Grounded Airplanes Transformed

 

Clever transformations of airplanes are being done in both Stockholm and Delhi. 

Travelers in Stockholm who missed their plane, have delays or who wants to join the mile high club (without the mile) will soon be able to stay in one of the 80 rooms that will be created in a grounded 747 at Arlanda airport. There will also be a more exclusive suite in the cockpit for the higher rollers.

In India another concept is flourishing with the help of a grounded Airbus 300. The passengers boarding in Delhi do not expect to go anywhere because of course; it never takes off. All they want is the chance to know what it is like to sit on a
plane, listen to announcements and be waited on by flight attendants
bustling up and down the aisle. In a country where 99 per cent of the population have never
experienced air travel, the "virtual journeys" of Bahadur Chand Gupta,
a retired Indian Airlines engineer, have proved a roaring success. As on an ordinary aircraft, customers buckle themselves in and watch
a safety demonstration. But when they look out of the windows, the
landscape never changes. Even if "Captain" Gupta wanted to get off the ground, the plane
would not go far: it has only one wing and a large part of the tail is
missing.

None of that bothers Mr Gupta as he sits at the controls in his
cockpit. His regular announcements include "We will soon be passing
through a zone of turbulence", "We are about to begin our descent
into Delhi" and "if you look out the window now, you will see Taj Mahal on your left hand side".

"Some of my passengers have crossed the country to get on this
plane" said Mr Gupta, who charges passengers about $4 for taking the
"journey".
The plane has no lighting and the lavatories are out of order. The air-conditioning is powered by a generator. Even so, about 40 passengers turn up each Saturday to queue for boarding cards. Mr Gupta bought the plane in 2003 from an insurance company. It was
dismantled and then put together again in a southern suburb of Delhi. The Indian Airlines logo on the fuselage has been replaced by the name Gupta.

Passengers are looked after by a crew of six, including Mr Gupta's
wife, who goes up and down the aisle with her drinks trolley, serving
meals in airline trays. Some of the flight attendants hope to get jobs
on proper planes one day and regard it as useful practice. As for the passengers, they are too poor to afford a real airline
ticket and most have only ever seen the interior of an aircraft in
films.

"I see planes passing all day long over my roof" Selim, a 40-year-old tyre mechanic, was quoted as saying. "I had to try out the experience."

Jasmine, a young teacher, had been longing to go on a plane. "It is much more beautiful than I ever imagined" she said.

 

 

One Airport Legend re-opens, another closes down

JetBlue is moving up its expected opening date of Terminal 5 at New York John F. Kennedy to
September 2008, that previously had been scheduled for early 2009. The $742 million concourse, one of the largest construction projects in the USA, will replace the carrier's operations at the cramped Terminal 6.
"In a tour of the facility for USA TODAY, JetBlue spokesman Todd Burke said construction is ahead of schedule and that the project is 'coming along beautifully.' Designed by San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler, the 640,000-square-foot terminal is a glass-metal structure that will sit immediately behind
the empty landmark TWA terminal designed by the late Finnish Eero Saarinen."

The buildings will be connected through the dreamlike tubular corridors — featured evocatively in Stephen Soderberg's film featuring Leo from 2002 “Catch Me If You Can” — that once led to T.W.A.’s gates. The whole introduction to the film is very much inspired by the style and aesthetics of the 50's, and the building has an important supporting actor role. 
Although its swooping forms amount to a three-dimensional transcription of “Come Fly With Me,” the building’s days as a functioning terminal were numbered in 2001 with the collapse of T.W.A. and W.T.C.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was for many years open to ideas that would transform and redevelop the brilliant architectural wonder “anything else that can be imagined by a redeveloper,” said its aviation director, William R. DeCota. Proposals ranged from a restaurant, a lounge, a spa, a shopping mall, a conference center, a art museum, a Theater, a Botanical Garden, a Sculpture court, a huge office
space, a swimmingpool, a dance club and concert space.

