Dwarf rabbits are a variety of domestic European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Dwarf rabbits are much smaller than normal rabbits, but are capable of interbreeding with them, so are not recognized as a separate species.

Purebred dwarf rabbits weigh 0.7-1.4kg. Their heads and eyes are disproportionately large with respect to their body, and their ears are small and carried high on the head. The exception to this is the dwarf lop — a cross between the French lop and the dwarf — which is both heavier (3.0-4.0 lb) than a standard dwarf and has long, dangling ears. Many different colorations make up breeds in dwarf rabbits, such as Himalayan, Red, Siamese, Chinchilla, Blue, and White-tipped Black.

A small black dwarf rabbit on a windowsill.Dwarf rabbits generally have the same behavioral traits as other domestic rabbits. They can be housetrained and can be socialized with dogs, cats and hamsters. Also, its a good idea if they're babies to feed them with just born nursing bottles for pets.

Most of the rabbits sold as dwarves in pet stores are not true dwarfs, but crosses between a dwarf and a standard rabbit. These "mongrels" are hardier, but grow to a larger size and lack the characteristic small head and low carriage of the true dwarf.

Il coniglio nano rappresenta una varietà di piccola taglia del tradizionale coniglio domestico. Ne esistono diverse razze e tipologie, purtroppo esistono anche innumerevoli incroci non puri, che da adulti possono raggiungere dimensioni che poco hanno a che vedere con la razza nana.

La determinazione del sesso nel coniglio non è semplice, specialmente nel cucciolo di razza nana. Per questo motivo è opportuno, subito dopo l’acquisto, far controllare il coniglietto da un veterinario.

La femmina di coniglio di taglia media raggiunge la maturità sessuale fra i 3 e i 6 mesi, mentre nella varietà nana può essere fertile già a 3 o 4 mesi. Il maschio conquista la maturità sessuale a circa 4 mesi, tuttavia non raggiunge la piena fertilità fino all’età di 7 od 8 mesi. La gestazione impegna per circa 30 giorni e In media sono partoriti 3 o 4 cuccioli. Alla nascita, i piccoli pesano da 20 a 50 grammi; sono glabri, hanno gli occhi e le orecchie chiusi.

Pacific Huntress is a cruising Schooner that is capable of crossing oceans short handed or a live aboard that will provide you with Super Yacht cruising, luxury and safety.

The owner is now ready to sell this unique vessel and has effortlessly travelled since her launch in 2005 the East Coast of Australia, the archipelagos of PNG, West Timor, Komodo, Sumba and Indonesia. She’s more than capable of trans Pacific & Atlantic crossings. The question is where would you and your family like to take her next?

Pacific Huntress - a 94 foot luxury yacht constructed by Huntress Yachts. This vessel has a full itinerary of extras and is designed to cruise the world in comfort, safety and style. Built to 1B 8+4 and 1E 60 Pax survey with a draft of just 8 feet, this cruising schooner is designed for safe passage making and extended periods at sea.

Interior furnishings by Nicoletti design and cherry wood joinery provide a truly modern ambience for both owner and guests. Spacious accommodation with VIP stateroom aft, additional VIP guest stateroom forward and three other cabins including a dedicated crew cabin amidships, all with flat screen televisions. All cabins have their own large beautifully appointed bathrooms.

Pacific Huntress is fitted out with the latest technology intelligence systems and an expansive cockpit with twin drive stations and duplicated electronics in the deck saloon. The vessel also has a walk in engine room for ease of access and serviceability.

Further features include…

- Cummins 440hp Diesel Engine

- Two smaller Cummins diesel wing motors for propulsion which can double as generators.

- Bow Thruster

- Luxury fit out

- Huge European Galley that exudes quality & provides all types of cooking, refrigeration and storage.

- Easily operated short handed.

- Economical Long Range capability 32 litres per hour fuel burn.

- Multiple redundancy systems.

- The fire systems comply with the US coastguard

- The hull complies with stringent regulations of the uniform shipping laws.

- Reverse cycle air conditioning throughout

- Electric winches

- Crew Quarters

Reference:ESC 063Name:Pacific HuntressLocation:Gold Coast, AustraliaCountry:QueenslandYear:2005Designer:Huntress YachtsBuilder:Huntress YachtsLength:94′ (28.65m)Beam:21' 6"Draft:8' 5"Keel/Ballast:Bolt on steel frame fin keel with 20 ton of lead encapsulated. Hull Material:Timber 30mm Kauri with 3 layers of 300grm tri-ax and epoxyDeck Material:25mm End grain balsa core with heavy epoxy layup overEngine:Single Cummins 440hp N14M main engine. Also 2 x 65hp Cummins wing engines fitted with 16kva alternators and Brunton variable speed propellers on all three motors. Walk in engine room with easy access to all three motors for servicing.Engine Hours:2,500 hoursGenset:2 x 16 Kva 240V alternators fitted on "Get Home" deisels Fuel Capacity:9,100 Litres approximatelyWaterCapacity:2,500 Litres with a 24V Spectra desalinatorGalley:LAYOUT: Large U shaped galley at the accommodation level, with marble tops and lots of storage. Bosch commercial size gas five burner cooktop with a stainless steel range hood above. Stainless steel convection microwave, electric oven, stainless steel dishwasher and garbage compactor.

STORAGE: Huge amount

STOVE TYPE: Bosch commercial size gas five burner cooktop

MICROWAVE: Stainless steel convection ovenRefrigeration:FRIDGE: Amana 2 door stainless steel upright front opening fridge.

FREEZER: Amana freezer, ice maker plus 3 bar fridges. Accomodation:CABINS: All cabins are air conditioned. Owners island bed aft stateroom. Another island guest stateroom forward. Three additional guest cabins. A crew cabin amidships.

TOTAL BERTHS: 12

SALOON: Large light filled saloon on main deck with panoramic windows with Large leather wrap around lounge. With double doors that open onto after cockpit entertaining area.

HEADROOM: 7'

SHOWER: 5 bathrooms with showers + hot/cold deck showerShower:5 bathrooms with showers + hot/cold deck showerToilet:5 Quiet flush toilets connected to 1 x 275lt capacity black plus Holding TankDinghy:4m Avon RIBOutboard:80hp Yamaha JetCovers:YesGround Tackle:ANCHOR WINCH: Yes

REMOTE: Yes

ANCHOR: Yes

CHAIN: YesSafety Gear:BILGE PUMPS: Yes Stainless steel

LIFERAFT: 2

LIFEJACKETS: Yes

FIRE PROTECTION: Yes

FLARES / VSHEET: Yes

Electrics:LIGHTING: 24 volts

SHORE POWER: 240 Volts + 3 Phase

INVERTER: 2 x 3,200 watt Zantrax inverter

BATTERIES: 3,000 amp/hr AGM's

Electronics/Navigation:GPS: Furuno

PLOTTER: Furuno

SOUNDER: Furuno

RADAR: Furuno Black Box

AUTO PILOT: Furuno

RADIOS: Icom VHF marine radio and Icom HF marine radio and Icom VHM portableSail Inventory:4700 square feet of sail area. All sails are push button electric furling (24v). Horizen sails. In boom furling main, furling Genoa, furling stay sail, furling fisherman. Harken winches are electric.Mast/Rigging:RIG TYPE: 2 x 70' Aluminium masts, stainless steel rigging by S&H Spars Gold Coast

RIG AGE: 9

FURLER: Yes

SPARS: Stainless steelDeck Gear:Harken two speed self tailing winchs 24V electric.Survey:Australian B (200 miles ofshore) and E (smooth waters) survey. Equipped to 1B 8+4 for offshore and 1E 60 pax enclosed waters.

ensignbrokers.com.au/ensign/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-mon...

Waiting in the rain & in vain for 60103 Flying Scotsman at Ampthill Crossing 4/11/2017 (It was 25 minutes earlier than scheduled and sitting in my car it passed by heard but not seen)

The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel multiple unit high-speed train capable of 125 mph (200 km/h). Twenty-seven units have been built in Belgium by Bombardier Transportation.

The Class 222 is similar to the Class 220 Voyager and Class 221 Super Voyager trains used by CrossCountry and Virgin Trains, but it has a different interior. The Class 222 trains have more components fitted under the floors to free up space within the body. Since 2009 East Midlands Trains has been the only train operating company using Class 222s.

