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Alcazar Cabaret Show in Pattaya City has all the allure and razzmatazz of a Las Vegas nightclub. Dazzling performances by artists in glittering evening gowns thrill nightly audiences, as they mime and dance against a backdrop of surround-sound and computerized laser lighting. The unique feature of Alcazar's entertainment, that sets it aside from Las Vegas, is that all the girls are boys!
A Halloween display outside of KBC Brewing in Webster MA.
This display was computerized and projected onto the pumpkins There was a soundtrack in the background. As far as I know, no pumpkins were harmed in the the presentation of this display.
A surgical technician at Bauman Medical Group is seen here administering a computerized, antiseptic pre-op scalp-wash to a hair transplant patient just prior to his procedure. This new "shampoo robot" is used to cleanse the scalp, while giving a relaxing, vibrational massage. The shampoo robot is also used post-operatively to help accelerate the cosmetic recovery from the hair transplant procedure. www.baumanmedical.com
Based out of Byron, California and flying the L-39, the Patriots Jet Team is a big hit no matter where they go. They use a computerized system for their red, white, and blue smoke generators to add to their precision.
The team is sponsored by Fry's Electronic and Hot Line Construction...two of the team members are former US Air Force Thunderbirds.
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L with 1.4X Extender II @203mm
Exposure: 1/1600 Second @ f/8.0 ISO100 EV -5/3
This image is © Douglas Bawden Photography, please do not use without prior permission.
Enjoy my photos and please feel free to comment. The only thing that I ask is no large, flashy graphics in the comments.
garagedoorrepairtampafl.com/ - To bring vital news and information to residents, Nextdoor has partnered with these Brandon businesses. You could be rest assured that your whole commercial storage door repair wants will likely be taken care of. Good garage door restore companies will even repair damaged cables, computerized motors, sagging doorways, and numerous hardware. Brandon storage door can fix any model's mechanical or electrical component points, sliding gates, openers, overhead doors, folding doorways, or chain methods. Our specialists will first conduct an onsite inspection to diagnose the storage door downside.
This t-shirt features everyone’s favorite Italian plumber Super Mario as seen in his video game debut on the Nintendo NES! This cute Tee sports the PixelBlast™ design for an added unique look. It’s the perfect gift for the gamer girl in your life!
See more at: www.savethe80s.com/store
Jess, Paul, Mary, Om, Al, Aaron, Jerry, and Ron discuss investment topics at the April 16, 2015 meeting of the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Computerized Investing Special Interest Group (SIG).
Pieced by Leslie Holcombe. Computerized Quilted by Jessica's Quilting Studio. Baseball panto by Deb Geisler
Another attempt at Andromeda, this time with my 400 mm and a tracking mount! (Using a dovetail adapter on a 4SE computerized mount, nothing fancy.) I stacked about 55 exposures, using 13 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 3200 per exposure. Total integration time is around 11.5 minutes. Wasn't the best viewing conditions, and combined with [alt/az] tracking errors, wind, and possibly slightly inaccurate focus, has resulted in slightly blobby stars. Still pleased with this image, and looking forward to next attempt!
Equipment: Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope, CGEM Mount.
Camera: Canon T1i
Exposure: HD stills x 30 (prime focus)
Location: Valencia, Venezuela
Date/Time: June 05, 2010 at 04:00
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The North American A-5 Vigilante (Prior to 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations, it was designated the A3J) was an American carrier-based supersonic bomber designed and built by North American Aviation for the United States Navy. In 1953, North American Aviation began a private study for a carrier-based, long-range, all-weather strike bomber, capable of delivering nuclear weapons at supersonic speeds. This proposal, the North American General Purpose Attack Weapon (NAGPAW) concept, was accepted by the United States Navy, with some revisions, in 1955. A contract was awarded on 29 August 1956. Its first flight occurred two years later, on 31 August 1958 in Columbus, Ohio.
At the time of its introduction, the Vigilante was one of the largest and by far the most complex aircraft to operate from a Navy aircraft carrier. It had a high-mounted swept wing with a boundary-layer control system (blown flaps) to improve low-speed lift. It had no ailerons; roll control was provided by spoilers in conjunction with differential deflection of the all-moving tail surfaces. The use of aluminum-lithium alloy for wing skins and titanium for critical structures was also unusual. The A-5 had two widely spaced General Electric J79 turbojet engines, fed by inlets with variable intake ramps, and a single large all-moving vertical stabilizer. Preliminary design studies employed twin vertical fin/rudders, but this was eventually changed to a single tall but foldable fin. The wings and the nose radome folded for carrier stowage, too. The Vigilante had a crew of two seated in tandem, a pilot and a bombardier-navigator (BN) (reconnaissance/attack navigator (RAN) on later reconnaissance versions).
The Vigilante had advanced and complex electronics when it first entered service. It had one of the first "fly-by-wire" systems on an operational aircraft (with mechanical/hydraulic backup) and a computerized AN/ASB-12 nav/attack system incorporating a head-up display ("Pilot's Projected Display Indicator" (PPDI), one of the first), multi-mode radar, radar-equipped inertial navigation system (REINS, based on technologies developed for North American's Navaho missile), closed-circuit television camera under the nose, and an early digital computer known as "Versatile Digital Analyzer" (VERDAN) to run it all.
The aircraft replaced the subsonic Douglas A-3 Skywarrior as the Navy's primary nuclear-strike aircraft, but only briefly. Given its original design as a carrier-based, supersonic, nuclear heavy attack aircraft, the Vigilante’s main armament was carried in an unusual internal "linear bomb bay" between the engines in the rear fuselage, which allowed the bomb to be dropped at supersonic speeds. The single nuclear weapon, commonly the Mk 28 bomb, was attached to two disposable fuel tanks in the cylindrical bay in an assembly known as the "stores train". A set of extendable fins was attached to the aft end of the most rearward fuel tank. These fuel tanks were to be emptied during the flight to the target and then jettisoned with the bomb by an explosive drogue gun. The stores train was propelled rearward at about 50 feet (15 m) per second (30 knots) relative to the aircraft. It then followed a ballistic path.
The Vigilante originally had two wing pylons, intended primarily for drop tanks. The second Vigilante variant, the A3J-2 (A-5B), incorporated internal tanks for an additional 460 gallons of fuel, which added a pronounced dorsal "hump", along with two additional wing hardpoints, for a total of four. Other improvements included blown flaps on the leading edge of the wing, changes to the air intakes and stronger landing gear.
