Aviation In Film History: The Aviator (2004)

This week's aviation-themed film is The Aviator, a biopic based on the life of Howard Hughes. Released in 2004, this film was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Leonardo DiCaprio. It won five Oscars out of eleven nominations, including Best Supporting Actress to Cate Blanchett for her superb portrayal of Katherine Hepburn. The Aviator is a fast paced, compelling piece of entertainment. There is crisp editing, an interesting replication of historic color processes, full and scaled models for many of the flying sequences, and a notable score by Howard Shore.

Readers who are familiar with the Hughes story know that it is far from a happy one for a boy born to wealth and privilege. It is the story of the full spectrum of ambition, achievement, and personality. DiCaprio's performance of Hughes's decline into severe mental illness should earn him high respect as one of the better actors of our time.

As for the film's subject, Howard Hughes, it can be said he was one of the most eccentric, diverse, inventive visionaries of the last century. If you enjoy films, you can bet they'll be some of him somewhere in the equipment or the production. If you fly frequently or have anything to do with the aviation industry, his imprint will be everywhere.

Here is the trailer:

Sandhill Cranes

Four waves of Sandhill cranes, numbering around 700 in total, passed overhead during three hours of observation this afternoon. They were pushing northwest against a strong southwesterly flow brought on by a warm front earlier in the day that raised Atlanta highs to about 70 degrees. Sandhills are enjoyable to watch with their shapely "v" and wide arc formations as well as their "kettling" in uplifts prior to departure. In our woodland setting we always hear their distant croaking that leaves us hoping they will fly over our clearing. And most of the time they do because they fly high, sometimes into the thousands of feet. At those altitudes it's hard to imagine that you are looking at a bird that may stand five feet tall and soar on a seven foot wing span. Though there is a resident population of Sandhills in Georgia, several hundred-thousand will migrate from their wintering ground in Florida to summer in the Midwest and Canada. Coming or going, they always bring a smile and leave us looking up for more.

Bluebirds All Day Long

Yesterday there was one, perhaps two. Today there are dozens of bluebirds in our woods. If we're lucky some of them will stay as they have done intermittently during the twenty years here on our hill. Their activity, along with the brilliant breeding plumage of our purple and gold finches, is a sure sign of a new season coming on strong.

It's A Monday Holiday And Washington's Unbirthday

It's the third Monday in February and time for the holiday we know as Washington's Birthday. Research tell us that George Washington was actually born on February 22, 1732  or February 11, 1731 according to the Old Style calendar. At one time we actually had a Washington's Birthday holiday on February 22, but that changed in 1971 when the "Monday holiday rule" took effect. The rule was a postlude to a torturous twenty year saga of federal bickering, ineptitude, and state's rights issues over the national failure to honor our presidents, in particularly Abraham Lincoln, with their very own holiday. The fallout left us with what is in reality a Washington's Unbirthday holiday.

Never keen to let a good shopping opportunity pass them by, American capitalists liked the idea of a President's Day. They saw the advantage of the patriotic fervor generated by matching silhouettes of Lincoln - log cabins - and Washington - axes and cherries - positioned over merchandise and big red signs reading "SALE." The concept caught on. Today, about all Americans have left with the third Monday in February is the opportunity to buy stuff, mostly stuff they don't need. On the federal level, this leaves us with nothing for Old Abe and the other presidents and an incorrect title for George's big day.

OTR figures one could sooth this insult by shopping the day away. In reality, he seriously doubts shoppers can beat the price, free shipping and no sales tax - usually - that one can enjoy from Amazon.com on a 24/7 basis.  He bets there's a similar site for those big, big ticket items like cars.

So what is one to do? Perhaps it's best to forget the issues of a misnomer and the neglected presidents and return to Lincoln and Washington as our February presidents. And they have more in common as presidents who share the quality of American exceptionalism, a term we've been hearing more often these days as the republic drifts ever closer to its golden years. With that in mind, OTR suggests his readers find a comfortable setting and reflect on these men and their place in the American experience. If readers need a bit of encouragement here are two statements, one so very brief, the other a bit longer, both reflecting the greatness of their authors and the hope they shared for our unique national experience:

Washington's Farewell Address, written in 1796 on his coming departure from the presidency;

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered on November 19, 1863.

