| Author | Message | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4857 Registered: 5-2003 |
In the early days of flying, pilots often took a bottle of beer aboard the plane with them -- but not to drink. Why? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 14663 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did they open the bottle? Did anyone drink the beer? Did the beer absorb something? Did the beer serve as a makeshift flight instrument? Altimeter? Would it freeze at high altitudes? | ||
| Gregoryuconn (Gregoryuconn)
New member Username: Gregoryuconn Post Number: 1540 Registered: 9-2010 |
Would any alcoholic beverage work? Vodka? Wine? That hideous caffeinated alcohol stuff? Jack Daniels? Jack and Coke? A Margarita? A Molotov Cocktail? Non-alcoholic beer (although I don't think that had been invented in the early days of flying)? Coca-Cola? Was the beer in a glass bottle? A plastic bottle? A can? Relevant? | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 4327 Registered: 9-2009 |
Carbonization relevant? Air pressure? Altitude? G-forces? Was it used in place of an instrument? If so, was the instrument expensive? Rare? Not invented? Artificial horizon relevant? Did the beer stay in the bottle? Did the bottle stay corked? Does the bottle need to be transparent? Will it be opened? Will the beer be poured somewhere? will the pilot look at the bottle while flying? Listen to it? Shake it? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 14668 Registered: 4-2010 |
Greg: In regards to "that hideous caffeinated alcohol stuff," are you referring to Four Loko? | ||
| Solitiare (Solitiare)
New member Username: Solitiare Post Number: 211 Registered: 7-2011 |
Is the bottle, not the beer, the important thing? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 1757 Registered: 2-2011 |
did they use it to have a wee? | ||
| Gregoryuconn (Gregoryuconn)
New member Username: Gregoryuconn Post Number: 1543 Registered: 9-2010 |
Balin: yes. | ||
| Biograd (Biograd)
New member Username: Biograd Post Number: 1861 Registered: 6-2008 |
I like Balin's idea that beer was used because it wouldn't freeze at high altitudes... Is it relevant how full with beer the bottle was? Whether it was still sealed? Was something dropped into the beer and left floating in it? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 1804 Registered: 2-2011 |
was it used as a spirit level? to check the wings were level? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4860 Registered: 5-2003 |
Artificial horizon relevant? Yes. was it used as a spirit level? to check the wings were level? This. Before the invention of modern instruments, one technique pilots used to check their orientation was a bottle of beer attached to the cockpit. If he couldn't see the ground, the pilot could check the level of liquid -- if it was upside down he was in trouble! If he survived the crash, he could also drink the beer to drown his sorrows. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 1990 Registered: 2-2011 |
that's amazing | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 15017 Registered: 4-2010 |
Crazy! (That's the spoiler, right?) And if they made it safely, they could drink it to celebrate. | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4864 Registered: 5-2003 |
Yes. Oops. | ||
| Kayleetonkslupin (Kayleetonkslupin)
New member Username: Kayleetonkslupin Post Number: 4455 Registered: 9-2010 |
All right, I'll help you out then Jenburdoo =) ***SPOILER*** This was fun reading, even though I was totally confused *grin* |
