View allAll Photos Tagged Testbed
A long-term trials and navigation testbed (30 years) for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Boscombe Down. Built in 1963, it was the last Comet to remain operational, flying until 1997. The final flight was from Boscombe Down to Bruntingthorpe in 1997 where it was the last surviving Comet capable of running under its own power. Registered as G-CPDA in 2000.
Project: Tiny TIM (Threats-In-Motion)
Location: NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed / National Weather Center (Norman, OK)
Date: March 1, 2023
Photographer: James Murnan / NOAA NSSL
This experiment brings together NWS forecasters and researchers to evaluate and provide feedback on the concept of allowing warnings to be extended in time and area, a first step towards Threats-In-Motion (TIM) for severe weather warnings for hail, wind, and tornadoes. To facilitate this evaluation, forecasters use Hazard Services Convective to create and manage TIM warnings. The concept and software is tested on several archived cases.
Project: Tiny TIM (Threats-In-Motion)
Location: NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed / National Weather Center (Norman, OK)
Date: March 1, 2023
Photographer: James Murnan / NOAA NSSL
This experiment brings together NWS forecasters and researchers to evaluate and provide feedback on the concept of allowing warnings to be extended in time and area, a first step towards Threats-In-Motion (TIM) for severe weather warnings for hail, wind, and tornadoes. To facilitate this evaluation, forecasters use Hazard Services Convective to create and manage TIM warnings. The concept and software is tested on several archived cases.
Panel: Testbeds and Open Innovation in the Public Sector
Speakers: David Clark, Takuya Hirai, Nadia Calviño, Raymond Knops, Veronika Remišová, Marten Kaevats
Photos by Aron Urb
Meteor T.7(mod) WA634 at the RAF Museum, Cosford, 2005. This aircraft was used by Martin Baker to test ejection seats.
Panel: Testbeds and Open Innovation in the Public Sector
Speakers: David Clark, Takuya Hirai, Nadia Calviño, Raymond Knops, Veronika Remišová, Marten Kaevats
Photos by Aron Urb
General Electric's Flying testbed currently testing the GEnX engines that will power the Boeing 787 and 747-8
Week 3 of the Hazard Services - Probabilistic Hazard Information (HS-PHI) experiment in the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK. The HS-PHI experiment is part of the Experimental Warning Program. This is the third year of the HS-PHI experiment in the HWT.The HS-PHI experiment advances the Forecasting A Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs) initiative by testing software which allows National Weather Services (NWS) forecasters to issue Probabilistic Hazard Information (PHI) at the severe weather warning time and space scales.
Panel: Testbeds and Open Innovation in the Public Sector
Speakers: David Clark, Takuya Hirai, Nadia Calviño, Raymond Knops, Veronika Remišová, Marten Kaevats
Photos by Aron Urb
Mirrlees Blackstone 8MB275T diesel engine removed from Class 60 locomotive 60022.
The Mirrlees Blackstone 8MB275T is one of the more fascinating British diesel engines because, although it ultimately became synonymous with the British Rail Class 60, its story began more than a decade before the first Class 60 entered service. It was an attempt by the long-established British engine manufacturer Mirrlees to develop a modern, relatively compact and fuel-efficient diesel in a power range suitable for both marine and industrial applications and, potentially, railway traction. Its eventual selection for the Class 60 gave it a brief but important place in British main-line locomotive history.
The Mirrlees background
The story starts with Mirrlees, one of Britain's oldest diesel-engine manufacturers. The company had developed a major reputation for large diesel engines for marine propulsion, power generation and industrial applications. By the twentieth century its works at Stockport had become an important centre for British diesel-engine development and manufacture.
Mirrlees's product range evolved through several generations. The K range appeared in 1950, the K Major in 1966, and then came the MB275, whose development culminated in the first production engines in 1979. The MB275 designation reflected its 275 mm cylinder bore, while the production engine had a 305 mm stroke.
The MB275 was a notably modern design for its period. Rather than relying on a large number of cylinders to produce its power, Mirrlees pursued a relatively low-cylinder-count engine capable of producing substantial output. That approach promised reduced component count, potentially lower maintenance requirements and good fuel economy.
The engine family was intended principally for industrial and marine applications, although Mirrlees was also interested in returning to the railway-traction market. Its earlier railway engines had not always enjoyed a particularly successful reputation, making the MB275 an important opportunity to establish a new generation of Mirrlees traction machinery.
Development for railway traction
The railway connection became much more serious during the 1980s.
British Rail was looking at new diesel locomotive designs to replace ageing locomotives, particularly as its freight business required increasingly powerful and economical traction. The proposed Class 38 was conceived as a new Type 3 freight locomotive, and Mirrlees's MB275 was one of the engines considered for the project.
Rather than immediately committing the engine to a completely new locomotive, British Rail used existing locomotives as testbeds.
Four Class 37s were substantially rebuilt in 1986 as Class 37/9s 37901–37904. These locomotives received the Mirrlees MB275T together with a Brush alternator. Two further Class 37/9s, 37905 and 37906, were fitted with an alternative Ruston RK270T power unit and GEC alternator. The six locomotives therefore provided a direct comparison between two competing British diesel-engine and electrical-system combinations.
The trials were extremely important. They demonstrated that the MB275 could be developed into a viable railway traction engine at a power level substantially above that normally associated with Mirrlees's earlier successful railway engines.
The MB275-equipped 37/9s subsequently became known as “Mirrlees Pioneers”, with 37901 in particular surviving into preservation as “Mirrlees Pioneer”. Its survival is unusually valuable because it preserves the direct experimental stage that led to the Class 60 engine.
The proposed Class 38 itself was ultimately cancelled. The requirement for a new heavy freight locomotive did not disappear, however. British Rail instead proceeded with the much more powerful Class 60, and the MB275 concept was enlarged/developed for that application.
The 8MB275T and Class 60
The final railway version became the eight-cylinder 8MB275T, sometimes identified in contemporary material as the 8MB275RT. The "8" indicates the eight-cylinder configuration, while the MB275 family retained its 275 mm bore.
