h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The memory exercises are wonderful. I have been absolutly overwhelmed with the memories I have rewcalled of the early thirties.

Meeting Mermoz at an air rally at Le Touquet in 1932 I think it was; my Papa who itroduced me to him at the rally in the north of France. Papa was a keen amateur pilot and had his own French aircraft in South Africa ,a Potez ,which the French Government had apparently given to him as there were so many English small aircraft flying into South Africa at that period, so it was obviously going to be a good market for light aircraft.

I obviously had not the faintest idea who he was nor why he was so important in the aviation world. Of course I have read a about him since - I bekueve that he was the first aviator to fly from North Africa acdross the Atlantic to the States. I was fascinated by flying when I was young.

I remember greeting him but I was far more interest6edin the extraordinary new aircraft called an "autogyro" whicvh was being flown for the first time by it's inventor Sikorski.

This was it's first flight and I was totally amazed that this aircraft went straight upn into the air and did not have to trundle along the grassy aerodrome. I was also amazed that there was no propellor in front but a very large one over the "aircraft".

Another wonderful memory is being chosen in 1936 I think it was, to present a bouquet of flowers to Lady Baden-Powell,. She and he husband who founded the Boy Scouts - Lady Baden Powell founded the Girl Guids and the Brownies of which I was a member. They were visiting South africa. I wonder why I was choisen.? |Obviously because of my Papa I should think. I was indeed very fortunate.

Christiane
AlsoRan80 Monday 14th November 2010 4.26

I cannot get into my Wikipedia for some reason so hope that the datews are accurate. I shall corret them if they are not. !! We used to go to France every two years and I think that 1932 was either my second visit. or possibly my first....

Lovely memories, Christiane!

I'm listening to Gounod's "Faust" as I read, and somehow the light, buoyant music fits what you wrote. Your Papa sounds like an interesting person. Didn't the autogyro develop into the helicopter? What a fascinating invention it must have seemed.

Hi paulh,

Yes it did. But Sikorski was the pilot who invented it and who flew it on it's first flight at Le Touquet when my Papa introduced me to Mermoz. I was fascinated by this curious aircraft thst flew straight up and had this enornous propellor above it instead of in front of it. !!This was it's "maiden" flight - this marvellous invention the autogyro now known as the helicopter. Where would we be without them now? They really are the workhorses or Shire horses of the air.

I am back just occasionally,

Go well dear kind tolerant friend,

I think you understand the difficulties I am having with an erratic very high BP and the prooblems I am having controlling it.

Thank goodness K. is better than he has been for years and we had a really happy weekend when he came and visited me.

So our book still might get written and hopefully published.

CME
Thursday the 25th November 2010 6.55 HMY

There's a slight difference between an autogiro and a helicopter. In an autogiro, the big propeller above the plane is not powered. It's driven around by the motion of the plane. So autogiros normally need a small forward motion.

This makes me wonder if what you saw was actually a helicopter, although you were told it was an autogiro. Or perhaps the use of the word changed since 1932.

It could have been an autogyro. If this was in 1932, there were no functional helicopters yet. Autogyros require forward motion to fly. They do use a traditional propeller but they are not always at the front like a traditional airplane. Often they are located behind the cockpit but in front of the tail assembly. The first fully operational helicopter was built in 1936 in Germany. Igor Sikorsky though was instrumental in the design of both traditional airplanes and other styles and built the first American helicopter in 1939.

Hmm... I'm reading the wikipedia article on Sikorsky and I see that around 1930 he was working a "direct lift" amphibian aircraft that utilized compressed air to power a vertical lift propeller (with two smaller propellers for thrust). Possibly this may have been a prototype craft that Sikorsky designed.

Hi Count Zero,

Thank you for the explication of the autogiro. I doubt if my Papa would hasve given me the wrong information about the aircraft. !!He was after all quite a pioneer in his day. He had held a pilot's licence for at least the ten previous years which was quie an orginal thing to do in those days. I also went to Wikipedia ro read it up, I wonder if anyone has written a life of Sikorski. Both he and Mermoz were such pioneers. There is a one of Mermooz written iin French. I have forgotten why he settled in Dakar. In fact I think the reason is that he and another Frenchman who is a Fanious authior started the first aircraft sevice from Toulouse to Buenos Aires. Oh dear, I have forgotten name of his partner aad he is so well known. He wrote a book called "The little Prince" which was a great favourite of mine. Well my memory has certainly been jogged this time. I wonder if anyoe will remember his name or has read the Little Prince.

I have a problem though because my short term memory has gone walkeies for the moment. I wonder what did yesterday !!!!!

I believe that Papa had his first "crash" and landed in the trees instead of the runway that my mother put her foot down, and informed him that as he was now a father - I having been born in 1928, he was to stop his dare-evil living and become a respectable Papa. !!

Thank you for explaining the mechanics about flying and forward movenent, I did at one time of my life consider getting a pilot's licence. I made the mistake of going up for my flight with a boy friend who was intent on doing loop-the-loops over Johannesbury It made ne give up the idea imediatelyl.!!I was shouting into my microphone sitting in a separate seat behind him - it was a tw0 seater aircraft and I had t wear goggles helmet etc. etc. !!

"Don't you dare" etc, etc,

Thankifully he did not, so we did continue our courtship for some time. !!I do not thihik that I am a very brave person, but I certainly adnire people who are brave and have courage. !!

