Aeroplanes and Boats

I have always loved airplanes.  In fact the third word I learned to say was "airplane'.  As a toddler I would sit in my high chair while my mom hung out laundry and at the sound of those round motors point my stubby finger skyward and say, "airpwane".Yesterday, I visited the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. I especially enjoyed this because I once served aboard an  aircraft carrier, USS Intrepid. A favorite time of my work day was when I would steal away from my job and watch airplanes take off and land on our flight deck. In naval aviation speak it was to watch launch and recovery of aircraft. In the Naval Aviation Museum they have representatives of all naval aircraft from the very beginning in the early part of the 20th century to some of the latest aircraft that fly today. As you enter this ultra modern facility you'll see an F-14 Tomcat on a pilon. Aviation buffs and movie fans will remember this is the plane that Maverick and Goose flew in the film, Top Gun.  Inside the museum to the right you will find the information counter where you can get free tickets for the tour of the flight line. These are the aircraft awaiting restoration and aren't inside the museum. We opted to do this first because rain threatened. However, when we looked at our tickets we realized that it was an hour before he tour. (We were still getting acclimated to a different time zone.) So we took this opportunity to get some food at the Cubi Point Cafe. Cubi Point was the Naval Air Station in the Philippine Islands. The aircraft carriers I had served on had always tied up at Cubi. Once when the Bon Homme Richard was there the crew consumed 1,100 cases of San Migeul beer. I think our record still stands. For lunch I had a turkey sandwich with bean soup while Claudette had the Subic Bay sandwich. The food was great and the price was quite reasonable unlike many museums.  The decor was all memorabilia of squadrons that had been stationed at Cubi.

Soon it was time for our tour of the flight line.  The bus was one of those busses that look like a trolley car  and we climbed aboard. The driver/tour guide's name was Mac. He was a retired naval aviator who whose squadron was once assigned to the Intrepid. After chatting a few minutes I found out that Mac was on the "Fighting I" the same time I was. He had flown "Queer Spads".   The A-1 "Skyraider" was a single engine propeller driven airplane commonly referred to as a "Spad".  A "Queer Spad" was the ECM or Electronic Countermeasures version which was a four place plane rather than one. During our forty-five minute tour we saw quite a few airplanes and helicopters. Some were WWII vintage but most were newer. There were two planes from the Navy Blue Angels exhibition team, a F/A-18 Hornet and a C-130 Hercules. The support teams C-130 is fondly referred to as "Fat Albert". Our guide was extremely knowledgable and offered great commentary spiced with occasional humor.

Inside the museum the airplanes are displayed according to age, beginning with the early flying boats. Before the advent of the aircraft carriers all Navy planes were flying boats, seaplanes. The WWI life-size dioramas were awesome. There was a design aspect of the carrier based planes that was  to the Museum's advantage.   Carrier planes have folding wings and don't take up as much space. The museum collection is over 150 aircraft but my favorites are those from the so called "Golden Age of Aviation" those years between WWI and WWII. These planes were usually fairly small with one radial engine and one pilot. Biplanes, planes with two wings, are my favorites.  Biplanes such as the 1933 FF-1 which had retractable landing gear and a "greenhouse" canopy.    It was also good to see the planes I had watched take off and land when I should have been working.  The Crusaders, Skyhawks, Willy Fudds, and Skyraiders here were all pristine and clean. There were no exhaust soot, no dirty hand prints, and no duct tape. They were beautiful.  There are also  famous planes as well. The NC4 flying boats that first flew across the Atlantic in 1919.  The F-8 Crusader which was the first Navy fighter to fly twice the speed of sound in level flight. The first Navy fighter to be able to fly straight up was  the F-4 Phantom II.  Other interesting planes were the DC-3 which was the first airplane to land on the South Pole.  There is a Marine helicopter, Marine One, which carried the first American president to resign from the White House. There is also a S3C Viking that a sitting U.S. president landed aboard the aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln. Many airplanes hang from the ceiling to better mimic flight and there is a great lighter-than-air exhibit.

I found the aircraft engines, reciprocating and jet, very interesting particularly the cutaway displays. I like to know how things work.  One airplane that isn't mentioned on the website is the Me-262 .  This plane was the first operational jet fighter and the pride of the Luftwaffe. I had seen three of these before but never  a version built with dual controls as a trainer.  There are several representatives of adversary aircraft in the collection even a F-16 with a big red star on the side. The "Fighting Falcon" was used in the Navy's Top Gun school for fighter pilot training as an enemy aircraft. There are a lot of things for kids to do such as climbing into the cockpits of famous fighters, simulators and an IMAX theater. A few sculptures and other artwork are scattered throughout the displays.

