The Mixed Blessing of Wright Brothers' Milestone
by Jim Loney
According to the Reuters article, airplanes are reponsible for
1). December 7, 1941
2). September 11, 2001
3). Allowing the US to drop 2 nuclear devices on Japan
4). Bombers in general dehumanizing war and allowing bombardiers to kill lots of people
5). The rapid spread of SARS
6). The spread of AIDS by means such as the infamous 'Patient Zero', a promiscuous flight attendent in the early days of AIDS who was a key carrier.
7). Fear of flying
Quote: And for all its profoundly positive impacts, human flight unleashed unforeseen and unintended miseries.
Flyf15 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (9 years 5 months 1 week 6 hours ago) and read 1052 times:
It is indeed rediculus, if not more for just the fact that they blamed the Wright Brothers. Thats like saying, if they hadn't flown, nobody else would've come up with the idea. Humans were meant to build airplanes, and no matter who or where, it was just a matter of time.
Also, for all the incidents listed, there were ones even much worse that didn't involve flight at all.
Diseases? The Black Plague is one that sticks out.
Horrible wars? The most deadly war in US history (the Civil War) occured roughly 40 years before the Wright Bros.
Fear of flying? Hardly an extreme consequence. Just like the fear of heights in tall buildings.
September 11th? Sure, it wouldn't of happened. But if the world was exactly the same that day except for airplanes, you can bet the terrorists would've come up with some other way to attack.
If my keyboard and I were up for a good few hours of typing, I'd list off the positives we've gained from flying, but I'm sure most of you already know them anyways.
Tom in NO From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 7194 posts, RR: 40 Reply 6, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 951 times:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Loney,
Thanks to the two of you gettng together, we are subjected to your son's drivel. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Reuters consumes and A.net non-aviation forum readers
"The criminal ineptitude makes you furious"-Bruce Springsteen, after seeing firsthand the damage from Hurricane Katrina
B757300 From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 4114 posts, RR: 25 Reply 9, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 912 times:
He's not looney at all. The fact is that global pandemics didn't exist before air travel became common.
777236ER, you seem to be negative about Everything. Maybe you should try posting a positive comment once and while. It would probably make you feel so much better.
No, as for your comment... Obviously you have never studied history. Pandemics have been around a lot longer than the invention of the airplane. The misnamed Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 was spread not by air travel but mostly by sea travel. Air travel was in its infancy in 1918 and in no way could have affected the Spanish Flu.
Aloha717200 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 4397 posts, RR: 17 Reply 11, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 903 times:
A "1" rating from me.
What a stupid article. Beneath Reuters to publish such a thing.
777236ER From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 899 times:
According to the Reuters article, airplanes are reponsible for
1). December 7, 1941
2). September 11, 2001
3). Allowing the US to drop 2 nuclear devices on Japan
4). Bombers in general dehumanizing war and allowing bombardiers to kill lots of people
5). The rapid spread of SARS
6). The spread of AIDS by means such as the infamous 'Patient Zero', a promiscuous flight attendent in the early days of AIDS who was a key carrier.
7). Fear of flying
Surely airplanes ARE responsible for all those things? How can you have fear of flying without airplanes...?
Aloha717200 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 4397 posts, RR: 17 Reply 13, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 888 times:
Positive rate From Australia, joined Sep 2001, 2143 posts, RR: 1 Reply 14, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 883 times:
777236ER since you agree with the moron who wrote that maybe you should go and help him out with his next article. I bet you could lend some great information about the negative aspects of manned flight.
Maiznblu_757 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 5112 posts, RR: 52 Reply 17, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 846 times:
And 777236ER comes thru in true idiotic fashion! Way to go.
Positive rate From Australia, joined Sep 2001, 2143 posts, RR: 1 Reply 18, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 842 times:
Maybe we should also blame the Chinese for inventing gunpowder. Since gunpowder is used in guns just think of the millions and millions of lives that have been lost due to guns. Way to go China eh.
Aloha717200 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 4397 posts, RR: 17 Reply 19, posted (9 years 5 months 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 836 times:
I'm still trying to figure out 777236ER's point.
If he's trying to say that airplanes are a bad thing....then why is he even registered on an aviation site?
Galaxy5 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 2034 posts, RR: 27 Reply 20, posted (9 years 5 months 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 821 times:
The same could be said about alot of technological advances, the steam engine, internal combustion, electricity, gun powder, etc... We can find that in some way they are connected to the bad things that happen in the world. But mostly they have contributed good things for the general population. If this loney guy only see's bad in the marvels of our century, he must be a miserable individual to be with, he must really be a sad person.
"damn, I didnt know prince could Ball like that" - Charlie Murphy
777236ER From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 21, posted (9 years 5 months 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 817 times:
777236ER, what's your point.
My point is planes ARE responsible for fear of flying. Just like McDonald's is responsible for the Big Mac. It's pretty obvious.
If he's trying to say that airplanes are a bad thing....then why is he even registered on an aviation site?
