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I'm especially looking forward to this evening's History Detectives tv show on PBS, as the teaser mentioned they're going to be dealing with something related to the NC-4, the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic. The pilot Walter Hinton was a friend in my childhood.
Nutria on a Streetcar!
Aug. 19th, 2006 11:00 pmSo, I saw "Snakes on a Plane". I would have skipped it on my own, but some of the New Orleans Worst Film Festival veterans wanted get together to see it. Yeah, it pretty much takes 100+ years of silly B movie cliches and jams them into one movie. Vyoma's review IMO hits the mark. I'm not quite as enthusiastic as Vyoma about it, but if you're in the mood a for cheesy leave-your-brain-in-neutral flicker show to not take seriously with some friends... hey, two snakes up.
Walter Hinton
Jul. 2nd, 2001 01:06 amOn the subject of Aviation pioneers, I had the priviledge to know one as a neighbor when I was young.
Walter Hinton was one of the early flyers in the days of wood and canvas airplanes. Lots of his comrades died young, but Hinton lived into his 90s. He was full of interesting stories and was glad to show me his scrapbook full of photos, newspaper articles, and cases of medals. His most celebrated exploit was to pilot a "flying boat" across the Atlantic in 1919. Lindberg is remembered for crossing the Atlantic non stop solo 8 years later, but Hinton and the 6 man crew of the NC4 were the first to fly across an ocean (stoping in Newfoundland and the Azores to refuel along the way).
At right is a photo of Hinton about 1926 he gave me. Click on it for a larger version where you can see a painting of the NC4 on his wall while he listens to his new Brunswick Panatrope (the first commercial electric phonograph) which the president of Brunswick gave him after hearing Hinton give a stirring speech on the future of Aviation.
Hinton's other aeronautic acomplishments include exploring the Arctic by baloon, making the first flight from North America to South America (on the second try-- he floated on a wing in shark infested waters off Cuba for a while at the end of the first try), and exploring the Amazon by hydroplane. In this last role you can see pictures of him on pages 379 and 404 of the April 1926 National Geographic Magazine.
Nowadays folks who enjoy the thrill of living dangerously might do extreem sports... Hinton was one of perhaps the last generation where such people could make a contribution to civilization by being Explorers and Pioneers.
Walter Hinton was one of the early flyers in the days of wood and canvas airplanes. Lots of his comrades died young, but Hinton lived into his 90s. He was full of interesting stories and was glad to show me his scrapbook full of photos, newspaper articles, and cases of medals. His most celebrated exploit was to pilot a "flying boat" across the Atlantic in 1919. Lindberg is remembered for crossing the Atlantic non stop solo 8 years later, but Hinton and the 6 man crew of the NC4 were the first to fly across an ocean (stoping in Newfoundland and the Azores to refuel along the way).
At right is a photo of Hinton about 1926 he gave me. Click on it for a larger version where you can see a painting of the NC4 on his wall while he listens to his new Brunswick Panatrope (the first commercial electric phonograph) which the president of Brunswick gave him after hearing Hinton give a stirring speech on the future of Aviation.
Hinton's other aeronautic acomplishments include exploring the Arctic by baloon, making the first flight from North America to South America (on the second try-- he floated on a wing in shark infested waters off Cuba for a while at the end of the first try), and exploring the Amazon by hydroplane. In this last role you can see pictures of him on pages 379 and 404 of the April 1926 National Geographic Magazine.
Nowadays folks who enjoy the thrill of living dangerously might do extreem sports... Hinton was one of perhaps the last generation where such people could make a contribution to civilization by being Explorers and Pioneers.
Happy Landings To You, Amelia Earhart
Jul. 2nd, 2001 12:45 am
The Second of July. Amelia Earhart Day.
It was on this day in 1937 that aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart's last flight ended in tragedy.
Some friends have for many years marked this occasion with an annual Amelia Earhart Day party. So, Monday night I will go there, and as the band plays we all sing "Happy Landings To You, Amelia Earhart". Farewell, First Lady of the Air.
