Liberals Ignore The Wright Brothers

At some point in relatively recent history, many things that we currently
take for granted were Magic...

The Light Bulb
The Telephone
The Car
The Computer
The Internet
Christmas



I think for most people nowadays, there isn't much Magic. Nowadays it's
always about money. There isn't even much visionary Sci-Fi to lead us to
our next dream... We've even got the Cell-Phone as a Star Trek
Communicator...


At least for most people, anyway. I still enjoy the magic of flying...
And even some other things... Although I have become something of a
pragmatist - or maybe even a cyncic. (Could you tell?)

Maybe we just need some George Orwell meets Gene Roddenberry meets George
Lucas style visionaries to come up with the next world-wide fantasy that
might be achievable in the next 50 years.

And then we need a good leader to declare it the mission...

Wizard of Draws wrote in
:

vincent p. norris wrote:

Why should kids be
interested in aviation?


Because it's magic.

Modern planes are even more magic than those of the Wright brothers.
They looked so light and delicate, it was easy to see the relationship
between a child's kite and the larger flying machines. Of course they
could fly.

But now? Hundreds of tons of metal suspended miles above the earth with
nothing to hold it up? Traveling at speeds faster than the earth can
rotate beneath it?
How about a plane that can fly around the world on one tank of gas?

You get the idea.
Magic.

"Judah" At some point in relatively recent history,
many things that we currently
take for granted were Magic...

The Light Bulb
The Telephone
The Car
The Computer
The Internet
Christmas

That's just life...

I think for most people nowadays, there isn't much Magic. Nowadays it's
always about money. There isn't even much visionary Sci-Fi to lead us to
our next dream... We've even got the Cell-Phone as a Star Trek
Communicator...

....ut that's overly cynical

At least for most people, anyway. I still enjoy the magic of flying...
And even some other things... Although I have become something of a
pragmatist - or maybe even a cyncic. (Could you tell?)

I enjoy it too... and I think you are just getting older. I know that for
sure.

I watched "Master and Commander" the other night and fantasized about how
magical sailing and sailing ships must have been in previous centuries.
Sort of like space flight in the last one. The magic of open ocean sailing
is still there but so is thousands of other pursuits. We just have some
many damn options available to so damn many people. It's great! .

Yeah, you're right. But I can still be cynical if I really want to!

"Maule Driver" wrote in
. com:

"Judah" At some point in relatively recent
history, many things that we currently
take for granted were Magic...

The Light Bulb
The Telephone
The Car
The Computer
The Internet
Christmas

That's just life...

I think for most people nowadays, there isn't much Magic. Nowadays
it's always about money. There isn't even much visionary Sci-Fi to
lead us to our next dream... We've even got the Cell-Phone as a Star
Trek Communicator...

...ut that's overly cynical

At least for most people, anyway. I still enjoy the magic of flying...
And even some other things... Although I have become something of a
pragmatist - or maybe even a cyncic. (Could you tell?)

I enjoy it too... and I think you are just getting older. I know that
for sure.

I watched "Master and Commander" the other night and fantasized about
how magical sailing and sailing ships must have been in previous
centuries. Sort of like space flight in the last one. The magic of
open ocean sailing is still there but so is thousands of other
pursuits. We just have some many damn options available to so damn
many people. It's great! .

I watched "Master and Commander" the other night and fantasized about how
magical sailing and sailing ships must have been in previous centuries.

After you've been shanghaied, lashed by the cat o' nine tails, fed on
weevils and biscuits, sent aloft in a gale, sodomized by the bosun,
and had your teeth fall out from scurvy, precious little of that magic
remains.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

After you've been shanghaied, lashed by the cat o' nine tails, fed on
weevils and biscuits, sent aloft in a gale, sodomized by the bosun,
and had your teeth fall out from scurvy, precious little of that magic
remains.

My thoughts, exactly.

There was very little "magic" in any human endeavor, prior to the 20th
century, unless you were wealthy.

And there was certainly not any to be found as a ship's mate, from
everything I've read.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Life on land may not have been all that much more magical for the common
person. Life tended to be brutal and short for most - city or countryside.
You were either steering or being ground up by the wheels - and most people
were simply fodder for the few.

