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 Started 28 June 2007
Quotes Basket 1
"The order in which the planes were to start had been determined by lot,
and Ted Scott had drawn number five, the last but one. But as the racers
were to leave a two-minute intervals, the start that any one of them got
over the others would not count for much in such a long-distance race."
(Ted Scott Flying Stories, First Stop Honolulu, by Franklin W. Dixon, 1927 - page 140)
"...the hot oil leaving the engine traveled down one side of the fuselage,
was then carried to the top of the (tail)fin where it ran down the inner
surface of the skin under the control of ribs and gutters, before collection
in a tank and filter system at the base of the fin. From there it traveled
back down the other side of the fuselage to the engine."
(The Supermarine S.6, 1929. The Schneider Trophy, by David Mondey, 1975 - page 223)
"...As perhaps only Ted Mackay realized, her ambition was to fly,
to fly so expertly that she could go to strange lands, do a man's work
perhaps, carry out missions of importance. She wanted to be known as
one of the best--if not the best--aviatrix in America!"
(Linda Carlton, Air Pilot - by Edith Cavell,1931 - page 21)
"The armed strangers were a swarthy, black-browed pair,
clad in sleeveless cotton undershirts and ragged cotton trousers
of no particular hue. Both wore the floppy, broad-brimmed straw hats
common in the tropics, both were barefoot and carried canvas
cartridge belts slung over their left shoulders. A more
villainous pair could not be found anywhere."
(Bill Bolton - Flying Midshipman, by Lieutenant Noel Sainsbury, Jr, 1933 - page 41)
"The days of grass skirts--except for dancing--are gone, and the pareaus
are worn only for bathing or informal use about the home. For 'dress-up'
the islanders demand American clothes."
(You Could Do It Too, by Hester Parsons (in Tahiti), 1939 - page 48.)
"'Nobody falls out of an aeroplane,' argued Ray...."
(Miss Ray Middleton - The Crash Girl - by Eileen Marsh ,1937 - page 9)
"...as to the definition of being airborne, so far as a seaplane or flying-boat
is concerned, was to rage for long after the contest. Fortunately, the
Royal Aero Club Committee reversed their decision after only brief
argument: Baird was back in the race but he, of course,
was unaware that he had been out of it."
(Start of the race, 1923. The Schneider Trophy, by David Mondey, 1975 - page 129)
" 'But where did you get the odd candlestick?' asked Marian
as she followed Lucile. 'What a strange thing it is; made of some
almost transparent blue stone. And see! Little faces peer out at you
from every angle. It is as if a hundred wicked fairies
had been bottled up in it.' "
(The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 81)
" 'That's strange!' whispered Florence. 'Reminds me of something an
aged sailor told me once, something that happened on the Asiatic
side of the Pacific. Too long to tell now. Tell you sometime though.
Doesn't seem as if there could be any connection. Surely couldn't be.
But you can never tell. Better turn over and go to sleep.' "
(The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 35)
"Another thing that had to be taken into consideration was the number
of competitors in this Pacific flight. Already nine planes had been
entered and there probably would be more. He knew some of the airmen
by reputation; plucky skillful pilots who would give any man
a race for his money...."
(Ted Scott, pilot, in First Stop Honolulu, by Franklin W. Dixon, 1927 - page 114)
"Bits of Tahitian life flashed by the bus like pictures: Women washing
clothes in a clear stream, fishermen poised in their canoes with spears
upraised, little naked boys splashing in warm salt shallows, young girls
bathing in pools, their red and white pareaus clinging
to beautifully molded bodies."
(You Could Do It Too, by Hester Parsons, 1939 - page 39.)
"It was as they say among the thralls: <Wondering fetches a stick>."
(Zoltan, a former thrall-dog - The Gaze: The Glass Goose, by Warren Hutch - Part 33)
"A woman returned from her fishing along the outer reef, paddling strongly,
her 2-year-old baby asleep in the bow. She shoved her canoe up to its rack of
palm logs, and stepped out in the shallow water.
" 'Ioarana,' we exchanged greetings.
"I admired a string of red and blue-green beauties that looked as though they
might have been dipped up from a well stocked aquarium of tropical fish."
(You Could Do It Too, by Hester Parsons (in Tahiti), 1939 - pages 45-46.)
"Twin and I glued our eyes on Miri's professional (hula) dance,
figuring out each movement. Constant drilling left us hours smarter.
Samoa's hand dance fascinated us the most. By dinnertime, we were
exhausted, but happy how well we rated in Miri's eyes."