The Class 60 installation displaced approximately 145 litres and produced around 3,100 bhp at 1,000 rpm. It was a four-stroke diesel, turbocharged and designed specifically for locomotive traction. The engine was physically substantial, contributing to the Class 60's high weight, but its relatively small number of cylinders was intended to reduce maintenance requirements.
The engine's fuel economy was particularly impressive for the period. The Class 60 Preservation Group gives a figure of approximately 189 grams of fuel per kWh, describing it as one of the most fuel-efficient engines then available.
That economy was one of the reasons British Rail was interested in the design. The Class 60 was intended to be a modern heavy-freight locomotive rather than simply another incrementally improved version of the existing fleet.
Why British Rail wanted it
The immediate background was the success of the General Motors Class 59.
The Class 59 had demonstrated that British freight locomotives could achieve considerably higher availability and productivity than many of British Rail's older designs. The various Trainload sectors consequently wanted new locomotives capable of handling heavy trains without the double-heading that was sometimes necessary with older Types 3 and 4.
British Rail therefore commissioned a new Type 5 locomotive.
The contract was awarded to Brush Electrical Machines at Loughborough on 17 May 1988, with an order for 100 locomotives. The first Class 60, 60001 “Steadfast”, was handed over to Railfreight in June 1989.
The 8MB275T was at the heart of the design.
Brush coupled the Mirrlees engine to a Brush BA1006A main alternator, which supplied electrical power to six traction motors. The Class 60 also employed Brush's sophisticated SEPEX traction-control system, in which each traction motor had separately controlled excitation. This was intended to make much better use of the available adhesion and minimise wheel-slip.
The result was a locomotive capable of producing approximately 3,100 hp from the engine and around 2,415 hp at the rail, with maximum tractive effort of approximately 106,500 lbf.
Production at Mirrlees and Brush
The 100 engines for the Class 60 were manufactured by Mirrlees at Stockport, while the locomotives themselves were assembled by Brush at Loughborough.
The Class 60's construction was an interesting collaboration. The locomotive bodies were produced by Procor at Wakefield, then transported to Brush, where they were fitted with the bogies, electrical equipment, cooling system and power unit. The Mirrlees engines therefore travelled from Stockport to Loughborough to become the heart of the completed locomotives.
Production of the MB275 engines for the Class 60 took place principally between 1989 and 1991, although the locomotive production programme itself extended into the early 1990s. The heritage history of the MB275 range records the Class 60 contract as 100 engines, while also noting that additional MB275 engines continued to be produced for marine and industrial applications.
There was initially considerable optimism about the engine. The MB275 was viewed as a modern, fuel-efficient British alternative to the established locomotive engines supplied by competitors such as Ruston and English Electric.
Marine life alongside the railway version
An important part of the story is that the 8MB275 was not a locomotive-only engine.
Mirrlees continued to sell the MB275 family for marine propulsion. Its relatively compact eight-cylinder arrangement was attractive for smaller ships, ferries, dredgers and other vessels where a substantial amount of power was required without the physical size of a much larger marine engine.
There are some particularly good surviving examples.
The CalMac ferry MV Isle of Arran, built in 1983, was fitted with two Mirrlees Blackstone 8MB275 engines, each producing 2,310 bhp and driving a controllable-pitch propeller.
The later MV Caledonian Isles, launched in 1993, also used 8MB275 Mirrlees Blackstone engines.
The MB275 therefore had an interesting dual identity. In Britain it became famous because of the Class 60, yet the engine family was simultaneously powering ferries, dredgers and other marine vessels.
The heritage literature records an especially interesting example in the MV Britannia Beaver, a suction dredger fitted with an 8MB275 main propulsion engine when new in 1990. By 2000 that engine had accumulated more than 50,000 operating hours, demonstrating that the underlying engine family could achieve substantial service life in demanding marine applications.
The Class 60 engine in service
The first Class 60s suffered substantial teething problems.
The locomotives were technologically ambitious, with computer-controlled traction systems, a new engine and a new electrical architecture. Although 60001 was handed over to Railfreight in June 1989, it took approximately sixteen months before the first locomotives were accepted into regular service, and nearly four years elapsed before the entire 100-locomotive fleet had entered service.
Not every problem was caused by the Mirrlees engine. Much of the early difficulty involved the locomotive's electronic and software systems. It is therefore misleading to describe the Class 60's poor early availability simply as an engine failure.
Once properly developed, the MB275T provided a substantial amount of reliable service. The Class 60 Preservation Group notes its excellent fuel consumption and the fact that the engine was also successful in marine applications.
The engine's eight-cylinder configuration was itself unusual. A 3,100 hp locomotive engine was more commonly associated with V12 or V16 configurations. Mirrlees instead achieved the required output from eight much larger cylinders. The theory was straightforward: fewer cylinders meant fewer pistons, connecting rods, cylinder heads and associated components to maintain.
That was one of the MB275's attractions, although it also meant that individual components were very substantial.
The problem of weight
The engine had a disadvantage.
The 8MB275T was heavy. The Class 60 Preservation Group specifically identifies the Mirrlees engine's weight as one of its drawbacks despite its fuel efficiency.
This mattered because locomotive designers are constantly balancing power, reliability, fuel consumption and weight. A heavy engine contributes directly to locomotive weight and axle loading.
The Class 60 nevertheless used that weight to some advantage in freight service. Its approximately 129-tonne mass gave the six traction motors substantial adhesion, while the SEPEX system helped exploit that adhesion.
The locomotive therefore represented a particular British approach to heavy freight: considerable physical mass, high engine power and sophisticated electronic control.
The engine's relationship with the Class 60's reputation
The Class 60 acquired a mixed reputation during the 1990s and 2000s.
The type was undeniably powerful and technologically sophisticated, but its availability under EWS became a major problem. When EWS began taking delivery of large numbers of Class 66s, the newer locomotives proved considerably easier to maintain and offered excellent availability.
Many Class 60s were consequently stored.
It is important, however, to separate the engine's reputation from the locomotive's overall reliability. The Class 60 was a complex machine incorporating the Mirrlees engine, Brush alternator, SEPEX traction equipment, computer systems and other new technology. Failures and maintenance requirements could arise from any of these systems.