The reconnaissance version of the Vigilante, the RA-5C, was based on the A-5B airframe and had slightly greater wing area and added a long canoe-shaped fairing under the fuselage for a multi-sensor reconnaissance pack. This added an APD-7 side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), AAS-21 infrared line scanner, and camera packs, as well as improved electronic countermeasures. An AN/ALQ-61 electronic intelligence system could also be carried. The RA-5C retained the AN/ASB-12 bombing system, and could, in theory, carry weapons, although it never did in service. Later-built RA-5Cs had more powerful J79-10 engines with afterburning thrust of 17,900 lbf (80 kN), the same engines as the Navy’s F-4J Phantom IIs. The reconnaissance Vigilante weighed almost five tons more than the strike version with almost the same thrust and an only modestly enlarged wing. These changes reduced its acceleration and climb rate, though it remained fast in level flight and was still fully carrier-capable.
The last Vigilante version to be developed from 1964 on and to enter service in 1966 was the EA-5D, a dedicated electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare version, again replacing respective A-3 Skywarrior variants. With the initial experience from the Vietnam conflict, the EA-5D was primarily conceived as a fast escort for supersonic strike aircraft – namely the USN’s F-4 Phantom IIs which progressively took over more strike missions and direly needed protection from SAMs that could keep up with them during their dangerous missions over enemy territory.
The EA-5D, which was unofficially nicknamed “Electric Vigilante”, “Eva” or simply “E-V” by its crews, was based on the late RA-5C’s airframe and was easily distinguishable through its fairing at the top of the fin which contained the electronics for a Bunker-Ramo AN/ALQ-86 ECM suite. It carried ECM gear in the linear bomb bay and a 16 feet (4.9 m) long canoe-shaped ventral fairing (looking like a shortened but deeper version of the RA-5C’s camera and SLAR installation), plus a heat exchanger, a non-jettisonable auxiliary tank and AN/ALE-41 chaff dispensers in an extended tail cone. The complete installation weighed some 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg). Receivers were installed in a fin-tip pod, or "football", like that of the contemporary EA-6A. This fin array caused some lateral instability, though, which could be compensated with a pair of fins under the rear fuselage.
Like the RA-5C, the EA-5D retained the AN/ASB-12 bombing system and was – in theory – like its recce sibling capable to carry out strike missions, but this never happened either. The EA-5Ds were furthermore equipped with an AN/APQ-129 fire control radar, making the aircraft capable of SEAD missions and of firing the AGM-45 “Shrike” anti-radiation missile, although they were apparently never used in that offensive role. Up to four ram-air turbine powered ALQ-76 countermeasures pods could be carried on the underwing hardpoints, augmenting the internal AN/ALQ-86 system’s bandwidth and jamming power. To improve survivability the EA-5D was furthermore outfitted with a pair of launch rails, mounted as sub-pylons on the outsides of the outer underwing hardpoints. Each could carry a single IR-guided AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM.
Despite the Vigilante's useful service as reconnaissance and ECM platform, it was expensive and complex to operate and occupied significant amounts of precious flight and hangar deck space aboard both conventional and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers at a time when carrier air wings, with the introduction of the F-14 Tomcat and S-3 Viking, were averaging 90 aircraft, many of which were larger than their predecessors. Moreover, the Vigilante did not end the career of the A-3 Skywarrior, which would carry on as photo reconnaissance aircraft, electronic warfare platforms, aerial refueling tankers, and executive transport aircraft designated as RA-3A/B, EA-3A/B, ERA-3B, EKA-3B, KA-3B, and VA-3B, into the early 1990s.
Only 28 EA-5Ds were built (two prototypes, 15 new-build, and 11 conversions from existing A-5A and RA-5C airframes) and the United States remained the only operator of the type. The EA-5D saw extensive use in Vietnam and seven machines were lost (four to SAMs, one to a VPAF MiG-21 and two through accidents), but after the end of hostilities and massive reductions of military expenses the EA-5D was quickly phased out from frontline service in the late 1970s, after an active career of just twelve years. In service it was replaced by the subsonic but much more potent EA-6B “Prowler”, which was based on the carrier-capable A-6 “Intruder” bomber, primarily to reduce the number of types in the USN’s arsenal and therewith operating costs and complexity. Since the EA-6B offered much higher ECM capabilities, the small EA-5D fleet was never upgraded, e. g. with the 2nd generation AGM-78 “Standard” ARM or the AN/ALQ-99 ECM pods.
However, a handful of “Electric Vigilantes” remained active with VAQ-137 (“Rooks”) until the late Eighties – long enough to receive the USN’s new tactical low-visibility paint scheme. These EA-5Ds were operated from land-bases only, not assigned to a Carrier Air Group, with a dedicated tail code (“KW”) to reflect this special status. They acted primarily as electronic aggressor aircraft but were also used to simulate supersonic cruise missiles like the contemporary Soviet Kh-20 (AS-3 “Kangaroo”) or Kh-22 (AS-4 “Kennel”) against land and sea targets during training and naval NATO maneuvers. Thanks to their size, speed and flight characteristics the aircraft were also employed as supersonic bomber aggressors, mimicking Soviet Tu-22s or Su-24s. Most of the Evas therefore received more or less authentic temporary Red Star decorations on their fins, which were, however, rarely overpainted after training missions and became part of the “standard markings”.
In 1987 the machines were finally retired, their airframes had reached their structural limit and maintenance costs of the complex aircraft had become prohibitive. They were in the electronic aggressor role eventually replaced with subsonic and much more economical EA-7L Corsair IIs.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 76 ft 6 in (23.32 m)
Wingspan: 53 ft 0 in (16.16 m)
Height: 19 ft 5 in (5.91 m)
Wing area: 701 sq ft (65.1 m)
Empty weight: 32,783 lb (14,870 kg)
Gross weight: 47,631 lb (21,605 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 63,085 lb (28,615 kg)
Fuel capacity: 2,805 US gal (10,618 L; 2,336 imp gal) internal
or 19,074 lb (8,652 kg) of JP-5,
or 24,514 lb (11,119 kg) with 2 × 400 US gal external tanks
Powerplant:
2× General Electric J79-GE-10 after-burning turbojet engines,
10,900 lbf (48 kN) thrust each dry, 17,900 lbf (80 kN) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,322 mph (Mach 2, 1,149 kn, 2,128 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Combat range: 974 nmi (1,121 mi, 1,804 km)
Ferry range: 1,571 nmi (1,808 mi, 2,909 km)
Service ceiling: 52,100 ft (15,900 m)
g limits: +5
Rate of climb: 33,900 ft/min (172 m/s)
Wing loading: 80.4 lb/sq ft (393 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.72
Armament:
4x underwings pylons, each with a load capability of up to 2.000 lb (950 kg),
typically occupied with 400 US gal drop tanks or ALQ-76 Tactical Jamming System (TJS)
ECM pods. Other potential loads: AN/ALE-43(V)1&4 Bulk Chaff Dispensing System pod,
a single AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening targeting pod or AGM-45 Shrike anti-radar missiles
2x launch rails for defensive AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs on the outer pylons
The kit and its assembly:
This what-if project had been lingering for a long time in the back of my mind, and I shoved it a side for years because of the model’s sheer size that eats up a lot of display space – even though I had the hardware already stashed away, collecting dust. While the build was rather inspired by its livery (see below) I wondered why the Vigilante, an elegant and impressive aircraft, had not been adapted to the ECM role? The concept of a supersonic penetrator/protector aircraft was realized by the USAF with the EF-111A Raven, but in the Vigilante’s time frame, the Vietnam War, esp. its end phase, an escort for fast USN attack aircraft might have made sense, so that I tried to mate the RA-5C with contemporary ECM technology and typical details – and the result became the fictional EA-5D.