All coaches are equipped with a Cummins QSK19 diesel engine of 750 hp (560 kW) at 1800 rpm.[2] This powers a generator, which supplies current to motors driving two axles per coach. Approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km) can be travelled between each refuelling.

Class 222 have rheostatic braking using the motors in reverse to generate electricity which is dissipated as heat through resistors situated on the roof of each coach; this saves on brake pad wear.

In common with the Class 220s, B5000 lightweight bogies are used - these are easily recognisable since the entire outer surface of the wheel is visible, with inboard axle bearings.

The Class 222 are fitted with Dellner couplers,[3] as on Class 220 Voyager and Class 221 SuperVoyager trains,[3] though these units cannot work together in service because the Class 222 electrical connections are incompatible with the Class 220 and Class 221 trains.[3][clarification needed]

All Class 222 units are maintained at the dedicated Etches Park depot in Derby, just south of Derby station.

Formation[edit]

Seven car length Class 222 No. 222003 at London St Pancras

Five car length Class 222 No. 222016 at Bedford

Class 222 units are currently running in the following formations:

East Midlands Trains: seven cars with 236 standard seats and 106 first-class seats.

Coach A - Standard Class with driving cab and reservable space for two bikes

Coach B - Standard Class

Coach C - Standard Class

Coach D - Standard Class with Buffet counter

Coach F - First Class

Coach G - First Class

Coach H - First Class, kitchen and driving cab

East Midlands Trains: five cars with 192 standard seats and 50 first-class seats

Coach A - Standard Class with driving cab and reservable space for two bikes

Coach B - Standard Class

Coach C - Standard Class with Buffet counter

Coach D - Standard Class / First Class composite

Coach G - First Class, kitchen and driving cab

East Midlands Trains: four cars with 132 standard seats and 33 first-class seats

Coach A - Standard Class with driving cab and reservable space for two bikes

Coach B - Standard Class with Buffet counter

Coach D - Standard Class / First Class composite

Coach G - First Class, kitchen and driving cab

The four- and five-car units can be coupled to form 9/10-car services at peak times. When coupled together, coaches A-G are found in the front unit and the rear coaches become labelled J, K, L, M, N, with the first-class seats in coaches J and K.

Initially, the 23 units ordered for Midland Mainline were 4-car and 9-car. Over time these have been gradually modified to the current formations. The 4-car units ordered by Hull Trains had an option when constructed to be extended to 5-cars if required.[4]

East Midlands Trains has named the following Meridians:

Unit numberNameDate namedNamed byNotes

222 001The Entrepreneur Express22 September 2011Tim Shoveller, East Midlands Trains Managing DirectorNamed to kick off the start of the 2011 entrepreneur festival MADE

222 002The Cutlers' Company18 October 2011Pamela Liversidge, Master CutlerNamed to mark the successful partnership between East Midlands Trains and Sheffield

222 003Tornado24 March 2009Tim Shoveller, East Midlands Trains Managing DirectorDriving car 60163 named as it has the same number as Tornado

222 004Children's Hospital Sheffield26 February 2013Michael Vaughan, Charity PatonTo mark the successful partnership between East Midlands Trains and the Sheffield Children's Hospital

222 006The Carbon Cutter31 May 2011Philip Hammond, Transport SecretaryTo mark the introduction of eco-mode to the fleet

222 008Derby Etches Park13 September 2014David Horne, East Midlands Trains Managing DirectorNamed as part of the open day at Derby Etches Park

222 015175 Years of Derby's Railways 1839 - 201418 July 2014Paul Atterbury, Antiques Roadshow Expert and railway authorTo mark 175 years of railways in Derby

222 022Invest In Nottingham19 September 2011Jon Collins, leader of Nottingham City CouncilNamed to launch the 2011 Invest in Nottingham day

222 011Sheffield City Battalion 1914-191811 November 2014Ron Wiltshire, Royal British Legion representativeNamed to honour Sheffield City Battalion who fought in the World War I

East Midlands Trains Class 222/0 No. 222018 at Loughborough.

In 2008 further rearrangements were made to the sets: another carriage was removed from the eight-car Meridians, except for 222 007, which has been reduced to five cars.[6] The surplus coaches were then added to the remaining four-car Meridians to make six seven-car sets (222 001-222 006) and 17 five-car sets (222 007-222 023). This took place from March to October 2008; as part of the process, two first-class coaches removed from 222 007 were converted to standard class and part first class.

The seven-car trains are almost exclusively used on the fast services between London St Pancras and Sheffield. These do not operate the London St Pancras-Leeds, although the service is via Sheffield. The five-car trains are mainly used between London St Pancras and Sheffield, Nottingham or Corby on semi-fast services. The four-car trains supplement the five-car trains on these services.

In December 2008 the Class 222 Meridians started work on the hourly London St Pancras to Sheffield services, because they have faster acceleration than the High Speed Trains and so were able to reduce the Sheffield to London journey time by 12 minutes. The hourly Nottingham service was then transferred to High Speed Train running to cover for the Meridians now working the hourly Sheffield fast service.[7]

In February 2009, 222 101 and 222 102 transferred from Hull Trains to East Midlands Trains, and were quickly repainted in the East Midlands Trains white livery. 222 104 followed from Hull Trains later in the year. 222 103 followed a few months after 222 104 after repairs had been completed (see below). 222 103 has now been reinstated for service after two years for repairs after the unit fell from jacks at Bombardier, Crofton in early 2007.

(The following is partially a fictional history.)

With aircraft carriers unable to carry bombers capable of carrying the large nuclear bombs of the 1950s, the US Navy found itself unable to assist the USAF in providing a nuclear deterrent during the Cold War, with the result that it found itself in danger of losing a great deal of funding and possibly even its carriers. Though the latter problem never materialized, the US Navy nonetheless proposed a mobile strike force of jet seaplane bombers, operating from ships on the open ocean—a force that would be nearly impossible to detect or destroy in a preemptive attack.

The design parameters for such an aircraft were very complicated, but Martin, which had provided seaplanes to the Navy since the 1930s, won the competition with its XP6M-1 Seamaster design, based loosely on a combination of two of Martin’s already flying designs: the failed XB-51 bomber, and the successful propeller-driven P5M Marlin ASW/SAR aircraft. The Seamaster retained the upswept T-tail of the Marlin and a broadly similar flight deck, while incorporating the rotating weapons bay of the XB-51. The Seamaster was otherwise a radical departure from traditional flying boats, as it needed to be capable of a high-speed run to and from a target to deliver a nuclear weapon. The fuselage was long and sleek, while it sat low to the water with a thick, anhedral wing tipped with floats. On the water, the floats acted as stabilizers on landing and takeoff, and retracted upwards to become the wingtips in flight. To keep the engines free of water spray, the four Allison J71 turbojets were mounted above the wings. Since the only threat to the Seamaster would likely come from behind, defensive armament consisted of a remote twin 20mm cannon barbette.

The XP6M-1 first flew in mid-1955, but almost immediately ran into trouble, resulting in the destruction of two out of four prototypes. While the aircraft losses were due to problems with the tail that were easily fixed, the unreliable engines still had a tendency to ingest water in all but calm water conditions and had a tendency to depart controlled flight in certain situations. With the program in danger of cancellation, Martin responded with the P6M-2, which replaced the troublesome Allison engines with proven Pratt and Whitney J75 turbojets, along with a better canopy for improved visibility, improved avionics, and inflight refuelling capability.

Despite greatly improved performance, it still had problems. These included engine surging, severe buffeting above Mach 0.8, and a tendency for the wingtip floats to dig in (risking a catastrophic water-loop). Though Martin proposed design changes that would solve the problems, and despite 12 aircraft already built, the US Navy cancelled the Seamaster in August 1959. This was less due to the aircraft—which despite the aforementioned problems, had proven itself to be an excellent basic design—as it was the expansion of the aircraft carrier fleet (which could now launch bombers heavy enough to carry nuclear weapons, which themselves were getting smaller) and especially the development of the Polaris SLBM. With submarine launched missiles, there was no need for the Seamaster. With the exception of one tail section, the entire Seamaster fleet was scrapped; it was the last Martin design for the US Navy.

