One quick note on December 17th. Back in 1903, this was the day Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first powered flights. They barely held the Wright Flyer of the ground and only managed about 120ft, using a sort of catapult that launched them into the wind. The Boeing 747 -- itself over 50yrs … Continue reading First and Final Flights
I've really lost track of time. How did September get here so quick? I can't tell if I'm behind schedule or not, because I had no plan after seeing the Mars waterbomber land. I knew I'd explore Vancouver Island after that of course, but I had only vague plans and no timeline. I took the … Continue reading Trippin’ Around Vancouver Island
The Queen of the Lake, who saved millions in timber and hundreds of homes and lives, retires after 20 years of military history and over 40 years as a water bomber. I was there to witness its last time in the air and on the water.
First days on the new, revised trip. Up to Ohio for some of aviation's beginnings, then west to see a chapter of aviation end.
The original plan for my trip to Canada fell through, but now I'm heading to Vancouver Island for a special event. The rare Martin Mars aircraft is making its final flight, and I'm determined to be there. Despite struggling with depression and motivation, I'm pushing myself to explore and find my mojo again.
"The Tilly Orifice" might sound like a poorly named lesbian bar, but it was actually a crucial field modification for British fighter planes. See, in WW2 the famous Spitfire and it's counterpart the Hawker Hurricane both used the renown Merlin engine. The Merlin was a wonderful design but the carburetor that fed it fuel would … Continue reading The Tilly Orifice
Leaving Bisbee was the beginning of a 2,000 mile loop, all of it centered around the normal errands people do around town. My town, however, was a helluva lot bigger: like half of the American Southwest kind of big. Since this was business and not pleasure though, it meant using the interstate, aka the superslab. … Continue reading The Long, Straight Road
The Wright Brothers may have been pretty hipster, rolling around building wing-warping biplanes and beach racing, but they weren't hipster enough to build a fixie cafe racer bicycle. Maybe, at the turn of the century, it was avant garde to embrace technology instead of pay too much for "authentic vintage?"
December 17, 1903. With names like Wilbur and Orville, they knew they'd have to do something big to impress the ladies. Out in Kill Devil Hills, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, they waddled their powered glider into the air for that briefest of moments. With decades of glider pilots making some impressive hops … Continue reading Just Add Power: Aviation Was Born Today
Adventure does not have to be chasing distant horizons or cheating death. I think that is one of the biggest misconceptions and one reason so many people are unhappy with ordinary existence; they fail to see the adventure they can seize all around them. Taking up that hobby, joining that group, volunteering at that organization, … Continue reading Adventure Comes In Many Forms
Johnny Killmore 