Afraid of heights but I adore flying craft

Perhaps it seems silly for a devout railfan and train nut, an acrophobic (fear of heights) who won't climb stepladders, to be enamored of flying contraptions. Though skydiving is a definite "no-no" and steam still rules—I would fly anywhere in almost any kind of aircraft.

There is something about the power and grace of a flying machine as it skims along—seemingly effortless—and then, with a roar, zooms higher, farther, and faster than birds, people, or even locomotives.

So, even though I'm terribly acrophobicc—I can't even climb a ladder without quivering in fear—I can hope on an airplane with no trepidation at all.

I've always been impressed with a select batch of aircraft, including the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" and the Boeing 727 commercial jetliner. Perhaps my devotion comes from living in Seattle, home of the manufacturer, but then, it could also be from standing in awe at the airport perimeter fence as these exciting machines are powered through their paces.

Although my first and greatest love has always been the roaring thunder of railroad steam locomotives, I can't imagine a world without such aircraft as the Flying Fortress and the 727. The B-17's massive NACA 0012 airfoil is, to my mind, the definitive example of the Bernoulli effect

The effect was discovered by mathematician Daniel Bernoulli, not by his better-known brother, physicist Nicholas, in the 18th Century (1700s). Simply put, the outward pressure in a moving column of air is greater than in a standing column. So, as air passes over the wing, its upward pressure is greater than the downward pull of gravity.

Then, of course, not only does the 727 use airfoils to fly—each of its jet engines (actually the venturi inside) also operates by the Bernoulli principles. This is based upon the model we learned in junior high science, demonstrated by the blown-up balloon—where it is the forward pressure on the balloon skin (or the venturi's spinning turbine blades), not the outrush of escaping air through the rear opening, that propels it forward.

Though technically not aircraft, unlimited hydroplanes—better known as "thunderboats"—also share with aircraft the commonality of the tunnel hull airfoil (along with Formula One ground effect racing cars), another manifestation of Bernoulli's effect.

Come to think about it, when you add computer hard disks to the airfoil list, as well as the superheater flues in "super power" steam locomotives, it seems that most of my passions heavily involve the Bernoulli effect.