Curtiss Pusher Test Flight - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

[KippersUK]

Not going to be seeing any air racin here, just some old school "gliding". This is a reproduction of a 1909 Curtiss Pusher taking its first test flight. It is in HD, with some on board GoPro footage too. Pretty cool.

http://youtu.be/Kgt_nF6zXf4

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Curtiss Pusher Test Flight - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

Very cool video!





I remember when Reno/Stead hosted what may have been the slowest air race since the days of the "Magnificent" ones, though it was an unofficial race performed just for the fun of it.....A Curtiss pusher replica competed against what I believe was a modern Quicksilver MX, a very popular ultralight aircraft in the early 1980s.

The newer flyer built from modern materials and propelled by a lighter, higher-horsepower engine won it hands down of course, but it didn't have the grace-in-flight nor historical awesomeness of Mr. Curtiss's vintage creation...and was a lot noisier too!





Anyone know the current location and status of that particular Curtiss replica?

[V1670]

Re: Curtiss Pusher Test Flight - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

I saw a RACE with a Pusher. 50th anniversary of Naval Aviation at Moffet Field in 1961. The Navy was displaying their new F4 Phantom.
Radio "flagged-off" the Pusher from Moffet at the same time a F4 left
San Diego. Pusher did a lap of the south bay over Milpitas,San Jose and returned to Moffet. Pusher just set down on the runway when the F4 came screamin' in over the field. Pusher was cool........but that Phantom impressed the hell out of EVERYBODY.

F4's ROCK!!! Pushers are pretty cool too.

[IcePaq]

Re: Curtiss Pusher Test Flight - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

If you are doing a flyby to impress with a F4, make sure you know the performance of the other planes in the formation.

Once, when an Admiral asked for a VIP flyover of the USS Enterprise, the Air Group was supposed to fly by the VIPs and then the F-4 Phantoms would light burner and accelerate ahead of the formation of Skyraiders. This was suppposed to demonstrate to the numerous VIPs the difference between old and modern aviation technology. At the appointed time, the F-4s entered afterburner, and the SkyRaider pilots, instead of maintaining their power setting, went to full military. Due to the spool up time on the jets, the stately old SkyRaiders kept up with the F-4s until they were well out of sight of the VIPs.

All of those involved said that the subsequent ass-chewing the SkyRaider pilots endured was well worth it.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Curtiss Pusher Test Flight - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

I saw a RACE with a Pusher. 50th anniversary of Naval Aviation at Moffet Field in 1961.

Sounds impressive! I would have been slightly over one year old when that show took place. Needless to say...I don't remember it, though from what my parents have told me, I MAY have been there... in diapers.

[V1670]

Re: Curtiss Pusher Test Flight - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

Sounds impressive! I would have been slightly over one year old when that show took place. Needless to say...I don't remember it, though from what my parents have told me, I MAY have been there... in diapers.

It was. I was 11 and they had practically EVERY plane ever flown by the service. Fighters, bombers,transports everything from Sparrowhawks to Phantoms.