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From the November 2014 Issue...
A NEW
Flying Off The HandleTM
Commentary
Is it time for HUDs for Smartphones?
There is no longer any doubt that Smartphones are making us dumber in terms of intellectual attainment. But perhaps more importantly, they may be eroding the very foundation of our civilization....
Excerpt...
...Smartphones provide the same addictive gratification that slot machines do, because they both exhibit the most potent behavioral initiator known. Called a variable ratio schedule...
...This perverse social attachment to an ethereal, impersonal entity called the “cloud” via smartphone has only gotten worse.... Have you noticed how many people in your life would rather text you than speak to you? Would you prefer to speak to your wife, your child, your friend or to Apple’s Siri?...Read more...
And...
Could this be the biggest, hottest issue since our still hot “Global Warming? Bring It On!” article?
Well, the Big Bang was literally the hottest event we know of. And the only thing nearly as hot is the controversy over what caused it.
Our readership validates this proposition. If you haven’t already read it, now is the time. It is leaving the “global warming issue” in the dust....
Don’t make assumptions. Don’t think you know what this says. Keep an open mind. This is a radical, brand new idea. This is not about a particular philosophy. It has nothing to do with any religion or religious notion. The goal, which we believe has been accomplished, is to establish the cause of the Big Bang.
“Life," the sagacious physicist Stephen Hawking once said, "would be tragic if it weren't funny."
What caused the Big Bang?
ANSWER:
The Bigger Bang
Look up at the clear night sky, alive with its fabulous incandescent array. Is there any doubt that the universe is ineffably beautiful? And full of mystery? Mysteries that disguise a beguiling grandeur, unspeakable power and the ultimate question. It’s the same question that Dorothy and her companions—the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion—had as they entered the Emerald City at the end of their journey in the movie The Wizard of Oz: Is there anyone—or anything—behind the curtain? Or is the voice they hear just some cruel trick? ... (read more)
Warning! Don’t make assumptions. Don’t think you know what this says. Keep an open mind. This is a radical new idea. It is not about a particular philosophy. It has nothing to do with any religion or religious notion. The goal, which we believe has been accomplished, is to establish a rational cause of the Big Bang.
And...
* A new Quote of Distinction. Look left.
And...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
And...
Articles and more...
Check out this headline from an article on
OPEN MINDS: UFO News and Investigations Web site:
“Three ‘football field sized’ UFOs reported low by multiple West Virginia witnesses”
It reminds us, as does last month’s tribute, that Gordon “Gordo” Cooper was an ardent--and convincing--UFOs-are-real advocate. If he were still with us, what would he think of the modern-day increase in plausible extraterrestrial visitations? Check out...
Mercury Seven Astronaut Gordon "Gordo" Cooper on UFOs
It was 1963. Gordon Cooper, on one of the first extraterrestrial voyages of human history, was watching his fabulous blue, green and white home pass beneath him, starkly contrasted against the tableau of black, bottomless space. He sat in the cramped Mercury 9 capsule attending to flight duties, the chatter of mission control filling his helmet. Suddenly, a greenish object with a red tail streaked by.
A UFO? ...Read now...
From the October 2014 Issue...
On October 4, 2004, we lost a great aviation and space icon: Leroy Gordon Cooper. Better known by his nickname “Gordo,” he was a born risk-taker and lover of adventure, though his low-key personality would never have betrayed this quality to the uninitiated. Not just an aerospace engineer. Not just a USAF colonel, pilot and test pilot. He was one of the elite first group of astronauts—the Mercury Seven—in Project Mercury, America’s original manned space program. Read a glowing tribute to this illustrious champion of the heavenly realms of air and space.
Meet our new and very special
Mile-High Maiden
She has a Cosmos-shattering secret to reveal
And...
