AEROPLANE TO AEROPLANO

   This is a (little clumsy) drawing I made a long time ago. The Macon was one of two sister rigid airships (the other one was the Akron) built by a joint German-American corporation, as it was agreed in the post-WWI peace treaties. The original drawing is quite large and detailed. I hope you'll be able to see all the details; especially the fighter aircraft being hoisted on board (in the red area). The dimensions of the airship can be found easily online (so I won't bore you with that),  But you can see a size comparison of the ZRS-5 Macon with a Boeing 747-200 in the lower right corner.     Your comments will be greatly appreciated.    Thanks,     L.  

O del perché gli aerei moderni non sono meglio di quelli più vecchi. di Bill Welch (Traduzione e adattamento di L. Pavese) Spesso molti piloti se lo chiedono: cos’è che rende un aereo buono, e un altro una carretta? (Ammesso che ci siano aerei carretta). Le risposte potrebbero anche sorprendervi, perché tutti direbbero che la ragione è il “design moderno”, o qualcosa del genere. Ma non è così. Chiaro, nuove ideucce ingegnose di design, o qualche nuovo aggeggio, possono anche aiutare, ma non fanno né disfano un aereo. Date un’occhiata ad alcuni degli aerei dal disegno più vecchio che ancora si vedono nei nostri aeroporti; e che offrono prestazioni migliori dei velivoli più recenti. O fate un paragone fra alcuni aerei “anziani” e i corrispettivi aeroplani più moderni. Per esempio: Modello A: Peso massimo al decollo: Libbre 1670 (kg 757) Velocità di crociera: Nodi 108 Potenza: hp 112 (kW 82) Modello B: Peso massimo al decollo: Libbre 170...

This my contribution to Earth Day. It's a translation of an article from a newsletter I receive from the Italian Bruno Leoni Institute, or IBL.  http://www.brunoleoni.it/    The Institute is a Libertarian think tank which promotes the ideas of the free market, in the sense of the free unfettered interaction among free individuals. It's a good piece. I hope I did it justice and I hope you will enjoy it. Your comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, L. Pavese Why we don't celebrate Earth Day. By Carlo Stagnaro . (Translated and edited by Leonardo Pavese).  On April 22nd 2012, being a Sunday a lot of middle class people probably spent Earth Day complaining, while they were unwrapping their sweets, about other people’s carelessness toward the environment, about the evils of capitalism, which destroys everything, and about the tomatoes, which don’t taste like they used to. At the same time, more than 1.3 billion human beings spent their...

The Clock of Palazzo Vecchio and the Florentine Detective. By Roberto Vacca. To everyone he was VP, not as in Vice President, but as in Vice Padrino. He was very self-confident. He was feared from Vegas to Miami, from Como to Capo Passero. Everyone obeyed him. He said: “Special agent Patrick O’Cuillenain followed me all the way here to Italy. That Irish son-of-a-bitch is going around saying he’s here just as a tourist. But he’s really sticking his nose where he’s not supposed to. I am gonna waste him myself.” His cousin objected: “VP, no. Do not expose yourself. We can send one of the boys.” “No, I’m gonna do it myself. This is personal.” Agent O’Cuillenain was pleased with his escort. Jack Ryan was an old friend. He was also Irish and spoke Italian well. O’Cuillenain had also hit it off with the Italian Florentine Carabinier Carlo Guarducci. He had sized the Italian up right away as smart, confident and reliable. The three of them had eaten in a very good resta...