In one of the strangest incidents of aviation history, the Seamaster’s story was not to end there. One of the engineers on the Martin project, Glenn Powell, was to become one of the founders of Predator Propulsion in August 1978. The FIRAF and FIRNAA had issued a joint requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft capable of both antisubmarine warfare and on-site search and air rescue. The latter requirement precluded the acquisition of the P-3 Orion, and it was understood that the services intended to buy the ShinMeiwa US-1 flying boat. Powell, however, thought that a resurrected Seamaster might also fit the bill, and his proposal came at a time when the FIR Congress begun to request that the armed services begin buying aircraft built in the FIR, to provide jobs and make the Republic’s fledging aircraft industry competitive. A new-build Seamaster would not be as large as the US-1, but it would outpace it in all respects in performance. High speed was deemed to be useful not only in being able to arrive at a rescue quickly, but also to evade any interception—something to be considered, given that whatever aircraft acquired would likely be operating in Alaska, where the FIR had oil interests and had joined with the US Coast Guard to combat illegal whaling.

The FIRNAA was reluctant to dust off a 20-year design for the same reason the Seamaster had been cancelled in 1959—it needed money for carriers—but the FIRAF liked the idea and commissioned Predator Propulsion to build a proof-of-concept aircraft in November 1979, with Powell in charge. Plans were acquired from both museums and permission obtained to build the aircraft from General Dynamics, which had acquired the Martin company. The new design was designated XP-6C by Predator Propulsion, but changed midway through redesign to the YP-6M to honor the old design.

The “new” Seamaster was, on the surface, almost identical to the old P6M-2 design, with roughly the same dimensions; the only change there was a slight increase in tail surface and height. The wingtip floats were also slightly redesigned to cure the handling problems. Despite this, however, the similarity was literally only skin-deep, as the YP-6M extensively used composites to save weight, at the time still a radical design feature; the use of composites also reduced the amount of salt corrosion the aircraft would be expected to have. The Seamaster also became a true amphibian: the P6M-1 and 2 had used a unique docking collar, where the crew had water-taxied the aircraft to the partially-submerged collar, docked, and then drove up onto the beach or runway. The YP-6M, however, had integral landing gear. The rotating weapons bay door was also deleted for simpler clamshell doors, and two new hardpoints added beneath the wing for additional weapons, including torpedoes that could be launched while the Seamaster was afloat. Since the YP-6M’s primary offensive purpose was antiship or antisubmarine warfare, the size of the weapon bay was reduced; the twin 20mm cannon was replaced with a single M61A1 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon in a mount identical to that carried on the B-52G Stratofortress. To cure the engine problems, the Pratt and Whitney J75s were replaced by General Electric F101 engines that powered the B-1B Lancer. Besides being more fuel efficient, the more powerful F101s allowed the YP-6M to carry a bigger warload than the original despite being lighter, and fly higher and further. Reinforcement of the hull allowed the YP-6M to land or takeoff in worse sea states than the P6M-2, but it still required mostly calm waters to land and float.

With the switch to ASW warfare, the YP-6M was fitted with an ASW suite similar to that carried by both the SH-3H Sea King and P-3C Orion. This included AQS-13B sonar, contained in a retractable sonar dome mid-hull, APS-115C search radar, and ASQ-81 MAD detector, in a retractable boom carried in the tail. Sonobuoy ports were also included, once more mid-hull, between the sonar dome and the weapons bay. To operate in the SAR role, the Seamaster was fitted with two large doors in the rear hull where up to four eight-man rafts could be ejected remotely; flare ejectors were also added below the tail that could be used either to mark survivors or evade heat-seeking missiles. The design was considered so successful that the FIRAF cancelled the proof-of-concept demonstrator and placed an order for six production P-6M Seamasters.

The first aircraft was rolled out and began flight testing in July 1982, flying to NAS Patuxent River in Virginia, where the original P6M-1 had begun testing nearly thirty years before. The flight testing was remarkably trouble free, and the FIRAF ordered a full production run of 24 aircraft. The first operational P-6M entered service with the 10th Reconnaissance Squadron in July 1983, with the last entering service in June 1985, though Predator Propulsion finished an additional six aircraft as attrition replacements and technology demonstrators.

(Back in the real world...)

I always liked the Seamaster for its unique profile and mission, and as a birthday gift a few years ago, Dad built and modified the old Revell 1/100 scale (sort of) XP6M-2 kit to my fictional P-6M design. To simulate new sensors, USAF-style refuelling plug and ECM, Dad stuck on various bumps and bulges around the aircraft from the spare parts box. He painted it in World War II US Navy Atlantic camouflage (light gray over white), and used decals from the decal box for a "Free Intelani Navy" P-6M, and added an orca motif on the tail, complete with "whalemouth" on the nose! He had a lot of fun with this one.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. It was analogous in concept to the Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalized version of the Spitfire's stablemate, the Hawker Hurricane. The name Seafire was derived from the abbreviation of the longer name Sea Spitfire.

After returning to European waters, the Aéronavale’s Seafire frontline units were re-equipped with the more modern and capable Seafire 15s and FR 23s, but these were also quickly replaced by Grumman F6F Hellcats from American surplus stock, starting already in 1950. The fighters were retired from carrier operations and soon relegated to training and liaison duties, and eventually scrapped. However, the FR.23s were at this time the only carrier-capable photo reconnaissance aircraft in the Aéronavale’s ranks, so that these machines remained active with Flottille 1.F until 1955, but their career was rather short, too, and immediately ended when the first naval jets became available and raised the performance bar.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 31 ft 10 in (9.70 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)

Height: 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) tail down with propeller blade vertical

Wing area: 242.1 ft² (22.5 m²)

Empty weight: 5,564 lb (2,524 kg)

Gross weight: 7,415 lb (3,363 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 66M V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine,

delivering 1,720 hp (1,283 kW) at 11,000 ft and driving a 4-bladed constant-speed propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 404 mph (650 km/h) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

Cruise speed: 272 mph (438 km/h, 236 kn)

Range: 493 mi (793 km) on internal fuel at cruising speed

965 mi (1,553 km) with 90 gal drop tank

Service ceiling: 42,500 ft (12,954 m)

Rate of climb: 4,745 ft/min (24.1 m/s) at 10,000 ft (3,048 m)

Time to altitude: 20,000 ft (6,096 m) in 8 minutes 6 seconds

Armament:

4× 20 mm Hispano V cannon; 175 rpg inboard, 150 rpg outboard

Hardpoints for up to 2× 250 lb (110 kg) bombs (outer wings), plus 1× 500 lb (230 kg) bomb

(ventral hardpoint) or drop tanks, or up to 8× "60 lb" RP-3 rockets on zero-length launchers

The kit and its assembly:

This build was another attempt to reduce The Stash. The basis was a Special Hobby FR Mk. 47, which I had originally bought as a donor kit: the engine housing bulges of its Griffon engine were transplanted onto a racing P-51D Mustang. Most of the kit was still there, and from this basis I decided to create a fictional post-WWII Seafire/Spitfire variant.

With the Griffon fairings gone a Merlin engine was settled, and the rest developed spontaneously. The propeller was improvised, with a P-51D spinner (Academy kit) and blades from the OOB 5-blade propeller, which are slightly deeper than the blades from the Spitfire Mk. IX/XVI prop. In order to attach it to the hull and keep it movable, I implanted my standard metal axis/styrene tube arrangement.

With the smaller Merlin engine, I used the original, smaller Spitfire stabilizers but had to use the big, late rudder, due to the taller fin of the post-ware Spit-/Seafire models. The four-spoke wheels also belong to an earlier Seafire variant. Since it was an option in the kit, I went for a fuselage with camera openings (the kit comes with two alternative fuselages as well as a vast range of optional parts for probably ANY late Spit- and Seafire variant – and also for many fictional hybrids!), resulting in a low spine and a bubble canopy, what gives the aircraft IMHO very sleek and elegant lines. In order to maintain this impression I also used the short cannon barrels from the kit. For extended range on recce missions I furthermore gave the model the exotic underwing slipper tanks instead of the optional missile launch rail stubs under the outer wing sections. Another mod is the re-installment of the small oil cooler under the left wing root from a Spitfire Mk. V instead of the symmetrical standard radiator pair – just another subtle sign that “something’s not right” here.

