Word: condors
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Delayed Lift-Off. To support its theory, the I.E.S. decided to build and fly its own version of a Nazca balloon. The result was an odd contraption called Condor I, with an 88-ft.-high envelope made from fabric that closely resembles materials recovered from Nazca gravesites. The balloon's lines and fastenings were made from native fibers; the boat-shaped gondola was woven from totora reeds picked by Indians from Peru's 2.4-mile-high Lake Titicaca...
Flying the balloon proved more difficult than building it. Once released on its maiden flight, Condor climbed quickly, reaching an altitude of 600 ft. in 30 seconds. Then, buffeted by brisk winds, it fell back to earth and hit with a thud that bounced the two pilots out of their gondola. Free of both pilots and ballast, Condor lifted off again, rose to 1,200 ft., flew about 2% miles in 18 minutes, and then landed gently on the plain...
...flight of the Condor may also have accomplished another goal of the I.E.S. Until recently, Peruvian authorities have shown little interest in protecting the Nazca drawings, some of which have already been partially obscured by footprints and tire tracks. Now, inspired by Condor, the mayors of nearby towns have joined in an effort to protect the drawings. Also, the government is looking into the construction of a 30-passenger dirigible to carry tourists who want to view the drawings...
Three Days of the Condor. I had two problems with this film. In the first place, I found it difficult to follow the plot--but this was my fault, since the level of difficulty here would hardly stymie a seasoned viewer of Mission: Impossible. In the second place, when I did figure out what was going on, I thought that the C.I.A. was entirely right. Three Days seems to be saying that the C.I.A. is like a big anonymous corporation in which pawns get knocked off in the senseless palace intrigues of the bigshots. Redford's one major policy statement...
Conspiracy theories seem to abound everywhere at the moment, film being no exception. One of the better of the Oswald-Nixon-Sirhan Sirhan-Hunt-Walt Disney-Did-It genre, Three Days of the Condor, now showing at the Circle Theater in Brookline, makes the trip over the Charles to Cleveland Circle worthwhile. Robert Redford battles the mailman, Faye Dunaway, paranoid and the CIA in a taut and suspenseful film. By the end, it's tough to figure out whom to trust, except the Sundance...