A "Poke Through Jello"

 

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the relation of Jesus Christ." (I Peter 1:13).

Hey Gang:  From the time my brother Del was old enough to see iron birds flying in the skies, he knew he would one day be a pilot.  This he accomplished after being discharged from the marine corp. at the conclusion of WWII.  Since he was my hero I, too, had a desire to become a sky jockey but that was not God's plan.  I contracted a mysterious heart murmur that lasted the duration of that physical.

But I never lost my interest in airplanes and enjoyed seeing the development of the jet age.  As an air traffic controller, I was very aware of idiosyncrasies of the entry into the jet age, the phenomena of the sound barrier.

One of the very special heroes of my adolescent years was Chuck Yeager, the test  pilot in the development of faster-than-sound age.  I was especially drawn to the tremendous advances that Chuck experienced in his piloting of the Bell X-1` experimental airplane.  It is a phenomenal story of perseverance in spite of the hazards of test flying an airplane that was designed after a 50 caliber bullet- since bullets traveled faster than the speed of sound.   

In 1947, eight powered flights were made in the X-1 each providing new data and new obstacles.  The major problem was as they approached the sound barrier, they experienced increased turbulence in the aircraft.  On the eighth flight a change was made in the control mechanism, controlling the aircraft with the horizontal stabilizer instead of the elevator to correct the angle of attack.

The X-1 was carried to the launch altitude in the belly of a B-29. In flight eight, after the drop from the B-29,  Yeager hit the go button and fired three rocket engines; in a matter of seconds he surpassed all previously speed records.  Once again at mach .94 the plane began to rattle.  He made the adjustment with the horizontal stabilizer trim switch and then ignited the fourth rocket.  

Poof! The X-1 sliced through the supersonic barrier on a sheet of glass.  A "poke through Jell-o" was how Yeager described the historic event. 

As I have traversed my tenure on this earth, I can relate to Chuck's experience.  I know only too well what it means to hit severe turbulence as I approach the victories that God has for me.  We used to say "We knew what was coming next at the Village because God tested it in our own family."  But we also learned that when the turbulence really got tough the key to being an ove-rcomer was to fire the fourth rocket.

Soooo, let me share one more piece of news about the sound barrier.  As the aircraft approached, moving from subsonic to super sonic, a halo engulfed the aircraft. It is both mysterious and beautiful.  It is in a sense, resistance to release.  Having a tough time today, do you want a halo moment?  Then flick the fourth switch.

Blessings,

Gramps