Once the SR-71 reached cruising speed and altitude, it was time to focus on the mission, which was to collect information about hostile and potentially hostile nations using cameras and sensors. The pilot’s job was to handle the aircraft and watch over the automatic systems to ensure they were doing their jobs properly. Meanwhile, the…
The United Colonies Free and Independent States
On July 2, 1776, with the passing of the Lee Resolution, the Continental Congress declared “the United Colonies Free and Independent States.”In a letter to his wife Abigail dated July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote from Philadelphia reflecting on what this declaration will hold for the future:“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the…
Famous Freemasons: Bro. Gordon Cooper
Brother Gordon Cooper was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts – the first manned mission to space. He also acted as the command pilot for Gemini 5. Cooper was fond of carrying Masonic items to space. He reportedly carried a Masonic coin, a Masonic flag, and a Scottish Rite banner on various missions. He…
Faith of the Heart
“On this date in 1963 Captain Joe Walker flew the North American X-15A to an altitude of 271,000 feet. Having flown higher than 50 miles, he qualified for astronaut wings.” Only The Space Shuttle ‘flew’ Faster Than This Rocket Plane Designed With A Slide Rule Queue the theme song/video to Star Trek ‘Enterprise’ …
Christmas song for Unix hackers
better !pout !crybetter watchoutlpr whysanta claus < north pole >towncat /etc/passwd >listcheck listcheck listcat list | grep naughty >nogiftlistcat list | grep nice >giftlistsanta claus < north pole >townwho | grep sleepingwho | grep awakewho | egrep ‘bad|good’for (goodness sake) { be good} (by Frank Carey, AT&T Bell Laboratories, 1985)
Concorde vs SR-71 Blackbird
I was controlling a westbound Concorde just entering my airspace when I received details of an SR-71 coming eastbound on a route that would conflict with Concorde. The SR-71 did not always fly supersonically, it was doing less than Mach1 on this day, but it was still at a very high altitude. I had been…
I’ve Been Ducked!
I’ve finally been ducked! 🤣 I was at the Home Depot picking up an order and came back to this little guy on my Jeep. Thanks Gladys! 😁
The Life of Mary McDonald
Mary McDonald was born on November 14, 1770 in Frogtown (near Norristown). When Mary was 4 years old, her mother died. She was then sent to live with the family of Rees Howell as a bound servant. Howell had a farm situated on the road between Gulph Mills and Valley Forge. In mid December, 1777,…
Gothic Hall
While The Masonic Temple in Philadelphia is gorgeous, there were several other grand Masonic edifices in the city prior to its construction. Once such building was the 1855 Masonic Hall, which was consumed by fire. Remnants of that building can still be found in today’s Temple. For instance, the seats in Gothic Hall were actually…
Sea Story Saturday: Admiral Halsey
Admiral William Halsey, who once said “I never trust a fighting man who doesn’t smoke or drink,” was not a supporter of the Navy’s ban on alcohol on ships. During WWII, he requisitioned 100 gallons of bourbon so that flight surgeons could issue shots to his pilots. h/t – US Naval Institute