I want to share with you the most engaging talk that I witnessed in recent years.  The lecture, which can be found on ted.com, was given by Juan Enriquez in February 2009, as the economic collapse was beginning to be sharply felt in North America.  The eighteen minute presentation shook me to the core.  While it moves along in an entertaining fashion, it eventually ends up in extremely intriguing territory, with fascinating yet plausible predictions for the relative near future of mankind.  I will give a brief summary of the content of the lecture (link for talk).

Among other things, it is unsustainable practices that have led to the economic downturn.  Companies with tunnel vision have taken the shareholders dollar and put it through the shredder.  Today, when trying to move forward from our dark economic situation, we must be very careful where our time, energy, and of course, money, is invested.  More than ever, our focus should be held firmly upon areas with anticipated growth.  According to futurist, Juan Enriquez, our attention should turn to science, and in particular, the fields of cell growth, tissue growth, and robotics.

A major technological wave is headed towards man, and the nations that ride this wave will be rewarded for having done so; nations who do not see it coming will be blindsided, and their futures will not be pretty.  So, what does this wave look like?

Certain areas of biology are seeing rapid growth.  Generating cells and tissues in a controlled lab environment is becoming commonplace.  In recent years, new surgical options have opened up for certain patients due to ingenuity in manipulating stem cells and tissues.  An artificial trachea may now be formed by spray-painting cartilage with the patient’s trachea cells.  Artificial bladders have also been synthesized and installed into the bodies of several patients.  Perhaps the most incredible recent innovation is the ability to transform skin cells into stem cells.  This essentially means that your skin, with proper manipulation, can be converted into any part of your body.

Robotics engineering is seeing advances on a similar scale to that of bioengineering.  Today, robots are being built for all kinds of purposes.  Many can emulate the motions and tasks of organic beings.  Though not intelligent, some robots can walk on uneven surfaces and up and down hills.  There is one at McGill University that can swim.  There is another at Harvard the size of a penny that can fly, with or without a buzzing sound.  Robots are becoming utilized for military purposes, and also for entertainment in theme parks.

The crossroads between bio and robo advances are compelling.  Leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter, won a court appeal that allowed him to compete in the regular Olympic Games.  Previously, he had dominated the field in the Special Olympics.  The only reason he did not represent his country at the games was that he failed to qualify; his qualification run was slow by a hair.  We will see a mixed field of sprinters in the coming decades as the technology for “impaired” sprinters improves.  Before long, the blades attached to these athletes’ lower legs will leave athletes like Usain Bolt in the dust.  By the year 2050, all of the world’s fastest runners will have artificial legs.

Let us look at other physical disabilities.  Today’s cutting edge technology will soon allow blind people to see light and dark.  Although these first cut optical implants will not allow blind people to see as well as someone with unimpaired vision, the technology will evolve.  In some time, a blind person will be able to see with 20/20 vision.  Not long after this milestone is met, it will be surpassed, and before long, humans will be able to see in infrared and other frequency spectra.  Imagine if somebody could magnify an image by one hundred times without the use of a microscope.  Again, the disadvantaged will become the advantaged, the disabled enabled.

 

Similar advances are occurring today for the deaf.  Again, evolving technology will one day allow the hearing impaired to hear like anyone else, and soon after that, allow them to hear with greater precision and with a wider frequency range.  Perhaps they will have dials on the sides of their heads to monitor volume and frequency range.  By now, you probably see where this is going.

As Darwin pointed out, evolution is a natural state.  We often forget that Homo sapiens are just one kind of hominid.  Twenty-one other species of hominid, like Neanderthals, have existed on Earth.  It is more common to have co-existence of various species of hominid than to have just one as we do today.  But, life evolves. 

Enriquez concludes that at some point in the 21^st Century, we will see a species overlap amongst hominids.  He calls it Homo evolutes, because it will represent a hominid that takes control of its own evolution ... Heavy stuff.  I think I would call it Robo sapiens, because it sounds cooler.

 

Either way, man is on the verge of being presented with a choice: To evolve or not to evolve?  If these near-term predictions hold true, and I believe they will, then we will not only see those with disabilities taking advantage of self-improving opportunities.  After all, many already pay large sums of money for laser eye surgery, hair removal, whiter teeth, etc.  So, someone with adequate vision and hearing may one day opt for super vision, and super hearing.  It is clear that along with these technological advances, ethical questions begin to emerge.  You can be sure that religious groups will be all over this stuff with large signs and megaphones.

