It’s been around for a month or two, but those of you who have not run across it yet there is a new site on the world wide web just for news related to Microsoft ESP: ESPInsider! It’s just getting started so be sure to bookmark it.

Also on the topic of ESP, have a look at this – Dr. Kenji Takeda from the University of Southampton in the UK has been using ESP in conjunction with a Microsoft HPC Server – a supercomputer he is using to model some very complex aerodynamic situations. Have a look at his blog post for more information and this Aero-TV interview for a live demonstration!

Anyone who is an EAA member knows of Jim’s work – he has shot over 400 covers of EAA publications (Sport Pilot, Sport Aviation, Sport Aerobatics, & Warbirds to name a few). I had the pleasure of meeting Jim this past summer’s AirVenture. He has an online gallery and a montage of air-to-air photos you should check out. There is a reason he has been Chief Photographer for EAA for 24 years.

Breaking news! I just received word from Jim that he placed 1st and 2nd in the General Aviation category of Aviation Week's 2008 photo contest. Congratulations Jim!

I am not sure how long this will be featured, but HULU has Speed & Angels viewable for free in High Definition. If you have not had a chance to watch this film go check it out!

With less than a week left to go before jolly ole’ St. Nick makes his yearly trek around the globe, the shopping days are quickly dwindling. If you haven’t had a chance to find a gift for that person in your life who has an interest in aviation, but just hasn’t taken the leap into taking lessons … here is the perfect gift! For $119 you can give an introductory flight at one of over 4oo flight schools across the USA through PilotJourney.com. Included in the package:

• A 30-40 minute flight lesson with an FAA-certified instructor.
• A 30 minute seminar to introduce the flight lesson.
• A 25 page ebook that covers the first flight in detail.
• A Discovery Flight video seminar that explains what you will actually do on this first flight lesson.
• A free 6 month subscription to AOPA Flight Training magazine.
• ACTUAL GROUND SCHOOL LESSONS to help you on your first lesson ($30 value).
• A Certificate of Accomplishment suitable for framing, to impress your family and friends.
• Here is the searchable list of participating flight schools

If any of you are like me and need a site for a quick fix on aviation related news, photos, or video then Jetpedia is the place for you. It essentially is the headlines from the top aviation news sources around the web, such as Aero-News.net, AVWeb, and AviationWeek. They also provide some Flickr photos and Youtube videos for a bit more visual stimulation. I encourage you to check it out soon!

Through my good friend and favorite community evangelist Hal, I was recently introduced to an interesting chap named Jeff Geer and the Bravo 369 organization. You see, Jeff is set to make a “Flight for Education” in the summer of 2009 from Bellingham, Washington to Provideniya, Russia along the Lend-Lease route established during WWII. He aims to have his flight uploaded real-time so that others around the world can fly alongside him virtually in Flight Simulator X.

From their website: ”Jeff’s vision for … the Flight for Education is ‘To leave a legacy of inspiration – to positively motivate and encourage our children and future generations to dream, strive for excellence and to reach for the stars. We want to show kids that if they believe in themselves they can do anything they put their minds to through hard work and perseverance. We want the Flight for Education to set new standards in teaching and motivating children to become the best.’” To make a donation, visit here for details. 

Those familiar with Whittman Regional Airport during the months of July and August are in for a shock as to what is being changed regarding the layout of the main grounds. Steve Taylor is EAA’s facilities manager and has been utilizing a new blog to help tell the story of what is being done there. Steve may have gotten a late start, but he sure has been very forthcoming of information since inception of his blog in November. Much of the infrastructure is now in place and can be seen in this post. The entrance is now easier to navigate via 3 channels of concrete, instead of the single stretch that extended toward AeroShell Square. Now people will be able to chose one of the 3 directions to head immediately upon entering the grounds, hopefully lessening the congestion along the main stretch. I am excited to check it out myself next year!

A buddy of mine shot me a link to Max Haynes’ wonderful online magazine of aviation photography, Max Air 2 Air. I spent nearly an hour going through his collection – absolutely stunning! I highly recommend visiting when you’ve got an hour or two of free time.

From such legendary FS content creators as Jan Visser and Robert Young comes a new freeware F-86 Sabre! Yes, the very Jan Visser who has created such wonderful models for MAAM-SIM has decided that the masses should enjoy his and the SectionF8 team’s hard work for FREE! Initial release is for FS9, but there is a note of an FSX version coming soon after the initial release. I’m not sure about you, but I’m eagerly anticipating this package!

Starting this week is the 2nd annual Triple Tree Fly-In held at Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, SC. The event was mistakenly announced at this morning's SC Breakfast Club meeting in Camden to be on October 25th - it is not, the correct dates are the 8th-12th! Check out the Triple Tree website for more details or download the flyer here (.pdf format).

What an honor! The Eaglesoft Twin Comanche has been nominated for the SimFlight 2008 Awards in the AIRCRAFT: GENERAL AVIATION, COMMUTER category. Be sure to cast your vote soon - voting ends on October 7th!

Yeah! I guess that means that I need to get on the ball again with regards to my interaction with the community … I promise I’ll do better!

Wow, has it really been two months? I guess you can say that I needed a bit of a break from activity here. A blogger’s sabbatical if you will. I have been keeping tabs on the “pulse” of the community from a distance. I also have been busy in the background working on projects, so I haven’t completely left the scene. So, like one of my favorite album titles from Alex Gold, I’m “Backfromabreak.” More to follow…