My dad was a private pilot and his airplane of choice was the biplane (above). No wonder, it's a plane for people who like to fly. It flies low and slow, lands on grass, is cheap to buy and easy to repair, and glides so well that you need a lot of determination to crash it.
The biggest selling point though, is the open cockpit. This is the way a man should fly, with the wind in his face. You buzz your friends' houses and wave hello to the girls.
After that you rev up and head for the clouds (above) where you fly through caves of cotton candy, without a care in the world. Well, I'm exaggerating. What I described is the way things used to be. Nowadays you can get in a lot of trouble for flying through clouds.
Biplane pilots of old treated their planes with love, like they were members of the family. Pilots were always doing stunts (above) and playing pranks on one another.
They were a lot easier to fly than modern airplanes. Early pilots learned to fly them without ever going to school. For a while you didn't even need a license.
That's the control panel above. Not many more gauges than you find in the average car.
I understand why we have laws and regulations governing flying today. Planes are noisy and you don't want them crashing in your living room. Even so, a lot of regulations could be taken off the books without doing much harm that I can see.
I'd love to see small, inexpensive biplanes make a comeback, especially if something could be done to dampen the pesky engine noise. Turn them loose over thinly populated areas, with common sense limits so they don't interfere with commercial aviation. Let them fly through clouds and over people's heads. Let a few accidents happen, they're inevitable. Let's legalize fun!
BTW: Pappy sent me a link to a promotion for the new Icon A5 sports plane (below). Geez, if I ever become a millionaire....
That cloud cathedral is fantastic! I too love bi-plains and built a few models as a kid. I also love the idea of the dirigibles with the stove and deck like the one that used to be in early issues of Mad Magazine. I also like hover cars and was promised the future would be full of them.
I think 9/11 and all the hysteria associated with that tragic event has really decreased the chances of ever seeing the practice of owning a privately owned biplane legalized. The mentality is that some random terrorist/fundamentalist could easily use a small biplane to essentially bomb a building like the World Trade Center once again (which amazingly was also bombed all the way back in 1993. I'm sure you remember it well, Eddie). Quite a shame we live in such a so-called "politically correct" world these days, even though in a lot of ways, it's not actually true when you think about all the amateur, classless, unsophisticated entertainment that somehow gets produced each year (like certain types of music, etc.), which in my opinion, is harming America's future youth more than anything else these days. I'm not going to go into much of that, since I have no need to start any flame wars, but hopefully you understand my main point.
Joel: I'm glad you noticed those cave clouds. I'm dying to know if that's a real photo. If some cloud interiors actually look that good, I'm going to hock my house and buy an airplane!
Pappy: Many thanks for the tip! I inserted a sinilar video of the icon into the article!
...your father was a pilot? First I've ever heard of that! Wow. So were my parents. It always gave them an extra boost of grandeur in my kid eyes(esp for mom).
I'd love to be in a biplane...I've only ever been in the modern 3 seaters which are give a wonderful, seat-of-your-pants view, but boy are they ever noisy. It's kind of disconcerting to talk to the people jammed up next to you via a radio/headphone deal...annoying, that part.
Jenny: Yeah, flying was his hobby and his passion. I'm named after Eddie Rickenbacker, the WWI ace.
I know what you mean about the noise. Isn't there something that can be done about that? I worry more about the unwilling listeners on the ground than the passengers. The passengers at least get to have the fun of flying.
You said it Eddie. Power to legalized fun!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteI took a few flying lessons years ago. Flying around in the clouds is the most fun flying. You can really feel the space around you.
Here's some recent progress toward flying cars:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/16/icons-foldable-2-seater-plane-unveiled-available-now/
You can tow it behind your terrestrial vehicle.
That cloud cathedral is fantastic! I too love bi-plains and built a few models as a kid. I also love the idea of the dirigibles with the stove and deck like the one that used to be in early issues of Mad Magazine. I also like hover cars and was promised the future would be full of them.
ReplyDeleteWhere's my hover car?
I think 9/11 and all the hysteria associated with that tragic event has really decreased the chances of ever seeing the practice of owning a privately owned biplane legalized. The mentality is that some random terrorist/fundamentalist could easily use a small biplane to essentially bomb a building like the World Trade Center once again (which amazingly was also bombed all the way back in 1993. I'm sure you remember it well, Eddie). Quite a shame we live in such a so-called "politically correct" world these days, even though in a lot of ways, it's not actually true when you think about all the amateur, classless, unsophisticated entertainment that somehow gets produced each year (like certain types of music, etc.), which in my opinion, is harming America's future youth more than anything else these days. I'm not going to go into much of that, since I have no need to start any flame wars, but hopefully you understand my main point.
ReplyDeleteJoel: I'm glad you noticed those cave clouds. I'm dying to know if that's a real photo. If some cloud interiors actually look that good, I'm going to hock my house and buy an airplane!
ReplyDeletePappy: Many thanks for the tip! I inserted a sinilar video of the icon into the article!
...your father was a pilot? First I've ever heard of that! Wow. So were my parents. It always gave them an extra boost of grandeur in my kid eyes(esp for mom).
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be in a biplane...I've only ever been in the modern 3 seaters which are give a wonderful, seat-of-your-pants view, but boy are they ever noisy. It's kind of disconcerting to talk to the people jammed up next to you via a radio/headphone deal...annoying, that part.
Jenny: Yeah, flying was his hobby and his passion. I'm named after Eddie Rickenbacker, the WWI ace.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the noise. Isn't there something that can be done about that? I worry more about the unwilling listeners on the ground than the passengers. The passengers at least get to have the fun of flying.