Funny/Friendly Off topic discussion. Fail this test and threads will be migrated to Way Off Topic.

Moderators: sg, mods

#403273
Three Days in a (Really) Stinking Airplane
The diesel engine that commanded an endurance record for more than 50 years:
https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of- ... 180968358/

Image

For years Pete Lehmann wrote the annual report in HG magazine on the region 9 hang gliding cross country cumulative competition (which, if memory serves, he won on several occasions). Lehmann's contributions to the magazine were always action-packed, illuminating, and often hysterically funny. The Air & Space article, in comparison, is a bit stodgy in my view, but I am sure that is because its subject is not hang gliding. Nonetheless, the article describes some serious and tragic events from the days of aviation development between the two world wars.

At first I thought it might be another Pete Lehmann (pronounced Layman...) but check the 'About the author' page:
https://www.airspacemag.com/author/pete-lehmann/
Pete Lehmann is a semi-academic derelict hang-glider pilot who has logged 4,000 hours. He also tows sailplanes and flies airplanes full of dogs.
#403277
Wow, quite the story. Something they didn't mention was what a pig a Pacemaker is to fly...my forearms got tired in an hour. I can't imagine shoving that tractor around in the sky for that long!

Amazing stuff, thanks for posting.
#403281
Snicker...straight-and-level was fine. It really liked it. The beast just wasn't a big fan of anything BUT it. The old lead-with-the-rudder turning technique was a must.

But it was still pretty darn cool.