University of Nebraska Press

Tuesday Trivia: April 21, 2008

                                     TRIVIA FROM THE EDGE OF TUESDAY

New from the University of Nebraska Press is, Hard Air: Adventures from the Edge of flying, by W. Scott Olsen. As a pilot himself, Olsen creates a vivid world of everyday danger. Flying in hurricanes, firestorms, and engine killing cold all for missions where the only objective is “get there, do the job, and get out alive.” This week for our Tuesday Trivia, we will become experts in all things flying. Think your knowledge can soar above the rest? Then let’s just test that, shall we?

1.True or false: Fear of flying is called Ptermoerhanophobia and affects 9% of Americans

2. Turbulence, Strong Winds, Ice, and Clouds are all called “The Confederate Resistance” and can be found flying where?
    A. Alaska
    B. Antarctica
    C. Appalachian Mountains
    D. Lincoln, NE

3. A 747-400 plane has how many parts?

4. True or False: A captain for British Airways once kept his passengers in “Jet Detention” to find out who was smoking in the lavatory.

5. Flight data recorders are called “black boxes” despite being what color?
    A. White
    B. Red
    C. Pink
    D. Orange

6. Which of these famous people are afraid of flying?
    A. Woody Allen
    B. Stanley Kubrick
    C. Cher
    D. Jennifer Aniston

7.True or false:  People frequently dream about flying a split second before they subsequently fall out of bed?

8. In what state is it illegal to push a live moose out of an aircraft?
    A. North Carolina
    B. Colorado
    C. Alaska
    D. Montana

Check back tomorrow for the answers!

Linking in Lincoln: April 17, 2008

“LIL” Takes Flight

There’s something surreal about the act of flight. Most of us have flown on a commercial airplane and have undoubtedly marveled at how such a large machine can defy gravity and soar through the air, carrying us and our fellow passengers to our destination of choice at rapid speed. Although for some, the act of flight is not only a novelty to be pondered in awe and wonder, but a mission—a life’s purposes. For a group of adventurous individuals, simply flying is not enough. These men and women seek out opportunities to push aeronautics to its limits, executing rescue missions and long, lonely flights to gather urgently needed information and traveling to places where no one should be flying: into hurricanes, firestorms, and deep, engine-killing cold. In his new book, Hard Air: Adventures from the Edge of Flying, author and pilot W. Scott Olsen transports us into the air with hurricane hunters who fly into the planet’s fiercest storms, with helicopter pilots racing emergency patients to clinics, with Canadian pilots who fly supplies to the Arctic, and with heavy air tanker pilots who drop water and slurry on remote wildfires.

Today’s “Linking in Lincoln” takes us on a trip into the sky, highlighting sites on flight, aeronautics, and airborne rescue work. So buckle up, bloggers. It’s time for take-off.

Are you an aspiring pilot or do you know someone who is? Check out JustFlightSchools.com at http://www.justflightschools.com/ for a listing of pilot training and certification programs all over the U.S.

If you’ve ever wondered how an airplane works (haven’t we all?), you’ll want to visit the How Stuff Works site’s “How Airplanes Work” page at http://travel.howstuffworks.com/airplane1.htm. It explains how each component of a plane operates in tandem with the others to propel the craft through the air. Amazing!

Check out this article from Popular Mechanic’s Web site on the work of a rescue flight mechanic who helped save New Orleans residents from their rooftops in the wake of Hurricane Katrina: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/2236621.html.

Visit the site of the Hurricane Hunters Association (yes, such a group does exist!) at http://www.hurricanehunters.com/ for photos, FAQs, info on tropical meteorology, and more!

Looking for a soundtrack to your own fighter pilot fantasies? Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTJmXrgsFg, crank up the Top Gun theme song, and picture yourself as Maverick, battling enemy MiGs during the movie’s heart-thumping climax. Way to go, Top Gun!

That brings today’s “LIL” to a close. Visit us again tomorrow for “This Week in History.”

More Praise for Bicycling beyond the Divide

Bicycling beyond the Divide by Daryl Farmer

“The book isn’t just bicycle talk. Much to Farmer’s credit—and the fact that he keeps journals—he gives us some historical background of the towns and places he visits. He also shares his personal life and his feelings, such as loneliness, anger and moments of happiness. All in all, it’s a good read for anyone contemplating a long-distance bicycle journey or some other adventure.”—Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal Star

Praise for Kayaking Alone

Kayaking Alone: Nine Hundred Miles from Idaho's Mountains to the Pacific Ocean by Mike Barenti

“A fresh look at a river system critical to our history and our future. . . . This is a good book about paddling, and an even better book about the salmon, science and politics up the Columbia.”—The Spokesman-Review

Praise for The Golden Volcano

The Golden Volcano by Jules Verne, translated and edited by Edward Baxter

“It’s spiked with ‘gold fever’ and an insatiable lust for difficult travel that should make today’s Lonely Planeteers take notice.”—Publishers Weekly

Nearly Landlocked Armchair Adventurer reviews Kayaking Alone

Review of Kayaking Alone by Scott R. Anderson, nearly Landlocked Armchair Adventurer, Millersville, PA.

My initial reaction to the idea of kayaking alone was “That’s not very smart.”  Sure enough, safety concerns are addressed (and pretty much dispensed with) by the end of page four. [I should think seriously about getting one of those EPIRB locator beacons for my car keys.]  I felt redeemed by the author; my initial thoughts about kayaking 900 miles of river from Idaho to the Pacific Ocean alone as a potentially lethal undertaking were confirmed.  Refreshed, and with greater armchair abandon, I pressed onward.

More Praise for To a Distant Day

To a Distant Day: The Rocket Pioneers by Chris Gainor

“Let us hope for as good a companion volume taking the story to the shuttle and space-station era and the emergence of space powers other than Russia and the U.S.”—Roland Green, Booklist

Read earlier praise for To a Distant Day by visiting http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2008/02/praise-for-to-a.html.

Taking Off: More Praise for Hard Air

Hard Air: Adventures from the Edge of Flying
by W. Scott Olsen

“It’s hard to imagine a more gripping book for aviation buffs than Olsen’s depiction of some of the hairier aspects of service networks usually taken for granted and seldom properly noticed by the media.”—Roland Green, Booklist

Check out earlier praise for Hard Air at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2008/03/praise-for-hard.html.

Praise for Bicycling beyond the Divide

Bicycling beyond the Divide:
Two Journeys into the West
by Daryl Farmer

“Daryl Farmer lyrically meshes his traveling experiences of 1985 with 2005 in his book. . . . With writing that compares favorably to Paul Theroux, William Least Heat Moon, and John Steinbeck, Farmer assures us that the American spirit hasn't been completely deflated.”—Lee Gooden, ForeWord

“The book isn’t just bicycle talk. Much to Farmer’s credit—and the fact that he keeps journals—he gives us some historical background of the towns and places he visits. He also shares his personal life and his feelings, such as loneliness, anger and moments of happiness. All in all, it’s a good read for anyone contemplating a long-distance bicycle journey or some other adventure.”—Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal Star

Yacking in Yakima: Radio Interview with Mike Barenti

Attention Yakima, Washington-area bloggers! Tune in to KIT Radio 1280-AM on Monday, March 17th at 7:40 AM to listen to an on-air interview with Kayaking Alone author Mike Barenti. You'll hear all about the author's awe-inspiring and thought-provoking solo journey along the Columbia River and its tributaries, from the Idaho mountains to the Pacific Ocean, as well as the environmental issues surrounding the salmon population in the Northwest. Don't miss it!