Archery!

This is more a fact forgotten, then remembered, and then posted here in hopes it shall not be forgotten again:

The feathers that form the "fins" of an arrow, and provide its aerodynamic stability while in flight, are called fletchings.

The fletchings are also called vanes, and the term fletching comes from the Old French term for arrow, "flèche." They provide stability by imparting drag on the back end of arrow, thus keeping it from tumbling during flight.

Airline Industry!

So being that I'm planning a trip come September with my lovely GF, this bit of info comes in quite handy:

A non-stop flight entails a flight that travels directly from Point A to your final destination at Point B, with no stops or layovers.

A direct flight is often confused with a non-stop flight, but is, in fact, different. A direct flight is simply a flight that travels from Point A to your final destination with no change of flight numbers. This does not rule out the possibility of intermediate stops (so your final destination could be Point B, or Point C, or even Point D).

A direct flight can even entail a change of airplanes, although current rules dictate the the connecting flight cannot leave until the original flight arrives.

Thanks to Christine for this bit of knowledge!

Space Shuttle!

This is a make-up for yesterday's non-existent post (crazy day at work).

It was announced yesterday (April 12, 2011), that the Space Shuttle Enterprise will be moved to NYC and put on display in a hanger adjacent to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum once the Shuttle fleet is retired.

I admit to being a bit disappointed, as the Enterprise never actually performed any space flight, only test flights in the atmosphere. It was the first Shuttle built (and designated OV-101) but it lacked heat shielding and engines. While the original intent was to refit the Shuttle for space flight, apparently the engineers revisited their calcs post-Challenger disaster and adjusted parts of the overall Shuttle design that made this refitting impossible.

Vocabulary!

Peruse has two definitions that are completely at odds with one another:

1. To examine or consider with attention and in detail.

2. To look over or through in a casual or cursory manner.

It's also the 22nd most popular search on Merriam Webster's online dictionary, whose definition I use above.