President's Message for Sept./Oct. 2023 The internet can be an unbelievably great resource, and yet, an incredible consumer of time. This observation is nothing new and it certainly can affect aviation history enthusiasts. When the summer edition of Touch & Go arrived in July, I eagerly dove into the content and marveled at all the articles written by a group of dedicated and talented SAH members. As mentioned in the last President's Message, "...it's common for each edition to have fascinating articles about aviation events, general and military aviation, historical people and places, museums, and, of course, a plethora of great photographs." And this is where the internet comes into play, because every article triggers an internet search about something else in aviation history. Perhaps it starts with Wikipedia or a YouTube video, but the next thing I know it's hours later and I'm still navigating the internet for aviation minutia. Maybe it starts with a picture of the Hawker Sea Fury "924" from Sanders Aeronautics in the summer newsletter and I notice it has a five-bladed propellor. So, off to Wikipedia I go to discover the five-bladed propellor means the Sea Fury is powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine. This leads to discovering that late model Supermarine Spitfires with the Rolls Royce Griffon engine also had five-bladed propellors. Then it's on to Rolls Royce aircraft engines, and eventually I'm learning about the history of triple-spool high-bypass turbo-fan engines like the Rolls Royce RB-211 that bankrupted the company in the early 1970's. Then itŐs on to Amazon to buy, "Not Much of an Engineer", by Sir Stanley Hooker, in which he details his time at Rolls Royce when he's hired out of retirement to save the RB-211 program. In the meantime, meals are missed, the weeds keep growing, and the house becomes dark and silent. However, this is what makes membership in SAH so wonderful. Our newsletters and members provide a great starting point to learn so much more about aviation history and this is why I look forward to every edition of Touch & Go. Just remember to eat. Dave Osgood
Past President Messages can be found on the new page below: |
