They're Coming!

Our *new* planes have started their journey! Three gorgeous aircraft were lifted off the decks of the Intrepid museum yesterday to begin the trip to their new home at ESAM.

Intrepid posted the above video, and the New York Times covered the event with video of their own. Additional info available here.

We're thrilled to be receiving these unique planes - one which originally flew out of the Air Force base we share a runway with! Please keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for safe travel as they make the complicated journey to us. Watch our Facebook page and website for updates!

Marvels of History

In this era of Google Earth and the Discovery Channel it can be easy get the impression that there's nothing left on earth to discover. Compared to great explorers of the past and the vast untamed territories they conquered (or were swallowed by), a piece of us may sigh sadly that no such adventures remain for us except perhaps amongst the stars.

Spitfire photo from The Telegraph

And then History steps in with a gift: 20 WWII Spitfires, buried in Burma and discovered though the diligence and passion of one British farmer. Inspired by the single off-hand quote of a World War II vet, British farmer David Cundall began his own personal expedition to track down the lost Spitfire fighters that retreating British troops buried -tarred, waxed and perfectly preserved - in their shipping crates at an RAF base in Burma they were abandoning. More than 20 feet below the ground, the planes have waited patiently - and now they're headed home to Britain for restoration. If restorable, they will nearly double the number of flyable Spitfires remaining in the world - last pegged at about 35.

In the grand scheme of the world, this is only one small incident - many people will flip past it with barely an acknowledgement. But I think it should be so much more than that. It should be a reminder to those who long to pursue big dreams of the amazing things that can come of one ordinary person's dedicated pursuit of an idea.

I hope that Mr. Cundall does get to see his dream of these Spitfires, restored and organized into an exhibition team for air shows. The roar of engines and beauty of flight, coupled with the depth and awe of the story behind them could be a powerful inspiration to the next generation of fliers, explorers and dreamers the world over.

Aviation Exploration

Working at an aviation museum, I've noticed that aviation is one of those subjects that people often don't know much about and don't know where to start learning about! 

Whether you've got a child obsessed with airplanes or a friend flying (full sized or RCs) as a hobby, trying to understand enough to carry on a conversation - let alone encourage their enthusiasm - can feel overwhelming. So when someone asked me recently for ideas on where to start, I thought back to what did (or didn't!) work for me. Here's what I came up with:

1. Air Crash Investigation

As crazy as it sounds, the best introduction I found to aviation fundamental was the National Geographic Channel's Air Crash Investigation series. (Nearly every episode is available free on youtube.) Each episode recreates the crash of a real airplane (usually commercial airliners) and walks viewers through the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) investigation that follows, exploring the whats, hows and whys of the crash. Intentionally designed for lay people, it defines all the key terms and provides easy to understand computer models to show you how the forces of lift, thrust - and everything else - work in aviation. It's fun, can be watched in short chunks of time and will teach you a lot! (While you're there, look up the movie One Six Right - it's excellent!)

2. Aviation Themed Books

I'm a reader, so my first response when I want to learn about something is almost always to head for the library. I found that aviation textbooks didn't help me much - it's hard to keep everything straight if you're not actively applying it. But books about aviators and aviation were riveting and I picked up a lot along the way. Fortunately, you can find aviation books written for every age and reading level, as well as many in audio-book format. Here are two of my favorite titles to get you started:
The Candy Bomber by Andrei Cherny
Neptune's Inferno by James D. Hornfischer

3. Magazines/ Mailing Lists

Most major aviation groups have free websites, blogs and/or newsletters that 

are treasure troves of information. I recommend starting with AOPA and EAA. If you happen to live near one of the major annual aviation events (Sun & Fun or Oshkosh) consider heading over for the day for a little high-intensity immersion!  

4. Ask the Obsessed... I Mean, um, Professionals.

It's rare to find an aviator who won't gladly talk at length about their passion for the sky! Any aviation museum or small, local airport will have people more than happy to answer even the most novice questions and to share their experience. Call your local hobby shop or toy store and inquire about local RC plane groups as well - they're equally enthusiastic and very knowledgeable!

5. CAP or ROTC

If you try a few of the previous tips and think this aviation thing might really be for you, find out if your area has a Civil Air Patrol unit or an Air Force ROTC program. Although both will be a more significant time commitment, they offer a slew of benefits you won't find elsewhere - including free or heavily subsidized flight training and instruction! 

Have you been bitten by the aviation bug?

 

Croaked Croquettes and Powerful Planes

I tried my hand this week at making potato croquettes - kind of like mozzarella sticks, only with creamy potatoes inside instead of cheese. It sounded like a great idea, except that either my recipe is seriously flawed or I'm missing something. The potato mixture was way too soupy to be shaped and breaded properly - I ended up just mushing it all together and making some yummy, if unattractive, potato pancakes. :0) Anyone have any experience making these and want to offer suggestions?

I also had my first day of training to be a docent at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum. It is amazing that so many fascinating things can be packed into such an unassuming space! They have several "movie stars" - planes and an aircraft carrier (real and reproduction) that have been used in famous movies. They also have combatants - planes that actually served in war time and came here still bearing their battle scars. My personal favorite was the one shipped to them with it's giant guns still active... the ATF Bureau wasn't too happy about that and showed up to claim them! They even have their own aviation related library with collections valuable enough to be linked to by the Smithsonian's website. One of the things I was suprised to learn is that it was high tech Kodak cameras (23 of them, in fact) that they lined up in the plane pictured here (an RA-5C Vigilante) to do surveillance and recon. How did I grow up in Rochester, home base for Kodak, and never learn that? And why did my Girl Scout troops never bring us here to learn about the pioneering women in aviation? There were a lot more than just Amelia Earhart!

So, anyway, all that to say that I had a fantastic time and I have much yet to learn!

As a side note, I also found a fantastic book that I highly recommend. It was the selected reading for the online Bloom Book Club. I didn't expect to like it, but found myself extremely impressed. It avoids all the pitfalls frequently endemic to its genre, offering instead realistic perspectives and gentle truth. My library had it, so hopefully yours will too! If you read it or have any experience with the Bloom Book Club, I'd love to hear what you think.