My First Car

Well like most everyone in the world, a person's first car usually very special to their owner. Well it was not any different in my case. My first car was a 1994 Jeep Wrangler. Ever since my dad bought it for himself i dreamt of driving it around. It was the Sahara edition with the bigger engine and some extra features. It was a 5-speed manual, 4.0L 6-cylinder in-line. This was very powerful engine for this car since it is extremely light. It had the soft-top which made it perfect for going to the beach but it was extremely hard to put back on.

A month before I got my license I would drive it around my neighborhood when my parents weren't home. So I made sure that I would pass my drivers' test and get my license. Honestly I was not sure that I would get that car once I got my license but my dad surprised me once I got home with my brand new license and he handed over the keys. That was one of the best feelings I ever felt. This car is not the most comfortable since it has leaf-spring suspension, but the good side of having this suspension is that it is extremely durable. Jeep changed that suspension in their 1996 Wrangler when it was redesigned to a coil-spring suspension which is some what more comfortable.

Since it had the soft-top it made it a little hard to unzip the plastic window when I came up to a tollbooth. Sometimes I would even be sweating in the car since the air-conditioning didn't work. But none of that mattered because it was my first car and no matter what I still love it more than any other car. I makes me really sad looking at other Jeep Wranglers around the streets ever since I sold mine last year. When my father and I were about to hand the car over to it's new owner, this guy was telling me what he was going to do with the car. He was saying that he was going to change all the bumpers to chrome and many other things. That felt like he was stabbing my heart. Sometimes I still think about my baby and I hope that the mean old guy is taking good care of it. I still dream of someday tracking down this guy and buying my car back!

A Civil Fighter?

Speed and maneuverability are key words pilots look for in planes that they one day hope to own. Of course the military always owns the most advanced aircraft that can reach speeds breaking the sound barrier, but one company is beginning to challenge the theory that general aviation pilots can’t fly fighter jets. The Aviation Technology Group (ATG) is developing a new high speed private jet awaiting FAA certification that resembles a military fighter. The Javelin MK-20 not only looks like a military trainer, but it also performs similar to one, reaching speeds as high as 500 knots.

ATG spares no expense in the design of this brilliant aircraft and prices them at around 3 million dollars per airplane. ATG flew their first Javelin prototype out of their headquarters in Colorado in September 2005 and have since been funding for airworthy certification. As of now there have been 153 orders for ATG’s high speed jet and they expect many more orders once it is approved for the market in the skies. The Javelin seats two people in a fighter type fashion, with the pilot in the front seat, and its design allows it to reach altitudes of 45,000 ft.

The one question that is on pilot’s minds is whether the Javelin can perform similar maneuvers to fighters such as the F-16 and F-18 Superhornet. ATG is manufacturing versions approved for the military to use as trainers, but the executive Javelin is not meant for aerobatic and military maneuvers, but rather as a light business jet with good fuel economy and unbeatable performance. The aircraft can fly up to 3.5 hours without refueling and with its advanced digital avionics it could be the future of light business travel for VIP’s.

Deadly Raptors

Ever since the birth of aviation, the United States Air Force continually designs the most technologically advanced and superior combat aircraft. Each decade a new type of fighter is released into service and the dawn of the jet age introduced a completely new era of airplanes and warfare. The creation of stealth technology completely inverted air combat and allowed bombers, such as the B-2 Spirit, to go undetected by the enemy. However, in the late 1990’s the US Air Force unleashed its deadliest fighter yet, the F-22 Raptor, combining stealth capability with speed and advanced weapons.

The Raptor’s main function is for surprise ground attacks and enemy intelligence through its communication features. The F-22 fighter is the newest addition to the United States military and didn’t go into service until December, 2005. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems worked together to make the Raptor the most sophisticated jet fighter in the fleet. It is the first fighter to utilize stealth capability using radar absorbent material that prevents the reflection of radar waves on its metal surface. However, it is much different than Stealth bombers that fly upwards to 40,000 feet, because the F-22 had to be shielded at low altitude combat as well. Designers had to eliminate any aspects that could reflect a radar signal and also disguise its inferred emissions to prevent being detected by heat seeking devices.

