Updates

30 October - We are now posting updates on our Facebook page. Please join us there.

History Channel's 'Modern Marvels' finishes jet sailplane shoot

24 November - History Channel's 'Modern Marvels' spent all day Tuesday filming the jet sailplanes. Despite predictions of storms and snow, the weather was perfect for the morning flying. After lunch, we went back to hangar 56 and filmed tests of a new smoke system (lots of smoke!) and re-assembly of the Super Salto. We're not sure of air dates, but we'll post them when available. Click here to see photos of the shoot.

BIG NEWS - History Channel's 'Modern Marvels' to film segment on jet sailplanes

18 November 2010 - We have been contacted by Modern Marvels. They will film Bob and the jet sailplanes. This is very exciting. We will keep you posted when the episode will air.

End of the 2010 airshow season

18 November 2010 - The 2010 airshow season is over. We just got home from the NAS Pensacola Airshow. What a way to end the season. It was great meeting everyone over the last year. We had lots of fun at each airshow we went to this year. It was great meeting all the volunteers and fans at each show. Thank you to all the volunteers that help at all shows. Without you we wouldn't accomplish anything. Now we have to start getting ready (as if we haven't done this yet) for ICAS. Las Vegas here we come.

Oshkosh AirVenture 2010 Update

23 August 2010 - The response from Oshkosh has been tremendous! The night show was definitely a special event. Perfect weather, great crowd, super performances. I especially enjoyed seeing the thousands of waving cell phones as I taxied in. Awesome display by the crowd!

Oshkosh AirVenture 2010

19 July 2010 - We are off to AirVenture 2010. Bob and the Super Salto will be performing 3 day shows and 1 night show. When not performing, Bob and the Vertigo Airshows crew will be at the Desert Aerospace booth, #313, in the main display area. Come by and say Hi. We look forward to seeing you.

2009 Season in Review

16 November 2009 - Well we finished off the 2009 season. This was our 16th year and what a time we had. Starting off in Australia in March, the east coast in April, the west coast in August and finishing off with our home shows in New Mexico in September. Bob enjoyed flying the Super Salto at all the shows this year. We are looking forward to next year. Off to ICAS.

Airshow Down Under

30 March 2009 - The Australia International Airshow was a great success. Aside from some challenging weather, everything went perfectly. After the show, we did some soaring and sightseeing in New Zealand. See the slideshow of our trip by clicking the link below. Click the "Flickr" icon in the upper left corner to see the slideshow full screen.

Year end wrap-up

29 December 2008 - The jet powered Super Salto is performing very well. There have been almost no problems with the engine or installation. The engine smoke system is now functioning well. We are preparing the aircraft and equipment for a mid-January departure for the 2009 Australia International Airshow. The 2009 season is looking very good.

Once again, we'd like to say a big THANK YOU to all of our sponsors who helped make this dream a reality.

New videos and photos

25 September 2008 - A new airshow video is posted on the video galley page, and the photo gallery page is now up and running. More videos and photos will be posted as the Super Salto gets more exposure.

Super Salto Flies First Airshow

15 September 2008 - Under crystal clear southwest skies, the Super Salto flew its first airshow at Farmington, New Mexico. Despite the density altitude of over 8000', the jet sailplane performed well. Photos and videos will be posted to the galleries soon.

Super Salto is Flying

1 August 2008 - The Super Salto has been signed off and has completed its phase I flight test period. Bob and Mark spent three days in Conway, AR completing paperwork and test-flying the Salto in her new configuration. (A special thanks to Kenny Blalock of Special Products Aviation for his assistance!) This is definitely one of the most unique aircraft ever developed! We are hoping to debut the Super Salto on the airshow circuit later this summer.

Taxi Tests accomplished!

19 July 2008 - Well, one more box has been checked. At the Moriarty airport today, the engine was started up and the Jet Salto was finally released to run down the runway. As any new parent is careful with their infant, Bob was a little careful with the throttle. After getting the feel for how touchy the throttle might be, Bob and the Jet Salto were off and running. Mark and Laurie were right behind in the chase vehicle to get the evidence on film. We made three runs down and back on the runway. Bob was quite pleased with the results and is ready for the next step.

Check out the Jet Sailplane page and go to history for pictures of the final stages of development. We are down to the last few boxes to be checked and the Jet Salto will finally be released from the surly bonds of earth. We are getting closer.

Introducing the Jet Salto

5 July 2008 - The Salto has been retrofitted with a 225# thrust jet from PBS in the Czech Republic. Stay tuned for more progress as it develops.

The new engine is here!

2008 May - Well, it was like Christmas at our house today. The engine has arrived and Bob has got parts all over the house. Yes it looks like Christmas. Now to get it on the Salto.

The New Jet Project has started

2008 March - For months now Bob has been working on a new jet project. How would a much larger engine be on the same size glider as the Silent? Can we do this? Well, the answer is yes. Bob has been in contact with a company in the Czech Republic that builds jet engines. They have a 225 pound thrust jet engine. An arrangement was made between Bob and PBS and the engine is on its way.

The start of the 2008 Airshow Season!

2008 February - Here we are in February 2008 and ready for a fantastic 2008 season. We are looking forward to seeing all our friends and meeting new ones. See you on the road!

Skybolt has been sold.

2007 November - The Skybolt has been sold and is now in Germany.

Off to Australia

25 March 2007 - Airshow in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Australia International Airshow. Bob, Laurie and Mike had a wonderful time. Everything went great with the jet engines. The show went well. Laurie stayed an extra week to just see the country and Bob and Mike stayed an extra 2 weeks.

Skybolt officially for sale!

