The C35 Autofocus' low light light stays on, I thought it meant the metering system's broken. But turns out the camera both focuses and meters well as long as the battery has power. The camera drains the battery.

 

I moved the film to the KX.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be transforming the 42 St Shuttle, which moves thousands of customers between the subway system’s two busiest stations, including replacing the Times Square Shuttle terminal with a larger and accessible station, reconfiguring platforms at Grand Central, and modernizing shuttle train operations. The project will result in a 42 St Shuttle that is fully accessible, has more capacity and is easier for customers to use.

 

The 42 St Shuttle currently operates on tracks and stations that were part of the city's first subway line that opened 115 years ago in 1904. That subway line ran from City Hall across 42nd Street to Harlem. The track segment along 42nd Street was later repurposed as the existing crosstown 42 St Shuttle. This photo from 1958 shows the Shuttle platform at Times Square.

 

Photo courtesy of the NY Transit Museum.

Widespread rain was observed in San Jose, CA this afternoon. Flash floods presented a hazard due to the deluge. I miss this weather... It feels like it's been forever since I've seen rain!

 

Weather scenario/details:

At last, rain was finally making a return to California after a very dry February! Certainly, we were in for a lot of it! Although we were still in a drought, all this rain equals hazardous conditions... It may be too much of a good thing...

 

Here's a weather rundown: Why the sudden rains? An atmospheric river event was in store for California for early March 2016... Despite a very dry and mild February, a major pattern change toward a much wetter weather pattern was imminent. The 1st strong system of the series had hit by the first weekend of the month, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds, and heavy mountain snow. Wind & flood advisories were also issued with the first system of the series. The 1st system's strong cold front had approached the Bay Area by Saturday afternoon. Strong southerly winds have developed as the front passed thru. While this rain was to help replenish depleted water reservoirs and put a dent in the long-standing drought, the large amount of rain in a short time frame would lead to flooding and mudslides. Despite its drawbacks, the rainfall was beneficial to the state's water supply. Impacts from the 1st strong system had brought heavy rain & wind to my area in San Jose, CA. The 2nd system was expected to arrive by Sunday night and into Monday. At the time, the 2nd system appeared a bit stronger, bringing in more heavy rain, according to forecasters. Looks like this was El Nino's last hurrah this winter! Is a 'Miracle-March' imminent? Drive safe & stay dry out there, guys.

 

(Footage filmed Saturday, March 5, 2016 from around San Jose, CA)

A storm system delivers copious amounts of rainfall to San Jose, CA early this evening. The line of heaviest precipitation was witnessed as this system's main cold front/frontal system finally pushed thru. The Warriors game was on, so I hurried back home to watch the 2nd half after the rains have subsided lol. Certainly, rain & wind was felt in the Bay Area this day as the 1st of 3 storms were to bring widespread rainfall (and gusty winds) for the entire state into early next week... Drive safe out there! (Video footage taken Wednesday evening, January 18, 2017)

 

***Summary of this new atmospheric river event:

A new round of storms were to take aim at California. Each storm was to bring locally drenching rain. Beginning Wednesday, 3 separate storm systems were set to impact the Bay Area. The 1st was forecast to arrive Wednesday. The 2nd system was forecast to arrive by Thursday night into Friday. The 3rd final system was to arrive by Saturday night & extend thru the weekend. For this 3rd storm system, rainfall amounts were to be higher than either of the first 2 systems. All 3 storms were expected to be relatively fast-moving, so rainfall accumulations won't be that intense as opposed to the previous AR event earlier in the month.

 

The first 2 systems were not likely to cause too many headaches because of the limited storm-total rainfall amounts forecasted. The 3rd system has the greatest chance to cause more widespread problems, because the projected rainfall totals are highest in this 3rd system. Most creeks and rivers may handle the successive runoff, but a few may approach or exceed flood levels... Drive safely out there! A prolonged weather event of this nature has the potential to produce flows in local rivers not seen since 2010.

 

What about the drought status? The worst drought areas have been greatly reduced to a small region northwest of Los Angeles. At this point, just 2.1 percent of the state was now in "exceptional drought"! Indeed, we were finally headed in the right direction in terms of the water supply for the state...

The New Croton Dam (also known as Cornell Dam),[2] part of the New York City water supply system, stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, about 22 miles (35 km) north of New York City. Construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1906.[3] Designed by Alphonse Fteley (1837–1903), this masonry dam is 266 feet (81 m) broad at its base and 297 feet (91 m) high from base to crest. Its foundation extends 130 feet (40 m) below the bed of the river, and the dam contains 850,000 cubic yards (650,000 m3) of masonry.[4] The engineers' tablet mounted on the headhouse nearest the spillway lists the spillway length as 1,000 feet (300 m) and the total length of the dam and spillway combined as 2,188 feet (667 m).[5] At the time of its completion, it was the tallest dam in the world.[6] New Croton Dam impounds up to 19 billion US gallons (72,000,000 m3) of water, a small fraction of the New York City water system's total storage capacity of 580 billion US gallons (2.2×109 m3).[7]

 

The dam, in Westchester County, has an unusual spillway, part artificial and part natural, which forms a waterfall on the north side of the structure. New Croton Dam has a public park and trail head at its base and a road along its crest. Road use is limited to pedestrians and emergency vehicles.

 

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background (including material from fellow modeler Devilfish at whatifmodelers.com):

The SEPECAT Cheetah was a more sophisticated variable geometry wing derivative of the Anglo-French Jaguar attack aircraft, similar to the Su-7 and later Su-17/2022 evolution.

 

The Jaguar programme began in the early 1960s, in response to a British requirement for an advanced supersonic jet trainer to replace the Folland Gnat T1 and Hawker Hunter T7, and a French requirement (ECAT or École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique, "Tactical Combat Support Trainer") for a cheap, subsonic dual role trainer and light attack aircraft to replace the Fouga Magister, Lockheed T-33 and Dassault Mystère IV.

 

Cross-channel negotiations led to the formation of SEPECAT (Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique – the "European company for the production of a combat trainer and tactical support aircraft") in 1966 as a joint venture between Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation to produce the airframe.

 

Though based in part on the Breguet Br.121, using the same basic configuration and an innovative French-designed landing gear, the Jaguar as built also incorporated major elements designed by BAC – notably the wing and high lift devices. Production of the aircraft components would be split between Breguet and BAC and these would be assembled on two production lines; one in the UK and one in France.

 

The first of eight prototypes flew on 8 September 1968, a two-seat design fitted with the first production model Adour engine. The second prototype flew in February 1969; a total of three prototypes appeared in flight at the Paris Air Show that year. The first French "A" prototype flew in March 1969. In October a British "S" conducted its first flight.

 

A navalized "M" prototype flew in November 1969. The "M" had a strengthened airframe, an arrester hook and different undercarriage: twin nose wheel and single mainwheels. After testing in France it went to RAE at Thurleigh for carrier landing trials from their land based catapult. In July 1970 it made real take offs and landings from the French carrier Clemenceau.

 

The RAF accepted delivery of the first of 165 single-seat Jaguar GR1s (the service designation of the Jaguar S) in 1974, and it remained in service until 2007. Anyway, the Jaguar's all-weather capacity was limited and the airframe still offered development potential, so that from 1976 on the Anglo-French SEPECAT consortium looked at improved versions with radar, more powerful engines and improved avionics and aerodynamics.

 

This led in late 1975 to the Cheetah project, which incorporated a variable geometry wing that could be mounted to the Jaguar's airframe without major structural modifications.

 

The Cheetah was designed as a multirole, twin-engined aircraft designed to excel at low-level penetration of enemy defences, but also for battlefield reconnaissance and maritime patrol duties, and both naval and land-based versions were developed.

 

The Cheetah’s primary mission envisaged during the Cold War was the delivery of conventional and nuclear ordnance on the invading forces of the Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe. Advanced navigation and flight computers, including the then-innovative fly-by-wire system, greatly reduced the workload of the pilot during low-level flight and eased control of the aircraft.

 

Compared with the Jaguar, the Cheetah’s nose section was widened to carry an Ericsson PS 37 X-band mono pulse radar, which used a mechanically steered parabolic dish housed in a radome. This radar performed several functions, including air-to-ground telemetry, search, track, terrain-avoidance and cartography. Air-to-air telemetry was also provided. This capability was not the system’s functional focus, but allowed the Cheetah to engage in all weather air-to-air combat and to act as a point defense interceptor with short range AAMs (e. g. up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder).

 

Honeywell provided an automatic digital flight control system for the Cheetah, one of the first such systems in a production aircraft. To assist low altitude flight and navigation, a Honeywell radar altimeter with transmitter and receiver was used, and the aircraft was also fitted with a Decca Type 72 Doppler navigation radar. TILS (Tactical Instrument Landing System), a landing-aid system made by Cutler-Hammer AIL, improved landing accuracy to 30 m.

 

From this basis, the Cheetah’s airframe was adapted to a naval version first, which featured a more rigid structure, a beefed-up landing gear for carrier operations and other suitable modifications. This evolved into the Cheetah FRS.1 for the Royal Navy. The FRS.1 was a separate development from the Jaguar, and catered to a very different specification. By the late 60's the Royal navy knew that their big carriers were due for scrapping and that plans for the proposed CVA 01 carrier were already being shelved. In a desperate attempt to hold on to naval air power, the Admiralty put forward a plan to buy two ex-US Navy Kittyhawk class supercarriers and refit them with British equipment (mostly salvaged from the outgoing carriers, Ark Royal and Eagle).

 

Because of the cancellation of TSR.2, the treasury, in a strange turn of events, agreed that air power at sea was definitively needed. They approved the acquisition of at first one, then later a second US carrier. To supplement them, two Centaur class carriers were to be retrofitted to act as tactical carriers to aid in smaller conflicts.

 

As these were not big enough to carry and deploy the larger American types being used on the supercarriers, a smaller multi-purpose aircraft was needed. With the Cheetah, BAC offered a version of the Jaguar, fitted with the variable geometry wing, then being designed for the MRCA, to aid with slower and shorter take offs and landings. Renamed the Cheetah, the FRS.1 entered service aboard the HMS Hermes in 1978, seeing service during the Falklands conflict in 1982.

 

The land-based Cheetah differed in many details from the naval version, though, the first prototype flew in early 1977 and the RAF’s GR.2 was primarily designed for the RAF Germany forces, since the continental theatre of operations was regarded as the most critical NATO flank of that time. The RAF Cheetahs were supposed to carry out conventional and nuclear point strikes against targets in the GDR, Poland and Czechoslovakia, and defend coastal lines against fast invasion fleets, esp. in the Baltic Sea.

 

The biggest visible difference to the FRS.1 was a different variable wing geometry mechanism and a modified wing shape with a dog tooth close to the pivot section and an extended leading edge fairing at the wing roots. The GR.2’s VG mechanism was more compact than the Tornado structure originally used in the FRS.1, but also simpler in order to save as much weight as possible.

 

The GR.2’s wings could be swept backwards between 16° and 72°, and the horizontal stabilizers were adapted in shape to form a quasi delta wing when the wings were fully swept back, allowing for minimal drag during the critical low-level dash towards a well-prepared enemy. The sweep angle could be altered manually by the pilot, but also automatically. The different VG wings basically improved low altitude aerodynamics and handling of the Cheetah, as well as its STOL capabilities. With its rugged undercarriage, lent from the Jaguar, the Cheetah GR.2 was, more than the bigger and heavier Tornado, suited for tactical front line service from improvised airstrips, together with the RAF’s Harrier fleet.

 

The Cheetah FRS.1 and the GR.2 carried the Jaguar’s pair of 30mm cannon, but due to the different wing structures the hardpoints for external ordnance differed. The Cheetah was typically equipped with a total of seven hardpoints: three underneath the fuselage, and more under the wings. The FRS.1 had four wing pylons which could, thanks to the Tornado ancestry, be swept together with the wings.

The GR.2’s capacity was more limited, as it carried two large tandem pylons under each wing root, each also carrying a launch rail for defensive AAMs, and a further pair of optional wing-mounted, fixed hardpoints. This facility was rarely used, though, and they were basically reserved for drop tanks for ferry flights, but could also take weapon racks. External ordnance capacity was similar to the original Jaguar, with 10,000 lb (4,500 kg).

 

The first Cheetah GR.2 entered RAF service in 1980, and replaced basically the RAF Buccaneers as well as an early part of the Jaguar GR.1 fleet (the Jaguars kept in service were later modernized to GR.3 standard).

 

The RAF Cheetahs served together with the Jaguar Force until 2007, when both types were retired. Following their retirement from flying service, some Cheetahs continue to serve as ground instructional airframes, most notably at RAF Cosford, used in the training of RAF fitters.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: One

Length: 16.83 m (55 ft 2½ in)

Wingspan: 13.97 m (45 ft 10 in) spread 16°, XXX swept 72°

Height: 4.89 m (16 ft 0½ in)

Wing area: 37.35 m² spread, 34.16 m² swept (402.05 ft² / 367.71 ft²)

Empty weight: 7,848 kg (17,286 lb)

Loaded weight: 12,200 kg (26,872 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 15,700 kg (34,612 lb)

 

Powerplant:

2 × Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 105 turbofans

with 24.50 kN (5,508 lbf) dry thrust each and 35.5 kN (7,979 lbf) with afterburner

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1,870 km/h, 1,161 mph) at 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Mach 1.1 (1,350 km/h, 839 mph) at sea level

Combat radius: 908 km (490 nmi, 564 mi) (lo-lo-lo, external fuel)

Ferry range: 3,524 km (1,902 nmi, 2,190 mi)

Service ceiling: 14,000 m (45,900 ft)

Rate of climb: 200 m/s (39,400 ft/min)

Climb to 9,145 m (30,000 ft): 1 min 30 sec

 

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons in the lower front fuselage, 150 RPG

7 hardpoints; 1× center-line pylon stations Fore & Aft plus a pair of pylons in front of the main landing gear wells; twin inner pylon (Fore & Aft) plus launch rails for AAMs, and single Outer Pylon pair under the wings, non-moveable. Total capacity of 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) for a wide range of guided and unguided ordnance, including:

- Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each (up to seven at once)

- AS.37 Martel anti-radar missiles

- AS-30L laser guided air-to-ground missiles

- Various unguided or laser-guided bombs of up to 2.000 lb (907 kg) caliber

- 2× WE177A nuclear bombs

- 1× AN-52 nuclear bomb

- ECM protection pods

- Reconnaissance pods

- ATLIS laser/electro-optical targeting pod

- External drop tanks for extended range/loitering time

  

The kit and its assembly:

The final contribution to the “Cold War” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and another realization of a plan from the long agenda – and triggered by a similar build at the board from fellow modeler Devilfish who built a naval VG Jaguar with Tornado wings in 1:48. I took the opportunity and inspiration to build my interpretation of that theme, lending the Cheetah designation from Devilfish’s build, though, and some of the naval version’s background.

 

Anyway, my conversion plan had been different. I wanted to create an RAF aircraft, true to the Jaguar’s strike/recce role, and the VG mechanism and wings would come from a MiG-23 – inspired by a similar transplant with a Mirage F.1C I saw many moons ago (and a beautiful result, I want to try that stunt, too!).

I also had the donation kits stashed away: a Heller SEPECAT Jaguar A (actually, I had already piled up four kits for this task…) and an Academy MiG-23S.

 

Wing transplantation went straightforward and with surprisingly little difficulties. The MiG’s wings were cut out together with the spinal section and the lower wing gloves, so that the VG geometry remained unchanged. On the other side, this package went into a shallow gap that I carved out from the Jag’s ventral section. Some putty and body sculpting merged the parts, easier than expected.

 

The rest saw only minor modifications. A radome was implanted (from an Italeri F-18 Hornet), which needed some body sculpting around the nose and the MiG-23’s stabilizers were used, too, in order to form a clean wing shape. I tailored their trailing edges a bit, so that the shape would not remind too much of the MiG heritage.

 

An RAF style radar warning receiver, scratched from 1.5mm styrene, was installed into the French version’ fin. Under the wing roots a pair of pylons from a Matchbox F-14 were added, together with Sidewinder launch rails from a Tornado ADV (Italeri). The jet exhausts were drilled open for more depth, and some sensors/pitots added to the nose, made from wire. Cockpit and landing gear were taken OOB, even though I used a different ejection seat and faired the original dashboard over with a piece of styrene.

 

The BL 755 bombs and their twin racks come OOB from the Heller kit, the Sidewinders from an ESCI kit, IIRC.

  

Painting and markings:

The RAF was settled as an operator, but for a whiffy twist I applied the all-green scheme that the RAF’s Harrier GR.5 carried in the late Eighties – exclusively, AFAIK. While the all NATO Green upper side appears a bit dull, the Lichen Green underside and the very low waterline look rather psychedelic and unique. Anyway, it works well on the Cheetah, and I can imagine that other RAF aircraft would also look cool in this simple scheme?

 

The basic colors I used are Humbrol 105 (Army Green) and 120 (Light Green, FS 34227), both are pretty approximates. The basic paintwork was later panel-shaded with lighter mixes of these two tones – actually brightened up with RAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78). In fact, the Heller Jaguar is almost totally devoid of any surface detail... A light black ink wash was also used to emphasize edges and deepen the contrast. The wings’ leading edges were painted in a very dark green (Humbrol 91) and the cockpit interior was painted in dark grey (FS 36076 from Model Master). The landing gear struts were painted light grey, while the wells and covers became Zinc Chromate Yellow.

 

The decals are a mix of the OOB Heller sheet and aftermarket sheets for RAF Jaguars, an Italeri Tornado and a Harrier GR.5. A coat of matt acrylic varnish finally sealed everything and the ordnance was mounted.

  

An interesting conversion, and the result looks very plausible! I am certain that this thing would make people seriously wonder and think when displayed on a convention. The VG Jag looks very natural – but not much sexier than the original? Anyway, the transplantation does not look out of place, because the Jaguar’s layout is very similar to the Panavia Tornado, so that the VG wing does not appear like the total fake it actually is. ^^

Archer Training System's business owners(and cute couple): Courtney and Nathan.

 

Went for a more fun feel and edit for this particular image out of the whole series.

 

For my Strobists:

 

Camera top: Octobank being held by assistant, shooting down

 

Camera left: Strip Box

Factory Building No. 3 housed the paint, body, and final assembly operations of Duesenberg Motor Company. The company was owned by brothers August and Fred S. Duesenberg. The cars they built became known as the Duesenberg and were acclaimed as "The World's Finest Motor Car." Building No. 3 is the only remaining building from the original Duesenberg complex. In 2019, when the photograph was taken, Building No. 3 housed the transit system's garage. The company's name on the front of the build had been restored.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The APS-4 was a light-weight, pod-mounted airborne search Radar which was suitable for either Airborne Interception (AI) or Air-to-Surface-Vessel (ASV) applications. It was a member of a series of early air-borne radar equipment and was initially designated as AS-H (“Air-to Surface, version H”). This very advanced equipment for its time was first used by the US Navy on board of carrier-borne night fighter aircraft like respective F6F Hellcat and F4U-2 Corsair variants. The Royal Air Force was impressed enough with the system's performance that it was adopted in 1943 for domestic airframes, too, as an alternative to the British AI radars used on board of early Mosquito, Beaufighter and Defiant night fighters.

 

One very successful carrier of the APS-4, in RAF service known as the AI Mk XV, was the De Havilland Mosquito in its NF Mk.XIX and NF Mk.30 night fighter incarnations. Aware of the performance and effectiveness of the American single engine aircraft, though, the RAF decided to test similar domestic airframes towards the end of WWII as well. The shorter range of a single engine night fighter would, compared with the bigger but also more sluggish two engine types, be compensated by higher speed, agility and rate of climb. These lighter aircraft were intended as a second defense for homeland defense, esp. around large cities or industrial sites.

 

One of these projects concerned the Supermarine Spitfire, more specifically the new types powered by a Rolly Royce Griffon engine. The Griffon provided a substantial performance increase over the Merlin-powered Spitfire Mk IX, but initially suffered from poor high altitude performance due to having only a single stage supercharged engine. By 1943, Rolls-Royce engineers had developed a new Griffon engine, the 61 series, with a two-stage supercharger, leading to a slightly modified engine, the 65 series, which was eventually mounted in the Spitfire Mk XIV.