Painting and markings:

The decision to build this model as a French aircraft was inspired by a Caracal Decals set with an Aéronavale Seafire III from the Vietnam tour of duty in 1948, an aircraft with interesting roundels that still carried British FAA WWII colors (Dark Slate Grey/Dark Sea Grey, Sky). Later liveries of the type remain a little obscure, though, and information about them is contradictive. Some profiles show French Seafires in British colors, with uniform (Extra) Dark Sea Grey upper and Sky lower surfaces, combined with a high waterline – much like contemporary FAA aircraft like the Sea Fury. However, I am a bit in doubt concerning the Sky, because French naval aircraft of that era, esp. recce types like the Shorts Sunderland or PBY Catalina, were rather painted in white or very light grey, just with uniform dark grey upper surfaces, reminding of British Coastal Command WWII aircraft.

Since this model would be a whif, anyway, and for a pretty look, I adopted the latter design, backed by an undated profile of a contemporary Seafire Mk. XV from Flottille S.54, a training unit, probably from the Fifties - not any valid guarantee for authenticity, but it looks good, if not elegant!

Another option from that era would have been an all-blue USN style livery, which should look great on a Spitfire, too. But I wanted something more elegant and odd, underpinning the bubbletop Seafire’s clean lines.

I settled for Extra Dark Sea Grey (Humbrol 123) and Light Grey (FS. 36495, Humbrol 147) as basic tones, with a very high waterline. The spinner was painted yellow, the only colorful marking. Being a post-war aircraft of British origin, the cockpit interior was painted in black (Revell 09, anthracite). The landing gear wells became RAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78), while the inside of the respective covers became Sky (Humbrol 90) – reflecting the RAF/FAA’s post-war practice of applying the external camouflage paint on these surfaces on Spit-/Seafires, too. On this specific aircraft the model displays, just the exterior had been painted over by the new operator. Looks weird, but it’s a nice detail.

The roundels came from the aforementioned 1948 Seafire Mk. III, and their odd design – esp. the large ones on the wings, and only the fuselage roundels carry the Aéronavale’s anchor icon and a yellow border – creates a slightly confusing look. Unfortunately, the roundels were not 100% opaque, this became only apparent after their application, and they did not adhere well, either.

The tactical code had to be improvised with single, black letters of various sizes – they come from a Hobby Boss F4F USN pre-WWII Wildcat, but were completely re-arrenged into the French format. The fin flash on the rudder had to be painted, with red and blue paint, in an attempt to match the decals’ tones, and separated by a white decal stripe. The anchor icon on the rudder had to be printed by myself, unfortunately the decal on the bow side partly disintegrated. Stencils were taken from the Special Hobby kit’s OOB sheet.

The model received a light black ink washing, post-panel shading with dry-brushing and some soot stains around the exhausts, but not too much weathering, since it would be relatively new. Finally, everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

A relatively quick and simple build, and the Special Hobby kit went together with little problems – a very nice and versatile offering. The mods are subtle, but I like the slender look of this late Spitfire model, coupled with the elegant Merlin engine – combined into the fictional Mk. 23. The elegant livery just underlines the aircraft’s sleek lines. Not spectacular, but a pretty result.

Guía 7: Iluminación fotográfica.

Actividad: Fotografías en estudio con temática de Halloween.

Nombre de la foto: Strong and capable.

Tipo de iluminación: Luz lateral.

Para esta fotografía, le pedí a mi modelo que cruzará sus brazos junto con las pistolas en forma de x pues quería que ella se viera capaz, lista, fuerte y decidida para la batalla.

Pues los piratas siempre andaban preparados con armas, espadas o cuchillos en caso de que atacaran el barco o a ellos.

Como vemos en la foto, la luz lateral, genera sombras al lado izquierdo del rostro de la modelo y así se verá de acuerdo al lado en el que se coloque la luz. Nos genera volumen, profundidad y genera más textura en el lado derecho del rostro, ropa y accesorios.

La fotografía fue tomada en las instalaciones de la Universidad Don Bosco en el campos de Antiguo Cuscatlán.

Some of Mr. Nurthen’s first model tether boat engines were flash steam that utilized a burner capable of super heating water into steam almost instantly. This eliminated the need to carry the added weight of a water tank and conventional boiler and much higher speeds could be reached. Flash steam engines were successful competitors into the 1980s and had achieved record speeds over 120 miles per hour.

See More Gannet Engines at: www.flickr.com/photos/15794235@N06/sets/72157634270787707/

See More Model Boat Engines at: www.flickr.com/photos/15794235@N06/sets/72157641089388694/

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Miniature Engineering Museum

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The display reads:

ADA in Vietnam – M42 Duster

Combat experience in the Korea War quickly showed that while the M19 40mm Gun Motor Carriage was a capable platform, it needed improvement. By 1952, a new anti-aircraft tank was in development, designated the T141. The new vehicle used the same turret and gun mount from the M19, but mated it with the larger, more powerful M41 Walker Bulldog light tank hull. The resulting vehicle was standardized as the M42 40mm Gun Motor Carriage by 1952 and entered full production that year.

However, with the service entry of the Nike Ajax system in 1953, the Army was focused on missile systems and with the introduction of the Hawk missile in the late 1950s, the M42 was quickly passed to National Guard units and all but removed from the active inventory by 1963.

Just two years later, US forces entered combat in South Vietnam. Two Hawk missile battalions were deployed to provide air defense around Saigon and along the DMZ, but an additional system was needed to cover potential low-altitude threats. In addition to the air defense requirement, the Army also needed a vehicle that could provide heavy firepower for both convoy escort and firebase defense. The M42 was back in demand and by the beginning of 1966, three battalions were formed for service in Vietnam.

Those three units, 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery; 4th Battalion, 60th Artillery; and 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery arrived in-theater by mid-year and immediately had a significant impact on operations in their respective areas of operation. Each “Duster” battalion had a quad .50 battery and searchlight battery attached, forming an air defense task force that could respond to both air and ground threats, day or night.

On 20 June 1968, Air Defense and Field Artillery split the Artillery branch and the Duster, Quad, Searchlight and Hawk units were then designated ADA rather than “Artillery,” with the parenthetical Automatic Weapons, Searchlight or Guided Missile designation.

The story of Army Air Defense in Vietnam provides a fascinating contrast to the operations and equipment of the rest of the branch during the 1960s and early 1970s. While Army Air Defense of the day was focused on the strategic threat of a Soviet nuclear strike and were using the latest technology to deter that threat, the three ADA Duster battalions effectively used weapon systems from the “last war” to provide low altitude air defense and on-call direct fire support to infantry and artillery units across the entirety of South Vietnam from 1966 through 1972.

M42 Duster Specifications:

Weight: 50,000 lbs fully loaded

Height: 9 feet 4 inches

Length: 19 feet

Width: 10 feet 7 inches

Crew: Commander, driver, two loaders, two gunners

Armament: Two M2A1 40mm automatic anti-aircraft guns with 240 rounds per gun; 1-2 7.62 M60 Machine Guns with 1,750 rounds

Main Armament Rate of Fire: 120 rounds per minute, per gun

Engine: Continental AOS-895-3 6-cylinder opposed gasoline engine

Range: 100 miles

Speed 45 mph

The museum’s Duster served with the 1-44th Artillery in 1968.

The Duster occasionally towed the M332 ammunition trailer, which doubled the Duster’s ammunition capacity. However, it would be a liability in combat and would normally be removed before the Duster would be used in the convoy escort role.

Most Dusters in Vietnam carried some form of artwork. Usually the crew would name both the front hatch and the gun shield above the main armament.

Sergeant Mitchell W. Stout was born in Lenoir City, Tennessee on 24 February, 1950. He enlisted in the Army on 15 August 1967 and served his first tour in Vietnam as a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment in the Mekong Delta from August 1968 to August 1969. After completing his first tour, SGT Stout rotated back to the US, but returned to South Vietnam just five months later as a M42 Duster crewman.

Three months into his second tour, SGT Stout was commanding an M42 Duster at the Khe Gio bridge along Route 9, a strategic east-west route that was the supply lifeline to friendly outposts in western I Corps.

