110th
Anniversary of First flight - December 17, 1903
[First
flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m.; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina]
As we approach this Dec 17th it was just 110
years ago that the Wright’s did their thing.
Wow! Just think of the things
that have happened in that short 110 years!
Well below, I have a very brief story about the day I brushed up against
history.
“Orville Would Be Proud of You!”
I was young flight instructor in
1974 and in need of a checkout in an airplane that we were using in our
training program. Harvey Hughes was the
owner/operator of Hughes Aviation at Capital City Airport in Lansing, MI. By the way Harvey was no relation to the
famous Howard Hughes but in his own way just as unique. My guess was that the white haired Harvey was approaching 70 years old and from
my perspective a bit on the ancient side for this game of flitting around in
light airplanes. None-the-less because
of his reputation I was very much looking forward to the ride. Quite honestly, I don’t remember anything out
of the ordinary during the checkout, but it was afterwards that has stuck in my
memories.
The day of the ride was a good
weather day and our ride was short, to the point and there was never any
anxious moments or nerves even though I was happy to finally fly with
Harvey. When it was over, we parked the
airplane and as I collected myself I was waiting for the word from Mr. Hughes
as to if I had passed. We started to
walk back to his small office where Hughes Aviation was located and Harvey said
these words, “Orville would be proud of you.”
That statement came out of the blue and I really didn’t know what he was
talking about so I said, “What did you say?”
He repeated, “I said, Orville would be proud of you.” This time I did hear him clearly but still
didn’t get it so I said, “Orville who?”
“Orville Wright, he would be proud of you.” I knew Mr Hughes was infamous for a number of
reasons and I was expecting a little eccentricity but I still didn’t get
it. So I said something like this, “I’m
sorry, but I do not know what you are talking about.”
That’s when he knew he had my attention and he
went on to explain as we entered his office and sat down. He told me that he was trained by Orville
Wright. Of course I thought he was
kidding me so I said something to that effect. But he remained firm and clear
that he was a student of Orville Wright.
Now, it was finally getting through and my mouth hit the floor. He reached inside his small old wooden desk
and pulled out a logbook that looked as old as the dead sea scrolls. Then he
turned to the first page in his book and I saw it. An instructor’s signature of Orville Wright
on the 3rd entry.
Wow! The signature was clean and
clear and unmistakable. Orville Wright,
one of the father’s of flight, signed Harvey Hughes’ logbook and I saw and
touched it. I was blown away. Up until this time, I had been under the
impression that the first flight occurred eon’s ago. At this moment in time I realized something
different. In a real way, I now felt
that I had touched the father of flight through the life of Harvey Hughes. As I walked away that day, I had a flood of
thoughts running through my head. The
biggest thought was that it really wasn’t a very long time since man learned to
fly.
As we approach the 110th
anniversary of the first flight, when considering all history think of how
short a time ago it happened. Just think
of what the next 110 years could bring to aviation. Flight……..awesome then……..and awesome now! Mark Sztanyo
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joel Payne
Email flyplayne@bellsouth.net
Issue Area - General
Comments - Received this from an email friend. Maybe too
rich for even an airline pilot. I have never seen a tri-motor seaplane.
Joel Payne
B-767A [ret.]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: carol
Date: 11/27/2013 3:49:52 PM
Subject: Fw: Flight Safety Information [November 27,
2013] [No. 245]
(wonder what the airfare is .... and I don’t
see any TSA agents)
World's shortest commercial flight?
from IndoPilot 3 months ago
At
just over one nautical mile between them, Kegata and Apowo airstrips in Papua,
Indonesia are separated by a deep valley making aircraft an ideal mode of
transport between the two villages. Take a ride with the locals in the Pilatus
PC-6 Turbo Porter on the 73 second flight from Kegata to Apowo.
Filmed
with GoPro HD and Canon S110 cameras.
Music: Nightcall by Kavinsky
Music: Nightcall by Kavinsky
http://vimeo.com/72343999 3:57
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Mike Harr
Date: 12/6/2013 12:25:08 PM
To: Mike Harr
Subject: Fwd: Blue Angels Announce Full 2014 Air Show
Season
FYI
Glad to see them back !!
Blue Angels Announce Full 2014 Air Show Season
First Performance In El Centro, CA In March
The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, will return to its full schedule for the 2014 air show season.“Community outreach is key to connecting Americans to the military,” said Blue Angels Commanding Officer and Flight Leader, Cmdr. Thomas Frosch. “Our performances provide a unique opportunity to inspire millions to connect with and support our service members, and we are looking forward to an exciting 2014 season.”
The Blue Angels originally announced its show schedule for the 2014 season at the annual International Council of Airshows convention in Dec. 11, 2012. Following winter training, the team begins the season Mar. 15 at Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro, CA, and will conclude the season Nov. 8 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, FL. The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform 65 shows at 34 locations throughout the U.S. in 2014.
The Navy believes there is value in demonstrating the professionalism and capabilities of our Navy and Marine Corps Naval Aviation team, thus inspiring future generations of Sailors and Marines.
(Blue Angels image from file)
FMI: www.blueangels.navy.mil, Full Schedule http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/media/news/20131021_001.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Full post disclaimer in left column. PCN Home Page is located at: http://pcn.homestead.com/home01.html
No comments:
Post a Comment