(Sound of the Stars, by Frances M. Parsons, 1971 - page 386, 28 December, 1940)
" 'It doesn't seem to matter much where you are nor what you
are doing, if you are destined for adventures you'll have them.' "
(Lucile, in The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 24)
"'Oh!' cried Linda, in a tone of deepest joy, although her companion
could not hear her for the roar of the motor. 'Oh, I'm so happy!'
"Up, up, up they went until they reached the clouds, where the
atmosphere seemed misty and foggy. But it did not matter to Linda
that the sky was not blue; nothing could spoil the ecstasy she
experienced in knowing that at last she was
where she always longed to be."
(Linda Carlton, Air Pilot - by Edith Cavell,1931 - page 11)
"Bill taxied (the big seaplane) round in a wide half circle until he got
her head into the light wind with a long stretch of open lagoon ahead.
A slight widening of the throttle sent the big bus hurtling down
the straight-away. Then Bill jerked her onto the step and
a moment or two later she was in the air"
(Bill Bolton - Flying Midshipman, by Lieutenant Noel Sainsbury, Jr, 1933 - page152)
" ' Pineapple! Sliced pineapple! ' the others cheered in unison.
Then the three cans of corn were speedily forgotten. But the empty can
lay blinking in the moonlight all the same."
(The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 41)
"There it bounced about for a time, spilled its contents upon the ground,
 then lay quite still, a new tin can glistening in the moonlight.
But watch that can. It is connected with some further adventure."
(The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 41)
"...yet they also illustrate the indisputable fact that the simplest
matters in the world, the casting of a tin can off a boat for instance,
may be connected with some interesting and thrilling adventure."
(The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 41)
"Something whined softly past them as they ran.
Steve looked at his companion and the gypsy smiled
reassuringly. Again Steve heard the whine, but this time
it was more of a hum. 'Bees of Death,' Savricas snapped. 'Go on.'"
(Venga Savricas - The Mystery of Devil's Hand (A Steve Knight Flying Story)
by Ted Copp, 1941 - page 185)
"...there is the smell of the land. This is the smell of ancient vegetation,
tropical plants, and the rind of the sea--mollusks, crabs, mussels,
seaweed, tidewater flats, mud."
(Eugene Burdick in Holiday magazine, circa 1960)
"...the sea has an odor. It is made up of iodine, algae, dried salt water
and occasionally the sharp smell of fresh water on hot flat salty water
when a rain squall passes."
(Eugene Burdick in Holiday magazine, circa 1960)
" 'Going to prepare some more gas,' Lucile called back over her shoulder.
'Nothing like having a little chemist in the family these days. Gas is
almost as useful in times of peace as it was in the days of war.' "
(The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 93)
"The anemic yellow eyes of 'le truck' bounced and joggled over
the grooves, ruts, & crab holes in the road. The still night sky
was heavily splattered with blazing stars. Drooping palm fronds
were seen against the lagoon, glimmered, then were left behind."
(Sound of the Stars, by Frances M. Parsons, 1971 - page 382, 28 December, 1940)
"...She took a deep breath before she finally blurted out her desire.
'And fly the Atlantic. Without a man!' she said."
(Pilot Linda - Linda Carlton's Ocean Flight - by Edith Cavell,1931 - page 37)
"They fell to heartily and rolled the Silver Streak out into the bright
sunlight. The gallant plane stood there quivering as though she
herself was as eager as her master to stretch her wings
and mount into her native element."
(Across the Pacific, or Ted Scott's Hop to Australia, by Franklin W. Dixon, 1928 - page 53)
"When the other girls had heard Lucile's story and had read the note
they were more astonished than alarmed.
"'Huh!' exclaimed Florence, gripping an iron rod above her
and lifting her full hundred and sixty pounds easily with one hand.
'Who's telling us whether we can stay here or not?'
"'I'd say they better not let you get near them,' smiled Lucile."
(The Cruise of the O-Moo, by Roy J. Snell, 1922 - page 21)
"'By the way, have you picked out your plane?' her father inquired.
"'Yes, indeed! It's a Bellanca--they call it Model J 300. Just built for
ocean flights! Oh, Daddy, it has everything to make it perfect!
A capacity for carrying one hundred and five additional gallons
of gasoline, besides the regular supply in the tanks of one hundred
and eighty gallons! And a Wright three-hundred-horsepower
engine, and a tachometer, and a magnetic compass--...."