The engine itself was not simply abandoned as a failed design. DB Schenker subsequently commissioned substantial overhauls of selected engines as part of the Super 60 programme.
The “Super 60” engine rebuilds
When DB Schenker inherited the former EWS fleet, it considered whether some Class 60s could economically be returned to long-term service.
A selected group received major overhauls. These were commonly called Super 60s.
The engine work was extensive. In 2013, specialist engineering company G S Engineering was contracted by DB Schenker UK to overhaul a number of Mirrlees Blackstone MB275T engines that had previously been removed from locomotives and stored for several years. The work included inspection and repair of crankshafts, connecting rods, pistons and liners.
This is important evidence that the MB275T was considered worth rebuilding rather than simply being regarded as obsolete.
The overhaul process involved stripping the engines extensively, including removal of cylinder heads, pistons, connecting rods, large-end assemblies and liners. Crankshaft removal required a specially constructed heavy-lift arrangement.
The Super 60 programme consequently gave some MB275T engines a substantially extended working life.
The engine after Mirrlees Blackstone
The commercial history of the engine manufacturer is almost as interesting as the engineering.
Mirrlees and Blackstone had become part of the broader Mirrlees Blackstone organisation, bringing together two historic British engine names. The MB275 continued to be offered for marine and industrial purposes during the 1980s and 1990s.
The range continued to receive smaller orders after the Class 60 programme. The heritage history records marine and industrial orders into the 1990s, although volumes were much lower than originally hoped.
A major change came in 1997, when Alstom acquired Mirrlees Blackstone.
The MB275 range was subsequently removed from the industrial and marine catalogue. The heritage research suggests that the decision was probably connected with the development of the Ruston RK280, another product in the newly combined Mirrlees/Ruston portfolio, which competed with the MB275's market position. The MB275 remained listed for traction for approximately another year, with occasional support for existing users continuing thereafter.
The Class 60 engine therefore outlived its manufacturer's commitment to producing the design as a mainstream product.
The end of production
The MB275 did not disappear immediately.
The engine remained available for existing customers and continued to have a small number of marine and industrial applications. One of the last recorded examples was a 6MB275 pump-drive engine supplied in 2000 for an upgrade to the suction dredger Britannia Beaver.
The eventual end of the MB275 range was therefore gradual rather than a sudden termination following the end of Class 60 production.
Its history is also quite remarkable because the Class 60 engines were among the last significant British railway applications of a Mirrlees-designed engine. A heritage paper on British diesel traction describes the MB275 as effectively marking Mirrlees's return to British rail traction after earlier engine programmes.
Preservation
The MB275 has an unusually strong preservation story because 37901 “Mirrlees Pioneer” survived.
This locomotive was one of the original Class 37/9 testbeds fitted with the MB275 before the Class 60 was ordered. It therefore represents the experimental bridge between the engine's development and its adoption in the Class 60.
The locomotive has been preserved and, at various points, operated on heritage railways. The heritage documentation specifically notes that it was operating on the Llangollen Railway in 2008.
There are also preserved examples of the engines themselves outside locomotives. The Anson Engine Museum in Manchester, which has a strong connection with the history of British diesel-engine manufacturing, has examples of Blackstone and Mirrlees machinery.
This makes the MB275 unusually well represented in preservation: its development can be studied through an actual surviving locomotive, while its wider industrial and marine ancestry can be explored through preserved engines and historical documentation.
Why the engine was significant
The 8MB275T is important because it represented a serious attempt to create a modern British heavy-duty diesel engine specifically capable of competing in the high-power traction market.
Its story also illustrates the changing nature of British engineering.
The engine was designed by a historic British manufacturer at Stockport, tested in British Rail locomotives, selected for a brand-new British Rail freight locomotive, manufactured for a fleet of 100 Class 60s, and simultaneously marketed for ships and industrial machinery.
It then became a casualty of the consolidation of the diesel-engine industry. Mirrlees Blackstone passed into Alstom ownership, the MB275 was discontinued, and the British railway market moved increasingly towards imported or multinational engine designs.
That transition is particularly visible when comparing the Class 60 with the Class 66. The Class 60 represents the culmination of British Rail's attempt to design and build its own modern heavy freight locomotive around a British engine. The Class 66 represented the subsequent era in which standardised imported technology became economically dominant.
The numbers tell the story
The MB275 was introduced in 1979.
Four Class 37s received MB275 engines for trials in 1986, becoming 37901–37904.
The Class 60 contract was awarded to Brush in 1988, and the first locomotive was handed over in 1989.
The 100 Class 60 engines were supplied principally during 1989–91.
The engine continued in marine and industrial production into the 1990s, with later support and applications continuing into around 2000.
Mirrlees Blackstone was acquired by Alstom in 1997, after which the MB275 range was progressively discontinued.
That gives the engine a remarkably long development and service story for a design that ultimately powered only one production class of British main-line locomotive.
The legacy of the 8MB275T
The greatest legacy of the Mirrlees Blackstone 8MB275T is the Class 60 itself. Every one of the 100 locomotives was built around the engine, making the two almost inseparable in railway history. The engine's eight-cylinder configuration, distinctive sound and substantial physical presence became part of what made the Class 60 different from the locomotives that came before and after it.
Yet its story goes beyond those 100 locomotives. The engine evolved from Mirrlees's broader industrial and marine engineering work, was experimentally installed in Class 37s, helped shape the proposed Class 38, became the power unit for Britain's final new British Rail heavy-freight locomotive, powered ferries and dredgers, underwent major rebuilds decades later, and survives today in preservation.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect is that the MB275 was not really a failed engine. The Class 60's mixed operational reputation has sometimes obscured that point. The engine was fuel-efficient for its period, had a relatively simple eight-cylinder architecture, achieved substantial power from a comparatively small number of cylinders and proved capable of very long service in marine applications. Its principal problem was partly historical: it arrived just as the economics and structure of British railway freight were changing dramatically.
The 8MB275T therefore represents something of a final flowering of indigenous British diesel-engine technology. It was developed in an era when British companies still designed engines specifically for British Rail, assembled locomotives domestically and expected large fleets to remain in service for decades. The fact that its best-known application was the Class 60 means that its story is inseparable from the rise, decline, storage and subsequent revival of that locomotive class.
