One of the greatest joys I have as the so-called boss of ANN is
the many people I meet and the precious few that I get to know as
friends. Two of my great friends have had the same name... Frank
Kingston Smith, Senior and Junior. Frank Sr. has been gone a number
of years now but our memories of him are fond and numerous...
though his son is still often a vociferous advisor and
co-conspirator via email. The other day, Frank, Jr., sent me a
really great message... and it made for a fitting way by which I
can wish you all a very Merry Christmas -- Jim Campbell, ANN
E-I-C
From Frank Kingston Smith, Jr. --
My late father, Frank Kingston Smith SENIOR, was an
internationally known author and speaker on behalf of private
aviation. In 1962 following the publication of his third book, "I'd
Rather Be Flying", he began writing a monthly column for FLYING
magazine. The December 1962 column, entitled "Red Raider", became
one of FLYING readers' five favorite columns of all time.
Frank Kingston Smith SENIOR
Recently, a pilot friend from Walt Disney Imagineering called me
and asked me to read the narrative as a scratch track (a timing
track) for an "animatic" he was putting together. (An animatic is
the use of stills with motion added to simulate a completed story
line. It's a sort of "storyboard.") I was asked to read it "flat"
for timing with no emphasis or inflection. So I did.
Frank Kingston Smith JUNIOR
The link here connects you to the updated animatic created just
a couple of months ago, used with permission. Before you play it,
it is important that you understand that it was written in 1962
from the point of view of a private pilot; the animatic is produced
from the point of view of an airline pilot (creative license.)
There are mentions of things which no longer exist, such as a [low
frequency] fan marker, a SCATER order (which by the way is supposed
to be pronounced SCAY-tur, not "scatter"), and airlines such
as Eastern and Pan Am. The ATC conversations were added by the
producer. And you may notice that airspeeds and altitudes are
somewhat odd for an airliner, plus there are radio frequencies
which in some cases do not exist. Woodstown was in fact a VOR
rather than a VORTAC in 1962. I put this in here for my pilot
friends.
So turn up the audio, hit the link, and
relax for a little over seven minutes. And Merry Christmas to
all....
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