Speaking of the Cosmos, ever hear of the Cosmological Constant? First introduced by Albert Einstein as part of his General Theory of Relativity, it is represented by the Greek letter lamda and was meant to make the equations conform to the idea of a static universe. Later, Einstein would call this conception his “greatest blunder” when Edwin Hubble presented clear evidence that the universe was in fact expanding. The constant, however, is still doing service as a part of the current standard model of cosmology, the Lambda-CDM model, though its role is still a matter of some debate. But what’s not debatable is what constitutes the biggest open question in the universe: “What caused the Big Bang?”
If you overlooked last month’s SPECIAL EDITION on the subject, we urge you to explore what could be a game-changing and very surprising explanation:
A radical Space and Astronautics feature...
As a New York Times article by George Johnson, headlined “Can Science Prove the Existence of God?” stated: “Ultimately, it all comes down to the Big Bang…. What caused the primordial explosion?”
Well, we have an answer. And it all comes down to the definition of a SINGULARITY.
[Important note: Do not be misled. This is not about a particular philosophy. It has nothing to do with any religion or religious notion. The goal, which we believe has been accomplished, is to establish the cause of the Big Bang and, by implication, to reveal that there is an ultimate source of all we experience. No matter what you may wish to call it.]
“There's nothing like the eureka moment of discovering something that no one knew before”.--Physicist Stephen Hawking
The Bigger Bang
Look up at the clear night sky, alive with its fabulous incandescent array. Is there any doubt that the universe is ineffably beautiful? And full of mystery? Mysteries that disguise a beguiling grandeur, unspeakable power and the ultimate question. It’s the same question that Dorothy and her companions—the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion—had as they entered the Emerald City at the end of their journey in the movie The Wizard of Oz: Is there anyone—or anything—behind the curtain? Or is the voice they hear just some cruel trick? ... (read more)
And...
In case you missed May’s scorching hot “Flying Off The Handle” commentary.... and, yes, in light of the recent United Nations confab, President Obama claiming global warming is more important than the threat of radical Islam, and the Climate-Catastrophy-March on Wallstreet, it is burning brighter than ever....
Check it out.... Regardless of whether you're an Al Gore apostle or merely an unconvinced skeptic, we don’t think you will find this treatment of the topic anywhere else...
Global Warming? Bring It On!
How ego, greed and the social imperative affect the practice of the scientific method. Or proof that even scientists are only human
Senate Democrats pull an all-nighter on climate change. A piece in the ever-climate-vigilant Washington Post reported that the latest U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1) had attributed nearly every event that could be viewed negatively on planet Earth in recent years—from “lowering crops yields,” to “forcing many marine organisms to flee hundreds of miles to cooler water,” to, yes, “hurting the poor”—as being caused by anthropogenic climate change, or, without obfuscation, global warming. All this after one of the coldest winters in the lower-48 states in recorded history.
But it was a piece in the same Washington Post on the need to be circumspect about our food choices in order to minimize CO2 emissions and stave off the looming climate cataclysm that finally pushed me over the edge. (Beef or broccoli? Which creates less CO2? Wow! I’ll take both.)...Read more...
And...
*New Hot Link :
Tom B. Haines, editor-in-chief of AOPA PILOT magazine and host of AOPA LIVE introduces a visit to a West Texas ranch that hosts what is probably the largest little-known collection of WWII’s most famous fighter aircraft in existence, along with a huge cache of parts and accessories. The aircraft were among those used to make the 1969 war movie Battle of Britain. Owner Wilson “Connie” Edwards, whose favorite fighter is the Messerschmitt Bf 109, of which 30,000+ were made, strangely distains our favorite WWII fighter, the P-51 Mustang, saying “I don’t care if I never see another one of these [P-51].” He’s entitled to his opinion,of course, especially since he has at least 1,200 hours in Mustangs. An interesting character, to say the least. Watch this compelling video, and while we encourage you to watch the whole production, the WWII warbirds story starts at 7:30 minutes. Enjoy!
Plus...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
* * *
From the September 2014 Issue...
A radical Space and Astronautics feature...
