A Flying Obsession

We all have our hobbies, and sometimes they can become all-consuming. Take the example from today's Wall Street Journal of Mr. Anthony Toth, who has topped most of us with this little project in his garage:

Mr. Toth has built a precise replica of a first-class cabin from a Pan Am World Airways 747 in the garage of his two-bedroom condo in Redondo Beach, Calif. The setup includes almost everything fliers in the late 1970s and 1980s would have found onboard: pairs of red-and-blue reclining seats, original overhead luggage bins and a curved, red-carpeted staircase.

His earth-bound plane has just about every last detail from an airliner of that era, including the coffee maker (which looks very suspiciously like the Cuisinart I just bought a few months ago).

I first flew on a 747, coincidentally from Pan Am as well, when I was 11 or so, and even today, I have a great fascination for the venerable Jumbo Jet. Having just done one of the longest hauls available (Sydney-LAX; there are other even longer flights, but 14-15 hours is pretty impressive) I can say that service, while excellent on Delta, probably isn't quite what it was in the golden age of travel.

I am certainly impressed with Mr. Toth's achievement in recreating the First Class cabin. What I found rather disappointing were some of the comments on the piece; many folks dissed Mr. Toth for spending his time and money on something that obviously gives him great gratification. What ever happened to live and let live, or minding one's own business? I guess these traits have gone by the wayside in our extreme drive to HELP everyone and redistribute the wealth of those who don't use it in the manner the rest of the country thinks best.

To the naysayers, I can only say get your own life, and leave this guy alone. Sharing the love of flying with Mr. Toth, I can only say this model is a fantastic achievement. You're flying better than ever!