SGT Mitchell Stout

C/1-44th Artillery (Automatic Weapons), Khe Gio Bridge

The U.S. Army outpost at Khe Gio Bridge on Highway 9 near the DMZ was overrun by North Vietnamese troops on 12 March 1970. Fourteen Americans held the outpost along with a platoon of ARVN Infantry. Two M42 Dusters from C Battery 1-44th Artillery gave the small force a significant amount of firepower to protect the bridge, while an M151A1 searchlight jeep from G Battery, 29th Artillery provided nighttime battlefield illumination. Of those fourteen Americans, two were killed in action, five wounded and one was captured. Yet they fought valiantly and protected the bridge on Route 9, sparing it from destruction. Sergeant Mitchell Stout’s actions during the battle would earn him a posthumous Medal of Honor:

Citation:

Sgt. Stout distinguished himself during an attack by a North Vietnamese Army Sapper company on his unit's firing position at Khe Gio Bridge. Sgt. Stout was in a bunker with members of a searchlight crew when the position came under heavy enemy mortar fire and ground attack. When the intensity of the mortar attack subsided, an enemy grenade was thrown into the bunker. Displaying great courage, Sgt. Stout ran to the grenade, picked it up, and started out of the bunker. As he reached the door, the grenade exploded. By holding the grenade close to his body and shielding its blast, he protected his fellow soldiers in the bunker from further injury or death. Sgt. Stout's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action, at the cost of his own life, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the U.S. Army.

Taken December 13th, 2013.

The Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk was developed in response to an Air Forece request for an aircraft capable of attacking high value targets without being detected by enemy radar.By the 1970s,new materials and techniques allowed enginers to design an aircraft with radar-evading or "stealth" qualities.The result was the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk,the world's first operational stealth aircraft.

The first Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk flew on June 18,1981,and the first Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk unit,the 4450 Tactical Group (renamed th 37th Tactical Fighter Wing in October 1989),achieved initial operating capability in October 1983.The Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk first saw combat during Operation Just Cause on December 19,1989, when two Lockheed F-117A Nighthawks from the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing attacked military btargets in Panama.

Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk again went into action during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in 1990-1991 when the 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron and 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to a base in Saudi Arabia.During Operation Desert Storm,the Lockheed F-117A nighthawks flew 1,271 sorties,achieving an 80 percent mission success rate,and suffered no losses or battle damage.A total of 59 Lockheed F-117a Nighthawks were built between 1981 and 1990.In 1989 the Lockheed F-117a Nighthawk was awarded the Collier Trophy,one of the most prized aeronautical awards in the world.

The Lockheed F-117A built and was specially modified for systems testing.In 1991 after its testing program was completed.It marked as appeared during tests conucted for the Air Force Systems Command between 1981 and 1991.

Boeing B-52 Stratofortrss

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After it became operational in 1955,the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress remained the main long-range heavy bomber of the U.S.Air Force during the Cold War,and continues to be an important par of the U.S.Air Force bomber force today.Nearly 750 were built before production ended in October 26,1962; 170 of these were Boeing B-52D Stratofortresses

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress had set numerous records in its many years of service.On January 18,1957,three Boeing B-52B Stratofortresses completed the first non-stop round-the-world flight by jet aircraft,lasting 45 hours and 19 minute and required only three aerial refueling.It was also a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress that made the first airborne hydrogen bomb drop over Bikini Atoll,Island on May 21,1956.

In June 1965 Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses entered combat in Southeast Asia.By 1973,they had flown 126,615 combat sorties with 17 Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses lost to enemy action

The Boeing B-52D Stratofortress saw extensive action in Southeast Asia was several damaged by an surface-to air missile on April 9,1972.In December 1972 after being repaired,it flew four addional missions over North Vietnam.

Boeing B-47 Stratojet

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During the early part of the Cold War,the U.S.Air Force needed an aircraft the Boeing B-47 Stratojet.During this time,it was deployed to several locations,including Incirlik Air Base,Turkey,and Yokota Air Base,Japan,and flew missions over the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Soviet Union.

The B-47 Stratojet in the Cold War

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The Boeing B-47 Stratojet became an essential component of the U.S.Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the 1950s and early 1960s,both as a nuclear bomber and a reconnaissance aircraft.Designed to meet a 1944 requirements,the first Boeing XB-47 Stratojet prototype flew in December 1947,performing far beyond its compertitors.It incorporated many advanced features for the time,including swept wings,jet engines in underwing pods,fuselage mounted landing gear and automated systems that reduced the stadard crew size to three.

In May 1951 the Boeing B-47 Stratojet began replacing the propelleed-driven Boeing B-29 Superfortresses and Boeing B-50 Superfortresses in Strategic Air Command's (SAC) medium bomber units.While it could carry about the same bomb as the aircraft it replaced,the Boeing B-47 Stratojet's top speed was more than 200 mph faster.Since the Boeing B-47 Stratojet did not have the range of Strategic Air Command's (SAC) heavy bombers (the Convair B-36 Peacemaker and later the Boeing B-25 Stratofortress),Boeing B-47 Stratojet units regularly deployed to forward air bases around the world on teporary duty.Initially these deployments lasted three months,but beging in 1957 under the Reflex Action program,they were shortened to three weeks.

In addition to its role a nuclear strike bomber,the Boeing B-47 Stratojet's speed and payload made it a useful strategic reconnaissance aircraft.Between 1952 and 1956 photographic reconnaissance Boeing B-47 Stratojets conducted several overflight of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Soviet Union,proving detailed pitures of Soviet Military and Soviet Industrial facilities.Boeing B-47 Statojets gethered intelligence about Soviet air defense systems and the Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile program.Weather reconnaissance version of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet not only collected weather data,but also took air samples of Soviet nuclear detonations.These essential Boeing RB-47 Stratojet missions over and along the border of the Soviet Union (USSR) were hazardous,and Soviet fighters damaged one reconnaissance Boeing RB-47 Stratojet and shot two,with the loss of seven U.S.Air Force personnel killed and two temporarily imprisoned.

Between 1947 and 1957,The Boeing Aircraft Company,Douglas Aircraft,and Lockheed Corporation built over 2,000 Boeing B-47 Stratojets.At its peak use in 1958,the U.S.Air Force operateed 28 Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombing wings and four Boeing RB-47 Stratojet reconnaissance wings,totaling 1,357 Boeing B-47 Stratojets and 175 Boeing RB-47 Stratojets.The U.S.Air Force phased out its last Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers in 1965,and the U.S.Air Force retired its last Boeing WB-47 Stratojet,in 1969.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

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First flown in May 1958,the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II originally was developed for the U.S.Navy fleet defense.The U.S.Air Force's first version the McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II,made its first flight in May 1963,and production deliveries began six months later.McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II production ened in 1979 after over 5,000 had been built--more than 2,600 for the U.S.Air Force,about 1,200 for the U.S.Navy and U.S.Marine Corps,and the rest for friendly forein nations.

In 1965 the U.S.Air Force sent its first McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom IIs to Southeat Asia,where they flew air-to-air missions agaist North Vietnamese fighters as well as attacking ground targets.The first U.S.Air Force pilot to score four combat victories with McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs in Southeast Asia was Colonel Robin Olds,a World War II ace.In which Colonel Robin Olds,the pilot and 1st Lieutenant Stephen B.Croker,the weapons system officer,destroyed two Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG-17s in a single day,May 20,1967.

In its air-to-ground role,the McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II could carry twice the normal load of a World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.The armamet loaded on the aircraft McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a typical configuration for an McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II in 1967.It consists of four AIM-7E Sparrow III and four AIM-9B sidewinder air-to-air missiles,and eight 750 pound M117 general purpose bombs.The aircraft McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II also carries two exteral fuel tanks on the outboard pylone and one ALQ-87 electronic contermeasures (EMC) pod on the right inboard pylon.

Lockheed U-2

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In completed secrecy,a team headed by Clerence L."Kelly" Johnson at Lockheed's "Skunk Works" in Burbank,California,designed and built the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady to fly surveillance missions.With sailplane-like wings suited for the thin atmosphere over 55,000 feet (over 70,000 feet for later models),this single-engine aircraft made its first flight inAugusat 1955.Entering operational service in 1956,its use remained secret until May 1,1960,when a surface-to-air missile shot down a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) a civilian-piloted by Francis Gary Powers Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady on a reconnaissannce flight over Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) territory.

