Aurora - The Mysterious Aircraft

Aurora or SR-91 Aurora is a hypothesised reconnaissance aircraft of the United States which is believed can attain a speed over Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). SR-71 Blackbird is another plane in reality which can fly at a speed about Mach 3. The Aurora was developed in 1990 s as a replacement for Blackbird. It is believed that the Aurora project was soon called back because there was a shift from spyplanes to high tech unmanned aerial vehicles and spy satellites which can do the same job at a lower risk and expense.

The sonic booms heard by the Southern Californians in mid to late 1991 makes the story of Aurora a little more mysterious. The sonic booms were quite un-natural at that time and a series sonic booms were recorded by the U.S Geological Survey sensors across Southern California. Later, the NASA sonic boom expert Dom Maglieri studied the 15 year old sonic boom data from the California Institute of Technology and came to the conclusion that the data showed something at 90,000 feet and at a speed of Mach 4 to Mach 5. He also said that the boom signature pattern recorded in the data and that of another aircraft which had traveled through the atmosphere many miles away at LAX is wildly different.

The high cost of manufacture and maintenance is another reason for the decline of this high velocity mysterious aircraft.

Red Bull Air Race World Series

The Grand Week of the Champagne at Reims, France was the first ever air racing event held in history. It was held in the year 1909. After that many air races were held such as Schneider Trophy seaplane race, Cleveland Air races, Reno Air races etc.

A long time since, the Red Bull Company created a series called Red Bull Air Race World Series in which pilots fly singly through a series of gates or pylons. It attracted many people especially in large cities where it was usually held. The Red Bull Series was introduced in Europe in 2003 with only half a dozen competitors, but it was remarkably successful. A three time world aerobatic champion Peter Besenyei suggested that airplane racing should be more of a three dimensional sport, and accordingly, the Red Bull races are a cross between high-G, low level, air show manoeuvres and conventional, closed-course pylon racing.

The Air Race in Europe was kicked off in 2003 with two events, one in Austria and the other in Hungary, Peter Besenyei's home country. In 2004 there were three races, two in Europe and the third one in U.S. The first of the three races was held in June at Kemble air day in Gloucestershire, U.K. The second in August at Budapest, Hungary. The final race of the season was held in conjunction with the world's premier racing venue, the 41st Annual National Air Races Championship in Reno, Nevada. The Red Bull Air Race World Series Championship was decided at the Reno event.

Eight pilots flew in each of the competitions and included some of the best aviators from the U.S. and Europe.

The planes with which the pilots create some of the amazing stunts are the world's most agile high-performance aerobatic mounts. The French CAP 232, German Extra 300, Sukhoi SU-26 to SU-31, Edge 540 is perhaps the most popular among them.

The Fantastic 4mations

The formations made by the planes in air shows sometimes take our breath away.
Some of the formations which I thought are truly fascinating are shown below.

The Diamond Formation.

The Feathered arrow Formation.

The Delta Formation.

The Flanker Formation.
The Lancaster Formation. The Big nine Formation.