First-Beware the Ides of March! This warning was supposedly given to Julius Caesar by a soothsayer, who (and it might have been just once) was right, since legend has it this was the day the Roman dictator got the sharp end of the knife.
I say beware the Ides of March (Chicago's very own), or else they'll come to your local street fest and play 'Vehicle' over...and over...and over again.
You know, I had a rant tonight. I decided that I need to be bigger than my own selfishness. But still I have much to ponder. In the meantime:
What's the best classic warbird? Spitfire? Mustang? Or Corsair? They all sound good, though! I brought it up on Twitter. Now I'm partial to the Corsair. Love the sputter of that P&W Wasp:
Just like that show I watched when was in elementary school-the most unrealistic portrayal of the War in the Pacific ever made.
Now the roar of the Rolls/Royce Merlin in the P-51 Mustang is impressive as well. This vid could have been from an airfield in Britain 'round about 1944. Awesome that this many Mustangs are still flyable 60+ years on:
I've not seen a flyable Spitfire and I personally think our US birds are all it. But the Spitfire that started World War II and the design used at the end is damn near the same in name only. Five USAAF pilots made ace in the Spit-and it and the Hurricane DID win the Battle of Britain, after all. So we can't find anything bad to say for the mainstay of The Few.
Bigger and slower is the T-6 Texan trainer. Some of you may know it as the Harvard. I have almost two minutes of real stick time in the Texan. Big heavy feeling plane it is, and damn hot sitting behind the engine. But the Texan/Harvard will do about anything you ask within reason-rolls, loops, and climb-to-stall! That particular maneuver rocks. Recommended ride if you can afford it. Keep your fancy cars-I've ridden the T-6 and a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. 2000 pounds of bombs and a dozen of Ma Deuce got ya beat.
yankeedog out.
Thanks again Yankeedog! I too was struck by the similarities between my post and Jen's. (Though I envy her ability to be more succinct).
ReplyDeleteIt seems a recurring theme at the moment doesn't it? When/where does doing the right thing just become a chore? How do we pinpoint the line wher self-interest and self-reliance cross over into pure nasty selfishness?
Mayhem-I decided that perhaps I need to curb my own selfishness and took my rant offline. Some things might be best left unsaid after all. Doesn't mean your post still didn't strike me in a way. I've a bit to mull over.
ReplyDeleteStop back and enjoy the planes at any rate.
YDog, by the end of the war no doubt the Mustang, but I'd also put up the Focke Wulf 190 and the Hurricane.
ReplyDeleteMy old man was born on the Ides of March. His initials are IDS.
ReplyDeleteFor the record I thought v1.0 of this post was bang on, and there's definitely no need for you to back away from those sentiments - they weren't selfish, they were self-assertive, and you have a right to express them.
I'm with the Doc.
ReplyDeleteYD, its your blog, so rant as much as you like. That's what its for (as well as the great pics you often post.).
ReplyDelete