The Essence Of Life, I

From Now On, Depressions Will Be Scientifically Created.

I Was Astonished At The Effect My Successful Landing In France Had On The Nations Of The World. To Me, It Was Like A Match Lighting A Bonfire.

I Can't Get Used To The Ease With Which One Covers The World Today. It's No Longer An Effort--pole--equator--oceans--continents--it's Just A Question Of Which Way You Point The Nose Of Your Plane. The Pure Joy Of Flight As An Art Has Given Way To The Pure Efficiency Of Flight As A Science.... Science Is Insulating Man From Life -- Separating His Mind From His Senses. The Worst Of It Is That It Soon Anaesthetizes His Senses So That He Doesn't Know What He's Missing.

It Is About A Period In Aviation Which Is Now Gone, But Which Was Probably More Interesting Than Any The Future Will Bring. As Time Passes, The Perfection Of Machinery Tends To Insulate Man From Contact With The Elements In Which He Lives. The 'stratosphere' Planes Of The Future Will Cross The Ocean Without Any Sense Of The Water Below. Like A Train Tunneling Through A Mountain, They Will Be Aloof From Both The Problems And The Beauty Of The Earth's Surface.

If I Had To Choose, I Would Rather Have Birds Than Airplanes.