What I think is interesting about this, is not so much the fact that this particular airplane, or its pilot and crew were the first to cross the Atlantic in an airplane, but rather, what the story says about the amount of cooperative effort it takes to turn a technical possibility into a transforming part of daily life.
This was the first airplane to cross the Atlantic, but it was not a single flight. Not only did the NC-4 have to stop and refuel repeatedly on the way, but in fact, due to the difficulty in navigating an aircraft at the time, the US Navy had to station a series of ships along the way to act as waypoints. Here is a map showing the flight path of the historic flight, and the many ships posted along the way to act as beacons.
Obviously this long string of beacon ships would obviously not be very practical as a continuing matter, and many people focused on the difficulties and existing capacities, rather than on the possibilities for the future.
When Albert Read, the commander of the flight returned home, he predicted that
"It soon will be possible to drive an airplane around the world at a height of 60,000 feet and 1,000 miles per hour."
Today we would say that he was quite correct, but the next day, The New York Times, which was then, and remains today, the most prominent newspaper in the United States ran an editorial in reaction, stating:
"It is one thing to be a qualified aviator, and quite another to be a qualified prophet. Nothing now known supports the Lieutenant Commander’s forecast. An airplane at the height of 60,000 feet would be whirling its propellers in a vacuum, and no aviator could live long in the freezing cold of interstellar space."
The only reason that Albert Read is regarded as being correct today is because a very large number of people went to work to improve the capabilities of airplanes, and many governments around the world were willing to support the effort. Without the national funding, and without the efforts of many people, the technical possibilities that a knowledgeable person could easily see then, would not yet be true today, and even heroic effort by a brave explorer or pioneer could not address the many challenges needed to get from the NC-4 to say, a modern Airbus. In this way, the story of the NC-4 can explain "failed" predictions like man's ability to explore space. What CAN be done technically in aerospace, and what IS being done are two very different things.
Pre-selection - TC April 2013
As usual, the preselection contains a mix of songs intended to be interesting, competitive, or representative, listed in alphabetical order.
THE CONTESTANTS
1. Alicia Keys - "Not Even the King" By Request
2. Bad Brains - "Fun"
3. Big Boi - "Apple Of My Eye"
4. Christina Aguilera - "Sing for Me"
5. Crystal Castles - "Affection"
6. Cyrenic - "Lullaby" By Request
7. Lana Del Rey - "Burning Desire"
8. Local Natives - "Breakers"
9. School of Seven Bells - "Lovefingers"
10. Social Studies - "Terracur"
11. Solange - "Losing You"
12. The Babies - "Moonlight Mile"
13. The Evens - "King Of Kings"
The pre-selection songs on YouTube
1. Alicia Keys - "Not Even the King" By Request
2. Bad Brains - "Fun"
3. Big Boi - "Apple Of My Eye"
4. Christina Aguilera - "Sing for Me"
5. Crystal Castles - "Affection"
6. Cyrenic - "Lullaby" By Request
7. Lana Del Rey - "Burning Desire"
8. Local Natives - "Breakers"
9. School of Seven Bells - "Lovefingers"
10. Social Studies - "Terracur"
11. Solange - "Losing You"
12. The Babies - "Moonlight Mile"
13. The Evens - "King Of Kings"
The voting format is the same as in the Countdown International, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0
points: the highest number of points for the song you like best, the
lowest number of points to the song you like least. Just send a message
or post a comment with your votes.
If you have enough free time, go ahead and write the reasons that you like and dislike particular songs, or parts of songs
(but only if you want to).
Suggestions for future pre-selections are also very welcome.
