The Wonder of Air Travel

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If you're like I am, every once in a while you look outside an airline window and think, "How the heck does this thing stay up?" Now, some people think that and panic. Me, I feel a sense of wonder. Back in 1903, when the Wright brothers flew for 12 seconds at Kitty Hawk, did you know they didn't even fly the length of a Boeing 747?

That's one statistic I can't get out of my mind. When I walk from the front of a 747 to the tail, I always remember I've walked further inside a plane than Mrs. Wright's little boys actually flew their first time aloft. Talk about taking technology for granted. I get cranky if I can't plug in my computer at my airline seat or if the wine served is mediocre.

Other achievements of mankind are celebrated in London's Millennium Dome. It's sort of the 747 of its genre. It's the largest tent-like structure in the world. You could tuck the Great Pyramid of Giza inside. The residents of its host country, however, aren't all that impressed. But you know what? I bet the Wright brothers would be.

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