SON OF DIRECTOR’S CUT
I THOUGHT I was done modeling the Otto Silent Engine, thus my posting the project’s Director’s Cut yesterday (http://wp.me/p2ETap-2is). However, as mentioned then I still sensed the need to endow … Continue reading
OTTO’S FOUR-STROKE—DIRECTOR’S CUT
TODAY I offer my director’s cut of the previous two items, “The Otto Four-Stroke—Self Taught” (http://wp.me/p2ETap-2hj) and “Otto’s Four-Stroke—The Continuing Tale” (http://wp.me/p2ETap-2hL). Building a computer model along the lines of … Continue reading
OTTO FOUR-STROKE—CONTINUING THE TALE
THE OTTO engine’s four strokes (see yesterday, http://wp.me/p2ETap-2hj) involve two complete revolutions of its crankshaft, twice 360 degrees. From a timing point of view, the intake stroke is 0 to … Continue reading
THE OTTO FOUR-STROKE—SELF TAUGHT
THE UBIQUITOUS Otto four-stroke internal combustion engine didn’t originate with Otto. For instance, Frenchman Alphonse Eugène Beau de Rochas patented the four-stroke concept in 1861, fifteen years before German Nicolaus … Continue reading
THE ORACLE OF DELPHI—ON HIGH TEST
THE GREEK Oracle of Delphi was vaguely known to me. Like so many other things, I knew I could learn more if I wanted with a quick Googling. But how … Continue reading
I ♥ AVIATRICES
CALL THEM aviatrices, female flyers or airwomen (this last term making its debut in the 1910 Oxford English Dictionary). Women active in aviation hold a special place in its history. … Continue reading
CELEBRATING CHITTY-BANG-BANGS
WITH ALL the World War I reflections going on, I offer a celebration of its surplus aero engines. Specifically, three of these huge powerplants powered Chitty-Bang-Bang I, II and III, … Continue reading
MUROC MADCAPS
MUROC DRY LAKE, in the high desert about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, has a rich history in motor sport. Here are a few of my favorite Muroc madcaps, … Continue reading
A PILOT’S VIEW, EPISODE 3
THE FIRST airline passengers were as hearty as their pilots, both residing in open cockpits. But maybe wind in the face wasn’t a necessary part of the experience. And before … Continue reading
SPEAKING UP-COUNTRY SWAHILI
WHAT WITH Rosetta Stone© and related foreign-language learning methodologies, there are multiple paths to Swahili. However, for those into Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa, Kenya’s Muthaiga Country Club and the … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 