kontiki wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
kontiki wrote in
:

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
kontiki wrote in news:kZFvj.4711$Sa1.756
@news02.roc.ny:

William Hung wrote:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZMJOS2VWaPU

I poste this video in RAH, thn thought some in RAP might find it
iteresing. That second plane looks a lot like the bumblebee,
maybe even smaller. Would any of you fly it?

Wil
I do love those old 1950's era newsreels, especially about
aviation. They seem so full of optimism and enthusiasm for
general aviation... there seemed to be so much promise.
Sort of bittersweet to see not only how far we've come but
what it cost. Today its Big Green Government... they've
taken over every free endeavor including general aviation.

"If you can't tax it then regulate it, if you can't regulate it
then file a lawsuit against it."

Nah, there's more going on in GA than there has been for years.
LSA's, high performance machines like the RVs, and homebuilts in
space!

Bertie
maybe, but its not really promoted in the media.

And thank god for that!

And Lord help
you if somebody gets hurt, theres an army of lawyers waiting
to cash in.

True.. I know exaclty what you mean about the enthusiasm and the
feeling that there was in those days, though. In the thirties pilots
( famous ones) were like rock stars. Every minute of every record
setting flight was followed by the world, the air races were packed
and every schoolboy knew the names and stats of every racer, pilot
and airplane. In the fifties all these new amazing contraptions were
being built. Imagine, less than twenty years between the Boeing 247
and the 707. Biplane fighter to F102 as well. Vertical takeoff
weirness of all description. Cool.

Yup. Those were the good ol' days. When I was a kid in the sixties
I read every book in the library about space flight, aircraft and
aviation technology (and history). Things are different today and I
think our tendency toward risk aversion, litigation and regulation
has taken alot of fun and excitement out of it for the younger
generations. Too bad... maybe one day the pendulum will swing back in
the other direction.


Well, I know at least one who is up and coming... I hope he has
something decent to fly!


Bertie