iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Men Into Space was appointment TV for 10 y.o. me in the fall of '59.

And here's one IRL. This is the 1929 Travel Air 4000 in which Louise Thaden won the x-country air race known (annoyingly) as the Powder Puff Derby. (Pic by me, at the Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita.)

Blue and brown single-engined biplane displayed on the floor in a museum gallery. Unfaired fixed main gear, cowled radial engine, 2 bladed prop. PoV 10 o'clock level.

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 9h

This morning I purchased gasoline for $4.259/gallon in northern VA. I believe that is the highest unit price I've ever experienced in the US. In 1972 I paid $0.269/gallon in CT. I recall being unable to fit $3 worth into the '71 SAAB 99E that I was driving at the time.

120

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 9h

The airplane looks like an early Lockheed Vega with the radial engine uncowled. Guessing 1929 +/- a year or two.

000

Reposted by Frank Van Haste

Brian Dunn@briandunn.bsky.social‬ @briandunn.bsky.social · 13h

On this day in 1968, the prototype Boeing 747 jet airliner is rolled out at Everett, Washington for the press and representatives of the airlines that had ordered the plane. It made its first flight on February 9, 1969. The last 747 was delivered from Boeing on January 31, 2023.

Rollout of the first Boeing 747, September 30, 1968.

0186

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 29/09/2026

"There are two kinds of ships: submarines and targets." -- every Bubblehead, ever.

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 29/09/2026

Re: the 2nd content item. My uncle was an 11th ABDiv trooper, 1943-45. The division did in fact refer to themselves as "Hell's Angels". The artwork is entirely fanciful, as they never made a mass combat jump.

001

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 29/09/2026

Thanks for sharing Lt. Allfree's works and image with us It is good that he not be forgotten.

150

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 29/09/2026

Right? That story is going to get told and retold over many beers.🙂

140

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 29/09/2026

Roughly 62 Philippine pesos per USD. So, on the order os $25.

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

40 days from keel laying to launching; 68 days from keel laying to commissioning. And they handed the keys to an Ensign. (I hope he was a mustang.)

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

I think it was the late Capt. Rnady Sohn who said "The Mustang is a pretty good trainer for the T-6."

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

Could be. She was probably pretty tired by that point.

120

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

Interesting info comes up if you search the s/n. (Flown on 54 missions by 27 different crews. Returned to US in 6/45 (why???); sold for scrap in 11/45.)

141

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

Here's a pic (by me) of the SPAD XIII displayed in the "FWW in the Air" gallery at NASM's museum on the Mall in DC. It was flown in combat by US ace Ray Brooks, who gained the last 2 of his 6 victories in her.

Biplane suspended in a museum gallery. Overall o.d. color, US FWW roundels on lower wing undersides, r/w/b vert stripes on rudder. Red numeral 20 and sqdrn insig (wht star on circ blue field w/ red comet tail) on fuselage.

021

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

The linked article is quite good, and seems to be exempt from WaPo's pay-wall:

120

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

How the hell did they DO that??:

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

Looks like the pilot did a good job. Lost power, landed straight ahead under control, no serious injuries. Now that good old (65 years!) airplane belongs to the insurance company. (And all respect to the para-EMT's...they must have been happy to land and find no life-threatening issues.)

1551

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 28/09/2026

I was unaware of Lord Hives so thank you for the point out. Now I've read the wiki and declare myself highly impressed! (The Rickover anecdote is a delight, and totally unsurprising for anyone who knows a bit about the Kindly Old Gentleman.)

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

Glad to hear C'ville has a good orchestra. We subscribe to Loudoun Symphony's season; last Sat they opened their 35th year with Beethoven's 9th (!!!), and did it awfully well. These regional orchestras put me in mind of good Double-A ball clubs. Entertaining & sometimes really impressive.

000

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

Look up "honing" as a metal-working process. It is not about alignment; it is about final stages of edging.

030

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

Oddly, Adm. Rickover actually was good at history (but he was sort of one-off).

0100

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

When the Wright Brothers first applied for their patent, Wilbur wrote the application (like, how hard can this be?). It bounced, so-o-o hard. Fortunately, the rejection included a recc. that they engage an atty "skilled in the art". They did so and they got a GREAT patent out of it.

