VOA常速英语2014--法国爱好者们致力于修复老式飞机

French Enthusiasts 1 Restore Old Airplanes 法国爱好者们致力于修复老式飞机

Vintage airplanes always attract a lot of attention and aviation enthusiasts spend much time, effort and money to restore them to flying condition. When they do not have original planes to restore, they build replicas 3 which can be seen flying through the skies of period movies.

Since 1929, the Salis aircraft collection, at the La Ferte-Alais airfield 4 about 40 kilometers south of Paris, has been a place where old planes-like this Boeing Stearman PT-17-are restored to flying condition.

自1929年以来,在巴黎以南约40公里处拉法蒂阿里亚斯机场的阿里亚斯飞机收藏展览内，一直在修复着像是波音Stearman PT-17这样的老式飞机使其能够再次翱翔于天际。

It was built in the 1940s for training U.S. military pilots. Out of more than 10,000 produced, only about 20 remain, flying mostly at airshows.

起初这座机场是建于1940年代作美军飞行员训练之用。超过10000加飞机在这里诞生,而现今仅存大约20架,只有在飞行表演时才会起飞。

But the most prized possession of the collection is the Bleriot XI in which Louis Bleriot became the first pilot to fly across the English Channel in 1909.

但是最珍贵的收藏是这架Bleriot XI，布莱里奥·路易斯驾驶它成为第一位在1909年横渡英吉利海峡的飞行员。

Baptiste Salis, grandson of the man who started the collection, says flying it makes you feel the weight of the history.

展览创始人的孙子巴普蒂斯特·阿里亚斯表示驾驶它会让你感到历史的文化内涵。

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“It is rather extraordinary to fly a machine that is 100 years old.Sometimes these machines have really high performance, on the contrary of what one might think; and you can feel these emotions coming from the history of these planes and the pilots that were flying them.”

“有幸驾驶一架100来岁的飞机那种感觉肯定特别不一般。有时这些老伙计有很高的性能,但人们通常都不会这样想;你可以感受到这些飞机的历史的以及驾驶过它们的飞行员们。”

Aircraft mechanic Xavier Gach says one of the greatest challenges is finding parts and material for restoration.

飞机机械师哈维尔·加克称修复工作面临的最大挑战之一是找寻零部件和材料。

“If you want to make an identical old plane with original pieces-it will be complicated.You would need to invest in much more expensive canvases - you can still find them -but they will cost let's say 4-times more. Screws are not easy to find, engines-even more difficult; very often you have to make pieces yourself. It costs a lot of money.”

“如果你想用原来的零部件完美还原一架老飞机，过程将会极其复杂。您需要投入更多—你仍然可以找到它们,但会多花4倍以及更多的价钱。螺丝不容易找到,引擎更是难上加难;你经常必须自己制作零部件。总之就是很烧钱。”

To make money for restoration, the workshop builds replicas of vintage aircraft for use in films and commercials, like this British World War I fighter plane SE5.

为了给修复工作赚取资金,这个工作室制造了用于电影和广告的老式飞机复制品,比如这架英国一战的战斗机SE5。

“For example, here behind me,you have a star that was in film Ace 5 of Aces 6 with Jean-Paul Belmondo. It is a replica 2 of SE5, it has its shape but it is not the real one.

“举个例子,在我身后,你请来了电影王中王的明星让·保罗·贝尔蒙多。这是SE5的复制品,身形兼备，但并非是真货。

The collection features several warplanes, including the World War I French fighter Spad XIII and World War II B-17 Flying Fortress 7.

这次的收藏展览也包括了一些战机,包括第一次世界大战的法国战斗机Spad XIII以及二战中的B-17轰炸机。

Pilot Gaelle Damico, who owns a Belgian trainer Stampe SV.4, said flying vintage planes gives you a special feeling.

拥有比利时教练资格SV.4的飞行员加耶烈·达米可称驾驶老式飞机带给你的是一种特别的感觉。

“I feel like being 50 years back in time and the sensation of having your head outside. That is superb.

“我觉得时光回到了50年前而且当你把头探到外面。那感觉太好了。

Every May the Salis collection organizes an air show and visitors can see many of the planes as they were meant to be seen-in flight.

每年五月阿里亚斯收藏展览都会举办航空展,参观者们可以亲身乘坐他们梦寐以求想见到的老式飞机。