EXPLORATIONS - National Aviation Hall of Fame

EXPLORATIONS
–
May 15, 2002: National Aviation¹ Hall of Fame

By Paul Thompson
VOICE ONE:
This is Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember. with the VOA Special English program, EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about some

men and women who are members of the Aviation Hall of Fame. They have been honored² for what they did for
flying.
((THEME)
)

VOICE ONE:
The National Aviation Hall of Fame is in the middle-western city of Dayton, Ohio. It opened in nineteen-sixty-
two. Since that time, the Hall of Fame has honored one hundred-seventy-four men and women for their work in
aviation. Four more will be honored this year.

The first two people chosen as members of the Aviation Hall of Fame were Orville and Wilbur Wright. They had
lived and worked in Dayton. The Wright Brothers were the first humans ever to fly in a powered aircraft. Their
story is well known.

Another early member of the Hall of Fame is Charles Lindbergh. His record setting³ flight across the Atlantic

Ocean began on May Twentieth, seventy five years ago.
Neil Armstrong is another member of the Hall of Fame. He was the first human to walk on the Moon. Mister⁴
Armstrong’s story and that of the Apollo Eleven landing⁵ on the moon also are well known.

Today we tell about other members of the Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio who are not as famous.
((MUSIC BRIDGE)
)
VOICE TWO:
Have you ever heard the name Edwin Link? Probably not. Yet many pilots know him. Mister Link was a pioneer

in flight training. He invented a machine that helped teach new pilots to fly.

Edwin Link was born in nineteen-oh -four and died in nineteen-eighty-one. He became a
member of the Aviation Hall of Fame in nineteen seventy-six.
The device⁶ he invented is called the Link Trainer. Link Trainers did not really fly. But they

were designed to copy flight. New pilots could use flight controls and instruments as if they
were inside a real plane. A new pilot learned⁷ how to fly in the air by flying a Link Trainer
that never left the ground.

The Link Company improved their trainers over time. More experienced⁸ pilots used them to
learn to fly using only flight instruments to find their way. Edwin Link made it possible for
many pilots to learn difficult skills in complete safety.

VOICE ONE:
Just south of the city of San Diego, California is a small hill that looks toward⁹ the Pacific Ocean. A huge airplane
wing rises out of the ground there. It is a monument to John Montgomery, another member of the Aviation Hall

(Drawings -National
Aviation Hall of Fame)

of Fame.

Not many people remember John Montgomery now. Yet many aviation experts believe he was
the father of basic flying. He flew in gliders¹¹...aircraft that have no power.

John Montgomery built gliders for more than twenty years. He died in a glider¹⁰ accident in
nineteen-eleven. Mister Montgomery made most of his flights before anyone understood how
to control an aircraft in flight.

Montgomery ’s study of flight and his attempts at flying led the way for the many others who
followed. He became a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame in nineteen-seventy-three.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

Giuseppe Bellanca is another name you probably do not know. He became a member of the Hall of Fame in
nineteen-ninety-three. He came to the United States from Sicily before World War One. Mister Bellanca
designed and built airplanes for the Wright Aircraft Company in the eastern state of New Jersey¹².

Charles Lindbergh decided¹³ to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in nineteen-twenty-seven. He
wanted to use a Wright-Bellanca aircraft. Lindbergh met with Giuseppe Bellanca. Mister
Bellanca said his airplane could make the flight. He was very excited about Lindbergh’s plan.
The Wright company, however, did not approve of him using one of the company’s planes.
Company officials thought Lindbergh might fail. Charles Lindbergh had to find a different
airplane to make his famous flight.

Later, a Wright-Bellanca airplane was the first to fly the Atlantic Ocean in both directions.
And, in nineteen-thirty-one, Giuseppe Bellanca designed and built an airplane that became the

first to fly across the Pacific Ocean without stopping. It was called the Miss Veedol. It flew
from Samishiro Beach, Japan, to the town of Wenatchee in the western state of Washington. Clyde Pangborn was
the pilot of Miss Veedol. He is remembered more in Japan than he is in the United States. He became a member
of the Aviation Hall of Fame in nineteen-ninety-five.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Only a few aviation experts can tell you about Charles E. Taylor. His friends called him “Charlie.
”
He became
a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame in nineteen-sixty-five.

On December Seventeeth, nineteen-oh -three, Orville Wright became the first human to fly
in a powered aircraft. Orville and his brother Wilber designed and built the aircraft. Charlie
Taylor built the small gasoline¹⁴ engine they used.