Of course I'm not. But you can't say "the guy is wrong!!!!!!" when he's not.
And 777236ER comes thru in true idiotic fashion!
I've come "thru" in true idiotic fashion? How? By admitting that planes caused fear of flying?
777236ER since you agree with the moron who wrote that maybe you should go and help him out with his next article.
Why is he a moron?
I bet you could lend some great information about the negative aspects of manned flight.
Oh, so you actually admit there ARE negative aspects of manned flight? There are also negative aspects of internal combustion engines, electricity and space flight. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be used or done, but the negative aspects still exist.
Aloha717200 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 4397 posts, RR: 17 Reply 23, posted (9 years 5 months 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 798 times:
777236ER, I still don' get what you're trying to accomplish here.
Okay, you're saying that the guy is right.....okay.....why? I mean, what are you trying to accomplish? I just dont see the point of any of your comments on this thread. Not to be rude, but there doesnt seem to be much of a point to them or if there is, it's surely going right over my head.
Futterman From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 1301 posts, RR: 49 Reply 24, posted (9 years 5 months 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 791 times:
Newsday put together a more mild list of aviation's results. might not get one or two of them if you're not familiar with NYC, so ha ha.
Here are a hundred things that wouldn't have occurred without development of the airplane:
1. Airline food
2. Aero-lingo, like jet-way, baggage carousel and deplane (not to be confused with "De plane! De plane! She come!")
3. Opening day baseball in Japan
4. Bicoastal relationships
5. Weekends in Paris
6. Sonic booms
7. Seattle Supersonics
8. Flight suits and hangars
9. Radio exchanges that end with "Roger, out."
10. Flight attendants
11. "Fly me!" commercials
12. In-flight movies
13. Cross-country organ transplants
14. Teeny-tiny airline pillows
15. The New York Jets
16. Airline hijackings
17. Astronauts
18. Lunar landings
19. "The Right Stuff"
20. The space race
21. "Moon shots" and "Earth shots" (pictures of Earth from space)
22. Air marshals
23. Control towers
24. Air traffic controllers, striking and otherwise
25. Holding patterns
26. Pearl Harbor
27. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001
28. Flight delays
29. Jet lag
30. London blitz
31. Hiroshima and Nagaski
32. The former Grumman and Fairchild Republic companies
33. The jet set
34. Wind socks
35. Sock and shoe inspections
36. Wind tunnels
37. Cargo jets
38. Day trips to California and back
39. Crossing "The Pond" by Concorde, alas, no more
40. Political campaign swings through 10 states in one day
41. Aircraft carriers and flight decks
42. Aerial spraying
43. The mystery of Amelia Earhart
44. Air Force One
45. Marine One
46. The 101st Airborne Division
47. Air sickness
48. Blue ice falling on houses
49. Sleepless nights in Howard Beach
50. Waving to airline passengers from cars stuck on the Belt Parkway
51. Blood clots on flights to Australia
52. The unsolved mystery of DB Cooper
53. Paper airplanes
54. The "Spruce Goose" of Howard Hughes
55. Lucky Lindy
56. Roosevelt Field
57. Spring break in Cancun
58. Model airplane clubs
59. Club Med
60. Carry-on luggage
61. Wheeled luggage
62. Lost luggage
63. Duty-free shopping concourses
64. Really long Customs interviews
65. Jefferson Airplane (not to be confused with Led Zeppelin)
66. Parachutes
67. Skywriting
68. Microsoft Flight Simulator
69. Bush pilots
70. "Passenger facility charges" and security fees
71. Seaplane congestion in the East River
72. Air turbulence
73. Frequent flyer miles
74. Expired frequent flyer miles
75. Overnight transcontinental mail
76. Boarding passes
77. The Mile-High Club
78. "Slaughterhouse Five"
79. The Berlin Airlift
80. The former Pan Am Building
81. Van Wyck Expressway
82. The truncated careers of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Richie Valens, John Denver, Will Rogers, Dean Martin Jr., Ricky Nelson,
Paul Wellstone, JFK Jr. and many others.
83. "Airport," "Airplane," and "Top Gun"
84. Imported cheese
85. Stewardess Barbie
86. "Benny and the Jets"
87. "Leaving on a Jet Plane"
88. Little bottles of liquor
89. Online travel sites
90. In-flight magazines
91. Bruises from overhead compartments
92. Tarmac kissing
93. Airport conference centers
94. Express rental car check-in
95. "Fear of Flying"
96. Cradle of Aviation Museum
97. Flyboys
98. Skycaps
99. Jumpsuits
100. Leather bomber jackets
What the FUTT?
25 MD-90: That's pretty cool that they put the former Pan Am building in that list.
26 Zak: they forgot chemtrails and tailstrike danger in that list!
27 777236ER: Okay, you're saying that the guy is right.....okay.....why? I mean, what are you trying to accomplish? I just dont see the point of any of your commen
28 MD-90: Planes caused fear of flying? Personally, I disagree. I think people who are afraid of flying 1). Have some kind of fear of heights. Personally, I am
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