As a New York Times article by George Johnson, headlined “Can Science Prove the Existence of God?” stated: “Ultimately, it all comes down to the Big Bang…. What caused the primordial explosion?”
By its implication, clearly the most consequential, longest-lived and, for some, the most contentious question that exists.
Well, we have an answer. And it all comes down to the definition of a SINGULARITY.
[Important note: Do not be misled. This is not about a particular philosophy. It has nothing to do with any religion or religious notion. The goal, which we believe has been accomplished, is to establish the cause of the Big Bang and, by implication, to reveal that there is an ultimate source of all we experience. No matter what you may wish to call it.]
The Bigger Bang
Answering the Ultimate Existential Question.
Look up at the clear night sky, alive with its fabulous incandescent array. Is there any doubt that the universe is ineffably beautiful? And full of mystery? Mysteries that disguise a beguiling grandeur, unspeakable power and the ultimate question. It’s the same question that Dorothy and her companions—the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion—had as they entered the Emerald City at the end of their journey in the movie The Wizard of Oz: Is there anyone—or anything—behind the curtain? Or is the voice they hear just some cruel trick? ... (read more)
And...
* Two new Quote of Distinction. Look left.
*New Hot Link :
A UFO artifact? Or not?: “Dutch pilot JPG van Heijst and crew were flying from Hong Kong to Alaska when they reported seeing an intense, directly vertical, flash of lightning over the ocean. After this event, a mysterious red glow, as you can see in his pictures, began emanating from beneath the pacific ocean.”...Youtube
Articles and more...
In case you missed May’s still burning commentary.... And yes, it’s still going strong...
Global Warming? Bring It On!
Senate Democrats pull an all-nighter on climate change. A piece in the ever-climate-vigilant Washington Post reported that the latest U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1) had attributed nearly every event that could be viewed negatively on planet Earth in recent years—from “lowering crops yields,” to “forcing many marine organisms to flee hundreds of miles to cooler water,” to, yes, “hurting the poor”—as being caused by anthropogenic climate change, or, without obfuscation, global warming. All this after one of the coldest winters in the lower-48 states in recorded history.
But it was a piece in the same Washington Post on the need to be circumspect about our food choices in order to minimize CO2 emissions and stave off the looming climate cataclysm that finally pushed me over the edge. (Beef or broccoli? Which creates less CO2? Wow! I’ll take both.)...Read more...
And...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
And...
Also in the Lazy Eights Section...
Test your knowledge in September’s
Pop-Rivet Quiz
Here’s one of the questions:
Question 7: How flat is the Earth?
Hint: It’s Not “C”: “Flat as a pancake. Yessiree. All this orbit stuff’s a big hoax.”
* * *
From the August 2014 Issue...
Last surviving Enola Gay crew member has died. Theodore “Dutch” VanKirk, navigator on the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” on Hiroshima, Japan, was 93.
Troubled by the world-changing power of atomic weapons, VanKirk nonetheless accepted the reality of and necessity for U.S. supremacy in a perpetually dangerous world.
"The whole World War II experience shows that wars don't settle anything. And atomic weapons don't settle anything," he said. "I personally think there shouldn't be any atomic bombs in the world — I'd like to see them all abolished. But if anyone has one, I want to have one more than my enemy."
And...
Remember Top Gun, the second-best classic air-combat movie of all time? I’ll bet you’re like me and miss those magnificent F-14 Tom Cats. Well, given the current situation between the Russians, the Americans and the rest of the Western World, here’s a video of an actual encounter between a pair of F-14s and a couple of Russian MiGs. It’s real, it’s exciting and fortunately it ended well for the Tomcats. Not so well for the MiGs. Could it be a preview of coming attractions, albeit with F-18s and, perhaps, F-22s and 35s? Worth the 6+minutes of intense actual aerial combat.
From the July 2014 Issue...
