Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Past....In Days Of Old, When Knights Were Bold......

From time to time we all reflect on where we are, where we're going, and if we have any common sense, where we've been.

It's the latter that I want to focus on right now. For where we've been, to a large percentage, defines who we are and is the beginning of where we are now, and so on.

If you have a past that you are not proud of, or at the very least not content with; one typically sees individuals work very had to change who they were to who they want to be.

My past has definitely defined who I am today, and where I am today. I have been somewhat introspective lately and find comfort in my past. I am proud of my past and it has served me well. For one thing, I have some great stories to tell in the good times; and something to blame in the bad times. I am human after all and having a 'fall guy' of sorts helps. My past is both - good and bad.

Someone made the comment to me recently, that I may be going through a mid-life crises. I would disagree.... I have not gone out to buy a Hummer, or taken up with dyeing my hair (I keep shaving my head and armpit hair does not dye well), or any of the human foibles that men seem to do when they reach that mid-life period. I also don't 'feel' like I've reached any min-life point (I believe that for my generation, mid-life is closer to the 80's).

So its not that - its more a matter of confirmation of what has shaped me; its a place I get some inspiration for my writing; its a period where, what I have learned, helps to keep my family safe; and its a time that has empowered me to push for what I believe in - Humanity, and a greater sense of Self.

These two pictures represent the first five years of my days in the military and they were good times (I'm not in the second picture but I am in the first - guess which one).

I'm hoping to get together with the old-timers sometime this summer and reminisce some more. To raise a glass to those that have past on and to celebrate the next generation (my son for one) that will take to the 'splitting the trails' and 'putting one up the tube' to defend the flag.

Time is just begining my friends.....





UBIQUE - QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT

(EVERYWHERE - WHERE RIGHT AND GLORY LEAD)
















Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Martin Jetpack

Every now and then some brilliant human on the planet Earth comes along and builds 'the future'. I speak of course to Glen Martin, developer of the Martin Jetpack (see picture - Figure 1). This human, took a dream and a thought and came up with, first a working prototype and now a full production model, Man Portable Flying Machine. WOW!


Figure 1
















This 'jetpack' really works and my hat off to the brilliance of Glen Martin and his family (who was involved from the beginning) and the design, testing, flight and support team he's put together.


From all media accounts, the American military and various government agencies in the U.S. along with a number of other well healed and foreign governments are interested in buying the $75,000 USD jet pack. Not a bad price when you consider what you're getting. If enough of you buy my books, I may just have enough change after to pick one up.


From New Zealand, Glen Martin is poised to take the human race to new heights with a jet pack that can attain an altitude of 50 meters and fly for 30 minutes on a full tank. This may not sound like much, but think of the possibilities for the military, commercial and recreational sectors for such a man portable machine. Again, WOW!


The Martin Jetpack is the world’s first 'practical' jetpack. Its been created using what they call a 'purpose-built' gasoline engine driving twin ducted fans. The power of the light weight motor and fans will lift a pilot in vertical takeoff and landing as well as providing sustained flight for 30 minutes.


The website (http://martinjetpack.com/) describes the jetpack as, ".....creating a new segment in the aviation and recreational vehicle markets. Initially designed with the leisure market in mind, commercial demand for the Martin Jetpack has seen the research and development programme focus on readying the product for use in a number of sectors including emergency response, defence and recreation, with numerous applications in each sector."


There are two versions, an unmanned remote-controlled (UAV) version (field trials were to begin in the second quarter of this year), and the manned version. The latest media reports say that final production models are expected to begin rolling out by the end of 2011 (first to the US military for testing) and I look forward to seeing that.


For now, I'll leave you with a video of the latest tests..... Congratulations again to Glen Martin and the Martin Aircraft Company, developers of the Martin Jetpack.