Sir George Cayley

The British Meteor was tops overall for WWII

The top jet fighter, that was never in air-to-air combat? Shucks,
maybe the Bell Airacuda was the best piston-engine fighter of the war.

The Meteor, like the P-80, came too late for the banquet. And George
Cayley didn't trust his glider enough to go up in it. And Saint
Brendan went back to Ireland without getting his passport stamped.
They were attempts that didn't quite make it, for one reason or
another, and serve only to gratify patriotic passions and conspiracy
theorists.

all the best -- Dan Ford (email: info AT danford.net)

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
news

This would explain why we celebrate Lief Erikson Day, and why most of
North America speaks Norwegian as its first language?


I don't follow. Most inhabitants of North America speak English as their
first language, but I don't believe Columbus did. Did Columbus speak
English at all?

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

Joe Who?


Montgolfier.



The world was full of folks who jumped off roofs, went up in balloons
and gliders, and crashed motorized airplanes into rivers, but that was
not powered flight. That was failure. The Wright Bros succeeded. To
them goes the palm, and the world's memory.


You didn't say co-fathers of powered flight, you said co-fathers of flight.
Balloon flight is still flight.

In article ,
Cub Driver wrote:

This would explain why we celebrate Lief Erikson Day,

Yes, it does. (Leif Erikson Day is October 9:th in the USA.)

If it doesn't have consequences, it wasn't discovery.

Well, it wasn't exactly like Vinland and Greenland were
instantly or totally forgotten, it was more like the
knowledge wasn't very useful, with the climate change and
all. So by your definition, it was discovery, and
analogously some of the pre-1903 pioneers' actions did
have consequences.
--
Urban Fredriksson http://www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
Things that try to look like things often look more like
things than things do.

I don't follow. Most inhabitants of North America speak English as their
first language, but I don't believe Columbus did. Did Columbus speak
English at all?

Most inhabitants of the Americas speak Spanish as their first
language, as a consequence of Columbus's discovery (or opening, if you
prefer) of the New World. Next in importance as discovers and
exploiters were the English, and a distant third were the French. The
Irish and the Vikings were of no importance in this process; their
voyages had no consequences; they might as well have stayed at home,
for all the impact those voyages had on history.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

Yes, it does. (Leif Erikson Day is October 9:th in the USA.)

A fact that is known to what percentage of Americans (a term that
includes in this usage all residents of the Americas)?

One millioneth of one percent?

Be serious.

Is Lief Erikson Day celebrated even in Norway? When I was in Madrid on
12 Oct 1957, I was amused and touched to discover that Columbus Day
was a big event in Spain--bigger, in fact, that it presently is in the
U.S.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

If you like. It's not flight to me.


If it's not flight to you then you don't know what flight is.

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

Most inhabitants of the Americas speak Spanish as their first
language,


That may very well be, but if you review your previous message you'll
discover that you already limited the area of discussion to North America.

Cub Driver wrote:

Balloon flight is still flight.

If you like. It's not flight to me. I think it would be impractical
for Virgin Atlantic to install video monitors in coach on a balloon
flight.

all the best -- Dan Ford


Why? From what I have seen there were pretty luxurious accomodations on
some trans-atlantic airships - hell of a lot more comfortable looking
than coach in a jetliner.

Dave

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...

A fact that is known to what percentage of Americans (a term that
includes in this usage all residents of the Americas)?


That's not correct, "Americans" as it is used today refers only to citizens
of the United States.

So say you. On what authority?
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)