Knowledge is power. And with any new knowledge there arises a choice. Call it dualism, yin and yang, or good and evil, it is a foundational truth that any power can be used for creative purposes or for destructive ones. Such is the choice we face with the use of drones. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) currently bans commercial drone use, it is expected to draft new rules by November of this year. Watch this Motherboard video (22.22 min.) to learn of the massive changes that the exploding use of drones can present in the near future.
And...
According to recent reports, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has given up trying to get fighter aircraft from the U.S. Instead, they are about to make a deal with Russia for an unknown type and quantity. When you’ve seen this short video, courtesy of the 339th Fighter Squadron Association, you may begin to wonder if our newest and greatest fighter, the F-35, is the presumptive winner that we all hope.
Articles and more...
It’s that time of year again. A time when aviation lovers migrate like monarch butterflies to the fabled Oshkosh wonderland of flight. If you’ve never been there, check out AirVenture Adventure to see what it’s like, how to prepare and how to enjoy the world’s greatest aviator gathering and airshow. For tickets go to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, July 28-August 3.
And...
In case you missed May’s still burning commentary...
Global Warming? Bring It On!
Senate Democrats pull an all-nighter on climate change. A piece in the ever-climate-vigilant Washington Post reported that the latest U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1) had attributed nearly every event that could be viewed negatively on planet Earth in recent years—from “lowering crops yields,” to “forcing many marine organisms to flee hundreds of miles to cooler water,” to, yes, “hurting the poor”—as being caused by anthropogenic climate change, or, without obfuscation, global warming. All this after one of the coldest winters in the lower-48 states in recorded history.
But it was a piece in the same Washington Post on the need to be circumspect about our food choices in order to minimize CO2 emissions and stave off the looming climate cataclysm that finally pushed me over the edge. (Beef or broccoli? Which creates less CO2? Wow! I’ll take both.)...Read more...
And...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
And...
Also in the Lazy Eights Section...
Test your knowledge in the Pop-Rivet Quiz
Here’s one of the questions:
5. Which airplane will react most strongly to turbulence?
a) one with a high power loading
b) one with a forward leaning CG
c) one carrying your mother-in-law
d) one with a low wing loading
Hey, come on.... You didn’t answer “C” did you?
From the June 2014 Issue...
A WWII story you won’t forget in our History Section:
How a B-17 Flying Fortress survived eleven 20-millimeter canon hits to its gas tanks. A story of grit, guile and gumption from the most unlikely source....
*New Hot Links.:
In 1962, when I was thirteen years old, my best friend, Renny, had a sister who had just married a Naval Academy graduate soon to be headed to flight training in Pensacola, Florida. Renny and I were excited because his brother-in-law wanted to fly one of our favorite fighters, the F-8 Crusader, which a few years before had broken a new transcontinental speed record with future astronaut John Glenn at the helm. The F-8 was, in fact, the first fighter aircraft to fly over 1,000 miles per hour. What Renny and I didn’t know about then was the miraculous experience one of its pilots, William Rankin, had had a few years earlier in 1959 when he’d ejected at 47,000 feet because of an engine failure. After a terrifying—and truly unbelievable— forty-minute ride, he arrived with a thud against a tree trunk 65 miles from his ejection point. This amazing short video, produced by AVweb, will make you grateful you’ve never had to eject and motivate you to score big on the Ejection Seat WifferDill Triva Quiz below.--CWA, ED.
And...
In case you missed last month’s hot commentary...
Global Warming? Bring It On!
Senate Democrats pull an all-nighter on climate change. A piece in the ever-climate-vigilant Washington Post reported that the latest U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1) had attributed nearly every event that could be viewed negatively on planet Earth in recent years—from “lowering crops yields,” to “forcing many marine organisms to flee hundreds of miles to cooler water,” to, yes, “hurting the poor”—as being caused by anthropogenic climate change, or, without obfuscation, global warming. All this after one of the coldest winters in the lower-48 states in recorded history.