ART IN TERMINAL 5

An example of a proposal that was a temporary installation of the building was the exhibition, ''Terminal 5.'' It was the brainchild of Rachel K. Ward, a independent curator with a penchant for placing art in
spectacular, if unlikely, locales. One of her last project was installed in a man-made ice cave atop the Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps. The terminal project, Ms. Ward explained, ''was inspired by seeing this enormous, gorgeous landmark sitting here unused and by the desire to make it accessible to the general public.''

With the expansive sculptural forms and cool interiors, the Saarinen terminal has the feeling of the Wright's Guggenheim Museum and embody a stirring midcentury optimism about the future. But both were overtaken by it: over time, neither has proved entirely suited to its purpose. The Guggenheim's alcoves couldn't comfortably contain the vast canvases of the early 1960's; Terminal 5 could not effectively accommodate the massive flying buses of the new jet age.

For Ms. Ward, this blend of utopianism and pathos made the terminal particularly appealing as a venue for an exhibition dealing with transience, travel and the challenges of modernity. So she secured permission from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, then commissioned 20 artists to create site-specific installations. Much of the best work cleverly used the existing architecture. Jenny Holzer displayed her enigmatic text messages on the arrivals and departures board. The Japanese sound artist Ryoji Ikeda transformed one of the long tunnel walkways into a minimalist sound-and-light installation; the New York-based artist Tom Sachs turned the other one into a skateboard ramp, creating what he described as an airport-scale fallopian tube.

Several pieces evoke the lost glamour of air travel. In the entryway, Daniel Ruggiero of Switzerland has rolled out a portable red carpet to the accompaniment of the flashing cameras of invisible paparazzi, courtesy of the New York artist Ken Courtney. Conspicuously few works addressed the current reality of airport security and surveillance; those that did, like Kendell Geers's ''Security Blanket,'' made of gleaming industrial-strength padlocks, was rather oblique.

 "...a building in which the architecture itself would express the drama and specialness and excitement of travel... a place of movement and transition... The shapes were deliberately chosen in order to emphasize an upward-soaring quality of line. We wanted an uplift."

Saarinen, who died during the six-year construction of the terminal, also said in 1956, when the project began;

"All the curves, all  the spaces and elements were to be of a matching nature. We  wanted passengers passing through the building to experience a  fully-designed environment, in which each part arises from another  and everything belongs to the same formal world."

Hitler's Airport is Closing 

 The crescent-shaped Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, one of the few examples of Nazi-era architecture that still exists — and described by the British architect Norman Foster as the “mother of all airports” — is scheduled to close in the fall.

The airport — with its symmetrical lines and vaulted ceilings — was redesigned by Ernst Sagebiel in the late 1930s to inspire awe from arriving visitors. The airport’s closing will tuck away nearly 100 years of history that include Orville Wright flight demonstrations, Nazi rallies and the Berlin Airlift, which transformed Tempelhof from a symbol of repression into one of freedom. Tempelhof’s present phase — a hub for budget airlines — will be its last. It will close to make way for the expansion of the Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport, a former military base, into Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport.

So Remember; Soft irregular lines is the future and Straight symmetrical lines is the past.

New York Fashion Week Notes

 

Jaunted.com's own Lost Girl Amanda is crashing the tents and wrote this up-to-the-second report.

Shame on us for believing that Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
is nothing more than a big sparkly circus of superficial air-kissing,
over-inflated editoral egos, psudeo-celebrity photo ops and eating
disorders on parade.

As we learned this morning, the organizers of Fashion Week are
totally all about raising awareness for women's health issues. That's
why they graciously permitted the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute to commandeer precious tent space and a prime time catwalking
slot to present their The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection Fashion Show.

We managed to nab a decent pair of seats and pretended to look unimpressed by supermodel and "Project Runway" host Heidi Klum as she strutted past us in a custom-made Marc Jacobs shift dress with red and black block panels.

Also walking, among others, were Joss Stone in Max Azaria, Allison Janney in Donna Karan, Ana Ortiz in Badgley Mischka, Ashanti in Tracy Reese, and Cheryl Hines in Catherine Malandrino.

 

Liza Minelli even made an appearance, but without the man to her left, Michael and Liza.

Sadly, only Heidi's dress will be making its way around the
country in the The Heart Truth Road Show. Unfortunately for the rest of
America, she won't be traveling with it.