The Raptor is not a cheap aircraft to operate, especially with costs around $138 million per plane. The military was supposed to have around 700 in their fleet but to this date they only have 183. The F-22 engines play a major part in the extreme cost of the fighter because not only are they powerful enough to push the airplane to Mach 2, but each engine can also change pitch. Finances must also cover the missiles that are internally concealed within the fuselage. Overall the F-22 Raptor is a great success for the American military and even won the Collier Trophy, American aviation’s most prestigious award. The fighters are spread among seven squadrons, and to this day they continue to protect freedom for all Americans.

Union of Superpowers

Everyone is beginning to feel the results of oil rising to $100 a barrel, especially when it becomes time to pay at the pump. However, major corporations are also making drastic changes to their methods in order to make a profit with extremely high fuel prices. Now, United Airlines and Delta Airlines have been discussing one of the biggest mergers in airline history. The nation’s 2^nd and 3^rd largest carriers began talks that they would keep United’s name and headquarters in Chicago.

This corporate takeover is an example of a popular method companies use to combat high jet fuel costs and prevent going into bankruptcy. Delta Airlines has already set up a committee to determine what strategic methods will be most beneficial to the carrier, and whether a merger is the best option. There is also concern on making a final decision before Delta’s CEO is replaced and a new administration comes into power. Current plans reveal that if the airlines do merge, Delta’s hub in Atlanta would be an operational center for the new company with Anderson being CEO of the combined carriers.

However, Delta and United aren’t the only airlines that have recently talked about a merger. Delta has also considered a merger with Northwest Airlines since Anderson was former CEO of that company, but Anderson denies any motive for coming to Delta solely to merge with his former company. Whatever the case may be, experts say that it is imperative that Delta mergers with another airline instead of risking going alone with fuel prices rising. Consumers are main points on the issue because of the routes and ticket prices they pay to get to their final destination. A union of United and Delta would seem to be beneficial to most customers because if the plethora of routes Delta has on across the Atlantic and United having networks in the Pacific region. It is certain that any merger will not be an easy one but today in the airline business, almost every possible method must be utilized in order to survive the day to day struggle.

A Final Test of Skill

As winter is fast approaching, the main concern among college students is finishing up the semester with good grades on their final exams. The last couple weeks after Thanksgiving consist of extensive studying for what could be some of the hardest tests they could ever take. However, flight students must also prepare for not only written tests, but testing their skills of flying in a Piper Warrior.

Purdue University uses the term Phase-Check as a cumulative review for the flight course the student is completing. They are always given once the student has completed all the requirements in the course, unless the end of the course requires a check ride to receive a certificate, whether it is for Private Pilot, Commercial, Instrument, Multi-Engine, etc. The phase checks don’t necessarily need to be given by FAA designated examiners, because it is only required by Purdue University. Instead most of the full time flight instructors at Purdue test the students, but can’t be the instructor that the student had for the course.

The phase check is almost identical to a check ride except there is no license given upon completion. Instead, it signifies whether the student can pass on to the next level of flying course that Purdue offers and also is the final grade of the semester in that course. There is an oral exam given prior to flight and then about a one hour practical test is given afterwards. Each course gives plenty of solo practice time and dual instruction so that the student will be successful on the phase check. It is also the responsibility of the student to study the material given in the course and make sure they are proficient on the maneuvers. Just as a normal check ride, there are certain limits that the pilot must stay in to pass each maneuver and can only miss a given amount of questions on the oral exam. As long as students take the phase check seriously and give it the same amount of time and effort as the rest of their exams they will move on to their next level of flying career.

The Flying Palace

Traveling in luxury these days is usually reserved for the wealthy and famous because of the high prices even for business class seating. Doctors, lawyers, and actors are mainly the people who can afford to have their own private jet and fly to wherever they please. The President of the United States is also fortunate enough to have a Boeing 747 to act as Air Force One and transport him all over the world. John Travolta is an example of a famous actor who was able to purchase a Boeing 707 and outfit it as his personal traveling home. Travolta even received the training necessary to get his type rating in a 707, which allows him to fly his entire family around in the aircraft. However, none of them compare to the most recent private purchasing of a large airliner, in this case the newly released super jumbo Airbus A380.

This past Monday, the first day of the annual Dubai Air show, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al-saud, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company became the first person in history to purchase the largest commercial airliner ever built. Airbus is refitting the A380 according to the Prince’s specifications to make the largest VVIP aircraft ever to take the skies. Al-saud is already the current owner of a Boeing 747-400 and is ranked 13^th on Forbes Magazine’s list of global millionaires.

