View allAll Photos Tagged Stability
Nature's magnificent structure, the tree combines two elements to achieve strength and balance. Trees, have a single, superbly engineered material, wood and are ingeniously designed to combine strength and flexibility. They can respond to their environment and change their design accordingly. This allows them to support their canopy of leaves using a bare minimum of structural material.
We are no different, our limbs hold us, or we find a way if they fail, our bodies and minds change through time, supporting our thoughts, ideas and dreams. We too have a persistent need to grow and endevour to remain stable, throughout of lives. Keep rooted, use creativity for your own pleasure and grow.
SEXT IS ASSOCIATED with the stillness and peace of noon, but it also evokes crisis and danger. Crisis is always a purification if we understand it correctly. The very word “crisis” comes from a root that means sifting out. Crisis is a separation, a sifting out of that which is viable and can go on from that which is dead and has to be left behind.
-Music of Silence: A Sacred Journey Through the Hours of the Day
Brother David Steindl-Rast, Sharon Lebell, and Kathleen Norris
EAST CHINA SEA (Aug. 4, 2020) Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Valentina Imokhai, from New York, operates the ship’s helm during a full power engine run aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)
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South Surrey, BC Canada
A catamaran is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stabilized craft, deriving its stability from its wide beam, rather than from a ballasted keel as with a monohull boat.
Catamarans typically have less hull volume, smaller displacement, and shallower draft than monohulls of comparable length.
The two hulls combined also often have a smaller hydrodynamic resistance than comparable monohulls, requiring less propulsive power from either sails or motors. The catamaran's wider stance on the water can reduce both heeling and wave-induced motion, as compared with a monohull, and can give reduced wakes.
Sailing Catamarans have evolved from the small boats that you see in races on the shoreline into large ocean-going cruisers capable of carrying dozens of people. Catamarans have become increasingly popular because they are faster, more stable and can carry more loads than their monohull counterparts.
Resources: Wikipedia; Deepsailing.com/blog/sailing-a-catamaran
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Thank-you for your visit, and please know that any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!
Sonja
EAST CHINA SEA (July 31, 2020) Gunner’s Mate Seaman Spencer Christie fires a shot line from the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) to the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) during a replenishment-at-sea. Shiloh is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell)
Location: Cosy Bay, about halfway between Camps Bay and Llandudno.
Description: Most serious Cape Town photographers will already have images of Clifton, Camps Bay, Oudekraal, Llundudno, and Hout Bay in their portfolio. These are all incredibly beautiful beaches with oodles of photographic potential… especially at sunset!
But how many of us have ever visited and photographed Cosy Bay before? I’ve been living around Cape Town for most of my life and until very recently, I’d never even heard of the place!? I can’t find any references to this secluded little beach when I ask my Google Guru, and neither is it mentioned on any of my maps. But I saw the sign… so I know I wasn’t dreaming!
One of the main features of this rocky little beach is this minibus-sized rock, balancing precariously on another rock… of course I couldn’t resist finding some compositions with this balancing act as the main subject!
On a sadder note: Yesterday afternoon my prized Sigma 10-20mm ultra-wide lens decided that it wanted to be a coffee grinder instead! One minute it was zooming away happily… the next minute it was making a terrible noise… simple as that!! So now this is the THIRD lens with a broken auto-focus mechanism with ONE camera in less than THREE years… were they just all crappy lenses… or is my camera somehow breaking them? Although I was really loving the Sony/Sigma combination, I’m thinking that now is about the right time for a hardware upgrade. Nikon D300… here I come!!
Click here to view this one large.
Equipment: Sony Alpha 100 (Sigma 10-20mm)
Date: June 2008
At the Sanctuary of Truth - A weathered, green wooden statue of a mythical creature stands amidst a backdrop of tangled branches and foliage, exuding a sense of ancient mystery. The figure holds a beam or pole across its shoulder, suggesting strength and stability.
200823-N-IO312-1179 PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 23, 2020) Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct fast-rope sustainment training on the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America, flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Cavenaile)
Playa de Aigüesblanques utilizando un filtro degradado de densidad neutra de 3 pasos
Beach Aigues Blanques using a gradient neutral density filter 3 steps
This is a picture of a decaying Saguaro Not the wooden "SLATS" that run up the inside to give the cactus stability. Thes were used by ancient desert dwellers for construction.
A scale model of the Space Launch System (SLS) is tested in an 11-by-11-foot transonic wind tunnel at NASA's Ames Research Center. The tests will be used to enhance the design and stability of the SLS -- essential to America’s future in human spaceflight and scientific exploration of deep space.
Image credit: NASA/ARC/Dominic Hart
Read more:
www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/sls-aerodynamics.html
More about SLS:
www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html
More SLS Photos:
www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/gallery/S...
Space Launch System Flickr photoset:
www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/sets/72157627559536895/
_____________________________________________
These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights please visit: www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelin...
Hours: 99
Bricks: 21,219
The LEGO® Goat (Element 4623941) is a highly sought-after piece that
was only ever released in one LEGO set: Mill Village Raid from the
Kingdoms theme, set number 7189, in the year 2011.
To commemorate 10 years since its initial release, I have created a
40:1 scale model of the LEGO Goat piece, together with a 40:1 scale
model of a carrot.
The main design challenge while designing this model was finding
suitable reference material. Over 600 individual photos were taken
from every angle of an original LEGO Goat piece, and these were
used to help create a detailed 3D model.
The interior of the model features a framework made out of 2x10
LEGO bricks arranged in a lattice pattern to provide strength and
stability to the model.
Several of the surfaces of the Goat and Carrot are covered in LEGO
tiles to provide a contrasting texture when compared to the studded
surfaces of the rest of the model.
The base is made to represent a 3x4 LEGO plate that is typically used
to display LEGO Minifigures, and if you look closely at the scaled-up
studs on the base you can see the injection moulding point which can
also be found on the original LEGO piece.
SOUTH PACIFIC (July 4, 2017) Lts. Miranda Krasselt and Chris Williams coordinate their next launches on the flight deck of the Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, is on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Kenneth Abbate/Released)
SASEBO, Japan (Aug. 9, 2020) Landing craft, air cushion 30, assigned to Naval Beach Unit 7, prepares to enter the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) as the ship conducts amphibious operations. Germantown, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)
March Road Buckie, en route to the Statkraft Stability project at Westerton Road Sub Station in Keith.
This is my second homemade field camera, the unimaginatively named Field 23ii. As the name implies, it shoots 2x3 negatives, using sheet film holders, a 6x9 back, or a polaroid back. It uses the "taking" half of the 80mm f/2.8 lens from an old Mamiya TLR. You focus on a graflok-type ground-glass back with a fresnel screen to compensate for falloff. Focusing is done using a 3/8-8 threaded rod. The backs attach magnetically, and the bellows are made of the same stuff as waterproof rain jackets. Construction is birch plywood for lightness and dimensional stability. There's even a strap on top (a watchband, really) to hold it with!
For my video; youtu.be/ijb4LqzxTaU,
Vancouver International Auto Show, 2012,
BC Place,
Yaletown, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The 2013 SRT Viper was unveiled at the 2012 New York Auto Show.