With this performance surplus, a night fighter, despite carrying the AI Mk XV equipment plus a second crew member, was still expected to offer a superior performance over German two-engine bombers that intruded British airspace and the heavy night fighters that lurked over the Channel and attacked grouping RAF night bomber formations before they entered Continental airspace.

 

From this idea, the Spitfire NF.XX was born, as an alternative to a Hawker Typhoon night fighter with a British radar and only a single crew member. In summer 1944 an initial prototype was built, converted from an early series production Mk. XIV airframe. Since the AI Mk XV came with a rather complicated and voluminous display, a second crew member was deemed necessary for effective operations, esp. at night and under poor visibility conditions. The radio operator would check the radar readings and verbally guide the pilot towards the target, who could concentrate on the flying job and keep the eyes on the surroundings.

 

In order to fit the equipment and the second crew member into the tight Spitfire airframe, and a separate compartment behind the pilot's cockpit and the real bulkhead was added. This second seat received a separate sliding canopy, resulting in a distinctive camel hump silhouette, which earned the Spitfire NF.XX quickly the nickname 'Camelback'. Supermarine had proposed a new service name for this aircraft, 'Nightfire', but it was not officially accepted, since the machine did not differ enough from the basic Spitfire day fighter to justify a completely new designation.

 

The AI Mk XV equipment and its antenna were carried in a bullet-shaped pod under the port wing, similar to the US Navy night fighters’ arrangement. The radar dish was designed to scan from side to side for AI applications, but it could also be commanded to look up and down by a few degrees. This enabled the aircraft to attack targets from above, and it could also search for surface vessels below, so that the aircraft could also act in ASV or pathfinder duties in a secondary role (much like the Mosquito night fighters, which frequently guided bomber formations to their targets).

 

In order to mount the pod to the outer wing and compensate for the gain of weight, the standard 0.303" Browning machine guns normally located there were deleted. Instead, the NF.XX was initially armed with two 20 mm Hispano cannon plus a pair of 0.5" machine guns, mounted in a fashion similar to the Spitfire's standard E wing.

 

The NF.XX was powered, like the Spitfire Mk. XIV, by the two-stage supercharged Griffon 65, producing 2,050 hp (1,528 kW). A five bladed Rotol propeller of 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) in diameter was used, and for the night fighter role the standard single exhaust stubs gave way to a collector fairing on each side, which dampened flames and improved the crew's view in the darkness.

 

To help balance the heavy Griffon engine, the radio equipment was moved further back in the rear fuselage. Improved VHF radio equipment allowed for the aerial mast to be removed and replaced by a "whip" aerial further aft on the fuselage spine. Because of the longer nose and the increased slipstream of the big five-bladed propeller, a new tail unit, with a taller, broader fin and a rudder of increased area was introduced.

 

One problem that hampered all early Griffon-powered Spitfire variants also plagued the NF.XX, though: short legs. The NF.XX carried a total of 109.5 gal of fuel, consisting of 84 gal in two main tanks and a 12.5 imp gal fuel tank in each leading edge wing tank. With this internal capacity, the fighter's maximum range was just a little over 460 miles (740 km) since the new Griffon engine consumed much more fuel per hour than the Merlin engine of earlier variants, and the extra drag and weight through the radar equipment did not make things better.

 

As a simple remedy, a conformal, fixed belly tank between the radiators was devised. This carried an extra 90 gal, of fuel, extending the fighter's range to about 850 miles (1,370 km) – still not much for aerial patrol and extended loiter time for interceptions, but enough for short-notice home defense duties. Alternatively, a more conventional but jettisonable 100 gal. drop tank could be carried, but it produced considerably more drag and affected overall performance so dramatically that it was never used in service.

 

The first tests of the new aircraft were conducted in January 1945 and three pre-production machines (all converted Mk. XIV airframes) were allocated to night fighter units for field trials and direct comparison with two engine types. Despite its innate aerodynamic and weight penalties the Spitfire NF.XX still attained an impressive top speed of 400 mph (350 kn; 640 km/h) at 29,500 ft (9.000 m), even though in clean condition only. But it was still more than enough to take on much heavier German bombers and night fighters. The second crewman was another winning factor, since the pilot alone would be overloaded in the face of heavily armed enemy aircraft in the European theatre of operations and the local weather conditions.

 

Further initial experience with the type resulted in several ad hoc modifications: the wing span was increased in order to improve handling and climb performance, using standard wing tip extensions from Spitfire high altitude variants. Furthermore, a deeper rudder was added to the fin because the second cockpit created significant directional instability.

 

Armament was changed, too - more firepower and a longer range was deemed necessary to attack the German heavy night fighters, which themselves frequently carried defensive armament in the form of heavy machine guns. Consequently, the initial pair of 0.5" machine guns was deleted and replaced by an additional pair of 20 mm Hispano cannon, and all four guns received extended barrels for a higher weapon range.

 

In this form, the Spitfire NF.XX quickly entered RAF service in March 1945, but, in the meantime, the German night fighter threat had declined, so that only 50 machines were completed and delivered to RAF units in the UK until the end of hostilities.

 

The operational use of the machines was hampered by localized skin wrinkling on the wings and fuselage at load attachment points, a problem the type shared with the Mk. XIV day fighter. Even though Supermarine advised that the machines had not been seriously weakened, nor were they on the point of failure, the RAF nevertheless issued instructions in early 1945 that all F and FR Mk XIVs were to be retrospectively fitted with clipped wings to counter the threat. The NF.XX kept their elongated wing tips, however, and were simply limited to a top speed of 370 mph (600 km/h) and not allowed to dive anymore.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 2 (pilot, radar operator)

Length: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)

Wingspan: 40 ft 2 in (12.2 m)

Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)

Wing area: 249.7 sq.ft (23.2 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 2213 (root), NACA 2209.4 (tip)

Empty weight: 8,680 lb (3,937 kg)

Gross weight: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 12,530 lb (5,683 kg)

 

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 supercharged V12, 2,050 hp (1,530 kW) at 8,000 ft (2,438 m),

driving a 5-bladed Jablo-Rotol propeller

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 400 mph (640 km/h; 353 kn) in FS supercharger gear at 29,500 ft.

Combat range: 460 mi (741 km/400 nmi) with internal fuel only

850 mi (1,370 km/757 nmi)

Ferry range: 1,093 mi (1,759 km/950 nmi)

Service ceiling: 43,500 ft (13,259 m)

Rate of climb: 4,300 ft/min (21.8 m/s) in MS supercharger gear at 2,100 ft.

3,100 ft/min (15.8 m/s) in FS supercharger gear at 22,100 ft.

Time to altitude: 8 mins to 22,000 ft (at max weight)

Wing loading: 32.72 lb/sq ft (159.8 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.24

 

Armament:

4× 20 mm (0.787-in) Hispano Mk II cannon with 120 RPG in the wings

Provision for an auxiliary underfuselage tank, either a fixed conformal 90 gal tank or a

100 gal drop tank.

  

The kit and its assembly:

Well, Spitfire fans might call it crude to create a whiffy variant that incorporates so many ugly details. But this fever creation came into being through the simple thought: "What would a dedicated Spitfire night fighter with a radar look like?" From this initial creative spark I tried to build this fictional NF.XX variant with available late WWII technology from a Griffon-powered Spitfire.

 

The basis is the Airfix Spitfire PR.XIX kit, a nice and clean offering, even though the use of this photo recce variant meant some additional work. The radar pod comes wholesale from an F4U night fighter (Fujimi), since the wing installation appeared to me to be the only plausible (and proven) option.

 

The second cockpit and the "double bubble" canopy come from an RS Models Spitfire Mk.IX UTI trainer, which is/was a domestic conversion made in the Soviet Union. The kit comes with an extra two seater fuselage, so that, despite body donors, almost a complete Spitfire remains (just the cockpit missing, but this can be taken from the Airfix kit).

I also considered the Spitfire TR.IX arrangement, with a stepped bubble canopy, but found that the risen rear cockpit for the instructor would not make sense in a night fighter, so the UTI arrangement with separate canopies on the same level appeared to me to be the most suitable solution for this aircraft and its task.

 

Surgery was not easy, though: The whole cockpit area was dissected from the RS Models trainer and – together with the internal parts like the bulkheads, dashboards and seats – transplanted into an appropriate gap, cut into the Airfix kit fuselage. The windscreen position on both airframes was used as orientation benchmark.

Basically a simple idea, but, even though you have two Spitfire kits at hand, both models differ slightly from each other in many ways. Material thickness is different, as well as panel lines, which are all there on both models but simply do not fall in line. Internal width and available space is also different, esp. the rear bulkhead was not easy to integrate into the Airfix fuselage. It worked, somehow, but it consequently took some PSR effort and rescribing (at least, both donor kits have engraved details) in order to create this Griffon-powered two-seater.

 

The extended wings were created through the simple implantation of high altitude wing tips from an AZ Model Spitfire I/II/V/VI kit. They match very well with the Airfix PR.XIX wings, which were simply clipped at the correct position outside of the ailerons. Since the recce Spitfire comes without any weapons I added four brass barrels (Pavla) to the wings, plus respective bulges for the magazines (scratched from sprue) and casing ejector fairings under the wings.

 

I also changed the vertical rudder. Instead of the separate OOB part from the Spitfire PR.XIX I used a deeper and higher rudder from a late Seafire mark (left over from a Special Hobby kit, IIRC). The part lost its hook and the notch for its deployment mechanism, replaced by a piece of styrene that was PSRed into the rest of the rudder. It’s not an obvious change, but the bigger fin area is a good counterpart to the enlarged wings and the bulkier rear fuselage.

 

The conformal belly tank was scratched from the upper half of a Matchbox A-10 inner wing. There are aftermarket solutions available, but I simply did not want to spend as much money on a single resin part that no one will clearly see and that’s just as expensive as the whole Airfix basis kit. Some things are just ridiculous.

  

Painting and markings:

Very simple: classic late war RAF night fighter colors, with Medium Sea Grey and Dark Green (Humbrol 165 and 163, respectively) on the uppers surfaces, plus Night (I used Revell Acrylics 06, Tar Black, which is actually a very dark grey tone) underneath, with a high waterline and a black fin. Looks weird on a Spitfire, but also somewhat cool!? The model received a light black ink wash and some panel post-shading, using a blue-ish hue for the Night undersurfaces.

 

The interior is classic RAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78), the only catchy marking is the red propeller spinner – originally I just wanted to keep the spinner black, too, but found that to be too dull overall.

 

The markings come from different sources; the codes were created with single Dull Red letters from Xtradecal, roundels and other markings come from various other sheets. The added “G” to the serial number is, BTW, an indication that the aircraft had to be guarded all the time. A nice and appropriate detail for this high tech aircraft of its time. The roundels/fin flashes were taken from another Xtradecal sheet, IIRC they belong to an FAA SB2C Helldiver.

 

Finally, some wear marks were added with dry-brushed light grey and silver. Exhaust stains were added with dry-brushed dark and light grey, as well as some grinded graphite. A coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) sealed the kit.

  

I feel a bit guilty of creating the probably ugliest Spitfire possible, with all the add-ons and the weird proportions through the second cockpit and the belly tank. Very massive, at least for this sleek aircraft. The night fighter paint scheme suits the Spitfire surprisingly well, though. Anyway, it’s whifworld, after all, and I tried to go through with the night fighter idea as good and consequential as possible – the fictional NF.XX is just my personal interpretation of the theme.

A rainy evening in the city while out and about doing last-minute errands with mom. Our area got some rain this day, but heavier rains have occurred, especially in the North Bay. We just got the tail end of this system's main rain band or so.

 

Weather update/scenario/forecast:

Certainly, El Niño's March madness continues to bring more rain to thirsty California (despite receiving an abundance of rainfall from an atmospheric river event earlier in the month). Looking ahead, however, California was to see a multi-day break in the precipitation by early next week (and, if current forecasts hold, it should be a needed break from the heavy precipitation, though we still need a lot more rain to completely eliminate our drought!). There are some signs, luckily, that wet weather may return once again by the middle of the month. It’s worth noting that decaying El Niño events can lead to very active late winter and spring periods in California, and hopefully that’s where this year is headed. Indeed, a ‘Miracle March’ was imminent… though the long range weather forecasts were showing a prolonged break in the stormy pattern (drier weather) in the foreseeable future. Fingers crossed that we would continue to receive above average rainfall before the dry summer months arrive. We still have a long way to go in terms of relieving our prolonged drought here in the Golden State...

 

(Footage taken Saturday evening, March 12, 2016 around San Jose, CA)

This short video clip shows my area getting pummeled with a heavy shower (possibly a thundershower) during midday of Monday, March 7, 2016. The weather was actually nice and partly cloudy during the morning hours. However, as the day went on, I've noticed cumulus clouds around the area trying to tower. That's a good indication of an unstable airmass aloft. The same system that had brought heavy rain to our area just the previous evening was still slowly departing. It was this system's main low that was hovering above the region this day, which explains the thunderstorm activity... Even SoCal saw a decent line of t-storms move thru this same morning. However, we got some of the action up here as well, though not as 'great'. I didn't have my car at the time as well, since my dad used it to do his errands...ugh! I need my own storm chasing vehicle! Anyways, this brief heavy shower was the 'last hurrah' for this storm system before it headed eastward. This storm system was storm number 2 in an ongoing atmospheric river event...

 

Weather scenario & details:

An atmospheric river event was in store for California for early March 2016, despite a very dry & mild February. The 1st storm had hit by the 1st weekend of the month, bringing heavy rain & gusty winds. As we started the 2nd week of March, a 2nd strong system had brought more of the same thing across California. While we were still on the heels of that 1st storm that had battered us early month, a new storm had pushed in. Rainfall from this 2nd storm were to be 1-2 inches in NorCal and 0.50-1 inch in SoCal. Flooding was a concern, since the ground was already saturated from the 1st storm. In addition, t-storms were possible with this 2nd system due to its (more) unstable air mass. Even a line of strong t-storms had drifted right thru the Los Angeles area Monday morning (March 7, 2016). Although we need all the rain we can get due to our ongoing drought, the copious amounts that were falling in a short time have proven to be too much of a good thing...

 

Looking ahead:

Right when we were giving up on El Niño, especially after seeing such a dry February, a parade of strong winter storms were (finally) aimed at our drought-parched state. Impacts from the storms so far (Storms 1 and 2 in this atmospheric river event) had brought heavy rain & wind to my area in San Jose, CA within the first week of March 2016. At this moment (as of March 7), it looks like more rain was still in store for California in the foreseeable future. Looks like this was El Nino's last hurrah this winter! Are we on the verge of a 'Miracle-March'? Fingers crossed...we still have a long way to go in terms of relieving our serious drought here.

 

(Footage filmed Monday, March 7, 2016 around San Jose, CA)

 

**Full video here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L0B6WDfvuM

CREMASTER 4 (1994) adheres most closely to the project's biological model. This penultimate episode describes the system's onward rush toward descension despite its resistance to division. The logo for this chapter is the Manx triskelion - three identical armored legs revolving around a central axis. Set on the Isle of Man, the film absorbs the island's folklore as well as its more recent incarnation as host to the Tourist Trophy motorcycle race. Myth and machine combine to narrate a story of candidacy, which involves a trial of the will articulated by a series of passages and transformations. The film comprises three main character zones. The Loughton Candidate (played by Barney) is a satyr with two sets of impacted sockets in his head - four nascent horns, which will eventually grow into those of the mature, Loughton Ram, an ancient breed native to the island. Its horns - two arcing upward, two down - form a diagram that proposes a condition of undifferentiation, with ascension and descension coexisting in equilibrium. The second and third character zones comprise a pair of motorcycle sidecar teams: the Ascending and Descending Hacks. These primary characters are attended to by a trio of fairies who mirror the three narrative fields occupied by the Candidate and the two racing teams. Having no volition of their own, these creatures metamorphose in accordance with whatever field they occupy at any given time.

Cremaster 4 begins and ends in a building on the end of Queen's Pier. As the film starts, the Candidate is being prepared by the fairies for a journey. The motorcycle race begins, and each team speeds off in opposite directions. The camera cuts back and forth between the race and the Candidate, who is tap-dancing his way through a slowly eroding floor. As the bikes vie for the title, the camera pulls in for close-up shots of the riders' torsos.

Gelatinous gonadal forms - undifferentiated internal sex organs - emerge from slots in their uniforms in a migratory quest for directionality. In the case of the Ascending Hack, the organs move upward toward a second set of slots in the leather. With the Descending Hack, they ooze downward.

Back at the pier, the Candidate plunges through the floor into the sea and heads toward the island. At the moment of his fall - a transition from the utopian realm of pregenital oneness to that of bifurcation - the Ascending Hack collides with a stone embankment and the Descending Hack pulls off the course for a pit stop, where the fairies service its motorcycle. The Candidate reaches land and begins to burrow his way up into the body of the island through a curving channel that he must navigate in order to reach the finish line, where the two Hacks will converge. This conduit leads him to a bluff, where the fairies are having a picnic. They frolic in a game that mirrors the conflict enacted by the principal characters, but with none of the tension. Still in his underground tunnel, the Candidate finally reaches his destination. The Loughton Ram stands at this junction - a symbol for the integration of opposites, the urge for unity that fuels this triple race. But before the Candidate and Hacks meet, the screen goes white. The Candidate's dream of transcending his biology to dwell in the space of pure symmetry is shattered.

In the final sequence at the pier the Hacks are parked on discrete ramps sloping down from the building's exterior. In the closing image the camera peers through an open crotch at the top of the frame toward the end of the pier. A tightly retracted scrotum is pierced with clasps connected to vinyl cords, which trail off to the awaiting Ascending and Descending Hacks, who will drive toward the island to pick up the slack. Full descension is guaranteed.

 

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke delivers remarks during a press conference ahead of the launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch on 6:54 p.m. ET on May 19, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

A unique sign on Bellingham Parks Department trail system's junction for the North Chuckanut Parking Area.

It is always a dark spot, so I'm pleased to have finally grabbed a decent photo of it.

On July 29, 2011 the Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera took this snapshot and captured 5 of Saturn's moons, from just above the ringplane. Left to right are small moons Janus and Pandora respectively 179 and 81 kilometers across, shiny 504 kilometer diameter Enceladus, and Mimas, 396 kilometers across, seen just next to Rhea. Cut off by the right edge of the frame, Rhea is Saturn's second largest moon at 1,528 kilometers across. So how many moons does Saturn have? Twenty new found outer satellites bring its total to 82 known moons, and since Jupiter's moon total stands at 79, Saturn is the Solar System's new moon king. The newly announced Saturnian satellites are all very small, 5 kilometers or so in diameter, and most are in retrograde orbits inclined to Saturn's ringplane. You can help name Saturn's new moons, but you should understand the rules. Hint: A knowledge of Norse, Inuit, and Gallic mythology will help. via NASA ift.tt/2VMucBc

My tent at the camp on Tern Island in the French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii.

 

Camera: Olympus OM-1

Lens: Olympus OM-System S Zuiko MC Auto-Zoom f/4 35-70mm. Yellow filter.

Film: Adox HR-50

Developer: Beerenol (Rainier Beer)

One of the Denso system main capability is the fact that by arranging the width of the shelves, you are able to fit different size TV screens. The Denso shelving system is one the most configurable contenders in its category. With several configurations to choose from, the system's versatility allows you to mix and match shelves and accessories until you make your very own customized unit.

 

TemaHome Blog

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Sweden required a strong air defense, utilizing the newly developed jet propulsion technology. The original concept had been designed around a mostly straight wing, but after Swedish engineers had obtained German research data on swept-wing designs, the prototype was altered to incorporate a 25° sweep. In order to make the wing as thin as possible, Saab elected to locate the retractable undercarriage in the aircraft's fuselage rather than into the wings.

 

Extensive wind tunnel testing had also influenced aspects of the aircraft's aerodynamics, such as stability and trim across the aircraft's speed range. In order to test the design of the swept wing further and avoid any surprises, it was decided to modify a Saab Safir. It received the designation Saab 201 and a full-scale swept wing for a series of flight tests. The first 'final' sketches of the aircraft, incorporating the new information, were drawn in January 1946.

