Those Wonderful Men in Their Flying Machines

As you probably know, when I was kid we lived next to an airport and desperately wanted to become a pilot when I grew up. The proximity of our house was so near the strip, that when we were having lunch, we could hear the roar and the rushing of air when an airplane was overhead on its way to the landing strip.

My favorite spot was the airport terminal. I knew everybody there, and everybody there knew me. I talked to the pilots asking all sorts of questions and they tried to answer back. When a group of US pilots arrived at Changuinola to survey the area, I became their guide, and they took me on many rides on their choppers. The feeling of the air on my face and the motions of the helicopter are hard to forget after more than five decades later.

Alas, my father found out of my furtive trips on choppers and Piper Cubs, he spanked me hard and restricted me from ever riding choppers or small planes without his permission. Of course his permissions were never granted. So instead of a wonderful man on a flying machine, I became a wonderful man with an adding machine. Instead of a pilot, I turned out an accountant fixed to a desk. The only blue sky I could see, came from the small window of my office. And that my friends is my experience with choppers and planes.

This nostalgia for planes has been inside me, and every time I have to go to the airport or see an airplane flying high above my house in Panama City, I say to myself, “That pilot up there could have been me.”  It didn’t happen, so there no use crying over spilled milk.

This is the last post on a theme of airplanes and of the recent airshow at the former Panama Canal Zone.  We have reached the end of the road and tomorrow we will move on into new territory.  Meanwhile, lets feast our eyes with a couple of pictures of those wonderful flying machines.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a small plane on exhibition during a large air show in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

That’s it guys.  The airshow is over.  I’ll keep my ear close to the ground to decide won hat our new subject will be and keep the ball rolling.  Enjoy this beautiful Saturday morning.  If you’re a flyer, have a good flight and savor the view.  Good Day.

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We’ve Come a Long Way Since the Early Flights of Kitty Hawk

Snapshot of the complex components of a plane’s landing gear. It’s amazing that all of this technological achievements came from a simple flight at Kitty Hawk. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Buoyant over the success of their 1902 glider, the Wright brothers were no longer content to merely add to the growing body of aeronautical knowledge; they were going to invent the airplane. Still, they recognized that much hard work lay ahead, especially the creation of a propulsion system. During the spring and summer of 1903, they were consumed with leaping that final hurdle into history.

On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made four brief flights at Kitty Hawk with their first powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had invented the first successful airplane. We’ve come a long way since the first flight at Kitty Hawk.  Good Day.

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Flying Instruments

Snapshot of a dashboard of a helicopter cluttered with all kinds of flying instruments. This chopper owned by Panama Civil Protection Service (SINAPROC) was on display at a recent airshow in Panama City, Panama. It can be used to transport people as well as converted into a modern flying ambulance. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Lights…Camera…Action!

Snapshot of The Twisters pretending a Tinseltown scene for the camera. They were delighted to attend the airshow. There was action everywhere. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Big Yellow Plane

The main attraction at the airshow in the former Canal Zone, was a huge cargo plane owned by DHL.  The well known delivery company decided to invite the Panamanian people to visit their plane.  There were long lines of parents with their children waiting to climb up a steep stairways and enter the pilot’s cockpit.  It was an exciting experience.

Below are several pictures of this large flying machine.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a big cargo plane being exhibited at the air show in the former Howard Air Force Base. It was visited by thousands of curious visitors. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of The Twisters carefully descending the steep stairway at the airport. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a cavernous jet turbine of a DHL airplane in exhibition in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Air Traffic Control Tower

Snapshot of a miniscule air traffic control tower “growing” in the tropical forest in the former Howard Air Force Base in Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Riddle From the Library of the Exeter Cathedral

“What is this?

I live alone, wounded by iron,
Struck by a sword, tired of battle work,
Weary of blades, Often I see war,
Fight a fearsome foe, I crave no comfort,
That safety might come to me out of the war-strife
Before I among men perish completely,
But the forged brands strike me,
Hard-edged and fiercely sharp, the handwork of smiths,
They bite me in the stronghold, I must wait for
A more murderous meeting, Never a physician
In the battlefield could I find
One of those who with herbs healed wounds,
But my sword slashes grow greater
Through death blows day and night.”

Answer:  The Shield

Source:  The Adventure of English by Melvyn Bragg.

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A Cactus Flanked by Two Roses

Snapshot of two beautiful girls posing with one proud visitor at a recent airshow in Panama City, Panama. What a lucky guy! Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Symmetry

Snapshot of one of the walls of my home office where I’m beginning to hang my education diplomas. They were lost in folders for more than five years. I had forgotten where they were, until my wife found them. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Visiting a Military Troops Plane

One of the plane which was highly visited during the airshow at the former Howard Air Force Base, was a bulky military troops plane.  There were long lines of parents with their children waiting in line under a torrid tropical sun.  It was a pleasant sight to see the kids posing for their parents when they entered the plane.  I can’t emphasize enough the benefits of sharing experiences with your family. The children will never forget it, even when they grow up.  Usually they will follow the same pattern of sharing experiences with their own kids.

Below are several pictures of the people visiting a military aircraft and the swarm of people waiting in line to enter the plane.  Take a look.

Snapshot of a long line of people waiting to enter a military plane with the purpose of taking pictures of their siblings. As you can see, it was a sizzling summer day and the temperatures were reaching the top of the thermometer Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The visitors entered the aircraft from the back and exited from the front.  There were cameras everywhere.  It was interesting to point out that many parents were taking pictures with their cellphones.  That’s a new trend in Panama.

Snapshot of visitors exiting the aircraft from the front on a continuous moving line. The waiting was painful due to the hot temperatures. But children always get their way when they want something bad enough. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Take notice of the clear blue skies and the soft cotton-candy white clouds hovering over the airport. It was an enticing scenery. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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