Passion for Flight

Lake Powell mirrored by Flight Design CT wing It is very early in the morning, and the sun is just above the eastern horizon. Our Flight Design CT plane, with owner and friend Philip as pilot and me as copilot, is last in a group of five CTs taking off from the Page, AZ, airport, for a meandering low flight over Lake Powell. The string of graceful planes leaping into the air reminds me of geese taking flight. As we bank for the flight north, the sandstone hills and the lake are mirrored in the wing of the plane.  We participate in the 7th Annual 2013 Page, AZ, Fly-in , organized by Roger Lee, an expert for CTs and Rotax engines. He is based in Tucson, AZ. Thirteen CTs have come, and one Sportscruiser, a neat low-wing plane made in the Czech Republic. When not touring the area, the planes are tied down at the Page airport in two reserved rows. This is our first day of flying in the area. We get up at 5 am, have breakfast, and take the 10 min walk to the airport. As we near t...

During a recent visit in Albuquerque, NM, daughter Ingrid suggested that we visit the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. This turned out to be a terrific idea. The museum is located near the intersection of Interstates 25 and 40. The name of the museum suggests that it may cover nuclear science with all its aspects. But the detailed and fascinating exhibits deal with just one part: the origins of nuclear weapons in World War II, the planes and rockets designed for their delivery, and the politics of nuclear threat and intimidation from the end of WW II to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The exhibits begin with the famous scientists who unraveled the secret of the atom. Next are the fortunately unsuccessful attempts in Germany and Japan to develop a nuclear bomb, and the huge scientific effort in the US that ultimately produced the first nuclear bombs. The first test bomb, code-named "Gadget," was exploded on a platform July 16, 1945,...