 

The originally envisioned powerplant for the new fighter type was the de Havilland Goblin turbojet engine. However, in December 1945, information on the newer and more powerful de Havilland Ghost engine became available. The new engine was deemed to be ideal for Saab's in-development aircraft, as not only did the Ghost engine had provisions for the use of a central circular air intake, the overall diameter of the engine was favorable for the planned fuselage dimensions, too. Thus, following negotiations between de Havilland and Saab, the Ghost engine was selected to power the type and built in license as the RM 2.

 

By February 1946 the main outline of the proposed aircraft had been clearly defined. In autumn 1946, following the resolution of all major questions of principal and the completion of the project specification, the Swedish Air Force formally ordered the completion of the design and that three prototype aircraft be produced, giving the proposed type the designation J 29. After a thorough test program, production of the type commenced in 1948 and, in May 1951, the first deliveries of operational production aircraft were received by F 13 Norrköping. The J 29 proved to be very successful and several variants and updates of the Tunnan were produced, including a dedicated reconnaissance variant, a two seat trainer and an all-weather fighter with an onboard radar

 

However, Sweden foresaw that there would soon be a need for a jet fighter that could intercept bombers at high altitude and also successfully engage fighters. During September 1949, the Swedish Air Force, via the Swedish Defence Material Administration, released a requirement for a cutting-edge interceptor aircraft that was envisioned to be capable of attacking hostile bomber aircraft in the transonic speed range. As released, this requirement specified a top speed of Mach speed 1.4 to 1.5. (1956, the specified speed was revised and raised to Mach 1.7-1.8, and eventually led to the Saab 35 Draken). With the barely supersonic Saab 32 Lansen just under development, and intended for different roles than being a nimble day fighter, the company searched for a way to either achieve supersonic flight through modifications of an existing type or at least gather sufficient data and develop and try the new technologies necessary to meet the 1949 requirements.

 

Since Sweden did not have a truly supersonic aircraft in its inventory (not even an experimental type), Saab decided to convert the Saab 29 into a supersonic testbed, with the outlook to develop an interim day fighter that could replace the various Tunnan fighter versions and support the new Lansen fleet until a fully capable Mach 1.5+ interceptor was ready for service. Even though the type was regarded as a pure experimental aircraft, the designation remained close to the J29 nomenclature in order to secure military funding for the project and to confuse eventual spies. Consequently, the P29 was initially presented as a new J29 version (hence the “G” suffix).

 

The P29G was based on a heavily modified production J29B airframe, which was built in two versions and only in two specimens. Work on the first airframe started in 1952, just when the first Saab 32 prototype made its maiden flight. The initial challenge consisted of integrating two relatively compact axial flow jet engines with afterburners into the fuselage, since the J29’s original RM2, even in its late afterburner variant, was not able to safely deliver the necessary thrust for the intended supersonic flight program. After long negotiations, Saab was able to procure a small number of Westinghouse J34-WE-42 turbojets from the USA, which delivered as a pair 40% more thrust than the original RM2B. The engines were only delivered under the restriction that they would exclusively be used in connection with the supersonic research program.

 

Through a thorough re-construction, the Saab team was able to mount the new engines into the lower rear fuselage, and, internally, the air intake duct had to be modified and forked behind the landing gear wells. Due to the significantly widened rear fuselage, the P29G became quickly nicknamed “Kurviga Tunnan” (= “Curvy Barrel”). Even though the widened rear fuselage increased the aircraft’s frontal cross section, the modified shape had the (unintended) effect of area ruling, a welcome side benefit which became apparent during the flight test and which largely promoted the P29G’s gain of top speed.

 

Another special and unique feature of the P29G was a special wing attachment system. It consisted of two strengthened, open box spars in the fuselage with additional attachment points along the wing roots, which allowed different wings to be switched with relatively little effort. However, due to this modification, the wing tanks (with a total capacity of 900l inside of the J29s standard wings) were lost and only 2.150l in the Saab 29’s standard fuselage tanks could be carried – but this was, for a research aircraft, not regarded as a major weakness, and compensated for the wing attachment system’s additional weight. The original wing-mounted pitots were replaced by a single, massive sensor boom attached to the aircraft’s nose above the air intake, slightly set-off to starboard in order to give the pilot an unobstructed view.

 

The first P29G's maiden flight, marked “Gul Urban” (Yellow U), took place in July 1955. The aircraft behaved normally, even though the center of gravity had markedly shifted backwards and the overall gain of weight made the aircraft slightly unstable along the longitudinal axis. During the initial, careful attempts to break the sound barrier, it soon became apparent that both the original wings as well as the original air intake shape limited the P29G's potential. In its original form, the P29G could only barely pass Mach 1 in level flight.

 

As a consequence, the second P29G, which had been under conversion from another J29B airframe since mid-1954, received more thorough modifications. The air intake was lengthened and widened, and in order to make it more effective at supersonic speed it received a sharp lip. Wind tunnel tests with the first machine led to a modified tail, too: the fin was now taller and further swept back, the stabilizer was moved to a higher position, resulting in a cruciform layout. The original single-piece stabilizer was furthermore replaced by a two-piece, all-moving construction with a 45° sweep and a thinner profile. This not only improved the aerodynamics at high speed, it also suppressed the longitudinal instability problem, even though this was never really cured.

 

Due to the even higher all-up weight of the new aircraft, the landing gear was reinforced and the 2nd P29G received an experimental suspension system on its main legs with higher spring travel, which was designed for operations on semi-prepared airfields. This system had actually been designed for the updated J29 fighters (esp. the A32B attack variant), but it was not introduced into series production or the Saab 29E/F conversion program. Despite these massive changes, the P29G designation was retained, and the second machine, carrying the tactical code “Röd Urban” (Red U), was quickly nicknamed “Karpen” (“Carp”), due to its characteristic new intake shape, the long fin and its stocky shape.

 

The second P29G was ready for flight tests in August 1956, just in time to support the Saab 35’s ongoing development – the aircraft, which was eventually built to meet (and exceed) the Swedish Air Force’s 1949 supersonic interceptor requirement. The modifications proved to be successful and the P29G was, fitted with a 60° sweep wing and in clean configuration, able to achieve a maximum speed of 1.367 km/h (849 mph) in level flight, a formidable achievement (vs. the 1,060 km/h (660 mph) of the late J29F and the 1200 km/h (745 mph) of the J32B interceptor) for the post WWII design.

Several wing shapes and profiles were tested, including sweep angles from 25° to 63° as well as different shapes and profiles. Even though the machines carried provisions for the J29’s standard armament, the 20 mm cannons were normally not mounted and replaced with sensors and recording equipment. However, both machines were temporarily fitted with one or two guns in order to analyze the effects of firing the weapons at supersonic speed. Underwing ordnance was also almost never carried. In some tests, though, light bombs or unguided missiles were carried and deployed, or podded cine cameras were carried.

 

While the second P29G was used for high speed trials, the first machine remained in its original guise and took over low speed handling tests. Thanks to the unique wing switch mechanism, the supersonic research program could be held within a very tight schedule and lasted until late 1959. Thereafter, the P29Gs’ potential was of little use anymore, and the engine use agreement with the USA put an end to further use of the two aircraft, so that both P29Gs were retired from service in 1960. The 1st machine, outfitted with standard J29F wings and stripped off of its engines, remained in use as an instructional air at Malmslätt air base 1969, while the second machine was mothballed. However, both airframes were eventually scrapped in 1970.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 11.66 m (38 ft 2 in) fuselage only,

13,97 m (45 ft 9 in) with pitot boom

Wingspan: varied*; 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in) with standard 25° sweep wings,

10.00 m (32 ft 9 ¾ in) with experimental 45° wings

Height: 4.54m (14 ft 10 ½ in)

Wing area: varied*; 24.15 m² (260.0 ft²) with standard 25° sweep wings

22.5 m² (242.2 ft²) with experimental 45° wings

Empty weight: 5,220 kg (11,500 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,510 kg (18,744 lb)

 

Powerplant:

2× Westinghouse J34-WE-42 turbojets, each rated at 3,400 lbf (15 kN) dry thrust

and 4,200 lbf (19 kN) with full afterburner

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1.367 km/h (849 mph) were achieved*

Range: 790 km (490 mi)

Service ceiling: up to 17,250 m (56,500 ft)*

Rate of climb: up to 45 m/s (8,850 ft/min)*

 

*Varying figures due to different tested wing configurations

 

Armament:

None installed; provisions for 4x 20mm Hispano Mark V autocannon in the lower front fuselage.

Depending on the mounted wing type, various external loads could be carried, including a wide range of light bombs, 75 mm (3 in) air-to-air rockets, 145 mm (5.8 in) anti-armor rockets, 150 mm (6 in) HE (high-explosive) rockets or 180 mm (7.2 in) HE anti-ship rockets. Due to the lack of complex wiring or fuel plumbing, no guided weapons or drop tanks could be mounted, though.

  

The kit and its assembly:

Sweden is a prolific whiffing territory, and the Saab 29 offers some interesting options. This highly modified Tunnan, which is actually rather a kitbashing than a mere model kit modification, is/was a submission to the “More or less engines” group build at whatifmodelers.com in summer 2019.

I actually had the idea of a two-engine J29 in the back of my mind for a long time, spawned by a resin conversion set for the Hasegawa B-47 Stratojet kit that came with new intakes and exhaust sections for the four engine pods. The single engine pod parts had been spent a long time ago, but the twin engine parts were still waiting for a good use. Could the exhaust fit under/into a Tunnan…?

I even had a Matchbox J29 stashed away for this experiment long ago, as well as some donor parts like the wings, and the GB eventually offered the right motivation to put those things together that no one would expect to work.

 

So I pulled out all the stuff and started – a rather straightforward affair. Work started with the fuselage, which was, together with the (very nice) cockpit assembled OOB at first, the nose filled with as much lead as possible and with the lower rear section cut away, so the B-47 resin jet nozzles would end up at the same position as the original RM2B exhaust. Due to the pen nib fairing between them, though, the profile of the modified tail became (visually) more massive, and I had to fill some gaps under the tail boom (with styrene sheet and putty). The twin engines also turned out to be wider than expected – I had hoped for straight flanks, but the fuselage shape ended up with considerable bulges behind the landing gear wells. These were created with parts from drop tank halves and blended into the rest of the lower hill with PSR work. In the same wake the area under the fin was sculpted and re-created, too.

 

At that point it became clear that I had to do more on the fuselage, esp. the front end, in order to keep the aircraft visually balance. A convenient solution became an F-100 air intake, which I grafted onto the nose instead of the original circular and round-lipped orifice – with its sharp lip the Super Sabre piece was even a plausible change! The fuselage shapes and diameters differed considerably, though, more PSR became necessary.

 

Next came the wings: I had already set apart a pair of trapezoid wings with a 45° sweep angle – these were left over from a PM Model Ta 183 conversion some time ago. With their odd shape and size they were a perfect match for my project, even more so due to the fact that I could keep the original J29 wing attachment points, I just had to shorten and modify the trailing edge area on the fuselage. The result was very conclusive.

 

With the new nose and the wings in place, the overall proportions became clearer: still tail-heavy, but not unpleasant. At this time I was also certain that I had to modify the tail surfaces. The fin was too small and did not have enough sweep for the overall look, and the stabilizer, with its thick profile, rounded edges and the single, continuous rudder did not look supersonic at all. What followed was a long search in the donor banks for suitable replacements, and I eventually came up with a MiG-15 fin (Hobby Boss) which was later clipped at the top for a less recognizable profile. The stabilizers were more challenging, though. My solution eventually became a pair of modified stabilizers from a Matchbox Buccaneer(!), attached to the MiG-15 fin.

 

The design problems did not stop here, though: the landing gear caused some more headaches. I wanted to keep the OOB parts, but especially the main legs would leave the aircraft with a very goofy look through a short wheelbase and a rear axis position too much forward. In an attempt to save the situation I attached swing arms to the OOB struts, moving the axis maybe 5mm backwards and widening the track by 2mm at the same time. Not much in total, but it helped (a little, even though the aircraft is still very tail-heavy)

 

As a final addition – since the original, wing-mounted pitots of the J29 were gone now and would not go well with the wing-switching idea – I gave the P29G a large, nose-mounted pitot and sensor boom, placed on top of the nose. This part come, like the air intake, from an F-100.

  

Painting and markings:

I tend to be conservative when it comes to liveries for what-if models, and the P29G is no exception. At first, I thought that this build could become an operational supersonic daylight interceptor (the J29G), so that I could give the model full military markings and maybe a camouflage paint scheme. However, this idea would not work: the potential real life window for such an aircraft, based on the Saab 29, would be very narrow. And aircraft development in the late Fifties made quantum leaps within a very short period of time: While the J29A entered service, work on the Mach 2 Saab 35 was already underway – nobody would have accepted (or needed) a Mach 1 fighter, based on late Forties technology, at that time anymore, and there was the all-weather Saab J32B around, too. The update program with new wings and a more powerful afterburner engine was all that could be done to exploit the Tunnan’s potential, resulting in the (real world’s) J29E and F variants.

 

I eventually decided that the J29G would only be a prototype/research aircraft, consequently called P29G, and through this decision I became more or less settled upon a NMF finish with some colorful markings. Consequently, the model was painted with various shades of metal colors, primarily Polished Aluminum Metallizer from Humbrol, but also with Humbrol 191 and Matt Aluminum Metallizer as well as ModelMaster Steel Metallizer. Around the exhaust section, I also used Revell 91 (Iron) and ModelMaster Exhaust Metallizer. Some single panels and details were painted with Revell 99 (Aluminum), and I also used generic decal material in silver to simulate some smaller access panels. Grey decal sheet was used to simulate covers for the cannon nozzles.

 

The cockpit interior was painted, according to Saab 29 standard, in a dark greenish-grey (Revell 67), and bluish grey was used inside of the landing gear wells (Revell 57). The pitot boom received black and white stripes.

 

For markings I let myself get inspired from the real world Saab 29 and 32 prototypes, which were all marked with a colored “U” tactical code on the fin and also on the front fuselage, simply meaning “Utverding” (= “Test”). I found four red decals, and I also gave the aircraft a yellow cheatline, lent from an Airfix F-86D decal sheet. The Swedish roundels come from a generic aftermarket sheet, most stencils were taken from the Revell OOB sheet and a Printscale J29 sheet.

 

Before the model was sealed with semi-gloss acrylic varnish from Italeri, some grinded graphite was rubbed onto the rear fuselage, adding a metallic shine and simulating exhaust stains.

 

A thorough conversion – this has rather evolved into a kitbashing than just a kit conversion: not much from the original Matchbox J29 has been left over. But I like the outcome, even though things developed gradually from the simple idea of changing the number of engines on the Tunnan. One thing led to another. The resulting aircraft looks quite plausible, even though I am not totally happy with the landing gear, which appears to be rather far forward, despite surgical measures to mend the situation. The Ta 183 wings are a very good match, though, and I cannot help but recognize a certain French look, maybe due to the cruciform tail and the oval air intake? The P29G could also, with Argentinian marking, have become a revised version of the FMA Pulqui II?

Birds on a backhoe on Tern Island in the French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii.

 

Camera: Olympus OM-1

Lens: Olympus OM-System S Zuiko MC Auto-Zoom f/4 35-70mm.

Film: Kodak Ektachrome E100D Expired 10/20

Developer: The Darkroom

NASA Release Date: April 12, 2011

 

Pictured here are two named craters, Bek (32 km in diameter) and Lermontov (166 km in diameter). Bek's beautiful rays are indicative of its relative youth; Lermontov's floor is a suspected site of explosive volcanism, with irregular depressions and a distinct color signature.

 

This image was acquired as part of MDIS's color base map. The color base map is composed of WAC images taken through eight different narrow-band color filters and will cover more than 90% of Mercury's surface with an average resolution of 1 kilometer/pixel (0.6 miles/pixel). The highest-quality color images are obtained for Mercury's surface when both the spacecraft and the Sun are overhead, so these images typically are taken with viewing conditions of low incidence and emission angles.

 

The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. Visit the Why Mercury? section of this website to learn more about the key science questions that the MESSENGER mission is addressing. During the one-year primary mission, MDIS is scheduled to acquire more than 75,000 images in support of MESSENGER's science goals.

  

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

 

With the lightweight aluminium front and rear axles from the BMW M3/M4 models, forged 19-inch aluminium wheels with mixed-size tyres, M Servotronic steering with two settings and suitably effective M compound brakes, the new BMW M2 Coupe has raised the bar once again in the compact high-performance sports car segment when it comes to driving dynamics. The electronically controlled Active M Differential, which optimises traction and directional stability, also plays a significant role here. And even greater driving pleasure is on the cards when the Dynamic Stability Control system’s M Dynamic Mode (MDM) is activated. MDM allows wheel slip and therefore moderate, controlled drifts on the track.

  

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A strong storm system was delivering heavy rain to San Jose, CA this evening. The line of heaviest precipitation was witnessed as this system's main cold front/frontal system finally pushed thru. The Warriors game was on, so I hurried back home to watch the 2nd half after the rains have subsided lol. Certainly, rain & wind was felt in the Bay Area this day as the 1st of 3 storms were to bring widespread rainfall (and gusty winds) for the entire state into early next week... Drive safe out there! (Video footage taken Wednesday evening, January 18, 2017)

 

***Summary of this new atmospheric river event:

A new round of storms were to take aim at California. Each storm was to bring locally drenching rain. Beginning Wednesday, 3 separate storm systems were set to impact the Bay Area. The 1st was forecast to arrive Wednesday. The 2nd system was forecast to arrive by Thursday night into Friday. The 3rd final system was to arrive by Saturday night & extend thru the weekend. For this 3rd storm system, rainfall amounts were to be higher than either of the first 2 systems. All 3 storms were expected to be relatively fast-moving, so rainfall accumulations won't be that intense as opposed to the previous AR event earlier in the month.

 

The first 2 systems were not likely to cause too many headaches because of the limited storm-total rainfall amounts forecasted. The 3rd system has the greatest chance to cause more widespread problems, because the projected rainfall totals are highest in this 3rd system. Most creeks and rivers may handle the successive runoff, but a few may approach or exceed flood levels... Drive safely out there! A prolonged weather event of this nature has the potential to produce flows in local rivers not seen since 2010.

 

What about the drought status? The worst drought areas have been greatly reduced to a small region northwest of Los Angeles. At this point, just 2.1 percent of the state was now in "exceptional drought"! Indeed, we were finally headed in the right direction in terms of the water supply for the state...

The Space Shuttle orbiter is the spaceplane component of the Space Shuttle, a partially reusable orbital spacecraft system that was part of the discontinued Space Shuttle program. Operated from 1977 to 2011 by NASA, the U.S. space agency, this vehicle could carry astronauts and payloads into low Earth orbit, perform in-space operations, then re-enter the atmosphere and land as a glider, returning its crew and any on-board payload to the Earth.

Six orbiters were built for flight: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. All were built in Palmdale, California, by the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Rockwell International company. The first orbiter, Enterprise, made its maiden flight in 1977. An unpowered glider, it was carried by a modified Boeing 747 airliner called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and released for a series of atmospheric test flights and landings. Enterprise was partially disassembled and retired after completion of critical testing. The remaining orbiters were fully operational spacecraft, and were launched vertically as part of the Space Shuttle stack.

Columbia was the first space-worthy orbiter; it made its inaugural flight in 1981. Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis followed in 1983, 1984, and 1985 respectively. In 1986, Challenger was destroyed in an accident shortly after its 10th launch. Endeavour was built as Challenger's successor, and was first launched in 1992. In 2003, Columbia was destroyed during re-entry, leaving just three remaining orbiters. Discovery completed its final flight on March 9, 2011, and Endeavour completed its final flight on June 1, 2011. Atlantis completed the final Shuttle flight, STS-135, on July 21, 2011.