With this idea the model became only a conversion of a basic airframe, not a spectacular kitbashing. Since I knew the Hasegawa RA-5C and its underwhelming quality/detail, I settled for the Trumpeter kit – a MUCH better but also a bit über-complicated offering. It is, however, better in any respect, even though you can ask why the cockpit has to consist of no less than thirty (!) parts (including seats and dashboard films), and the pylons as well as even the thin stabilizers and the fin have to consist of halves? One can also wonder why the kit comes with four(!) free-fall nukes but none of the RA-5C’s typical 400 gallon drop tanks? The kit features the type’s underwing flare dispensers, though. If there is something to criticize it’s the lack of air intake ducts – behind the wedge-shaped intakes and their ramps there is nothing inside the fuselage. Since I did not want to put too much effort into that flaw I simple blocked sight into the model’s body with a bulkhead made from black foamed styrene.
Everything goes together quite well, except for the fuselage halves which appear somewhat warped, and the rather massive plastic makes work easy. Despite this splendor of material, the sandwich leading and trailing edges are surprisingly thin and look pretty good.
While the RA-5C was at its core built OOB there were – naturally – some external mods to convey its ECM role. Most obvious detail is the fin top fairing, procured from a KiTech EA-6B, a shabby copy of the Hasegawa kit. This also provided the ECM pods and the pair of voluminous drop tanks.
The retrofitted Sidewinder launch rails on the outer pylons came from an Emhar FJ-4B, the then-state-of-the-art all-aspect AIM-9Ls came from a Hasegawa F-4 kit. To emphasize its electronic mission I added some antenna fairings around the hull. Beyond the fin pod, the EA-5D received sensor fairings along the flanks, inspired by the USAF F-105Gs’arrangement along the bomb bay, a shallow dorsal bulge behind the cockpits and some blister and blade antennae all around the hull.
The large ventral fairing that replaced the RA-5C’s “camera canoe” was scratched from a drop tank half, from a chunky Kangnam MiG-31, in an attempt to create something that the reminds of the EF-111’s arrangement. A ventral adapter for a display holder was integrated into the hull, too, for in-flight scenes.
A pair of long stabilizer fins was added under the rear fuselage, too, because I think that the large tail fin pod could somewhat hamper directional stability… The consist of rotor blades from a Matchbox SA.360 Dauphin helicopter.
The Vigilante’s tail cone, the former fairing for the linear bomb bay between the engines, was also heavily modified, with a thimble-shaped radome and a separate fairing for an internal chaff dispenser underneath, for a different look. To make the model look a bit more lively, esp. in its all-grey low-viz livery (see below) I mounted the flaps (all six are separate elements, and the inner pairs consist of lower and upper halves, too!) in lowered position.
Painting and markings:
The original reason to build this whiffy Vigilante was to see how the sleek and elegant aircraft would look in early USN low-viz colors! With this idea in mind the scheme was improvised and very simple: FS 36320 on the upper surfaces and FS 36375 underneath (Humbrol 128 and 127, respectively), on the flanks (with a relatively high waterline) and the fin. A slightly darker blue grey (FS 35237, Humbrol 145) was used for an anti-glare panel in front of the windshield. Most di-electric panels and the nose radome were painted in brownish light grey (RAL 7032, Revell 75), for low contrast but a significantly different color.
Inside, the landing gear as well as the air intakes were painted gloss white, the cockpit was painted in neutral grey (FS 36231) with dark grey ejection seats. The latter appears a bit tone-in-tone with the all-grey outside, but that was apparently the A-5’s interior design in real life.
To add some variety to the grey livery I painted the ordnance in “old” USN colors: the drop tanks became all-white and the ECM pods also received a white base. The AIM-9Ls on the extra launch rails (also painted white) received blue bodies as training missiles, with black seeker heads and white tail fins.
The wings’ leading edges (bare steel?) were masked and then painted with Revell 91 (iron metallic).
The whole model received a washing with thinned black ink to emphasize the many recessed rivets and panel lines, and then I added panel counter shading with lighter basic tones, also trying to create a slightly worn/weathered and not-so-uniform finish on the large grey surfaces, which underline the Vigilante’s elegant lines but also look quite boring, due to the sheer size/area, esp. from above.
The low-viz markings were improvised and puzzled together from various sources. The Red Stars on the fin were inspired by real-world aggressor markings, AFAIK some A-7Ls, EA-3Bs and A-4Fs carried such decorations, even paired with large bort numbers on the nose.
To improve the worn/grimy look I also treated the model’s surfaces with grinded graphite – only lightly, but I wanted to make the large grey areas to look even more diverse than just with the initial paint effects.
The inside includes a driver-centered cockpit with a configurable computerized instrument group, as well as a halfway mounted infotainment framework. The McLaren Speedtail available to be purchased is restricted to only 106 units, and is estimated at $2.3 million.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical. including recording, photocopying, or via computerized or electric storage or retrieval system without permission granted in writing from the publisher.
BLM AFS Cache worker Brian Philley processes an order on July 15, 2022 destined for the Bean Complex of fires burning in the area near Manley Hot Springs. The process includes picking up the order submitted through the Upper Yukon-Tanana-Military Dispatch Center logistics desk. It is then processed in then packaged, double-checked with a computerized scanner, processed in the computer and put on a truck for the five to six hour drive to the Complex. Photo by Beth Ipsen, BLM AFS
Freedom Golf Association’s First Annual “Honor Wounded Vets 5K Run/Walk” succeeds in showing how adaptive golf is aiding vets’ road to recovery
The enthusiasm and good will were palpable at McDonald’s corporate campus in Oak Brook, Illinois on Sunday, October 29 as the Freedom Golf Association’s (FGA) First Annual “Honor Wounded Vets 5K Run/Walk” succeeded in drawing attention to the fact that adaptive golf is clearly helping wounded vets return to normality after their military service. The more than 100 participants conquered the 5K course to show their support for the programs of the Freedom Golf Association, which is leading the way In Illinois in bringing the joy of golf to persons with physical, emotional and developmental needs.
