Wednesday, December 06, 2006 12:00 AM PST
You can't fool me: I know you're not working. NPR already spilled the beans, announcing that some pundit figured out everyone's using their employers' high-speed connections to do their online shopping this week instead of their jobs.
I'm certainly not working; I've been trolling the Net for entertainment instead. I'm fascinated by all the nifty videos I've found of airplanes landing, taking off, nose-diving, and otherwise getting into trouble. Some of them are stunning, others heart stopping.
So take a break from your shopping (or if you're a goody-two-shoes, your work) and spend some time watching a bunch of amazing aviation videos.
First warning: The sound levels on these videos are all over the map, so I recommend you turn down the volume before starting any of them.
Second warning: A few of these files are huge, so I've put the file size in brackets when I think you need a heads up. My copyeditor said she never did watch some of them because, unlike you, she's way too impatient. [Note from Copyedit: Stuff it. --ksk]
My Top Three
First up, my absolute favorite: I've watched this 9-minute video a dozen times [11MB file]. I love the smile on the brave guy's face as he takes a backseat ride in a jet. The pilot hands over the controls and talks him through a roll, first to the left, then to the right. Very cool. (BTW, I found the video on Wild Child and there are tons more where that came from.)
Now watch Bob Hoover as he turns the engines off and flies his plane like a glider [9MB].
Finally, enjoy some Japanese aerobatics [20MB].
Don't Try This Stuff at Home
And now for some really crazy stuff, like the pilot doing an intentional stall, which I learned is a standard training procedure [22MB], and here's someone doing a 360 in a 747.
But let's not forget the idiot trying to fly off the Eiffel Tower (in a Pathe movie from the twenties or so), someone flying under a bridge upside down, or the guy who survived (yes, he did) being sucked into a jet engine, or the experimental plane flown without a pilot and entirely by computer (probably running on OS/2, from the looks of it).
Here are a couple of really nasty crashes involving an F-22 and a Mig--and the pilots actually survived.
Had enough trick flying and spectacular crashes? Then watch a YouTube video of a radar tracking FedEx planes flying to their Memphis hub. There's nasty weather approaching the airport (watch the colors) and the black arrows are the planes. Pay attention as the airplanes are diverted when the heaviest cell of the storm hits the airport. If you watch carefully, you'll see some of the planes almost hovering while waiting for the storm to pass.
And if you've ever wondered about flight patterns, watch one of these videos and you might wonder why there aren't more collisions.
Want more? You can find what seems like zillions of aviation-related videos on this well-hidden page.
Even More Videos
Lest you think I'm obsessed with aviation--a reasonable assumption, I know--here are even more videos I found floating around the Web.
Time Lapse: I didn't know what is about time lapse photography that fascinates me. TimeLapse.com has scads of videos, including clouds, cities, people, landscapes, and others. They're all for sale, but watching them is free.
The World's Most Dangerous Comic: The show is America's Got Talent and this video shows how "The World's Most Dangerous Comic" takes his title to heart. [Thanks, Charlie L.]
Moonwalking Bird: This video documents the courtship ritual of a Red-Capped Manikin--and it looks like Michael Jackson's moonwalk (without the glove).
Amazing Cat: I don't know what motivated this cat to stuff itself into a fishbowl, but it sure seems to be having fun.
Flying Through a Storm: A combat mission flies through a thunderstorm while over Iraq. Things start getting intense at about 4:30 minutes in this 9-minute video, shot by one of the crew members. (Okay, so I guess I am obsessed with airplanes...)
Steve Bass writes PC World's monthly "Hassle-Free PC" column and is the author of PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer, available from O'Reilly. He also writes PC World's daily Tips & Tweaks blog. Sign up to have Steve's newsletter e-mailed to you each week. Comments or questions? Send Steve e-mail.