Amelia Earhart Movie

I enjoyed seeing the movie about Amelia Earhart yesterday, starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere. The movie falls into the class of B movies and is somewhat slow and boring. That's why it is only showing in independent film theaters. It is historically accurate though and does tell of the contributions of Amelia Earhart to aviation.

The sad part of the movie is her loss at the end. This movie is like Titanic in that you know what the ending is going to be, but you hope for an interesting story until you get there. The reason why Amelia died was the method of navigation they used to cross the Pacific Ocean. It's ironically called "Dead Reckoning" and you can see why. This method of navigation uses compass direction, air speed, wind speed, and computation to get you to your destination.

The other method of navigation is called "Pilotage." It is flying by using ground references to guide you to your destination, which isn't of any use over the open ocean. Most flying today uses a combination of both and also much more sophisticated devices like GPS, Loran, and DME devices. Navigation in 1937 was pretty risky. Amelia certainly had the airplane and piloting skills to circle the globe, but the radios and star nav systems were woefully inadequate for the task.

Amelia also started the 99's, which is the women's flying organization in the United States today. The husbands of the 99's are called 49 and 1/2's. I asked a woman in the 99's if men can join the club. She said "no" and was quite adamant about the fact that it is only for women. Why then can husbands be members?

I think Amelia Earhart made her identity in aviation because her name literally says "Air Heart." Her heart was in the air, just like many people with the last name of Carpenter become carpenters as a profession. I know a young lady named Zoe Loomis that is looking to get a PhD in zoology too. I told her it was because she is looking to find herself there in Zoe-ology. I am surprised at how often these name analogies go unnoticed by the people who are so affected, even in the formation of their identity, by these nomenclature forces.

The movie showed Amelia's other romance too that existed while she was married. I wonder if that was part of the publicity back then, or if they were truly more tolerant of infidelity. Amelia's husband, Putnam, was a professional publicist, and these record breaking stunts had as much to do with making money as they did with creating aviation achievements. At least they were honest about that in the movie.

We honor Amelia Earhart today and for all times, as it is these individuals who break the barriers and open the doors for others to follow and go on to achieve even greater things.

Dr. Doug Ikeler. http://www.ikeler4000.com/

http://www.ikelerbooks.com/ http://www.ikeler4000.blogspot.com/

Celebrating 100 Plus Sponsors and Honoring Dr. Dunlop, The Inventor Of Air Filled Rubber Tires

We have made an important first milestone in now having over 100 sponsors for the Ikeler4000 Round The World Record Setting Flight! Our own estimates show that it will take over a thousand sponsors to complete the mission, but where there's a will, there's a way, and we're on a roll! We also want to take a moment to honor a fellow veterinarian, Dr. John Dunlop, who invented air-filled rubber tires, the likes of which we all drive on, and land airplanes on, today.

Dunlop tires, a brand name I'm sure you recognize, was a tire making company started by a veterinarian in 1888. Dr. Dunlop thought the cobblestone streets of Scotland were too rough for his son to ride his tricycle on, so he dreamed up a solution that benefits all mankind still today. Cobblestones were put into streets to keep them from becoming muddy and unusable during the colder and wetter seasons of the year. A cobblestone is actually about a foot long, and if you have seen them and walked on them in Europe, you have only touched on one end of the entire stone. They are set vertically to sit deeply into the ground.
Having fashioned a set of nifty tires for his son's trike, Dr. Dunlop went on to develop air-filled rubber tires for automobiles too. Other inventors at the time included Michelin, who's tire company is still going strong, and even Dr. Porsche, who's sports car brand everyone has heard of. The late 1800's were a time of great prosperity and invention, and apparently medical professionals had the free time to join in on the fun.

Veterinary Medicine is a demanding field, and my personal mentor, Dr. Ian Coster, said vets are some of the most intelligent people around, and that a lot of ancillary knowledge goes into becoming a veterinarian. Vets have to solve a truly diverse set of problems every day, so I guess they have to be smart. I'm glad to be one of them! Dunlop tires was bought by Goodyear Tire Company in 1999, but the brand continues. So the next time you are putting air in your tires, remember that it was a veterinarian that came up with the idea first!

Dr. Doug Ikeler http://www.ikeler4000.com/

http://www.ikeler4000.blogspot.com/

Big Cat Rescue Sponsors Ikeler4000

It is our pleasure to have Big Cat Rescue join in our group of sponsors for the Ikeler4000 Round The World Record Setting Flight. Located in Florida, Big Cat Rescue started out as a sanctuary for abandoned exotic cats who people had bought as kittens and thought they would make into unusual pets. As the public soon finds out though, many big cats are not suitable as pets and need to be kept in a sanctuary. This is where Big Cat Rescue comes in to help. They take in these big cats and take care of them and give them a good home.

I have been to South Africa on one of the speaking tours that I did quarterly, around the world, for four years, from 1998 to 2002. During our visit to South Africa, we visited Kruger Park, one of the largest open game preserves still in existence. If not for these large parks in Africa, most of the large animal species would be gone. Big Cat Rescue also provides private ownership of these exotic cats to create a "preserving the species" effort as well. Private "farms" for cheetahs and lions also exist in South Africa for the same purpose of privately preserving these species.

While in South Africa we stayed in a Safari Camp and had monkeys on the roof top of our "Roundavel" that was our cement walled cabin in the camp. We had elephants and lions roaming through our camp and we had to be careful when coming out in the morning not to open the door to face a wild animal at breakfast.

During our first afternoon at the safari camp, my wife then and I went for a stroll down by the river and saw fascinating elephant footprints, lion foot prints, and what must have been wildebeest foot prints. We sauntered along joyously until we got back to the camp and it's owner found out where we had been. After a severe warning, that was also given to our conference group, we knew not to walk along the river again.

At night, the tour guides took us out into the preserve and pointed out, with a spot light, unusual species that you can only see at night. Those were fun times, though a little scary. Especially one time when we came across a group of Rhinos that were being aggressive toward our jeep. They wouldn't let us pass, and they bounced around like they were made of rubber to show us their strength. We just waited them out, and after about fifteen minutes, they moved on.

From my experience with wildlife I know the challenges Big Cat Rescue has ahead of them. We support their efforts and wish them the best in the years to come. You can visit their site and make a donation to support their on going work at http://www.bigcatrescue.com/

Dr. Doug Ikeler http://www.ikeler4000.com/

http://www.ikeleraerospace.blogspot.com/

Dash For A Cure With CarolAnn Garratt

We are pleased to add CarolAnn Garratt and her web site, Dash For A Cure, to our sponsor list and home page at Ikeler AeroSpace this week. CarolAnn has completed two Round The World Flights and continues to raise money for ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) research. We applaud her mission and accomplishments.

CarolAnn Garratt and Carol M. Foy also established a National Aeronautics Association certified speed record of 115.35 miles per hour and they circumnavigated the globe in eight days, twelve hours, and twenty minutes. CarolAnn had become a member of the earth rounders association after she flew herself solo around the world in 2003. The earth rounders have one simple requirement for membership: You must fly yourself around the globe in a private airplane.

Building further on this first aviation achievement, CarolAnn decided to set higher goals and set a record to bring more attention to the cause of an ALS cure. So far CarolAnn has raised almost a quarter million dollars and still lectures around the United States selling her two books about her trips to bring in more funding.

ALS currently has no cure or treatment, but on going research is bringing us closer to the day when we can say it is treatable. And Thank you CarolAnn Garratt for supporting our mission as we support yours. Our web site traffic will become your web site traffic and will bring more funds to your cause and this cure! We are honored to have you with us.

CarolAnn Garratt appears to the right in the picture above and you can visit her web site at http://www.alsworldflight.com/

Dr. Doug Ikeler http://www.ikeler4000.com/

http://www.ikeler4000.blogspot.com/

http://www.earthrounders.com/

Globalization Will Include Space As A New Frontier

The speed of information is now at the speed of light. You may wonder, "Wasn't it always?" Well no, it wasn't, and this ten-fold increase in speed has occurred in the past few decades going almost unnoticed. The speed of data transmission has, until recently, been the speed of the electron, about ten percent of the speed of light. With wireless connections now becoming the standard, we are no longer held back by phone lines, dial-up, and that slow-poke called The Electron.

Now we bond with, and expect, the speed of the photon. At one hundred eighty six thousand miles a second, even cell phone calls to the moon are now practical! There will though be that pesky little delay of one and a half seconds when you are talking to someone on the moon. Very similar to transoceanic phone lines of the past. The delay is noticeable, but it is not a show-stopper. You can still carry on a normal conversation with someone loping across the sea of tranquility.

Aviation technologies will also speed travel to outstanding new speeds. The Concorde travelled at Mach Two. Faster than a speeding bullet. You use to be able to leave London at ten in the morning and arrive in New York at ten in the morning. By clock standards, instantaneously! Super sonic transports will make their reappearance in the 2020's.

The Ikeler4000, and it's larger variations, will be an integral part of the globalization of our economies, cultures, and finances and space. There are great days ahead!

Dr. Doug Ikeler http://www.ikeler4000.com/

http://www.ikeler4000.blogspot.com/

Innovations Of Tomorrow

If you think I'm a little out there with my Ikeler4000 flying car, then consider that Honda has also designed a flying car too. The Honda Fuzo is a concept car that attempts to create a flying car based on VTOL technologies. It is somewhat ill-fated though, in that it is trying to use the wheels as jet engines to thrust the car into the air and then some how drive it on the ground.

I give honda credit though, because they are innovative and are not afraid to step outside the box, as with their robot the Asimo, also shown in this article. This century will see innovations the likes of which were never dreamed of before. Even the world of finance will be re-invented.

How would you like a free car? How about free airfares? How about free hotel stays and free trips. These new models of business can be created using new forms of marketing that allow the consumer to enjoy the product and never have to lay out a penny for it. If you're ready to look around a little, free cars, free airfares, and free hotel rooms already exist.

How would you like free ad space for your business? We have already innovated this idea and made it possible for anyone to get ad space on the Ikeler4000 website and it's Round The World Flight. Priced to fit any budget, we have made it possible for every one to join with us and support the mission and even benefit from doing so. Can you beat that?

Dr. Doug Ikeler http://www.ikeler4000.com/ http://www.ikeler4000.blogspot.com/ http://www.honda.com/

The New Aviation Dashboard And Cockpit

Airplanes have long been plagued with a design defect: The dashboard is too big and too high. The height alone presents a danger in collision avoidance and piloting. I am six feet two inches tall and even I have to stretch a little to see over the dashboards of most private airplanes to see where I am going or to see anything in front of the aircraft.

In designing the Ikeler4000, one of the defects I wanted to remove was that of the big and hazardous dashboard. Thus, the glass cockpit you see in the photo. Here, many dials and instruments are converged onto one computer screen that allows tremendously efficient use of the dash. Gone are the multitude of dials and gauges that, although they have allowed us to impress our friends, at being able to pilot and control such a complicated machine, now offer efficient use and an easier one-glance look to get the aircraft information you need.

Time during flight needs to be spent scanning the sky for other traffic and looking at charts for ground references along the flight path. Now these new instruments can add to the safety and efficiency of flight, instead of detracting from it.

Dr. Doug Ikeler http://www.ikeler4000.com/