“The 5K Run/Walk was a terrific way to honor Veterans who have been wounded in their service to the country and to acknowledge Illinois’ wounded vets, a growing number of whom have taken up golf to enjoy its many physical, emotional and social benefits,” said Sally Ruecking, FGA’s Vice President of Strategic Advancement. “Adaptive golf is bringing fun into the lives of people who are often left out due to their disabilities.”
Cheered on by the music of the Elmhurst College Jazz Band and with welcoming remarks from E.Q. Sylvester, Chairman of FGA; radio and TV personality Bob Sirott of event co-sponsor WLS-AM radio; and Ruecking, the runners and walkers took to the track with smiles and a sense of mission. Other event sponsors included Molex LLC, Rich Harvest Farms, KF Partners LLC, and Reebie Storage and Moving.
The overall men’s winner was 16-year old Matt Pierce of Alsip, Illinois, who ran the 5K course in 18:59. Second place went to Thomas Potaczek of Bensenville, IL, with a time of 19:23 and third place went to Andrew Pyle of Hinsdale, IL with a time of 22:14.
Among the women, the overall winner was Eileen Skisak of La Grange, IL with a time of 18:59. Eileen also ran in fifth place overall. The second-place women’s winner was 12-year old Alexandra Two, with a time of 25:36; third place went to 10-year old Kelly Fergus of Chicago, with a time of 27:27.
Winners by age group were:
•Male 10-14: James Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL
•Male 15-19: Thomas Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL
•Male 20-24: Ben Landress, Chicago, IL
•Male 30-34: (1st) Michael Bellino, Villa Park, IL; (2nd) Nick Bada, Villa Park, IL
•Male 45-49: (1st) Jim Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL; (2nd) Carmelo Aguinir, Joliet, IL
•Male 50-54: (1st) Bob Fergus, Chicago, IL; (2nd) Ross Hurst, Clarendon Hills, IL; (3rd) Randy Pyle, Hinsdale, IL; (4th) Roger Keys, Northbrook, IL
•Male 65-69: (1st) Jerome Getter, Oak Park, IL; (2nd) John Kosmatka, Valparaiso, IN; (3rd) Karl Johnson, Woodridge, IL
•Male 70-74: James Smith, Clarendon Hills, IL
•Female 15-19: Maria Meyer, Hinsdale, IL
•Female 40-44: Lori Kosmatka, Chicago, IL
•Female 45-49: (1st) Kimberly Mercurio, Hinsdale, IL; (2nd) Arlinda Nunez, Hinsdale, IL; (3rd) Christine Two, Wilmette, IL
•Female 50-54: (1st) Joy Hyzny, Burbank, IL; (2nd) Christie Bellino, Villa Park, IL
•Female 55-59: Jud Hrad, Chicago, IL
•Female 60-64: Sue Shepard, Elmhurst, IL
•Female 65-69: Carol Raska, Oak Park, IL
Freedom Golf Association leads the way in bringing adaptive golf to Illinois and is an integral part of the growing national movement, which has been embraced by major golf entities such as the PGA, LPGA and USGA.
“Freedom Golf Association encourages corporations with cause marketing programs that help the disabled to become FGA sponsors or corporate foundation grant providers and help us grow,” said Ruecking.
About Freedom Golf Association
Freedom Golf Association (FGA), a 501(C)3 non-profit charitable organization, is the leading adaptive golf organization in Illinois and is a charter member of the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance. FGA was founded in July 2012 by Edmund (E.Q.) Sylvester. E.Q. is a director of the Western Golf Association (WGA), member of the United States Senior Golf Association (USSGA), member of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and a triple amputee. FGA is dedicated to bringing joy and a sense of freedom to the special needs community through their inclusion in the game of golf.
FGA believes that all special needs individuals deserve a chance to accomplish the same things as any others do and work towards bringing a positive transformation to their lives. FGA contributes to the positive development of those with special needs through the magic of golf.
FGA works to assist individuals with disabilities in many ways:
•Provides professionally run adaptive golf instructional clinics and golf events
•Engages children, adults and veterans with special needs in FREE adaptive golf instruction with other classmates
•Conducts adaptive golf training workshops to increase the number of qualified adaptive golf coaches to instruct individuals with special needs
•Provides leadership and collaboration with nationally recognized organizations on how to expand/grow adaptive golf programs
Based on its growing understanding of the needs of disabled golfers, the FGA has developed a ground-breaking Adaptive Golf Enhancement Program™ that increases the golfing ability of special needs golfers. FGA’s golf coaches learn this six-step process, which helps them better understand and enhance the capabilities of special needs golfers.
To assist coaches and special needs golfers in determining what adaptive measures would be most beneficial, FGA recently invested in what they call a “personal swing sensors and computerized program” to 1) measure the disabled golfer’s initial swing path and limitations; 2) develop an appropriate exercise program to improve flexibility and range of motion; and 3) to chart the golfer’s progress, using the initial swing measurements as a baseline.
In 2016, FGA provided more than 1,300 adaptive golf lessons. In the same year, 110 special needs golfers went out and played on the course. Ten individuals became trained FGA Adaptive Golf Coaches, growing the total number to 42.
79 cents out of every dollar received goes to FGA’s special needs golf programs and events. FGA has led 40 Chicagoland courses in becoming accessible to the disabled community.
For more information about the Freedom Golf Association, please visit the official website at www.fgagolf.org and the online newsroom at www.newsline360.com/freedomgolfassociation. Contact FGA by phone at 855-342-4465 or 630-455-6018, or by email at playgolf@fgagolf.org. Donations to Freedom Golf Association can be made at www.fgagolf.org/donate.html.
Follow FGA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FGA4Golf. Follow FGA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FGA4Golf.
Photo credit: Cindy Kurman, Kurman Communications
These are Simplant planning 3D images of the cases and surgeries performed by the students of Doctor Alvaro Ordonez DDS at Miami Implants Live. Each doctor attending miamiimplantslive.com is trained comprehensively in examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical techniques to succesfully perform world class implant dentistry in his clinical environment no matter where in the world he practices dentistry; at miamiimplantslive.com we train the future leaders of implant dentistry.
These are Simplant planning 3D images of the cases and surgeries performed by the students of Doctor Alvaro Ordonez DDS at Miami Implants Live. Each doctor attending miamiimplantslive.com is trained comprehensively in examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical techniques to succesfully perform world class implant dentistry in his clinical environment no matter where in the world he practices dentistry; at miamiimplantslive.com we train the future leaders of implant dentistry.
Equipment: Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope, CGEM Mount, 80mm PHD guide scope.
Camera: Canon T1i
Exposure: 12 minutes × various frames of 20 seconds. ISO 1600
This is a LEGO radiotherapy playset with a medical linear accelerator (LINAC), a CT scanner (computer tomograph) for treatment planning, and a control room for both LINAC and CT scanner.
Belville figures comprise the staff; brick separators receive their treatments - they suffer from diseases that require radiotherapy.
The control room (middle) is manned with a medical physicist, responsible for treatment planning, and an RT nurse at the CT scanner. In addition there is a brick separator on a stretcher waiting for his treatment.
(There is some indication that the staff are somewhat nerdy.)
The LINAC room is on the left side. There are two cameras for patient surveillance.
A shelf contains some masks, a wingboard, and a knee cushion. A radiation-shielding door provides access from the control room. It may be opened and closed.
A brick separator is currently being treated.
The LINAC has an on-board imaging system and a portal vision; both can be deployed. The gantry can be rotated, and the patient table may be swiveled.
The CT room is to the right; another brick separator is being scanned. The patient table is movable.
Times Square, New York City, New Years Eve Ball Drop, 2013 - 2014
The Times Square Ball is a time ball located atop the One Times Square building in New York City, primarily utilized as part of New Year's Eve celebrations held in Times Square. Yearly at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 31, the ball is lowered 77 feet (23 m) down a specially designed flagpole, resting on the midnight to signal the start of the new year. The first ball drop in Times Square took place on December 31, 1907, and has been held annually since (except in 1942 and 1943 in observance of wartime blackouts). The ball's design has also been updated over the years to reflect new advances in technologies—its original design utilized 100 incandescent light bulbs, iron, and wood in its construction, while its current incarnation features a computerized LED lighting system and an outer surface consisting of triangle-shaped crystal panels. As of 2009, the ball is also displayed atop One Times Square year-round and is removed only for general maintenance.
The Times Square ball drop is one of the best-known New Year's celebrations internationally, attended by at least one million spectators yearly, with an estimated global audience of at least 1 billion. The prevalence of the Times Square ball drop has also inspired other similar "drops" held locally in other cities and towns around the world.
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,”
Performers of the 2013 - 2014 celebration Miley Cyrus, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Blondie, Icona Pop, Jencarlos Canela, El Dasa, Rodney Atkins, Melissa Etheridge
For more on New Years Eve in Times Square visit:
Photo
Times Square, New York City, USA, North America
12-31-2013
These are Simplant planning 3D images of the cases and surgeries performed by the students of Doctor Alvaro Ordonez DDS at Miami Implants Live. Each doctor attending miamiimplantslive.com is trained comprehensively in examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical techniques to succesfully perform world class implant dentistry in his clinical environment no matter where in the world he practices dentistry; at miamiimplantslive.com we train the future leaders of implant dentistry.
A cow being milked as we looked on. The two red scrubbers scrub the teats (that must be interesting for the cow) before the white waving milking spigots find and latch onto the udders. The system is totally automatic and the cows come into the milking barn on their own, line up and are automatically milked and booted out when finished.
We watched in amazment when a 3-bager came in to be milked. The poor machine tried in vain for 5 minutes to find that fourth teat. Up and down the tubes went, waving around all the time. Three were found and clamped onto, but where was that #%$@ fourth one? It let go of the 3 and tried it over again and again. Couldn't find it. Finally, the machine, obviously upset by now, kcked her out and off she went expecting to be milked by hand somewhere else I hope.
Item # 14023
SYNERGY
Adult Collectible Dressed Doll
The JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS Collection
Limited Edition of 750 Dolls
Suggested Retail Price: US $119.00
Estimated Delivery: November 2012
A highly advanced computerized artificial intelligence capable of projecting truer than life holographic 3D images, SYNERGY is the secret hidden behind JEM AND THE HOLOGRAM's success! SYNERGY projects a lifelike hologram over JERRICA BENTON and instantly turns the charismatic music industry mogul into one of the 80s most memorable and beloved characters, the truly outrageous JEM. SYNERGY is all set to add some magic to your doll collection today!
SYNERGY is a 12-inch fully articulated vinyl collectible doll with hand applied eyelashes and fully rooted bright purple hair and comes dressed in her iconic glittery holographic techno bodysuit. SYNERGY also includes interchangeable metallic "gloved" hands and lavender colored hands, high-heel boots, tiny miniature gift box containing a pair of JemStar earrings for JERRICA BENTON, as well as other miniature screen-accurate surprise accessories that fans will recognize and adore! An adjustable doll stand, instructions and certificate of authenticity are included. For collectors 14 & up only.
Hamburg, Harbour, an Organ Grinder, old Design with computerized Technique, during the 820th Port Anniversary, May 2009
www.aquaticsphysicaltherapy.com - (941) 924-9525 White Sands Physical Therapy and Aquatics offers a protocol which combines computerized decompression tables, aquatic decompression and exercises, manual therapy and McKenzie extension exercises. This protocol can decrease bulging and herniated discs in most cases relieving back pain and radiating (pain that shoots down the leg) pain. Passive back extensions are one of the back exercises we utilize along with water or aquatics physical therapy at White Sands Physical Therapy and Aquatics in Sarasota, Florida.
Molishus calls the OCC “the nerve center of the campus.” FRES staffers control and monitor utilities for the entire campus from the center through a sophisticated computerized Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System.
Samsung is not going to let Apple, to be the only company technology to offer computerized accessories. The South Korean company is also working on SmartWatch. “We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long,” Samsung mobile business executive vice president Lee Young Hee quoted Bloomberg.
Read More : globesign.com/blog/samsung-verifies-smartwatch-is-coming-...
If you decide to become a patient of a CBP doctor, there are four important steps we ask you to go through:
History of Injury and Examination,
Postural Analysis (some doctors utilize computerized methods such as the PosturePrint system)
Spinal X-rays (analyzed either by hand or with use of computer aided systems such as PostureRay),
Report of Findings - Where the doctor will explain your problems and if he/she can help through application of chiropractic services and the unique recommended plan for your case.
History of Injury and Examination
Our History of Injury is designed to determine whether your condition is within the realm of our care. Based upon the results, one of the doctors will make appropriate recommendations regarding an examination or referral to another doctor if your presenting problem is not a chiropractic condition. Most often, your condition will be treatable by our care.
A thorough spinal and musculo-skeletal examination will be performed in order to identify which structures of your body are injured and most likely causing your problem.
Computerized Postural Analysis
It has been known for years that body posture is like a “Window into the Shape of the Spinal Column”. Figure 1 shows that Abnormal Posture is always associated with an abnormal spine. Body Postural problems aid the doctor of chiropractic in identifying a variety of dysfunctions in the spinal column. Abnormal Postures can cause or relate to a number of health problems. Abnormal Posture causes increased force and pressure on the muscles, ligaments, and bones of your spinal column. These abnormal forces (caused by abnormal posture) lead to a break down of body tissues causing pain and damage.
Figure 2: Postural Decay as we age.
Posture Digitization: Postural photographs of you the patient can be obtained, in which a sophisticated computer program known as PosturePrint will objectively measure your postural distortions. These photographs enable the doctor to detect and measure abnormal positions of the human skull, shoulders, ribcage, pelvis, knees, and feet. In other words, he or she can show you how far out of alignment your posture is. This helps explain why you may be hurting as well as aid the doctor in prescribing corrective postural-based exercises unique to CBP rehabilitative methods.
(Click Here to download sample PosturePrint Report of Findings - This PosturePrint Examination is part of your initial patient workup)
Spinal X-rays
Many patients often ask if a chiropractor should take x-rays of their spines. The answer is simple. Properly taken spinal x-rays are like a blue print of your spine. With x-rays, the chiropractor can see how an individual spine deviates from normal alignment and we can clearly decide on appropriate treatment. Without an x-ray they would only be guessing. Would you want a mechanic to work on your car engine without looking under the hood?
For example, the figure below is a sample of common abnormal neck alignment subluxations (viewed from the side) with an estimate on average time needed to rehab such problems. It is clearly evident the further your neck is from the normal, then the longer you will need to perform rehabilitative measures. Please note that these are only generic estimates, as many factors dictate how fast a patient responds such as age, the length of time the problem has been there, amount spinal degeneration, etc.
Another important finding that properly taken x-rays will identify is spinal arthritis. Many people are not even aware that spinal disc disease and bone arthritis are developing in their spines. For many people this is a “time bomb” waiting to explode. Figure 6 below shows an abnormal neck (viewed from the side) with arthritis in the mid neck.
Figure 6: Side view showing arthritis in the Neck
Report of Findings
The report of findings is a very important part of communication in a CBP chiropractor's office. Before they decide if Chiropractic care is right for you, they will sit down with you (the patient) and explain the findings of the examination, posture analysis, and spinal x-rays. Many times patients tell the CBP chiropractor that other doctors never have shown them their spinal x-rays. This never happens at at a CBP practioner's office. We are confident that you will find that CBP trained chiropractors are very thorough in the search, identification and explanation of your spinal problem.
Once they have identified your particular spinal problem, the doctor will recommend an appropriate treatment plan specific to your condition.
There's a story to be told, but I'm not the one to tell it. The story should be told by someone who knows this old gentleman and can do him justice with the details and the memories. His story should include his history, his character, and those personal things which make him beloved to those who remember him with fondness and affection.
To me, he's just the old guy who would be there year after year at the annual 'camp meeting' which was held at the mid-western college campus and camp grounds. He would brighten people's day with his smile and friendly demeanor. He was in no hurry and enjoyed talking... or listening, to anyone who stopped and shared a moment with him. He was like an institution. He seemed to be as old as the camp meeting itself. Surely he had been there from the beginning... so many, many decades before?
No, I'm not the one to tell his story. I'm just the person who can paint his picture... and perhaps that painting can relate a bit about him. Perhaps it can share a visual moment of the person who smiled, shook hands, and always had something good to say.
I'm now waiting for a footnote to be added to this painting. I know that someday a person will see this and say, "Oh yeah... that's Mr. So-and-so, I remember him well." Then that person will give those little details which can't be effectively conveyed in a painting and we'll all learn more about him.
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The artist is both professionally trained and self-taught in traditional art mediums... as well as utilizing the computer for yet another means to a visual end.
My subjects include the familiar world around us... nature in all it's beauty; the four seasons; people; places; the effects of our involvement upon our world; the animal world; etc. I also accept special orders and paint custom subjects upon request... just contact me!
All limited edition, hand signed prints can be purchased. Please visit us at www.etsy.com/shop/pcao.
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www.aquaticsphysicaltherapy.com - (941) 924-9525 White Sands Physical Therapy and Aquatics offers a protocol which combines computerized decompression tables, aquatic decompression and exercises, manual therapy and McKenzie extension exercises. This protocol can decrease bulging and herniated discs in most cases relieving back pain and radiating (pain that shoots down the leg) pain. Passive back extensions are one of the back exercises we utilize along with water or aquatics physical therapy at White Sands Physical Therapy and Aquatics in Sarasota, Florida.
All set up and ready to go.
The telescope is a Newtonian reflector, 8" diameter, by Celestron, model C8-NGT, on a CG-5GT computerized mount.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The North American A-5 Vigilante (Prior to 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations, it was designated the A3J) was an American carrier-based supersonic bomber designed and built by North American Aviation for the United States Navy. In 1953, North American Aviation began a private study for a carrier-based, long-range, all-weather strike bomber, capable of delivering nuclear weapons at supersonic speeds. This proposal, the North American General Purpose Attack Weapon (NAGPAW) concept, was accepted by the United States Navy, with some revisions, in 1955. A contract was awarded on 29 August 1956. Its first flight occurred two years later, on 31 August 1958 in Columbus, Ohio.
At the time of its introduction, the Vigilante was one of the largest and by far the most complex aircraft to operate from a Navy aircraft carrier. It had a high-mounted swept wing with a boundary-layer control system (blown flaps) to improve low-speed lift. It had no ailerons; roll control was provided by spoilers in conjunction with differential deflection of the all-moving tail surfaces. The use of aluminum-lithium alloy for wing skins and titanium for critical structures was also unusual. The A-5 had two widely spaced General Electric J79 turbojet engines, fed by inlets with variable intake ramps, and a single large all-moving vertical stabilizer. Preliminary design studies employed twin vertical fin/rudders, but this was eventually changed to a single tall but foldable fin. The wings and the nose radome folded for carrier stowage, too. The Vigilante had a crew of two seated in tandem, a pilot and a bombardier-navigator (BN) (reconnaissance/attack navigator (RAN) on later reconnaissance versions).
The Vigilante had advanced and complex electronics when it first entered service. It had one of the first "fly-by-wire" systems on an operational aircraft (with mechanical/hydraulic backup) and a computerized AN/ASB-12 nav/attack system incorporating a head-up display ("Pilot's Projected Display Indicator" (PPDI), one of the first), multi-mode radar, radar-equipped inertial navigation system (REINS, based on technologies developed for North American's Navaho missile), closed-circuit television camera under the nose, and an early digital computer known as "Versatile Digital Analyzer" (VERDAN) to run it all.
The aircraft replaced the subsonic Douglas A-3 Skywarrior as the Navy's primary nuclear-strike aircraft, but only briefly. Given its original design as a carrier-based, supersonic, nuclear heavy attack aircraft, the Vigilante’s main armament was carried in an unusual internal "linear bomb bay" between the engines in the rear fuselage, which allowed the bomb to be dropped at supersonic speeds. The single nuclear weapon, commonly the Mk 28 bomb, was attached to two disposable fuel tanks in the cylindrical bay in an assembly known as the "stores train". A set of extendable fins was attached to the aft end of the most rearward fuel tank. These fuel tanks were to be emptied during the flight to the target and then jettisoned with the bomb by an explosive drogue gun. The stores train was propelled rearward at about 50 feet (15 m) per second (30 knots) relative to the aircraft. It then followed a ballistic path.
The Vigilante originally had two wing pylons, intended primarily for drop tanks. The second Vigilante variant, the A3J-2 (A-5B), incorporated internal tanks for an additional 460 gallons of fuel, which added a pronounced dorsal "hump", along with two additional wing hardpoints, for a total of four. Other improvements included blown flaps on the leading edge of the wing, changes to the air intakes and stronger landing gear.
The reconnaissance version of the Vigilante, the RA-5C, was based on the A-5B airframe and had slightly greater wing area and added a long canoe-shaped fairing under the fuselage for a multi-sensor reconnaissance pack. This added an APD-7 side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), AAS-21 infrared line scanner, and camera packs, as well as improved electronic countermeasures. An AN/ALQ-61 electronic intelligence system could also be carried. The RA-5C retained the AN/ASB-12 bombing system, and could, in theory, carry weapons, although it never did in service. Later-built RA-5Cs had more powerful J79-10 engines with afterburning thrust of 17,900 lbf (80 kN), the same engines as the Navy’s F-4J Phantom IIs. The reconnaissance Vigilante weighed almost five tons more than the strike version with almost the same thrust and an only modestly enlarged wing. These changes reduced its acceleration and climb rate, though it remained fast in level flight and was still fully carrier-capable.
The last Vigilante version to be developed from 1964 on and to enter service in 1966 was the EA-5D, a dedicated electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare version, again replacing respective A-3 Skywarrior variants. With the initial experience from the Vietnam conflict, the EA-5D was primarily conceived as a fast escort for supersonic strike aircraft – namely the USN’s F-4 Phantom IIs which progressively took over more strike missions and direly needed protection from SAMs that could keep up with them during their dangerous missions over enemy territory.
The EA-5D, which was unofficially nicknamed “Electric Vigilante”, “Eva” or simply “E-V” by its crews, was based on the late RA-5C’s airframe and was easily distinguishable through its fairing at the top of the fin which contained the electronics for a Bunker-Ramo AN/ALQ-86 ECM suite. It carried ECM gear in the linear bomb bay and a 16 feet (4.9 m) long canoe-shaped ventral fairing (looking like a shortened but deeper version of the RA-5C’s camera and SLAR installation), plus a heat exchanger, a non-jettisonable auxiliary tank and AN/ALE-41 chaff dispensers in an extended tail cone. The complete installation weighed some 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg). Receivers were installed in a fin-tip pod, or "football", like that of the contemporary EA-6A. This fin array caused some lateral instability, though, which could be compensated with a pair of fins under the rear fuselage.
Like the RA-5C, the EA-5D retained the AN/ASB-12 bombing system and was – in theory – like its recce sibling capable to carry out strike missions, but this never happened either. The EA-5Ds were furthermore equipped with an AN/APQ-129 fire control radar, making the aircraft capable of SEAD missions and of firing the AGM-45 “Shrike” anti-radiation missile, although they were apparently never used in that offensive role. Up to four ram-air turbine powered ALQ-76 countermeasures pods could be carried on the underwing hardpoints, augmenting the internal AN/ALQ-86 system’s bandwidth and jamming power. To improve survivability the EA-5D was furthermore outfitted with a pair of launch rails, mounted as sub-pylons on the outsides of the outer underwing hardpoints. Each could carry a single IR-guided AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM.
Despite the Vigilante's useful service as reconnaissance and ECM platform, it was expensive and complex to operate and occupied significant amounts of precious flight and hangar deck space aboard both conventional and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers at a time when carrier air wings, with the introduction of the F-14 Tomcat and S-3 Viking, were averaging 90 aircraft, many of which were larger than their predecessors. Moreover, the Vigilante did not end the career of the A-3 Skywarrior, which would carry on as photo reconnaissance aircraft, electronic warfare platforms, aerial refueling tankers, and executive transport aircraft designated as RA-3A/B, EA-3A/B, ERA-3B, EKA-3B, KA-3B, and VA-3B, into the early 1990s.
Only 28 EA-5Ds were built (two prototypes, 15 new-build, and 11 conversions from existing A-5A and RA-5C airframes) and the United States remained the only operator of the type. The EA-5D saw extensive use in Vietnam and seven machines were lost (four to SAMs, one to a VPAF MiG-21 and two through accidents), but after the end of hostilities and massive reductions of military expenses the EA-5D was quickly phased out from frontline service in the late 1970s, after an active career of just twelve years. In service it was replaced by the subsonic but much more potent EA-6B “Prowler”, which was based on the carrier-capable A-6 “Intruder” bomber, primarily to reduce the number of types in the USN’s arsenal and therewith operating costs and complexity. Since the EA-6B offered much higher ECM capabilities, the small EA-5D fleet was never upgraded, e. g. with the 2nd generation AGM-78 “Standard” ARM or the AN/ALQ-99 ECM pods.
However, a handful of “Electric Vigilantes” remained active with VAQ-137 (“Rooks”) until the late Eighties – long enough to receive the USN’s new tactical low-visibility paint scheme. These EA-5Ds were operated from land-bases only, not assigned to a Carrier Air Group, with a dedicated tail code (“KW”) to reflect this special status. They acted primarily as electronic aggressor aircraft but were also used to simulate supersonic cruise missiles like the contemporary Soviet Kh-20 (AS-3 “Kangaroo”) or Kh-22 (AS-4 “Kennel”) against land and sea targets during training and naval NATO maneuvers. Thanks to their size, speed and flight characteristics the aircraft were also employed as supersonic bomber aggressors, mimicking Soviet Tu-22s or Su-24s. Most of the Evas therefore received more or less authentic temporary Red Star decorations on their fins, which were, however, rarely overpainted after training missions and became part of the “standard markings”.
