It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Leif Harding today. May I take this opportunity to say thank you to him for all of the hard work he did for the flight sim community and send my condolences to his family and friends.
Oh! Ihe has slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward he climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of. Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
He chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
He's topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind he trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out his hand, and touched the face of God.
With apologies to John Magee for paraphrasing his fine poem.
Oh! Ihe has slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward he climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of. Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
He chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
He's topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind he trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out his hand, and touched the face of God.
With apologies to John Magee for paraphrasing his fine poem.
