I am proud to announce the project that has had me busy for the past 3 weeks ... the Nemesis® NXT® project for Microsoft Flight Simulator! Created by Jon & Patricia Sharp, the Nemesis® NXT® is the premier Sport Class racer at Reno. Jon plans to shatter the 3Km speed record for his aircraft's weight class this week at AirVenture. Jon & Patricia have partnered with Eaglesoft and myself  to create the MS FS version. The FS version is based on the actual CATIA model used for wind tunnel testing and manufacturing of the real NXT® kit. Without further adieu, I present the Nemesis® NXT®!

These shots are very early representations of the aircraft and will most certainly change as the project progresses. Stay tuned!

Nemesis® and NXT® are registered trademarks of Nemesis Air Racing and are used with permission only. Design Copyright © 2008 Nemesis Air Racing. All Rights Reserved.

Brandon and I arrived to Oshkosh late last night after a connecting flight into Appleton via Detroit (Rock City). The cab ride was ultra-smooth ... a Cadillac, which was a first for me. Usually its a Ford Crown Vic. Anyway, upon our arrival, we walked over to the local Pic & Save for some essentials...you know, chips, beef jerky, etc. etc. We chilled out in the room and then crashed for the night.

Today is set-up day and I'm going to help! More later...

Check out this article by Mike Singer on how you can make a virtual visit to AirVenture if you cannot make it there in person. Speaking of Mike ... be sure to bookmark his blog as he has promised to update it nearly daily while at AirVenture. Shall we hold our breath?

Also, if you cannot make it be sure to check out this live ATC feed of the controllers at KOSH. I'm sure it will be a flurry of activity all week! Now to finish packing... :|

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 78.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 79.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 80.

For someone (me) who has been experiencing upper 90s with heat indices of over 100F, this wx forecast is absolutely wonderful!

Many flight simmers in the world use their time with the sim to wind down from a long day or to escape from the realities of day-to-day life. Have you ever considered how this could be done in a hospital setting to help patients "get away" from their pain? A young man named Kevin Query has done just that and pioneered a program at Munson Infusion Clinic in Traverse City, Michigan called Sky High Hope. The program began in November of 2007 by Kevin with the help of the AERO’s flight school at Northwest Michigan College. Using a laptop, a joystick, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, AERO team members have the Clinic visitors flying planes and helicopters in and out of airports throughout the U.S. and the world! How cool is that.

Brian J. Terwilliger, the man behind the critically acclaimed "One Six Right," has achieved a dream - flying with the Blue Angels. Follow Brian in a 10-minute documentary entitled "Flying Full Circle" where he talks about his first experiences as a child watching the Blues perform and then realizing that dream. After enjoying that, be sure to check out his next full-length aviation film teaser, "Aviation Epic."

Those of you who are going to be lucky enough to visit EAA AirVenture this year will be in for a shock. For as many years as I can recall going to AirVenture, the Microsoft FS booth has always been at the entrance to Hangar B. In fact, one year they even sponsored the whole hangar. This year that has changed. The Microsoft FS booth now calls the entrance to Hangar D home. I inquired with Hal what "the skinny" was on this dramatic change in venue (well, not too terribly dramatic ... Hangar D is a few paces away from Hangar B), but he hasn't given me the spill. I'll have to dig it out of him in two weeks. Anyway, if you're expecting to find the FS booth in Hangar B ... don't panic when it is not there. Hangar D is where the action will be this year! Boy won't the folks at JoePilot, AvShop, and CH Products be in for a surprise (they used to get tons of business due to the FS booth)! See you there!

The modern day guppy is making a short visit to EAA AirVenture this year! The heavily modified Boeing 747-400 known as the DreamLifter will arrive late Monday July 28th and then depart on Tuesday July 29th. The aircraft is being utilized to carry key components of the new 787 Dreamliner from points all over the globe to the assembly location in Everett, WA. I'm looking forward to getting a closer look at it myself! 

Check out this video footage from AVWeb showing yesterday's first flight of the Cirrus Design The-Jet. In my opinion, this airframe is much more appealing in design than the Piper Jet. Does this mean we may see this plane fly at Oshkosh?? Who knows, but it sure seems to me that they've accelerated their testing. Just the other day they were performing the first high-speed taxi tests. I've got my fingers crossed!