Wind in the wires

I checked in on the Mavromatic blog the other day and found a couple nice shots of a SE5a model airplane. It reminded me of a visit to Dayton last year when I had a little bit of time to check out the National Museum of the USAF. If you're not familiar with this museum, rest assured that there is nothing dull about this facility. The collection is huge. I was in town over a weekend so I decided to spend an afternoon at the museum. I started in during the early aviation years and made it up to the end of WWII before I started to feel overloaded. I realized that I had seen less than HALF of their collection!

One of the many planes on display is an SE5a and I was thrilled to see it! This plane has been fascinating to me partly because it was so different from some of the more iconic fighter planes of WWI.



The box car like fuselage conceals a Hispano-Suiza engine (either 150 or 200 hp depending upon when it was produced.)



Unlike many planes of this era it had a V style engine rather than a rotary engine.




Planes like the Sopwith Camel had a large rotary engine, where the crankshaft was fixed in place and the cylinders rotated around it. This created huge amounts of torque. It made the planes quite difficult to fly because you had to constantly fight the twisting motion created by the engine. Of course that torque also meant that these planes could make incredibly quick turns. . . in one direction!

The SE5a didn't have the same maneuverability as your rotary engine aircraft but it's high speed made it very effective with the right tactics. The SE5a could outrun any unmodified German fighter of its day and had impressive structural integrity (for it's time) that enabled it to dive at high speed without breaking up. Basically, the SE5a couldn't out-turn most other aircraft, but it could outrun them, attack, and dive away fast enough to avoid pursuit. When used properly it could be highly effective because in a plane like this, a pilot could choose both when to initiate and end an attack.

What a neat plane!

An engineer's perspective

I have learned that certain groups of people tend to view everyday things in remarkably different ways. Most of the engineers, accountants, or math and science types that I have met are very keen on taking a structured approach to everything. Sometimes it just looks ridiculous.

And with that, I give you this week's post, which was sent to me by friend Barb.



Be warned, watching this video may make you want to calculate the aspect ratio of a feline.

Spring is here...

...and everything is turning green!



I'm not exactly sure what kind of vine that is, but I think the car is about to be squashed.

Quote of the unspecified temporal interval

So far I have been speaking of theoretical science, which is an attempt to understand the world. Practical science, which is an attempt to change the world, has been important from the first, and has continually increased in importance, until it has almost ousted theoretical science from men's thoughts. ... The triumph of science has been mainly due to its practical utility, and there has been an attempt to divorce this aspect from that of theory, thus making science more and more a technique, and less and less a doctrine as to the nature of the world. The penetration of this point of view to philosophers is very recent.

- Bertrand Russell

Time is running out!

Only a day left to get your hands on the ultimate train set! I ran across this while browsing ebay for kicks, and I'm pretty sure this is the only time I've encountered anything of this sort in an online auction.

For the uninitiated, live steam model railroading is about as close to the real thing as a model railroad can get. Most live steamers are actually big enough to ride, which makes them much more interactive than your typical electric train set.

For example, every year at the Old Threshers Reunion, one of the displays is a live steam model train ride.

Kids (and some adults) love to line up for rides on this little train even if the ride takes them only takes them about 200 feet and then back again.

Even the simplest live steam operation requires a huge commitment of time and money, and no doubt quite a bit of commitment to the hobby. It's a shame to see someone who has to sell their trains on ebay, and it's even more of a shame to see that there are currently no bids!

I certainly hope that someone buys this and gets to enjoy it for years to come!

back-roads.

This weekend's post comes to you from Winchester Virginia. Unfortunately coming home this weekend wasn't particularly practical, but I'm still trying to make the most of it.

Winchester is a pretty small town compared to Chicago (what isn't?) and I've heard people from my office complain about how small it is and how little there is to do around here. There aren't nearly as many activities here as there are in some cities, but if you're willing to venture off of the beaten path you never know exactly what you'll find.

Last fall I was here when a peculiar situation arose. I needed to find some unusual parts that I figured I could get at a hobby shop. So I hit the phone directories and found a place called "Cain's Trains and Hobbies." After a phone call and a few minutes drive off of the highway I found this little shop.



I figured I was in for a treat when I saw this Plymouth switcher sitting next to the shop. Apparently the proprietor also works in construction and trucking, so he was well equipped to haul off this narrow gauge gas mechanical locomotive when a local industry wanted rid of it.



Inside there was a surprisingly good selection of merchandise from various scales as well as some miscellaneous parts for kit bashing, and of course the brass parts that I needed for work.





The service was great too and I really liked the little touches like the overhead tracks and the little Z scale model by the door.



And if you're not into trains there are plenty of antique shops if you take the time to look. They range from the outrageously up scale to the very rustic.



There is some terrific scenery that you can enjoy, especially if you get a chance to ride one of the area's scenic railways. (You knew I would get back around to trains eventually!)

That's all for now. More later on my travels and maybe a bit of old iron.

Resurrection

I suppose I'm stating the obvious, but I haven't been posting much for the past several months. I could cite plenty of specific reasons like being on the road, being swamped with work, hobbies, and socializing. Really, I think I just lost the urge to write for a while, but it's springtime now and I've decided to resurrect this blog for a while. I'll be putting up some new material on at least a weekly basis for a while now.

I'd like to start off with an additions to the blogroll.
It's time to introduce the enthusiastic new blogger 'True Blue Sam" who has put up quite a few posts over at his new blog. We have several areas of common interest and it will probably come as no surprise that we are related. (In fact, my picture made it into his banner on the far right!) He has some good material to work with and it looks as though he will continue to put up good posts for the foreseeable future. With any luck we may combine our efforts and do a little blogging together in the future.

Pittance of time

This video has been around for a while, but if you haven't seen it before or if it's been a while, please take a few minutes to watch.

It's a really touching tribute to veterans!

News that isn't.

When you spend a weekend working out of town, it's really easy to end up in a hotel room at night watching the news channels and their ad nauseam coverage of news that really isn't news. In particular the newscasters were all enthralled with the latest Osama tape. I suppose that it's more news-worthy than the 6 straight hours of Paris Hilton reporting that I had to sit through in the Detroit airport, but I still find it amazing that there would be so much gawking and chattering about why the most wanted (or unwanted) man in the world would dye his beard.

It sure makes newspapers more appealing.

Do not fear when your enemies criticize you. Beware when they applaud.

(Vietnamese proverb, as quoted by Vo Dong Giang.)

One helluva happy fella!