Answers to age old questions?

[CirrusMonkey]

So, why do they call it "taxiing" an airplane?
and
Why are pilot hats so........Well.....Ugly?

[CapnJim]

I thought this was in interesting question, one I had no idea on how to answer. I did a little research on the etymology of the word 'taxi', and came up with this:

taxi
1907, shortening of taximeter cab (introduced in London in March 1907), from taximeter "automatic meter to record the distance and fare" (1898), from Fr. taximètre, from Ger. Taxameter (1890), coined from M.L. taxa "tax, charge." An earlier Eng. form was taxameter (1894), used in horse-drawn cabs. The verb is first recorded 1911, from earlier noun use as slang for "aircraft." Taxicab is also first attested 1907. Taxi dancer "woman whose services may be hired at a dance hall" is recorded from 1930. Taxi squad in U.S. football is 1966, from a former Cleveland Browns owner who gave his reserves jobs with his taxicab company to keep them paid and available ["Dictionary of American Slang"], but other explanations (short-term hire or shuttling back and forth from the main team) seem possible.

I added the bold.

From that, two possibilities emerge: One, that the 1911 use of the word as slang for 'aircraft' came was permutated into a verb for 'to operate an aircraft on the ground under it's own power'; and Two, that the brief nature of the ground travel of a rolling aircraft along put people in mind of the brevity and simple utility of taxicab travel

Or, perhaps it's a combination of the two.

Well, that's what I came up with. Any other theories?

[Velocipede]

Why do you park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?
Why are there Interstate Highways in Hawaii?
What exactly is a "jumbo shrimp"?

[Rocketman99]

Originally Posted by CirrusMonkey

Why are pilot hats so........Well.....Ugly?

Never thought pilot hats were remotely ugly. AFAIK, they are pretty much a carryover from military officer uniform hats. Professional is not ugly.

[ComplexHiAv8r]

Originally Posted by Velocipede

Why are there Interstate Highways in Hawaii?

Any highway built under the auspices of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 and funded by the federal governent is called an interstate highway, even if it doesn't cross state lines. In fact, there are many local routes that lie entirely within a single state funded by the Act.
Hawaii has three interstates - H1, H2, and H3 - which connect important military facilities on the island of Oahu.

[CirrusMonkey]

Originally Posted by Rocketman99

Never thought pilot hats were remotely ugly. AFAIK, they are pretty much a carryover from military officer uniform hats. Professional is not ugly.

Professional is not ugly, huh? Janet Reno was a professional......But you probably...........Never mind.

[CamYZ125]

Originally Posted by Velocipede

Why do you park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?
Why are there Interstate Highways in Hawaii?
What exactly is a "jumbo shrimp"?

Why is it called cargo when carried by a ship, but a shipment when carried by truck?

[MikeOH58]

Originally Posted by CirrusMonkey

Answers to age old questions?

8 inches!

[Stomp16]

Originally Posted by MikeOH58

8 inches!

LMFAO!!!!!

[Stone Cold]

Why is there Braille on a drive through ATM.

There's a list of these that's been going around for years. Good question on the taxi one though. I guess CaptJim has the best answer for that one so far.

The hats are military carry-overs, as are most parts of the uniform. Quite a bit of the language used is Navy terminology...Knots, Port/Starboard, nav light colors, and many many others.

[SIUav8er]

Originally Posted by Rocketman99

Never thought pilot hats were remotely ugly. AFAIK, they are pretty much a carryover from military officer uniform hats. Professional is not ugly.

I thought they were a carryover form a ship captain hat, as was the rest of the airline pilot uniform. I read somewhere that Pan Am started the current uniform theme with their Clipper crews.

[HercDriver130]

the three and four strips is certianly a carry over from military uniform style....

[calcapt]

Originally Posted by MikeOH58

8 inches!

Max, oh Max........where are you?

[Qgar]

The hats are the best part of the uniform...Just my .02

[FiveO]

Originally Posted by Velocipede

Why are there Interstate Highways in Hawaii?

But, there is no highway patrol.

[wildfreightess]

Pilot hats ugly? Ask my boyfriend how ugly he thinks it is when a woman's only clothing is the blazer and the hat!!

Ten-hut!!!

[pilot_man]

Originally Posted by WildCougar

The hats are the best part of the uniform...Just my .02

Originally Posted by wildfreightess

Pilot hats ugly? Ask my boyfriend how ugly he thinks it is when a woman's only clothing is the blazer and the hat!!

Ten-hut!!!

Very Nice!!

[Qgar]

Wild....You are a S-C-R-E-A-M...

[gna_in_lgb]

Originally Posted by WildCougar

The hats are the best part of the uniform...Just my .02

Originally Posted by FiveO

But, there is no highway patrol.

Ah, but the HPD will get ya...especially on H3. I think I single-handedly funded the extension.

Originally Posted by wildfreightess

Pilot hats ugly? Ask my boyfriend how ugly he thinks it is when a woman's only clothing is the blazer and the hat!!

Ten-hut!!!

[Qgar]

And once again, Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On," is blaring in my head.

[wildfreightess]

Originally Posted by WildCougar

And once again, Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On," is blaring in my head.

Yes!!!

[calcapt]

You girls are corrupting me.

So how long should one be expected to stand at attention?

[Qgar]

Originally Posted by calcapt

You girls are corrupting me.

So how long should one be expected to stand at attention?

And you love every second of it.

As long as you can, of course!

[calcapt]

Originally Posted by WildCougar

And you love every second of it.

As long as you can, of course!

Would I be thought less of by standing at ease? That attention thing is for the young soldiers.

[Qgar]

I'm not sure what "parade rest" is, but I don't like the sound of it!

Has the Navy approved of Viagra for such issues?