The three men designed the engine. They drew pictures on pieces of paper. Then Charlie
Taylor built the needed part. He made the complete engine in only six weeks using almost
no equipment. Today, you can see the Wright airplane when you visit the Smithsonian’
s
Air and Space Museum in Washington D-C. Just to the left of the controls is Charlie
Taylor’s very important engine!

(((MUSIC BRIDGE))
)
VOICE TWO:
In nineteen-ten, a newspaper publisher offered fifty-thousand dollars to the first pilot to fly an airplane across the

United States. He said the trip must be made within thirty days. Many pilots tried. All failed.
No one was able to collect the prize. But one man did succeed in flying across the United
States. His name was Calbraith Perry Rodgers. He became a member of the Aviation Hall of


Fame in nineteen-sixty-four.

Calbraith Rodgers started his famous flight on Sunday, September Seventeenth, nineteen
eleven. He took off from Sheepshead Bay, New York, on the eastern coast of the United
States. Bad luck followed him all the way. He crashed several times. Each time the plane was
rebuilt. The weather was often terrible and kept him on the ground for days. The thirty days
he was supposed to fly to collect the prize passed, but Rodgers continued the flight.

His plane crashed nineteen kilometers short of the Pacific Ocean. He was badly hurt.
Newspapers said he had successfully completed the flight. Rodgers did not agree. Four weeks
later, he was helped into his airplane and flew the remaining distance to the Pacific Ocean. He landed December
Tenth on the beach, the tires of his airplane wet from the Pacific Ocean. The trip had taken eighty -four days to
complete. Calbraith Rodgers had succeeded in becoming the first pilot to fly across the United States.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

* UDSKLF,PDJH


Jacqueline Cochran was chosen as a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame for many reasons.
She was the first woman to pilot a jet¹⁵ airplane faster than the speed of sound. She won a top
prize for flying racing¹⁶ planes.

She also won the highest award given to a pilot in America --not once, but fourteen times.
During World War Two, she helped organize a group of women pilots who flew military
airplanes to help in the War effort. For this work, she became the first civilian¹⁷ ever to be given
America ’s Distinguished¹⁸ Service Medal.

In the early nineteen-sixties, Jackie Cochran was a test pilot for the Lockheed Company. She

flew a fighter plane two-thousand-two-hundred-eighty-six kilometers an hour. That is more than two times the

speed of sound. It was at that time the fastest speed ever reached by a female¹⁹ pilot.
Jackie Cochran died of a heart attack in nineteen-eighty. At the time of her death, she held more flying records
for speed, distance and height than any other man or woman in aviation history.

((MUSIC BRIDGE)
)

VOICE TWO:

Many of the men and women in the Aviation Hall of Fame designed, built and flew different kinds of airplanes.

Some are honored for their service to the United States in time of war. Some are honored for the famous aircraft

they designed. Others for the aviation companies they started.
Members of the Aviation Hall of Fame helped make flying safe for the public. Some were killed in their efforts to
improve aviation. And some of those honored have led the way to the exploration of space.

((THEME)
)

VOICE ONE:

This Special English program was written and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program on the VOICE OF

AMERICA.

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1 aviation   

n.航空，航空学，飞机制造业

参考例句：

• Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前，他们开始发展航空工业。
• Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。

2 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

4 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

5 landing   

n.登陆；着陆；楼梯平台

参考例句：

• Owing to engine trouble,the plane had to make a forced landing.由于发动机出了毛病，飞机不得不进行迫降。
• When are we landing?我们什么时候着陆？

6 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

7 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

8 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

9 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

10 glider   

n.滑翔机；滑翔导弹

参考例句：

• The glider was soaring above the valley.那架滑翔机在山谷上空滑翔。
• The pilot managed to land the glider on a safe place.那个驾驶员设法让滑翔机着陆到一个安全的地方。

11 gliders   

n.滑翔机( glider的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The albatross is the king of gliders. 信天翁是滑翔鸟类之王。 来自《用法词典》
• For three summers, may bested and improved their gliders. 他们花了三个夏天不断地测试、改进。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

12 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 gasoline   

n.(美)汽油

参考例句：

• This car runs 5 miles on a gallon of gasoline.这部汽车一加仑汽油可以行驶五英里。
• There is still some gasoline left in the tank.油箱里还剩下一些汽油。

15 jet   

n.喷气发动机，喷气式飞机；v.喷出，喷射

参考例句：

• Put a match to the jet to light the gas.将火柴放在煤气喷嘴上点燃煤气。
• I don't see the jet of your plan.我不明白你的计划的要点。

16 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

17 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

18 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

19 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。