The Liberty Gazette
September 19, 2023
Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely
Linda: While being whisked away in a Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” for a much-needed vacation, I was intrigued by the electronic window dimming technology. No more shades to lift or pull. Just push a button below the window and you’ll send an electrical current through a layer of gel inside, between the multiple layers in the pane. The current causes a chemical reaction in the gel that changes its thickness and hence its opacity. The lowest voltage results in a clear view, while the highest voltage gives you pretty much total black-out. As we crossed the pond to London’s Heathrow, I played with the window dimming like it was a toy, pausing in the clear state to admire the enormous wing flexibility. I wonder what airplane lovers of the past would think of it. 
Mike: We visited the Churchill War Rooms Museum under the British Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster on our visit to London. We were told it would take about 90 minutes to go through the exhibits. However, it was so interesting and informative we actually spent more than three hours and could have taken longer. Being in that bunker brings to life the world during what was then Britain’s “Darkest Hour.” It is a dark place lit by lamps where those assigned to the war room not only worked 16-18 hours a day, but for periods of time rarely saw daylight. Secretaries shared a sun lamp, each getting 20 minutes a day. While the building was fortified, it probably could not withstand a direct hit from a heavy bomb. We learned a lot more about Winston Churchill too, including his flying lessons.
He took up flying lessons in 1913 at the Royal Naval Flying School in Kent after first being somewhat skeptical about the concept. He felt duty-bound to take his first flight but then became an enthusiast. But he wasn’t a natural, and he had several close brushes with disaster as did many flyers in the early days. He was finally convinced to give up training following a crash he had in 1919 in Paris. But he never stopped believing in the value of the airplane and supported it throughout his lifetime.
He also took many opportunities to put his hands on the controls when he was a passenger. In December 1941, right after Pearl Harbor, he went to see President Roosevelt. His warship sailed through U-boat-patrolled waters to Norfolk, Virginia. After three weeks at the White House working out war strategies, when Churchill returned to England, he and his staff flew 18 hours in a Boeing 314, making him the first world leader to cross the Atlantic by air. On that flight, he took the controls of the lumbering giant as a relief pilot. Wearing his military sunglasses and chomping on his cigar, it is said that he enjoyed the view and a brief respite from the world’s troubles.
Linda: I guess his military shades were his own version of dimmable windows.
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