One of the important Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady missions took place on October 14,1962,when a Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady piloted by Major Richard S.Heyser obtained the first photographs of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR) offensive missile sites in Cuba.Eight days later,Major Rudolf Anderson Jr.was killed on a similar mission when his Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady also mhave been used for programs as divere as mapping studies,atmospheric sampling and collecting crop and land management photographic data for the Department of Energy.

During the 1960s,it made 285 flights to gather data on high-altitude,clear-air turbulence,and in the 1970s it flight tested reconnaissance systems.

Though the US Navy reconsidered its decision to retire the AD Skyraider after the Korean War, it was still a piston-engined attack aircraft designed during World War II, while the Navy preferred going to a modern, all-jet attack/fighter fleet. To supplement and then replace the AD, the Navy issued a requirement for a jet attack fighter weighing no more than 48,000 pounds, capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, and with a speed of at least 550 miles an hour. The Navy was not surprised when Douglas’ chief designer, Edward Heinemann, submitted a proposal for a delta-winged, light attack jet—they were surprised to find that it met all of the requirements, yet weighed in at only 23,000 pounds, less than half the required weight. It was also so small that it did not need folding wings to fit on aircraft carrier elevators. Heinemann deliberately omitted as much weight as possible to bring the aircraft in under weight, and subsequently, at a lower unit cost than anticipated. One part of this effort was external structural ribbing for the rudder; this “temporary” solution would be used on every aircraft produced.

Heinemann’s design was quickly ordered by the Navy as the A4D Skyhawk. The first A4D-1 flew in June 1952, with deliveries to the fleet beginning in 1956. Pilots used to the increasingly larger and more powerful aircraft the US Navy fielded in the late 1950s, such as the F3H Demon and F4H Phantom II, were surprised at the diminutive A4D, which looked toylike on the decks of Forrestal-class supercarriers. It quickly earned the nicknames “Tinkertoy Bomber,” “Scooter,” and “Heinemann’s Hot Rod.”

The Skyhawk—redesignated A-4 in 1962—also quickly gained a reputation for reliability and nimbleness. Despite its small size, it could carry its own weight in bombs and still turn inside anything in the inventory, even the purpose-built F-8 Crusader fighter. For this reason, the Navy began assigning A-4C Skyhawks as “emergency fighter” detachments to Essex-class antisubmarine carriers, as these ships, still equipped with World War II-era hydraulic catapults and limited in deck space, could not carry the more modern F-4. Besides their internal 20mm cannon, A-4s could also carry up to four Sidewinder missiles.

It would be in the Vietnam War that the A-4 would prove its worth. Besides its large bombload and superb manuverability, the Skyhawk was also found to be able to take considerable punishment. Several A-4s returned to their carriers missing pieces of rudder or with holes shot through the wings. At the beginning of American involvement, the Navy began replacing the older A-4C “short-nose” models with the improved A-4E, which added a fifth hardpoint and a longer nose with more advanced avionics; this was quickly supplemented by the A-4F, which added a dorsal hump with still more avionics and ECM equipment.

Until the A-7 Corsair II began arriving in the fleet in the late 1960s, the A-4 represented the backbone of naval light attack units, operating alongside the A-6 Intruder in striking targets throughout Southeast Asia. On land, A-4s served with Marine Corps units, and proved so reliable and well-liked that the Marines decided not to use the A-7 at all. The Skyhawk also proved itself to be adaptable to other missions: A-4s carried out the US Navy’s first precision strike mission, a 1967 attack on the Hanoi thermal powerplant with AGM-62 Walleye missiles, and also served as Wild Weasel/Iron Hand suppression of enemy air defense aircraft, armed with AGM-45 Shrikes.

Though they were slower than the F-4 and F-8, and lacked the A-6’s ability to fly in the worst of inclement weather, the Skyhawk was not defenseless against enemy MiGs: it was the only American aircraft that could turn with a MiG-17 if it was “clean” of bombs, and only one A-4 was lost to enemy aircraft during the Vietnam War. In turn, one A-4, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Ted Schwartz, shot down a MiG-17 with Zuni rockets in 1967. Skyhawks would drop the first and last bombs of US Navy aircraft in the Vietnam War, and flew more sorties than any other naval aircraft—and paid a commensurate price: 362 Skyhawks were shot down or lost in accidents during the war, the most of any one type. Two A-4 pilots won the Medal of Honor during Vietnam, James Stockdale and Michael Estocin, the latter posthumously; longtime prisoner of war Everett Alvarez Jr. was also an A-4 pilot, as was fellow POW and later Presidential candidate, John McCain.

The A-4’s story did not end with Vietnam. Recognizing its superb manueverability, the US Navy began building adversary units with Skyhawks simulating the MiG-17 as part of the Top Gun program, beginning in 1969. These stripped down “Mongoose” A-4s proved to be a match even against far more advanced F-14 Tomcats and F-18 Hornets, and A-4s remained in the adversary role until 1998. Alongside these aircraft, the Navy used two-seat TA-4J Skyhawks as advanced trainers until 2003, while Marine units continued to use the penultimate A-4M Skyhawk in the light attack role until after the First Gulf War in 1991; Marine OA-4M “fast FAC” forward air control aircraft flew as late as 1998. The TA-4J was replaced by the T-45 Goshawk; there has never truly been a replacement for the A-4E adversaries and A-4M light attack aircraft, though the AV-8B Harrier supplemented them.

While Vietnam was the last war for American Skyhawks, foreign users would put the aircraft to further use. Israel would use their A-4H/Ns in the Yom Kippur War with heavy casualties, due to more advanced Egyptian and Syrian air defenses; better luck was had in the Lebanon War of 1982. Argentina’s A-4B/Qs saw extensive service over the Falklands in 1982, impressing even their British adversaries with hair-raising low-level bomb runs against British ships in San Carlos Water: though the Argentine aircraft took severe punishment from Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers, they also sank or damaged five ships. Finally, Kuwait used their A-4KU Skyhawks from the beginning of the First Gulf War.

Overall, 2960 A-4s were produced and flew with the air arms of eleven nations; Argentina, Israel, Brazil, and Singapore still fly them—Brazil’s A-4s still fly from carriers, while Singapore’s A-4SUs are extensively upgraded with turbofan engines and F-16 radar. Still others survive as government contract aggressor aircraft, or in private hands, while many are preserved in museums.

This A-4C, Bureau Number 147681, was a complete surprise for me. A friend and I spotted it purely by chance at Wasta, South Dakota from Interstate 90 while passing by from Rapid City, and stopped in to check it out. It's on display at a small military museum in the rather tiny town of Wasta, and it is in utterly pristine condition--there is no hint of wear or rust anywhere on the airframe. Unfortunately, the museum was closed the day we stopped, so we were unable to talk to the curator about it--which is a real shame, because he flew it.

As it turns out, 147681 joined the Navy in 1960 as part of VA-192 ("World Famous Golden Dragons"), aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard. It went through several other units during the Vietnam War, and saw combat. In 1971, after its final assignment with Naval Reserve unit VA-305 ("Hackers"), it was retired to AMARC in Arizona, but at some point thereafter, was taken to NAS Fallon, Nevada, where it was finally struck off charge and scrapped. Its story does not end there, of course: a pilot who flew 147681 found the wreck, took it to his hometown of Wasta, and lovingly restored it to its present, superb condition.

As displayed, 147681 appears as it did while flying with H&MS-15 Detachment N, aboard USS Hornet (CVS-12) from 1965-1966. As the CVS antisubmarine carriers lacked fighters of their own, Navy and Marine units often detached small units of A-4s to operate in ship protection duties, flying combat air patrols and occasional airstrikes. (My dad's carrier, USS Yorktown, carried a detachment from VSF-1, an A-4 squadron whose sole mission was CVS protection, but Marine H&MS units also undertook these missions.) It carries standard USN camouflage of light gray over white at the time, with H&MS-15's emblem on the fuselage; the red rudder panels were probably also a squadron affectation. Under the cockpit, 147681 carries the name "Fanny Hill"--Fanny Hill was the nickname of a prostitute dating from the 18th Century.

