To borrow a commonly used question...What's in a name? In this case...a lot. The names people give to their airplanes is fascinating to me. Some are very clever, which I enjoy, and some don't even bother, which puzzles me. You could probably guess where I reside on that scale?
This airplane is my passion, quite possibly my 'once in a lifetime' adventure that I am pouring my heart and soul into. To not name her would be unthinkable in my eyes. Like the great fighter pilots I read about as a kid, your bird has to have an interesting name.
Anyone that knows me would also realize that I put a lot of thought into things of this nature. I have had this particular name chosen for quite some time. I was going to wait until she was an actual airplane (and not just a pile of aluminum) before making it public. But like a kid on Christmas eve, I couldn't wait. ;)
I would like to introduce
Wablosa. I'm sure your first reaction when reading this is...huh?? What kind of word...name is that? Well, its the
Lakota Sioux (famous Lakota include Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and Black Elk) word for the red-winged blackbird native to most of North America. Its songs are described in Lakota as
tōke, mat'ā nī ("oh! that I might die"), as
nakun miyē ("...and me"), as
miš eyā ("me too!"), and as
cap'cehlī ("a beaver's running sore").
Loosely translated, Wablosa means 'wings of red'.
As you know by now, my color scheme is
red/black and I have always enjoyed watching the red-winged blackbirds that frequent the marshes at the wildlife refuge near my house, swooping and diving on a warm summer afternoon. A bird...nature...my colors...a Lakota word...it was perfect, and definitely unique. Like a thoroughbred race horse with an eye-catching name, my plane, when she takes to the skies will also wear a colorful moniker.
