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If you've ever caught a cool plane or planes on Flightradar24 or ADS-B Exchange, tell us about it here! Link to Flightradar24 Link to ADS-B Exchange

If you've ever seen a really cool plane and got a photo of it that you would like to share, post it here! Also, if you are curious as to what plane you saw and have a photo, one of our members might be able to help you identify it.

On July 6th, 2025, the Planes & Chess Plane of the Day (now replaced by the Weekly Newsletter) was on the Rutan Boomerang. Below is my recollection of how I accidentally met its sole owner. I was floating around in a waterpark, minding my own business. A man compliments a model aircraft carrier I brought for water testing that was floating lazily next to me. He asks me, "Do you like aviation?". I respond, "Yes." He tells me how he's a pilot. I ask, "What model aircraft do you fly?" He responds, "I fly all kinds of aircraft. Experimental, passenger..." We float in awkward silence for a few seconds before he asks me, "Do you know who Burt Rutan is?" I respond with a "Yes." I know him because he was the designer of the Rutan Boomerang. That was one of the Planes I chose for an old Plane of the Day for this club. He says, "I fly one of his planes. The Boomerang." I ask, "Is that the one with the engine on the front and the engine on the wing?". He responds, "Yes. There's only one in existence, you know?" I think to myself, there's no way this guy owns the only Rutan Boomerang in the world. I thought there were many. Assuming I heard wrong, I just force a laugh and nod. We chat about jobs in the Navy and flight programs. Then he asks me, "Where did you hear of the Boomerang?" Not wanting to get into detail about chess clubs and Planes of the Day, I just respond with, "I was researching interesting aircraft." "Then the Boomerang popped up?" "Yes." With that, the conversation switches to talking about where I'm from and flight-related stuff. After a long silence, I get out of the artificial river and walk away. Saying a proper goodbye would be too awkward. About a week later, I decide to find out who this guy is. I reasoned that if there really is one Rutan Boomerang in the world, and he is the one who owns it, he shouldn't be too hard to find. So I look up "Owner of the Rutan Boomerang". Sure enough, Google AI responds with, "The Rutan Boomerang, an experimental aircraft designed by Burt Rutan, was initially owned and flown by him from 1996 to 2002 as his personal plane. In 2011, ownership was transferred to (Name redacted for privacy), a former employee of Scaled Composites, Rutan's company. (Name redacted for privacy) continues to fly and promote the Boomerang with the help of a team that includes former Scaled Composites personnel, such as test pilot (Name redacted for privacy) and engineer (Name redacted for privacy)." I look up the guy's name and see a YouTube video about a preflight check of the Boomerang. I watch it, and sure enough, the exact same guy I talked to at the waterpark is giving someone a walkaround of preflight procedures. I just thought it would be interesting to share my encounter. These quotes are based on my memory. The actual conversation may have varied slightly.

A Bit of Background The 2025 MCAS Miramar Airshow on September 26-28 is the largest military airshow in the United States, with over half a million attendees and hundreds of displays and performances.  It is held at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, an active US military base just north of San Diego, California. MCAS Miramar was the home of the real-life TOPGUN school until 1996, and currently houses the 3rd Marine Air Wing and of the United States’ Expeditionary Forces in Readiness. The massive base is one of the largest in CA and also is home to numerous endangered species. The airshow is held yearly in September, and has a host of military demonstrations and civilian performers. Visitors can interact with the military and law enforcement, and go into the cockpits of military aircraft. The Airshow @Emychock and I attended the Airshow this year to get some great photos of aircraft in action. We did. We took over 200 photos of dozens of different aircraft, but a few really stood out. Here are our top 20. The F-35B hovers over a parked P-38 The F-35 flies laps overhead A formation of choppers flies overhead I couldn't snap a shot in time, but this spectacular moment was caught on camera by a military photographer (courtesy DVIDs) A P-38 flies above us The “Fat Albert” Blue Angels C-130 CH-53s sling load trucks and artillery An Alaska Airlines 737 in special Armed Forces livery Some of the best aircraft we saw were in the USAF display area. Before us sat the two biggest aircraft in the US arsenal, the C-5m Super Galaxy and the C-17 Globemaster. in front of them was one of my personal favorites, an RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft. The C-5's nose was open, and visitors could walk through. The massive C-5M Super Galaxy The RC-135 Rivet Joint The C-17 Globemaster (upside-down due to computer glitch) In addition, sitting nearby was the famous B-29 "Doc" and an RAF Fairey Firefly, a historic biplane used in World War II. B-29 “Doc” The Fairey Firefly The Warbirds Over Miramar showcased historic USMC aircraft whizzing overhead. Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of this part of the event, but a military photographer did, so you can get a feel of how it looked: Courtesy DVIDsAn XQ-58a Valkyrie Drone (random visitor blurred for privacy). To wrap things all up, the famous US Navy Blue Angels put on  a closing show. I mostly got video of their flips and tricks (videos are a pain to upload), but I thought these formation shots were pretty cool. The Blue Angels fly in formation The famous Blue Angel Diamond A nice shot with the flag I hope you enjoyed (these photos took a long time to insert), and if you're ever in San Diego, USA in September, be sure to check this place out!

I'm thinking of holding our second large advertising campaign to get more members to join. Typically, I'd just go into the forums and advertise there. But, that only brings in a few members. I'm looking for creative ideas. Also, if you guys could invite your friends, that would be great as well. Thanks!

Member @TB_HawkerHunter owns War Thunder club. If you are interested in joining this great club, click the link below: https://www.chess.com/club/war-thunder-club

Planes and Chess is having a Dogfight Chess arena! Dogfight Chess is a plane-themed chess piece mashup that was invented by me. Is strength in numbers, or is it in material points? Find out while playing some EPIC chess! https://www.chess.com/tournament/planes-chess-presents-dogfight-chess-no-3