In addition to their crews and payloads, the reusable orbiter carried most of the Space Shuttle System's liquid-propellant rocket system, but both the liquid hydrogen fuel and the liquid oxygen oxidizer for its three main rocket engines were fed from an external cryogenic propellant tank. Additionally, two reusable solid rocket boosters (SRBs) provided additional thrust for approximately the first two minutes of launch. The orbiters themselves did carry hypergolic propellants for their Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters and Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines.

  

Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_orbiter</a>

365/92

I think I've modded my skyrim to the limit of its possibilities, and certainly to the limit of my system's ;)

 

Above is a slightly tweaked Snofwall Weathers ENB with an alternate dof shader.

BMW 3 Series vs. Alfa Romeo Giulia Comparison: Which Is the Ultimate Driving Machine?

 

Foto: My 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Pack Veloce versus 2019 BMW 330i

 

For decades, the BMW 3 Series was the epitome of the luxury sport sedan. Its great handling, punchy power, and dynamic ride made it the leader of its class. "Ultimate Driving Machine" was more uncontested truth than mere advertising slogan.

But the Bavarian brand took a left turn with the previous generation, which lacked the emotion and precision that so defined the 3 Series of yore. Other brands—like Alfa Romeo—used that misstep to jump in the game, creating exciting machines that made up for the BMW's shortcomings. Now in its seventh generation, the 2019 BMW 330i is facing stiff competition.

With the Giulia, the Italian brand created one of the best sport sedans in the market. We liked it so much that we named it Car of the Year in 2018, mostly for reintroducing the world to the concept of thrilling driving dynamics in sedan form. In a recent comparison, the Quadrifoglio was superior on Streets of Willow, staying ahead of the Tesla Model 3 Performance and Jaguar I-Pace. With that in mind, we asked ourselves, if we are evaluating solely from the perspective of spirited driving, can the 3 Series retake the best-driving sport sedan title from the Alfa Romeo Giulia?

 

For this comparison we wanted to stay around the $50,000 cap, but BMW sent us a 330i with the M Sport package ($5,000), Track Handling package ($2,450), Drivers Assistance Pro package ($1,700), Premium package ($2,800), and Executive package ($2,100), which increased its price to a hefty $59,920. Equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine, the 330i develops a punchy 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends the power to the rear wheels.

Our long-term 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia Q2 is powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine that sends 280 hp and 306 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic. Equipped with the Ti Sport RWD package ($2,500), Driver Assistance Static package ($650), Driver Assist Dynamic Plus package ($1,500), and Ti Sport Performance package ($1,200), the Giulia carries a wallet-friendlier price tag of $51,635.

Both cars have 19-inch wheels, sport-tuned suspension, paddle shifters, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (though in the 3 Series it's an option included in the Premium package). The Bimmer includes Eco Pro, Comfort, and Sport driving modes, while the Giulia comes with Natural, Dynamic, and All-Weather modes.

 

Driving And Handling

Driving the 3 Series on the hilly and twisty canyon roads above Malibu, testing director Kim Reynolds found himself feeling almost every other bump, ripple, and pebble, and not in a good way. "Its ride is odd, finding annoying bumps without the commensurate handling composure payoff," he said. Road test editor Chris Walton agreed, adding that the aforementioned packages were to blame for the stiff ride.

Not everything is bad news for the Bavarian model, though. Its punchy engine adds a good amount of character, though the turbo lag can be noticeable when passing on the freeway. Derek Powell, a guest judge in this comparison, described the transmission's shifts as "intuitive and crisp," and he enjoyed the bite of the M Sport brakes.

Because the 3 Series dominated the segment for decades, perhaps we were expecting too much from BMW. But for the brand that created the Ultimate Driving Machine slogan, you can't expect less. The 3 Series behaved differently as we engaged Sport mode, making the steering a tad stiffer and raising the volume of the exhaust. Powell disliked the digital amplification of the exhaust note in Sport mode. "It's another instance of BMW telling you that the car is sporty rather than delivering the experience."

 

Counter these impressions with the inherent Italian passion of the Alfa. We found the Giulia's ride and handling superior to the BMW's. "Alfa absolutely cracked the ride/handling code," Walton said. The steering is well balanced, and the suspension is firm enough to feel sporty yet comfortable when you want it.

Whether you're tearing through the back roads to the grocery store or gliding along the boulevards on your way home, the Alfa will deliver the driving pleasure we expect from a sport sedan. Its engine feels torquey for a four-cylinder, though there's a similar bit of lag when you tromp the gas pedal from a stop. "Once underway, the eight-speed always seems to have the right gear on tap and is quick to downshift," Powell said. Reynolds complained that it was hard to predict how the pedal would react.

And although the Italian gallant is a couple of years longer in the tooth than the just-redesiged BMW, the Alfa does a lot of things right. When driven in Dynamic mode, the car doesn't beat you up. It simply moves with composure and swiftness. The Giulia feels natural, an extension of your corporeal form. "It's just so good in many different ways," Walton said. "And in the ways it doesn't quite measure up, it really doesn't matter to me.

Inside

Each model offers a different approach to its interior. BMW's feels more modern; it has a nicely integrated 8.8-inch touchscreen with the latest iDrive infotainment system. The all-digital instrument panel blends well with the rest of the cabin, and we applaud the attention to detail on some of the trims—like the iDrive knob being located in the center console and the quality of the materials around the air vents. The blue stitching on the seats, door panels, and dash adds character to the cabin. it feels even more elegant at night when the ambient lighting is visible. But the large number of buttons on the dash and the steering wheel made us wish for a simpler cabin.

Although we applaud the use of the all-digital instrument panel and love the way the colors change with the drive mode, the navigation map's graphics leave something to be desired. We prefer Audi's Virtual Cockpit, which includes satellite images and great resolution. BMW could take a page from Audi's book in this regard.

Alfa's take on interiors is quite different from its Bavarian counterpart's. The Giulia's infotainment screen is completely embedded in the dash, but it lacks a touchscreen; the only way to control the infotainment system is through the massive knob in the center console. Although the system has simplified menus, it's just quicker to get around using a touchscreen.

Speaking of simplicity, we appreciated the Alfa's sparse interior layout: The only buttons are the HVAC controls. However, we'd like a quicker workaround to change the radio station; it takes time to get used to the sole knob to control the audio. "It's not overly complicated, and it's old-school in a way—it's definitely not showy like the BMW," Powell said. "But you know what? I don't care. It gets the job done."

We prefer the Alfa's seats, which provide more lateral support than the BMW's, and Reynolds also preferred the Italian's driving position. But we had different opinions on its second row. Whereas Walton described the Alfa's back seat as "the best of the bunch by a mile," Reynolds and I had problems with the headroom, as both of our heads brushed the headliner. The dual-pane sunroof gives back-seat passengers a nice experience, though. We all agreed on the new 3 Series' great interior space, including good legroom and headroom even for rear passengers.

 

Technology

As brands equip their cars with the latest tech, there was a strong contrast between the 3 Series' and the Alfa's approach. The BMW uses a virtual assistant that's activated by simply saying, "Hey, BMW." And you can ask for anything—from directions to your destination to help finding a nearby parking spot. You can use your smartphone to unlock and start the 3 Series, and it also does a great job parking itself in parallel or perpendicular spots with the touch of a button. Gesture controls can change the audio system's volume or skip or repeat a song.

Our Alfa, on the other hand, doesn't have any of these technologies, though that's not a deal breaker. "The infotainment is also decidedly low-tech—but really, it offers everything I need," Powell said. Given that the Alfa arrived a couple of years earlier than the 3 Series, its technology isn't as advanced as BMW's—you still have to park it manually and will have to carry the key in your pocket.

With the Wi-Fi hot spot, the 3 Series lets you use Apple CarPlay wirelessly, though there were a couple of times when my iPhone had trouble connecting to the system, leaving me with no CarPlay. On the other hand, you'll need a USB cord to use CarPlay in the Alfa, though it can be complicated to use given the lack of a touchscreen.

Safety

With safety technologies evolving every day, both Alfa and BMW are trying to pack the newest techs in their cars. BMW's Active Guard comes standard on the 3 Series and includes front collision warning, automatic city collision mitigation, and lane departure warning. But the Active Driving Assistant Pro, which is part of the Driver's Assistance Pro package, includes adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist with traffic jam assist. I tried this system in our loop, and it did a great job of keeping the car centered on its lane while driving on city streets. I thought the distance between the car in front was a bit too much, though, as other cars kept cutting me off. On the freeway, the system did a better job staying closer to the car in front and keeping the car centered in its lane.

The Alfa's Driver Assist Dynamic Plus package includes forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality. This last feature worked very well, with Reynolds saying it was second to only Tesla's Autopilot. "It has close following gaps, accelerates hard, brakes hard, and rarely gives up and throws emergency braking into your lap," Reynolds said. "But its steering assist is only lane departure warning, so it's of little use." We hope Alfa adds lane departure mitigation in the midcycle refresh of the Giulia, which should be shown soon.

Final Verdict

Both cars offer different approaches with the same goal in mind: to be the best sport sedan. We appreciate the changes BMW made to the 3 Series to deliver a better ride and improve the dynamics over the last model, but the competition did its homework in the years BMW was looking the other way. The Giulia still keeps its promise of making drivers happy, as it transmits emotion while being a natural player.

 

With new players in the game, BMW must examine how and why the competition has surpassed its 3 Series in ways implausible a few years ago. To us, the Alf Romeo Giulia is simply a better driver's car. The Alfa is "the best, most satisfying, most visceral sport sedan—even in this lower-rung version," Reynolds said. "It's the modern 3 Series."

 

Second Place

BMW 3 Series

 

First Place

Alfa Romeo Giulia

Season of Touit - Picture 3

Week 34, Wednesday

 

The other lens I'm going to use for this season is the Zeiss Touit 2.8/50M. Compared to Touit 2.8/12 the 2.8/50M is clearly bigger and heavier, though weights almost the same at 290 grams. I've always thought that lens size doesn't matter as long as it delivers good optical quality. Touit 2.8/50M makes me reconsider this stance. Not saying it's too big, but 2.8/50M is definitely closer to upper limit what I personally feel is acceptable. Having a small and compact mirrorless camera, like Sony Nex-5N, has given me a lot of flexibility and inspiration and this is surely something I don't want to jeopardize. However, comparing the Touit 2.8/50M to other options makes it clear that it is actually a very compact lens for what it does. The other macro lenses from Zeiss (Makro-Planar 2/50 & 2/100) weight approximately double and are therefore substantially bigger and heavier. Considering that Touit also has full autofocus capabilities which other Makro-Planars don't offer, it becomes clear that Zeiss has done a wonderful job with it.

 

Like it's wide-angle brother, the Touit 2.8/50M has a great build quality and the same modern Zeiss look, which means functionality with black matte finish on metal lens barrel and engraved lettering. Rubber focusing ring has actually a very nice feel in it and personally I find it better than metal ones. Although the rubber can collect some dust, it gives you a very nice soft touch and shows that things that are considered 'design standards' can be rethought successfully. Like the Touit 2.8/12 the 2.8/50M convoys feeling of ageless quality – it certainly looks and feels like it is going to look as elegant no matter how old it is.

 

Touit 2.8/50M is based on optical concept called Makro-Planar and consist of 14 lens elements in 11 groups. Planar means a symmetrical double Gauss design which produces low spherical aberration and astigmatism. This is achieved by symmetrical optical configuration which cancel out unwanted optical effects produced by increased refraction of light rays. The particular optical character of the planar design is the very low field curvature and flat image plane, which the name 'Planar' also suggest. Being precisely a Makro-Planar design the Touit 2.8/50M is optimized also for shorter distances to the subject, as the lens system's key parameters are automatically changed when focusing. This provides good field curvature for both near and far objects, which makes Touit 2.8/50M is a versatile tool suited for standard and extreme close-up photography.

 

While the Touit 2.8/50M is very well suited for photography such as portrait etc., the interesting feature of this lens is of course the macro capability. Touit 2.8/50M offers impressive 1:1 reproduction scale which allows one to portray objects in their original size. In practice this means that if your subjects length is, for example, one centimeter it will show up as one centimeter image on a sensor image plane. The on-screen display of this kind of image will, of course, result a greater than life-size image with all the details one would expect in macro photography. I've tried to demonstrate the macro capabilities with the image of butterfly (known as Painted Lady, or in North America as Cosmopolitan). While I wasn't quite at the Touit's closest focusing distance, the details of this medium sized butterfly (wingspan approximately 4 cm's) show up very nicely (image cropped a bit). It is precisely the macro capabilities which makes this lens very interesting, because it allows one to photograph world which is largely unavailable with naked eye. This sort of capability opens up a new world for photography and I personally think it is still largely unused for creative photography. While I will try to use the Touit 2.8/50M within close-up range during this season, I will surely come to demonstrate the lens characteristics for normal photography as well. Stay tuned for more to come.

The tenth ALMA antenna arrives at the 5000-metre Chajnantor plateau in March 2011, carried on an ALMA transporter vehicle, joining eight others in the central cluster. Another antenna is not shown here, as it is placed about 600 metres away, allowing the astronomers and engineers to test the system’s performance with a longer baseline — the separation between a pair of antennas. When ALMA construction is completed in 2013, there will be a total of 66 antennas in the array.

 

More information: www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann11013/

C/2025 K1: A Whisper of Ice Crossing the Desert Dawn

 

In the quiet breath of the Arizona dawn, Comet C/2025 K1 drifted across the awakening sky—an ancient traveler sculpted from primordial ice, older than mountains, older than seas, older than the dreams of our species. Through the optics of your Celestron Nexstar 9.25 and the shimmering precision of the Hyperstar, its faint glow became a lesson in cosmic persistence: that every comet is a messenger from the Solar System’s cold nursery, carrying dust older than the Sun itself.

 

This morning, at Desert Bloom Observatory, your instruments worked as one—guiders, filters, sensors, and mount—each capturing not just light, but story. And the story is this: comets remind us that even the smallest wanderers reshape worlds, seed oceans, and whisper clues about how life first awakened on Earth. In your image, science becomes poetry, and the sky becomes a teacher—urging us to look up, to learn, and to remember that we, too, are made of wandering stardust.

Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)

Aperture: f/3.5

Focal Length: 28 mm

ISO Speed: 400

Exposure Bias: 0 EV

Flash: Off, Did not fire

 

The London Underground is a metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in England. It is the world's oldest underground railway system. It is usually referred to as the Underground or the Tube - the latter deriving from the shape of the system's deep-bore tunnels - although about 55% of the network is above ground.

 

The earlier lines of the present London Underground network, which were built by various private companies, became part of an integrated transport system (which excluded the main line railways) in 1933 with the creation of the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), more commonly known by its shortened name: "London Transport".

 

The Underground has 268 stations and approximately 400 km (250 miles) of track,[1] making it the longest metro system in the world by route length,[4] and one of the most served in terms of stations. In 2007, over one billion passenger journeys were recorded.

Transport for London (TfL) was created in 2000 as the integrated body responsible for London's transport system. It replaced London Regional Transport. It assumed control of London Underground Limited in July 2003.

 

The London Underground's 11 lines are the Bakerloo line, Central line, Circle line, District line, Hammersmith & City line, Jubilee line, Metropolitan line, Northern line, Piccadilly line, Victoria line, and Waterloo & City line.

 

Until 2007 there was a twelfth line, the East London line, but this has closed for rebuilding work. It will be reopen as part of London Overground - part of the National Rail network and eventually connected to its North London Line - in 2010.

 

The Underground has been featured in many movies and television shows, including Sliding Doors, Tube Tales and Neverwhere. The London Underground Film Office handles over 100 requests per month. The Underground has also featured in music such as The Jam's "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" and in literature such as the graphic novel V for Vendetta. Popular legends about the Underground being haunted persist to this day.

The Underground currently sponsors and contributes to the arts via its Platform for Art and Poems on the Underground projects. Poster and billboard space (and in the case of Gloucester Road tube station, an entire disused platform) is given over to artwork and poetry to "create an environment for positive impact and to enhance and enrich the journeys of ... passengers".[

 

The London Underground's 11 lines are the Bakerloo line, Central line, Circle line, District line, Hammersmith & City line, Jubilee line, Metropolitan line, Northern line, Piccadilly line, Victoria line, and Waterloo & City line. Until 2007 there was a twelfth line, the East London line, but this has closed for conversion work and will be transferred to the London Overground when it reopens in 2010.

 

Transport for London (TfL) was created in 2000 as the integrated body responsible for London's transport system. It replaced London Regional Transport. It assumed control of London Underground Limited in July 2003.

 

TfL is part of the Greater London Authority and is constituted as a statutory corporation regulated under local government finance rules.[22] It has three subsidiaries: London Transport Insurance (Guernsey) Ltd., the TfL Pension Fund Trustee Co. Ltd. and Transport Trading Ltd (TTL). TTL has six wholly-owned subsidiaries, one of which is London Underground Limited.

 

London Underground From Wikipedia

 

Photo is illegally used on this webpage

 

Guilford Rail System's train EDMO's power shuffles around East Deerfield yard. May 24, 2002, Kodak Extra Gold 400

Report on operations of the Board during the year. Provides minutes of Federal Open Market Committee meetings, financial statements of the Board and combined financial statements of the Reserve Banks, financial statements for Federal Reserve priced services, information on other services provided by the Reserve Banks, directories of Federal Reserve officials and advisory committees, statistical tables, and maps showing the System's District and Branch boundaries.

 

Full report: www.federalreserve.gov/publications/annual-report/default...

Los Angeles Railway Car #665 represents the Los Angeles Railway's largest class of streetcars, the Type B or "Huntington Standard".

 

Designed by the L.A. Railway in 1902, this class of wood-bodied city cars bore the name of the system's owner, Henry E. Huntington (of Huntington Library, Beach and Drive fame).

 

This was the type of car that Los Angeles grew up with; at one time there were 747 of them roaming the streets of L.A. - Built in 1911 and retired in 1948. (Information from the OERM Web Site)

 

A special thanks to Steve Crise for his time, expertise and the use of his equipment, without which this image would have looked very different.

 

This is the photo that was being staged in this shot on Flickr.

 

Orange Empire Railroad Museum, Perris California.

 

(April 20, 2013)

 

RP Net Link

  

This is not a level of DooM. It's Edogawa flood prevention system's main buffer tank, north of Tokyo. The size of this underground cathedral is 177x78x28m

 

Other pictures of Japan, Tokyo (東京) and G-Cans (首都圏外郭放水路の龍Q館).

Again, a major conversion of an Aoshima (ex Gunze Sangyo) stock PA-36 kit. This one has no OAV paradigm (much like the former "Guntos" conversion), it is rather the interpretation of an idea on the basis of a Dorvack Powered Armor.

This time, the idea was “Russian battle tank”, with both modern and historic elements. Another, separate idea was to apply a brown color scheme to a PA – and finally, both came together in this kit.

 

The inspiration for a Russian version came originally when I saw MiG Production’s KV-X2 resin kit of a fictional 4-legged tank which carries a modified KV-2 tank turret on top. This thing looked steampunk, but blunt. And “ground pressure” of “ballistic window” obviously had not been anything the designer(s) had ever heard of. But… what if a Dorvack PA would accompany it?

 

Additionally, I was reading a very interesting book about modern battle tanks, 'Kampfpanzer - heute und morgen', written by Rolf Hilmes in 2007 – it will probably never be published in any other language than German... It offered lots of state-of-the art picture material and also technical information, as well as insights into design philosophies of modern military combat vehicles around the world.

 

The final inspirational spark lured finally in my bathroom! One morning, while pondering about these ideas, I used my deo, and... saw the lines and forms of the can’s spray head! *BINGO*! This form would be a perfect addition to a basic PA-36 kit, changing its helmet lines into a much bulkier design. Consequently, the 'PA-36S' (the 'S' suffix was inspired by the famous Russian WWII shtormovik ground attack planes) project was born. And its name would also fit: “Nove горбун”, or “gorbach”, which means “hunchback” in Russian language – also a reminiscence, to the Ilyushin Il-20 ground attack aircraft prototype.

