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March 16, 2021

Old v New... WWII Warbird To Combine 2021 Avionics With Vintage Technology

Will Also Offer Those Riding In The Aircraft An Enhanced Warbird Experience

The Gulf Coast Wing of the CAF announced that three national avionics providers are set to equip a WWII-era aircraft with the most sophisticated communications technology available on the market. Becker Avionics, Avidyne Corporation, and Force Aviation are working with the CAF to upgrade the cockpit of an iconic B-17 Flying Fortress, named Texas Raiders, which resides at Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport. The aircraft, which began life outfitted with vacuum-tube radios that filled a forty square foot compartment, now navigates and communicates via three solid-state boxes that measure only inches on each side.

Air Force Awards LiquidPiston A $150K Phase I STTR Contract

LiquidPiston has disclosed the adaptation of its X-Engine technology for the United States Air Force to use in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as well as “orbs” - urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles designed to carry people and cargo around. The X-Engine, a next-generation rotary diesel engine, is being evaluated as an enabling technology to power the UAS or orb through a hybrid-electric propulsion system. Because current battery technology limits the range of an orb’s flight, the X-Engine converts the energy contained in jet fuels, and enables the Air Force’s UAS/Orb to become a reality.

From 2015 (YouTube Version): Oshkosh Reveals Many Treasures... Including Old Warbirds Full Of History

While at EAA AirVenture 2015, ANN News Editor, Tom Patton, ventured out to visit the warbirds and was attracted to a large four engine aircraft that is a variation of the World War II Consolidated B-24. It turns out to be the world’s only flyable PB4Y-2, Privateer, which is a U.S. Navy version of the B-24. To get the full scoop about the airplane, Tom talked with Boyd Gallaher, who is the pilot of the aircraft. Gallaher first became acquainted with this airplane in the late 1970s when it was being operated as a fire suppression aircraft. He descr