Today, surviving Class 60s with their original or overhauled Mirrlees engines provide a direct link to that era. 60013 “Robert Boyle”, 60018 “Moel Siabod” and the other surviving Class 60s are not merely examples of a locomotive design; they are also surviving hosts for one of the last major British-designed diesel traction engines.
MiG-21I Analog, which was testbed for Tu-144 wing (on the background). Modified to carry a reduced size wing with the same plan view of the supersonic airliner wing, The fairing atop the fin carries a camera por flight test analisys. This is number 2 aircraft (no.1 was destroyed) and was also used to train the first two Tu-144 pilots.
Project: Tiny TIM (Threats-In-Motion)
Location: NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed / National Weather Center (Norman, OK)
Date: March 1, 2023
Photographer: James Murnan / NOAA NSSL
This experiment brings together NWS forecasters and researchers to evaluate and provide feedback on the concept of allowing warnings to be extended in time and area, a first step towards Threats-In-Motion (TIM) for severe weather warnings for hail, wind, and tornadoes. To facilitate this evaluation, forecasters use Hazard Services Convective to create and manage TIM warnings. The concept and software is tested on several archived cases.
Testing out some rotary barrel designs- the idea is that the ejected gases would rotate the barrel assembly counter-clockwise and the spent casings would be ejected in the opposite direction, mitigating the angular momentum. Of course, to make it viable the barrel assembly would have to be unusually lightweight, or some other leap of technology yet to be seriously applied to gunsmithing. I wonder if anyone's tried fullerene (aka carbon nanotube) barrels?
Anyway, thanks to Packman for the drum magazine!
The slump continues...
Another try at uploading videos of my moving gradient test on my cell phone...
I created a simple clock that is made of moving, colorful gradients on a black background. The purpose of the test was to try to find a way to have gradients merge with each other without unsightly masks removing parts of other gradients. I found a relatively simple way to do that but don't know if it's energy efficient or not (eg, uses too much battery) - I'll need to run tests and gather information first.
Pima Air and Space Museum
The Boeing 747 began as a concept for a U.S. Air Force contract competition to design a heavy lift cargo aircraft. That contest was eventually won by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but Boeing’s failure to win that contract led it to develop one of the most iconic aircraft ever. The first 747 made its maiden flight in February 1969 and the type made its first commercial flight less than a year later. Since then the humpbacked shape of the 747 has become familiar to millions of travelers around the world. The “Jumbo Jet” is the first twin isle airliner and in some configurations could carry more than 500 passengers. This immense size allowed a much lower operating cost per seat and helped bring long distance air travel into the price range of vastly more people. Boeing has built more than 1,560 since 1969. As of 2018, only about 20 remain to be delivered. The era of the 747 as a passenger plane is coming to an end as it is replaced by more fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft, but it will continue to be in use as a cargo plane for many years to come.
It was built by Boeing Aircraft Company at Everett, Washington and delivered to Pan American World Airways on March 21, 1970. It is the twenty-fifth 747 built. Following Pan Am’s practice of naming its aircraft, this airplane flew with the name “Clipper Star of the Union” until 1982 when it was renamed “Clipper Ocean Spray.” It remained with Pan Am until the bankruptcy of the airline in 1991. In March 1992 it was purchased by General Electric for use as an engine test bed. Since then the plane has flown more than 3,000 hours carrying various test engines for GE as they develop the engines that power many of the planes that are replacing the 747 in airline service. General Electric donated the aircraft to the Pima Air & Space Museum in November 2018.
Wingspan: 195 ft 8 in.
Length: 231 ft 4 in.
Height: 63 ft 5 in.
Weight: 735,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed: 595 MPH
Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft
Range: 6,000 miles
Engines: Four Pratt and Whitney JD9D-3 turbofans with 43,000 pounds of thrust each
Crew: 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants, 374 to 490 passengers
Manufacturer: Boeing
Markings: General Electric Aviation, 2018
Designation: 747-121
Registration: N747GE
Serial Number: 19651
Video of my testbed program showing gradients used as clock hands.
For this test, I started the radial at the radial time position and ended it at the center of the screen, making the gradient look like a triangle.
Airbus A340-311
MSN 0001 [Prototype/Testbed]
F-WWAI '001'
Airbus S.A.S.
[300 mm - NO CROP]
Copyright © 2011 A380spotter. All rights reserved.
Panel: Testbeds and Open Innovation in the Public Sector
Speakers: David Clark, Takuya Hirai, Nadia Calviño, Raymond Knops, Veronika Remišová, Marten Kaevats
Photos by Aron Urb
Week 2 of the Hazard Services - Probabilistic Hazard Information (HS-PHI) experiment in the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK. The HS-PHI experiment is part of the Experimental Warning Program. This is the third year of the HS-PHI experiment in the HWT.The HS-PHI experiment advances the Forecasting A Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs) initiative by testing software which allows National Weather Services (NWS) forecasters to issue Probabilistic Hazard Information (PHI) at the severe weather warning time and space scales.
Pima Air and Space Museum
The Boeing 747 began as a concept for a U.S. Air Force contract competition to design a heavy lift cargo aircraft. That contest was eventually won by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but Boeing’s failure to win that contract led it to develop one of the most iconic aircraft ever. The first 747 made its maiden flight in February 1969 and the type made its first commercial flight less than a year later. Since then the humpbacked shape of the 747 has become familiar to millions of travelers around the world. The “Jumbo Jet” is the first twin isle airliner and in some configurations could carry more than 500 passengers. This immense size allowed a much lower operating cost per seat and helped bring long distance air travel into the price range of vastly more people. Boeing has built more than 1,560 since 1969. As of 2018, only about 20 remain to be delivered. The era of the 747 as a passenger plane is coming to an end as it is replaced by more fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft, but it will continue to be in use as a cargo plane for many years to come.
It was built by Boeing Aircraft Company at Everett, Washington and delivered to Pan American World Airways on March 21, 1970. It is the twenty-fifth 747 built. Following Pan Am’s practice of naming its aircraft, this airplane flew with the name “Clipper Star of the Union” until 1982 when it was renamed “Clipper Ocean Spray.” It remained with Pan Am until the bankruptcy of the airline in 1991. In March 1992 it was purchased by General Electric for use as an engine test bed. Since then the plane has flown more than 3,000 hours carrying various test engines for GE as they develop the engines that power many of the planes that are replacing the 747 in airline service. General Electric donated the aircraft to the Pima Air & Space Museum in November 2018.
Wingspan: 195 ft 8 in.
Length: 231 ft 4 in.
Height: 63 ft 5 in.
Weight: 735,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed: 595 MPH
Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft
Range: 6,000 miles
Engines: Four Pratt and Whitney JD9D-3 turbofans with 43,000 pounds of thrust each
Crew: 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants, 374 to 490 passengers
Manufacturer: Boeing
Markings: General Electric Aviation, 2018
Designation: 747-121
Registration: N747GE
Serial Number: 19651
Project: Tiny TIM (Threats-In-Motion)
Location: NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed / National Weather Center (Norman, OK)
Date: Feb 28, 2023
Photographer: James Murnan / NOAA NSSL
This experiment brings together NWS forecasters and researchers to evaluate and provide feedback on the concept of allowing warnings to be extended in time and area, a first step towards Threats-In-Motion (TIM) for severe weather warnings for hail, wind, and tornadoes. To facilitate this evaluation, forecasters use Hazard Services Convective to create and manage TIM warnings. The concept and software is tested on several archived cases.
Project: Tiny TIM (Threats-In-Motion)
Location: NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed / National Weather Center (Norman, OK)
Date: March 1, 2023
Photographer: James Murnan / NOAA NSSL
This experiment brings together NWS forecasters and researchers to evaluate and provide feedback on the concept of allowing warnings to be extended in time and area, a first step towards Threats-In-Motion (TIM) for severe weather warnings for hail, wind, and tornadoes. To facilitate this evaluation, forecasters use Hazard Services Convective to create and manage TIM warnings. The concept and software is tested on several archived cases.
Pima Air and Space Museum
The Boeing 747 began as a concept for a U.S. Air Force contract competition to design a heavy lift cargo aircraft. That contest was eventually won by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but Boeing’s failure to win that contract led it to develop one of the most iconic aircraft ever. The first 747 made its maiden flight in February 1969 and the type made its first commercial flight less than a year later. Since then the humpbacked shape of the 747 has become familiar to millions of travelers around the world. The “Jumbo Jet” is the first twin isle airliner and in some configurations could carry more than 500 passengers. This immense size allowed a much lower operating cost per seat and helped bring long distance air travel into the price range of vastly more people. Boeing has built more than 1,560 since 1969. As of 2018, only about 20 remain to be delivered. The era of the 747 as a passenger plane is coming to an end as it is replaced by more fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft, but it will continue to be in use as a cargo plane for many years to come.
It was built by Boeing Aircraft Company at Everett, Washington and delivered to Pan American World Airways on March 21, 1970. It is the twenty-fifth 747 built. Following Pan Am’s practice of naming its aircraft, this airplane flew with the name “Clipper Star of the Union” until 1982 when it was renamed “Clipper Ocean Spray.” It remained with Pan Am until the bankruptcy of the airline in 1991. In March 1992 it was purchased by General Electric for use as an engine test bed. Since then the plane has flown more than 3,000 hours carrying various test engines for GE as they develop the engines that power many of the planes that are replacing the 747 in airline service. General Electric donated the aircraft to the Pima Air & Space Museum in November 2018.
Wingspan: 195 ft 8 in.
Length: 231 ft 4 in.
Height: 63 ft 5 in.
Weight: 735,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed: 595 MPH
Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft
Range: 6,000 miles
Engines: Four Pratt and Whitney JD9D-3 turbofans with 43,000 pounds of thrust each
Crew: 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants, 374 to 490 passengers
Manufacturer: Boeing
Markings: General Electric Aviation, 2018
Designation: 747-121
Registration: N747GE
Serial Number: 19651
Pima Air and Space Museum
The Boeing 747 began as a concept for a U.S. Air Force contract competition to design a heavy lift cargo aircraft. That contest was eventually won by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but Boeing’s failure to win that contract led it to develop one of the most iconic aircraft ever. The first 747 made its maiden flight in February 1969 and the type made its first commercial flight less than a year later. Since then the humpbacked shape of the 747 has become familiar to millions of travelers around the world. The “Jumbo Jet” is the first twin isle airliner and in some configurations could carry more than 500 passengers. This immense size allowed a much lower operating cost per seat and helped bring long distance air travel into the price range of vastly more people. Boeing has built more than 1,560 since 1969. As of 2018, only about 20 remain to be delivered. The era of the 747 as a passenger plane is coming to an end as it is replaced by more fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft, but it will continue to be in use as a cargo plane for many years to come.
It was built by Boeing Aircraft Company at Everett, Washington and delivered to Pan American World Airways on March 21, 1970. It is the twenty-fifth 747 built. Following Pan Am’s practice of naming its aircraft, this airplane flew with the name “Clipper Star of the Union” until 1982 when it was renamed “Clipper Ocean Spray.” It remained with Pan Am until the bankruptcy of the airline in 1991. In March 1992 it was purchased by General Electric for use as an engine test bed. Since then the plane has flown more than 3,000 hours carrying various test engines for GE as they develop the engines that power many of the planes that are replacing the 747 in airline service. General Electric donated the aircraft to the Pima Air & Space Museum in November 2018.
Wingspan: 195 ft 8 in.
Length: 231 ft 4 in.
Height: 63 ft 5 in.
Weight: 735,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed: 595 MPH
Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft
Range: 6,000 miles
Engines: Four Pratt and Whitney JD9D-3 turbofans with 43,000 pounds of thrust each
Crew: 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants, 374 to 490 passengers
Manufacturer: Boeing
Markings: General Electric Aviation, 2018
Designation: 747-121
Registration: N747GE
Serial Number: 19651
Project: Tiny TIM (Threats-In-Motion)
Location: NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed / National Weather Center (Norman, OK)
Date: Feb 28, 2023
Photographer: James Murnan / NOAA NSSL
This experiment brings together NWS forecasters and researchers to evaluate and provide feedback on the concept of allowing warnings to be extended in time and area, a first step towards Threats-In-Motion (TIM) for severe weather warnings for hail, wind, and tornadoes. To facilitate this evaluation, forecasters use Hazard Services Convective to create and manage TIM warnings. The concept and software is tested on several archived cases.
GOES-R / JPSS Convective Applications experiment of the Experimental Warning Program in the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK. The GOES-R / JPSS experiment will have two components: a) an evaluation of multiple CONUS GOES-R convective applications, including satellite imagery, derived products, and multispectral applications along with GLM lightning; and b) a real-time evaluation of the JPSS sounding product suite NUCAPS.
Animated videos.
Some background:
The MBR-07 Spartan was born as a humanoid-type weapon from the United Nations Military ambulatory weapons program. The MBR-07 Spartan was the second-place participant, the winning design became the Main Battle Robot-Series 04 family of Destroids that included the Tomahawk and specialized variants like the Defender and the Phalanx. However, soon after the 04 family’s introduction field experience suggested that a higher hand-to-hand combat capability was required to protect the MBRs which rather carried medium- and long-range weapons. This tactical gap led to the MBR-07 Spartan and its unique chassis, which had been specifically designed for unarmed close combat, but its development encompassed a series of prototypes that honed the technical aspects of this task.
Joint development of the MBR-07 by Centinental and the Kransmann followed one year and two months after the first MBR-04 series Destroids began design in 2003 at Viggers Chrauler. One of the experimental designs that supported its optimization as a close combat Battle Robot was the XMBR-04-Mk. VII, unofficially nicknamed “Pollux” (after the mythical Greek siblings (Castor being Pollux’ brother); during the expedition of the Argonauts, Pollux took part in a boxing contest and defeated King Amycus of the Bebryces, a savage mythical people in Bithynia).
As straightforward proof-of-concept vehicles for the required powerful and highly articulated arms as well as the corresponding reinforced internal structures that would support them when deployed as contact weapons, two MBR-04-Mk. VI “Tomahawk” Destroid chassis’ were set aside by Viggers Chrauler as testbeds.
One of them (“Pollux I”) was used to develop and test new rigid arms and their mounts, provided by Centinental, plus highly articulated claw hands made by Norman Banks with 5-finger manipulators, while the second one (“Pollux II”) received a new upper body to improve the swivel capability of the waist and test a new balancing system designed by Kransmann. This system would allow much more dynamic movements of the massive Destroid, including kicks, punches, and even complex martial arts stunts. Both elements would later be combined into the new MBR-07 chassis and the Spartan family of Destroids based on it.
The two Pollux prototypes went through quick but thorough testing in late 2003 and in early 2004 the U.N. Spacy Ground Forces ordered a small pre-production series of the experimental type to test the systems under field conditions. Outwardly the serial MBR-04-Mk. VII looked like the 1st prototype, but it already used the new balance system for the MBR-07 as well as improved servos to deliver much more effective close combat attacks than any other humanoid weapon in the U.N. Spacy's inventory, coming close to the VF-1's agility but adding considerably more force to the punch. These tests lasted until early 2005 and a total of twenty MBR-04-Mk. VIIs, which retained the unofficial "Pollux" moniker in service, were built.
By the same time the Spartan Mk. I entered trial production in February 2005, too, and by January 2008 Mk I units were beginning first rollout but were quickly superseded by the redesigned Mk. II variant after it had become clear that a pure close-combat robot was too vulnerable, esp. against air attacks. All Mk I units were later upgraded into Mk II units, and the small Pollux force retired from frontline service and rather relegated to pioneer/marines units where its power and manual agility became welcome asset.
General characteristics:
Equipment Type: main battle robot, Series 04, optimized for close/hand-to-hand combat
Government: U.N. Spacy
Manufacturer: Viggers Chrauler (chassis)
Centinental/Kransmann (arms and corresponding ambulatrory system)
Introduction: Prototypes 01 & 02 in September 2003
Pre-production models in March 2004
Accommodation: 1 pilot only
Dimensions:
Height: 11.27 meters (to shoulder), 12.7 meters (overall)
Length: 5.1 meters
Width: 7.9 meters
Mass: 27.8 metric tons
Power Plant:
Kranss-Maffai MT808 thermonuclear reactor developing 2800 bhp;
auxiliary generator GE EM9G fuel generator rated at 450 kW
Propulsion:
Multiple low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles
Armament:
2x Norman Banks CH2-TYPED claw hand with 5-finger manipulators
Provisions for 2x Bifors close-in self-guided rocket launchers, 12 rockets each (not mounted)
1x optional metallic club (for hand-to-hand combat)
The kit and its assembly:
This kitbashing project was inspired by a sketch I recently came across while doing internet research. I assume that it is not an official Macross design, rather a fan-art/dojinshi design, because I could not find reference to it in official sources, any other media with or, or even come up with a name. However, what triggered me was the fact that it looks like a prototype/test rig for the close-combat Spartan, just based on a Tomahawk chassis? Overall, this made it a plausible missing link, and since I have already built/scratched/converted a Spartan Mk. II into its earlier Mk. I variant, adding another (probably fictional, bu6t who knows?” ancestor to the collection of 1:100 Destroid models was a logical step.
Another selling point was that I had an Imai Tomahawk kit stashed away with no concrete plan yet, and at first glance only a Spartan's arms would be necessary as donorparts to bring the illustration into hardware form. Finding a suitable donor kit turned out to be almost impossible: Arii Spartan kits in 1:100 have become rare and mind-boggingly expensive, and things became so desperate that I eventually procured one of those ugly chrome-plated "Metal" kits as donor source. This had two drawbacks: despite being quite cheap the kit’s postage from the USA more than doubled its price, and the plating had to go before could use the parts for my plans.
Stripping the sprues’ plating off took several weeks and the help of sodium hydroxide, foamed oven cleaner, and patience. This procedure revealed, to my surprise, that the "Metal Spartan"'s polystyrene color of the individual sprues was different, ranging from mint green to a greenish ochre!
