March 24, 2020 Soviet Space Race

The Liberty Gazette

March 24, 2020

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

By the early 1970s, the space race against the Soviets was winding down in favor of a more cooperative approach. Now over half a century later, we can see the changing trends in their science magazines, where they wrote about their fantasies of life in outer space. Turns out, as polarized as we were, we weren’t alone in our dream worlds, at least not then. While the U.S. still dreams, Russia seems to have lost their excitement. Writer Winnie Lee explored the topic in the March 13, 2020 issue of Atlas Obscura and came up with some interesting observations.

Engineer and scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky published papers about intelligent life beyond Earth. Extraterrestrial beings, entire civilizations of them, he believed, had the power to influence the organization of matter and the course of natural processes. His fellow Russians celebrated his aspirations, cheering him on to find the road to cosmic intelligence and connect man with space.

Technology for the Youth (Tekhnikamolodezhi in Russian) was a magazine the Soviets launched in 1933. Russian cosmonauts supposedly wrote in an “open letter” in a 1962 issue declaring that, “each of us going to the launch believes deeply that his labor (precisely labor!) makes the Soviet science and the Soviet man even more powerful and brings closer that wonderful future—the communist future to which all humanity will arrive.” This was their “cultural revolution” and they didn’t see any reason to limit it to life on earth. They craved the idea of living in space and meeting alien life forms.

Illustrations such as UFOs and other futuristic machines graced the covers with Soviet purpose: to advance communism. Illustrators let their imaginations travel to extremes, designing thought which the government directed. The fields of defense and space exploration were probably the only places relatively safe for nonconformists, such as artists. In every other aspect of communist life, uniformity was demanded, the individual and creativity to be squelched. But the galaxy of the unknown offered artists precious freedom and security found nowhere else. The freedom to explore alternate worlds and parallel realities gave them a break, even if momentarily, from their harsh lives.

Designers found ways to keep the KGB off their backs by advancing the acceptable cause of communism, touching many aspects of life such as cosmic-style architecture. Houses and public spaces were built to look like flying saucers and satellites. Beginning in kindergarten, children’s classrooms were decorated with galaxies. Their playgrounds were filled with rockets and spaceships. And everywhere, one could find posters touting, “Communists pave the way to the stars,” and “Science and Communism are inseparable.”

But the average Alexander wasn’t so much sold on becoming a cosmonaut. What this push for space did for the Russian general public was to open the doors to the world of fantasy. Books and movies about meeting alien civilizations became the craze. State-run movie houses enjoyed sell-out crowds when they showed futuristic and science fiction films.

By the time Americans put a man on the moon, when both Americans and Soviets had conducted space flights, the fantasizing fizzled, and Russian magazine covers changed. Replacing the dazzling and colorful and sometimes whimsical art were black and white photos. Articles changed from science fiction storytelling to matter-of-fact reporting. Once-swelled anticipation flat-lined. Soviet space exploration became ordinary news. The chase was more exciting than the capture.

Today, their interest in space seems less romanticized, focusing on the problems of overpopulation, waste recycling, alternative energy and ecology. On the Roskosmos website (the Russian state space corporation) is an invitation for youth to join the cosmonaut program. No artists are beckoned, and there’s no hype or social media. Just a quiet statement.

There are plenty of brilliant people who happen to be Russian. But we feel fortunate to have been born in the United States of America, the home of commercial space enterprises such as Boeing, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic, where individuals are encouraged, and space exploration is anything but boring.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

March 17, 2020 Lloyd Haynes' STEM Project

The Liberty Gazette

March 17, 2020

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: According to the U.S. Dept. of Education, only 16% of high school students are interested in a career in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM), and have proven a proficiency in mathematics. 57% of high school freshmen who declare an interest in a STEM-related field lose interest before they graduate high school. By 2018, the need for workers in STEM-related jobs reached 8.65 million. Those are the sad stats, but let’s take a look at the good that’s happened behind the scenes.

Tracing back to 1957, the “Sputnik Era,” it was the launch of the Russian satellite into space that put the U.S. on the competitive path to technology and innovation. American spirit and ingenuity kicked in when Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy challenged us to step up and become leaders in these areas.

NASA and the space program were born in 1958, and later the first American stepped on the moon.

The 1970s and ‘80s saw incredible growth in STEM projects, encouraging further investment in education. Remember the dawn of the cell phone, the artificial heart, and the first personal computer? By the 1990s, that push for education was paying off, with curriculum standards and guidelines for K-12.

In the early 2000s, we knew the need was dire for U.S. students to increase their proficiency in STEM disciplines. So the federal government upped investment in STEM to add 100,000 new STEM teachers over a twelve-year period.

Linda: But before the cell phone and the PC, on October 27, 1972, a man who counted his blessings determined to pass this kind of knowledge on through aviation. That night, in “Lift, Thrust and Drag,” Episode 7 of Season 4 of “Room 222” (a TV series), the main actor, played by Samuel Lloyd Haynes, reversed a student’s attitude toward school by instilling an interest in aviation. Haynes played high school history teacher, Pete Dixon, in the Emmy-award winning series.

In the show, as in real life, Haynes was a commercial-rated multi-engine pilot. He was also black, which broke the stereotypes of the day. Haynes had served in the U.S. Marines from 1952 to 1964 and during the Korean War. Then he became the public affairs officer for the Naval Reserve with the rank of Commander.

Haynes was a natural pick to play the teacher in “Room 222”. He was into STEM before STEM was a thing and developed a program to encourage and train minorities in aviation.