Related Stories:
· The Heart Truth Red Dress Project [Official Site]
· Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week [Official Site]
· Fashion Week coverage [Jaunted]

 see the article on jaunted.com here

Mustache is the new Black

 

It has been trendy for quite some time to have a full fledged mustache.
However, it is only very few who actually wears it well. For some reason the Swedes seem to wear them the best. But then again they sport the "mullet" as a national pass time and in Denmark and Norway the "mullet" style is called "Swedish Hair" (Svensker hår). See a brilliant Indian documentary about how the mullet came about here 

Then there are the Americans who have taken the idea of hair to another level. It is now official. The latest of all trends is tattooing a mustache on your pointy finger (a.k.a Fingertache), that as you go into your alterego, hold over your upper lip, while lifting an eyebrow.
see a video about it here

Get your mustache acessories by digby & iona at Catbird, 219 Bedford Avenue,

Brothers Gonna Work it Out at Roskilde Festival 2008

Roskilde is the town in Denmark where the Danes bury their Kings (and one Queen) and still build Viking ships as if it was not going out of style. They have have a rather large cathedral with twin towers that can be seen from miles away.

You actually see them quite well when you stand inside of the huge area called Dyrskuepladsen (trans. the animal viewing place) in the outskirts of Roskilde. It is here the farmers come to buy, sell and look at animals. It is also here thousands of people from all over the world gather for about a week every year since 1971. Inspired by the Woodstock Festival that took place three years earlier, some young kids decided to make their own festival, and it worked. The big Orange stage (below) of the festival, also has the three peaks, as the cathedral.

Roskilde Festival has now become one of the most respected music festivals on earth. Artists are delighted to perform for the loving audience that sees their time at the Roskilde Festival as part of their life and education. 

The above album cover is from the Chemical Brothers 10 year old remix album where they released classic tunes such as Block Rockin' Beats and Mother Earth. The brothers--that are not from the same mother--will also perform at 2008's festival, and they say its gonna be funky.

humantohuman - the 2008 theme

Above art by Lee "Scratch" Perry, who donated his work to humantohuman. humantohuman is the idea behind Roskilde Festival’s humanitarian focus. The festival audience help people in need all over the world. From one person to another – human to human.

Each year Roskilde Festival chooses an overall theme – and within this framework the audience gets an opportunity to reflect upon a contemporary humanitarian concern. This year (2008) the theme is "Fair Phone – Fair Future" which focuses on large electronics companies' responsibility for a sustainable development in this area.

Any profits from Roskilde Festival are donated directly to the Roskilde Festival Charity Society which, in turn, donates the money to humanitarian projects. Throughout the past 34 years, Roskilde Festival has donated more than € 13 million to, among many others, War Victims in Irak, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty International, Save the Children and WWF World Wildlife Foundation.

So how do you get there? Try this.

UPDATE 2010

In connection to Roskilde Festival 2010, the CO2 E - Race/CO2 Green Drive produced a version of the project in the city of Roskilde and at Roskilde Festival.



Above video about the project was made by Roskilde City.

The Danish Climate Minster at the time Lykke Friis, jumped up on a Green Electric Scooter 

The Black Glassed Triangle Pyramid!

...AND IN 2009

In 2009, The CO2 E - Race in collaboration with We Collaborate and Roskilde Festival, brought Muhammad Yunus to the festival, in a electric Jaguar. He was on Orange stage 15 minutes before Coldplay went on, in front over 40.000 people.

There was also a small exhibition of Electric vehicles and such.

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

As TLC used to sing: "Don't go chasing waterfalls, Please stick to the rivers and lakes that, You're used to, I know that you're gonna have it your way, Or nothing at all, But I think you're moving too fast".

Well our boy Olafur Eliasson sure is moving fast (but still taking his time), putting his signature on cities all over the world. In the summer of 2008, in connection to his Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and PS 1 exhibitions, he will also create a waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Danish/Icelandic artist is without a doubt THE Wonder Kid in Danish art, and has held that spot for quite some time now. The difference between Eliasson and other Wonder Kids on the international art scene, is that Eliasson actually also seem to have a heart. When he was confronted with a comission by Mr. Burns of Denmark, he played a sublime prank on him. Christiania--the "Free City" of Copenhagen--has a logo (see below) that used the three dots of the name Chri(.)sti(.)ani(.)a and by displaying this logo on T-shirst, stickers, flags, etc one declares the sympathy and support of Christiania. 

The current Copenhagen city developers have figured out that they can make serious money if they can sell the land and build more high-end apartments on the grounds. NO THANKS is the answer from the community, and it seems Mr. Eliasson has similar feelings about authorities. He does not say NO THANKS, but "sure"...however with a statement with light, in the above entrance hall of the Copenhagen Opera House (located in the same area as Christiania), paid for by Mr. Burns. 

DON'T GO TO NEW YORK IN COPENHAGEN'S MEAT PACKING DISTRICT

 

Over the last 5 years the Copenhagen music, art and club scene has
gotten some serious balls. Every possible space in the City for a
potential new club night is used to have a reason to gather your
closest 200 friends to share your energy with. The streets of Copenhagen
these days are brimming over with frustrated young people who can not
believe their own eyes and ears when they look at the political state
of their country. All this frustration must come out in one way or the
other, and since it is only a couple of these young people that throw
stones and sets stuff on fire, the rest let's their frustration out in
many new creative ways. One can choose to be politically active, or
spread another perspective on life through art and interaction through
music and physical movements of various variations.

The Danish police is considering buying water canons to be able to deal
with these dangerous young people. The young people can not wait to get a nice shower
when coming out sweating from the clubs early in the morning a sunny
day in July. Bring it on, Stormtroopers!

 

But essentially one can only feel sorry for these pink little guys, just as one did in Star Wars thinking "what about all those families Luke was killing when he blew up the Death Planet"? Just because the country is ruled by Darth Vader and Jabba The Hut, it should not be a reason to hate the police. Just feel the force and turn into Jedi Knights and spread the good energy.

WE DOUBLE YOU is such an example of an initiative amongst many in Copenhagen who is doing their very best to spread the good intention. With brave bookings such as Legendary and always cutting edge Kjeld Tolstrup, New York Old School sounding Don't Go To New York and kick ass When Saints go Machine. The location of the event is in Copenhagen's still up and running Meat Packing District in an old two story house called "Råhuset" that rooms both exhibitions, performances, DJ's and live performances. It is also the area where prostitution is still flourishing and young eastern European and African girls wander the streets to sell their bodies to Danish fathers on their way home to suburbia.
The 8th of March is of course also the International Womens Day, and it will be a good reason to also think about why many Danish men still considers prostitution an acceptable idea to take part of. It is important that men takes a clear standpoint on these issues. You should too!

The below text is in Danish, but check out the myspace links on the different artists, to get a flavour of Copenhagen Underground.

"We Double
You er et nyt  klub koncept der åbner med et brøl lørdag den 8. marts. Klubben kombinerer et væld af forskellige
kunstarter, som performances, koncerter og kunst. Alt ændrer form og
bliver tilpasset til We Double You's idé om at integrere kunstformerne.
Publikum vil således kunne opleve billedkunst på andre måder end i et galleri,
en rullende performance mellem koncerterne, robotdukker og diverse andre sanse stimulerende tiltag. We Double You har en intention om at slippe kontrollen med
kunsten og lade den udfolde sig på sin egen unikke måde. Der er ingen
begrænsninger, kun muligheder. Legen er kernen i We Double You tilgang
til kunsten. Klubbens arrangementer er rene energiudladninger, hvor
kunsten og musikken, i samspil med publikum, udvikler sig i en dynamisk
proces, som ingen ved hvor ender.

 

 Kuratorer
på kunst og performance-delen er af Kreatur, som med sit store netværk
og viden fra produktionen af bladet OM OS, har udvalgt et særdeles
vovet valg af kunstnere. Kunstnerne er på denne aften Tævet Halvt
Ihjel, Adam Olsson, Prafix Aztech og Anders Cold.

Arrangørerne
bag We Double You er A Gun For Hire, der arbejder med større kunst og
musikprojekter. A Gun For Hires mål er, altid at forsøge at skabe nye
måder at gøre ting på og genopdage potentialet i kunsten. De er også i samarbejde med The Triangle Project, som er et
kunstudvekslingsprojekt mellem Istanbul, New York og København, der
startertede i Istanbul i september 2007, og går videre i april 2008 i bland andet Råhuset.

 

Det musikalske lineup er følgende:

 

Nabo

Denne
geniale 17-årige electronica-producer sætter sig for at udforske magien
i mekanikken, og vender tilbage med et menneskeligt og personligt præg.
Han er Trentemøllers økologiske lillebror, der i sit organiske
lydbillede har en overvældende eventyrlyst og spændvidde. Trods sin
unge alder, har han været vidt omkring, fra minimal techno og dubbet
house til nu et electronica-udtryk, der er et godt bevis på, at genren
ikke bare lever, men er under konstant udvikling. Nabo er et
elektronisk vidunder, der med sin tilgang til musikken er særdeles
kompromisløs. Nabo har lovet at spille op til fest denne aften.

www.myspace.com/nabomusik

 

Up in Arms

Up
in Arms spiller en snørklet blanding mellem matematikrock og postpunk i
et univers uden kompromiser og begrænsninger. Bandet har en
karakteristisk evne til at kombinere skæve taktarter og jonglere med
melodier. Deres suveræne og overlegne eksperimenterende tilgang til
musikken er på en gang både frygtindgydende og dybt befriende. Der er
konstant stilstand og bevægelse i deres energiske lydunivers. Live er
de en ren energibombe, der overrasker og provokerer på en yderst
charmerende måde.

www.myspace.com/upinarmsection

 

Cody

Cody har, siden bandets start i 2004, betaget mange med sin fortryllende americana-inspirede
musik. Bandet lægger ikke skjul på sin musikalske herkomst fra den
amerikanske country-rock og folk scene. Dette, kombineret med den
nordiske melankoli og længsel, gør Cody til et yderst interessant
bekendtskab, der live altid leverer betagende koncerter, hvor musikken
på den mest geniale måde kravler ind under huden på publikum og tager
dem med på en smuk musikalsk rejse.

www.myspace.com/codysongs

 

When Saints go Machine

Der
er fire nye sæt boller på suppen, når When Saints go Machine gør sit
indtog på scenen. Bandet er dansegulvs-ekvilibrister og på deres
dagsorden finder vi futuristisk r'n'b, electro og powerpop. De spiller
fremtidens retro klub pop og gør det på deres egen charmerende og
delikate måde. Det electro-funk med slibrige synths og for fuldt blus.
Deres numre kan slå metertykke sprækker i ethvert dansegulv. En massiv
produktionen helt i topklasse! Glæd dig!

www.myspace.com/whensaintsgomachine

 

 

 

Don't go to new york

Dette band
er intet mindre end suveræne! De har en udsøgt evne til at lave gode
melodier omsvøbt at en særdeles markant produktion. De leverer
indierock på en charmerende og nyskabende måde. Den særprægede lyd,
sætter et markant præg på deres udtryk og skaber klare referencer
tilbage i tiden. De leverer både gammelt i et nyt format og nyt i et
gammelt format, denne kombination gør bandet til et yderst interessant
bekendtskab. Live er de et band med attitude, som leverer deres
charmerende numre på delikat vis.

www.myspace.com/dontgotonewyork

 

The Risktaker: Bob le Flambeur

Dette band
er en fantastisk sammensmeltning af country og indie. Bandet har siden
2006 begejstret både publikum og anmeldere med sit sublime nærvær under
koncerterne. Den åbenlyst gode vokal og bandets evne til at fortrylle
live er imponerende. Deres underspillede og intense americana/indie er
helt klart en overvældende koncertoplevelse.

www.myspace.com/therisktakerbobleflambeur

 

 

Læs mere på om We Double You her:

www.myspace.com/wedoubleyou

www.myspace.com/gunpeople

 

Starter 21.00-05.00    Entré 60,- kr

Råhuset, Halmtorvet 13D, Onkel Dannys Plads, 1700 København V

WINDMILLS GONE WILD

Denmark has been well known for their production of windmills for hundreds of years. We can only hope that the latest incident where a windmill in Djurlsand went totally wild and chopped its own leg off, will not hold back the expansion of wind power in the near future.

