My other interests, besides the ones featured prominently here, include:
History
Throughout most of my life, my main hobby (or reading interest) has been history. I grew up reading all about American history, especially the Revolutionary War. Francis Marion, “The Swamp Fox,” and Ethan Allen were my heroes. In college, I majored in Medieval History. My wife was particularly amused at my brief foray into Polar Exploration. Other eras that I’ve read about include: the American Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, ancient Greek history, my own family history/genealogy, and 20th Century American history.
While I have a 500-page website devoted to aviation and WW2, that’s somewhat accidental. That is, I happened to be reading about that topic in the late Nineties, when I thought it would be cool to have my own website.
Technology
I’m interested in internet technology and Linux, running all my own PCs on Linux, as well as maintaining the dedicated server fro acepilots.com
Science and Evolution
I went through a brief phase on Science, Biology, and Evolution. “Creationist Morons” particularly annoy me, perhaps because I was raised as one of them – a Jehovah’s Witness.
My interest in biology and evolution also blends into the topic of Nature and Hiking.
What Else?
Sports? The Winter Olympics and top-level soccer (the World Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Team, English Premier League, European Champions’ League). I’ve watched some baseball in my time, and, of course, never miss the Super Bowl. My son’s rabid interest in the New York Giants has rubbed off on me a little, but have always had a fondness for the Green Bay Packers. Coaching youth soccer. When my kids were young, I coached their soccer teams – what a great experience.
Shakespeare. Jazz Music. Foreign films – esp. Akira Kurosawa. Stamp collecting. Legos. Running.
Maps. Any kind of map.
News and Politics
Of course. Even had a blog about politics from 2004-08, called “The Politburo Diktat.” That was fun for a while.
Well I found your blog quite interesting. I too have a large number of hobbies I am interested in, one of which is early aircraft and model in 1/144. I am currently loking at purchasing some models from Shapeways who make these but 3D photocopying.
I wanted to tell you that the US Naval Institute published a reprint of a submarine identification book from 1944 (?)
http://tinyurl.com/b2lrnxv.
My own blog is here, it is a mix of Religious, and historical, almost entirly about France, the Revolution (French one), 100 years war, and various things which come into my brain. http://lefleurdelystoo.blogspot.com/
Richard.
Here is an article I did on
Thanks again for a good blog.
Stephen Sherman. I was sent your AcePilotslink from a friend and I read with interest. As a pilot/builder/buff (and worked at Old Rhinebeck) I beg you correct your description of the Fokker DVII. The fuselage was welded steel tubing. Only the wings were of wood construction. Also the BMWIIIa engine was boosted to 240+ HP by using a 50/50 mix of Gasoline and Benzine. Check out Mikael Carlson DVII video (youtube)powered with the 160 Mercedes.
Your article on the Bell p-39 was interesting. One thing that needs to be corrected, the p-39 was built at the Wheatfield NY plant along the east side of Niagara Falls airport not in Buffalo NY. This plant had a long history of aircraft to include the X-1, Huey, Cobra Gun ship, VTOL, Rocket belt, and the Vietnam Hydro Skimmer Gun boats.
Thanks
Sam
3/24/13 Moab, Utah.
Your web site is quite interesting. You show a picture on 1930 aircraft of an American Airlines Curtiss Condor, NC12396 with was an AT-32 Condor.I have Curtiss Condor NC12363,serial 23, a T-32-C series Condor and the sole surviving airframe of the 45 built. It is in the process of being restored. The Condors served in 2 Antarctic expeditions for the US Navy and Admiral Byrd in 1934 and in 1939/1940. The first Byrd Condor was reportedly in bad shape as a fund raiser prop in Dallas in 1938/39 but there seems to be no trace of it thereafter. One US Army Condor.was fitted out at Washington, DC with a ramp and special fittings to accommodate President Roosevelt’s wheel chair and 6 staff members. It can claim the title of the first Air Force One if photos can be located showing Roosevelt made a trip in it. However the US Secret Service stripped bystander cameras of film if the photo showed the President in a wheel chair – which was never shown to the US Public.
4 Curtiss Condors operated daily flights across the Andes between 1936 and 1940 between Lima and Iquitos, Peru. Minimum cross ing altitude was above 19,000 feet. They never lost an aircraft. The Curtiss Condor is the missing link in US air transport history. It was the first true transcontinental air transport, leaving Newark Airpport and Grand Central AIrport (Glendale, CA) every evening at 6 PM and arriving at oposite ends of the contry the following evening at 6 PM. The Condor was the first sound proofed passenger cabin transport with sound levels comparable to railroad Pullman Cars. It was the first. sleeper transport so that passengers could sleep on long nite flights in a berth rather than a seat. It also proved out the first Wright Cyclone radial engines which allowed the DC-3 to dominate air transport for the next 20 years. IT also featured the first Hamilton Standard hydromatic (controllable) propellers. It carried uop to22 day passengers or 12 night berth passengers. The Condor was the first retractable landing gear.passenger transport and the first multi engine passenger transport that could sustain level flight with one engine out..
The Condors were only operated by EAstern AIr Lines and American AIrlines from 1933 to1936,after which they were all sold outside the US. Except for the pathfinding and development work done by the Curtiss Condors the DC-3 never would have been as big a success as it has been. Curtiss Wright built an earlier version the 1928/29 Model 20 and the US Army B-2 bombers. The Curtiss Condor II T-32 was a completely new aircraft and the last and largest bi-wing transport built in the US,
It seved with the US Army, US Navy, US MArine Corps, Argentine Navy, Colombian Navy, Peruvian Air Force, CHlean AIr Force and in Central America wit TACA.
Dick Neumann
Hello Steve,
I’ve looked over some of your writing, particularly about Ace Pilots. I am interested in aviation history and I’ve written a few magazine articles. I’ve also published four book, three novels and one autobiography about my own flying experiences in the 1950s. They can be found on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com under my author name, Dave Larson. I’m now thinking about pulling together some of my stories and putting them together under one cover, maybe called, “A Flying Omnibus,” and publishing it in Kindle and Nook. I’d like to have your permission to include some of your stories that I’ve seen on the web. Perhaps you could email me with your thoughts and comments about this.
Dave Larson