Preliminary specifications include the following:
All-aluminum 8,382 cc (8.4 L; 511.5 cu in) V10 engine rated at 640 hp (477 kW; 649 PS) at 6,150 rpm and 600 lb⋅ft (813 N⋅m) of torque at 4,950 rpm.
Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission with final drive ratio of 3.55. 50 percent improvement in torsional stiffness over previous model.
Electronic stability control, traction control, 4-channel anti-lock brake system (ABS), carbon fiber and aluminum skin with 0.364 drag coefficient (Cd), Pirelli P Zero Z-rated tires, 4-piston Brembo brakes with fixed-aluminum calipers with vented 355x32mm diameter rotors.
20 mm lower seating position, 7-inch full-color customizable instrument cluster, Uconnect RA3 or RA4 Access in-vehicle connectivity system with optional SiriusXM Travel Link and a Harman Kardon audio system.
Bi-xenon projector headlamps with white light-emitting diode (LED) daytime running lamps and LED turn signals, LED taillamps with integrating stop-and-turn illumination and snakeskin texture lens.
A maximum speed of 332 km/h (206 mph) and a 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time of 3.50 seconds.
#QualityImpersonatedHashtagDuplicated
The brand new Rescue Platforms have arrived! Rescue Platforms play a vital role in the department as they are the only aerial devices with a platform or bucket. These apparatus are useful in situations requiring an elevated platform for rescue operations or master stream operations. Since both rescue platforms are not responding as first-due truck companies, they do not carry the standard complement of truck company tools; rather, they carry specialized equipment, such as collapse, high angle, or low angle rescue equipment. The department selected the 95' Aerialscope after having a trial run with a Rosenbauer T-Rex assigned to RP1 and an Aerialscope assigned to RP2 for two years. Despite the articulating jib, the Rosenbauer was not selected for department use as it required additional time to setup. Ultimately, the Aerialscope was selected due to its unmatched stability. The boom can extend 9 degrees below grade to 75 degrees above grade. It is also capable of a 1000 lb tip load while flowing 1000 gpm, unrestricted. When retracted, the boom can lift up to 5000 lbs.
Rescue Platform 1 Technical Specs:
2020 Seagrave Marauder II
95’ Aerialscope
500-hp Cummins x12 engine
Code 3 lighting
NightScan PowerLite
B&M Super Chief siren
Federal Signal Touchmaster sure
Grover air horns
Onan 20 kW on-board generator
Forcible entry tools
RIT/FAST tools
Holmatro EVO 3 cordless rescue tools
2 PPV fans
Spill equipment
Low angle rescue equipment
163’ of ground ladders
Credit:
David H for the functional doors and boom
#OftenImitatedNeverDuplicated
Tony Southgate's masterwork of downforce and stability for the 3.5 liter V10 era of Group C, doing battle against the Peugeot 905 and Jaguar XJR14. Cornering speeds were so fast and the g-forces so high that several drivers broke their ribs.
Eastern Screech Owl
Ketring Park, Littleton, Colorado
ZS 70 at full zoom and full auto, braced against my face for stability. Pushing the limit of decent resolution with this crop.
Several books and websites indicate that the Eastern Screech Owl is found in Colorado only along the Kansas border. Apparently this is based on old data. The Cornell maps show it to be quite common in the Denver metro areas - much more than the Western.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Oct. 6, 2019) - The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), left, and the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 6) and ships from the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) are underway in formation while conducting security and stability operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest numbered fleet in the world, and the U.S. Navy has operated in the Indo-Pacific region for more than 70 years, providing credible, ready forces to help preserve peace and prevent conflict. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Erwin Jacob V. Miciano) 191006-N-VI515-0396
** Interested in following U.S. Indo-Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/indopacom | twitter.com/INDOPACOM |
www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **
#AbFav_GREEN_ 🍀
Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant Humulus lupulus.
They are used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart bitter, zesty, or citric flavours; though they are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine.
The hop plant is a vigorous, climbing, herbaceous perennial, usually trained to grow up strings.
Many different varieties of hops are grown by farmers around the world, with different types used for particular styles of beer.
The first documented use of hops in beer is from the 9th century.
Hops are also used in brewing for their antibacterial effect over less desirable microorganisms and for purported benefits including balancing the sweetness of the malt with bitterness and a variety of flavours and aromas.
Have a lovely day, M, (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Green, hops, flowers, plants, Humulus-lupulus, beer, wall, growth, creeper, colour, Nikon D200, Magda-Indigo
Freightliner 70001 passes Hanwell with the diverted (due to stability issues with Nuneham viaduct closing the line between Didcot and Oxford) 4O14 0536 Garston F.L.T. to Southampton M.C.T.
20 April 2023.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 6, 2020) Sailors assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) refuel an AH-1Z Viper helicopter assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 (Reinforced) during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise. America, flagship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eleven, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Vincent E. Zline)
PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 6, 2020) A CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft attached to the Air Force 21st Special Operations Squadron lands on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America, flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter Estrada)
PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 19, 2020) Landing Craft, Utility 1666, from Navy Beach Unit (NBU) 7 enters the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders)
(more details later, as time permits)
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In mid-October, I attended my second professional football game, with a photographer's press pass that let me get down on the field to photograph players, referees, cheerleaders, other photographers, fans in the stand, and anyone else who looked interesting. (My first such game was a pre-season contest between the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, which you can see by clicking here.)
I learned some lessons from photographing the Jets-Eagles game, and I showed up this time better prepared, and with some new equipment. It was great having the Nikon D700 with the capability of shooting at ISO 6400; but the 2X extender that turned my 70-300mm FX lens into a 140-600 lens seemed incapable of focusing automatically; I finally gave up and removed it. Overall, probably the best improvement came from the monopod that I dragged along on the trip; it greatly improved the stability of long shots with a telephoto. Ironically, it may also have created the illusion that I was a professional photographer, for the "real" professional photographers (who had studiously ignored me during the previous game) actually chatted with me a couple of times. I didn't have any of the bazooka-sized monster-telephoto lenses they had, but maybe they thought I wasn't a completely unprepared hobbyist...
Anyway, I shot the first half of the game with the D700 and the 70-300mm zoom lens by itself; and I shot the second half of the game with my older D300, whose half-frame body turned the 70-300mm zoom into a 105-450mm zoom. The stadium was sufficiently well lit that I could shoot at a reasonably high speed (typically 1/640 second) without having to go above ISO 3200 most of the time.
But technical details aside, this game was very much like the last one: I was down on the field, surrounded by 76,000 roaring fans who made conversation virtually impossible. I'm accustomed to watching most sports on television these days, with magical close-up shots provided by TV cameras like the very ones I saw strategically placed around tonight's football game; and when I'm befuddled by something complex or unexpected in whatever I'm watching, I know I can always depend on multiple instant replays (from various angles) and the incisive commentary from a TV sports anchor who knows far more about the players, the rules, and the details than I ever will.
Down on the field, all I could do was try my best to follow the action, and shoot anything that looked interesting. It usually (though not always) started with a snap to the quarterback -- but it was sometimes on the other side of the field, or down at the other end of the field. Like the other photographers, I scurried back and forth from one end of the field to the other to be as close to the action as possible ... but in many cases, all I ended up with was a picture of a tangle of bodies, and no clear idea of what had just happened.