Technically the model is a kitbashing, but in order to improve the kit(s) and/or make life a little easier I made some visible and invisible mods. Most obvious difference are the shoulder mounts that attach the Spartan arms to the Tomahawk torso. Taken OOB they are mechanically not compatible, and to make life easier I decided to transplant the Spartan’s complete arms, including the upper arms/shoulder sections, what was easier than trying to adapt the Tomahawk shoulders to the Spartan's lower arms AND to improve the shoulder joints so far that they would be movable at all when the body would be completed. This is just one of the Tomahawk kit’s many issues, in this case because the Tomahawk kit is a very early mecha model, a very simple construction and without any vinyl caps for the joints (which the 1:100 Spartan kit already has!). Another selling point of the Spartan's shoulders is that their diameter is slightly bigger than the openings in the Tomahawk's torso flanks, so that they would cover them well.
To center and align the “foreign objects” properly I had to build an internal carrier structure with the Spartan's vinyl-cap-bearing sockets for the arms, scratched from styrene profiles, and mounted into the right position. Similar material was used to create a new vertical pelvic joint that would allow to keep upper and lower body separate for painting, and I scratched a two-dimensional hip joint from steel wire and styrene tubes that would allow a much more dynamic, "open" leg position (and even slight movement). Another small measure that improves the model's looks is to fill the hollow heels of the legs. All hardly visible efforts which are nevertheless IMHO worthwhile to make this old 1:100 Destroid model look much more convincing.
Other small mods are additional surface details created with styrene bits, and I added shoulder hardpoints that carry a searchlight (left over from a 1:72 ESCI M48 tank) and something that I’d interpret as a camera, inspired by the mecha’s drawing. The Tomahawk’s prominent gun clusters on the lower torso as well as the machine guns at the cockpit flanks were deleted and faired over. On the torso they were replaced with 3D shapes made from 2C putty, which extend the shoulder missile launchers' covers downwards.
Painting and markings:
While I am not a fan of pop colors like violet (esp. on “real robots”!) I decided to stay true to the mecha drawing and adopt the shown purple/white paint scheme. I (still) had a tin of ancient Humbrol Authentic "IJN Purple" (then called HJ04 "Mauve") at hand which turned out to be an almost perfect match as basic overall color, with the benefit that it IS a purplish tone, but very dull and with lots of grey. The light contrast areas were painted with RAL 9002 (Grauweiß). Once thoroughly dry the parts received a black ink washing and some post-shading as well as dry-brushing with ModelMaster's "Napoleonic Violet" and medium grey (Revell 47) around the edges to emphasize details and add a worn look.
The black-and-yellow warning stripes on arms and feet are generic decals from TL-Modellbau, and I decided to add some tactical markings and stencils from the Tomahawk's OOB sheet and the scrap box, to give the model a more realistic look. After a coat with matt acrylic varnish, I added mud and dust stains esp. around the feet with watercolors and mineral pigments, as a result of thorough "field tests".
Robert Morehead monitoring the Morpheus propulsion system.
Location: NASA Johnson Space Center Vertical Testbed Flight Complex Photographer: Joe Bibby
Location: NASA Johnson Space Center Vertical Testbed Flight Complex Photographer: Joe Bibby
Manufacturer: Holzer Motoren Werke AG
Nationality: Germany
First assembled: November 27, 2053
Birthplace: Sinzheim, BaWü, Germany
Engine: 3.7 L Twin-turbo W6
HP: 591 BHP
0-60: 4.3 Seconds
Top speed: 165.00 MPH
Holzer's legendary 3000 sportscar earned its status for a litany of reasons. There's simply how long the nameplate has been around, with entire generations of fans having come and gone in it's even-lengthening lifespan. There's how refined the nameplate has become over time, with Holzer using everything at its disposal to ensure a sublime driving experience unlike anything out there. It's also the practicality and versatility the nameplate has continued to provide, something other sportscars struggle with to this day. To a more debatable extent, there's the design, which while Holzer faithful see it as timeless and elegant, others see it as tired and in desperate need of something radically new. One thing that absolutely isn't up for debate is how adaptable the nameplate has been. Multiple platforms in the 3000's history have done just about everything a car can do. It's been a comfortable grand tourer, a lazer-focused track machine, a technological testbed, to a purebread road-racing legend. With its primary intention as a more livable sportscar, one probably wouldn't think of the 3000 as something fit for going off-road. They'd be very, very wrong. The 3000 history has seen just as much sand and mud as its seen tarmac, and its a piece of its history that Holzer is anything but ashamed of. If anything, the 3000's surprising off-roading prowess is seen as a bit of a badge of honor among the company itself and their fanbase.
Holzer's adventures off the pavement began when they entered the 1975 World Rally Championship. At this time the original platform of the 3000, the model number "501", was still in production after over a decade. It would not win the overall WRC championship of that year, losing to Italian rivals Stella-Nicola, but that's not what's important. What is important is when the championship arrived in Kenya for the infamous Safari Rally. Active since the 50s, the Safari Rally was historically regarded by then as one of the harshest on the calendar and has arguably only gotten tougher. The sheer variety in terrain from fine powder to rough valley roads could shake up even the most experienced drivers, and it would only get worse with rain, turning most of these road into deep, thick mud. Kenya's various wildlife made for an interesting hazard as well, with modern teams needing air support to warn drivers ahead of time if any four-legged spectators could cause trouble. Cars for this event were specifically strengthened for this event, featuring beefier tires, increased right height, bullbars, bright rally lights to warn the aforementioned wildlife, and even snorkels for deeper water crossings. Safari was well-known for being one of the fastest rallies, but drivers that were more cautious and reliable usually came out on top. Which is how Holzer came out on top in the '75 Safari Rally. The 3000 rally car proved to be surprisingly hardy against the brutal Kenyan terrain, and was one of the few cars to even reach the finish line. Holzer even had the distinction of being the only team to finish without any major mechanical issues. This stunning performance gave higher-ups at Holzer some interesting ambitions, and in 1983 a special iteration of the 3000 would find itself at the infamous Dakar Rally. One of the toughest rally raid events on earth, it was certainly something else to see a small european sportscar as a serious entrant. Holzer made sure the 3000 was ready, though. Extremely modded suspension, an experimental four-wheel drive system prepped for an upcoming roadcar, and a toughened W6 engine ensured the 3000 was ready for nothing short of outright war. It paid off, with the 3 cars Holzer entered taking 1st, 2nd, and 5th overall. Bolstered by this high-profile win, Holzer would take this 3000 to other rally raid-style events, most notably becoming a common sight at the Baja 1000 in North America. The 3000 was now a staple nameplate in motorsports, both on and off road.
With such a history in rallying like the 3000's, many owners would take to modifying their cars for off-road use. A lift kit and roof rack are some of the most popular modifications for vintage 3000s, and its virtually guaranteed a Holzer is going to appear whenever a classic rally is being held. Some Holzer purists abhor this trend of "Baja" 3000s, but considering Holzer's own history its undeniably in the spirit of what the 3000 is about and what its capabilities are. Its to the point where some more high-profile tuning companies take vintage 3000s and completely remake them with bespoke components, leaving very little of the original car by the end. The thing that made all these "Baja 3000s" special was that despite their extensive modifications, they were commonly street-legal. For the longest time, Holzer themselves never did anything similar with later 3000 models, nor even racing them in off-roading events. The "Baja 3000" was strictly an enthusiast creation for decades. It wasn't until the early 21st century that Holzer both properly acknowledged its history and the certain subset of enthusiasts it created by making the Baja 3000 official during the nameplate's "526" model years. Seriously, Holzer called this trim the 3000 Baja, and it did a great job honoring the past. Noticeably lifted ride height on all-terrain rally tires, front and rear brush guards, a roof rack, all great for taking the 3000 back off the pavement. Sure, there were tuning companies that could make the 3000 more extreme, but Holzer's official interpretation had the advantage of balancing great off-roading capability with the daily usability the 3000 nameplate was famous for. Another thing this official 3000 Baja had was exclusivity. 1,500 ever where, produced for only 1 year. To this very day 3000 Bajas catch quite the pricetag on second hand markets and auction circles, and the Baja name is now considered a legacy name. It wouldn't appear in later models after the "526" years, at least not until the middle of the 21st century when the 3000 was right in the middle of its "553" model. In 2052 a 553-model 3000 test mule was spotted on Holzer's proving grounds in Sinzheim, Germany. Beefier tires, a lifted ride height and front/rear brush guards were obvious tells of just what this car was for despite the heavy testing camouflage on it. In spring of 2053, the 70th anniversary of Holzer's victory in Dakar, the secrecy stopped and the 3000 Baja made a triumphant return. Holzer promised that this iteration of the nameplate wasn't just better than the prior iteration in every way, but one of the best off-road performance cars to be produced at the time. From the specs they were showing off at the new 3000 Baja's unveiling, it sure seemed like Holzer knew what they were saying.
The latest 3000 Baja is based on the Monaco S trim level, right down to the same powertrain; the turbocharged 3.7 L W6. Holzer's bread and butter, this powertrain has nearly a century's worth of refinement behind it, and in the Baja it even gets a boost. While the Monaco S tops out at 553 HP, the Baja is boosted to nearly 600 HP. Does that make the Baja faster? Not exactly. The Monaco S has a 0-60 of under 4 seconds, while the Baja is over. The Monaco S has a top speed nearing 200 MPH, but the Baja is limited to just 165. Sounds like a downgrade on paper, but that couldn't be further from the truth. While the Monaco S is limited to paved surfaces, the Baja can hit its speeds virtually anywhere. Ride height for the Baja is by standard at 6 inches, but can be raised upwards to 9 at the flip of a switch. Combined with titanium front and rear skid plates and chunky off-road tires, the Baja is the most rugged 3000 variant ever conceived right off the bat, and it doesn't even stop there. To really get an idea of the kind of terrain the new Baja is meant to handle, look at the front corner. Those flaps sticking out at the sides aren't pieces of aero. They're basically mudflaps, meant to stop muddy water from splashing up towards the windshield and obscuring visibility. They also help keep the roof-mounted rally lights clean, so that the Baja can operate in dark conditions or foggy weather. Inside the Baja is an interior that still meets up with the standards for Holzer's refinement, but it's certainly not as luxurious or practical. The comfy leather seats from the Monaco S are replaced with race-spec bucket seats. The rear seats are also gone entirely to not just save weight, but make room for a roll cage. One of the most notable visual alterations for the Baja is with the rear window. Specifically the lack of one, as that's where the full spare wheel is mounted. Rear visibility for the driver of a Baja is now entirely handled by a backup camera. Just above that spare tire on the Baja's roof is the roof rack, along with some very important equipment for anyone planning to take their Baja on a particularly extreme rally raid. Every Baja comes standard with a large fluid canister, recovery boards, and a large travel box. In this box is a foldable shovel, collapsible ladder, a fold-out 2-person tent, flares, an electronic GPS beacon, and a basic survival kit including items like a first aid kit, fire starters, and rations. With this latest Baja, Holzer was determined to really bring the rally raid experience to their roadcar lineup in every regard.
Right when the latest 3000 Baja was unveiled, Holzer opened up preorders. In little under 4 hours, the $275,000 Baja sold out entirely. Holzer stated that the Baja was going to be a limited model like other models before it that bore the name, only being produced in 2053 with a total production number of 1,983 cars to ever leave the plant in Sinzheim. Many Bajas disappointingly ended up as collectors items, never seeing a surface more treacherous than a few potholes. Some however would find their way off the streets and into the wilds. One privateer racing team even went as far as to do something Holzer didn't; take the Baja racing. In the 2054 Baja 1000 in California, a race-prepped 3000 Baja was entered in the Class 3 division. Besides some class-mandatory mods to allow it to compete, the 3000 Baja was basically stock, as it left the Sinzheim plant. And it was still competitive against other heavily-modified vehicles, scoring 2nd place in the class having only lost to a Thunderhead Fenrir compact 4x4. Not quite the heights Holzer is known for, but still a great result that shows just how much off-road racing is in the brand's DNA, now and hopefully long into the future.
TLS 08.10.2012 - testbed for the new A350 Trent XWB engine, additional titles on the left side only.