It is quite possible that dividing lines may occur between the hominids.  In the Marvel series, X-Men, evolution occurs naturally at the DNA level (mutation), and mutants and non-mutants try to share the world as tension builds between them.  Perhaps, with the emergence of a new species, such a scenario could occur.  Acceptance across dividing lines would be essential.

What does the wave of technology look like?  The extents to which these scenarios will play out are hard to predict, but the general picture presented here urges us to pay attention - either learn to surf or stay out of the ocean.  A species that does not change to best thrive in its environment risks extinction; the same can be said about a business.  CEOs of technological companies should consider where they fit in to this brave new world.  Furthermore, organic beings should be extra respectful towards the disabled, as they will be the first ones to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

With the approaching Cessna 180/185 fly in at Masterton not too far away I thought I would rummage through the olde shoe box and dig out some shots of 185's that will not be coming to the 50th celebrations.

 ZK-CAT was c/n 185-0209 and is shown above at Feilding on an un-recorded date. Can anyone tell me what the sign writing on the fuselage side is ? and also what the insignia on the door and fin is. CAT struck a fence on take off, crashed and burned at Waimana on 26-07-1974.

 ZK-CAU (above) was c/n 185 0211 and is parked up here at Wellington International on 11-09-1969.

It was destroyed outside a hangar fire at Bridge Pa on the 14/15-09-1971. It had been tied down beside the hangar. Were any other aircraft destroyed in this fire ?

 ZK-CCX was c/n 185-0115 and was photographed at Queenstown in April of 1969. It was damaged at Parakai when it swung on take off on 29-01-1990

ZK-CHJ was a Cessna 185C with the c/n 185C-0756. It crashed on the Upper Tasman Glacier on 09-08-1984.

A brief stop at the Turangi airstrip on New Years Day produced only covered Zeniths!

ZK-DBZ was across from Stratford, and was securely tied down and covered. It is a Zenair CH 601 HDS (for Heavy Duty Speedwing) which was built by Don Boyd in Wellington, and it was first registered on 23/6/04. The HDS wing is shorter than the regular 601 wing and is tapered for greater speed. There is only one other 601 HDS in New Zealand, being ZK-SWB.

And in the background was another covered Zenith in a different type of hangar - a very low PVC structure like a big open fronted tent (it was pegged down), with secure fencing around and big wire netting gates at the front. Very neat and very rural.

At least the gates allowed a photograph! This covered Zenith was ZK-MAM, a CH 601 XL model owned by Mike's Aviation Management. It is ex VH-ZSA and was first registered in New Zealand on 12/1/09. You can tell that it is ZK-MAM by the label on the closely fitting cover!

Montenegro Airlines named “Hottest to watch in 2011”

In 2010, Montenegro Airlines carried 630.000 passengers, an increase of 20% compared to 2009. The airline recorded similar losses as in 2009, amounting to approximately 6 million Euros. Zoran Djurišić, the airline’s CEO, told a media conference in Podgorica that 2010 was one of the most difficult years in the airline’s history. He explained that the airline’s losses accumulated primarily due to an increase in fuel prices on the Montenegrin market. Djurišić outlined that the Montenegrin carrier operated more flights last year, up by 16% compared to 2009, while its average return ticket (without taxes) amounted to 93 Euros.

In 2011 Montenegro Airlines will commence flights to Milan and Brussels and increase its frequencies to London. Commenting on the recently failed privatisation drive, Djurišić said that the carrier should remain in government ownership for now.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has published a list of 75 airlines “Hottest to watch in 2011”. Montenegro Airlines is the only EX-YU airline to be included in the list with the likes of Lufthansa, easyJet, Wizz Air, S7, Malaysia Airlines and Etihad.

Rans S-6S Coyoye 11 ZK-XAS , c/n 03081871 , at Rangiora 03-01-2011, on its way from New Plymouth, Omaka to home base Taieri.

