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Thursday 14 March 2013

The Lid Blew Off

The background to the incident to which I am about to relate is crucial to your understanding of why I did what I did.  Add to the fact that I was a teenager still green behind the ears and the picture is complete.  I was then and still am interested in all types of commercial aircraft.  When I selected plastic airplane models to build as a hobby during my teenage years, they were nearly always of the airliners flying the skies at that time.  My first plane ride was in the venerable Douglas DC 3, the most successful commercial aircraft ever built and some still flying today.

Air Canada or Trans Canada Airlines, as it was known then, flew as one of the largest aircraft in its fleet, the luxurious Lockheed Super G Constellation.  It was a four engine, propeller driven aircraft, the most advanced of its day and designed by Howard Hughes of Spruce Goose fame.  TCA was introducing it on their transcontinental service and had one parked on the tarmac in front of their Service Hangar at the Edmonton Municipal Airport.  The aircraft was open for inspection by the public several hours that evening and I wanted to see it badly.  Since I did not live far from the airport, it was easy for me to ride over on my bicycle.

"Mom," I asked, "May I go to the airport to see the plane TCA has on display until 8:00 P.M. this evening?"

"That is fine with me," Mother replied, "but remember you have to start supper this evening.  I want you to cook the spaghetti we'll be having and I'll make the sauce when I get home from work."

Now everyone knows that you cook spaghetti in a large open pot using lots of water.  I decided that I could speed things up thus getting away earlier by cooking the spaghetti in Mom's pressure cooker.  Well, I did just that and after letting the pressure build up to three rings on the pressure indicator, I turned off the heat and removed the indicator to let the steam out.  This was a fatal mistake.  Since I was in such a hurry, I didn't wait for all the pressure to be released.  Instead, I loosened the lid.  Blam!  The lid blew off and you know what happened,  There was spaghetti and the gluey water resulting from the cooking process all over the stove, the walls and the ceiling.  Of course, my Mother choose that exact moment to walk in the door.

What else can I say?  I had messed up big time but the story had a happy ending.  My Mom helped me clean up the mess, we cooked more spaghetti, this time in a proper pot, and supper was finished in plenty of time for me to bicycle to the airport and see the aircraft on display.  It was magnificent!




                                      ` Photo credited to: Ralph M. Petterson       Airliners.net