What more need be said?

'Godspeed, John Glenn'

Glenn in orbit, February 20, 1962

Fifty years ago tomorrow (February 20), John Glenn rocketed into history to become the first American to orbit Earth. There was a memorable gathering Saturday at Florida's Kennedy Space Center to honor the unforgettable event and the people who made it so. Glenn, fellow Mercury astronaut, Scott Carpenter, and scores of support staff who made it happen toured  Launch Complex 14 recalling the momentous day. In 1962, Glenn made three orbits then returned to a splashdown about 500 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. Over the years 330 Americans have joined him in space travel.

The NASA website has a fine multimedia presentation on Mercury-Atlas 6, the mission that put Glenn and his spacecraft, Friendship 7, into orbit. Wikipedia has a page on the mission and some excellent recommendations for further reading online. To commemorate tomorrow's event, The Ohio State University has prepared an excellent illustrated biography and description of the flight. OTR also recommends The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe's outstanding 1979 book on the formative days of the American space program and the seven astronauts - including Glenn - selected for the Mercury program. 

When we look back at the American space program, this achievement was one of the nation's proudest moments. It stands in harsh contrast to the present when or leadership seems to show little interest in space exploration let alone definitive commitments to future astronauts, a return to the moon or a mission to Mars. All hope is not lost however, as our inventive reach into space by the private sector is a near-term reality.

College Lacrosse 2012

Maryland Lacrosse Team: The Glory Days

 
The college lacrosse season kicked off a few weeks ago. For OTR it began yesterday with the opening game for the University of Maryland Terrapins. Though it won't be a championship season for the Terps, they got off to a good start beating Hartford 12-6 in front of a home crowd.

From all indications, lacrosse continues to be the fastest growing sport in the United States, even outpacing soccer, in OTR's opinion, a much slower, more restrictive, and far less entertaining sport. Just thirty years ago, the game was a virtually exclusive sport still heavily anchored in the Ivy League and in the prep schools that supplied them with players. Today, there are more than sixty Division I teams found on the East and West Coasts and at the flagship universities in the flyover country. Each year that number grows by one or two teams. Expansion in other college divisions and at the middle and high school levels is much greater. There is a great future in store for lacrosse.

The increasing popularity of the sport had led to expanded media coverage. In 2012, the ESPN networks will broadcast 49 college games. The new NBC Sports Network broadcast the Moe's Southwest Grill College Lacrosse Classic from Jacksonville today, but the extent of their future coverage of college lacrosse is uncertain. Nevertheless, between local and ESPN coverage this year, lacrosse fans are in for plenty of excitement.

Need more information?

For full coverage of high school, college and professional lacrosse, visit http://www.laxpower.com. This site has a 2012 schedule of televised games;

For the whos, hows, whats and whys of the game, visit USLacrosse.com, the home of the national governing body of lacrosse.

Aviation In Film History: Things To Come

Things to Come is a journey into the near future as envisioned by the British science fiction genius, H.G. Wells. Released in 1936, the film was directed by the art direction and production design pioneer, William Cameron Menzies, with Wells as the screen writer. In addition, there is a fine score by the British composer, Sir Arthur Bliss. In the century described in the film, we see war, a future Dark Age, world government, glowing cities, and questions about the meaning of progress. Through it all, Menzies and his staff design a world immersed in the aerodynamic elements of Streamline Moderne. The film is nothing short of a visual feast. At the same time, it is a significant historical statement on the perception of the world living the legacy of the horror of World War I and the uncertainly of the Treaty of Versailles. In addition, film buffs will enjoy placing Things to Come in the great timeline of
science fiction films.

In  summary, there is a lot of content packed into this film. It may well take two or three viewings to fully appreciate the story, its message and the genius of the production. Readers need to be aware that the film is available in several versions. Unfortunately, none of them approaches a "director's cut," and OTR can't offer much guidance other than avoiding any  colorized version. In almost all cases, there's no value added to watching a tinted version of a black and white film masterpiece.

So there you have it, friends, a film full of history, architecture, urban planning, aviation, technology, conflict, emotion, uncertainty, and hope. If you want about two hours of thought-provoking entertainment, readers can certainly find it in Things to Come.

There is no suitable trailer available on YouTube but this excerpt is a good example of what's in store for viewers: