Tom, upon occasion I will forward one of your posts to my brother, Frank called Lad. This morning I did so with your "stuff gets old" post. Here is a bit of his response to your question, "So why is it we drive these old things?!" Snip ---- I can come up with many answers to Tom's rhetorical question, "So why is it we drive these old things?!" Among the many, the one I like the most: We were born in the wrong era. While things of today hold a curiosity and certain amount of "entertainment" value, the things of yesterday truly fascinate and captivate our thoughts. Have you ever said, "I was born a generation too late"? I know I have. As much as things of aviation grip my being, the fast-moving jets with their fly-by-wire technology and ability to accurately acquire and destroy targets miles away simply don't thrill me. Give me the cockpit of a Corsair or a Mustang or a you-name-it round engine or V-12 powered propeller plane and I'm in my element. I've never flown one, nor have I ever sat in one; but, I know it is my element. There has always been a feeling deep inside my gut for old airplanes that spewed to the surface the first time my hands were placed on a control yoke. It was unmistakable and familiar and somewhat eerie all at once. As Yogi Berra would say, "déjà vu all over again." I knew how to fly and had only touched the yoke. It is that inexplicable love and familiarity with things of yesterday that pulls us back to the earlier time. Not because they're simpler, because in many ways they aren't; but, because they are comfortable in our hands. Lad End Snip ---- My brother was an accomplished pilot holding a commercial rotary wing and single engine fixed wing license until an unexplained seizure grounded him for life. He is due to retire from the DOD, USTRANSCOM, in less than a year. AMC content: Doh! I'm lookin' at an SX4..... AMC number seven is in the wings. Jack
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