I don't usually take pictures of the same aircraft, but this A-4 is worth it. I'd originally photographed 147681 in 2018, but a friend of mine and I revisited Wasta in 2020, hoping to actually get into the museum there! Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the museum was closed for the year, though we did have a chance to chat with the curator's wife. I liked this angle a bit more than the other picture I took, so I grabbed this shot as the first one of my 2020 "season."

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. It was analogous in concept to the Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalized version of the Spitfire's stablemate, the Hawker Hurricane. The name Seafire was derived from the abbreviation of the longer name Sea Spitfire.

After returning to European waters, the Aéronavale’s Seafire frontline units were re-equipped with the more modern and capable Seafire 15s and FR 23s, but these were also quickly replaced by Grumman F6F Hellcats from American surplus stock, starting already in 1950. The fighters were retired from carrier operations and soon relegated to training and liaison duties, and eventually scrapped. However, the FR.23s were at this time the only carrier-capable photo reconnaissance aircraft in the Aéronavale’s ranks, so that these machines remained active with Flottille 1.F until 1955, but their career was rather short, too, and immediately ended when the first naval jets became available and raised the performance bar.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 31 ft 10 in (9.70 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)

Height: 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) tail down with propeller blade vertical

Wing area: 242.1 ft² (22.5 m²)

Empty weight: 5,564 lb (2,524 kg)

Gross weight: 7,415 lb (3,363 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 66M V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine,

delivering 1,720 hp (1,283 kW) at 11,000 ft and driving a 4-bladed constant-speed propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 404 mph (650 km/h) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

Cruise speed: 272 mph (438 km/h, 236 kn)

Range: 493 mi (793 km) on internal fuel at cruising speed

965 mi (1,553 km) with 90 gal drop tank

Service ceiling: 42,500 ft (12,954 m)

Rate of climb: 4,745 ft/min (24.1 m/s) at 10,000 ft (3,048 m)

Time to altitude: 20,000 ft (6,096 m) in 8 minutes 6 seconds

Armament:

4× 20 mm Hispano V cannon; 175 rpg inboard, 150 rpg outboard

Hardpoints for up to 2× 250 lb (110 kg) bombs (outer wings), plus 1× 500 lb (230 kg) bomb

(ventral hardpoint) or drop tanks, or up to 8× "60 lb" RP-3 rockets on zero-length launchers

The kit and its assembly:

This build was another attempt to reduce The Stash. The basis was a Special Hobby FR Mk. 47, which I had originally bought as a donor kit: the engine housing bulges of its Griffon engine were transplanted onto a racing P-51D Mustang. Most of the kit was still there, and from this basis I decided to create a fictional post-WWII Seafire/Spitfire variant.

With the Griffon fairings gone a Merlin engine was settled, and the rest developed spontaneously. The propeller was improvised, with a P-51D spinner (Academy kit) and blades from the OOB 5-blade propeller, which are slightly deeper than the blades from the Spitfire Mk. IX/XVI prop. In order to attach it to the hull and keep it movable, I implanted my standard metal axis/styrene tube arrangement.

With the smaller Merlin engine, I used the original, smaller Spitfire stabilizers but had to use the big, late rudder, due to the taller fin of the post-ware Spit-/Seafire models. The four-spoke wheels also belong to an earlier Seafire variant. Since it was an option in the kit, I went for a fuselage with camera openings (the kit comes with two alternative fuselages as well as a vast range of optional parts for probably ANY late Spit- and Seafire variant – and also for many fictional hybrids!), resulting in a low spine and a bubble canopy, what gives the aircraft IMHO very sleek and elegant lines. In order to maintain this impression I also used the short cannon barrels from the kit. For extended range on recce missions I furthermore gave the model the exotic underwing slipper tanks instead of the optional missile launch rail stubs under the outer wing sections. Another mod is the re-installment of the small oil cooler under the left wing root from a Spitfire Mk. V instead of the symmetrical standard radiator pair – just another subtle sign that “something’s not right” here.

Painting and markings:

The decision to build this model as a French aircraft was inspired by a Caracal Decals set with an Aéronavale Seafire III from the Vietnam tour of duty in 1948, an aircraft with interesting roundels that still carried British FAA WWII colors (Dark Slate Grey/Dark Sea Grey, Sky). Later liveries of the type remain a little obscure, though, and information about them is contradictive. Some profiles show French Seafires in British colors, with uniform (Extra) Dark Sea Grey upper and Sky lower surfaces, combined with a high waterline – much like contemporary FAA aircraft like the Sea Fury. However, I am a bit in doubt concerning the Sky, because French naval aircraft of that era, esp. recce types like the Shorts Sunderland or PBY Catalina, were rather painted in white or very light grey, just with uniform dark grey upper surfaces, reminding of British Coastal Command WWII aircraft.

Since this model would be a whif, anyway, and for a pretty look, I adopted the latter design, backed by an undated profile of a contemporary Seafire Mk. XV from Flottille S.54, a training unit, probably from the Fifties - not any valid guarantee for authenticity, but it looks good, if not elegant!

Another option from that era would have been an all-blue USN style livery, which should look great on a Spitfire, too. But I wanted something more elegant and odd, underpinning the bubbletop Seafire’s clean lines.

I settled for Extra Dark Sea Grey (Humbrol 123) and Light Grey (FS. 36495, Humbrol 147) as basic tones, with a very high waterline. The spinner was painted yellow, the only colorful marking. Being a post-war aircraft of British origin, the cockpit interior was painted in black (Revell 09, anthracite). The landing gear wells became RAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78), while the inside of the respective covers became Sky (Humbrol 90) – reflecting the RAF/FAA’s post-war practice of applying the external camouflage paint on these surfaces on Spit-/Seafires, too. On this specific aircraft the model displays, just the exterior had been painted over by the new operator. Looks weird, but it’s a nice detail.

The roundels came from the aforementioned 1948 Seafire Mk. III, and their odd design – esp. the large ones on the wings, and only the fuselage roundels carry the Aéronavale’s anchor icon and a yellow border – creates a slightly confusing look. Unfortunately, the roundels were not 100% opaque, this became only apparent after their application, and they did not adhere well, either.

The tactical code had to be improvised with single, black letters of various sizes – they come from a Hobby Boss F4F USN pre-WWII Wildcat, but were completely re-arrenged into the French format. The fin flash on the rudder had to be painted, with red and blue paint, in an attempt to match the decals’ tones, and separated by a white decal stripe. The anchor icon on the rudder had to be printed by myself, unfortunately the decal on the bow side partly disintegrated. Stencils were taken from the Special Hobby kit’s OOB sheet.

The model received a light black ink washing, post-panel shading with dry-brushing and some soot stains around the exhausts, but not too much weathering, since it would be relatively new. Finally, everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

A relatively quick and simple build, and the Special Hobby kit went together with little problems – a very nice and versatile offering. The mods are subtle, but I like the slender look of this late Spitfire model, coupled with the elegant Merlin engine – combined into the fictional Mk. 23. The elegant livery just underlines the aircraft’s sleek lines. Not spectacular, but a pretty result.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some Background:

The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, day/night interceptor, replacing the propeller-driven North American F-82 Twin Mustang in this role. The system was designed to overtake the F-80 in terms of performance, but more so to intercept the new high-level Soviet bombers capable of nuclear attacks on America and her Allies - in particular, the new Tupelov Tu-4. The F-94 was furthermore the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War in January 1953.