With best wishes,

Christiane.
AR80

Friday 26th November 2010 7.36 GMT

The Little Prince was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Thank you for reminding me of the the name of Antoine de Saint Euxpery.

Did you know that he was also as pilot with Jean Mermoz and that the two of them started the first airmail postal service across the Atlantic to South Anerica? They were very courageous and I am sure very polite men in those days. Certainly they were to shake hands wwith a little girl who was intrigued by the strange aircraft......

I knew he was a pilot, because he mentioned it in The Little Prince. That book is a cult classic!

"The Little Prince" is still quite relevant. So many of us are little princes on our plamets that can hold only one person each. Getting people together in agreement is so hard!

Thank goodness some people do agree. That is what makes life worth living.

Go well.
CME
AR80

Saturday 27th Novembet 2010 15.16

RE my post no. 8

I am sure that I mentioned that the flight that Jean Mermoz and Alexis de Tocqueville initiated was from Toulouse via Dakar and that is where they crossed the Atlantic to South Amerrca and down to Either Beunos Aires or Rio de Janeiro I cannot remember which.

I wonder why it was taken out, because that was the first aerial postal service carrying post across the Atlantic from Toulouse in France to South America.Perhpas if I repeat it enough they might believe it. !!!!

I know that Toulouse has always been an iimportant centre for aircraft design and production. I know that
Concorde was designed and built there,I believe in conjunction with the British designers and many engineers,

Why was my original posting edited, I would really appreciate it if the editors can explain to me why these facts were taken out.

I would put my head on a block about this first flight across the Atlantic because that is totally absolutely true.

I would also like to state that the first person to fly around the world was a woman named Amelia Earhart. I believe that the flight started from the white cliffs very near where I live.

Mermoz and Antoine de Saint Euxpery were the first pilots to cross the Atlantic. and they flew from Dakar because that was the shortest route to South America. I am sure that it was because the aircdraft only had limited fuel capacity. it was the first airline postal service and deserves to be recognised. And of course they had to be refulled at Dakar and where they landed on the South American coast. I
That fuel had to be transported across to the desert to Dakar and goodness knows how it got to South America. I expecdt perhaps by ship.

Christiane
AlsoRan80

Saturday 26th November 2010 6.50 GMY

This is fascinating, Christiane.

Posts aren't edited. They may be removed or moderated but not changed. Editing is only done on entries that have been submitted through peer review.

You must have omitted that part when you posted it. I often will find that after I've posted something I will have missed a word or phrase that I was sure I typed. Often it's because I back spaced over it while I was editing my own text and did it poorly, or that I thought about including a point, but didn't actually state it. I also have a spotty memory.

The preview button is a great help when I remember to use it.

AS always mille fous mercie... I really am finding that I do not have the time to spend on this site.

My eyesight is so bad that I spend ages correcting all the typing errors. I would like to keep in touch........ I have posted my addy and will ask Hypatia if I can perhaps do it again. . Keith is co0ming again today so we shall have a lovely weekend. I hop0e it is warm enhough to go and have oysters at the harbour. !! probably not. It would be better to bring them home and eat them in the warmth of our flat. i

I just love it when there is an "R" in the month and one can eat oysters, Is it the same law in the States?


With very kind regards

Christiane
AR80

Saturday 27th November 2010 5.31 GMT

C

That's the common lore, yes. However, I've been known to eat oysters in the middle of summer on occasion. We have locally farmed oysters here (Texas gulf coast) and one of the main suppliers innovated methods to reduce or eliminate the microorganisms like vibrio vulnificus.

Dear Count Zero, As always thank you for your kind wise words. No wonder you have that marvellous job in that fascinating place. You are a wonderful diplomat with fractious old biddies who won't keep quiet. !!!!

That is probably exactly what I did so apologies to the editors and if they like oysters I shall offer each pne of them one as a peace token. !!!

I am going to go and buy the oystwrs this morning at the harbour and have them for lunch. I have two oyster shuckers and although Keith does not like opening oysters I shall eat every one that I open. I have two oyster shckers - one for each of us. !!

Fearsome mum. I just love oysters and have not had any since I am sure the month of April. I forgot about them in the later part of the year when there was an "R" in the month, !!

Do you like them.? If you do I shallo have a few extra and eat them on your behalf.! I only use fresh lemon juice on them. I do not even eat bread in between. I would have made a wonderful beachbomber.......Stripped every rock in sight of it's oysters.....but never during the breeding season. !! Then i would have eaten mussels. !!

Go well,

Christiane.
AR80

Saturday 27th November 2o00 5.50 GMT

There's a local restaurant named Gilhooley's that does the best oysters. Their specialty is their oysters Gilhooley. They're pecan wood roasted on the half shell with some garlic butter and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. They also do a version where they put a shrimp with the oyster. They're excellent.

(ncidentally what is a preview button and where is it ?? it sounds like a much better idea than trying to correct one's mistakes. Perhaps it is oonly found in my part of the computer which is where I write private mail? I know I can correct my draft there.

I wonder..

Christiane.
Be careful of eating oystersout out of season...you may find that you are a very good growing medium for them and find yourself clanking around.....now that would be bliss to have a ready supply of opened oysters always available......


CME
Saturday 27th October 2010 6.10 GMT

You really are an afficianado!!!!I have them so seldom that I only eat them au naturel. However, I must say that your Gilooleys sound deelicious.