Yes my foreign folks, we Colombians clap after landing

There is an ancient local proverb which says: “Colombia went from the mule to the airplane”. It comes to the foundation of the first commercial airline in the Americas and second one in all over the world. In late 1919, our ex-flagship of the air -Avianca- borned as SCADTA, when Colombia still moved through rivers and precarious mule paths - just two decades after the first car rrived to Colombia-. After that, when planes conquered world skies, commercial aviation started as a pretty luxury service where the big deal was to be into the plane, not to reach destination. At that time, those rich and distinguished people left aside its caviar and stopped drink its cognac to clap after landing. Then aviation became the most effective system and applauses sounded loud when planes got Europe and USA lands. Nowadays, it still happens in those places after forced landings or troubled flights. ¡Cheers for the life!

The great da Vinci had principally some air-pressure difference unknowns issues and then frame-wing design mistakes, in his fail intention to flight as a bird. Then, centuries after the Brazilian Alberto Santos Dummont was the pioneer to pilot a machine heavier than the air taking flight by itself -verified by the French flying club and witnessed by a stunned Parisian  crowd-. Clapping is still common in some regions around world and here in South America besides Colombia. It probably makes sense if we ponder that it could be the first plane ride or that luxury service for them. People clap as surely would clapped da Vinci after his first landing, my fellow countrymen clap as distinguished people they are. They clap to get land save and sound, they thank their Catholic God of our secular state what science brought them. It seems that air clapping history is more about to celebrate human adventure rather than a bizarre practice.

"Because we’re happy

Clap along if you feel like you touch down save and sound

Because we’re happy

Clap along if you feel like you´re pioneer in the world

Because we’re happy

Clap along if you know what tons of stuff across the sky is to you

Because we´re happy

Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do"

Foto: http://www.actualidadpanamericana.com/aerocivil-prohibiria-aplaudir-tras-aterrizaje/