(Mister Carlton & Linda - Linda Carlton's Ocean Flight - by Edith Cavell,1931 - page 73)
"Blazing slugs snapped through the night like a swarm of fireflies
 on a drunken spree. The pellets battered their way along the fuselage
 and tore the painted froth from the wolf's drooling jaws.
A curtain of flame lit up the arena of death.
The Bergamaschi seemed to crumple in mid-air and fold its wings...."
(African Patrol - by F. E. Rechnitzer in SKY FIGHTERS magazine, May 1941)
"Trained aviator that he was, Bill Bolton knew the exact instant
that the pilot lifted his heavy flying boat onto her step. There came
an increased spurt of speed, as the plane skimmed the surface
of the bay and rose into the air with the smooth grace
of a bird taking flight."
(Bill Bolton - Flying Midshipman, by Lieutenant Noel Sainsbury, Jr, 1933 - page 16)
"His heart was singing as the Silver Streak caught her stride and clove
the air like an arrow. Here was where he belonged, in the broad,
limitless reaches of the air. He felt akin to the eagle. All care dropped
away from him. Earth seemed far away. He was brother to the sun
and moon and stars. He was cradled in immensity. The clay of the
flesh seemed stripped from him. He felt as though he were a disembodied
spirit. He was pervaded with a compassionate pity for the great mass of
humanity doomed to walk the earth. They would never know the thrill
that ran through his nerves and made him tingle from head to heels.
"This lyrical strain subsided after a while, leaving a
more placid happiness in its stead. A glance at his instruments showed
that the plane was making more than a hundred miles an hour...."
(Across the Pacific, or Ted Scott's Hop to Australia, by Franklin W. Dixon, 1928 - page 55)
(Never let it be said that F.W. Dixon did not have an ironic sense of humor.)
"In the opposing (seaplane racing) camps there were alternations of
elation and despair, brought about as first one and then the other side
 was seen to have an aircraft capable of breathtaking speed."
(David Mondey on the 1926 Schneider Trophy race over Chesapeake Bay;
USA vs. Italy. From his book "The Schneider Trophy" - page 175)
"...If he could get Hennessey out of the warehouse,
then there would be four of them to stand off any attack.
'Yes,' he thought, 'and four of them to escape
in the nonexistent canoe.'"
(Steve Knight, aviator -The Mystery of Devil's Hand (A Steve Knight Flying Story)
by Ted Copp, 1941 - page 117)
"It is better that you go slowly with stealth
than quickly with noise."
(Alfredo Hennessey - The Mystery of Devil's Hand (A Steve Knight Flying Story)
by Ted Copp, 1941 - page 115)
"...Isn't she as cute as a button?! But she's also line infantry,
and could likely break you in half like a frozen dog...."
(Anonymous modern-day historian commenting on a 1938 Rain Island
recruiting poster featuring Army Union Sergeant, Anne Norquist)
"...the Assembly of the Province of the Rain Coast on this day,
 the twelfth day of June in the year of grace 1885,
 proclaims the severance of its ties with the Dominion of Canada
 and the British Empire and proclaims itself
 the Rain Coast Republic."
(Greg Montgomery - A Busy Half-Century: Part One: Proclamation
by Walter D. Reimer)
"What do you think of bathing girls?"
"I don't know - I've never bathed one!"
(as heard in the song The Man From the South by Ted Weems & His Crew)
(via Eric Costello)
"...Jim Baxter yawned. 'We still have a lot to talk over and plenty to do
before our next trip to the outside, but I'm too sleepy now
even to think of it or the Syndicate.' -- Nevertheless, he slipped
an automatic under his pneumatic pillow...."
(Jim Baxter - Stratosphere Jim and His Flying Fortress -
by Oskar Lebeck & Gaylord DuBois, 1941 - page 38)
"'Anything that led me to a bed like this is ab-so-lute-ly
one hundred per cent perfect--or better,' Steve answered
as he tucked his leather jacket under his head for a pillow.
'Pipe down and let the aviador sleep.'"
(Steve Knight, aviador -The Mystery of Devil's Hand (A Steve Knight Flying Story)
by Ted Copp, 1941 - page 71)
"(Bess) hated Linda. She even went so far to wonder whether that
were her real name. It would be just like a romantic kid like that to persuade
her father to change her Christian name in imitation of a hero like Lindbergh."
(Miss Bess Hulbert - Linda Carlton's Ocean Flight - by Edith Cavell,1931 - page 73)
Earlier posted quotes are in Quotes Basket 2