Category Archives: Planes Trains and Automobiles

Snow Plow?! We don’t need no stinking snow plow!

Posted on February 8, 2015 by James| Comments Off on Snow Plow?! We don’t need no stinking snow plow!

Posted in Planes Trains and Automobiles

Antonov 225 taking off

Posted on February 7, 2015 by James| Comments Off on Antonov 225 taking off

YouTube account HD MSP Spotting captured a rare appearance by the Antonov 225 aircraft at the Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport back in July 2014. With six turbofan engines and a maximum takeoff weight of more than 700 tons, the Antonov Design Bureau plane is the longest and heaviest ever built and boasts the largest wingspan of any currently operating airplane. According to The Minneapolis StarTribune, the giant plane was in the Twin Cities to pick up air conditioning equipment before heading to the Middle East by way of France or Switzerland.

Posted in Planes Trains and Automobiles

Road Zipper

Posted on February 6, 2015 by James| Comments Off on Road Zipper

A couple of weekends ago the Golden Gate Bridge was closed to allow installation of a new safety barrier between northbound and southbound lanes on the San Francisco Bay Area landmark. A key aspect of the $30 million-system is the Road Zipper–a highly specialized truck built by Lindsay Transportation Solutions that can rapidly shift the barrier one lane over to accommodate various traffic patterns throughout the day. It’s no simple feat as each of the system’s 3,500 steel-reinforced barriers weighs 1,500 pounds. The system was tested during the bridge closure, and a number of people caught the truck (the bridge authority has two) in action. The zipper-like action of the truck is curiously mesmerizing.

The new safety system replaces the plastic tubes that were in place for more than 50 years. Crossover accidents were common with the old system–16 people died in 128 head-on collisions between 1970 and 2015.

Posted in Planes Trains and Automobiles

50 Years of Mustangs

Posted on February 5, 2015 by James| Comments Off on 50 Years of Mustangs

50 Years of Mustangs

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

In Remembrance – Space Shuttle Columbia & Crew

Posted on February 1, 2015 by James| Comments Off on In Remembrance – Space Shuttle Columbia & Crew

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on its 28th mission; all seven crew members aboard perished.

Columbia Launch STS-107

Columbia launches on its final mission, STS-107.

Columbia STS-107 Crew

The crew of STS-107. L to R: Brown, Husband, Clark, Chawla, Anderson, McCool, Ramon.

Columbia STS-107 Mission Patch

Columbia STS-107 Mission Patch.

Wikipedia Link

Posted in Because I Can, On This Day, Patriotic, Planes Trains and Automobiles

In Remembrance – Space Shuttle Challenger & Crew

Posted on January 28, 2015 by James| Comments Off on In Remembrance – Space Shuttle Challenger & Crew

On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its flight after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff.  All seven astronauts on board were lost.

Challenger STS-51 at Launch

Challenger launches on its final mission, STS-51.

Challenger STS-51 Crew

The crew of STS-51. Front row, from left to right: Smith, Scobee, and McNair. Back row, from left to right: Onizuka, McAuliffe, Jarvis, and Resnik.

Challenger STS-51 Mission Patch

STS-51 mission patch.

Wikipedia Link

Posted in Because I Can, On This Day, Patriotic, Planes Trains and Automobiles

Tuesdays

Posted on January 27, 2015 by James| Comments Off on Tuesdays

That's Gonna Leave a Mark!

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

AH-64 vs Dragon

Posted on January 23, 2015 by James| Comments Off on AH-64 vs Dragon

The Smithsonian Channel just uploaded this very silly but pretty cool animation of an hypothetical battle between a mighty dragon and an AH-64 Apache helicopter. Who do you think it will win, the mythical fire-breathing creature or one of the most lethal machines created by men?

Posted in Because I Can, Critters, Planes Trains and Automobiles

No Liquid Blue for you

Posted on January 20, 2015 by James| Comments Off on No Liquid Blue for you

Ford Liquid Blue

The three Ford performance cars that dropped in Detroit yesterday — the Ford GT, the Mustang GT350R, and the 2017 Raptor — all had one thing in common: a very lovely shade of blue paint. Want it on your Fiesta ST? You can’t have it. Sorry.

Road & Track states that this color, known as Liquid Blue and the designated color of the Ford Performance lineup, is not a production paint color.

Ford explained to that “Liquid Blue” is a show-car color only, and that it’s actually multiple layers of paint on the display cars. Now, Ford also said that in the past, special show colors have made the transition to the production-car palette, but right now Liquid Blue isn’t in the running.

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

Posted on January 20, 2015 by James| Comments Off on 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

The ultimate off-road runner is back, with the all-new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor. A twin-turbo Ecoboost V6 engine. A 10-speed transmission. And it’s six inches wider than the standard model.