A normally configured A380 reportedly sells for over $300 million but it has not been released on how much the luxury superjumbo will cost for buyers. The aircraft is has about 2,000 feet of usable floor space that can be used for bars, casinos, bedrooms, showers, and even a pool and gym. It is estimated that the special edition plane will be best suitable for 15 passengers as well as the separate areas for staff and crew.

Airbus success for their corporate jet market has gone full circle starting with their smallest A318 Elite to the A380 Flying Palace. This new deal is also placing further stress on Boeing in situations where the wealthy want to upgrade to the biggest and advanced form of air travel. Airbus won’t likely have the specialty plane ready until 2013, especially with their recent history of delivering far beyond their due dates. Most will agree that the time waiting will be well worth it, when with the right amount of money the sky’s the limit.

Cessna vs Piper: The Ultimate Showdown

For the past thirty years, general aviation has seen two manufacturing competitors struggle continuously to surpass the other in the most recent and user friendly aircraft for trainers and sport flying. Most pilots will immediately recognize that these two companies are Cessna Aircraft Co. and Piper Aircraft Inc. Every couple years, each company releases a new model of aircraft into the market in order to compete with recent demand. Recently they have released new light sport aircraft and even ventured into the very light jet market with Cessna having the Skycatcher and Citation Mustang and Piper having the PiperJet. However, it is their single engine piston powered airplanes that have been used for decades to train students into becoming professional pilots.

Firsthand experience is a great way to compare these two types of training aircraft. When I first began flying as a student pilot I spent most of my time training in a Cessna 152 for about 80 hours until I received my Private Pilot Certificate. The small space can be slightly uncomfortable for a larger individual but it is still a great airplane to learn the basics of flying. The 152’s particular strongpoint was its ability to make a smooth and easy landing with little action needed by the pilot. The airplane can basically land itself by just using the correct amount of trim, power setting, and drag. I was pleasantly surprised after I received my license to be introduced to the high performance Cessna 182 Skylane. This aircraft is still my leading favorite in all of the planes I have flown because of its speed, maneuverability, and spacious cockpit that make every aspect of the flight enjoyable. The 182 rides very smoothly and is ideal for long cross-country trips.

After flying Cessna’s most of my high school career I had to start over in college with Purdue’s fleet of Piper aircraft. The Piper Warrior PA-28-161 is the current airplane that I use for flight training and it is strikingly different than a Cessna more than just by its appearance. The Warrior stalls much smoother than a Cessna and is more stable in flight than a 152. They go much faster than a 152, but can’t compete with a high performance airplane such as the 182. Peripheral vision is also greatly changed in a low wing aircraft because there is no longer a line of the horizon to the sides. The change to your line of sight also effects your landings in a Warrior because it is more difficult to judge when to round out and flare upon touchdown. Most would agree that it is easier to land Cessna’s than Pipers but with practice it is not hard to master the technique of flying a low wing aircraft.

There is no doubt that these two giants in generally aviation will continue to battle for number one in sales of their training aircraft. Newer companies are also beginning to catch up in the lead over light piston powered aircraft such as Diamond and Cirrus. Over the past few years their newly designed aircraft have been very popular among flight schools both for training and leisure flying. It is not certain who will come out on top in the next few years but during that time pilots can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Weather Sux! I know!

Well readers, I have officially started flying my cross-countries. My first solo cross-country was amazing! I flew into Bloomington, Illinois and Kankakee, Illinois. The trip there was amazing, this time I didn't have all those first solo jitters like I did in Virgin Soloist, instead I was focusing on one thing. Weather. The day that I flew the cross-country, there was haze forecasted in the morning so once I got into the air, visibility wasn't so great, still flyable, but not great. There was also the problem of the cieling for the trip.

While looking at the weather reports prior to takeoff my instructor and I thought I could probably fit the cross-country in, but the cielings were supposed to drop as the trip progressed. So the entire way over I was constantly telling myself what to do if conditions became unflyable. I was constantly hitting the nearest button on the GPS, which tells you what airport is nearest to you so if I had to land I would know exactly where to go.