In 1987 the machines were finally retired, their airframes had reached their structural limit and maintenance costs of the complex aircraft had become prohibitive. They were in the electronic aggressor role eventually replaced with subsonic and much more economical EA-7L Corsair IIs.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 76 ft 6 in (23.32 m)
Wingspan: 53 ft 0 in (16.16 m)
Height: 19 ft 5 in (5.91 m)
Wing area: 701 sq ft (65.1 m)
Empty weight: 32,783 lb (14,870 kg)
Gross weight: 47,631 lb (21,605 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 63,085 lb (28,615 kg)
Fuel capacity: 2,805 US gal (10,618 L; 2,336 imp gal) internal
or 19,074 lb (8,652 kg) of JP-5,
or 24,514 lb (11,119 kg) with 2 × 400 US gal external tanks
Powerplant:
2× General Electric J79-GE-10 after-burning turbojet engines,
10,900 lbf (48 kN) thrust each dry, 17,900 lbf (80 kN) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,322 mph (Mach 2, 1,149 kn, 2,128 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Combat range: 974 nmi (1,121 mi, 1,804 km)
Ferry range: 1,571 nmi (1,808 mi, 2,909 km)
Service ceiling: 52,100 ft (15,900 m)
g limits: +5
Rate of climb: 33,900 ft/min (172 m/s)
Wing loading: 80.4 lb/sq ft (393 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.72
Armament:
4x underwings pylons, each with a load capability of up to 2.000 lb (950 kg),
typically occupied with 400 US gal drop tanks or ALQ-76 Tactical Jamming System (TJS)
ECM pods. Other potential loads: AN/ALE-43(V)1&4 Bulk Chaff Dispensing System pod,
a single AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening targeting pod or AGM-45 Shrike anti-radar missiles
2x launch rails for defensive AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs on the outer pylons
The kit and its assembly:
This what-if project had been lingering for a long time in the back of my mind, and I shoved it a side for years because of the model’s sheer size that eats up a lot of display space – even though I had the hardware already stashed away, collecting dust. While the build was rather inspired by its livery (see below) I wondered why the Vigilante, an elegant and impressive aircraft, had not been adapted to the ECM role? The concept of a supersonic penetrator/protector aircraft was realized by the USAF with the EF-111A Raven, but in the Vigilante’s time frame, the Vietnam War, esp. its end phase, an escort for fast USN attack aircraft might have made sense, so that I tried to mate the RA-5C with contemporary ECM technology and typical details – and the result became the fictional EA-5D.
With this idea the model became only a conversion of a basic airframe, not a spectacular kitbashing. Since I knew the Hasegawa RA-5C and its underwhelming quality/detail, I settled for the Trumpeter kit – a MUCH better but also a bit über-complicated offering. It is, however, better in any respect, even though you can ask why the cockpit has to consist of no less than thirty (!) parts (including seats and dashboard films), and the pylons as well as even the thin stabilizers and the fin have to consist of halves? One can also wonder why the kit comes with four(!) free-fall nukes but none of the RA-5C’s typical 400 gallon drop tanks? The kit features the type’s underwing flare dispensers, though. If there is something to criticize it’s the lack of air intake ducts – behind the wedge-shaped intakes and their ramps there is nothing inside the fuselage. Since I did not want to put too much effort into that flaw I simple blocked sight into the model’s body with a bulkhead made from black foamed styrene.
Everything goes together quite well, except for the fuselage halves which appear somewhat warped, and the rather massive plastic makes work easy. Despite this splendor of material, the sandwich leading and trailing edges are surprisingly thin and look pretty good.
While the RA-5C was at its core built OOB there were – naturally – some external mods to convey its ECM role. Most obvious detail is the fin top fairing, procured from a KiTech EA-6B, a shabby copy of the Hasegawa kit. This also provided the ECM pods and the pair of voluminous drop tanks.
The retrofitted Sidewinder launch rails on the outer pylons came from an Emhar FJ-4B, the then-state-of-the-art all-aspect AIM-9Ls came from a Hasegawa F-4 kit. To emphasize its electronic mission I added some antenna fairings around the hull. Beyond the fin pod, the EA-5D received sensor fairings along the flanks, inspired by the USAF F-105Gs’arrangement along the bomb bay, a shallow dorsal bulge behind the cockpits and some blister and blade antennae all around the hull.
The large ventral fairing that replaced the RA-5C’s “camera canoe” was scratched from a drop tank half, from a chunky Kangnam MiG-31, in an attempt to create something that the reminds of the EF-111’s arrangement. A ventral adapter for a display holder was integrated into the hull, too, for in-flight scenes.
A pair of long stabilizer fins was added under the rear fuselage, too, because I think that the large tail fin pod could somewhat hamper directional stability… The consist of rotor blades from a Matchbox SA.360 Dauphin helicopter.
The Vigilante’s tail cone, the former fairing for the linear bomb bay between the engines, was also heavily modified, with a thimble-shaped radome and a separate fairing for an internal chaff dispenser underneath, for a different look. To make the model look a bit more lively, esp. in its all-grey low-viz livery (see below) I mounted the flaps (all six are separate elements, and the inner pairs consist of lower and upper halves, too!) in lowered position.
Painting and markings:
The original reason to build this whiffy Vigilante was to see how the sleek and elegant aircraft would look in early USN low-viz colors! With this idea in mind the scheme was improvised and very simple: FS 36320 on the upper surfaces and FS 36375 underneath (Humbrol 128 and 127, respectively), on the flanks (with a relatively high waterline) and the fin. A slightly darker blue grey (FS 35237, Humbrol 145) was used for an anti-glare panel in front of the windshield. Most di-electric panels and the nose radome were painted in brownish light grey (RAL 7032, Revell 75), for low contrast but a significantly different color.
Inside, the landing gear as well as the air intakes were painted gloss white, the cockpit was painted in neutral grey (FS 36231) with dark grey ejection seats. The latter appears a bit tone-in-tone with the all-grey outside, but that was apparently the A-5’s interior design in real life.
To add some variety to the grey livery I painted the ordnance in “old” USN colors: the drop tanks became all-white and the ECM pods also received a white base. The AIM-9Ls on the extra launch rails (also painted white) received blue bodies as training missiles, with black seeker heads and white tail fins.
The wings’ leading edges (bare steel?) were masked and then painted with Revell 91 (iron metallic).
The whole model received a washing with thinned black ink to emphasize the many recessed rivets and panel lines, and then I added panel counter shading with lighter basic tones, also trying to create a slightly worn/weathered and not-so-uniform finish on the large grey surfaces, which underline the Vigilante’s elegant lines but also look quite boring, due to the sheer size/area, esp. from above.
The low-viz markings were improvised and puzzled together from various sources. The Red Stars on the fin were inspired by real-world aggressor markings, AFAIK some A-7Ls, EA-3Bs and A-4Fs carried such decorations, even paired with large bort numbers on the nose.
To improve the worn/grimy look I also treated the model’s surfaces with grinded graphite – only lightly, but I wanted to make the large grey areas to look even more diverse than just with the initial paint effects.
This work of art, titled "If VI was IX", is a cone of computerized instruments which sits in the center of the EMP Museum's second floor. www.empmuseum.org/at-the-museum/museum-features/if-vi-was...