After watching the Flickr statistics associated with my previous Jets-Eagles set, I was amused to see that the most popular photos were those of the cheerleaders ... so I included about 5 photos of the cheerleaders in this set. (And for whatever it's worth, I certainly did not envy them in their skimpy uniforms, while they did their best to cope with the 45-degree weather, and the chilly wind that whipped across the field.) I also found the fans interesting and occasionally picturesque, so you'll find about 10 fan-related pictures in this set.
Since I was on the field through the generosity and permission of the New York Jets, I naturally rooted for them to win. But they played pretty sloppily, and their rookie quarterback (Mark Sanchez, whose #6 jersey appears prominently in some of the photos) was intercepted five times. The regulation game finished in a 13-13 tie, so the game went into overtime ... and I'm such a dummy about football that I didn't even realize that it was a sudden death overtime. But when the Buffalo Bills kicked a three point field goal with 2:44 remaining in the overtime period, and all of the players immediately walked off the field, I quickly figured out what was happening...
Anyway, I took a little over 1,200 images and whittled it down to 60 "keepers" that I think you'll enjoy looking at. Another 200 had to be deleted immediately because they were out of focus, or because a referee decided to run in front of my camera just as I was pushing the shutter button ... but I've still got roughly 940 images of jumbled piles of football players that will probably continue to sit on my computer until I run out of space on my hard disk. C'est la vie...
"Take one Vantage Roadster bodyshell. Add a carbon-fibre grille, aero body components for high speed stability and lightweight forged alloy wheels. Insert a naturally-aspirated V12 engine of 6.0 litres capacity, driving the rear wheels via a bespoke 7-speed transmission. Then take a deep breath…and drive
That’s the formula for Aston Martin’s fastest-ever convertible. Externally, the V12 Vantage S Roadster is distinguished by the special carbon-fibre grille and bonnet vents. The latter not only help cool the V12 crammed into the engine bay but counteract high speed aerodynamic lift. Forged alloy wheels, wide profile sills and a boot lid spoiler complete the exterior mods, and Aston Martin offers a variety of graphic and colour options to make your V12 Vantage S Roadster stand out..."
Source: hrowen.co.uk
Photographed at Sharnbrook Hotel during Sharnbrook Supercar Sunday organized by PetrolHeadonism Club.
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They are amazingly fast. It took about a week for the boys to figure out how to catch them. Then it was a dozen in one morning once they found the plant that traps drinking water, and evasive geckos.
They can hang from perfectly smooth glass, wet or dry, and support their body weight with one toe touching. But the toes are not sticky. They can also climb those surfaces at a meter per second.
The nanostructured split-end hairs at the tip of the gecko’s toes exploit weak Van der Waals bonds at the molecular scale, conforming to any surface.
The gecko is a simply amazing animal, and it’s not just the nano-adhesive toes. High-speed video studies also shed light on the use of their tail for dynamic stability and flight, inspiring the robo-gecko experiments of Robert Full (see below).
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 6, 2020) Force Reconnaissance Marines with Command Element, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) fast rope from an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter from the “Archangels” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, Detachment 6, during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)
PHILIPPINE SEA (Jan. 27, 2021) Aviation Boatswains Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Russell Edgar, from Salt Lake City, left, and Chief Warrant Officer Brad Anthony, from Anthony, Fla., perform a P-25 drive-through aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America, flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, serving as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kelsey Culbertson)
En las patas delanteras, los camaleones tienen dos garras en la parte exterior y tres en la parte interior, mientras que en las patas traseras tienen tres garras en la parte exterior y dos en la parte interior.
On the front legs, chameleons have two claws on the outside and three on the inside, while on the hind legs they have three claws on the outside and two on the inside.
Les caméléons ont deux griffes à l'extérieur et trois à l'intérieur des pattes avant, tandis que les pattes arrière ont trois griffes à l'extérieur et deux à l'intérieur.
Los camaleones (Chamaeleonidae) son una familia, de pequeños saurópsidos (reptiles) escamosos. Existen cerca de 161 especies de camaleones, la mayor parte de ellas en África al sur del Sáhara. En América se llama a menudo camaleones a lagartos de las familias Polychrotidae y Dactyloidae, que aunque pueden cambiar de color, no guardan ningún parentesco con los verdaderos camaleones.
Son famosos por su habilidad de cambiar de color según las circunstancias, por su lengua rápida y alargada, y por sus ojos, que pueden ser movidos independientemente el uno del otro.
En 2015, Glaw reelaboró la división familiar en dos subfamilias:
Familia Chamaeleonidae: Subfamilia Chamaeleoninae (camaleones típicos, de los Géneros Bradypodion, Calumma, Chamaeleo, Furcifer, Kinyongia, Nadzikambia, Archaius, Trioceros)
y Subfamilia Brookesiinae (camaleones enanos, de los Géneros Brookesia, Rhampholeon y Rieppeleon)
Los camaleones varían grandemente en tamaño, desde los pequeños camaleones de la familia Brookesia que miden menos de 3 cm de largo hasta los grandes de 80 cm como el Calumna parsonii. La especie más pequeña vive en la isla de Nosy-bé en Madagascar es Brookesia minima y en su fase adulta difícilmente supera el centímetro y medio. Muchos de ellos tienen adornos en la cabeza o en la cara como protuberancias nasales e incluso cuernos como en el caso de Trioceros jacksonii o largas crestas en la parte superior de la cabeza como Chamaeleo calyptratus. Muchas especies presentan dimorfismo sexual y los machos suelen estar más adornados.
Las características principales que son compartidas por toda la familia son la estructura de sus patas, los ojos, la falta de oído y la lengua. Aunque no tengan oído externo son capaces de detectar vibraciones y sonidos de baja frecuencia, de unos 200Hz.
La familia tiene cada pata dividida en dos "dedos" principales con un suave recubrimiento al centro. Estos dedos están equipados con fuertes garras que le permiten trepar por troncos y ramas. Algo interesante es que tienen dos garras en la parte exterior y tres en la parte interior en las patas delanteras. Y en cambio, tres garras en la parte exterior y dos en la parte interior en las patas traseras.
Se mueven con extrema lentitud. Para atrapar a su presa utilizan la lengua, la cual puede ser extremadamente larga y muchas veces supera en longitud a su propio cuerpo. Consiguen lanzar su larguísima lengua protráctil como un proyectil, con una velocidad y distancia sorprendentes, hasta casi un metro en algunas especies. Con su punta pegajosa atrapan los pequeños animales, principalmente insectos, de los que se alimentan, ingiriéndolos inmediatamente enteros, como es común en los reptiles. Sólo con la ayuda de la fotografías de alta velocidad es posible observar ese proceso en detalle.
Su piel es rica en queratina, lo que presenta una serie de ventajas (en especial, la resistencia), pero igual que en otros reptiles, exige mudas periódicas como única forma de restaurarla.
Los ojos es lo que más los distingue entre los reptiles. Los camaleones poseen un rango oculomotor muy grande de unos 180° horizontalmente y 90° verticalmente. Los párpados están unidos entre sí por una estructura circular única de ápice redondeado, que rodea por completo el ojo, adoptando así una forma cónica. Cada ojo está recubierto por un párpado que se fusiona con el globo ocular siguiendo de cerca sus movimientos y deja libre solo una pequeña área circular en el centro, la correspondiente al iris y la pupila. Sus ojos se encuentran colocados en los laterales de la cabeza lo que les permite tener una vista panorámica. Pueden mover sus ojos, grandes y globosos, de manera independiente, lo que les brinda una visión de casi 360°, con un pequeño punto ciego tras la cabeza. Cuando la presa es localizada ambos ojos convergen en la misma dirección dándoles una visión estereoscópica y una percepción de profundidad.
En su retina solo poseen conos y no bastones, lo que les permite una buena visión diurna y excelente percepción de los colores, pero una deficiencia en la vista nocturna. Por esta razón los camaleones solo cazan durante el día.
La mayoría de camaleones son ovíparos, pero existen también especies ovovivíparas (normalmente del género Trioceros) . Una vez que la hembra está lista para poner los huevos (3-6 semanas después de la fecundación), desciende hacia el suelo y comienza a excavar un hueco de 5 a 30 centímetros dependiendo la especie. Luego, entierra los huevos y deja el lugar. La cantidad de huevos depositados varía de especie en especie desde el Brookesia con 2 a 4 huevos hasta el Chamaeleo calyptratus que pone de 30 a 60 huevos. Los huevos tardan en incubar de 6 a 8 meses, a excepción de Calumma parsonii, en cuya especie la incubación dura 18 meses. Los camaleones alcanzan la madurez sexual entre 4/5 meses y 8/10 meses (aunque el Calumma Parsonii llegan a su madurez sexual entre los dos y tres años). Pueden vivir entre 4 o 5 años, si bien algunas especies de gran tamaño como los Trioceros melleri y los Calumma parsonii pueden llegar a vivir hasta los 15 años.
La mayor parte de los camaleones habitan en África y en Madagascar, aunque algunas especies también se encuentran en partes del sur de Europa, Sri Lanka, India y Asia Menor. Diferentes especies habitan diferentes ambientes, como montañas, junglas, sabanas y a veces desiertos y estepas. Se cree que los individuos que viven en los sectores mediterráneos europeos derivan de ejemplares introducidos por el hombre en épocas remotas.
Los camaleones viven, en su mayor parte, en ambientes forestales, pero también se hallan algunos en matorrales, y algunas especies viven en el suelo, debajo de las hojas. Pueden pasar de un árbol a otro gracias a la habilidad prensil de su cola y de sus patas.
En la península ibérica sólo vive el camaleón común (Chamaeleo chamaeleon), que se encuentra en puntos muy concretos de la geografía española, como en Andalucía (en la costa desde Huelva hasta Almería existen poblaciones fragmentadas en varios puntos) o la Región de Murcia y en Portugal, concretamente en el Algarve; también hay poblaciones en Italia y Creta. Otra especie que se puede encontrar en Europa es el camaleón africano (Chamaeleo africanus) con algunas pequeñas poblaciones al suroeste del Peloponeso en el sur de Grecia, donde se cree que es una introducción desde la antigüedad, posiblemente desde Egipto.
Todos los camaleones son animales diurnos. Su periodo de mayor actividad es la mañana y el crepúsculo. Los camaleones no son cazadores activos. En vez de eso, prefieren quedarse horas inmóviles, esperando que una presa pase por allí. Se alimentan básicamente de artrópodos y de pequeños vertebrados. En cautividad, también comen frutas como papayas, plátanos, y hasta crías de roedores. Pero esa dieta solo es válida para animales adultos: las crías son casi exclusivamente insectívoras.
Los camaleones viven la mayor parte de sus vidas en solitario, y son bastante agresivos contra otros miembros de su misma especie. El hábito solitario solo es abandonado en la época de apareamiento, cuando el macho desciende de los árboles en busca de hembras.
Los camaleones pueden morder cuando se les provoca, pero el mordisco no es muy doloroso y en caso de que se produzca no reviste ningún riesgo, basta con desinfectar la zona como cualquier otra herida o rasguño.
Algunas especies de camaleón son capaces de cambiar de color, lo que es su característica más famosa.
Al contrario de lo que algunos creen, no son incoloros, ni mudan de color solo de acuerdo con el del ambiente; en realidad, el cambio de su color básico expresa más a menudo una condición fisiológica (relacionada con la temperatura o la hora del día) o una condición psicológica (provocada por la proximidad de un eventual adversario o pareja).
El cambio de color también tiene un papel importante en la comunicación durante las luchas entre camaleones: los colores indican si el oponente está asustado o furioso. Pueden variar los colores, desde rojizo hasta verdoso.
Accidentalmente, el cambio de color puede ayudar a la ocultación del animal, aunque esta no es una ocurrencia frecuente, y sí ocasional.
Los camaleones tienen células pigmentarias especializadas en varias capas de la dermis, bajo su epidermis externa y transparente. Las células de la capa superior, llamadas cromatóforos, contienen pigmentos amarillos y rojos. Bajo la de los cromatóforos hay otra capa cuyas células pigmentarias, los guanóforos, contienen una sustancia cristalina e incolora, la guanina. Los guanóforos reflejan, entre otras cosas, el color azul de la luz incidente. Cuando la capa superior con sus cromatóforos determina un color amarillo, la luz azul reflejada por los guanóforos se tiñe de verde (azul + amarillo). Aún más abajo se encuentra una capa rica en melanóforos, cargados del pigmento oscuro llamado eumelanina que también tiñe la piel humana. Estos melanóforos regulan el brillo, es decir la cantidad de luz reflejada. Todas estas células pigmentarias pueden regular la distribución de los pigmentos que contienen, ampliándola o contrayéndola, lo que da lugar su vez a las diferencias de brillo, tonalidad y dibujo que distinguen a los camaleones.
En la simbología de algunas tribus africanas, el camaleón es un animal sagrado, visto como el creador de la raza humana. Nunca muere, y cuando se encuentran alguno en el camino, lo apartan con precaución, con miedo a las maldiciones.
En el mercado de mascotas, Trioceros jacksonii y Chamaeleo calyptratus son de lejos los más comunes y se los encuentra frecuentemente criados en cautiverio. También podemos encontrar Furcifer pardalis, Furcifer lateralis, Calumma parsonii, Trioceros quadricornis y Trioceros melleri.
La mayoría de las especies está listada en el CITES, lo cual indica que su exportación está prohibida o sujeta a estrictas cuotas de exportación en sus países nativos. Sin embargo, la falta de órganos de control en los países nativos hace que esta lista pierda efectividad.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaeleonidae
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, being capable of shifting to different hues and degrees of brightness. The large number of species in the family exhibit considerable variability in their capacity to change color. For some, it is more of a shift of brightness (shades of brown); for others, a plethora of color-combinations (reds, yellows, greens, blues) can be seen.
Chameleons are distinguished by their zygodactylous feet, their prehensile tail, their laterally compressed bodies, their head casques, their projectile tongues, their swaying gait, and crests or horns on their brow and snout. Chameleons' eyes are independently mobile, and because of this the chameleon’s brain is constantly analyzing two separate, individual images of its environment. When hunting prey, the eyes focus forward in coordination, affording the animal stereoscopic vision.
Chameleons are adapted for climbing and visual hunting. The use of their prehensile tail offers stability when they are moving or resting while on a branch in the canopy; because of this, their tail is often referred to as a "fifth limb". Another character that is advantageous for being arboreal is how laterally compressed their bodies are; it is important for them to distribute their weight as evenly as possible as it confers stability on twigs and branches in the trees. They live in warm habitats that range from rainforest to desert conditions, with various species occurring in Africa, Madagascar, southern Europe, and across southern Asia as far as Sri Lanka. They have been introduced to Hawaii, California, and Florida.
In 1986, the family Chamaeleonidae was divided into two subfamilies, Brookesiinae and Chamaeleoninae.
Under this classification, Brookesiinae included the genera Brookesia and Rhampholeon, as well as the genera later split off from them (Palleon and Rieppeleon), while Chamaeleoninae included the genera Bradypodion, Calumma, Chamaeleo, Furcifer and Trioceros, as well as the genera later split off from them (Archaius, Nadzikambia and Kinyongia). Since that time, however, the validity of this subfamily designation has been the subject of much debate, although most phylogenetic studies support the notion that the pygmy chameleons of the subfamily Brookesiinae are not a monophyletic group.
While some authorities have previously preferred to use this subfamilial classification on the basis of the absence of evidence principle, these authorities later abandoned this subfamilial division, no longer recognizing any subfamilies with the family Chamaeleonidae.
In 2015, however, Glaw reworked the subfamilial division by placing only the genera Brookesia and Palleon within the Brookesiinae subfamily, with all other genera being placed in Chamaeleoninae.
Some chameleon species are able to change their skin coloration. Different chameleon species are able to vary their coloration and pattern through combinations of pink, blue, red, orange, green, black, brown, light blue, yellow, turquoise, and purple. Chameleon skin has a superficial layer which contains pigments, and under the layer are cells with very small (nanoscale) guanine crystals. Chameleons change color by "actively tuning the photonic response of a lattice of small guanine nanocrystals in the s-iridophores". This tuning, by an unknown molecular mechanism, changes the wavelength of light reflected off the crystals which changes the color of the skin. The color change was duplicated ex vivo by modifying the osmolarity of pieces of white skin.
Color change in chameleons has functions in camouflage, but most commonly in social signaling and in reactions to temperature and other conditions. The relative importance of these functions varies with the circumstances, as well as the species. Color change signals a chameleon's physiological condition and intentions to other chameleons. Because chameleons are ectothermic, another reason why they change color is to regulate their body temperatures, either to a darker color to absorb light and heat to raise their temperature, or to a lighter color to reflect light and heat, thereby either stabilizing or lowering their body temperature.
Chameleons tend to show brighter colors when displaying aggression to other chameleons, and darker colors when they submit or "give up". Some species, particularly those of Madagascar and some African genera in rainforest habitats, have blue fluorescence in their skull tubercles, deriving from bones and possibly serving a signaling role.
Some species, such as Smith's dwarf chameleon, adjust their colors for camouflage by the vision of the specific predator species (bird or snake) by which they are being threatened.
Chameleons have two superimposed layers within their skin that control their color and thermoregulation. The top layer contains a lattice of guanine nanocrystals, and by exciting this lattice the spacing between the nanocrystals can be manipulated, which in turn affects which wavelengths of light are reflected and which are absorbed. Exciting the lattice increases the distance between the nanocrystals, and the skin reflects longer wavelengths of light. Thus, in a relaxed state the crystals reflect blue and green, but in an excited state the longer wavelengths such as yellow, orange, green, and red are reflected.
The skin of a chameleon also contains some yellow pigments, which combined with the blue reflected by a relaxed crystal lattice results in the characteristic green color which is common of many chameleons in their relaxed state. Chameleon color palettes have evolved through evolution and the environment. Chameleons living in the forest have a more defined and colorful palette compared to those living in the desert or savanna, which have more of a basic, brown, and charred palette.
Chameleons primarily live in the mainland of sub-Saharan Africa and on the island of Madagascar, although a few species live in northern Africa, southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece), the Middle East, southern India, Sri Lanka, and several smaller islands in the western Indian Ocean.
Chameleons inhabit all kinds of tropical and mountain rain forests, savannas, and sometimes deserts and
steppes.
The typical chameleons from the subfamily Chamaeleoninae are arboreal, usually living in trees or bushes, although a few (notably the Namaqua chameleon) are partially or largely terrestrial. Most species from the subfamily Brookesiinae, which includes the genera Brookesia, Rieppeleon, and Rhampholeon, live low in vegetation or on the ground among leaf litter. Many species of chameleons are threatened by extinction. Declining chameleon numbers are due to habitat loss.
Chameleons are preyed upon by a variety of other animals. Birds and snakes are the most important predators of adult chameleons. Invertebrates, especially ants, put a high predation pressure on chameleon eggs and juveniles. Chameleons are unlikely to be able to flee from predators and rely on crypsis as their primary defense. Chameleons can change both their colors and their patterns (to varying extents) to resemble their surroundings or disrupt the body outline and remain hidden from a potential enemy's sight. Only if detected, chameleons actively defend themselves. They adopt a defensive body posture, present an attacker with a laterally flattened body to appear larger, warn with an open mouth, and, if needed, utilize feet and jaws to fight back. Vocalization is sometimes incorporated into threat displays.
Chameleons are popular reptile pets, mostly imported from African countries like Madagascar, Tanzania, and Togo. The most common in the trade are the Senegal chameleon (Chamaeleo senegalensis), the Yemen or veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus), the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis), and Jackson's chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii). Other chameleons seen in captivity (albeit on an irregular basis) include such species as the carpet chameleon (Furcifer lateralis), Meller’s chameleon (Trioceros melleri), Parson’s chameleon (Calumma parsonii), and several species of pygmy and leaf-tailed chameleons, mostly of the genuses Brookesia, Rhampholeon, or Rieppeleon. These are among the most sensitive reptiles one can own, requiring specialized attention and care.
The U.S. has been the main importer of chameleons since the early 1980s accounting for 69% of African reptile exports. However, there have been large declines due to tougher regulations to protect species from being taken from the wild and due to many becoming invasive in places like Florida. They have remained popular though which may be due to the captive-breeding in the U.S. which has increased to the point that the U.S. can fulfill its demand, and has now even become a major exporter as well. In the U.S. they are so popular, that despite Florida having six invasive chameleon species due to the pet trade, reptile hobbyists in these areas search for chameleons to keep as pets or to breed and sell them, with some selling for up to a thousand dollars.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 6, 2020) Force Reconnaissance Marines with Command Element, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) board a CH-53 E Super Stallion helicopter with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262, for extraction during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)
A slide scan from my collection of CF-GCV. At the time of photo it was operated by Pacific Western Airlines doing fire control in the Smithers area. The Otter has an amazing and lengthy history as written by Otter historian Karl E Hayes of Ireland.
The second Otter built, CF-GCV, made its first flight from Downsview on 2nd May 1952 and joined
the prototype in the flight test programme, flying as CF-GCV-X. It was used by DHC to certify the
Otter as a float plane. Like the prototype, it had been constructed with a pointed vertical fin, which
caused stability problems and in September 1952 the fins on both these Otters were changed to
what became the standard production fin, allowing the Otter to achieve commercial certification in
November 1952.
In July 1952, GCV piloted by Russ Bannock, DHC's Sales Director, was flown to Goose Bay,
Labrador where it was demonstrated to some of the RCAF's “top brass” and was undoubtedly
instrumental in the RCAF's order for Otters. After the DHC-3 achieved commercial certification in
November '52, GCV continued in use from Downsview as a demonstrator. In August '53 Russ
Bannock flew GCV to St.John's, Newfoundland to demonstrate it to Eastern Provincial Airways (EPA)
and so impressed were they that they bought the Otter. GCV's first task with EPA was on a Canadian
Marconi contract flying out of Goose Bay until the end of October '53. On one occasion, it broke
loose in a gale, damaging the tail. Parts were ordered from DHC, but had to be made specially as
GCV was a prototype aircraft. Trans Canada Airlines had difficulty fitting the parts into one of their
North Star aircraft, but they were eventually squeezed into the aisle between the passengers and
flown to Goose Bay, where the Otter was repaired.
Even though the Otter had been delivered to EPA in August '53, its official sale date from DHC to
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EPA was 18th December 1953 and GCV was registered to EPA on 5th January 1954, based at
Gander. EPA had a winter mail contract from the post office, and the Otter was used on this
alongside the company's Norsemen, Beavers and Cessna 180. The contract ran from January until
April/May and covered the towns and settlements around the island of Newfoundland as well as in
mainland Labrador. During the summer months, the mail was brought in by ship, but with the winter
freeze up of the coastal waters, the mail had to be flown in.
On 20th February '54 Beaver CF-GBD crashed into the mountains on a mail delivery flight to
Parson's Pond and Port Saunders on the west coast. As Marsh Jones writes in his much
recommended book on EPA (“The Little Airline That Could”):”The following morning I departed
Gander in Otter GCV with a load of mail for Flowers Cove. Bill Easton and an aircraft engineer
George Furey came along to assist and survey the damaged Beaver. We landed our mail at Flowers
Cove then flew south to the crash site, located about 200 yards up on a snowy slope from a good
size pond which we called Benny's Pond. We landed and while George Furey was assessing the
damaged aircraft we lugged the mail down a snowy slope to the Otter. After take-off we delivered the
Beaver's mail to Parsons Pond and Port Saunders, then returned to Gander”. The Otter was then
used to fly the necessary spare parts, tools, camping gear, provisions etc into the accident site, and
to keep the camp supplied while the Beaver was being repaired, which took until 9th May '54.
In winter 1955 Otter GCV was again used on the post office mail contract, in the course of which it
encountered some difficulty. Again, to quote from Marsh Jones excellent book: “On 28th February '55
I departed Gander with Rex Clibbery (our Canso captain) and a load of mail for Charlottown and
Black Tickle in southern Labrador. A refuelling stop was made at Roddickton and the first mail stop
was made at Charlottown, at the head of St. Michaels Bay. With excellent weather we proceeded up
the coast to Black Tickle. A circuit was made for ice observation, and as everything looked normal,
we landed heading out the bay along the line of tree top markers. During the turn to taxi back to the
inner bay after landing, the skis broke through the ice and the aircraft settled on the upper struts of
the under-carriage. What a predicament!”
“Black Tickle is completely devoid of trees and my immediate thought was to build a platform over
the area where we had broken through, but what would we use for material? One of the numerous
bystanders suggested that there might be planks in Guy Earl's shed on his fishing premises. I told
the man to bring over all the long planks and poles he could find plus nails and ropes and a block
and tackle. We then unloaded the mail. We ended up with more than enough material and built a
long platform around the nose of the aircraft, on which we erected an “A” frame lean-to over the
propeller hub and a long line going out to a 'deadman' secured in the ice. On this we secured our
block and tackle and before dark we had the aircraft skis well clear of the ice, with planks laid under
them to support the aircraft until, after a night of freezing temperature, the aircraft could be lowered
back onto its undercarriage again”.
“The area where we had broken through had been a large crack in the Bay ice about ten feet
wide which had frozen over. With a light layer of snow it was impossible to see and unfortunately noone
had bothered to mark it as unsafe. The following day, March 1st, was clear and cold and there
was now at least eight inches of hard slush ice under the aircraft. We lowered the Otter onto the
platform and pulled the aircraft clear of the area. On inspecting the aircraft it was found to be free of
damage and after heating up the engine we started up with no difficulty and taxied back to the inner
bay where we secured the aircraft for the night. The weather was not suitable for flight the next
morning, however we utilized the time in returning all the material and gear to Mr.Earl's shed. We
departed Black Tickle in marginal weather on 3rd March and with another refuelling stop at
Roddickton, landed at Gander in mid afternoon”. After that excitement, the Otter continued on the
post office contract until the end of the season.
EPA had also received a government contract to support construction of the Mid Canada Line of
radar stations. It was one of several operators who benefited considerably from the construction of
the radar defences of North America. The Pine Tree Line, Mid Canada Line and DEW Line were,
particularly in eastern Canada, relatively inaccessible by land transport and so the airlines became a
necessity for their construction and re-supply. The revenue generated by these projects was of great
assistance to such young companies as EPA and allowed them to grow both in experience and
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equipment. EPA's contract with the Department of Defence involved two Cansos CF-HFL and CFHGF
and Otter GCV, which occupied the aircraft all that summer of 1955. The Cansos were used
mainly to move petroleum products to the sites where the radar stations were being constructed. In
conjunction with this, the Otter moved general freight, provisions and personnel from the base at
Knob Lake (Schefferville), Quebec. GCV was particularly active, flying upwards of 550 hours that
summer.
1956 saw a similar pattern of operation for the Otter as in the previous year. During the winter it
was engaged on the mail contract, and in the summer based out of Knob Lake on the Mid Canada
Line contract. On 6th July '56 Canso CF-HFL ran short of fuel and force landed on a lake fifty miles
north of Knob Lake. It was located after a two hour search by Otter GCV and 20998, a USAF C-124
Globemaster. The Otter then flew in fuel for the Canso. In November '56, GCV returned to DHC at
Downsview for overhaul and repaint. It was painted 'stearman vermillion red' overall with white
cheatline and black trim.
In the early part of 1957, GCV was extremely busy with a Department of Defence contract resupplying
the Hopedale and Cartwright radar stations in Labrador. On 14th March '57 en route from
Hopedale to Site 206 (Lakehead), the tail ski broke off on landing, causing some damage to the rear
fuselage, which was repaired on site. During the summer of 1957, the Otter was again based at
Knob Lake for POL and construction support of the Mid Canada Line. By the end of the summer the
construction phase was complete and the Otter went back down to Newfoundland. On 31st October
'57 it suffered some damage at Quidi Vidi Lake, St.John's and was repaired on site.
