was in my email....it's great to have friends who think of you ....
(c:
Kevin P
PP-ASEL
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High
Flight
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the
skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the
tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds -- and done a hundred things
You have
not dreamed of -- wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence.
Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager
craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious burning
blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark,
or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The
high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face
of God.
-- RCAF Flight-Lieutenant John Gillespie Magee
Jr.
(1922-1941).
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Chopper
Flight
Oh, I've slipped the surly bonds of earth
And hovered out of
ground effect on semi-rigid blades;
Earthward I've auto'ed and met the rising
brush of
Non-paved terrain;
And done a thousand things you would never
care to
Skidded and dropped and flared low in the heat soaked
roar.
Confined there, I've chased the earthbound traffic
And lost the race
to insignificant Headwinds;
Forward and up a little in ground effect I've
topped the General's hedge with drooping turns
Where never Skyhawk or even
Phantom flew.
Shaking and pulling collective,
I've lumbered the low
untresspassed halls of victor airways,
Put out my hand and touched a
tree.
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Glider
Flight
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of rope
A few feet from "The
Road".
I whip the Schweitzer 'round so fast
Exceeds the max'mum
load.
I've slipped, I've stalled, I've spiral dived,
Spun past the sixth
full turn.
"You can't do that!" the new ones say,
They've got a lot to
learn.
I find a thermal, turn in it
To try and gain some height.
But I
must beat the towplane down
Or this is my last flight!
On 2-3 fly a
crooked base
Then crank the plane around.
Or 2-9: pass the hangers then I
dive straight for the ground!
But the best is 3-6 final when I know I should
be higher,
Put out my hand and touch The passing telephone
wire!
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Intruder
Flight
Oh! I've slipped through the swirling clouds of dust,
a few
feet from the dirt,
I've flown the 'truder low enough,
to make my bottom
hurt.
I've rode the deserts, hills,
valleys and mountains
too,
Frolicked in the trees,
where only flying squirrels flew.
Chased
the frightened cows along,
disturbed the ram and ewe,
And done a hundred
other things,
that you'd not care to do.
I've smacked the tiny
sparrow,
bluebird, robin, all the rest,
I've ingested baby
eaglets,
simply sucked them from their nest!
I've streaked through total
darkness,
just the other guy and me,
And spent the night in terror
of
things I could not see.
I've turned my eyes to heaven,
as I sweated
through the flight,
Put out my hand and touched,
the master caution
light.
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High
Flight (FAA Supplement)
1. Pilots must insure that all surly bonds have
been slipped entirely before flight is attempted.
2. During periods of severe
sky dancing, crew and passengers must keep seatbelts fastened. Crew should wear
shoulderbelts as provided.
3. Sunward climbs must not exceed the maximum
permitted aircraft ceiling.
4. Passenger aircraft are prohibited from joining
the tumbling mirth.
5. Pilots flying through sun-split clouds under VFR
conditions must comply with all applicable minimum clearances.
6. Do not
perform these hundred things in front of Federal Aviation Administration
inspectors.
7. Wheeling, soaring, and swinging will not be attempted except
in aircraft rated for such activities and within utility class weight
limits.
8. Be advised that sunlit silence will occur only when a major engine
malfunction has occurred.
9. "Hov'ring there" will constitute a highly
reliable signal that a flight emergency is imminent.
10. Forecasts of
shouting winds are available from the local FSS. Encounters with unexpected
shouting winds should be reported by pilots.
11. Pilots flinging eager craft
through footless halls of air are reminded that they alone are responsible for
maintaining separation from other eager craft.
12. Should any crewmember or
passenger experience delirium while in the burning blue, submit an irregularity
report upon flight termination.
13. Windswept heights will be topped by a
minimum of 1,000 feet to maintain VFR minimum separations.
14. Aircraft
engine ingestion of, or impact with, larks or eagles should be reported to the
FAA and the appropriate aircraft maintenance facility.
15. Aircraft operating
in the high untresspassed sanctity of space must remain in IFR flight regardless
of meteorological conditions and visibility.
16. Pilots and passengers are
reminded that opening doors or windows in order to touch the face of God may
result in loss of cabin pressure.