I got to Bloomington with no problems. I found all my checkpoints on the way there and didn't get lost like my instructor did her first time. I was pretty proud. So since I had completed one leg of the trip I was feeling more comfortable and didn't worry so much about the weather. I took off from Bloomington and headed for Kankakee. It was on this leg that the weather would begin to turn. I had found all my checkpoints up to about twenty miles away from the airport when I began to notice the clouds building. I didn't panic because I knew it would be a while before they were bad enough to ground me.

When I took off from Kankakee and headed to Lafayette things got really bad. While I was gone not only had clouds built up around Kankakee, but they had built up around Lafayette as well. I had a very small window to make it in. I got the weather from the Lafayette ATIS station and realized I could land, but that the clouds were getting so low it was just barely legal for me to be in the air. I landed the airplane just as the clouds made it non-VFR flying. I got back to the hangar and was met by my instructor. I looked her in the eye and said "Weather Sucks!". To which she replied "I know!".

So I finished the flight and got the shit scared out of me on the return trip, I'll never try to "fit in" a flight again. I was supposed to fly three cross-countries since then and each time the weather has been out of limits. Imagine that.

Ethnaol Fuel: Cleaner, Powerful, and Cheaper!

Very recently you have probably heard a lot about Ethanol Fuel. This is the same alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. This fuel has already been in use for many years in Brazil. It is much cleaner, more powerful and also cheaper since it can be harvested. Ethanol fuel can be made from many different types of crops, for example: sugar cane, corn, switch grass, and many others. The process of making this fuel is pretty simple. First of all the sugars need to be fermented, then it needs to be distilled, then to get the final product there is the process of dehydration. Dehydration is the process in which almost all the water is taken out from the solution. Even though this fuel seems to be perfect, it not. The consumption of ethanol is much higher than gasoline, about 35% to be exact. Another setback is that this fuel has a higher during temperature than gasoline which means that if you live in the cold your car will take about 5 to 10 minutes to start since you have to warm it up. Thankfully this problem has already been solved since now Ethanol fuel cars come with an extra gas tank where you would put in gasoline. Then in the morning you would press a bottom to inject some gasoline to get the engine started. The latest technology in Brazil for Ethanol fuel is called "Flex", which is a tuned engine that you can put Ethanol or normal gasoline. Hopefully the U.S. will also start taking Ethanol fuel more seriously so we can reduce pollution and reduce the price for us drivers.

A New Twist

Out of all the aviation blogs I have written over the past few months I thought it would be nice to take a break and devote one of my posts to the automobile side of this blog page. It was very difficult to decide what exactly to write about when it comes to cars because I am not as knowledgeable as the people who post topics on them weekly. I concluded it would be nice to write about something less new and popular in this era and shift things back into the mid 1980’s. I like almost anything when it comes to the 80’s including music, movies, cars, and trends. So the car I am most familiar with and enjoy during that time was the Pontiac Fierro.

As I do with most issues, when it comes to cars I always support and drive American made automobiles. Chrysler, GM, and Ford will probably be the only cars I will ever buy, mainly because they have the best quality coming from the USA, but the vehicles that I would like to own from other countries I most likely will never be able to afford. Anyways, the car from the 80’s that has caught my eye recently is the Pontiac Fierro.

The Fierro was made from 1984 to 1988 and was moderately popular to own during that time if consumers were looking for a sports car. The Fierro I was familiar with featured a 2.6 liter V6 engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Similar to most cars in the 1980s, it was a small design carrying only two passengers. The engine was located at the rear end of the vehicle with the trunk being in the front and surprisingly the car had plenty of room inside. Over time, improvements were made to suspension, brakes, steering, and V6 engines took the Fierro to a level far beyond the 1984 model. Pontiac also designed t-tops for their 1988 model and helped dissipate some of the criticism it came under from the earlier designs. Pontiac never mass produced the Fierro after 1988 but came out with a prototype in 1990 that was never released to the public. The Fierro will always be one of my personal favorites and is a great car to drive to get the full experience of a 1980’s American automobile.

The Results Are In!

This year’s NIFA Region VIII SAFECON ended with an upset as do most competitions in with changing teams. The collegiate teams in Region VIII have proven to be more competitive than most other teams in the nation because they all share the same amount of skill and a talent in their flying. However, there is always one team that just comes a few points shy of making it to the national competition later that year. Last year, Purdue University, Lewis University, and University of Illinois earned enough points to advance to the national competition while Southern Illinois University was only one point away from being one of the regional champions.

After their emotional defeat SIU (Southern Illinois University) was out for blood this year and practiced diligently before the competition in order to ensure they made it to nationals this year. They came out with nothing short of a victory and blew every team out of the water with almost a 100 point lead from second place. University of Illinois came in second place and Lewis University came in third. Purdue University was shocked they came so close to making it to the national competition after five straight years of earning the regional title. After the awards banquet it was learned that two message drop teams from Purdue were disqualified for the simple reason that the streamers on the drop containers were three inches too short. If the team had not been disqualified, Purdue would have taken first place in the event and would have made it to nationals in May.

This upset hit Purdue’s Flight Team hard and the feelings of loss and disappointment will not be taken lightly with each member of the team. Just as SIU did after their startling loss, Purdue will keep their feelings of how much they wanted to win that week and how close they were to being a part of the National Intercollegiate Flying Competition and use it in their practice next season. Region VIII has so much tough competition that the teams that do make it to Nationals usually place in the Top 5 out of all the other colleges. Next year Purdue will be ready for their comeback and will show the region how an almost completely new team can improve drastically with their determination to come out on top.

Bird Strike!!!

Any experienced pilot will always have eventful stories to share when talking to others about flying. Almost anything can happen during what can seem to be a routine flight, and what is looked upon as extraordinary for most, could be just a small event for pilots that in some cases could have led to a major catastrophe. One of the more uncommon incidents aside from engine failures and mechanical problems are bird strikes. They may seem harmless but for certain aircraft birds can be a dangerous flying hazard. An example of a strike came first hand on Purdue’s trip to the NIFA SAFECON Region VIII competition in Murphysboro, Tennessee.

Purdue University’s Flight Team decided to take two Piper Warriors and one Cessna 182 down to the competition to be used in the flying events. One the way to Tennessee the team stopped in Glasgow, Kentucky to refuel and take a tour through Mammoth Cave. Afterwards the airplanes departed south to Murphysboro and planned to land worry free of any incidents. However it was clear when the airplanes taxied to the ramp that there was something abnormal about the Cessna. When the pilot and passengers exited the airplane they immediately spoke to the head of the team about a midair collision they experienced. Thankfully it was only a bird that hit the airplane but the damage inflicted was very severe. From a distance it was obvious that something had impacted the left wing and caused a substantial dent in the sheet metal. The dent was extremely big for a regular sized bird and the pilot described it as big as a swan. He reported seeing the extremely large bird heading straight for the airplane seconds before impact but there was nothing he could do to maneuver away in time.

After things settled down with the team it was time to deal with the situation at hand because now Purdue’s team was short an airplane in the competition. The head of maintenance for Purdue Aviation was immediately notified and came down the next day to inspect the airplane. He concluded it was safe to fly back to West Lafayette, but Nashville Flight Service had to issue a ferry permit to the airplane in order for it to be a legal operation. Also, the pilot in command had to fill out a bird strike report within 30 days to the Federal Aviation Administration. There are only 390 reported bird strikes reported each year that are classified as incidents, but if a strong enough impact hit a less stable part of the aircraft such as the propeller it could spell disaster for the remainder of the flight. The pilot now has another story under his belt to tell anyone who is interested in flying and has the experience necessary to deal with a similar situation that may ever pop up.

Pagani Zonda

I know I have been talking a lot about supercars. But I just couldn't change subject without mentioning this car. The Pagani Zonda is gorgeous. The company that designed this car is called Pagani Automibili. This is an Italian manufacturer of not only these amazing supercars but also carbon fibre. Pagani is a fairly new company, it was started by Horacio Pagani in 1992. Although Pagani only managed to make one car, the Zonda, it definitely makes up for their lack of cars. The Zonda is a beautiful flowing aggressive car that will catch your attention no matter what angle you are looking at it. This car has one of the best designs I have ever seen in a supercar. The thing that usually draws more attention are the 4 huge exhaust pipes coming out of the back of the car.

The exhausts are not the only thing that people are drawn towards. There are some many other details in this car that stand out, such as the little black headlights or the rear spoiler (or should I say spoilers). Now for bad news, there were very few of these produced worldwide. But in the good news, for every year the cars performance was upgraded dramatically. The 1st model started out with 6.0L V12 engine that gave a total of 402hp. This model is from 2000, now the latest model come with a the same engine but AMG upgraded it a little, giving it a total of 750hp! Sooner or later this car will also be reaching the 1000 horses.

The Supercar that I can never spell

The Koenigsegg CCX is the brand new model that just arrived here in the U.S. This car has been around for a while but mostly in Europe. The first concept car debut back in 1996. This brand was started by only a few people. Now they managed to create one of the fastest cars in the world. They always had this unique look so they were worried about having to change their appearance in order to bring the CCX here to the United States. The reason being because there are differences to the regulations for street legal cars here in the U.S. This car was developed in Sweden. It was all started started by Christian von Koenigsegg in 1993. His goal was to create a super car based on Formula 1 technology. After working on and deciding a design for about 3 years, they started testing some prototypes. The went into production in 2000 and the first car was delivered to his owner in 2002. As everything was going well until a tragedy occurred. In February of 2003 the Koenigsegg production facilities caught on fire and burned to the ground. The cars that were left were taken to a nearby Swedish Air force base where they stayed and eventually rose from the ashes.

In 2005 the Koenigsegg CCR broke McLaren F1's speed record. McLaren's record held the record of 242 mph until the CCR reached 243 mph. But only a couple of months later this record was beat by the Bugatti Veyron, when it reached 253 mph. But this record was then beat by SSC Ultimate Aero that reached 256 mph. But the Koenigsegg did stay with one record. During a Miami Gumball 3000, the first CCR in the United States got the fastest speeding ticket. The car was going at an amazing 242 mph in a 75 mph zone somewhere in Texas!


Now to the specifications of this monster of a machine. The CCX has a 4.7L twin-supercharged V8 engine. Now this thing makes a total of 806 horses, going from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. The top speed is over 245 mph. Apart from having all this power, this car is extremely light since that body is 100% carbon fibre. The chassis is also very unique. It is semi monocoque made of pre-impregnated carbon fibre and honeycomb. What that basically equals to more stiffness which gives better stability. The only controversy of this car is that many people, including Top Gear, say that this car needs a rear spoiler in order to keep traction, but Koenigsegg states that it is only necessary of a rear spoiler when going speed of over 200 mph. In my opinion I do think it needs a rear spoiler since it can reach speeds of about 250 mph. Yet another characteristic that attracts me to this car is how the door open. These look like Lambo doors but they open completely vertically. This car is simply awesome, too bad it cost $600,000. If you really want to go all out, Koenigsegg just developed the version that runs on Ethanol fuel. That will cost you an extra $100,000 but guess how much horse power...This version has 1,016!! That is the second most powerful production car right after the SCC Ultimate Aero which has 1,180hp! I honestly did not expect the automotive industry to be releasing cars with over 1,000 hp. Sooner or later it was going to happen, I just thank God that it is during my lifetime! I strongly suggest that you take a look at this Top Gear video, you will certainly not regret it.

The Excitment of a Motorcycle on 4 Wheels

Well a couple of days back a was surfing around in youtube. I started watching Top Gear videos until I came across this one. I have to tell you that the minute they first showed a glimpse of the car I knew I had to have to one. Its simply amazing and all the car really is, is a supercharged engine with two seats. What more could you want in a car? The good news is that it is finally here in the U.S. The Ariel Atom, promises to go so fast that your face will never look the same. Others say that if you need face-lift, just take a ride in one of these bad boys. This car will provide you with more excitement and more performance than a motorcycle. The horsepower to weight ratio is more than a Ferrari! If you really don't believe me than do the math.

At first you look at this car and you would say that there is no design. You might be right, but you take a second look, you will notice the exoskeleton and all the mechanics of the car are also completely visible. That is what I love about this piece of machinery. It is only the essentials, no add-ons whats so ever. I'll give you my list of what I need in a car: seats, steering wheel, huge engine, and maybe some seat belts. That is exactly what this car is, extremely lightweight (since it only weighs 500 kilograms) and powerful.

This car can reach 0 to 60 in 2.7 seconds, and that's if you are an experienced driver that can switch the gears quickly. That is a sweet time, but if you like the Ford GT get ready to be disappointed. The Ford GT can go from 0 to 100 mph in 13.17 seconds, not bad, but the Atom will get there in only 10.88 seconds! Now about the drive train of this car. The atom has a 4-in line 2.0L supercharged engine. This engine will give you 300hp. There is also a non-supercharged version that has 220hp, but honestly if you were going to buy this car why would you even bother looking at that one, supercharged is the way to go! This car has perfect handling, not only because it is really lightweight but because it is very small so there is so way the wind or anything can stop you from making a perfect corner every time. If this blog still did not convince you to buy this car, then that means that you did not watch the Top Gear video that put a link to above. Now I suggest you take a look anyways, trust me it will not let you down.

Lamborghini Reventón!

The Lamborghini Reventón just made it first debut at this year in the Frankfurt Auto Show. This car will be the most powerful and most aggressive car that Lamborghini car ever developed. Rumor state that only 20 of these cars were going to be produced but that number has recently been changed to 100. It would be a shame if Lamborghini were only to make 20 of the insane machines. It sucks that these things are going to be priced at around one million Euros which is almost about 1.5 million US dollars!


As you car see the outside of the car has been completely remodeled. The extremely aggressive lines and styling of the exterior of this car were inspired by the F-22 Raptor. Even though the exterior of this car is brand new, the mechanics are almost all taken from the Lamborghini LP640. One extremely awesome feature to this car is the G-meter in the gauges. You can actually measure your g-force when accelerating and cornering. Obviously there is not much information on this car. As soon as I find out more I'll let you all know.

The Street-Legal Race Car

The Maserati MC12 is one of the greatest cars ever built. It was based of Ferrari Enzo's chassis. At the end the car ended up becoming a little bigger. This increase in the body went towards every direction. The Maserati is longer, wider, and even taller than the Enzo. This was a great impact on the performance of the car since the Enzo has a higher acceleration and higher top speed. While the Enzo can reach speeds of 217 mph the Maserati can "only" reach 205 mph. Unfortunately only 50 of theses extreme machines were built throughout 2004 and 2005, too bad there weren't any left when I was going to buy one (yeah right!),oh and by the way you had to be selected by Maserati to purchase one (just like the Enzo Ferrari). This car was priced at $600,000 Euros which is about $870,000 US dollars.

As stated in the name "MC12" this car has a V12 engine. With its huge 6L cylinders this has a total of 632 lb-ft of torque and 621 horses. The red line of this engine is indicated at 7,500 rpm even though it is still safe to get up to 7,700 rpm; while the Enzo can go all the way up to 8,200 rpm. The MC12 is designed after many of Maserati's race cars. Maserati has a big history in racing. They took part of the FIA GT which is a series of races. Most of these races take place in Europe but throughout the years other continents were also visited. What this race is all about is that the race car has to be a replica of a road car. But the it can be completely modified to certain limits. There are now three different types of championships GT1, GT2, and newest class GT3. Each class corresponds to how "stock" the race car is, GT3 being almost completely stock. But Every single car in the FIA races has to be street legal with certain exceptions that can be adapted to closed circuit races. If you want tot know more about the MC12 and see some funny along the way click here. If you watch Top-Gear, take a look how fast this car went around the lap driven by the Stig of coarse.

SAFECON Region VIII

This week college students from six different schools assembled for one major competition to see which school demonstrates the greatest skill in aviation. Starting October 31, The National Intercollegiate Flying Association held the Region VIII SAFECON at Murfreesboro Municipal Airport in Tennessee. Middle Tennessee State hosted regional’s this year and the competing schools that traveled to the event included Purdue University, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, University of Illinois, and Lewis University. Region VIII has a reputation of being one of the most difficult regions in the United States and only three teams out of the six make it to the SAFECON National Competition in the spring.

The competing teams usually arrive about two days before the competition to get used to their surroundings and get a solid day of practice in before the events start Wednesday evening. The official beginning of the event started at 6:00 Wednesday night with an overall briefing of the competition to all the teams in one assembly. No time was spared after the briefing and the first event, aircraft recognition, began. Only a few selected students from each team were chosen to put their skills to the test and win points for their team. Study times for every event were strenuous and an exuberant amount of effort was focused on each team member’s event.

