The soul of the machine is dark,  indeed.   As we explore the interconnectivity between devices we use daily and our emotions,  it serves to return to the debate which has raged between classicists and romantics concerning their machines.   In a nutshell,  we could break this down into the two groups as the tribe that knows how the machine works,  vs the tribe that cares little about how it works,  it must just work.

Classicists vs Romantics.    Take the humble Lister Bag for example.

Romantics,  not in the pure principle of the word or phrase are those who are poetic by nature and have a fluffy and fuzzy view of logic.    Classicists prise open the alarm clock to find out why it stopped working.   Romantics give it away to the poor folks salvation store down the road and just buy a new one.

Machines inner sanctums are not of any interest to Romantics.   Machines appear as if by magic to do things for these folk.   But ask the tribe of Romantics how the microwave came to actually heat up the sourgrass and llama-milk health drink  and they chuck a wobbler.    The classicist begins to salivate at the very idea of discovering how the tiny blips of radiation excite the molecules into life.

(more…)

My aeroplane has to go in for a major checkup or MPI as its known.  Not that I own the ‘plane.  I’m a struggling iHack etc etc.  The owner needs to send it in every couple of hundred hours for a thorough physical –  wheels up and fuselage open.  But I’m going to pine while it reclines in the engineers’ parlour,  flashing its wing nakedly at strangers.  

The plane is a STOL special,  Short take off/land – previously mentioned in a blog, it’s a Maule 180 HP Super Rocket.  Well named, for anyone trying to land it for the first time.  My 25000 hour instructor tells me that when pilots are arrogant and think they’re good,  he chucks them into the Maule in a cross wind and says “land the baby”.  Most can’t and need a few hours battling the little beastie into runway 24 or 06 at Lanseria – even with thousands of hours.  It bites.  

In my case it took an interminable 20 hours to get used to the cross wind landings.  That’s after 130 hours of flying.  A beginner,  but not too much the beginner as not to know how to land a plane.  Or think you can.  Clearly an arrogant S.O.B.

Such is the difficulty of flying the Maule.  

It’s also built for tough and short African or American bush strips.   As the manufacturer told my instructor,  Russell.   “The nose wheel is bigger than usual to cope with the gophers” being designed for use on dusty backwoods prairie landing strips.   

But before I bore you to tears,  this is just a note about machines of loving grace.

Maule MX 7 Super Rocket, not for the faint hearted (landing it .. that is) - this is an American registered version

In recent blogs we’re chatted about machines and people and how the two sometimes fail to intersect.    That can be fatal in aeroplanes – while merely irritating in cars.

(more…)