6 June 2006 - With the continued success of the jet sailplane, the Skybolt's services as tow plane are no longer needed.

2006 season in full swing!

6 June 2006 - The 2006 airshow season is in full swing. We started out this year in early May at Temple, Texas. Great show and great weather. Aside from a newly choreographed two-act jet sailplane performance, we introduced the first ever jet sailplane night pyro show. Then up the road to NAS Ft. Worth. Again, great show and weather. Cannon AFB, NM on memorial day weekend wrapped up May. June started out with a super show in Davenport, Iowa. Once again we were on a winning streak weather-wise, with crystal clear skies and light winds. The AMT-USA engines are working well, and the new choreography is proving popular with airshow fans. Looking forward to a couple more shows in the mid-west before returning to the desert southwest later in the summer.

2006 season approaching!

27 Feb 2006 - A lot has happened since the last update! For starters, the jet sailplane has been performing flawlessly over the last year or so. Over the winter months, I have made many flights to test engine performance, in-air restart and high altitude performance. Results have been very encouraging. I have been flying a lot with absolutely no required maintenance on the engines! I have achieved airstarts as high as 13,500' MSL, and have made powered flights approaching 1 hour duration.

AMT-USA is under new ownership. The new owners are very committed to making sure the jet engines are top quality. Norm Robinson & John Ligons bring a lot of experience and talent to the company. There have been very supportive of the jet sailplane project.

The 2006 airshow season is beginning to take shape. I just posted the 2006 season as it stands right now. As usual at this time of year, some shows are still tentative, and others will be updated as they commit to a schedule.

I am pleased to announce the addition of a new sponsor, Electronics International. They have provided a new FP-5 fuel flow/fuel pressure guage that has replaced the complicated bunch of guages and idiot lights I had been using to monitor the jet's fuel situation. The FP-5 not only monitors fuel flow and pressure, but also calculates time to empty and triggers warning alarms based on a number of important parameters. I have only had a chance to fly one flight since its installation, but the benefit in safety and reduced cockpit load are obvious. Get more info at www.buy-ei.com.

Watch for my smiling face on an upcoming Weather Channel Road Crew presentation.

Airplanes And Screamers

24 June 2005 - Air Screamers, that is. Air Screamers are tiny rotating sirens, originally designed to give model airplanes that "Stuka dive-bomber"sound. At normal airspeeds, they produce a spectacular scream that can be heard for miles! Bob has been flying the screamers on both the biplane and jet sailplane for the last several shows. The effect is fantastic! Special thanks to Rod Johnson of I4C Products in Tulsa, OK. Get more information on Air Screamers at www.i4cproducts.com

Jet Sailplane Demo at Florida Jets

11 March 2005 - Bob performed a demo at Florida Jets in Lakeland, FL March 6 & 7. The aircraft's performance was outstanding. (The guys at AMT-USA have been "tweaking" the engines over the last few months.) Due to airspace restrictions, Bob wasn't able to perform the full acro routine, but the demo was still very impressive. The weather was perfect, and the plane performed flawlessly. New photos have been posted to the photo gallery. Florida Jets R/C Jet Meet link

2005 Airshow Schedule Posted

1 March 2005 - The 2005 airshow schedule has been posted. A few shows are still tentative, and we expect a few more to be added throughout the season.

Jet Sailplane Displayed at SSA Convention

20 January 2005 - The jet sailplane was on display at the SSA Convention in Ontario, CA in January. It drew a lot of attention from the attendees, both in the convention hall, and outside in the hotel parking lot when we ran the engines.

Jet Sailplane to Perform at Florida Jets

17 December 2004 - While all the details with the FAA haven't been finalized, we are planning to perform with the jet sailplane at Florida Jets in March. Florida Jets is one of the country's largest model jet meets. It takes place at Lakeland Airport March 3-6, 2005. Special thanks to AMT-USA for helping make this happen.

Jet Sailplane Displayed at ICAS Convention

15 December 2004 - Bob, Laurie & Mike attended the International Council of Airshows (ICAS) Convention in Las Vegas last week. The jet sailplane was on display in the Silent Wings Airshows booth. It definitely drew a lot of attention! The 2005 airshow season is looking good, with about an equal mix of jet sailplane and salto/biplane shows. We will also be performing several night shows. We will begin updating the 2005 schedule as soon as dates are firm, probably after the holidays.

New Website up & running

12 October 2004 - In case you got all the way to this page without noticing, the new website is up. After many late nights fighting with HTML files (very picky about misplaced symbols), everything except the photo gallery seems to be working. (For now, clicking on the photo gallery link will automatically take you to the old photo gallery.) I believe the site has a cleaner look, and is easier to navigate than before. I should have the photo gallery working better soon.

If you experience any problems, please send me an e-mail.
- Bob Carlton

Jet Sailplane Featured In Popular Mechanics!

12 October 2004 - Popular Mechanics featured the Silent-J in their Tech Watch section on page 20 of the November 2004 issue. We're not sure where they got their information, but none of it came from Silent Wings Airshows, Alisport or AMT-USA. We were merely contacted for a photo (higher resolution than available on this website) after the article had already been written. Our offer to verify their facts was declined. Though much of their information is either blatantly sensationalized or just plain wrong, it is slightly more accurate than most Enquirer articles.

PM's claim that the Silent-J is the first jet glider is mis-stated. Experiments with jet gliders go all the way back to 1949, and Caproni (Italy) produced a fairly successful jet-powered glider about 20 years ago. The Silent-J is, as far as we can determine, the only twin-jet glider, and the only retractable-engine glider. The Silent-J is also the only jet glider currently performing at airshows.

We also doubt that anyone at Alisport is "terrified" by the jet sailplane, per PM's claim ;o)