Speaking of movies, I was dragged out to see the "Last Samurai". Can't
really recommend it except as escapist, fantasy violence. But I can
recommend a related book, James Bradley's "Flyboys" "A true story of
courage". Related? The book starts with a sweeping historical look at
Samurai culture and fuedal Japan which it then brings into the 20th Century
and WWII. Bush senior is one of the flyboys that is shot down. A very
detailed and seemingly well researched account of what happened to Dive
bomber pilots shot down at an island next to Iwo Jima. Great battlefield
account with a lot of stuff you've never read before and a surprising
ending.

Great book. Made the "Last Samurai" viewing worth it.... almost.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:O%jCb.513413$Tr4.1431059@attbi_s03...
After you've been shanghaied, lashed by the cat o' nine tails, fed on
weevils and biscuits, sent aloft in a gale, sodomized by the bosun,
and had your teeth fall out from scurvy, precious little of that magic
remains.

My thoughts, exactly.

There was very little "magic" in any human endeavor, prior to the 20th
century, unless you were wealthy.

And there was certainly not any to be found as a ship's mate, from
everything I've read.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Maule Driver wrote:

But I can recommend a related book, James Bradley's "Flyboys" "A true story of
courage".

I thought it was great except for two glaring errors. In one sentence he talks
about the tendency of the big radials to "stall without warning" and in another
he talks about the WWII carrier decks being very dangerous places with whirling
props,..., jet fuel,... Jet fuel? In 1943?

Those errors make me wonder about some of the other facts he presents. The book
does contain an excellent bibliography, however, so I don't think he's made
anything up, and I hope to find time to check out some of his references.

George Patterson
Some people think they hear a call to the priesthood when what they really
hear is a tiny voice whispering "It's indoor work with no heavy lifting".

"G.R. Patterson III"
Maule Driver wrote:

But I can recommend a related book, James Bradley's "Flyboys" "A true
story of
courage".

I thought it was great except for two glaring errors. In one sentence he
talks
about the tendency of the big radials to "stall without warning" and in
another
he talks about the WWII carrier decks being very dangerous places with
whirling
props,..., jet fuel,... Jet fuel? In 1943?

Those errors make me wonder about some of the other facts he presents. The
book
does contain an excellent bibliography, however, so I don't think he's
made
anything up, and I hope to find time to check out some of his references.

You know, I think I'll do a fresh post about Flyboys in rap. I'm sick of
the subject line on this one and the presumed jerk behind it. Anyway,
please repost your point there if you like. That's why I'm always careful
about not presuming high levels of accuracy in something that just happens
to appear in hardback as non-fiction.

I thought it was great except for two glaring errors. In one sentence he talks
about the tendency of the big radials to "stall without warning" and in another
he talks about the WWII carrier decks being very dangerous places with whirling
props,..., jet fuel,... Jet fuel? In 1943?

I saw this remarked upon elsewhere--the bit about jet fuel, I mean.
Which leads me to think it's the major howler in the book. One
suspects that it was inserted by a 23-year-old editor.

I had an editor of Air & Space (Air & Space!) ask me what "high
explosives" were.

As for the big radials, well, perhaps they did have a tendency to
stall--which an aviator would describe as quitting. To most
non-pilots, stalling exactly means an engine stopping without warning.

Those errors make me wonder about some of the other facts he presents. The book
does contain an excellent bibliography, however, so I don't think he's made
anything up, and I hope to find time to check out some of his references.

Please post your thoughts. I haven't bought the book; I'm still
inclined to.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

I thought it was great except for two glaring errors. In one sentence he talks
about the tendency of the big radials to "stall without warning"

I was too young for WW II, but a few years later I spent some 800
hours sitting between two PW R-2800s, the "big radial" of WW II, and
I never had one "stall," or quit for any reason other than I shut it
down.

I did have one "blow a jug" but it I could still get 36 inches of MP
and 2400 RPM, which we considered "climbing power."

Some, such as in P-47s on strafing missions, took a lot more damage
than that but kept running.

A hell of a good engine!

vince norris