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January 2004 Poll #2
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January 2004 Poll #1
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Do you trust Libya to be fully open and honest about eliminating its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction?
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Yes
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32%
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No
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55%
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Undecided
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13%
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Total votes: 123
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Which Democratic presidential candidate is best suited to be commander in chief?
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Dick Gephardt
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2%
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John Kerry
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3%
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Al Sharpton
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2%
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Joe Lieberman
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8%
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John Edwards
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0%
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Howard Dean
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7%
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Carol M. Braun
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1%
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Wesley Clark
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18%
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Dennis Kucinich
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2%
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None
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51%
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No opinion
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6%
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Total votes: 126
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Comment: While one must always be skeptical of the intentions of dictators, Muammar Qadhafi seems to
have long ago learned that being a "rogue nation" is not all that desirable. Aside from the tragic Pan Am
103 bombing of 1988, Libya has become increasingly hostile to terrorist groups and seems eager to attract
foreign investment. Progress has been so encouraging that the UN suspended economic sanctions in 1999.
Libya's new-found openness about its weapons programs is indeed a promising sign, one that should be
welcomed as the nation slowly emerges from decades of economic ruin.
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Comment: This poll was intended to provide an opportunity for us to endorse one of the candidates
for the Democratic nomination, but we could not agree on one. Even so, we were not nearly as pessimistic
as our respondents, who apparently have more faith in "none of the above" than all of the Democratic
hopefuls put together!
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December 2003 Poll #2
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December 2003 Poll #1
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What is the most revolutionary aircraft in history?
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P-51 Mustang
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4%
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Boeing 707
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6%
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Wright Flyer
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22%
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DC-3
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4%
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MiG-21
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6%
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UH-1 Huey
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2%
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X-1
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4%
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Concorde
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10%
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Spitfire
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2%
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Piper Cub
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0%
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SR-71 Blackbird
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22%
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X-15
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5%
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Santa's sleigh
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11%
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Total votes: 334
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What event was the most significant in the history of flight?
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Moon landing
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14%
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First jet engine
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8%
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Wright brothers
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47%
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First aerial combat
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3%
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First man in space
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5%
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Sound barrier
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8%
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Lindbergh flight
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4%
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Sputnik
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4%
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First airline flight
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4%
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Other
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2%
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Undecided
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1%
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Total votes: 250
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Comment: This question was primarily intended to provide some holiday season levity rather than a
serious contemplation of aviation history. Nonetheless, Santa faired relatively poorly, indicating that
89% of you are going to get nothing in your stocking next year but coal! Seriously though, we'd have to
say that the DC-3 is probably the single most significant aircraft in history because its revolutionary
design had such a profound impact on both commercial and military operations.
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Comment: Since this question was posed during the 100th anniversary of flight, it is not at all
surprising that the Wrights took such a commanding lead. For comparison, check out the
selections of our own staff members on this subject.
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November 2003 Poll #2
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November 2003 Poll #1
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Should militaries construct directed energy weapons capable of disabling enemy electronics and computers?
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Yes
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90%
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No
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9%
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Undecided
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1%
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Total votes: 110
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How long do you think it will be before a supersonic replacement for the Concorde enters service?
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5 years
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18%
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10 years
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32%
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20 years
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30%
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Never
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19%
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Total votes: 142
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Comment: Many nations are already heavily investing in directed energy weapons, with China
apparently leading the pack. What we find most distressing is the fact that our European allies, like
Germany and the Netherlands, are developing such weapons that appear to primarily exploit vulnerabilities
in American electronic systems.
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Comment: The airlines do not appear to show significant demand for a supersonic airliner, so the
prospects for a Concorde replacement are slim, at best. The only manufacturer that has invested any
resources into developing a new supersonic transport is the Russian firm Tupolev. Given the financial
instability of most Russian companies, a supersonic airliner being developed within ten years seems awfully
optimistic. NASA also spent a number of years developing new technologies for a High Speed Civil
Transport (HSCT), but the ultimate conclusion was that such a plane is simply too expensive to operate in
today's business climate.
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