But it was a piece in the same Washington Post on the need to be circumspect about our food choices in order to minimize CO2 emissions and stave off the looming climate cataclysm that finally pushed me over the edge. (Beef or broccoli? Which creates less CO2? Wow! I’ll take both.)...Read more...
And...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
And...
In the WIFFERDILLS Section...
Test your knowledge in the Aerospace Trivia Quiz on Ejection Seats?
From the May 2014 Issue...
A new FLYING OFF THE HANDLE Commentary:
Global Warming? Bring It On!
Senate Democrats pull an all-nighter on climate change. A piece in the ever-climate-vigilant Washington Post reported that the latest U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1) had attributed nearly every event that could be viewed negatively on planet Earth in recent years—from “lowering crops yields,” to “forcing many marine organisms to flee hundreds of miles to cooler water,” to, yes, “hurting the poor”—as being caused by anthropogenic climate change, or, without obfuscation, global warming. All this after one of the coldest winters in the lower-48 states in recorded history.
But it was a piece in the same Washington Post on the need to be circumspect about our food choices in order to minimize CO2 emissions and stave off the looming climate cataclysm that finally pushed me over the edge. (Beef or broccoli? Which creates less CO2? Wow! I’ll take both.)...Read more...
*New Hot Links.:
A compelling video of a new UFO sighting in the Netherlands:
And...
Don’t try this at home! Unless you are an aviation Houdini...
And...
How the Israelis protect their airliners from shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missles...
Plus...
“What I learned from going blind in space” by astronaut and retired RCAF fighter pilot Colonel Chris Austin Hadfield:
A revealing—and humbling—account of one astronaut’s life-changing experiences during a spacewalk, where he discovers the truism that “there is no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse.”
But he also revels in “The jaw-dropping gorgeousness of the turning orb like a self-propelled art gallery of fantastic, constantly changing beauty that is the world itself” and the ultimate realization that “…we are not machines exploring the universe, we are people, and we're taking that ability to adapt and that ability to understand and the ability to take our own self-perception into a new place.”
You will also learn why it may be advisable for spacewalkers to use Johnson’s No More Tears baby shampoo rather than the prescribed NASA equivalent.
And...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
Wait! I guess blondes aren’t so dumb after all...
And...
Why astronauts shouldn’t eat beans...
From the April 2014 Issue...
*New Hot Links.:
Turns out the plane colliding with a skydiver not as serious as it was originally portrayed...
And...
A truly rare must read. In what is the most interesting interview we’ve experienced for… well, possibly ever... Spencer Hall interviews former SR-71 Blackbird pilot Rick McCrary (RM) about what it's like to fly the world's fastest plane.
“RM: ‘That's right…. [T]he faster you went, the more ram thrust you got, which burns less fuel. So you did have to go faster to burn less fuel. Like I said, you had to unlearn everything you knew about other aircraft.’”
On an emergency landing in Norway… “RM: ‘Well, they said that base was closed for weather. Now we had to scramble for another base. We found one that was close that turned out to be a snow-packed runway at night. We had a bit of anxiety going in there, as you could imagine. The airplane had never been landed under those conditions, but that was the case with a lot of things that happened to that airplane. We got it down and landed on the snow, and I had no idea how it would respond, but the chute slowed it down just fine and we pulled into the hangar. These Norwegian Air Force guys had basically seen a spaceship land in their field.’”
And...
Fundamentally, flying is nothing more nor less than defying gravity. Well, there is a lot of “defying” going on here, but it doesn’t involve aircraft. You’ll have trouble catching your breath in this adventurous collection in “People are Awesome 2013.” Surely one of the most exciting short (3:42 min.) videos we’ve ever seen.
Plus...
Check out the latest in space exploration in the magazine’s Space and Astronautics section:
Did NASA’s Opportunity rover discover wild blueberries on Mars in 2004? Check out this surprising story update with a shockingly clear photo...
Also...