Rans S-6S Coyote 11 ZK-XAS comes on line for Corran Munro of Dunedin. It is a standard S-6S with an 80hp Rotax and an adjustable Ivo propeller. The aircraft was inspected on 22-11-09 and first flown the next day at Taieri by Craig Miller of Custom Aviation. Corran won an Evening Star flying scholarship in 1959 which lead to a PPL in March of 1960 under the eye of Hugh Skilling, followed by a CPL and twin rating with Bob Burns in 1974. This lead to some charter work with the Otago Aero Club. On December 24th 1977 Corran, Doug McCammon, Roger Barrowclough and Graeme Tikey flew the Cherokee Six ZK-EBU around NZ in one day; over water all the way, except for refueling stops at Hokitika, Kaitaia and Napier, in a record time of 15 hours and 59 minutes.
The XAS registration comes partly from a character in the book Vintners Luck and also in memory of an amazingly sociable cream Burmese cat named XAS. He loved riding in the car, would eat cherries, apricots and apples and had no hesitation in going flying. Corran was previously partners in the Druine Turbulent ZK-CGT with John Penno; Corby Starlet ZK-EEZ with David King and Pauline Hogue and in the Cherokee 140 ZK-DEJ and is in the Cherokee 235 ZK-LYC syndicate.
The above notes have been extracted from the pages of the December 2009 issue of the N.Z.Aviation News Magazine.

While travelling to Wellington for Christmas, I called into Matamata aerodrome which was very quiet on a Thursday. However I came across 2 very interesting Titan Mustangs both named "Miss ...."

John Shuttleworth was working on his ZK-SMF which was first registered on 6/8/09 and has now flown around 10 hours. The engine is a heavily modified Mazda rotary from an RX 8 which produces around 190 HP and is I think this is the only T 51 using this type of engine in New Zealand. John is still carrying out minor tweaks and he observed that it is pioneering work all the way.

ZK-SMF is painted up in the colours of the No 3 (Canterbury) Squadron of the NZTAF and features extensive stencilling in the style of the 1950's - you can enlarge the photo to read the detail. In a really neat touch, the aircraft is named "Miss Dixon" with a 1950's photo of Miss Dixon who is now Mrs Shuttleworth. John Shuttleworth told me that both the No 3 Squadron TAF Mustangs and his future wife were very distracting to him during his student days at Lincoln!

And the other "Miss Mustang" was Peter Walton's ZK-WSV which is now named "Miss B'havin" and lives in Mike Crene's Kiwi Mustangs hangar.

Mike has recently completed another T 51 Mustang ZK-WUH for an owner at Darfield, which was delivered in early December, and he is also building a Razorback B Model T 51 for himself to replace his ZK-DBG which has been sold to a buyer in America.

There've been some rumblings recently that the FAA is unofficially taking a look at the private medical requirement for pilot licensing.

 Janice Wood, writing for General Aviation News, cites the efforts of an airport owner/operator, David Wartofsky, to petition the Secretary of Transportation to replace the FAA's 3rd class medical with a driver's license for private aircraft weighing under 6,000 lbs.
Mr. Wartofsky makes some salient points, and calls the eventual loss of 3rd class medicals that all pilots face as "the greatest threat to aircraft ownership". 
I've never thought there'd be a snowball's chance in a blast furnace of the medical being removed, but there are compelling reasons to do just that -- or amend the current rule to conform with the lesser medical requirement of a state driver's license, such as requiring vision-corrective glasses when flying.  How many drivers in 4,000 lb. cars who barely passed their driver's license requirements whizz by you head-on at a closing speed of 120 mph? 
Some of the downsides of the 3rd class medical:
* High costs to manage the system
* overkill on the 3rd class requirements for physical health, which are equivalent to those required for a Commercial Driver's License...while a light plane is equivalent in its potential crash impact to a passenger car.
* Statistics show that barely 1% of all general aviation accidents are medically related. 
* Light Sport statistics, since the rule came into effect in 2004, reflect the same ratio of medical to all other causes of aviation mishaps, which supports Wartofsky's contention that a 3rd class medical is no more necessary for light planes than for LSA.
* Another point on the LSA side of the equation: many owners are baby boomers who fly LSA rather than run the risk of losing their 3rd class medicals.
Wartofsky's petition, which you can view and sign here, was published by DOT as required by law...and then buried by a comment period open until 2099!  Sneaky sneaky, DOT!
Pilots can get involved by adding comments to the petition and contacting their representatives in the House and Senate to support the petition.
As Wood states, the objective is to force a full re-evaluation of the need for a 3rd class medical through an NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking).