tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post1946752782618450003..comments2024-03-28T15:14:59.328-07:00Comments on The Church of the Open Road Press: HAP’S CLIPPINGS AND PIXBumpahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05498776240120709232noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-36592013234729356312017-03-08T08:53:44.384-08:002017-03-08T08:53:44.384-08:00And although I can't find the patent or paperw...And although I can't find the patent or paperwork for it, another one of Hap's rumored inventions is the advertising flip-clock: the one with the clock face on the left or right and the succession of little ads for local businesses that flipped down on a calculated basis - much to the entertainment of those of us who'd dined at the Flying Pig in Sonora. I saw one in Susanville also...Bumpahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05498776240120709232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-63840988028272789372017-03-08T08:53:15.666-08:002017-03-08T08:53:15.666-08:00Wow Dave, very cool to read a bit about your grand...Wow Dave, very cool to read a bit about your grandfather Hap. I'm trying to imagine all the rest of his stories. A book...?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-41456098994581118642017-03-08T08:48:31.958-08:002017-03-08T08:48:31.958-08:00I think there is a correlation between Pilots and ...I think there is a correlation between Pilots and people who ride motorcycles. Both require your full attention and both have dire consequences if you don't. There are many comparisons but rather than list them all, it is safe to safe that a disproportioned percentage of people who fly also ride motorcycles and vice versa. One aspect of motorcycles I like is the unique nature of the mechanics. Just because a motorcycle is not large like a car, it is not any less complicated. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-72863135456869494252017-03-08T08:47:35.727-08:002017-03-08T08:47:35.727-08:00Your Granddad would be an interesting guy to have ...Your Granddad would be an interesting guy to have a yarn with Jax. Pity he is not around now that you know a bit more about him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-66299248177286577732017-03-08T08:47:02.378-08:002017-03-08T08:47:02.378-08:00Hap worked for Curtiss back in his day. Also inter...Hap worked for Curtiss back in his day. Also interesting: I recently went to an antique bike show at California's State Fair campus and saw a Curtiss in-line bike owned by a collector in nearby Yuba City. Didn't have my camera or cell phone with me at the time... Dang!Bumpahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05498776240120709232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-44856027035935291982017-03-08T08:45:12.417-08:002017-03-08T08:45:12.417-08:00It's no accident that the airplane was invente...It's no accident that the airplane was invented by bicycle racers/mechanics (the Wrights) and the first really good aircraft engines (and the aileron, and the seaplane) by a motorcycle racer (Curtiss). They understood turning by banking, and were comfortable doing it. They were also comfortable controlling their machines with both hands and both feet and maybe some hip action. There's a lot of good biographies of the Wrights, and some even better books on Curtiss (I like Unlocking the Sky: Glenn Hammond Curtiss and the Race to Invent the Airplane<br />by Seth Shulman). Well worth the read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-17289578716674168522017-03-08T08:44:54.601-08:002017-03-08T08:44:54.601-08:00Aviators and riders share many of the same traits,...Aviators and riders share many of the same traits,(been my experience), and the activities share many similarities. Both require balance good physical fitness!? and coordination. plus some familiarity of the machine.<br />We also both "crash" when things go wrong, but both are very rewarding when things go well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-488534933705325382017-03-08T08:43:23.989-08:002017-03-08T08:43:23.989-08:00Great story, thanks for sharing. Your grand dad wa...Great story, thanks for sharing. Your grand dad was on the leading edge of an activity that, is today, as common as breathing air. Seeing as I don't like flying I can't imagine what I would have though of his flying if I were a contemporary. I am sure that he just didn't understand why more people didn't want to fly just as we who ride don't understand why more people don't want to ride. One thing for sure is that you now know where your sense of adventure and curiosity comes from. Hope you are back on your bike soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-68148655168221104492017-03-08T08:42:52.938-08:002017-03-08T08:42:52.938-08:00Yep... Back in high school, I took lessons and got...Yep... Back in high school, I took lessons and got my Private Pilot license. Unfortunately, renting got more & more expensive until I couldn't afford to keep up with it any more. And there was no way I'd be able to afford buying a plane.<br /><br />So the money I was spending on flying went towards motorcycles instead. Just as fun, but a lot more dangerous...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4416632051965806588.post-80139007905919970632017-03-08T08:42:18.366-08:002017-03-08T08:42:18.366-08:00As an aviation buff (did ground school in my late ...As an aviation buff (did ground school in my late teens, but never finished the flying lessons), that's some pretty awesome family history!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com