CF-GCV's next posting in spring 1958 was to Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island in the Northwest
Territories, where EPA had received a contract to supply and service a Pinetree Line radar site on
Resolution Island which lay off the southern tip of Baffin Island at the junction of the Hudson and
Davis Straits. Resolution Island, some 180 miles from Frobisher Bay, had a 1,500 foot gravel landing
strip, which made the Otter an ideal aircraft to rotate personnel to and from the radar station and fly
in supplies. On 14th October '58 GCV flew from Frobisher that morning on a supply flight to
Resolution Island and took off in the early afternoon for the return sector, carrying the pilot and four
passengers. It was to be a day of remarkable drama.
While in the cruise, the pilot noticed the oil pressure needle fluctuating and the oil pressure
dropped sharply. He instructed the passengers to put on their life jackets. The situation deteriorated,
with white smoke coming from the engine, which was running rough, vibrating and rapidly losing
power. At this stage the Otter was over Lower Savage Island and the pilot, knowing they were going
down, put out a mayday call and sought a place to land. As the sea ice was very rough, he selected
a small lake on Lower Savage Island and decided to land on the wheels, to maintain directional
control, and to try and put the Otter after landing on the beach. The Otter touched down on the
frozen small lake and rolled for some 300 feet. Unfortunately however the aircraft then broke through
the ice, requiring a very rapid evacuation by the pilot and his four passengers, who reached the
shore with some difficulty. The cockpit was soon completely submerged and then the fuselage filled
with water and sank, leaving only the tail protruding above the ice.
As luck would have it, a USAF KC-97 Stratocruiser callsign “RONSON 29” rapidly came to the aid
of the downed Otter. As major Robert C.Schmidt of Strategic Air Command's 40th Air Refuelling
Squadron/40th Bombardment Wing later wrote of that “remarkable day”: “We had departed Goose
Air Base on the morning of the 14th headed for Thule, Greenland. We were cruising at 15,000 feet
and had just passed 90 miles east of Lower Savage Island when we heard the mayday call and
headed for the island, having received ATC clearance to conduct a search. We made several passes
over the island at two thousand feet and noticed an object sticking out of an ice-covered lake. We
spotted the red tail of the Otter and men waving their arms frantically from a rock adjacent to the
lake. We dropped survival kits and notified Frobisher Bay of the exact position.” Major Schmidt
commended the Otter pilot (“one heck of a fine fellow and an outstanding pilot”) for putting his aircraft
down on the only available landing area in the vicinity.
The historical report of the USAF's 920th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, callsign
“Footloose”, based at the radar station on Resolution Island, also tells what happened, all times
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quoted being Zulu/Greenwich time, the local time being four hours earlier: “At 1635Z Otter CF-GCV
departed Resolution Island for Frobisher Airport. At 1709Z RONSON 29 a KC-97 en route from
Goose to Thule called Footloose Control and stated that the following call had been received from
GCV at 1707Z on 121.5 “Mayday, on fire, landing at Lower Savage Island”. Efforts by Footloose to
contact GCV were unsuccessful. At 1711Z Footloose assumed control of RONSON 29 and first
vector for Savage Island was given. All agencies at Frobisher and Goose were alerted while
RONSON 29 was en route. The KC-97 arrived over Lr.Savage Island group at 1740Z and five
minutes later reported sighting GCV. At 1756Z RONSON 29 sighted five survivors and reported that
GCV was half submerged in the centre of a lake about three miles inland. Terrain was reported as
very rough and rescue by fixed wing aircraft impossible”.
“Footloose requested RONSON 29 to orbit the scene as long as possible and to drop as much
survival gear as they could. At 1800Z Frobisher notified Footloose that they were loading a C-54D
72617 of the 4087th Transport Squadron, SAC, with survival gear to drop at the scene and
estimated off in 30 minutes. At 1827Z RONSON 29 successfully dropped two E-1 kits and sighted
survivors opening them. At 1910Z RONSON 29 reported second successful drop of two E-1 kits
which included notes from Footloose advising survivors of rescue plans. At 1846Z C-54 72617 was
airborne from Frobisher and at 1927Z Footloose assumed control of Air Force 72617. At 1938Z the
C-54 had radio and visual contact with the KC-97 and had sighted survivors. By 1950Z the C-54 had
completed two successful drops. Survivors were now in possession of blankets, food gasoline,
sleeping bags, exposure suits and a radio. By 2009Z RONSON 29 and Air Force 72617 had
departed Lower Savage Island for Goose Air Base. At 2313Z Footloose requested Air Force 72488,
another C-54 of the 4087th Transport Squadron, which is based at Ernest Harmon AFB, Stephenville,
Newfoundland, to attempt to contact survivors when over Lower Savage Island. Air Force 72488
reported negative contact but sighted several flares. At
1247Z the next day (15th October '58) MATS C-118A 33242 arrived over Lower Savage Island after
being diverted from course by Footloose. The C-118 reported successful radio contact with survivors.
They reported everyone was OK but very cold and they had no way to build a fire”.
Rescue came later that day in the form of the US Navy supply ship “Greenville Victory”, a vessel
which already had quite a connection with Otter aircraft, having been part of the Naval task force
which had sailed to Antarctica in 1955 and subsequent years in support of the 'Deep Freeze'
operations. The vessel managed to come to within two miles of the island and then launched a motor
boat with a rescue party. The pilot of the Otter and one passenger were located on the beach and
brought back to the ship for hot soup and biscuits to revive them. The motor boat with the rescue
party then returned to the island, accompanied by the pilot, as they had to make their way inland to
the lake where the Otter was, and where the other three passengers had established a camp. This
was quite a difficult undertaking, as it was by then dark, freezing cold, and the terrain between the
beach and the lake was uneven and treacherous. The rescue party carried battle lanterns to light
the way and also rifles and side arms, as polar bear tracks in the snow were plentiful. On arrival at
the camp, they found the three passengers in high spirits, having made good use of the USAF
dropped survival gear. Before they set off to return to the motor boat, they shone their lanterns
across the lake, illuminating the tail of the Otter, which was all that remained of the aircraft above the
ice. It must have been an eerie scene in the stillness of this very remote spot.
Having trecked back to the motor boat, they sailed back to the “Greenville Victory”. At 0551Z on
16th October, Footloose was advised by Air Force 72674, another C-54D of the 4087th Transport
Squadron, that all survivors were aboard the ship in good condition and rescue operations were
completed. The “Greenville Victory” then resumed course for Thule, Greenland. At Thule the
survivors met up with the crew of the KC-97 which had first come to their help and could even view
movie footage of the incident taken by one of the Stratocruiser's crew. The pilot of the Otter and his
passengers were flown by the USAF from Thule to Torbay, Newfoundland, where they arrived on
22nd October, none the worse for their dramatic experience. The pilot of the Otter that day was Jim
Rowe, who would subsequently lose his life in the crash of EPA Otter CF-MEX (332) in Greenland in
August 1961.
That crash at Lower Savage Island marked the end of GCV's career with EPA, who regarded the
Otter as a total loss “due to submersion and the remote location of the accident”. EPA purchased
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another Otter, CF-LEA (286), to replace GCV, which was delivered on 6th November 1958, and in
the meantime they used Beaver CF-GQU on the contract to re-supply the Resolution Island radar
site from Frobisher Bay. The wreckage of GCV was turned over to the insurers, who sold it to Mr
Frank Ferrer, a US citizen from Miami, Florida but then living in Montreal, who was flying as a pilot
with one of the American carriers who were servicing the DEW Line sites at the time. Mr Ferrer
managed to retrieve the Otter from Lower Savage Island and transport it by ship to Frobisher Bay,
where it was restored to flying condition. On 30th June 1959 a ferry permit was issued for a flight
from Frobisher Bay to St.Jovite, Quebec base of Wheeler Airlines Ltd, to whom Mr Ferrer had leased
the Otter. CF-GCV was registered to Wheeler Airlines Ltd and entered their service.
In July 1959, Wheeler Airlines secured the contract to re-supply the eastern sector of the DEWLine
radar sites, taking over from EPA, and already had a number of Otters working on the contract,
in conjunction with the company's larger aircraft. Its DC-4s flew regular flights from Montreal north to
Frobisher Bay, and the Otters then flew out of Frobisher to the radar station on Resolution Island and
other sites. Otter CF-GCV returned to Frobisher Bay and resumed where it had left off while with
Eastern Provincial, supplying the radar station on Resolution Island. In April 1960 Wheeler Airlines
underwent a major re-organisation. The heavy transport division of the company and all its larger
aircraft were sold to Nordair. The company was re-constituted as Wheeler Airlines (1960) Ltd and
continued with its bush operations. CF-GCV and the company's other Otters were registered to the
new operation, and GCV continued flying from Frobisher Bay.
On 29 June 1960 GCV was yet again en route from Frobisher to Resolution Island, where the
weather was clear except for a fog bank which covered part of the runway. The airstrip at Resolution
was a 1,500 foot gravel strip and was on much higher ground than the surrounding terrain. The flight
was uneventful until the Otter was on final approach from the west to the gravel strip. Severe
downdrafts were encountered at this point, which forced the aircraft below the level of the runway,
requiring the pilot to use take-off power to regain the height which had been lost. The use of this
extra power resulted in increased airspeed that was sustained after power had been reduced up to
the point of touchdown. The touchdown was within the first 200 feet of runway, and brakes were
applied before the tail made contact with the ground. The wheels sank into a soft spot on the runway
and the aircraft pitched forward, coming to a stop when the propeller blades touched the ground. At
this point the tail dropped heavily. The fuselage was broken about ten inches behind the rear door.
The prop blades were bent at the tips, the tail landing gear was torn away and the skin on both sides
of the rudder was bent and buckled. Temporary repairs were effected on site and a ferry permit
issued on 8th July 1960 for a flight from Resolution Island to Montreal, where permanent repairs
were carried out over the winter. That incident ended GCV's career with Wheeler Airlines and on 4th
April 1961 the aircraft was registered to Canavia Corporation of Montreal in connection with its sale
to Pacific Western Airlines, to whom it was registered on 1st December 1961.
Having served all its career up to this point on Canada's east coast, the Otter headed west and for
the next six years faithfully served Pacific Western Airlines, providing a full range of bush services. In
1966 it was based at Fort Nelson, BC on forest fire duties. The Otter was eventually sold by Pacific
Western to Thunderbird Airlines Ltd of Prince George, BC to whom it was registered on 29th January
1968. There was a change of name to Northern Thunderbird Air Ltd on 9th August 1974 but the Otter
continued flying out of its base at Prince George. On 15th October '74 the Otter suffered another
mishap, when it went through the ice of Ominica Bay in Williston Lake, to the north of Prince George.
GCV had taken off from McKenzie with twelve Native Indian school children on board, who were
going to Ingenika. In the area of Ominica Bay, visibility was about four miles, but suddenly light snow
conditions turned into a very heavy snow fall, with visibility reduced to one quarter mile. Rather than
taking a risk with his precious load, the pilot decided to set the Otter down on the ice covered lake
and wait for an improvement in the weather. All was well until near the end of the landing roll when
the ice gave way and the aircraft began to sink in the water, not for the first time in its career!
The pilot quickly removed the wet children from the machine as it sank, and took them to the
shore where a fire was started to warm and dry them. Then he guided them on a two mile hike
through the woods to a logging camp where the children were given a good meal and put to bed.
Thankfully a happy ending for the children, but the unfortunate GCV had almost completely sunk into
the lake and was locked into the ice, with only its tail visible, an eerie repeat of its earlier submersion
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on Lower Savage Island.
The recovery of the Otter was undertaken by Denny McCartney and is fully described in his most
excellent book “Picking up the Pieces”. He describes how, the following January he proceeded to the
lake and with his helpers erected an “A” frame from sturdy logs, which was used with a pulley to
raise the sunken Otter, having first cut the ice from around it. Then the ice had to be cleared out from
inside the aircraft, and the whole aircraft and engine thoroughly checked and made airworthy. Then a
section of ice was carefully checked for security and an airstrip was marked out with small
evergreens as a guide for the pilot in his take off run to fly back to base at Prince George, a flight
made without incident. At the time of this incident, this hard-working Otter had accumulated 12,140
hours total airframe time.
That incident marked the end of its career with Northern Thunderbird Air. GCV was sold to Silver
Pine Air Services of Pine Falls, Manitoba, who sold it on to Walsten Air Services of Kenora, Ontario
in 1976. After six years on the ground and a lengthy rebuild by Northern Servicentre at Reddit,
Ontario C-FGCV flew again on 11th June 1980 and joined the fleet of Walsten Air Services, flying
from Kenora on charter work. It was normally active during the summer months only, flying tourists,
hunters, fishermen to remote parts of the province. During the winter months, it was stored at Reddit,
Ontario. GCV was equipped with Bristol 7850 floats, a type normally used on Beech 18s, one of
which was also in the Walsten fleet. On the Otter, the ventral fin was replaced with two vertical fins
on the horizontal stabilizer, to provide increased stability with the larger floats.
GCV continued to serve Walsten Air Services for many years, and on 19th June 1994 was
involved in a minor incident. The Otter was landing at a lodge at Forest Lake, north of Vermillion Bay,
Ontario when during the approach it struck and severed an un-marked low-level power line which
served the fishing lodge. It landed without further incident. GCV's fifteen years of yeoman service for
Walsten Air Services came to a tragic end on 20th September 1995. That morning the pilot took off
from Kenora and flew to Stewart Lake, some sixty miles west of Dryden, to pick up five passengers
and their equipment. The passengers were all anglers on a fishing trip, all being close personal
friends coming from Cross Plains, Wisconsin. The Otter flew the party to an outpost camp at
Salvesen Lake, Ontario about fifty miles north-west of Kenora. Tragically the Otter crashed during the
landing when it flipped over and became submerged, killing all six on board. The remains of the Otter
were taken to Walsten Air's facility in Kenora.
EAST CHINA SEA (July 31, 2020) Sailors connect fueling lines to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) from the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) during a replenishment-at-sea. Shiloh is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell)