“And like no other sculpture in the history of art, the dead engine and dead airframe come to life at the touch of a human hand, and join their life with the pilot’s own.” ― Richard Bach, A Gift Of Wings To focus on the basics, will provide an unshakeable stability when nothing seems fixed. In these […]
The Sun Came Bursting Over The Horizon And A New Outstanding Day Arrived
“From the blackness of nothing to the brightness of everything. The sun came bursting over the horizon and a new day was here.” Paul Hancock, The Writings of HANCOCK, September 1975 In the past, The Northfield School of the Liberal Arts had a year-end program called, Americana. It is an opportunity for students and faculty to […]
Mayday, Mayday, Mayday – When Things Go Really Wrong
“Mayday” is not a call you want to have to make, but sometimes things go wrong…. When it was time to relocate our airplanes closer to home, logistics were considerable. One had to be transported by truck, the other needed its annual inspection before the re-positioning. Once all the details and dates were known, a […]
What Is Happening With The Cute Biplane Build?
The Biplane Build: To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything. – Otto Lilienthal Aviation is still considered a man’s world by many. The time to reach young ladies is during their first years of school. Research has shown that although children may change their minds several […]
Scarfing Doublers – Intriguing New Vocabulary For Aircraft Building
You can’t build up a vocabulary if you never meet any new words. – Rudolf Flesch and Abraham Lass Each time I find myself in a new experience realm intriguing new vocabulary appears. For this new amateur airplane builder, each time my EAA Chapter workgroup gathers around the chapter biplane project, an adventure ensues: learning curves, applied physics, […]
A Labor Of Love – What’s Happening On The EAA Biplane?
To invent an EAA Biplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything. -Otto Lilienthal I am building an EAA biplane as a part of an EAA project team. Early this spring, my Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter toured the Go Create facility located on the Wichita State University campus. The tour […]
Taking Time For Exciting Memorable Chance Encounters
For me, serendipity, coincidence and chance are more interesting than any preconceived construct of our human encounters. –Charles Traub Recently while my husband was blowing off our sidewalks, he spotted a gentleman taking time looking over our house from the curb. This is not an uncommon occurrence, since the house, even in its current “need […]
How Does One Find The Slipstream To A Transformational Adventure?
I have lived my life in the slipstream of experience – Author: Elizabeth Jane Howard A slipstream is defined as “a current of air or water driven back by a revolving propeller or jet engine” and “an assisting force regarded as drawing something along behind something else.” As applies to life, it usually is in retrospect that I […]
Finding Common Ground In Volatile Times
“We all come from different paths in life but we can find common ground.” ― Nanette Mathews I sat in a conference room of a large radar facility facing a potentially hostile group of air traffic controllers as our team briefed the purpose of our visit. I was part of an air traffic evaluations team whose […]