The Majesty of Flight

Partly as a team-day and partly as the dry-run for a business training event we'll be laying on for clients a little later in the summer the I2K crew assembled at the Ventnor Botanical Gardens last week. We had a nice wander through the flowers, first mainly stroking things and nibbling things that we hoped weren't deadly but might on the other hand be merely strongly purgative (later evidence suggested the latter). We were especially taken with Squirting Cucumbers and tales of the impressive hydraulic pressure they generate before blasting seed-gel into your face when you brush by. And then it was back to the conference room for the main session courtesy of brilliant artist and craftsman Dave Badman: making flying machines from cardboard packaging. But, no sketching, pre-planning or rubbing out allowed - strictly spontaneous scissors and glue. The whole thing is actually geared to helping engineers and designers enjoy the creative impulse unimpeded by detailed spec. and is intended to help spur patent applications for new applications of existing technology. But it's fun too. I got a lot of glue in my sock somehow. Below you can see some of the fab creations we then test-flew out in the garden. Marvel at Kev's gigantic machine; delight at Kate's brave refusal to accept any principles of aerodynamics and make instead a small cardboard stone with a face; thrill at Dan's hot-air balloon that burned to death on the footpath; and applaud the day's determined winner Sam with her robust and superb plane that you felt might easily take passengers.