“How could I turn my love for flying into an educational project that would encourage minority kids or potential dropouts in the many opportunities available in aviation?” Haynes asked. He knew it would have to be something “fun, yet realistic; motivating an inner fire causing their thinking to soar.” He answered his question by creating Education Through Aviation (ETA), which received Congressional honor. Through the program, he incorporated aeronautics to make a stimulating learning atmosphere for children, sharing his passion for flight.

The world could use more homeroom teachers like that.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

March 10, 2020 Plans Go Viral

The Liberty Gazette

March 10, 2020

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Changing plans has gone viral! And not in the cute-puppy-video sense – in the worst sense! COVID-19 has wreaked havoc beyond the Great Wall of China!

Late last year, we had mixed feelings about the late-notice contract trip offered to Mike over the holidays. These side jobs bring the joys of extra vacation money – or more avgas for the Elyminator – but they often occur at the most inopportune times. Therefore, our first-world problem at the end of December was no splurging on a jaunt to anywhere, since Mike was commanding a jet across the U.S. for some businessmen.

To comfort my lonely gypsy soul, I busied myself with plans for the spring. Aha! Rome! And Sicily! I even called our State Farm agent for tips on visiting his ancestral land. Victor and Donna were there just a few years ago, which is considerably more recent than my sister’s high school trip to Italy in the late 1970s. At that time, the mafia had so much control that visiting Sicily was too dangerous. How I looked forward to planning this trip to a place only recently safely accessible to those outside the mobster network!

We compared our work calendars, our social commitments, our writing schedule, and the plans we were making for trips in the Elyminator, and nailed down the best dates – while school is still in session – from April 22 to May 4. We bought our airline tickets to Rome, searched Airbnb for places to stay and off-the-beaten-path “experiences” and made several reservations.

As word leaked out of China about the virus, we weren’t worried. But when Italy became the third country to have a so-called “lock-down,” with reportedly over 50,000 people quarantined, we had to think hard about the risk of going. This could all be fine by the end of April. But then again, who knows?

Mike: Some travelers have been forced to cancel plans long in the making. One couple we heard about had saved for years and booked an around-the-world cruise which has now been cancelled. If this virus goes dormant in the summer and re-emerges in autumn, at their age, they may not have another chance.

Airlines are suffering, too. One of the largest airlines has parked several long-range airplanes until this crisis is over. This is already a boom-or-bust industry, and COVID-19 is having a dramatic effect on it. Also, travel and tourism here and abroad are taking a hard hit. That equates to a lot of people who will be financially affected by this situation.

While we may not be able to recoup all we spent for reservations, we were not there when the lock-down occurred, and we have time to make other plans. Some are not so lucky. So, as disappointed as we are, our hearts go out to those who have come into contact with the virus. We may moan a bit about postponing our trip, but we can plan for a later date and we still have our health.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

March 3, 2020 Raffles and Scholarships

The Liberty Gazette

March 3, 2020

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

On the Alaska Airmen website (alaskaairmen.org), one may find a multitude of happy faces. Not just because the photos were taken in the Last Frontier, but because this group is one that raffles airplanes and gives scholarships. Navigate to the Raffle tab and you’ll see winners over the last twenty years whose $60 ticket won them an airplane worth tens of thousands of dollars. Then punch in to the Scholarships tab to see smiling young adults looking forward to bright futures. While you’re there, be sure to click on About to see a snapshot of their very cool headquarters, located on a tiny island in Anchorage. Then it will all make sense that their address is Floatplane Drive.

Back to the Lower 48, the Puget Sound Flyers, a nonprofit flying club, makes it their mission “to render aid to young people who were fortunate enough to have survived cancer, and, through their hard work, recovered and persevered, despite financial hardships imposed on them and their families by the cost of care and family commitment,” (pugetsoundflyers.org). The Puget Sound Flyers offer scholarships for post-secondary education to assist as many young cancer survivors as possible pursue their passion—whatever it may be. They, too, raffle off airplanes to support their mission.

Going east from Puget Sound to Topeka, Kansas, a city with significant aviation history, the American Flight Museum will raffle a 1976 Citabria, an aerobatic airplane similar to the one Charlie Grabein used to fly here in Liberty. Tickets are $50 and you have until 1:00 p.m. June 1 to buy one of the 4,000 chances for sale. All proceeds go to support the museum, aeronautical education, and aviation programs. You are hereby forewarned, however, that if you visit their website to see the Citabria (americanflightmuseum.com), you’ll practically slobber over their photos of vintage aircraft. Next thing you know, you’ll be heading north to visit in person. We don’t blame you!

Closer to home is Ranger Airfield, in Ranger, Texas, “Accepting aviators since 1911.” The folks there host a weekend-long camp-out fly-in every October (it’s one of our favorite fly-ins, by the way). They also raffle one airplane a year. This year, one holder of a $50 ticket will win a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub. But hurry, they’ve almost sold out! And talk about pictures. Hoo-boy! One could linger long on that site—rangerairfield.org. Jared Calvert was only about 20 or so when he founded the Ranger Airfield Foundation to preserve the airfield and it’s rich Texas history.

The East Central Ohio Pilots Association combines raffle and scholarship for some sweet deals. If your $50 ticket doesn’t win the sparkling clean 1967 Cessna 150 this year, you could win a $2,500 scholarship for flight training. All proceeds from raffle ticket sales support their Safety and Education Foundation which has awarded over $40,000 in flight scholarships. Find out more on ecopapilot.com.

With a little luck, anyone can turn a few bills into a world of adventure.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com