Posted 23:34 by Evan

Happy birthday, airplanes

Years ago when I first got my pilot's license, I daydreamed that on December 17, 2003, the one hundredth anniversary of Orville Wright's first flight, I would be in Kitty Hawk to commemorate.

Well, here that day is, and what with one thing and another, I'm not in North Carolina. (Probably for the best anyway, as it turns out pilots weren't allowed to fly in anyway. President Bush was out there giving a speech, so the airspace around him for a 25 nautical mile radius was closed. Which really leaves nothing more to be said, doesn't it?)

I didn't manage to get any flying in today, either, as I had also figured I might do. Actually I've only flown a few times in the past several years--enough to keep my license up to date, but no more than that. Not enough time, not enough money. Nevertheless, the fact that I'm a pilot is one of the things I'm proudest of, and the hours I've spent in the air have been some of my happiest, so I want to take this moment to say thank you, Wilbur and Orville, for showing us the way.

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