Djursland is located on the "nose" of the Danish mainland and also has tons of tourists that enjoy hygge at the delightful animal park where you can see a real 100% genuine Mammoth skeleton!
Of course these skeletons are what produces oil and other fossil burning fuels, but as long as we dig them up and put them on display we will need to think of alternatives. How can anything but natural energy be of interest at this point in time?

 

I found a Wired story about one design for a high-altitude flying windmill. Operated like a kite from a tether, the windmill would be parked in the stratosphere, where wind energy is both constant and large: At 15,000 feet, winds are strong and constant. On the ground, wind is often unreliable -- the biggest problem for ground-based wind turbines. "For FEGs, the winds are much more persistent than on ground-based machines," "That's part of the benefit, more power and greater concentration."

Tests for a prototype Flying Electric Generator -- or FEG -- will likely begin in the Southern California desert after San Diego-based Sky Windpower accumulates the needed capital.

Wonders of the World

 

Text from: www.wonderclub.com 

For centuries it stood at the heart of two of the world's great religions: To Christians it was Hagia Sophia,
Church of the Holy Wisdom, mother church of the Orthodox faith and of the thousand-year-old Byzantine Empire.
To Muslims, it became Ayasofya Camii, Mosque of Holy Wisdom and jewel of Istanbul. But to people of all
faiths, it was, in the words of sixth-century historian Procopius, a "spectacle of marvellous beauty,
overwhelming to those who know it by hearsay altogether incredible. For it soars to a height to match the
sky...stands on high and looks down on the remainder of the city...."

In A.D. 326, Constantinople was laid out on the shores of the Bosporus by Emperor Constantine. Thirty
years later, his successor built its first great church - eventually called Hagia Sophia - but it stood only
172 years before rioting crowds burned it to the ground. This event, in 532, was perhaps auspicious: It
occurred during the reign of Justinian the Builder, who would give the world the sublime "tent of the
heavens" that still stands and in whose creation "God has surely taken part."

Reconstruction started just 39 days after the destruction of the original church.
The gigantic structure was modeled loosely on the Roman Pantheon. Measuring 220 feet by 250 feet
along its main floor, it was laid out as a rectangle, at whose center was a square. Soaring 180 feet above
the square was a dome supported by four massive pendentives on equally massive piers. At the east and west
ends of the dome square were two have domes serving as the apse and entrance bay. The engineering feat
was even more incredible considering that only brick, mortar, and stone were used. Although the earlier
Romans knew how to make concrete, these Eastern builders did not.

Justinian embellished the interior with riches. Four acres of gold mosaics shimmered
from the ceiling, and multicolored marble gleamed from the floors, columns, and wall panels.

Less than six years after work on it began, Justinian's monument to Christendom was
completed. In A.D. 558 much of it collapsed due to the many earthquakes in the region. Because the initial
architects, Anthemius and Isodorus, were no longer living, the latter's nephew, Isidorus the Younger, was
given the task of rebuilding. This time it lasted 400 more years before collapsing again, and being again
rebuilt.

In 1204, knoghts of the Fourth Crusade marched on the Byzantine Empire's capital city,
stripping it and Hagia Sophia so remorselessly that a chronicler called it the most awesome plunder
"since the creation of the world."

 

When Rome's hegemony ended 57 years later, the Church of the Holy Wisdom was devoid of glittering
wealth. Bulky buttresses were built to shore it up, but its days of glory, and those of Constantinople,
were drawing to a close. In 1453, Sultan Mohammed II massed the Ottoman army in front of the city.
After a 53-day siege, the Byzantine Empire's great capital capitulated, and the conqueror marched into
town and directly to Hagia Sophia. His ulama recited a Muslim prayer, and the sultan declared
Eastern Christianity's cornerstone a mosque.

For almost 500 years it remained such, its mosaics whitewashed to hide the "idolatrous"
figures of humans. Koranic inscriptions were placed in the four corners beneath the dome; four minarets
were erected at the corners of the exterior perimeter; a gilded bronze crescent replaced the large metal
cross crowning the basilica.

