Airshow pictures

Oshkosh 2004 Pics

I managed to take a few pics while at Oshkosh this year.  Hope you enjoy them.  Of particular interest to me this year was to take a look at how the cooling inlets and outlets were made.  I didn't find any two planes to be the same, not even close really.  Interesting.

Click on the index link below to view the latest innovations.

Oshkosh 2004 photos\index.html

Oshkosh 2003 Pics

Matt Cognata sent these pics to share.  Wow! He got pictures of everything!    The first 5 pages of this index are Oshkosh photos and most of the last 3 pages are recent photos taken at Tom Martin's shop.

1 Oshkosh 2003 photos\index.html 

Awesome RV-8

6-5-04: Greg and Cathy Gruninger's fabulous RV-8.  Greg hails from Sellersburg,  IN or was is Jeffersonville... I always get those two mixed up.  Anyway, it would be no surprise if they take home some awards at Oshkosh.

Tom Martin's fly-in pics

Matt Cognata also sent these pics to share. 

1 Tom Martin's fly-in\index.html  

Here's some shots from Oshkosh 2003.  If you have others to share please email them to me.  I can't believe that another year has passed and still my Rocket isn't done!!!!!

Camping in style down in the ultralight campground. 

Bob Japundza, John Crabtree, me and my son, Blake at the F-1 tent.

Here are the new EVO tapered wings for the F-1 and Speedcruiser (the HPAI Rocket version of an RV-6... more or less).  The wings are supposed to be good for more and less speed (!) and are supposed to retrofit existing F-1s.  I don't recall whether they are designed for acro or not.  Mark hinted that a retract option might be in the future also.  Can't wait to see how these stack up to the stupendous wing that we already have.

Ol' 84 at the F-1 tent.

Ron Carter's Rocket... still an eyepopper.

N96WL by Wayne Loeber of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Eric Hansen's Rocket.  Eric was parked at the EXTREME south end of the parking area, almost in Fon Du Lac.  You had to either be camped in the UL campground to know he was here or be a fanatic about seeing everything.  I mean he was WAY SOUTH. 

It was very nice to talk to Eric about his plane.  You can tell by the sun angle in the photos that we had a very early morning visit.  I was still half asleep and my shoes were soaked from walking in the thunderstorm soaked grass.

I think this is N73MM by Phil Matthews and Jerry Mullins.

Bruce Bohannon's Flying Tiger version of the Rocket.

A nice paint scheme on an RV-4.

Check out the VGs and the flow director at the wing root on this nice RV-8.  The builder claimed that the top speed was unaffected and the stall speed was 5mph lower, IIRC.  He also said that the flow director reduced the tail shake at stall.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not if it reduces stick shake.

My son, Blake, flying the Wright simulator.  We all crashed.

Check out the rainbow over the Bearcat just after one of the frequent afternoon showers.

I didn't get any pictures at the Rocket dinner that was held on Thursday night at "The Bar."  I got the names of some, but not all of the Rocket builders attending.  Altogether I think there were about 30 attendees, counting friends and spouses, including:

Mark Frederick
Marcus Goetting
John Andersen
Gary Miller
Randy Pflanzer
Bob Japundza
Jim Winings
Eric Hansen
Wolfgang ?
Vince Frazier

The Bar, like any bar worth a fig, has chicken hot wings.  The came in mild, medium, hot, 3-alarm, and Nuclear Hell (or something like that).  Being a bit of a wimp, I ordered the 3-alarm.  I was only able to eat about 2 of them before changing my order to a plate full of medium wings.  Another gent ordered the hottest variety.  I felt sorry for him.  The 3-alarm were so hot that my lips went numb for 3 days (no kidding).  There was smoke coming from the Port-O-let the next day.  (Ouch!)  I figure that the gent who ordered the hottest ones must have spontaneously combusted.

Enough about wings, the crowd that was at The Bar made me embarrassed to be in the same room (thank goodness for beer).  It seemed like everyone in there was a jet pilot or acro junkie.  I do well to not get lost in my home county, but I was glad to listen to all of the tall tales nonetheless.  I'm already looking forward to next year.  I hope to be flying by then.  Vince

Great Lakes International Aviation Conference

Here's some shots from the GLIAC.  The conference was very nice.  You can get continuing education credits for aviation maintenance or flight.  They also had several history seminars.  Those were excellent.

Here I am with Fletcher Hanks, who was a Hump pilot for CNAC, and his wife, Jane Petach Hanks, who was one of two nurses with the AVG Flying Tigers.  I was fortunate enough to eat two meals with them and hear many very interesting tales.

Here I am talking to Robert McClurg,  who was Pappy Boyington's wingman.  My dad, David Frazier, who is on the planning committee for the conference, is standing behind listening to the tall tales.

Here are several of the Tuskegee airmen, including Lee Archer, Alexander Jefferson, Lucius Theus, and Harry Stewart.  Their stories of how they fought the enemy while fighting to prove their abilities to a segregated military should be required history for all Americans to know.

Three Blacksheep pilots from VMF-214, Tom Emrich, Jim Hill, and Bob McClurg.  They spoke about the various holes that were in their Corsairs after some of the more hair-raising missions.

I don't have all of the names of the gents on stage in these pics, but trust me, these guys have what it takes.  That includes, my dad, Dave Frazier, standing on the right.  My dad has authored several aviation books, been a CFII for 35 years, and is responsible for thousands of pilots knowing how to fly.

Here is Captain Al Haynes of United flight 232.  Captain Haynes gave a great speech about the crash in Sioux City, Iowa and how planning and luck helped them survive.     http://64.39.20.32/articles/profiles/ahaynes/

Oshkosh 2002 Pics

Here's some shots from Oshkosh 2002.  If you have others to share please email them to me.  I took gobs more pictures of various cockpits and David Howe's engine.  They're on the fuselage page and engine page, as appropriate.

An overhead view of the big dance.

John Harmon was there with the new HRIII.  He was up before 6:00 a.m. to get these pictures which were taken from an EAA (IIRC) Cessna.  The photo flight pilots got their wrists slapped for starting their engines prior to the 6:00 a.m. field opening.  John chuckled when he talked about it.  John also mentioned that he was the one who woke all the campers up that morning.

     Here's the HRs that were out in the pasture.  Craig Lefever's unpainted HRII, Alan Webb's award winner with the canopy cover on it, David Howe's award winner with the blue accents on the wingtips and wheelpants, John Harmon's HRIII, Tom Utterback's flying pumpkin, Ted Rutherford's HRII, and others were out there.  Sorry, I don't have the names matched to the last two planes.

Congratulations To Alan Webb , Medford Or. Grand Champion Oshkosh 2002 HR II

Congratulations David Howe Lemoore Ca. Reserve Grand Champion Oshkosh 2002 HR II

Jim Cash's "Black Jack" and Mark Frederick's "Check Six" shared guard duty in front of the F-1 tent.  It occurs to me that if you switched a few vowels around then Mark's airplane would be "Chick Sex."  Hmmmmmm, I like the sound of that.

Here's my favorite packaging SNAFU of all time. An ELT with a "Fragile - Do not drop" warning on it.   Huh?  What's up with that?  If it can't handle being dropped when it's surrounded by styrofoam and cardboard, what use will it be in a crash?  Well, I bought one anyway just to keep the feds happy.

  Kinda speaks for itself, doesn't it?  Seen on an RV tail out in the pasture.

Our campsite waaaaaaaay down south in the ultralight vendor campground.

My son, Blake, with WWII ace Robert J. Goebel.  Coincidentally a different Robert J. Goebel is my next door neighbor.

   My son, Blake, with renowned pilot, Bob Hoover.

Tim Barnes was there with "Mean Green."  Mean Green was under the weather when I met Tim.  Tim was busy investigating a intermittent rough running engine. 

Bakersfield 2002 Pics

Here's a bunch of pics sent to me by Mark Swaney.  They're the same ones that Kaptain Kaos (known as Grant Booth to his mother) has on his website.  I posted 'em here so I could more easily access them from my computer.

Fred Weaver and Luc Hermange had a little fun at my expense at Bakersfield.  I wasn't there for several reasons... too far, wife out of town, kids to shuttle back and forth, etc.   Lame excuses to be sure, but nobody said life was fair.  Maybe I'll get the project done in time to make the 2004 flyin.   I don't think I can work fast enough to be ready by 2003... dang!

32 Rockets on the field and all I get is grief 'cause I wasn't there to enjoy it!  Here's a key to the pics for those who just have to know.   Info provided by Luc Hermange.  Match the picture number in the list below to the URL tag that pops up on your status bar. Vince

Most I'm not sure of.

#8 Jim Coelho Rocket

#10 & 11 Fred Weaver

#12 621WD (Tom Martin built) Fred with his "could have been his" Rocket

#14 Harmon Rocket 1

#15 Tim Barnes with his Mean Green

#17 Rob Mokry

#18 Gretchen Mokry

#19 & 20 Fred & Vicki

#21 Jeff Rebecca Vicki & Fred

#22 Fred and his "should have been his" Rocket

#23 Fred & Rebecca

#24 & 25 Fred & Bill Denney the current owner of Tom's Rocket or as Fred would call him "That guy who got my Rocket."

#26 Steve Marsh and his girl friend _______? Steve has a nice RV 4

#27 & 28 Christina Phillips - Harmon Rocket LLC

#29 I think this guy owns this plane?

#30 31 32 John Harmon next to the HRIII

#33 Fred propping

#34 Pepsi girls

#35 Bakersfield SWAT van and a K-9 Officer... You never know when those pilots will go out of control.;-)

#36 Outback Steak House catered with Rib-eyes $10 for pilots

#37 Taft skydive girl

#41 Johns HRIII doing a high speed fly by

#42 Russ Ward with Fred's old Tailwind. Russ is a Kiwi and a wild man. Recently he moved all his stuff back to New Zealand (about 6 48' containers full of airplanes and airplane parts) built an airport with two runways on his property with a gigantic hangar with plans to build four more and dozens of T-hangars and box hangars. You know that build them and they will come theory.

#43 & 45 Fatima, a cool friend that likes airplanes

CAUTION:  This web site is not a publication of, nor approved by, Harmon LLC, Team Rocket, Van's Aircraft or  any other person or entity listed herein, except me.  Be advised that I am a blithering idiot with neither brains nor money and my advice is not to be trusted.  So there.  You have been warned!  Vince