  

Work started quickly. The spray head from the can was surprisingly easy to transplant, even though major putty work was necessary to make the lines flush. The spray head's plastic was also a bit waxy (I suppose it is PVC), but with super glue and the help of Tamiya putty, everything held together. Surprisingly, the parts fitted well, and the result looks really COOL and pretty different from the round standard PA design – but still consistent.

 

From there, I incorporated many Russian tank design elements. Since Russian battle tanks are primarily designed for assault/charge attacks, I decided that the front would need extra protection. The new bulky head already suggests this, but as an additional measure I applied reactive armour plating on the upper body and the front areas, wherever possible/plausible and where it would not hamper mobility – keeping the look in line with the Russian KONTAKT system.

The necessary explosive plates were cut from 1mm polystyrol plates, glued onto the hull, sanded with a brass brush on a mini drill in order to achieve a softer and irregular look, and finally the bolts were manually added with small tips of casein glue.

 

Further modifications include custom knee caps/protectors. These are parts from a plundered Gundam Endless Waltz “Serpent Custom” kit in 1:144 scale, adapted to their new position and embedded with putty. From the same kit also come the shoulder shields – also modified, dented and put on extenders on the upper arms, so that there is room between them and the arm. The idea behind them is to offer additional protection from hollow explosive charges for the hull, esp. the shoulder and air intake area. These new shields actually had to be added, because the original horizontal shoulder shields in front of the jet pack’s air intakes could not be fitted anymore – the air intakes were replaced by scrap parts from an Airfix Kamov Ka-25 helicopter in 1:72. This helicopter kit also donated two searchlights, which were added on the PA’s front hull.

 

Furthermore, many small details were changed or added. First of all, a new visor unit with 3 lenses was implanted in the front with a protective frame. These parts come from a PAM-74AM’s hand weapon, and they give the PA-36S quite a grunty retro look. On the PA’s top, the typical hump on the left side was replaced by a bigger/longer piece (a 1:48 scale WWII bomb half). On the back, a heat exchanger (for those cold Russian nights…) was placed and surrounded by reactive armour plates. If I remember correctly, this part comes from the horrible 1:72 'Aliens' Dropship kit from Halcyon and was modified. The PA-36's typical pipelines on the right shoulder were replaced with more rustic, self-made pieces. These hoses are actually made from Christmas tree decoration: fine metal coils, which were fitted onto a steel thread and then cut and bent into shape.

The feet also received some tuning, making them broader in order to improve the PA’s weight distribution in the field and offer improved hold. These parts come from an ESCI 1:72 Jagdpanzer IV kit (track and side skirt parts).

 

For active defensive measures, I added an IR decoy device on a pole on the PA's back. This thing looks similar to the current Russian ARENA radar defence system's sensor boom. Additionally, on the PA’s helmet sides and on the back, small laser detectors were added, inspired by the similar real Russian SCHTORA (russ. Штора, “curtain”) system. In case of enemy detection and laser designation, the system will trigger IR smoke dischargers (on the PA, four smoke mortars are placed on the left shoulder – parts from an Arii 1:100 Super Valkyrie) for emergency defence.

 

For armament, I settled for the standard R6 gun which comes with the stock kit, but also modified it for a beefier look. While the basis was kept, a short barrel extension was added and a nozzle brake (from a PAM-74C “Dunc” kit) put in the front. The idea was to create a gun with a smaller calibre, which would not only fire “slow” HE ammunition (which I suppose the R6 cannon uses – it looks like a mortar or howitzer), but faster AP shells. The impressive nozzle break is supposed to catch the stronger recoil of this different weapon concept, and it looks good ;)

On the blank (an ugly!) back of the gun, some technical parts were added which “simulate” recoil and gas pressure compensators. The huge, basically empty box on top of the gun (A visor unit? A camera? A bread basket?) received 3 lenses which double the PA’s new 3-lobed visor unit. Finally, a set of flexible, fabric-covered cables connects the gun with an adapter box on the PA’s breast (the original PA-36 has a small flap under its visor for this purpose). This gun then received my personal designation R6M, “M” for modified , an authentic Russian suffix.

  

From the beginning, this PA conversion was to be painted in a single colour. Since all-green PA’s frequently appear in the TV series (see e. g. episode 14 & 16) and will definitively show up in my collection, I settled on brown. Another factor was the background picture (see above), which had much influence on the kit's finish. And finally, since I have seen several pictures of all-brown/dark sand Russian WWII tanks, the single brown colour seemed to be plausible. Mmm… brown. Or better: коричневый цвет!

 

The basic overall tone is Tamiya’s XF-64 “Red Brown”, everywhere. Some details like the inside of the visor unit were painted with Testor’s 2002 “Burnt Umber” from the figure colour series for extra contrast. The joints received a mix of Gold (Testors 1144), a bit gun metal (Humbrol 53) and Burnt Umber.

 

After a first turn of dry painting with Humbrol 186 and 118, decals were applied. Numbers and unit markings come from a 1:35 scale WWII Russian tank sheet from German decal specialist Peddinghaus. The many light grey Russian labels come from the vast decal sheet of Italieri/Testor’s MiG-37 “Ferret B” kit in 1:72 scale, and typical Dorvack markings come from the original PA-36 and a PAM-74 decal sheet. Sadly,. Most of them disappeared under the final coat of snow...

“Nose art” on the HD-R6M gun consists of a hand-written “плохая новость”, which simply means “Bad news”. What else to expect from this tank on legs? But this, too, unfortunately disappeared under the snow.

 

After a matte varnish coat the kit received a thorough black ink wash in order to point out the reactive armour plating. Then, several turns with dry paint, including hemp, gulf war sand, light grey, sand and chocolate (Humbrol 168, 187, 64, 63 and 98, respectively) were applied to point out the many surface details. Some dents and blank edges were added with dry-brushed silver, but sparsely. Also, some smoke was simulated with black and dark grey paint (Humbrol 33 and 32), and as a final step some rust and oil was simulated with water-based acrylic paint in burnt umbra and sienna.

 

In order to enhance the heavy duty impression (and remind of harsh conditions this piece might encounter), the PA finally received a mud treatment around its legs. Plaster, mixed with grass filament, fine sand and water-based mixing colour, was prepared in a shallow bowl and the kit’s feet simply stumped into this artificial sludge – leaving the mud and splashes wherever they might end up.

From above, the kit then received a coat or light snow, made from coloured joint mortar (white, plaster is too grayish!), rinsed through a fine mesh onto the kit which was sprayed with water.

  

Finally, I must say that this kit was an interesting experience. On one side, it surely was plain fun to convert such a kit into something very different, seeing a vague idea taking shape. But on the other side, this project also has the more or less serious claim to incorporate realistic defence technology – and while building the kit, I became aware how tricky it actually is to construct and protect something like a tank from various battlefield dangers, and how naïve mecha can come along.

Date acquired: April 05, 2013

 

This striking image of Kuiper shows the crater in a new perspective. This image highlights the crater's smooth impact melt and central peaks. Kuiper, first seen by Mariner 10, is an easily identifiable feature on Mercury's surface due to its bright rays, similar to Hokusai.

 

This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted observation. Targeted observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions much higher than the 200-meter/pixel morphology base map. It is not possible to cover all of Mercury's surface at this high resolution, but typically several areas of high scientific interest are imaged in this mode each week.

 

The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. During the first two years of orbital operations, MESSENGER acquired over 150,000 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is capable of continuing orbital operations until early 2015.

 

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT

PROGRAM GRANT AWARDS

  

CHARLESTON -- Governor Earl Ray Tomblin today, June 29, 2016, awarded $1,087,599.00 in STOP Violence Against Women Grant Program funds for twenty-eight (28) projects statewide. The purpose of these funds is to establish or enhance teams whose core members include victim service providers, law enforcement, and prosecution to improve the criminal justice system's response to violence against women. Grants provide personnel, equipment, training, technical assistance, and information systems for the establishment or enhancement of these teams. Additionally, statewide projects are funded to provide training and educational opportunities for all victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecution, and court personnel throughout the state.

STOP funds are awarded from the Office on Violence Against Women, Office of the U.S. Department of Justice. The funds are administered by the Division of Justice and Community Services.

Funds were awarded to the following:

CABELL

 

Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, Inc.$55,446.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Cabell County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Cabell County Prosecutor's Office, Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, CONTACT of Huntington, and the Huntington Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Amanda McComas

Phone: (304) 529-2382

Email: mccomas@branchesdvs.org

 

CALHOUN

 

Family Crisis Intervention Center$19,799.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Calhoun County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Calhoun County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Crisis Intervention Center, and the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms Emly S. Larkins

Phone: (304) 428-2333

Email: eelarkins@suddenlink.net

 

FAYETTE

 

Comprehensive Women's Service Council$32,671.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Fayette County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Fayette County Prosecutor's Office, the Comprehensive Women’s Service Council, and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Patricia M. Bailey

Phone: (304) 255-2559

Email: Pbailey@wrcwv.org

 

GRANT

 

Family Crisis Center, Inc.$17,683.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Grant County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office, the Family Crisis Center, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Sony Fazzalore

Phone: (304) 788-6061

Email: fcc911@frontier.com

 

GREENBRIER

 

Family Refuge Center$53,040.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Greenbrier County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Greenbrier County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Refuge Center, the Lewisburg Police Department, and the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department.

  

Contact:Ms. Kenosha Davenport

Phone: (304) 645-6334

Email: kenoshad@familyrefugecenter.org

 

HARRISON

 

Task Force on Domestic Violence, "HOPE, Inc."$43,176.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Harrison County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Harrison County Prosecutor's Office, the Task Force on Domestic Violence “HOPE, Inc.”, the Bridgeport Police Department and the Clarksburg Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Harriet Sutton

Phone: (304) 367-1100

Email: hmsutton@hopeincwv.org

 

KANAWHA

 

Kanawha County Commission$46,429.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Kanawha County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Kanawha County Prosecutor's Office, the YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program, the Family Counseling Connection – REACH Program, Beginning My Empowerment Thru Emmanuel's Kingdom (BEMEEK) Outreach Program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department, and the Charleston Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Gale A. Teare

Phone: (304) 357-0499

Email: galeteare@kcso.us

 

MARION

 

Task Force on Domestic Violence, "HOPE, Inc."$51,078.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Marion County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, the Task Force on Domestic Violence, "HOPE, Inc.", the Marion County Sheriff's Department, and the Fairmont Police Department.

  

Contact:Ms. Harriet Sutton

Phone: (304) 367-1100

Email: hmsutton@hopeincwv.org

  

MARSHALL

 

Marshall County Commission$25,259.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Marshall County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Marshall County Prosecutor's Office, the YWCA Family Violence Prevention Program, and the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Betsy Frohnapfel

Phone: (304) 845-0482

Email: bfrohnapfel@marshallcountywv.org

 

MINERAL

 

Family Crisis Center, Inc.$17,683.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Mineral County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Mineral County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Crisis Center, and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Sonya Fazzalore

Phone: (304) 788-6061

Email: fcc911@frontier.com

 

MINGO

 

Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, Inc.$43,576.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Mingo County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Mingo County Prosecutor's Office, the Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, and the Mingo County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kim Ryan

Phone: (304) 235-6121

Email: k.s.ryan@hotmail.com

 

MINGO, LOGAN

 

Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, Inc.$32,596.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Logan County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Logan County Prosecutor's Office, the Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, and the Logan County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kim Ryan

Phone: (304) 235-6121

Email: k.s.ryan@hotmail.com

MONONGALIA

 

The Rape & Domestic Violence Information Center, Inc.$54,599.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Monongalia County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Monongalia County Prosecutor's Office, the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, the Morgantown Police Department, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, and the Star City Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Judy King

Phone: (304) 292-5100

Email: rdvic99@earthlink.net

 

Monroe

 

Family Refuge Center$23,825.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Monroe County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Refuge Center, and the Monroe County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kenosha Davenport

Phone: (304) 645-6334

Email: kenoshad@familyresourcecenter.org

 

NICHOLAS

 

Comprehensive Women's Service Council$36,904.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Nicholas County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Nicholas County Prosecutor's Office, the Comprehensive Women’s Service Council and the Nicholas County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Patricia M. Bailey

Phone: (304) 255-2559

Email: pbailey@wrcwv.org

 

OHIO

 

Ohio County Commission$87,614.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Ohio County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Ohio County Prosecutor's Office, the YWCA Family Violence Prevention Program, the YWCA Cultural Diversity and Community Outreach Program, and the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Mr. Scott R. Smith

Phone: (304) 234-3631

Email: ssmith@wvocpa.org

 

POCAHONTAS

 

Family Refuge Center $6,000.00

These funds provide for the enhancement of the Pocahontas County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Pocahontas County Prosecutor’s Office, the Family Refuge Center and the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kenosha Davenport

Phone: (304) 645-6334

Email: kenoshad@familyrefugecenter.org

 

PRESTON

 

The Rape & Domestic Violence Information Center, Inc.$35,643.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Preston County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Preston County Prosecutor's Office, the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, and the Preston County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Judy King

Phone: (304) 292-5100

Email: rdvic99@earthlink.net

 

PUTNAM

 

Putnam County Commission$25,421.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Putnam County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office, Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, the Family Counseling Connection - REACH Program, and the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Sheriff Steve Deweese

Phone: (304) 586-0256

Email: tcraigo@putnamwv.org

 

RALEIGH

 

Comprehensive Women's Service Council$60,535.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Raleigh County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Raleigh County Prosecutor's Office, the Comprehensive Women’s Service Council, and the Beckley Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Patricia M. Bailey

Phone: (304) 255-2559

Email: pbailey@wrcwv.org

 

RANDOLPH

 

Women's Aid in Crisis$16,767.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Randolph County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Randolph County Prosecutor's Office, Women's Aid in Crisis, and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Marcia R. Drake

Phone: (304) 626-8433

Email: mdrake@waicwv.org

 

ROANE

 

Family Crisis Intervention Center$17,398.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Roane County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Roane County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Crisis Intervention Center, the Spencer Police Department, and the Roane County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Emily S. Larkins

Phone: (304) 428-2333

Email: eelarkins@suddenlink.net

 

UPSHUR

 

Upshur County Commission$26,496.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Upshur County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Upshur County Prosecutor's Office, Women's Aid in Crisis, and the Buckhannon Police Department.

  

Contact:Mr. David E. Godwin

Phone: (304) 472-9699

Email: degodwin@upshurcounty.org

  

STATEWIDE

 

West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute$39,284.00

These funds provide for the development and continuation of strengthening prosecution strategies and best practices as well as improve prosecution-based victim services in cases involving violence against women through training and the development of resources.

 

Contact:Ms. Sherry Eling

Phone: (304) 558-3348

Email: sherry.s.eling@wv.gov

 

West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services$56,689.00

These funds provide for finalizing the development of an Advocate Guide and Protocol with participating correctional facilities in the state for service provision; convert training materials into e-learning resources; and work with Rape Crisis Centers on service implementation in order to work towards compliance with PREA requirements.

 

Contact:Ms. Nancy Hoffman

Phone: (304) 366-9500

Email: wvfris@frontier.com

 

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals$54,104.00

These funds provide for updating and printing the Domestic Violence Benchbook; to provide the salary of a DV Case Coordinator for the pilot program of the Kanawha County Domestic Violence Court; to maintain the Domestic Violence Registry back-up internet site; and to provide continued training for court personnel in the area of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence.

 

Contact:Ms. Angela Saunders

Phone: (304) 558-0145

Email: Angela.saunders@courtswv.gov

 

West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence$43,763.00

These funds provide for the continued enhancement of the statewide domestic and sexual violence database; to provide training and technical assistance for STOP Teams and Domestic Violence Programs on cultural diversity and cultural competency; and to promote dating violence protocols.

 

Contact:Ms. Tonia Thomas

Phone: (304) 965-3552

Email: tthomas@wvcadv.org

  

West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Serivces$64,121.00

These funds provide for training activities, the on-going development and capacity building of service providers to victims of sexual assault, dating violence and stalking crimes, and to provide training and resources for these programs in order to provide services to sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking victims.

 

Contact:Ms. Nancy Hoffman

Phone: (304) 366-9500

Email: wvfris@frountier.com

  

Division of Justice & Community Services contact:

 

Sarah J. Brown

Senior Justice Programs Specialist

Division of Justice and Community Services

1204 Kanawha Boulevard, East

Charleston, West Virginia 25301

Phone: (304) 558-8814, Extension 53337

Email: Sarah.J.Brown@wv.gov

  

Photos available for media use. All photos should be attributed “Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor.”

NASA image acquired: March 29, 2011

 

This historic first orbital image of Mercury was acquired 37 years to the day after Mariner 10’s historic first flyby of the innermost planet. Labels have been added to indicate several craters that were named based on Mariner 10 images, as well as Debussy, Matabei, and Berkel, which were named based on MESSENGER flyby images. The surface contained in the white lines is terrain previously unseen by spacecraft, and the star indicates the location of the south pole.

 

On March 17, 2011 (March 18, 2011, UTC), MESSENGER became the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury. The mission is currently in its commissioning phase, during which spacecraft and instrument performance are verified through a series of specially designed checkout activities. In the course of the one-year primary mission, the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation will unravel the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. Visit the Why Mercury? section of this website to learn more about the science questions that the MESSENGER mission has set out to answer.

 

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

 

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

 

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With the deployment of Earth's Bifrost orbital ring, Mars' Beanstalk space elevator and the Moon's magnetic catapult, the System's logistics are vastly easier and cheaper than in the old days of the dawn of the true Space Age, when expensive and fuel-inefficient chemical rockets were needed to lift payloads into orbit. However, the far-flung nature of the System means that there are plenty of planetside or moonside colonies and outposts which lack such massive infrastructure investments but do have significant gravity wells to climb out of.

 

The LL-218 Patrick Moore-class of autonomous cargo lifter are one of the primary solutions in use in the System.

 

A simple reusable nuclear-thermal rocket able to take off and land vertically from a gravity well up to 2/3 Earth standard (or approximately twice Martian gravity), the Patrick Moore rockets are sufficiently efficient that quite a large payload can be lifted for a relatively small fuel mass, and sufficiently flexible in their basing requirements that even the smallest outposts can throw together landing and refueling stations.

 

~~~

 

A desperately simple model, but I'm quite pleased with the fact that I can now tile a whole 20x20 square and make a semi-decent small landing pad.

With the lightweight aluminium front and rear axles from the BMW M3/M4 models, forged 19-inch aluminium wheels with mixed-size tyres, M Servotronic steering with two settings and suitably effective M compound brakes, the new BMW M2 Coupe has raised the bar once again in the compact high-performance sports car segment when it comes to driving dynamics. The electronically controlled Active M Differential, which optimises traction and directional stability, also plays a significant role here. And even greater driving pleasure is on the cards when the Dynamic Stability Control system’s M Dynamic Mode (MDM) is activated. MDM allows wheel slip and therefore moderate, controlled drifts on the track.

  

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Dwarf planet Ceres is the largest object in the Solar System's main asteroid belt, with a diameter of about 950 kilometers (590 miles). Ceres is seen here in approximately true color, based on image data from the Dawn spacecraft recorded on May 4, 2015. On that date, Dawn's orbit stood 13,642 kilometers above the surface of the small world. Two of Ceres' famous mysterious bright spots at Oxo crater and Haulani crater are near center and center right of this view. Casting a telltale shadow at the bottom is Ceres' cone-shaped, lonely mountain Ahuna Mons. Presently some 385 kilometers above the Cerean surface, the ion-propelled Dawn spacecraft is now returning images from its closest mapping orbit. via NASA ift.tt/20t6SaU

Edited NASA visualization of the shape of our solar system (where "shape" means the bubble surrounding the sun and immediate objects, like planets). I like the term "deflated croissant" used in the caption...

 

Please note this is not an image taken by a spacecraft but a visualization from a computer program.

 

Image source: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/uncovering-our-solar-sy...

 

Original caption: Scientists have developed a new prediction of the shape of the bubble surrounding our solar system using a model developed with data from NASA missions.

 

All the planets of our solar system are encased in a magnetic bubble, carved out in space by the Sun’s constantly outflowing material, the solar wind. Outside this bubble is the interstellar medium — the ionized gas and magnetic field that fills the space between stellar systems in our galaxy. One question scientists have tried to answer for years is on the shape of this bubble, which travels through space as our Sun orbits the center of our galaxy. Traditionally, scientists have thought of the heliosphere as a comet shape, with a rounded leading edge, called the nose, and a long tail trailing behind.

 

Research published in Nature Astronomy in March and featured on the journal’s cover for July provides an alternative shape that lacks this long tail: the deflated croissant.

 

The shape of the heliosphere is difficult to measure from within. The closest edge of the heliosphere is more than ten billion miles from Earth. Only the two Voyager spacecraft have directly measured this region, leaving us with just two points of ground-truth data on the shape of the heliosphere.

 

From near Earth, we study our boundary to interstellar space by capturing and observing particles flying toward Earth. This includes charged particles that come from distant parts of the galaxy, called galactic cosmic rays, along with those that were already in our solar system, travel out towards the heliopause, and are bounced back towards Earth through a complex series of electromagnetic processes. These are called energetic neutral atoms, and because they are created by interacting with the interstellar medium, they act as a useful proxy for mapping the edge of the heliosphere. This is how NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, mission studies the heliosphere, making use of these particles as a kind of radar, tracing out our solar system’s boundary to interstellar space.

 

An illustration showing the Sun's bubble of influence, the heliosphere, with a long tail like a comet's

Some research suggests that the heliosphere has a long tail, much like a comet, though a new model points to a shape that lacks this long tail.

Credits: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio/Conceptual Imaging Lab

Download from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio.

To make sense of this complex data, scientists use computer models to turn this data into a prediction of the heliosphere’s characteristics. Merav Opher, lead author of the new research, heads a NASA- and NSF-funded DRIVE Science Center at Boston University focused on the challenge.

 

This latest iteration of Opher’s model uses data from NASA planetary science missions to characterize the behavior of material in space that fills the bubble of the heliosphere and get another perspective on its borders. NASA’s Cassini mission carried an instrument, designed to study particles trapped in Saturn’s magnetic field, that also made observations of particles bouncing back towards the inner solar system. These measurements are similar to IBEX’s, but provide a distinct perspective on the heliosphere’s boundary.

 

Additionally, NASA’s New Horizons mission has provided measurements of pick-up ions, particles that are ionized out in space and are picked up and move along with the solar wind. Because of their distinct origins from the solar wind particles streaming out from the Sun, pick-up ions are much hotter than other solar wind particles — and it’s this fact that Opher’s work hinges on.

 

“There are two fluids mixed together. You have one component that is very cold and one component that is much hotter, the pick-up ions,” said Opher, a professor of astronomy at Boston University. “If you have some cold fluid and hot fluid, and you put them in space, they won’t mix — they will evolve mostly separately. What we did was separate these two components of the solar wind and model the resulting 3D shape of the heliosphere.”

 

Considering the solar wind’s components separately, combined with Opher’s earlier work using the solar magnetic field as a dominant force in shaping the heliosphere, created a deflated croissant shape, with two jets curling away from the central bulbous part of the heliosphere, and notably lacking the long tail predicted by many scientists.

 

“Because the pick-up ions dominate the thermodynamics, everything is very spherical. But because they leave the system very quickly beyond the termination shock, the whole heliosphere deflates,” said Opher.

 

The shape of the heliosphere is more than a question of academic curiosity: The heliosphere acts our solar system’s shield against the rest of the galaxy.

 

An illustration showing the heliosphere being pelted with cosmic rays from outside our solar system

Our heliosphere blocks many cosmic rays, shown as bright streaks in this animated image, from reaching the planets of our solar system.

Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab

Download from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Energetic events in other star systems, like supernova, can accelerate particles to nearly the speed of light. These particles rocket out in all directions, including into our solar system. But the heliosphere acts as a shield: It absorbs about three-quarters of these tremendously energetic particles, called galactic cosmic rays, that would make their way into our solar system.

 

Those that do make it through can wreak havoc. We’re protected on Earth by our planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere, but technology and astronauts in space or on other worlds are exposed. Both electronics and human cells can be damaged by the effects of galactic cosmic rays — and because galactic cosmic rays carry so much energy, they’re difficult to block in a way that’s practical for space travel. The heliosphere is spacefarers’ main defense against galactic cosmic rays, so understanding its shape and how that influences the rate of galactic cosmic rays pelting our solar system is a key consideration for planning robotic and human space exploration.

 

The heliosphere’s shape is also part of the puzzle for seeking out life on other worlds. The damaging radiation from galactic cosmic rays can render a world uninhabitable, a fate avoided in our solar system because of our strong celestial shield. As we learn more about how our heliosphere protects our solar system — and how that protection may have changed throughout the solar system’s history — we can look for other star systems that might have similar protection. And part of that is the shape: Are our heliospheric lookalikes long-tailed comet shapes, deflated croissants, or something else entirely?

 

Whatever the heliosphere’s true shape, an upcoming NASA mission will be a boon for unraveling these questions: the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP.

 

IMAP, slated for launch in 2024, will map the particles streaming back to Earth from the boundaries of the heliosphere. IMAP will build on the techniques and discoveries of the IBEX mission to shed new light on the nature of the heliosphere, interstellar space, and how galactic cosmic rays make their way into our solar system.

 

Opher’s DRIVE Science Center aims to create a testable model of the heliosphere in time for IMAP’s launch. Their predictions of the shape and other characteristics of the heliosphere — and how that would be reflected in the particles streaming back from the boundary — would provide a baseline for scientists to compare with IMAP’s data.

another stab at testing AI's creative abilities - write me a short story around "butterfly effect" based on the photo

 

all AIs produced cliched, generic rubbish. So, writers, the good ones, you can sleep in peace, at least for the time being, your job is secure. Accountants, lawyers and GPs will be wiped out together with web designers and deservedly so, but writers, the good ones will endure together with plumbers and bricklayers , at least next 5 to 7 years.

 

Ok , let's see if I can come up with some stuff comparable to AI's bs , I bet I can

 

===

 

so my reply to AI

 

February 8th 2025. Auckland, New Zealand. Butterfly Creek. 11.25 am. A man with a camera, late boomer vintage, the man not the camera. He might be just sneaking through into the boomers cohort with a year or two to spare. The camera, Nikon z5 with a decent zoom, not the one “a professional” would be gear-shamed into buying but still a step up above your average grandkids shots gear. The camera suggest the man fancies himself as a photographer. Must be one of those Flickr types. The man is glued to the viewfinder, the lens is tracking a butterfly. The butterfly is doing one of those neurotic - “I can’t commit” - butterfly dances, teasing a leaf or a flower only to change its mind and flutter away to another flower or a leaf. A girl is also watching the butterfly. The butterfly seems finally made up its mind to settle on a leaf, the man with the camera steadied his breathing preparing to take a shot. Beating the shutter by a split second the butterfly takes off and lands on the girl’s palm. The man takes his shot.

 

July 2047. 4.35 pm. Prakesh just finished his daily security scrub of the quantum cluster, a routine check that never revealed anything of note, not on Prakesh’s watch anyway. Quantum servers got to be essentially unbreakable and impossible to compromise these days and The System’s stability, or rather instability, had become a concept of the past. AI1 designed The System and other AIs (the breakers) tasked to break it. If the breakers failed to disrupt they self destroyed. If they succeeded to disrupt AI1 destroyed the breakers and The System and started from scratch.

 

Prakesh was looking forward to a night out with Danika. New Japanese restaurant by none other than Kenji X himself in downtown Mumbai, you have to book 3 weeks in advance. Prakesh’s mum loves to go on how young ones lost respect to Indian food and tradition, “your Danika can’t even tell Roti from the Naan, can she?! “

 

Prakesh brushed the air with his index finger in a W shape, a touchless sign out from the system, the shape complements the eye scan and the fingerprint scan of the admin of course, when the log out sequence momentarily paused and a tiny amber flickering light appeared in the top right corner of the virtual screen. The light flickered for 7 seconds then stayed solid for another 7 then started the string of on and offs, each on and off lasting 3 seconds. Prakesh felt his scull suddenly becoming almost unbearably heavy as if they put a lead helmet on him. For a moment he was unable to breath. He knew exactly what was going on and the choice he would have to make. He knew all along it may happen and he was trained for 7 years preparing for this moment before taking the position he contested with 3 other best graduates of The Programme, 1 male and 2 female. He prayed daily this moment and this choice never comes. There will be 50 on and 50 off signals in total , that gives him 300 seconds before ... The system went into a fatal spiral cycle, the cycle will inevitably end up in UAE (Universal Annihilation Event). There are only 2 choices to prevent UAE: relinquish all control over The System to AI11 - humanity becomes secondary with no control over its own future but humanity survives, at least if AI1 thinks it should. Or destroy The System, destroy AI1 and let humanity live - live without the power of The System, live, again, without being able to cure cancer, to halt global warming, to stop aging, to create abundance and prosperity. Live taking a gamble, again, between self destruction and the future.

 

285, 286, 287 ... It took Prakesh 12 seconds to regain composure and start the critical phase reasoning process. His reasoning process, having taken all, so many times planned and practised, 4 minutes, resulted in no decision. He presented himself with 50-50 split. 13 seconds from the Earth being dispersed in a giant cloud of dust he had nothing at all left to guide his choice. 9 seconds out a a cloud, a vision floated by. He first almost didn’t notice this puff of memory. He made himself to stop it and focus, an old photograph he saw years ago on one of the legacy “websites” , The Programme did have a few of those in the library. The photograph of the girl with a butterfly in the palm of her hand. He immeditely pressed one of the 2 virtual buttons in front of him. 299.

  

Looking up to the Mercedes-Benz Arocs Skip Lorries, (MT63 GBN & BA63 GBN) as they pose in low level light. Both feature Hyva Skip Loading Gear and Transcover Sheeting System's.

 

www.gbnservices.co.uk

 

#mercedesbenz

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Sondergerät SG104 "Münchhausen" was a German airborne recoillless 355.6 mm (14-inch) caliber gun, intended to engage even the roughest enemy battleships, primarily those of the Royal Navy. The design of this unusual and massive weapon began in 1939. The rationale behind it was that a battleship’s most vulnerable part was the deck – a flat surface, with relatively thin armor (as typical hits were expected on the flanks) and ideally with vital targets underneath, so that a single, good hit would cripple of even destroy a ship. The purpose of such a high angle of attack was likely to allow the projectile to penetrate the target ship's deck, where the ship's armor, if there was any, would have been much thinner than the armor on its sidesHowever, hitting the deck properly with another ship’s main gun was not easy, since it could only be affected through indirect hits and the typical angle of the attack from aballistic shot would not necessarily be ideal for deep penetration, esp. at long range.

The solution to this problem: ensure that the heavy projectile would hit its target directly from above, ideally at a very steep angle. To achieve this, the gun with battleship caliber was “relocated” from a carrier ship or a coastal battery onto an aircraft – specifically to a type that was capable of dive-bombing, a feature that almost any German bomber model of the time offered.

 

Firing such a heavy weapon caused a lot fo problems, which were severe even if the gun was mounted on a ship or on land. To compensate for such a large-caliber gun’s recoil and to make firing a 14 in shell (which alone weighed around almost 700 kg/1.550 lb, plus the charge) from a relatively light airframe feasible, the respective gun had to be as light as possible and avoid any recoil, which would easily tear an aircraft – even a bomber – apart upon firing. Therefore, the Gerät 104 was designed as a recoilless cannon. Its firing system involved venting the same amount of the weapon's propellant gas for its round to the rear of the launch tube (which was open at both ends), in the same fashion as a rocket launcher. This created a forward directed momentum which was nearly equal to the rearward momentum (recoil) imparted to the system by accelerating the projectile itself. The balance thus created did not leave much net momentum to be imparted to the weapon's mounting or the carrying airframe in the form of felt recoil. A further share of the recoil induced by the moving round itself could be compensated by a muzzle brake which re-directed a part of the firing gases backwards. Since recoil had been mostly negated, a heavy and complex recoil damping mechanism was not necessary – even though the weapon itself was huge and heavy.

 

Work on the "Münchhausen" device (a secret project handle after a fictional German nobleman created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in the late 18th century who reputedly had ridden on a cannonball between enemy frontlines), was done by Rheinmetall-Borsig and lasted until 1941. The first test of a prototype weapon was conducted on 9th of September 1940 in Unterlüss with a satisfactory result, even though the weapon was only mounted onto an open rack and not integrated into an airframe yet. At that time, potential carriers were the Ju 88, the Dornier Do 217 and the new Junkers Ju 288. Even though the system’s efficacy was doubted, the prospect of delivering a single, fatal blow to an important , armored arget superseded any doubts at the RLM, and the project was greenlit in early 1942 for the next stage: the integration of the Sondergerät 104 into an existing airframe. The Ju 88 and its successor, the Ju 188, turned out to be too light and lacked carrying capacity for the complete, loaded weapon, and the favored Ju 288 was never produced, so that only the Dornier Do 217 or the bigger He 177 remained as a suitable carriers. The Do 217 was eventually chosen because it had the biggest payload and the airframe was proven and readily available.

 

After calculations had verified that the designed 14 in rifle would have effectively no recoil, preliminary tests with dumm airframes were carried out. After ground trials with a Do 217 E day bomber to check recoil and blast effects on the airframe, the development and production of a limited Nullserie (pre-production series) of the dedicated Do 217 F variant for field tests and eventual operational use against British sea and land targets was ordered in April 1942.

 

The resulting Do 217 F-0 was based on the late “E” bomber variant and powered by a pair of BMW 801 radial engines. It was, however, heavily modified for its unique weapon and the highly specialized mission profile: upon arriving at the zone of operation at high altitude, the aircraft would initiate a dive with an angle of attack between 50° and 80° from the horizontal, firing the SG 104 at an altitude between 6,000 and 2,000 meters. The flight time of the projectile could range from 16.0 seconds for a shot from an altitude of 6,000 meters at a 50° angle to just 4.4 seconds for a shot from 2.000 meters at an almost vertical 80° angle. Muzzle velocity of the SG 104 was only 300 m/s, but, prior to impact, the effective velocity of the projectile was projected to range between 449 and 468 m/s (1,616 to 1,674 km/h). Together with the round's weight of roughly 700 kg (1.550 lb) and a hardened tip, this would still ensure a high penetration potential.

 

The operational Sondergerät 104 had an empty mass of 2.780 kg (6,123 lb) and its complete 14 inch double cartridge weighed around 1.600 kg (3,525 lb). The loaded mass of the weapon was 4,237 kg, stretching the limits of the Do 217’s load capacity to the maximum, so that some armor and less vital pieces of equipment were deleted. Crew and defensive armament were reduced to a minimum.

Even though there had been plans to integrate the wepaon into the airframe (on the Ju 288), the Gerät 104 was on the Do 217 F-0 mounted externally and occupied the whole space under the aircraft, precluding any use of the bomb bay. The latter was occupied by the Gerät 104’s complex mount, which extended to the outside under a streamlined fairing and held the weapon at a distance from the airframe. Between the mount’s struts inside of the fuselage, an additional fuel tank for balance reasons was added, too.

The gun’s center, where the heavy round was carried, was positioned under the aircraft’s center of gravity, so that the gun barrel markedly protruded from under the aircraft’s nose. To make enough space, the Do 217 Es bomb aimer’s ventral gondola and his rearward-facing defensive position under the cockpit were omitted and faired over. The nose section was also totally different: the original extensive glazing (the so-called “Kampfkopf”) was replaced by a smaller, conventional canopy, similar to the later Do 217 J and N night fighter versions, together with a solid nose - the original glass panels would have easily shattered upon firing the gun, esp. in a steep high-speed dive. A "Lotfernrohr" bomb aiming device was still installed in a streamlined and protected fairing, though, so that the navigator could guide the pilot during the approach to the target and during the attack run.

To stabilize the heavy aircraft during its attack and to time- and safely pull out of the dive, a massive mechanical dive brake was mounted at the extended tail tip, which unfolded with four "petals". A charecteristic stabilizing dorsal strake was added between the twin fins, too.

 

The ventral area behind the gun’s rear-facing muzzle received additional metal plating and blast guiding vanes, after trials in late 1940 had revealed that firing the SG 104 could easily damage the Do 217’s tail structure, esp. all of the tail surfaces’ rudders and the fins’ lower ends in particular. Due to all this extra weight, the Do 217 F-0’s defensive armament consisted only of a single 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in a manually operated dorsal position behind the cockpit cabin, which offered space for a crew of three. A fixed 15 mm MG 151 autocannon was mounted in the nose, too, a weapon with a long barrel for extended range and accuracy. It was not an offensive weapon, though, rather intended as an aiming aid for the SG 104 because it was loaded with tracer bullets: during the final phase of the attack dive, the pilot kept firing the MG 151, and the bullet trail showed if he was on target to fire the SG 104 when the right altitude/range had been reached.

 

The first Do 217 F-0 was flown and tested in late 1943, and after some detail changes the type was cleared for a limited production run of ten aircraft in January 1944. The first operational machine was delivered to a dedicated testing commando, the Erprobungskommando 104 “Münchhausen”, also known as “Sonderkommando Münchhausen” or simply “E-Staffel 104”. The unit was based at Bordeaux/Merignac and directly attached to the KG 40's as a staff flight. At that time, KG 40 operated Do 217 and He 177 bombers and frequently flew reconnaissance and anti-shipping missions over the Atlantic west of France, up to the British west and southern coast, equipped with experimental Henschel Hs 293 glide bombs.

 

Initial flights confirmed that the Do 217 airframe was burdened with the SG 104 to its limits, the already rather sluggish aircraft (the Do 217 had generally a high wing loading and was not easy to fly) lost anything that was left of what could be called agility. It needed an experienced pilot to handle it safely, esp. during start and landing. It is no wonder that two Do 217 F-0s suffered ground accidents during the first two weeks of operations, but the machines could be repaired, resume the test program and carry out attack missions.

However, during one of the first test shots with the weapon, one Do 217 F-0 lost its complete tail section though the gun blast, and the aircraft crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing the complete crew.

 

On 4th or April 1944 the first "hot" attack against an enemy ship was executed in the Celtic Sea off of Brest, against a convoy of 20 ships homeward bound from Gibraltar. The attack was not successful, though, the shot missing its target, and the German bomber was attacked and heavily damaged by British Bristol Beaufighters that had been deployed to protect the ships. The Do 217F-0 eventually crashed and sank into the Atlantic before it could reach land again.

 

A couple of days later, on 10th of April, the first attempt to attack and destroy a land target was undertaken: two Do 217 F-0s took off to attack Bouldnor Battery, an armored British artillery position located on the Isle of Wight. One machine had to abort the attack due to oil leakages, the second Do 217 F-0 eventually reached its target and made a shallow attack run, but heavy fog obscured the location and the otherwise successful shot missed the fortification. Upon return to its home base the aircraft was intercepted by RAF fighters over the Channel and heavily damaged, even though German fighters deployed from France came to the rescue, fought the British attackers off and escorted the limping Do 217 F-0 back to its home base.

 

These events revealed that the overall SG 104 concept was generally feasible, but also showed that the Do 217 F-0 was very vulnerable without air superiority or a suitable escort, so that new tactics had to be developed. One consequence was that further Do 217 F-0 deployments were now supported by V/KG 40, the Luftwaffe's only long range maritime fighter unit. These escorts consisted of Junkers Ju 88C-6s, which were capable of keeping up with the Do 217 F-0 and fend of intercepting RAF Coastal Command’s Beaufighters and later also Mosquitos.

 

In the meantime, tests with the SG 104 progressed and several modifications were tested on different EKdo 104's Do 217 F-0s. One major upgrade was a further strengthening of the tail section, which added another 200 kg (440 lb) to the aircraft's dry weight. Furthermore, at least three aircraft were outfitted with additional dive brakes under the outer wings, so that the dive could be better controlled and intercepted. these aircraft, however, lost their plumbed underwing hardpoints, but these were only ever used for drop tanks during transfer flights - a loaded SG 104 precluded any other ordnance. On two other aircraft the SG 104 was modified to test different muzzle brakes and deflectors for the rear-facing opening, so that the gun blast was more effectively guided away from the airframe to prevent instability and structural damage. For instance, one machine was equipped with a bifurcated blast deflector that directed the rearward gasses partly sideways, away from the fuselage.

 

These tests did not last long, though. During the Allied Normandy landings in June 1944 E-Staffel 104 was hastily thrown into action and made several poorly-prepared attack runs against Allied support ships. The biggest success was a full hit and the resulting sinking of the Norwegian destroyer HNoMS Svenner (G03) by "1A+BA" at dawn on 6th of June, off Sword, one of the Allied landing zones. Other targets were engaged, too, but only with little effect. This involvement, however, led to the loss of three Do 217 F-0s within just two days and four more heavily damaged aircraft – leaving only two of EKdo 104's Do 217 F-0s operational.

 

With the Allied invasion of France and a worsening war condition, the SG 104 program was stopped in August 1944 and the idea of an airborne anti-ship gun axed in favor of more flexible guided weapons like the Hs 293 missile and the Fritz-X glide bomb. Plans for a further developed weapon with a three-round drum magazine were immediately stopped, also because there was no carrier aircraft in sight that could carry and deploy this complex 6.5 tons weapon. However, work on the SG 104 and the experience gained from EKdo 104's field tests were not in vain. The knowledge gathered from the Münchhausen program was directly used for the design of a wide range of other, smaller recoilless aircraft weapons, including the magnetically-triggered SG 113 "Förstersonde" anti-tank weapon or the lightweight SG 118 "Rohrblock" unguided air-to-air missile battery for the Heinkel He 162 "Volksjäger".

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 3 (pilot, navigator, radio operator/gunner)

Length: 20,73 m (67 ft 11 in) overall

18,93 m (62 ft 3/4 in) hull only

Wingspan: 19 m (62 ft 4 in)

Height: 4.97 m (16 ft 4 in)

Wing area: 57 m² (610 sq ft)

Empty weight: 9,065 kg (19,985 lb)

Empty equipped weight:10,950 kg (24,140 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 16,700 kg (36,817 lb)

Fuel capacity: 2,960 l (780 US gal; 650 imp gal) in fuselage tank and four wing tanks

 

Powerplant:

2× BMW 801D-2 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, delivering

1,300 kW (1,700 hp) each for take-off and 1,070 kW (1,440 hp) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft),

driving 3-bladed VDM constant-speed propellers

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 475 km/h (295 mph, 256 kn) at sea level

560 km/h (350 mph; 300 kn) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)

Cruise speed: 400 km/h (250 mph, 220 kn) with loaded Gerät 104 at optimum altitude

Range: 2,180 km (1,350 mi, 1,180 nmi) with maximum internal fuel

Ferry range: 2,500 km (1,600 mi, 1,300 nmi); unarmed, with auxiliary fuel tanks

Service ceiling: 7,370 m (24,180 ft) with loaded Gerät 104,

9,500 m (31,200 ft) after firing

Rate of climb: 3.5 m/s (690 ft/min)

Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 4 minutes 10 seconds

2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 8 minutes 20 seconds

6,100 m (20,000 ft) in 24 minutes 40 seconds

 

Armament:

1x 355.6 mm (14-inch) Sondergerät 104 recoilless gun with a single round in ventral position

1x 15 mm (0.787 in) MG 151 machine cannon with 200 rounds, fixed in the nose

1x 13 mm (0.512 in) MG 131 machine gun with 500 rounds, movable in dorsal position

Two underwing hardpoints for a 900 l drop tank each, but only used during unarmed ferry flights

  

The kit and its assembly:

This was another submission to the "Gunships" group build at whatifmodellers.com in late 2021, and inspiration struck when I realized that I had two Italeri Do 217 in The Stash - a bomber and a night fighter - that could be combined into a suitable (fictional) carrier for a Sondergerät 104. This mighty weapon actually existed and even reached the hardware/test stage - but it was never integrated into an airframe and tested in flight. But that's what this model is supposed to depict.

 

On the Do 217, the Sg 104 would have been carried externally under the fuselage, even though there had been plans to integrate this recoilless rifle into airframes, esp. into the Ju 288. Since the latter never made it into production, the Do 217 would have been the most logical alternative, also because it had the highest payload of all German bombers during WWII and probably the only aircraft capable of carrying and deploying the Münchhausen device, as the SG 104 was also known.

 

The fictional Do 217 F-0 is a kitbashing, using a Do 217 N fuselage, combined with the wings from a Do 217 K bomber, plus some modifications. What initially sounded like a simple plan soon turned into a improvisation mess: it took some time to realize that I had already donated the Do 217 K's BMW 801 engines to another project, an upgraded He 115... I did not want to use the nightfighter's more powerful DB 603s, and I was lucky to have an Italeri Ju 188 kit at hand which comes with optional BMW 801s and Jumo 211s. Transplanting these engines onto the Do 217's wings took some tailoring of the adapter plates, but was feasible. However, the BMW 801s from the Ju 188 kit have a flaw: they lack the engine's characteristic cooling fans... Another lucky find: I found two such parts in the scrap box, even though from different kits - one left over from another Italeri Do 217 K, the other one from what I assume is/was an Italeri 1:72 Fw 190 A/F. To make matters worse, one propeller from the Ju 188 kit was missing, so that I had to find a(nother) replacement. :-/

I eventually used something that looked like an 1:72 F6F Hellcat propeller, but I an not certain about this because I have never built this model...? With some trimming on the blades' trailing edges and other mods, the donor's overall look could be adapted to the Ju 188 benchmark. Both propellers were mounted on metal axis' so that they could also carry the cooling fans. Lots of work, but the result looks quite good.

 

The Do 217 N's hull lost the lower rear gunner position and its ventral gondola, which was faired over with a piece of styrene sheet. The pilot was taken OOB, the gunner in the rear position was replaced by a more blob-like crew member from the scrap box. The plan to add a navigator in the seat to the lower right of the pilot did not work out due to space shortage, but this figure would probably have been invisble, anyway.

All gun openings in the nose were filled and PSRed away, and a fairing for a bomb aiming device and a single gun (the barrel is a hollow steel needle) were added.

 

The SG 104 was scratched. Starting point was a white metal replacement barrel for an 1:35 ISU-152 SPG with a brass muzzle brake. However, after dry-fitting the barrel under the hull the barrel turned out to be much too wide, so that only the muzzal brake survived and the rest of the weapon was created from a buddy refueling pod (from an Italeri 1:72 Luftwaffe Tornado, because of its two conical ends) and protective plastic caps from medical canulas. To attach this creation to the hull I abused a conformal belly tank from a Matchbox Gloster Meteor night fighter and tailored it into a streamlined fairing. While this quite a Frankenstein creation, the overall dimensions match the real SG 104 prototype and its look well.

 

Other cosmetic modifications include a pair of underwing dive brakes, translanted from an Italeri 1:72 Ju 88 A-4 kit, an extended (scratched) tail "stinger" which resembles the real dive brake arrangement that was installed on some Do 217 E bombers, and I added blast deflector vanes and a dorsal stabilizer fin.

In order to provide the aircraft with enough ground clearance, the tail wheel was slightly extended. Thanks to the long tail stinger, this is not blatantly obvious.

  

Painting and markings:

This was not an easy choice, but as a kind of prototype I decided that the paint scheme should be rather conservative. However, German aircraft operating over the Atlantic tended to carry rather pale schemes, so that the standard pattern of RLM 70/71/65 (Dunkelgrün, Schwarzgrün and Hellblau) with a low waterline - typical for experimental types - would hardly be appropriate.

I eventually found a compromise on a He 177 bomber (coded 6N+BN) from 1944 that was operated by KG 100: this particular aircraft had a lightened upper camouflage - still a standard splinter scheme but consisting of RLM 71 and 02 (Dunkelgrün and Grau; I used Modelmaster 2081 and Humbrol 240), a combination that had been used on German fighters during the Battle of Britain when the standard colors turned out to be too dark for operations over the Channel. The aircraft also carried standard RLM 65 (or maybe the new RLM76) underneath (Humbrol 65) and on the fin, but with a very high and slightly wavy waterline. As a rather unusual feature, no typical camouflage mottles were carried on the flanks or the fin, giving the aircraft a very bleak and simple look.

 

Despite my fears that this might look rather boring I adapted this scheme for the Do 217 F-0, and once basic painting was completed I was rather pleased by the aircraft's look! As an aircraft operated at the Western front, no additional markings like fuselage bands were carried.

To set the SG 104 apart from the airframe, I painted the weapon's visible parts in RLM 66 (Schwarzgrau, Humbrol 67), because this tone was frequently used for machinery (including the interior surfaces of aircraft towards 1945).

RLM 02 was also used for the interior surfaces and the landing gear, even though I used a slightly different, lighter shade in form of Revell 45 (Helloliv).

 

A light black ink washing was applied and post-shading to emphasize panel lines. Most markings/decals came from a Begemot 1:72 He 11 sheet, including the unusual green tactical code - it belongs to a staff unit, a suitable marking for such an experimental aircraft. The green (Humbrol 2) was carried over to the tips of the propeller spinners. The unit's code "1A" is fictional, AFAIK this combination had never been used by the Luftwaffe.

The small unit badge was alucky find: it actually depicts the fictional Baron von Münchhausen riding on a cannonball, and it comes from an Academy 1:72 Me 163 kit and its respective sheet. The mission markings underneath, depicting two anti-ship missions plus a successful sinking, came from a TL Modellbau 1:72 scale sheet with generic German WWII victory markings.

 

After some soot stains around the engine exhaust and weapon muzzles had been added with graphite, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and final details like position lights and wire antennae (from heated black plastic sprue material) were added.

  

Well, what started as a combination of two kits of the same kind with a simple huge pipe underneath turned out to be more demanding than expected. The (incomplete) replacement engines were quite a challenge, and body work on the hull (tail stinger, fairing for the SG 104 as well as the weapon itself) turned out to be more complex and extensive than initially thought of. The result looks quite convincing, also supported by the rather simple paint scheme which IMHO just "looks right" and very convincing. And the whole thing is probably the most direct representation of the inspiring "Gunship" theme!

 

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Sondergerät SG104 "Münchhausen" was a German airborne recoillless 355.6 mm (14-inch) caliber gun, intended to engage even the roughest enemy battleships, primarily those of the Royal Navy. The design of this unusual and massive weapon began in 1939. The rationale behind it was that a battleship’s most vulnerable part was the deck – a flat surface, with relatively thin armor (as typical hits were expected on the flanks) and ideally with vital targets underneath, so that a single, good hit would cripple of even destroy a ship. The purpose of such a high angle of attack was likely to allow the projectile to penetrate the target ship's deck, where the ship's armor, if there was any, would have been much thinner than the armor on its sidesHowever, hitting the deck properly with another ship’s main gun was not easy, since it could only be affected through indirect hits and the typical angle of the attack from aballistic shot would not necessarily be ideal for deep penetration, esp. at long range.

The solution to this problem: ensure that the heavy projectile would hit its target directly from above, ideally at a very steep angle. To achieve this, the gun with battleship caliber was “relocated” from a carrier ship or a coastal battery onto an aircraft – specifically to a type that was capable of dive-bombing, a feature that almost any German bomber model of the time offered.

 

Firing such a heavy weapon caused a lot fo problems, which were severe even if the gun was mounted on a ship or on land. To compensate for such a large-caliber gun’s recoil and to make firing a 14 in shell (which alone weighed around almost 700 kg/1.550 lb, plus the charge) from a relatively light airframe feasible, the respective gun had to be as light as possible and avoid any recoil, which would easily tear an aircraft – even a bomber – apart upon firing. Therefore, the Gerät 104 was designed as a recoilless cannon. Its firing system involved venting the same amount of the weapon's propellant gas for its round to the rear of the launch tube (which was open at both ends), in the same fashion as a rocket launcher. This created a forward directed momentum which was nearly equal to the rearward momentum (recoil) imparted to the system by accelerating the projectile itself. The balance thus created did not leave much net momentum to be imparted to the weapon's mounting or the carrying airframe in the form of felt recoil. A further share of the recoil induced by the moving round itself could be compensated by a muzzle brake which re-directed a part of the firing gases backwards. Since recoil had been mostly negated, a heavy and complex recoil damping mechanism was not necessary – even though the weapon itself was huge and heavy.

 

Work on the "Münchhausen" device (a secret project handle after a fictional German nobleman created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in the late 18th century who reputedly had ridden on a cannonball between enemy frontlines), was done by Rheinmetall-Borsig and lasted until 1941. The first test of a prototype weapon was conducted on 9th of September 1940 in Unterlüss with a satisfactory result, even though the weapon was only mounted onto an open rack and not integrated into an airframe yet. At that time, potential carriers were the Ju 88, the Dornier Do 217 and the new Junkers Ju 288. Even though the system’s efficacy was doubted, the prospect of delivering a single, fatal blow to an important , armored arget superseded any doubts at the RLM, and the project was greenlit in early 1942 for the next stage: the integration of the Sondergerät 104 into an existing airframe. The Ju 88 and its successor, the Ju 188, turned out to be too light and lacked carrying capacity for the complete, loaded weapon, and the favored Ju 288 was never produced, so that only the Dornier Do 217 or the bigger He 177 remained as a suitable carriers. The Do 217 was eventually chosen because it had the biggest payload and the airframe was proven and readily available.

 

After calculations had verified that the designed 14 in rifle would have effectively no recoil, preliminary tests with dumm airframes were carried out. After ground trials with a Do 217 E day bomber to check recoil and blast effects on the airframe, the development and production of a limited Nullserie (pre-production series) of the dedicated Do 217 F variant for field tests and eventual operational use against British sea and land targets was ordered in April 1942.

 

The resulting Do 217 F-0 was based on the late “E” bomber variant and powered by a pair of BMW 801 radial engines. It was, however, heavily modified for its unique weapon and the highly specialized mission profile: upon arriving at the zone of operation at high altitude, the aircraft would initiate a dive with an angle of attack between 50° and 80° from the horizontal, firing the SG 104 at an altitude between 6,000 and 2,000 meters. The flight time of the projectile could range from 16.0 seconds for a shot from an altitude of 6,000 meters at a 50° angle to just 4.4 seconds for a shot from 2.000 meters at an almost vertical 80° angle. Muzzle velocity of the SG 104 was only 300 m/s, but, prior to impact, the effective velocity of the projectile was projected to range between 449 and 468 m/s (1,616 to 1,674 km/h). Together with the round's weight of roughly 700 kg (1.550 lb) and a hardened tip, this would still ensure a high penetration potential.

 

The operational Sondergerät 104 had an empty mass of 2.780 kg (6,123 lb) and its complete 14 inch double cartridge weighed around 1.600 kg (3,525 lb). The loaded mass of the weapon was 4,237 kg, stretching the limits of the Do 217’s load capacity to the maximum, so that some armor and less vital pieces of equipment were deleted. Crew and defensive armament were reduced to a minimum.

Even though there had been plans to integrate the wepaon into the airframe (on the Ju 288), the Gerät 104 was on the Do 217 F-0 mounted externally and occupied the whole space under the aircraft, precluding any use of the bomb bay. The latter was occupied by the Gerät 104’s complex mount, which extended to the outside under a streamlined fairing and held the weapon at a distance from the airframe. Between the mount’s struts inside of the fuselage, an additional fuel tank for balance reasons was added, too.

The gun’s center, where the heavy round was carried, was positioned under the aircraft’s center of gravity, so that the gun barrel markedly protruded from under the aircraft’s nose. To make enough space, the Do 217 Es bomb aimer’s ventral gondola and his rearward-facing defensive position under the cockpit were omitted and faired over. The nose section was also totally different: the original extensive glazing (the so-called “Kampfkopf”) was replaced by a smaller, conventional canopy, similar to the later Do 217 J and N night fighter versions, together with a solid nose - the original glass panels would have easily shattered upon firing the gun, esp. in a steep high-speed dive. A "Lotfernrohr" bomb aiming device was still installed in a streamlined and protected fairing, though, so that the navigator could guide the pilot during the approach to the target and during the attack run.

To stabilize the heavy aircraft during its attack and to time- and safely pull out of the dive, a massive mechanical dive brake was mounted at the extended tail tip, which unfolded with four "petals". A charecteristic stabilizing dorsal strake was added between the twin fins, too.

 

The ventral area behind the gun’s rear-facing muzzle received additional metal plating and blast guiding vanes, after trials in late 1940 had revealed that firing the SG 104 could easily damage the Do 217’s tail structure, esp. all of the tail surfaces’ rudders and the fins’ lower ends in particular. Due to all this extra weight, the Do 217 F-0’s defensive armament consisted only of a single 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in a manually operated dorsal position behind the cockpit cabin, which offered space for a crew of three. A fixed 15 mm MG 151 autocannon was mounted in the nose, too, a weapon with a long barrel for extended range and accuracy. It was not an offensive weapon, though, rather intended as an aiming aid for the SG 104 because it was loaded with tracer bullets: during the final phase of the attack dive, the pilot kept firing the MG 151, and the bullet trail showed if he was on target to fire the SG 104 when the right altitude/range had been reached.

 

The first Do 217 F-0 was flown and tested in late 1943, and after some detail changes the type was cleared for a limited production run of ten aircraft in January 1944. The first operational machine was delivered to a dedicated testing commando, the Erprobungskommando 104 “Münchhausen”, also known as “Sonderkommando Münchhausen” or simply “E-Staffel 104”. The unit was based at Bordeaux/Merignac and directly attached to the KG 40's as a staff flight. At that time, KG 40 operated Do 217 and He 177 bombers and frequently flew reconnaissance and anti-shipping missions over the Atlantic west of France, up to the British west and southern coast, equipped with experimental Henschel Hs 293 glide bombs.

 

Initial flights confirmed that the Do 217 airframe was burdened with the SG 104 to its limits, the already rather sluggish aircraft (the Do 217 had generally a high wing loading and was not easy to fly) lost anything that was left of what could be called agility. It needed an experienced pilot to handle it safely, esp. during start and landing. It is no wonder that two Do 217 F-0s suffered ground accidents during the first two weeks of operations, but the machines could be repaired, resume the test program and carry out attack missions.

However, during one of the first test shots with the weapon, one Do 217 F-0 lost its complete tail section though the gun blast, and the aircraft crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing the complete crew.

 

On 4th or April 1944 the first "hot" attack against an enemy ship was executed in the Celtic Sea off of Brest, against a convoy of 20 ships homeward bound from Gibraltar. The attack was not successful, though, the shot missing its target, and the German bomber was attacked and heavily damaged by British Bristol Beaufighters that had been deployed to protect the ships. The Do 217F-0 eventually crashed and sank into the Atlantic before it could reach land again.

 

A couple of days later, on 10th of April, the first attempt to attack and destroy a land target was undertaken: two Do 217 F-0s took off to attack Bouldnor Battery, an armored British artillery position located on the Isle of Wight. One machine had to abort the attack due to oil leakages, the second Do 217 F-0 eventually reached its target and made a shallow attack run, but heavy fog obscured the location and the otherwise successful shot missed the fortification. Upon return to its home base the aircraft was intercepted by RAF fighters over the Channel and heavily damaged, even though German fighters deployed from France came to the rescue, fought the British attackers off and escorted the limping Do 217 F-0 back to its home base.

 

These events revealed that the overall SG 104 concept was generally feasible, but also showed that the Do 217 F-0 was very vulnerable without air superiority or a suitable escort, so that new tactics had to be developed. One consequence was that further Do 217 F-0 deployments were now supported by V/KG 40, the Luftwaffe's only long range maritime fighter unit. These escorts consisted of Junkers Ju 88C-6s, which were capable of keeping up with the Do 217 F-0 and fend of intercepting RAF Coastal Command’s Beaufighters and later also Mosquitos.

 

In the meantime, tests with the SG 104 progressed and several modifications were tested on different EKdo 104's Do 217 F-0s. One major upgrade was a further strengthening of the tail section, which added another 200 kg (440 lb) to the aircraft's dry weight. Furthermore, at least three aircraft were outfitted with additional dive brakes under the outer wings, so that the dive could be better controlled and intercepted. these aircraft, however, lost their plumbed underwing hardpoints, but these were only ever used for drop tanks during transfer flights - a loaded SG 104 precluded any other ordnance. On two other aircraft the SG 104 was modified to test different muzzle brakes and deflectors for the rear-facing opening, so that the gun blast was more effectively guided away from the airframe to prevent instability and structural damage. For instance, one machine was equipped with a bifurcated blast deflector that directed the rearward gasses partly sideways, away from the fuselage.

 

These tests did not last long, though. During the Allied Normandy landings in June 1944 E-Staffel 104 was hastily thrown into action and made several poorly-prepared attack runs against Allied support ships. The biggest success was a full hit and the resulting sinking of the Norwegian destroyer HNoMS Svenner (G03) by "1A+BA" at dawn on 6th of June, off Sword, one of the Allied landing zones. Other targets were engaged, too, but only with little effect. This involvement, however, led to the loss of three Do 217 F-0s within just two days and four more heavily damaged aircraft – leaving only two of EKdo 104's Do 217 F-0s operational.

 

With the Allied invasion of France and a worsening war condition, the SG 104 program was stopped in August 1944 and the idea of an airborne anti-ship gun axed in favor of more flexible guided weapons like the Hs 293 missile and the Fritz-X glide bomb. Plans for a further developed weapon with a three-round drum magazine were immediately stopped, also because there was no carrier aircraft in sight that could carry and deploy this complex 6.5 tons weapon. However, work on the SG 104 and the experience gained from EKdo 104's field tests were not in vain. The knowledge gathered from the Münchhausen program was directly used for the design of a wide range of other, smaller recoilless aircraft weapons, including the magnetically-triggered SG 113 "Förstersonde" anti-tank weapon or the lightweight SG 118 "Rohrblock" unguided air-to-air missile battery for the Heinkel He 162 "Volksjäger".

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 3 (pilot, navigator, radio operator/gunner)

Length: 20,73 m (67 ft 11 in) overall

18,93 m (62 ft 3/4 in) hull only

Wingspan: 19 m (62 ft 4 in)

Height: 4.97 m (16 ft 4 in)

Wing area: 57 m² (610 sq ft)

Empty weight: 9,065 kg (19,985 lb)

Empty equipped weight:10,950 kg (24,140 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 16,700 kg (36,817 lb)

Fuel capacity: 2,960 l (780 US gal; 650 imp gal) in fuselage tank and four wing tanks

 

Powerplant:

2× BMW 801D-2 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, delivering

1,300 kW (1,700 hp) each for take-off and 1,070 kW (1,440 hp) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft),

driving 3-bladed VDM constant-speed propellers

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 475 km/h (295 mph, 256 kn) at sea level

560 km/h (350 mph; 300 kn) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)

Cruise speed: 400 km/h (250 mph, 220 kn) with loaded Gerät 104 at optimum altitude

Range: 2,180 km (1,350 mi, 1,180 nmi) with maximum internal fuel

Ferry range: 2,500 km (1,600 mi, 1,300 nmi); unarmed, with auxiliary fuel tanks

Service ceiling: 7,370 m (24,180 ft) with loaded Gerät 104,

9,500 m (31,200 ft) after firing

Rate of climb: 3.5 m/s (690 ft/min)

Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 4 minutes 10 seconds

2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 8 minutes 20 seconds

6,100 m (20,000 ft) in 24 minutes 40 seconds

 

Armament:

1x 355.6 mm (14-inch) Sondergerät 104 recoilless gun with a single round in ventral position

1x 15 mm (0.787 in) MG 151 machine cannon with 200 rounds, fixed in the nose

1x 13 mm (0.512 in) MG 131 machine gun with 500 rounds, movable in dorsal position

Two underwing hardpoints for a 900 l drop tank each, but only used during unarmed ferry flights

  

The kit and its assembly:

This was another submission to the "Gunships" group build at whatifmodellers.com in late 2021, and inspiration struck when I realized that I had two Italeri Do 217 in The Stash - a bomber and a night fighter - that could be combined into a suitable (fictional) carrier for a Sondergerät 104. This mighty weapon actually existed and even reached the hardware/test stage - but it was never integrated into an airframe and tested in flight. But that's what this model is supposed to depict.

 

On the Do 217, the Sg 104 would have been carried externally under the fuselage, even though there had been plans to integrate this recoilless rifle into airframes, esp. into the Ju 288. Since the latter never made it into production, the Do 217 would have been the most logical alternative, also because it had the highest payload of all German bombers during WWII and probably the only aircraft capable of carrying and deploying the Münchhausen device, as the SG 104 was also known.

 

The fictional Do 217 F-0 is a kitbashing, using a Do 217 N fuselage, combined with the wings from a Do 217 K bomber, plus some modifications. What initially sounded like a simple plan soon turned into a improvisation mess: it took some time to realize that I had already donated the Do 217 K's BMW 801 engines to another project, an upgraded He 115... I did not want to use the nightfighter's more powerful DB 603s, and I was lucky to have an Italeri Ju 188 kit at hand which comes with optional BMW 801s and Jumo 211s. Transplanting these engines onto the Do 217's wings took some tailoring of the adapter plates, but was feasible. However, the BMW 801s from the Ju 188 kit have a flaw: they lack the engine's characteristic cooling fans... Another lucky find: I found two such parts in the scrap box, even though from different kits - one left over from another Italeri Do 217 K, the other one from what I assume is/was an Italeri 1:72 Fw 190 A/F. To make matters worse, one propeller from the Ju 188 kit was missing, so that I had to find a(nother) replacement. :-/

I eventually used something that looked like an 1:72 F6F Hellcat propeller, but I an not certain about this because I have never built this model...? With some trimming on the blades' trailing edges and other mods, the donor's overall look could be adapted to the Ju 188 benchmark. Both propellers were mounted on metal axis' so that they could also carry the cooling fans. Lots of work, but the result looks quite good.

 

The Do 217 N's hull lost the lower rear gunner position and its ventral gondola, which was faired over with a piece of styrene sheet. The pilot was taken OOB, the gunner in the rear position was replaced by a more blob-like crew member from the scrap box. The plan to add a navigator in the seat to the lower right of the pilot did not work out due to space shortage, but this figure would probably have been invisble, anyway.

All gun openings in the nose were filled and PSRed away, and a fairing for a bomb aiming device and a single gun (the barrel is a hollow steel needle) were added.

 

The SG 104 was scratched. Starting point was a white metal replacement barrel for an 1:35 ISU-152 SPG with a brass muzzle brake. However, after dry-fitting the barrel under the hull the barrel turned out to be much too wide, so that only the muzzal brake survived and the rest of the weapon was created from a buddy refueling pod (from an Italeri 1:72 Luftwaffe Tornado, because of its two conical ends) and protective plastic caps from medical canulas. To attach this creation to the hull I abused a conformal belly tank from a Matchbox Gloster Meteor night fighter and tailored it into a streamlined fairing. While this quite a Frankenstein creation, the overall dimensions match the real SG 104 prototype and its look well.

 

Other cosmetic modifications include a pair of underwing dive brakes, translanted from an Italeri 1:72 Ju 88 A-4 kit, an extended (scratched) tail "stinger" which resembles the real dive brake arrangement that was installed on some Do 217 E bombers, and I added blast deflector vanes and a dorsal stabilizer fin.

In order to provide the aircraft with enough ground clearance, the tail wheel was slightly extended. Thanks to the long tail stinger, this is not blatantly obvious.

  

Painting and markings:

This was not an easy choice, but as a kind of prototype I decided that the paint scheme should be rather conservative. However, German aircraft operating over the Atlantic tended to carry rather pale schemes, so that the standard pattern of RLM 70/71/65 (Dunkelgrün, Schwarzgrün and Hellblau) with a low waterline - typical for experimental types - would hardly be appropriate.

I eventually found a compromise on a He 177 bomber (coded 6N+BN) from 1944 that was operated by KG 100: this particular aircraft had a lightened upper camouflage - still a standard splinter scheme but consisting of RLM 71 and 02 (Dunkelgrün and Grau; I used Modelmaster 2081 and Humbrol 240), a combination that had been used on German fighters during the Battle of Britain when the standard colors turned out to be too dark for operations over the Channel. The aircraft also carried standard RLM 65 (or maybe the new RLM76) underneath (Humbrol 65) and on the fin, but with a very high and slightly wavy waterline. As a rather unusual feature, no typical camouflage mottles were carried on the flanks or the fin, giving the aircraft a very bleak and simple look.

 

Despite my fears that this might look rather boring I adapted this scheme for the Do 217 F-0, and once basic painting was completed I was rather pleased by the aircraft's look! As an aircraft operated at the Western front, no additional markings like fuselage bands were carried.

To set the SG 104 apart from the airframe, I painted the weapon's visible parts in RLM 66 (Schwarzgrau, Humbrol 67), because this tone was frequently used for machinery (including the interior surfaces of aircraft towards 1945).

RLM 02 was also used for the interior surfaces and the landing gear, even though I used a slightly different, lighter shade in form of Revell 45 (Helloliv).

 

A light black ink washing was applied and post-shading to emphasize panel lines. Most markings/decals came from a Begemot 1:72 He 11 sheet, including the unusual green tactical code - it belongs to a staff unit, a suitable marking for such an experimental aircraft. The green (Humbrol 2) was carried over to the tips of the propeller spinners. The unit's code "1A" is fictional, AFAIK this combination had never been used by the Luftwaffe.

The small unit badge was alucky find: it actually depicts the fictional Baron von Münchhausen riding on a cannonball, and it comes from an Academy 1:72 Me 163 kit and its respective sheet. The mission markings underneath, depicting two anti-ship missions plus a successful sinking, came from a TL Modellbau 1:72 scale sheet with generic German WWII victory markings.

 

After some soot stains around the engine exhaust and weapon muzzles had been added with graphite, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and final details like position lights and wire antennae (from heated black plastic sprue material) were added.

  

Well, what started as a combination of two kits of the same kind with a simple huge pipe underneath turned out to be more demanding than expected. The (incomplete) replacement engines were quite a challenge, and body work on the hull (tail stinger, fairing for the SG 104 as well as the weapon itself) turned out to be more complex and extensive than initially thought of. The result looks quite convincing, also supported by the rather simple paint scheme which IMHO just "looks right" and very convincing. And the whole thing is probably the most direct representation of the inspiring "Gunship" theme!

 

NASA Space Launch System's Chris Crumbly chats space with a Raisbeck Aviation High School student.

Initially called the Oakland & Antioch Railway, the OA&E was an electric interurban trolley than ran from the Key System's Oakland pier (with San Francisco service) to Sacramento. See here for more route info: www.cowellhistoricalsociety.org/html/oa_er.html

 

The OA&E ceased to exist in 1929 when it was merged into the new Sacramento Northern Railroad.

 

This ticket provided for a trip to Bay Point via OA&E and a trip to Oakland via lines of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad's Coast Line.

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT

PROGRAM GRANT AWARDS

  

CHARLESTON -- Governor Earl Ray Tomblin today, June 29, 2016, awarded $1,087,599.00 in STOP Violence Against Women Grant Program funds for twenty-eight (28) projects statewide. The purpose of these funds is to establish or enhance teams whose core members include victim service providers, law enforcement, and prosecution to improve the criminal justice system's response to violence against women. Grants provide personnel, equipment, training, technical assistance, and information systems for the establishment or enhancement of these teams. Additionally, statewide projects are funded to provide training and educational opportunities for all victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecution, and court personnel throughout the state.

STOP funds are awarded from the Office on Violence Against Women, Office of the U.S. Department of Justice. The funds are administered by the Division of Justice and Community Services.

Funds were awarded to the following:

CABELL

 

Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, Inc.$55,446.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Cabell County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Cabell County Prosecutor's Office, Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, CONTACT of Huntington, and the Huntington Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Amanda McComas

Phone: (304) 529-2382

Email: mccomas@branchesdvs.org

 

CALHOUN

 

Family Crisis Intervention Center$19,799.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Calhoun County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Calhoun County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Crisis Intervention Center, and the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms Emly S. Larkins

Phone: (304) 428-2333

Email: eelarkins@suddenlink.net

 

FAYETTE

 

Comprehensive Women's Service Council$32,671.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Fayette County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Fayette County Prosecutor's Office, the Comprehensive Women’s Service Council, and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Patricia M. Bailey

Phone: (304) 255-2559

Email: Pbailey@wrcwv.org

 

GRANT

 

Family Crisis Center, Inc.$17,683.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Grant County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office, the Family Crisis Center, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Sony Fazzalore

Phone: (304) 788-6061

Email: fcc911@frontier.com

 

GREENBRIER

 

Family Refuge Center$53,040.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Greenbrier County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Greenbrier County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Refuge Center, the Lewisburg Police Department, and the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department.

  

Contact:Ms. Kenosha Davenport

Phone: (304) 645-6334

Email: kenoshad@familyrefugecenter.org

 

HARRISON

 

Task Force on Domestic Violence, "HOPE, Inc."$43,176.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Harrison County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Harrison County Prosecutor's Office, the Task Force on Domestic Violence “HOPE, Inc.”, the Bridgeport Police Department and the Clarksburg Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Harriet Sutton

Phone: (304) 367-1100

Email: hmsutton@hopeincwv.org

 

KANAWHA

 

Kanawha County Commission$46,429.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Kanawha County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Kanawha County Prosecutor's Office, the YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program, the Family Counseling Connection – REACH Program, Beginning My Empowerment Thru Emmanuel's Kingdom (BEMEEK) Outreach Program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department, and the Charleston Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Gale A. Teare

Phone: (304) 357-0499

Email: galeteare@kcso.us

 

MARION

 

Task Force on Domestic Violence, "HOPE, Inc."$51,078.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Marion County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, the Task Force on Domestic Violence, "HOPE, Inc.", the Marion County Sheriff's Department, and the Fairmont Police Department.

  

Contact:Ms. Harriet Sutton

Phone: (304) 367-1100

Email: hmsutton@hopeincwv.org

  

MARSHALL

 

Marshall County Commission$25,259.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Marshall County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Marshall County Prosecutor's Office, the YWCA Family Violence Prevention Program, and the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Betsy Frohnapfel

Phone: (304) 845-0482

Email: bfrohnapfel@marshallcountywv.org

 

MINERAL

 

Family Crisis Center, Inc.$17,683.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Mineral County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Mineral County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Crisis Center, and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Sonya Fazzalore

Phone: (304) 788-6061

Email: fcc911@frontier.com

 

MINGO

 

Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, Inc.$43,576.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Mingo County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Mingo County Prosecutor's Office, the Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, and the Mingo County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kim Ryan

Phone: (304) 235-6121

Email: k.s.ryan@hotmail.com

 

MINGO, LOGAN

 

Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, Inc.$32,596.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Logan County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Logan County Prosecutor's Office, the Tug Valley Recovery Shelter, and the Logan County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kim Ryan

Phone: (304) 235-6121

Email: k.s.ryan@hotmail.com

MONONGALIA

 

The Rape & Domestic Violence Information Center, Inc.$54,599.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Monongalia County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Monongalia County Prosecutor's Office, the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, the Morgantown Police Department, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, and the Star City Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Judy King

Phone: (304) 292-5100

Email: rdvic99@earthlink.net

 

Monroe

 

Family Refuge Center$23,825.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Monroe County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Refuge Center, and the Monroe County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kenosha Davenport

Phone: (304) 645-6334

Email: kenoshad@familyresourcecenter.org

 

NICHOLAS

 

Comprehensive Women's Service Council$36,904.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Nicholas County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Nicholas County Prosecutor's Office, the Comprehensive Women’s Service Council and the Nicholas County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Patricia M. Bailey

Phone: (304) 255-2559

Email: pbailey@wrcwv.org

 

OHIO

 

Ohio County Commission$87,614.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Ohio County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Ohio County Prosecutor's Office, the YWCA Family Violence Prevention Program, the YWCA Cultural Diversity and Community Outreach Program, and the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Mr. Scott R. Smith

Phone: (304) 234-3631

Email: ssmith@wvocpa.org

 

POCAHONTAS

 

Family Refuge Center $6,000.00

These funds provide for the enhancement of the Pocahontas County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Pocahontas County Prosecutor’s Office, the Family Refuge Center and the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Kenosha Davenport

Phone: (304) 645-6334

Email: kenoshad@familyrefugecenter.org

 

PRESTON

 

The Rape & Domestic Violence Information Center, Inc.$35,643.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Preston County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Preston County Prosecutor's Office, the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, and the Preston County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Judy King

Phone: (304) 292-5100

Email: rdvic99@earthlink.net

 

PUTNAM

 

Putnam County Commission$25,421.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Putnam County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office, Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, the Family Counseling Connection - REACH Program, and the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Sheriff Steve Deweese

Phone: (304) 586-0256

Email: tcraigo@putnamwv.org

 

RALEIGH

 

Comprehensive Women's Service Council$60,535.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Raleigh County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Raleigh County Prosecutor's Office, the Comprehensive Women’s Service Council, and the Beckley Police Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Patricia M. Bailey

Phone: (304) 255-2559

Email: pbailey@wrcwv.org

 

RANDOLPH

 

Women's Aid in Crisis$16,767.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Randolph County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Randolph County Prosecutor's Office, Women's Aid in Crisis, and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Marcia R. Drake

Phone: (304) 626-8433

Email: mdrake@waicwv.org

 

ROANE

 

Family Crisis Intervention Center$17,398.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Roane County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Roane County Prosecutor's Office, the Family Crisis Intervention Center, the Spencer Police Department, and the Roane County Sheriff's Department.

 

Contact:Ms. Emily S. Larkins

Phone: (304) 428-2333

Email: eelarkins@suddenlink.net

 

UPSHUR

 

Upshur County Commission$26,496.00

These funds provide for the enhancement and the continuation of the Upshur County STOP Team to improve the criminal justice system's response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. The core Team includes the Upshur County Prosecutor's Office, Women's Aid in Crisis, and the Buckhannon Police Department.

  

Contact:Mr. David E. Godwin

Phone: (304) 472-9699

Email: degodwin@upshurcounty.org

  

STATEWIDE

 

West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute$39,284.00

These funds provide for the development and continuation of strengthening prosecution strategies and best practices as well as improve prosecution-based victim services in cases involving violence against women through training and the development of resources.

 

Contact:Ms. Sherry Eling

Phone: (304) 558-3348

Email: sherry.s.eling@wv.gov

 

West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services$56,689.00

These funds provide for finalizing the development of an Advocate Guide and Protocol with participating correctional facilities in the state for service provision; convert training materials into e-learning resources; and work with Rape Crisis Centers on service implementation in order to work towards compliance with PREA requirements.

 

Contact:Ms. Nancy Hoffman

Phone: (304) 366-9500

Email: wvfris@frontier.com

 

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals$54,104.00

These funds provide for updating and printing the Domestic Violence Benchbook; to provide the salary of a DV Case Coordinator for the pilot program of the Kanawha County Domestic Violence Court; to maintain the Domestic Violence Registry back-up internet site; and to provide continued training for court personnel in the area of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence.

 

Contact:Ms. Angela Saunders

Phone: (304) 558-0145

Email: Angela.saunders@courtswv.gov

 

West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence$43,763.00

These funds provide for the continued enhancement of the statewide domestic and sexual violence database; to provide training and technical assistance for STOP Teams and Domestic Violence Programs on cultural diversity and cultural competency; and to promote dating violence protocols.

 

Contact:Ms. Tonia Thomas

Phone: (304) 965-3552

Email: tthomas@wvcadv.org

  

West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Serivces$64,121.00

These funds provide for training activities, the on-going development and capacity building of service providers to victims of sexual assault, dating violence and stalking crimes, and to provide training and resources for these programs in order to provide services to sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking victims.

 

Contact:Ms. Nancy Hoffman

Phone: (304) 366-9500

Email: wvfris@frountier.com

  

Division of Justice & Community Services contact:

 

Sarah J. Brown

Senior Justice Programs Specialist

Division of Justice and Community Services

1204 Kanawha Boulevard, East

Charleston, West Virginia 25301

Phone: (304) 558-8814, Extension 53337

Email: Sarah.J.Brown@wv.gov

  

Photos available for media use. All photos should be attributed “Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor.”