It was a great place for a family outing. Normally the Navy's aerobatic team, "The Blue Angels", are practicing at the airstrip behind the museum but no longer, due to budgetary constraints. But there are lots of things for kids do do inside.  There are cockpits to crawl into, simulators to fly and movies to watch.  This kid had a great time.  And... I would visit again.

Art Deco and Cuba Libres

There is a part of Miami Beach that hasn't changed it's appearance since before the 1950's. The architecture here is known as Art Deco.  I had a little familiarity with it having been a big fan of Miami Vice, the television show of the 1980's.  The buildings have unique shapes, many curves and metal integrated into the designs. Supposedly the style comes from Egyptian tombs via Paris. Regardless of its origin the structures are pleasing to the eye particularly in the pastel colors.  The sun was extremely bright as we began our walk sevenish in the morning. There weren't many people out, just the usual joggers, dog walkers and  deliverymen. From our hotel on Washington we walked a few blocks to the beach. The brilliant morning sun was a blinding glare off the sea as I'm sure it was when this was a mangrove swamp. We watched a man towel off his dog.  I think he had bathed him with water from a faucet nearby.  The were some grizzled old men sunning themselves on the benches in the waterfront park.  The pigeons were out in force. With the beach behind us we walked inland and lingered to soak in the ambiance of the area. Many of the buildings appeared quite sculptural to me. On the way back to the hotel we saw the staff at the restaurant Havana 1957 placing silverware on the sidewalk tables in front of the eatery.

The previous afternoon we had eaten dinner there at the suggestion of the hotel operations manager.  In the late afternoon and early evening the Art Deco area of South Beach is alive with energy.  It moves to the rhythm of another country. Memories of Ry Cooder's Buena Vista Social Club and the music thereof drift through my mind. Cooder had ventured to Havanna in 1996 and recorded the music of some of the elderly statesmen of Cuban music. The music of the island of Cuba is everywhere as is the staccato sound of Spanish. But it seems so natural and at home here. The hostess was an attractive young woman with black curls cascading over her bare back.  She directed us to a street side table and our waiter soon joined us.  The young man was quite friendly and a born salesman.  I saw Cuba Libre on the drink menu and had to get reacquainted with something I had found in Brazil many years before. He attempted to upgrade my drink with a more expensive rum but I stuck with the house brand.  Claudette on the other hand was feeling chatty in Spanish and tried a few words before resorting to English.  She discovered the our waiter's name was Juan Carlos.  And that he was not related to the king of Spain by the same name. She had requested a glass of merlot but due to Juan's salesmanship ordered a mojito.  Early in our trip Claudette had wanted to stop by her favorite Cuban restaurant in St. Augustine for ropa vieja but I had reneged. But now she had another opportunity and did not hesitate to order her favorite Cuban dish.  I on the other hand was convinced  by our waiter that the churrasco a la cubana was the dish for me.  Juan Carlos was correct. The flank steak was marinated, grilled, topped with grilled onions and served  with black beans and rice.  It was indeed delicious. Our meal was enjoyable and we enjoyed constant flow of interesting people through our dining area. I do wish the guy on the bike had walked it through.  I would have felt a bit safer. We topped off the meal with flan. It was the creme de la creme of a finish to a great meal. The dining experience will remain one of my most memorable.

Slowly we wandered back to our  hotel.  It was early to bed due to an early start tomorrow.

South of the Frost Line

I spent most of yesterday on a train.  Not a classic steam train or even a commuter train but the Conch  Train. We followed US Highway 1 to it's demise into the southern seas to the island within ninety miles of Havanna, Cuba. The  southern most city in the U. S. of A, Key West, Florida.  After taking the bridge from the mainland which for over one hundred and thirty miles touches down on about  dozen islands US-1 becomes Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West. Fortunately, we found a parking space two blocks off Duval Street.  Duval has been called one of the longest streets in the world because it reaches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. My travel companion had a craving for one of the most famous meals in the world as recorded in song by Jimmy Buffett,  "A Cheeseburger in Paradise". Key West has the pay-to-park system now.  Simply insert your credit card or non-plastic currency into a vending machine that spits out a ticket which you place on the dash of your car indicating how much parking time you have purchased. As we walked toward the Margaritaville Cafe,  the Conch Train goes by loaded with aging American tourists and younger Asians.  We wave as the "engineer" expertly guides the train down the narrow streets. Key West  has an ambiance all it's own, more like the islands of the Caribbean than the mainland. We window shop the dozens of shops selling all things tourist  on the way to the restaurant. Our server wears a t-shirt with printed graphic and  white short shorts. Blonde curls tumble over her shoulders and she has the friendly smile of and island girl. We order two of the famous cheeseburgers and a couple of Landshark lagers. (Gotta help boost the size of the Buffett empire!)
Although the song says the the cheeseburger is served with "a cold draft beer" , Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe does not sell draft beer.  We enjoyed our burgers which filled a need and finished our meal off with a slice of Key lime pie.  I maintain that you can't get decent Key lime pie north of Marathon Key. Back on the street we walked toward Truman Street and the Conch Train station. The store buildings are old along Duval as indeed they are in all of Key West's "old town" and sidewalks are rough.  As we crossed a street we were almost hit by a bicycle built for two. They were natives, I think.  He appeared somewhat aged, shirtless, thin, and wearing flip-flops. His grayshoulder length hair and chest length beard flowed in the sea breeze.  She on the other hand was prim and proper perched on the seat.  She was dressed in a pale print sundress, with wide brim hat, large sunglasses and her light brown hair was in a bun. She had a trim youthful figure and long tapered legs with sandal clad feet that barely reached the bicycle pedals. Her attitude was nonchalant as she touched up her bright red lipstick. We were  on the artsy end of Duval Street known for it's many  galleries. It seems that this part of the street was once populated with bars and various and sundry businesses catering to sailors.  But when he U.S. Navy left Key West in the eighties all those businesses went belly up.   The city in an effort to revitalize sold the buildings for one dollar each to anyone who would restore them.  Many artists bought buildings and created their own galleries.

At the corner of Truman and Duval is one of the four Conch Train stations.  We bought our tickets and were soon aboard.  Since there were passengers already aboard we got very poor seats. We had the last seat in a car.  The absolute worse seat on the train.  They should discount this ticket.  Not only does it face the rear, it is designed for pygmies from equatorial Africa. The train driver/tour guide was a woman with the voice of a sideshow barker. Her feeble attempts humor were disastrous.
At the next station near the sea we got off and went into the Overseas Railroad Museum. It had a lot of information and memorabilia of what was known as "Flagler's Folly". But it was a folly no more when Henry Flagler finished the rail road in 1912.  The 128 mile railroad connected mainland Florida to Key West. In about twenty minutes another Conch Train arrived. This was not our first ride on this kind of train. They are fairly common in tourist areas.  We have ridden them in St.

Augustine  and Carcassonne, France. This driver/tour guide is great, a constant flow of good information from his mouth.  Our train weaves through the narrow as he extolls the virtues of this island at the bottom of thee country. We pass Truman's "Little White House", Ernest Hemingway's house, the southern most house in the U.S.A. and dozens more famous landmarks. One intriguing landmark is the southern most point marker. There must a hundred people there waiting in line to have their picture taken with this cylindrical chunk of concrete. We did not.  There is a Cuban part of the city. Many Cuban immigrated to Key West to work in the cigar industry and their influence is still there. Probably the biggest mark they left are the chickens. Like the Hawaiian Islands, there a free range chickens all over Key West.  It seems that when the Cubans came to the city they brought with  them the sport of cockfighting.  They brought their fighting chickens with them.  When they found that cockfighting was illegal the released all their chickens.  Therefore, they are now are free range chickens.  But these are not ordinary free range chickens they are chickens protected by law. In Florida all wild birds are protected by law.  Since the chickens are no longer considered domesticated they are therefore wild and protected. We passed Mel Fisher's Museum and the Wreckers Museum and other tourist attractions which I found mildly interesting.  And then we were in new town, the part of the city reclaimed from the sea, as the Train traveled on along bougainvillea shrouded lanes.  We passed the old high school building with it's Tiger mascot out front.  The tiger is over twelve feet long and built by the students in the metal shop from an old automobile. If you look closely you'll see that the tail is an exhaust pipe and the white fangs in his mouth are  spark plugs.  The new high school has the conch as it's mascot. I think it would be quite a contest for the "Fighting Conchs" to play the "Fighting Rainbows" in football. (There's a Hawaiian high school with the Rainbow as it's mascot.) Throughout the Florida Keys the conch shell is prominently displayed and locals refer to themselves as conchs. There was once even a Conch Republic.  It seems that in 1982 the U.S. Border Patrol set up a check station controlling all traffic to and from the Florida Keys. The residents of the Keys responded saying that if they were going to be treated like a foreign country they would oblige by succeeding from the union.  The Conch Republic surrendered after a few minutes of independence and then asked for foreign aid.

After the train ride ended we had great barbecue at Daddy Bones  across the street from our hotel. The place has that smokey odor that is only found in barbecue joints. The decor is bight and colorful  with a sofa made of the tail fins of a a 1959 Cadillac. Our food was great and served by a cute tattooed girl with an obvious surgically enhanced bosom.

Thursday morning after a breakfast by the pool at our hotel we met a friend of Claudette's for coffee at Starbucks on Duval Street. The place was packed. No seats could be found.  We walked back up the street and found a bench at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. While the two old friends reminisced and caught up on what was current in their lives I checked out the church which in 1831 was the first non-Catholic church on the island.  The impressive concrete building has beautiful stained glass windows.  What I found most interesting was that many of the windows pivoted open for ventilation.  Although this architectural detail caught my attention it paled in comparison to the beautiful music emanating from the sanctuary.  I followed my ears to find two people on the bench in front of the keyboard of a grand piano.  Four hands were tickling those ivories. I chatted briefly with the man and woman responsible for the beautiful music. They said that concerts were regularly scheduled at the church during the noon hour.  Some classical music and a few pops with a few bits on the pipe organ too. But, alas, I would not be around to hear their performances. Highway US-1 would take us north and by noon we would be sitting by the Gulf of Mexico eating conch fritters with rice and black beans at Porky's Barbecue on Marathon Key. The fritters weren't anything to write home about but the beans, rice and plantains were tops. The only city in the continental United State that is frost free was far behind now.

By late afternoon we were in the Art Deco area of Miami and eating Cuban food and reminiscing about our time south of the frost line.

Wings and Legs

All of us who take those silver wings to those far off lands we dream of share one thing in common. That is being in a small confined space in what seems like forever. With airplanes there is airspeed and ground speed.  I believe that according to my experiences there is air time and ground time.  And since speed is a function of time there should be some relationship between the two.  I am positive that air time travels much slower.

Most of us don't suffer much discomfort on short flights of four hours or less.  But when you're in that metallic object hurtling across the sky for an extended period of time, fatigue tends to increase at a compound rate.  And if the fatigue is to  well-seasoned body, so much the worse.  However, there are some things a savvy well seasoned traveler should consider.  Sleep tends to make the time pass faster.  Getting ready to sleep while flying can be quite a ritual in its self. Once on a trip from Atlanta to Tokyo  I witnessed such a ritual of the Japanese lady across the aisle from me.   The steps in preparation were as follows:

1. Select the proper music through the headphones.
2. Replace shoes with comfortable soft slippers.
3. Request and receive pillow and blanket from the attendant.
4. Strategically place pillow for maximum comfort.
5. Put on inflated collar pillow.
6. Recline seat to the maximum.
7. Put on sleeping mask and adjust without damage to coiffure.
8. Cover with blanket.
9. Fall asleep.

By the time this ritual is completed the aircraft has reached cruising altitude.  I don't follow this ritual. There's something about the little pink slippers I don't like. I actually start my preparation before I buy my ticket.  One thing for sure is that the airlines pack as many paying passengers aboard a plane as they can. Comfort while traveling is important to me but not enough to pay for first class seating.  Yes, it's tourist or economy class for me. The manufacturer of the  aircraft and model has a lot to do with seating comfort. The airline determines the seating arrangements when buying the planes so they affect seating comfort as well.  In my experience I seem to find the Airbus planes more comfortable than Boeings.

In seating it is surprising how much difference  a fraction of an inch in seat width can make in passenger comfort.  For example the seats on an Airbus economy class are one inch wider  than an economy class seat on a  comprable Boeing plane on the same airline. But seat size isn't the only variation, the location of the seat on the airplane determines legroom. The first row of seats after the partition between first class ant economy has more legroom and is not encumbered by reclining seats in front. There is no seat to stow your personal carry-on bag but that's a small price to pay for more legroom.  The seats just aft of the side emergency exits have more legroom. But the seats behind these have less than standard legroom.  Unfortunately for the smart traveler  many of the airlines have realized the benefits of these seats and now charge a premium for them. Be aware that some of the most comfortable seats are sometimes on the regional and budget airlines.

There are a number of websites that show the seating arrangements of various airplanes and some indicate the best seats. There are traveler reviews on some of the sites to help you decide what is best for you.

• SeatGuru
• SeatExpert
• American Airlines
• Delta Airlines
• SkyTrax

There are a number of other things that can make your flight more enjoyable as well. When flying be aware that if the plane is not fully loaded you may find an empty seat that is better than your assigned seat. Ask the attendant if it's okay to move. It is amazing how much more comfortable it is flying next to an empty seat.  Elbow room is a precious commodity. Avoid those seats near the galley.  It's unbelievable how noisy attendants can be in flight. One thing that seems to help me battle fatigue when traveling is to leave my seat and walk the length of the cabin about every two hours. Airlines vary a lot in the services as well.  Most domestic flights have only bare bones  amenities while foreign carriers offer more. For example, Air France meals come with wine and SwissAire provides chocolates.

To be the most comfortable on long flights you must pick the right airline. And selecting the right seat can make all the difference.

Land of Blackjack and Pancho

The desert air was cool on that morning of March 9, 1916. It was well before dawn in the sleepy border town of Columbus, New Mexico.  But not for long as the thundering hooves of horses were heard down the main street. Amidst gunshots riders were yelling "Viva Villa!"," Viva Mexico!" The residents were awakened along with the soldiers in the garrison there. The 13th Calvary of the U.S. Army had three hundred soldiers there.  The soldiers with their machine guns and rifles, along with armed citizens, repelled the Villistas.     Major Frank Tompkins led the Americans as they pursued the Mexicans back across the border.    The Villistas lost about eighty of their five hundred man force, the Americans eighteen.  While on their raid the troops of Pancho Villa looted and burned quite a few buildings in Columbus.

I had always found this battle, or raid, fascinating. It occurred over one hundred years after the last invasion of the United States of America, the previous being by the British in 1812.  I was able to learn a great bit about the battle by visiting the Museum at the Pancho Villa State Park. We enjoyed the park.  Like many parks in the southwest it had a shelter with metal roof. Desert plants were in bloom when we were there. I think the main attraction of the park is the museum. The building is  a pale yellow with a tile roof.  I could tell it was something special  by the artillery pieces outside.  To me, the early 1900's are a fascinating time in history, especially technologically. The armored car out front was a great example. It was slab-sided with a gun turret on top and was mounted on hard rubber tires. I suppose locomotion was provided by an early gasoline or diesel engine. If you ever saw the old John Wayne western, "The War Wagon", you would have a good idea what this armored vehicle looked like, sans horses of course. The armies of the world were transitioning from horse oriented armies to those of machines.  Although the Americans had chased General Francisco "Pancho" Villa back across the border, president Woodrow Wilson wasn't satisfied.  He sent his best general, John "Blackjack" Pershing to invade Mexico and apprehend Villa. There were many technological advances in warfare used in that Pancho Villa Expedition.

As I entered the Museum, the building dates from 1916, I immediately was taken aback by the Jenny biplane hanging from the ceiling. This was the first armed conflict in which aircraft were used. I should clarify that by saying airplanes, because observation balloons were used in the American Civil War. A Dodge touring car is on prominent display with bullet holes courtesy of Pancho's raiders.  There were other relics and artifacts as well.  I was quite interested in the  French Chauchat  machine gun.  It was a light weight  gun  capable of about 240 rounds per minute.  I'm not sure how successful Pershing's troops were using it, but I know that in WWI most doughboys preferred to use it as a club! It jammed frequently and would not fire.  Colt's 1911 model .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol was on display, a well designed  gun that is still manufactured today. There was  an army truck as well, a four-wheel drive model.  It should be noted that many of these innovations were less than perfect. The airplanes had difficulty flying over the mountains. The trucks would mire down and get stuck in the desert sand. The firearms would jam and refuse to fire. But, it was a great opportunity to test new technology under battle conditions. The Expeditionary Force did not capture Villa.  One grizzled veteran of that expedition told a friend of mine, "Don't know what Blackjack was lookin' for, but me and the boys was lookin' for them hot Mexican women!"

We had a good visit at the Pancho Villa State Park. It wasn't quiet at night though; the road to Palomas, Mexico, was busy all night.  (We could see the lights of the city from our campsite.)
They advertise  360 days of sunshine in this part of New Mexico.  It rained while we were there.  And, Claudette got stung by an ant. I think it was a Mexican ant that had sneaked across the border, maybe Pancho's revenge!