As claimed in my previous post: I am an aviation enthusiast, or an #avgeek as we are called on Twitter. As a kid I had an aviation history book, with photos of all milestones until then. One of the last pages in that early 1970’s book showed pictures of the first flight of a revolution in passenger transport: the brand new Boeing 747. With its two-storey and double aisle design it was the first truly large capacity airliner, aptly named “Jumbo Jet”. An image that I remembered for the rest of my life. Years later I ended up flying many variants of the 747 as a passenger, from the early -100 to the stretched upper deck -300 and -400. A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend a day in Seattle, which I dedicated to finding this first Boeing 747, named “City of Everett”, after the home town of the Boeing company. Continue reading
United States
United States
First in Flight: Kitty Hawk NC
The United States is a great destination for history lovers. Perhaps surprising, as its modern history is not that long compared to other places in the world. Americans are masters of preservation and maintain their heritage better than in any other country. Much of modern history happened in the US, so if your interest is in the 18th, 19th or 20th centuries, there are many very well-kept must-sees. One of my areas of interest is the history of aviation. In this blog I will describe some of my expeditions to find special aviation places and objects. The first expedition is to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Continue reading
Emotionele lancering van de laatste shuttle – Launch Day
Vrijdag 8 juli 2011 begint al om 1:15 uur ‘s nachts met een live radio interview voor Radio 2. De luisteraars in de ochtendshow willen graag horen hoe de situatie aan de Space Coast is, zo’n 11 uur voor de geplande lancering. Wel, de situatie op dat moment is dat het zachtjes regent en het op de wegen rond Cocoa en Titusville al een drukte van belang is. Men verwacht tot een miljoen bezoekers! De regen stemt echter niet hoopvol. Er wordt alleen gelanceerd als het in een gebied van 20 mijl rond het lanceerplatform volledig buienvrij is en er geen onweer is. Gezien de tropische stormen en regenbuien gisteren en het zeer dichte wolkendek deze ochtend lijkt de kans niet groot. De officiele voorspelling is dat er vrijdag 30% kans is op gunstige omstandigheden. Continue reading