Reading American Air was attention grabbing. It seemed to me as if the author was telling me a story with all the details and descriptions. During a commercial air flight, one is used to seeing mainly clouds or just patches of land. But rarely do we see land in the same perspective as a pilot, looking for flat, barren land in order for him to park his plane. It gives an example on how landscapes are seen by different people based. I also like how Langewiesche compared both New England and North Dakota especially because I have absolutely no idea how those areas look.
American Air also reads "Now flying has changed. You have more speed, more radio, perhaps two engines". Back when airplanes were first invented and used, they were very simple, did not arise to a significant height (as compared to planes today), and were not as technologically advanced. But as the excerpt reads, flying has definitely changed. You can see how the planes fly in the air, the development over the past century or two, and how much more efficient it is.
In The Aesthetics of Ascension in Norman Bel Geddes's Futurama, Geddes's Futurama exhibit was described and I could only imagine how amazing it would have been. Millions and millions of people flocked in to see it and it is pretty clear why. For Norman to propose how a utopian society would be in the future, was like telling the future. Many of the things that he envisioned actually came true. His expected "five hundred thousand individually designed buildings, a million trees of thirteen different species, and approximately fifty thousand motorcars" can somewhat be seen today. There are a plethora of plant species, an abundance of buildings (especially in a metropolitan area), and an obvious large amount of motorcars. It is amazing how Norman designed this whole exhibit with such a vision in his mind, with advances in technology and landscape alike. Not only did those who visited get a chance to see the exhibit, they got to sit in seats that moved like a ride, where lights, color, and sound were all incorporated. Futurama also gives me hope for some of the prototypes that have been thought about in the 21st century. Overall, I was beyond intrigued in learning about how such an amazing, futuristic idea came to be and how it played out.
You bring up a really good point about how many of Geddes's ideas can be seen in society today. I also thought of that while reading this week's section on Futurama. I thought of the Space Needle in Seattle when I read of Geddes's plan for an Aerial Restaurant. Whenever they are connected or not, I do not know. I also found it very interesting how much of an impact Geddes has had on the concept of "streamlining" cars, planes, and other mechanical devices.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Allison as well as Mimi. In this weeks lecture we learned how when airplanes just started to go commercial, they were not as fast as the planes that we are used to today. Back then, it would take a whole day in order to get from one state to another. Now we have faster and more powerful engines that travels will only take us a couple of hours. The reason that travels back then were much longer was because their engines were not as powerful and flying as done closer to the ground. As a result, passengers are able to see in detail and a close up of what the landscape looks at an aerial point of view. Now it is harder to take a close up glimpse of the landscape from the air because of the high elevation we are flying at. Compared to when airplanes first were invented, flying as really made a step up in the reading for this weeks, "American Air". There are many similarities from back then that we see today in flying. For example, like Mimi had mentioned, radio, first class seating, as well as individual ventilation. This gives people the comfort and luxury of flying and seeing great views from above.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the author's explanations of Langewiesche's commentary, especially of the changing methods and experiences of flight. The flight sensation he experienced was in a plane flying more slowly and much closer to the ground, and with less security against danger. I believe that these all contributed to an early flying experience that was much more raw, meaningful, dangerous, exciting, and significant. In that era, flight seems to have been an almost sublime experience, raw and powerful and dangerous and breathtaking. Nowadays, we are much more detached from these sensations, but I for one would love to experience them.
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