Talk:Melvin Vaniman

360&times;180?
Before I started messing around with this article, we read:


 * He constructed his own "swing-lens" cameras to accomplish the capture of full 360x180 degree panoramic images. Most cameras have a lens that is stationary - it's attached to the camera body. Swing-lens cameras have lenses that move, while the camera and film are stationary.

Thanks [?] to my edit, we now read:


 * He constructed his own "swing-lens" cameras to accomplish the capture of full 360&times;180 degree panoramic images.

Er, no. I changed the wording, but the content is still very wrong.

First, horizontally. As shown in the excellent page to which this pointed, a swing-lens camera can't give you 360 degrees. (In order to do so, the lens would have to swing 360 degrees. Think about it.) You could stitch the images -- yes, people did that before Photoshop! -- but then you'd be nuts to use a swing-lens camera.

Second, vertically. 180 degrees top to bottom implies a genuine fisheye lens. These (or lenses approximating them) are older than you might think, but they weren't used for panoramas.

Can somebody please check? -- Hoary (talk) 10:51, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

RMS Trent
JovanW 04:08, 17 October 2016 (UTC)In the section 'Aerial Explorer' it is said the airship 'America' was rescued in 1910 by a Royal Mail vessel called 'Trent'. The RMS Trent linked in the article is the Trent of Civil War fame, which was broken up in the 1860s. Not sure what vessel is intended in the article, but it certain;y wasn't the Trent linked to!JovanW 04:08, 17 October 2016 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jovan66102 (talk • contribs)

I've checked, and corrected the article with the link fro the article'America'.JovanW 04:11, 17 October 2016 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jovan66102 (talk • contribs)

Commons

 * Melvin Vaniman -- Rabenbaum (talk) 12:05, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

death
Actually, there was a crew of five. Searching http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html for "Frederick Almas" results in 2 hits, both related to this article.

The New York Press, Wednesday, May 14, 1913, pg 1, col 8

"ATLANTIC CITY. May 13 — After trailing her husband's movements throughout the United States and to this place, Mrs. Frederick Almas of York, Pa., was shocked to-day to learn he was one of the crew of five on the dirigible balloon America, which, under command of Melvin Vaniman, sailed from here on the morning of July 2 for a trial trip before attempting a flight across the Atlantic Ocean, all perishing a few minutes later when, up 2,000 feet the big gas bag exploded."