The following day, students assembled at the airport early in the morning to begin the navigation event. Weather involving low lying clouds caused a two hour delay of the event until the pilot and navigator were allowed to leave and finish their route. Following the heats of navigation immediately came the message drop event. Barrels were positioned on the left side of the runway allowing airplanes to make their one low pass and get their drop as close as they could to the target. Back at the campus, students tested their abilities in the flight simulators and flew an entire route by memory alone of altitude, time, airspeed, and heading. When nightfall hit more ground events started including SCAN and computer accuracy.

Friday was the last chance for students to score a significant amount of points for their team with only two events remaining. The most challenging and pressuring event came first thing in the morning with power-off landings coming first, followed by power-on landings. There were a total of six heats in each type and judges lining the entire runway looking for any reason to deduct points from the pilots. Afterwards the judges met to tally their score and decide how many points to give each pilot. The preflight competition occurred after the landings on an airplane bugged with a wide variety of errors. The winner of the competition will be announced on Saturday and individual trophies will be awarded to the contestants placing in each event. Overall it was a very enjoyable and learning experience being at Regional’s this week and may the best team win!

The Art of Formation Flying

Every air show around the globe shares one common aspect to the stunning performances that are performed in competition. By this I am talking about formation flying. When you look up at the sky and see the perfectly symmetrical shapes the airplanes are in, it almost looks too easy. In fact, formation flight is one of the more difficult and hazardous parts of airshows, and if not done correctly it can result in disaster.

The basic formation flight begins with a briefing on the ground including verifying who is the lead, #2, #3, and #4 of the flight. Also the altitude, route, multicom frequency (usually 122.75), and weather are all important factors to be aware of before takeoff. Tail left or right echlon, staggered left or right echlon, finger tip, and diamond are all popular methods of formation flight that pilots regularly use. In flight, the lead always squawks 1200 (VFR) on the transponder and keeps his landing light on, while the rest leave their transponders and landing lights off.

Takeoff and climb usually result in flights of two with a lead and a wingman. The wingman always keeps the lead in sight diagonally in front of him, while both planes climb out at a slow speed to allow other airplanes to catch up. During cruise all airplanes are extremely close so caution must be exercised at all times. All turns should be made at 20 degrees or less and airspeed, altitude, and heading must be maintained constantly. When it comes time for the aircraft to break apart for landing each wingman slows down and turns 45 degrees from the lead in front of him. This is done until there is only the main lead in front of all the other airplanes in a tail formation. Landing is completed similar to takeoff when the planes approach in flights of two on a normal wide runway, with the lead two aircraft landing by touching down long, followed by the next flight of two aircraft landing short. These basic principles, along with plenty of practice and experienced pilots, can lead to an impressive and professional formation.

Safety First

Every year California seems to always have an issue with wildfires occurring in the late fall. However, this year has been one of the worst fire disasters California has seen in decades. The causes for these fires are still unknown with investigators hearing stories concerning theories from arson to global warming. This year over a billion dollars in damage has been inflicted in southern California and has destroyed many homes belonging to popular celebrities. Now there have been recent accusations that acres of property could have been saved from the fires if more airplanes would have been utilized.

People are expressing their outrage that almost twelve water dropping helicopters and two C-130 mass transport jets were grounded and not used to help stop the wildfires from wiping out everything in their path. The main culprit for this mistake was poor planning before the fires even started. The C-130’s were not equipped with the tanks necessary to carry thousands of gallons of liquid used to stop wildfire. The helicopters were also grounded because there were no fire stoppers needed to accompany the National Guard to coordinate the drops.

With 500,000 acres of land burned, there is little excuse for allowing firefighting aircraft to remain on the ground. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stood up for the government’s decision and also added that the winds prevented any possible air raid that could have stopped the fires in time. However, during the same day, four state helicopters and two Navy planes were able to takeoff, despite the 100mph winds. Safety is of course a huge issue in aviation but decisions need to be made on what can be sacrificed when life depends on aircraft support.

Thomas Eversole, executive director of the American Helicopter Services & Aerial Firefighting Association, made a statement saying “valuable time was lost and if you don’t get there in time you run the risk of these fires getting out of control.” The investigation also revealed that the spotters didn’t report for duty until almost 24 hours after they were summoned and by then the winds made it unsafe to fly. This event is only a small example of why safety and planning should be utilized as much as possible during any flight, especially when lives are at stake.