Off topic, but only slightly. We're about a month past the centennial date of the first canoe flight! It was a big deal at the time, being the very first flight of an airplane over water, by Wilbur Wright. For safety's sake; "The City of New York, even in 1909, offered very few potential landing places in case of engine failure. The same is true of Brooklyn and the New Jersey shore of the Upper New York Bay. The New Jersey Palisades bound the west shore of the Hudson River and rise to a height of close to about 150 feet. Wilbur was planning on flying at not much more than that. In the quite possible event of engine failure, Wilbur would have nowhere within gliding distance to land other than in a wide and choppy river which from 42nd street north was filled with dreadnoughts and cruisers assembled for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. Ever thoughtful, Wilbur visited the Folsom Arms Company, an outfitters in Manhattan and purchased a red canoe and a relatively watertight canvas cover. He and Charlie suspended the canoe beneath the Flyer's skids. The canoe thus became the first ever to fly. In later years, Orville Wright treasured the canoe, which was made of wood and very nice indeed. He could have used it at his summer home on Lambert Island, where he had a number of other canoes, boats and launches. Instead, he kept it at Hawthorn Hill in Oakwood, in memory of Wilbur and his flights in 1909. Orville Wright's Estate later gave the canoe to Carillon Historical Park in Dayton where it is well preserved although mysteriously green in color." http://core.libraries.wright.edu/bitstream/handle/2374.WSU/3220/sanford.html?sequence=7 Joe P. -----Original Message----- >From: Darryl Johnson > >I *do* know that people strap canoes to the floats of bush planes to >access lakes and rivers "up North". So I suppose you could strap a >kayak on just as easily. With one of each float, there's even room for >a kayaking friend, especially one who pointed out that you could do >this. Just saying, you know.... >*************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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