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

With Phyllis making it to 101+, the point makes itself again. It's so amazing what a long-lived cadre of women these gals were.

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

Oh, my gosh! Marie went West the *DAY BEFORE* what would've been her 100th birthday. No, I'm sorry, she gets full points. Full stop.

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

Remembering 5-yr-old soccer, a very long time ago. There were 2 strategies: (1) "Coach told me to stand HERE.", and (2) MAGNETBALL!!!

040

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

I just loved her in (among other places) those "Meeting of Minds" episodes written by Steverino.

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

Have you ever gotten up to the torch? I imagine that would be very cool.

110

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 27/09/2026

This is FJ-2 BuNo 131951 of VMF-122. The squadron flew the FJ-2 from Jan 54 through late 57, when they transitioned to Crusaders. A brief online search does not disclose anything notable about this airframe's history.

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 26/09/2026

That looks like if it had been February it would've generated a metric f##kton of snow in Southern NE.

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 26/09/2026

"Higher, Orville...higher!" -- the Bishop, in 1910.

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 26/09/2026

Shoutout to @alixeharrow.bsky.social - I've finished her fine book "The Everlasting". Alix, I wasn't sure this'd be my "cup of tea", but once past the quasi-Arthurian genre dressing I found the delightful time-travel story. I think it's comparable to Connie Willis' best (take that as high praise!).

000

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 25/09/2026

Really fascinating thread on how unintended consequences of regs can muck up design:

000

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 25/09/2026

I think this retires the "Weirdest Looking Submarine" trophy:

000

Reposted by Frank Van Haste

Joyce Park @troutgirl.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

I once knew a Federal bank examiner, and one time someone asked him why we had to KEEP inspecting banks over and over. He basically said every new batch of business school grads invents bank fraud from first principles.

6888822662

Reposted by Frank Van Haste

Ray E. Boomhower @rboomhower.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“The human race is at war. Our biggest enemy, pure and simple, is ignorance.” John W. Young, born on this day in 1930

27622

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 24/09/2026

Ahoy, @alixeharrow.bsky.social, see what my excellent county librarian has lent me. I'm a bit of a foreign visitor here as I don't usually read in the "fantasy" pile. But, hey the Rocket and all...looks pretty good, think I'll have a go. Will check back in a couple days.

Cover of Alix Harrow's Hugo-winning "The Everlasting". Ornate graphic of a sword, vertical with a single watchful eye and surrounding wreath of leaves. Overall autumnal colors. Pull quote: An utter masterpiece...I loved every single page.-Rachel Gillis

100

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 23/09/2026

The last of them is beautifully displayed at NASM's Udvar-Hazy Ctr in VA adjacent to KIAD. (Sorry, I don't have a good collection of pics from UHC. I should fix that.)

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 23/09/2026

I wonder what the school library is like.

020

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 22/09/2026

What was your first computer growing up?

A K&E slide rule in good conditon for being about 60 years old.

110

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 22/09/2026

Oh, far longer than that.

000

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 22/09/2026

That's CHICAGO pictured, on floats. Here's a recent pic of her (by me), displayed on wheels in the Pioneers of Flight Gallery at NASM's museum on the Mall in DC:

Large single-engined biplane; mostly o.d. with silver cowl. Interwar US roundel insignia on underside of lower left wing. White # 2 on rear fuselage. p.o.v. is 10 o'clock low. Yellow Piper Cub visible behind.

1102

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 21/09/2026

I'm late to this, Don, but: What a terrific find!

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 21/09/2026

One wonders what sort of fun there was to be had on an "outing" where the mens' dress code was "jacket-and-tie".

000

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 21/09/2026

Well, stuff happens. If you make it to DC, let me know and I'll meet you and give you a tour.

010

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 21/09/2026

This *might* be quite effective:

000

Frank Van Haste @vanhaste.com · 21/09/2026

Interesting thought experiment. Who would've solved "the problem of manned flight" if Wil & Orv hadn't done it? And, how long would it have taken?

210