuel). Beyond the fuel costs – the other reason that the Concorde wasn’t successful – was because it was restricted to overwater flights. Because on an overwater flight – there was no homeowner’s association or EPA to complain about the noise pollution.

Have you figured out why DARPA was pushing this research from the comments above?

Militarily – there is no point to have a Stealth (Invisible to radar) aircraft if it leaves a sonic boom footprint/trail along its flight path.

Commercially – think of the opportunity for an airline or express shipper (FedEx or UPS), if they could fly twice as fast for the same amount of fuel. Think of the surcharges!

The only thing standing in the way of either of these possibilities – now that the fuel economy has been improved – is the sonic booms created. Now – we can’t rewrite the laws of aerodynamics as they apply to the sonic boom. But this was an attempt to minimize the impact of the sonic boom so that restrictions on where supersonic flight could take place could be relaxed.

The other day the story about a collision between the attack sub USS Hartford (SSN 768) and the amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) made the news. Here’s a couple of pics I found of the damaged Hartford heading into port (reportedly Bahrain, which would make sense.)

Notice the cracks where the sail meets the hull.

And here’s another, showing just how badly the sail took it:
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Should the F-117 stealth fighter be transferred to Israel? Parts One and Two
I’ve suggested this a number of times. I think there’s a pretty good reason to do it.

Teaching Old Aegis New Tricks
Upgrading SM-2 systems to engage ballistic missiles.

Iran’s Push Into Nicaragua: Why Is No One Concerned?
Ahmadinejad considered Ortega’s ascension so important that he was in Nicaragua to attend the inauguration.

“There is a difference between free speech and hate speech”
Umm, no there isn’t. No difference. That’s the whole point of free speech.

Marine Makes Debut Flight in Joint Strike Fighter
F-35 (A model) first flight with a Marine in the seat.

Iraqi native returns home as U.S. soldier
The daughter of a translator immigrated and joined the South Dakota National Guard. Now she’s headed back to Iraq.

Giant Bug Terrorized Ancient Seas
The 500-million-year-old Hurdia victoria, a vicious crustacean-like predator.

The Game of Strategos
Old-school wargaming. In 1879.

Military Laser Hits Battlefield Strength
The advancements are staggering. Think where military lasers were even ten years ago.

Why Doesn’t Christian Bale Do Stuff Like This?
The Dark Knight from days past.

Unbelievable Fun Outside! Science Fiction Film Festival
Cool Old-school sci-fi films and the price is right. March 27th in Austin, TX.

Someone’s in trouble:

Two U.S. Navy vessels — a nuclear-powered submarine and an amphibious ship — collided during the early morning hours Friday in the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian peninsula, the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet reported.

The military said in a statement that the incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. local time on Friday (5 p.m. EDT, Thursday), when the USS Hartford, a submarine, and the USS New Orleans, an amphibious ship, collided.

15 sailors aboard the Hartford (SSN 768) were lightly injured but were able to return to duty. The New Orleans (LPD 18), on its first deployment, apparently ruptured a fuel tank and spilled 25,000 of diesel into the strait.

The Pre-Commissioning Unit New Orleans (LPD 18) transits under the {Greater New Orleans Bridge and the CCC Bridge} on the Mississippi River towards New Orleans, La., March 5, 2007, for a March 10 commissioning ceremony. The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will functionally replace more than 41 classes of amphibious ships, providing the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms. DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kurt Eischen, U.S. Navy. (Released)

Both ships are headed to port for evaluation and repair.

The struggles of the San Antonio class continue.