 

While the changes offended Christians, the Mosque of Holy Wisdom
enjoyed a place of high regard among devotees of Islam. In the 20th century,
Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk viewed the structure as a unifying symbol for East
and West. He closed the mosque in 1932, uncovered its medeival mosaics, and
reopened Hagia Sophia as a museum in 1934. Nearly 15 centuries after Justinian,
it stands as a monument to both human and divine wisdom.

images by:
www.tumaygunaydin.com

www.jayfugmik.com 

 

IF YOU WANNA FLY, FLY THE WHITE HORSE

Above image by Børre Sæthres exhibition: "From Someone Who Nearly Died But Survived" at Brandt's Photographic Museum in Odense. The same town HC Andersen heard his first fairy tale.

In Greek mythology, Pegasus is the winged horse that was fathered by Poseidon with Medusa. When her head was cut of by the Greek hero Perseus, the horse sprang forth from her pregnant body. His galloping created the well Hippocrene on the Helicon (a mountain in Boeotia).

When the horse was drinking from the well Pirene on the Acrocotinth, Bellerophon's fortress, the Corinthian hero was able to capture the horse by using a golden bridle, a gift from Athena. The gods then gave him Pegasus for killing the monster Chimera but when he attempted to mount the horse it threw him off and rose to the heavens, where it became a constellation (north of the ecliptic).



Above image from the ceiling of Grand Central Station, New York. It is said the artists made it reversed so it could be better seen from the God's perspective.
α Peg (Markab), β Peg, and γ Peg, together with α Andromedae (Alpheratz or Sirrah) form the large asterism known as the Square of Pegasus. 51 Pegasi, a star in this constellation, is the first Sun-like star known to have an extrasolar planet. IK Pegasi is the nearest supernova candidate. Spectroscopic analysis of HD 209458 b,
an extrasolar planet in this constellation has provided the first
evidence of atmospheric water vapour beyond the solar system.

It should be no secret that Turkish Pegasus Airlines has a large fleet of airplanes with Pegasus on the tail. Pegasus Airlines was established in 1990 as a joint venture between Aer Lingus, Silkar Yatirim and Net Holding, with its head office located in Istanbul. Since its first commercial flight in May 1990, the airline has grown from a fleet of two aircraft, to a fleet of 17, which
includes the very latest new generation Boeing 737/800s. In 18 successful years, Pegasus Airlines has become a leading charter airline in Turkey. With a fleet of 12 Boeing 737-800, 2 Boeing 737-400, and 3 Boeing 737-500, the airline operates charter flights, from Turkey to 99 destinations in 17 countries. Pegasus Airlines also provides wet lease to airlines in need of extra capacity. It also has very inexpensive flights between Copenhagen and Istanbul.

 

It is said that the first attempt of human flight was from the Galata Tower in Istanbul, and the gentleman who put on his wings and jumped out from the tower had a nice flight down over the rooftops and Bosphorus and felt he was alive.



Above image of Sabiha and Atatürk from the Turkish Air Forces.

The second international airport of Istanbul on the Asian side, is the Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, and is where Pegasus Airlines lands when they fly to Istanbul. Sabiha Gökçen (March 22, 1913, Bursa—March 22, 2001, Ankara) was the first Turkish female aviator and the first female combat pilot in the world. She was one of the eight adopted children of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

 

Just after the introduction of the surname act (June 21, 1934), Atatürk gave her the family name Gökçen on December 19, the same year. Gök means sky in Turkish and Gökçen means 'belonging or relating to the sky'. However, she was not an aviator at the date and it was only six months later that Sabiha developed a passion for flying.



Atatürk attached great importance to aviation and for that purpose, oversaw the foundation of the Turkish Aeronautical Association in 1925. He took Sabiha along with him to the opening ceremony of Türkkuşu (Turkishbird) Flight School on May 5, 1935. During the airshow of gliders and parachutists invited from foreign countries, she got very excited. As Atatürk asked her whether she would also want to become a skydiver, she nodded "Yes indeed, I am ready right now".