*A New Mile-High Maiden for March
And...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
Wait! Don’t go away...because it’s
Worth a Second Look
Ever heard of the movie The Hunters?
“... [I]t's the greatest movie of jet fighter pilots at war ever made. And, with the possible exception of Top Gun, it has the best aerial sequences this side of Oshkosh. Directed by Dick Powell, who also did the great submarine movie The Enemy Below, also starring Robert Mitchum (and Curt Jergens, 1956), the movie uses tons of fantastic real-life footage of North American F-86s dueling with slightly older F-84s dressed up to look like MiG-15s. Best of all, screenwriter Wendell Mayes supplied the necessary condiments to the otherwise bland plot of the original...”
From the February 2014 Issue...
*New Hot Links.:
It has been compared to R2D2 of Star Wars fame. It has six cameras, 24-million lines of computer code and a $500,000 helmet that creates a 360-degree panoramic surveillance experience. Yet it is also looked at as a possible HAL from 2001 A Space Odyssey, the renegade computer that decided it didn’t need to be bossed around by mere humans. So, could this fantastically capable—and complicated—flying beauty be compromised by a cyber-attack? If the answer is yes, our future national security might be at risk.
(Full 60 Minutes segment on the F-35)
And...
Not just for pilots, astronauts or flight instructors. Not just for men. Not just for women. If you are human and hope to remain healthy, here’s the most effective and efficient way. Check out this excellent 4-minute video:
23 ― hours
And...
NASA Honors Astronaut and First Moon Walker Neil Armstrong. As of March 1, 2014, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center along the northwest edge of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. is renamed in honor of former research test pilot and NASA astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to step onto the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. --NASA
Plus...
Check out the latest in space exploration:
NASA's Kepler Mission Announces a Planet Bonanza, 715 New Worlds. Findings include 100 Earth-sized and 259 super-Earth-sized planets. Read the full details in the SPACE section of the magazine.
Also...
*A New Mile-High Maiden for March
And...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
Wait! Don’t go away...because it’s
Worth a Second Look
Not familiar with one of the world’s best aviation cartoonists? See what you’ve been missing:
WingNuts
WingNuts was created out of Darrin Silver’s combined passion for art, aviation and humor. Follow the antics of Billion Air’s zany flight crew, led by Captain Otto Pylott and First Officer Roger Overnout, as they discover life’s inherent humor.
____ . ____
From the January 2014 Issue...
*New Hot Links.:
As an exciting prelude to our own tribute to the unbridled freedom that is seaplane flying, we offer this thrilling introduction:
The SCALARIA AIR CHALLENGE
Featuring great air show clips from this nearly century-old homage to great seaplanes. It’s also another delicious peek into the stylish and interesting life of today's celebrities.
From the Web site for the White Horse Inn on Lake Wolfgang:
“Airchallenge: vintage and classic seaplanes are maneuvered between the mountains and the lake by skilled pilots showing off their best techniques during this high profile summer event at Lake Wolfgang and all that for a good cause of course.
During July, Lake Wolfgang is host to a rather exclusive event: the Scalaria Airchallenge flight show. What started in 1924, when the Austrian Air Traffic AG, the parent of today’s “Austrian Airlines” started flying Vienna to Lake Wolfgang with a Junker F13 W, one of the oldest seaplanes. It is nowadays an exclusive flight show staged with the wonderful backdrop of Lake Wolfgang and the surrounding mountains ...in the Salzkammergut region.”
Also...
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
Also...
Worth a Second Look
From Sea to Shining Sea
Seaplane pilots do it on water: feet-wet flying in the Mid-Atlantic.
When Mel Gibson, as the hero of the movie Braveheart, rode before his assembled troops and shouted “Freedom!” he wasn’t talking about flying seaplanes—but he could have been. Because that’s what seaplane flying is all about: Freedom.
From the December 2013 Issue...
*New Hot Links.:
So, what’s it really like to be among the pampered rich? Watch this eye-popping video and experience a supremely first-class flight on an Emirates Airline A380 as it ambles along on its merry way from Bangkok to Hong Kong. Enjoy the ride!
Also...
NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft launches aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Cape Canaveral.
“NASA's next Mars explorer ... will leave Earth on a mission to answer one of the Red Planet's greatest conundrums: If our arid celestial neighbor once had a thicker atmosphere and a surface flowing with water, as evidence suggests, how did the climate change so dramatically?”
(Of course, all they had to do was read SECOND EDEN to find out what happened to the Mars atmosphere and save $671 million in the process. Heck, if they’d just solve the Areopagus Riddle, it wouldn’t have cost a single dime!)
Also...
*Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War II effort. New:
Ninth in a Series of World War II Bond Posters.
*A New Mile-High Maiden for December
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
Also...
Worth a Second Look
Hymn to a Hummingbird
Or What It's Like To Fly A Helicopter
by Jeff Pardo
I can still remember some of those crazy dreams: I'd be skimming treetops, passing songbirds and swallows; or sailing high over watery vistas, flying formation with sea gulls. But sometimes, my favorite times, I'd be just hovering, still as the proverbial hummingbird, arms fully extended, looking down at the amazed upturned faces, before furiously flapping my arms and flying away. What freedom! What joy! What a feeling of being alive! But only for one sweet moment. Because, with magical swiftness and a feeling of crushing disappointment, I'd wake up....
From the November 2013 Issue...
* A new Quote of Distinction. Look left.
*New Hot Links.: Aeromobil Roadable Aircraft 2.5
Also...Are you an avid Star Wars fan? If so, you’ll love this “Blooper” montage....
And new European Space Agency video: Mars Express Flyover of the Red Planet
*Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War II effort. New: Eighth in a Series of World War II Bond Posters.
*A New Mile-High Maiden for November:
She is the biggest and best MHM ever!
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
Also...
Worth a Second Look
* Mr. Austin’s Wild Ride
What it’s like to experience a situation “...where nothing stood between you and disaster but your own skill, tenacity and determination....” We’re talking about that first solo flight. And here’s the story of mine....
From the October 2013 Issue...
*New Hot Link.: Space Shuttle Launch in 3 minutes
*Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War II effort. New: Seventh in a Series of World War II Bond Posters.
*A New Mile-High Maiden for October
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A New Blonde Joke
Also...
Worth a Second Look
* MiG-29 Adventure
She’s shiny, speaks with an accent and moves blindingly fast. And if you know how to ask, she’ll do your every bidding. Come along as artist, writer and pilot Darrin Silver tells how talent, hard work and just a pinch of luck led to a dream encounter with this Russian beauty …
“I can’t believe GNC’s Turbo ATP is legal! During workouts my strength and endurance increased phenomenally, producing explosive power for bench presses and the added energy to crank up the treadmill speed a few more levels…all this without the risk of illegal performance-enhancing substances. Working out is more effective, efficient, and energized with Turbo ATP. Combine that with an affordable price and GNC gives you more bang for your buck than with any other supplement.”MiGADV1
Those words would lead me on one of the most exciting adventures of my life. Upon first reading of an essay contest where the grand prize was a ride in a MiG-29 jet fighter, I knew, absolutely knew, that I had it won. I was certain my writing abilities were competitive, and I knew without a doubt that no other contestant had the same burning desire to fly one of those jets that I had....
From the September 2013 Issue...
*Did a UFO Down EgyptAir Flight 990?
Worth a Second Look. With the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attack approaching, reminding us of the perils of radical Islam, it is worth looking with fresh eyes at the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990. On October 31, 1999, the Boeing 767-366-ER traced its path through the smooth, cold night sky over the North Atlantic, near the area of the ultimate traveling tragedy--the RMS Titanic. Suddenly, events occurred that left all 217 dead and many unanswered questions. Though in the wake of the 9/11 calamity many have assumed that the cause was just the actions of another self-martyred Islamic radical, the evidence seems to support a more supernatural cause: the possibility of a deadly UFO encounter....
“As EgyptAir Captain Ahmed Habashy made his way back to the cockpit, listening to the idle banter of passengers against the low-pitched whine of the Pratt & Whitney 4000 turbofan engines, he probably thought more about what he'd be doing at home the next day than anything pressing about the flight. … Until he felt his feet begin to levitate from the floor, and his head hit the cabin ceiling of the huge passenger jet. Until he heard the sounds of serving trays, books, laptops and utensils crashing into overhead bins, and the startled eruptions from frightened passengers, including, perhaps, a few prescient screams....”
*A New Mile-High Maiden for September
From the August 2013 Issue...
*New Hot Link.: What does 11.2 Gs look like? Watch this Red Bull competitor demonstrate some bullish maneuvering. A most amazing 1-minute-38-second video.
* Great Historical Perspective on the Beginnings of Modern Spying Techniques:
3D Spies of WWII
*Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War II effort. New: Fifth in a Series of World War II Bond Posters.
*A New Mile-High Maiden for August
More LAZY EIGHTS Humor:
*A Fabulous New Blonde Joke
Also...
* New: A Drunk Scenic-Tour Helicopter Pilot?
From the July 2013 Issue...
*New Hot Link. Would you like to fly an F-18 Hornet?
* The crystal ball did not lie. Worth a Second Look:
It's Finally 1984
Well, yes... but it’s probably not what you think: IRS scandal? NSA’s meta-data phone and Internet fishing scheme? No, but it is a reprise of a prescient commentary from nearly fourteen years ago. Worthy of a re-visit with the perspective of hindsight...
“Well, it may be late, but 1984 has finally arrived. If he's not turning over in his grave, at the very least George Orwell must be enjoying an I-told-you-so smile.
You see, on Friday, September 24,1999, Space Imaging, Inc., a Colorado consortium led by Lockheed Martin, launched a new spy satellite. One with a difference. Whereas the products of Uncle Sam's current spies-in-the-sky are for use by defense and intelligence units of America and our allies--for, we suppose, our mutual defense--, images from this bird will be for sale to you and me and to anyone who can afford the nominal fees, which range from $20 to $300. (Current minimum order $1,000.)...”
*Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War II effort. New: Fourth in a series of World War II Bond Posters.
More Humor:
*A New Mile-High Maiden for July
*A New Blonde Joke
From the June 2013 Issue...
Super Hotlink: Is there really a Batman? You bet there is! And if you haven’t seen him fly yet, you’ve got to see this.
More Humor:
Is a “Mayday” call the same as an S.O.S?
Will we have to change the definition of a good landing?
Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War II effort. New: Third in a series of World War II Bond Posters.
One aviator's view on Why Gay Marriage Is Not A Right
From the May 2013 Issue...
“Top Gun Gone Wild”... or… What happens when you cross a Pitts Special with a helicopter? A look at the ultimate VSTOL aircraft in Tom Cruise’s great new sci-fi film OBLIVION
A New Blonde Joke
More Humor Air Show Disaster
A new Quote of Distinction. Look left.
Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War effort. New in a series of World War II Bond Posters.
From the April 2013 Issue...
A New Blonde Joke
A new Quote of Distinction. Look left.
Tribute to the Greatest Generation’s contributions to the War effort. First in a series of World War II Bond Posters.
Great video of the F-35 sea trial on the USS WASP
From the March 2013 Issue...
Earth From Space: a NOVA Science special presentation
Mile-High Maiden(s)? Check it out
A new Quote of Distinction. Look left.
A new Flying Off The Handle commentary:
One aviator's view on Why Gay Marriage Is Not A Right
From the February 2013 Issue...
Rise of the Drones: a NOVA Science special presentation
New Mile High Maiden
New Quotes of Distinction...
New A little humor...
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