Ford’s not saying how much power the new Raptor has, but only that the turbo V6 will have “more” than the last generation’s 411-horsepower, 434-lb.-ft. 6.2-liter V8. But the story of the Raptor was never really about the power, as lots of things have power. It was about sheer mind-boggling off-road speed capability.

To help out with that, it’s got a new steel frame underneath the aluminum body tech it shares with all new Ford F-150s, helping it save more than 500 pounds of heavy metal. It’s got even beefier FOX Racing shocks, presumably to help it stop cracking under the most extreme pressures. And it’s got more suspension travel, too.

2017_ford_raptor_1 2017_ford_raptor_2 2017_ford_raptor_3

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

2015 Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang

Posted on January 20, 2015 by James| Comments Off on 2015 Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang

Here’s what we know so far: that wonderful flat plane crank V8 with at least 500 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque; Ford’s first ever magnetic ride suspension; 130 pounds lighter than the GT350; and no air conditioning or a rear seat.

2015 Shelby GTR 350 2015_shelby_gt350_2

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

_/”””\_ – You won’t believe this!

Posted on January 18, 2015 by James| Comments Off on _/”””\_ – You won’t believe this!

See my little drawing in the subject?  Now, imagine that was all that was left of your full size Chevy Silverado:

[Show thumbnails]

Read the whole story at OregonLive.com (no really, go read it!)

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

Ford GT: You’ve seen it, now HEAR it!

Posted on January 18, 2015 by James| Comments Off on Ford GT: You’ve seen it, now HEAR it!

Posted in Planes Trains and Automobiles

It’s BACK! Ford GT!

Posted on January 17, 2015 by James| Comments Off on It’s BACK! Ford GT!

This is it: the new Ford GT. Ford just dropped a bomb on the rest of the world, and it’s got a 600 HP twin-turbo V6, if you can believe it: a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 (yes, seriously) with more than 600 horsepower. The twin-turbo mill is mounted amidships and mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox nestled inside a carbon fiber tub.

[Show thumbnails]

Posted in Planes Trains and Automobiles

It’s all about that Space!

Posted on January 8, 2015 by James| Comments Off on It’s all about that Space!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHy08ZPav88

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

24, count ’em…

Posted on January 6, 2015 by James| Comments Off on 24, count ’em…

24 C-130 Hercules transports buzz-sawing their way down the runway at Dyess Air Force Base during the USAF's latest Joint Forcible Entry Exercise.

24 C-130 Hercules transports buzz-sawing their way down the runway at Dyess Air Force Base during the USAF’s latest Joint Forcible Entry Exercise.

Posted in Because I Can, Planes Trains and Automobiles

Funnycar on Snow

Posted on January 1, 2015 by James| Comments Off on Funnycar on Snow

Posted in Because I Can, Humor, Planes Trains and Automobiles

World’s Oldest Airworthy Jet Returns To America

Posted on December 30, 2014 by James| Comments Off on World’s Oldest Airworthy Jet Returns To America

Oldest F-86A Sabre

This North American F-86A Sabre built in 1948 is back on U.S. soil after a 22 year hiatus in Europe. The airplane is the only surviving “A” model rescued from a scrap yard in the ’70s and is the oldest flying jet in the world.

Read the rest of the story…

 

Posted in Because I Can, Patriotic, Planes Trains and Automobiles

B-52 lit up for Christmas

Posted on December 27, 2014 by James| Comments Off on B-52 lit up for Christmas

B-52 lit up for Christmas

This amazing display of holiday lights can be found at Denver’s Wings Over The Rockies Air & Space museum.

Posted in Planes Trains and Automobiles

50th Anniversary of 1st flight of SR-71 “Blackbird”

Posted on December 22, 2014 by James| Comments Off on 50th Anniversary of 1st flight of SR-71 “Blackbird”

SR-71 "Blackbird"

No other plane in history has captured the hearts and minds of the American public quite like the SR-71 Blackbird, providing the West with an unprecedented look behind the Iron Curtain during its 33 year operational career. But before it was cracking the skies over Russia at mach 3.3, the Cold War spy plane had to prove itself during a series of test flights. The first of those took place on December 22, 1964.

Designed by the venerable Lockheed “Skunk Works” group, the SR-71 grew out of the earlier A-12 program and was built to replace the older, slower U-2 spy plane. The Blackbirds, of which 32 were built in total, were tasked with high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance missions for the US Air Force, usually flying at around 85,000 feet (high enough to require pressurized suits) and traveling at more than twice the speed of sound. This was no easy feat, and over the course of their 33 year operation, a dozen SR-71s were lost.

After the USAF retired the Blackbirds in 1999, two were donated to NASA for use as high-speed test platforms, while the remainder have found their ways to various aviation museums around the country. It remains, however, the world’s fastest airplane.

Posted in Because I Can, On This Day, Planes Trains and Automobiles