A-1 flies again.On 1 July 1911, Glenn H. Curtiss demonstrated the A-1, the first aircraft built for the Navy, on Lake Keuka Noun 1. Lake Keuka - a glacial lake in central New York; one of the Finger Lakes Keuka Lake Finger Lakes - a geographical area in central New York State that is named for a series of narrow glacial lakes that lie parallel in a north-south direction in Hammondsport, N.Y. In September 2004, an A-1 flew there once again. The Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport decided to build a replica A-1 in exact detail and fly it before placing the historic plane on display at the museum. A cadre (company) CADRE - The US software engineering vendor which merged with Bachman Information Systems to form Cayenne Software in July 1996. of dedicated volunteers, many of them veteran pilots and ground crewmen of WW II and the Korean War Korean War, conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korea from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into Soviet (North Korean) and U.S. (South Korean) zones of occupation. , built the seaplane seaplane, airplane designed to take off from and alight on water. The two most common types are the floatplane, whose fuselage is supported by struts attached to two or more pontoon floats, and the flying boat, whose boat-hull fuselage is constructed with the in the museum's extensive shop using the same materials that the original was constructed from--bamboo and oak. Jim Poel, a retired American Airlines American Airlines Major U.S. airline. American was created through a merger of several smaller U.S. airlines and incorporated in 1934. It continued to buy the routes of other airlines, becoming an international carrier in the 1970s; its routes include South America, the pilot, was chosen to fly the replica A-1 thanks to the skills he learned flying his 1947 Republic Seabee, a pusher-prop aircraft with wing floats. He also worked many hours at the Curtiss restoration shop designing and building the replica. With Mr. Poel at the controls, right, the A-1 replica conducted two flights from Lake Keuka on 15 September and one on 19 September, top right. He explained, "Overall, the aircraft was a delight to fly. It was light and responsive, and basically it wanted to fly. The control system [by which the pilot leans left or right and a shoulder yoke yoke (yok) 1. a connecting structure. 2. jugum. yoke n. See jugum. yoke, n 1. something that connects or binds. operates the ailerons], though quite alien to the conventional control system that I am used to, worked very well." Mr. Poel concluded, "These three short flights were the most memorable I have ever experienced. Given the location and the aircraft, they were a wonderful trip back in time to actually experience a historic moment." The replica A-1 is expected to fly as part of an amphibous seaplane celebration later this year. JO2 Leif R. HerrGessell contributed to this article. |
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