For better handling and less drag esp. at low altitude, the F-94B’s large Fletcher type wingtip tanks were frequently replaced with smaller ones with about half capacity. It also became common practice to operate the RF-94Bs with only a crew of one, and from 1960 on the RF-94B was, thanks to its second seat, more and more used as a trainer before pilots mounted more potent reconnaissance aircraft like the RF-101 Voodoo, which eventually replaced the RF-94B in ANG service. The last RF-94B was phased out in 1968, and, unlike the RF-84F, it was not operated by any foreign air force.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2 (but frequently operated by a single pilot)

Length: 43 ft 4 3/4 in (13.25 m)

Wingspan (with tip tanks): 40 ft 9 1/2 in (12.45 m)

Height: 12 ft. 2 (3.73 m)

Wing area: 234' 8" sq ft (29.11 m²)

Empty weight: 10,064 lb (4,570 kg)

Loaded weight: 15,330 lb (6,960 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 24,184 lb (10,970 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Allison J33-A-33 turbojet, rated at 4,600 lbf (20.4 kN) continuous thrust,

5,400 lbf (24 kN) with water injection and 6,000 lbf (26.6 kN) thrust with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: 630 mph (1,014 km/h) at height and in level flight

Range: 930 mi (813 nmi, 1,500 km) in combat configuration with two drop tanks

Ferry range: 1,457 mi (1,275 nmi, 2,345 km)

Service ceiling: 42,750 ft (14,000 m)

Rate of climb: 6,858 ft/min (34.9 m/s)

Wing loading: 57.4 lb/ft² (384 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.48

Armament:

No internal guns; 2x 165 US Gallon (1,204 liter) drop tanks on the wing tips and…

2x underwing hardpoints for two additional 165 US Gallon (1,204 liter) ferry tanks

or bombs of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber each, plus…

2x optional (rarely fitted) pods on the wings’ leading edges with either a pair of 0.5" (12.7 mm)

machine guns or twelve 2.75” (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets each

The kit and its assembly:

This project was originally earmarked as a submission for the 2021 “Reconnaissance & Surveillance” group build at whatifmodellers.com, in the form of a Heller F-94B with a new nose section. The inspiration behind this build was the real-world EF-94C (s/n 50-963): a solitary conversion with a bulbous camera nose. However, the EF-94C was not a reconnaissance aircraft but rather a chase plane/camera ship for the Air Research and Development Command, hence its unusual designation with the suffix “E”, standing for “Exempt” instead of the more appropriate “R” for a dedicated recce aircraft. There also was another EF-94C, but this was a totally different kind of aircraft: an ejection seat testbed.

I had a surplus Heller F-94B kit in The Stash™ and it was built almost completely OOB and did – except for some sinkholes and standard PSR work – not pose any problem. In fact, the old Heller Starfire model is IMHO a pretty good representation of the aircraft. O.K., its age might show, but almost anything you could ask for at 1:72 scale is there, including a decent, detailed cockpit.

The biggest change was the new camera nose, and it was scratched from an unlikely donor part: it consists of a Matchbox B-17G tail gunner station, slimmed down by the gunner station glazing's width at the seam in the middle, and this "sandwich" was furthermore turned upside down. Getting the transitional sections right took lots of PSR, though, and I added some styrene profiles to integrate the new nose into the rest of the hull. It was unintentional, but the new nose profile reminds a lot of a RF-101 recce Voodoo, and there's, with the straight wings, a very F-89ish look to the aircraft now? There's also something F2H-2ish about the outlines?

The large original wing tip tanks were cut off and replaced with smaller alternatives from a Hasegawa A-37. Because it was easy to realize on this kit I lowered the flaps, together with open ventral air brakes. The cockpit was taken OOB, I just modified the work station on the rear seat and replaced the rubber sight protector for the WSO with two screens for a camera operator. Finally, the one-piece cockpit glazing was cut into two parts to present the model with an open canopy.

Painting and markings:

This was a tough decision: either an NMF finish (the natural first choice), an overall light grey anti-corrosive coat of paint, both with relatively colorful unit markings, or camouflage. The USAF’s earlier RF-80As carried a unique scheme in olive drab/neutral grey with a medium waterline, but that would look rather vintage on the F-94. I decided that some tactical camouflage would make most sense on this kind of aircraft and eventually settled for the USAF’s SEA scheme with reduced tactical markings, which – after some field tests and improvisations in Vietnam – became standardized and was officially introduced to USAF aircraft around 1965 as well as to ANG units.

Even though I had already built a camouflaged F-94 some time ago (a Hellenic aircraft in worn SEA colors), I settled for this route. The basic colors (FS 30219, 34227, 34279 and 36622) all came from Humbrol (118, 117, 116 and 28, respectively), and for the pattern I adapted the paint scheme of the USAF’s probably only T-33 in SEA colors: a trainer based on Iceland during the Seventies and available as a markings option in one of the Special Hobby 1:32 T-33 kits. The low waterline received a wavy shape, inspired by an early ANG RF-101 in SEA camouflage I came across in a book. The new SEA scheme was apparently applied with a lot of enthusiasm and properness when it was brand new, but this quickly vaned. As an extra, the wing tip tanks received black anti-glare sections on their inner faces and a black anti-glare panel was added in front of the windscreen - a decal from a T-33 aftermarket sheet. Beyond a black ink wash the model received some subtle panel post-shading, but rather to emphasize surface details than for serious weathering.

The cockpit became very dark grey (Revell 06) while the landing gear wells were kept in zinc chromate green primer (Humbrol 80, Grass Green), with bright red (Humbrol 60, Matt Red) cover interiors and struts and wheels in aluminum (Humbrol 56). The interior of the flaps and the ventral air brakes became red, too.

The decals/markings came from a Special Hobby 1:72 F-86H; there’s a dedicated ANG boxing of the kit that comes with an optional camouflaged aircraft of the NY ANG, the least unit to operate the “Sabre Hog” during the Seventies. Since this 138th TFS formerly operated the F-94A/B, it was a perfect option for the RF-94B! I just used a different Bu. No. code on the fin, taken from a PrintScale A/T-37 set, and most stencils were perocured from the scrap box.

After a final light treatment with graphite around the afterburner for a more metallic shine of the iron metallic (Revell 97) underneath, the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).

A camouflaged F-94 is an unusual sight, but it works very well. The new/longer nose considerably changes the aircraft's profile, and even though the change is massive, the "Crocodile" looks surprisingly plausible, if not believable! And, despite the long nose, the aircraft looks pretty sleek, especially in the air.

Italian Air Force personnel use and monitor energy saving portable LED helicopter landing lights at the NATO Smart Energy Training and Assessment Camp (SETAC) at the Ziemsko Airfield in Drawsko Pomorskie training area in Poland. The SETAC concept is deployed as part of the multinational Exercise Capable Logistician 2019, a regular exercise for NATO and Partner nations to test interoperability and assess NATO standards.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was originally designed as an assault transport capable of operating from unpaved,hadtily preparde airstrips.On August 23,1953,the Lockheed C-130 Hercules made its first flight.By 1976 more than 1,200 Lockheed C-130 Herculces had been ordered,including aircraft equipped for radar weather mapping and reconnaissance,mid-air space capsule recovery,search and rescue,ambulance service,drone launching,and mid-air refueling of helicopters.The C-130 Hercules could transport up to 92 combat troops and their gear or 45,000 pounds of cargo.Where Facilities were inadequate,the Lockheed C-130 Hercules could deliver its cargo by parachute or low altitude ground-cable extraction without landing.

Twenty-eight Lockheed C-130 Hercules were converted to side-firing gunships,primarily for night attacks against ground targets.This Lockheed AC-130A Hercules was modified at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,Ohio,as the prototype for the gunship version and was intially equipped with four 20 milimter cannons and four 7.62 milimeter miniguns milti-barrel guns,a searchlight and target sensors.After testing in Southeast Asia in 1967,it was used as a test bed for addition armament sensor and fire control development.Later Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunships mounted improved sensors,digital fire control computer and heavier armament.

Lockheed AC-130A

---------------------------

With the success of the Douglas AC-47D Skytrain "Spooky" or "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Puff" gunships in Southeast Asia,the U.S Air Force created two modification programs for improved and larger gunships.The Fairchild AC-119G Flying Boxcar "Shadows" and Fairchild AC-119K Flying Boxcar "Stingers" were developed under the Gunship III program and the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules was developed under the Gunship II program.

Compared to the Douglas AC-47D Skytran "Spooky" or "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Puff",the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules "Spectre" gunship was equipped with more and bigger guns--four MUX-470 7.62 milimeter miniguns and four 20 milimeter cannons.Gunship II program was also equipped with a more sophisticated avionics suite including Night Observation Divice,Forwad Looking InfraRed,side looking radar,beacon tracking radar and fire control computer system.The Lockheed AC-130A Hercules was also equipped with a 20 kilowatt (1.5 million candlepower) illumnuation and a flare launcher.

On febuary 26,1967,the first aircraft (Lockheed JC-130A Hercules S/N 54-1626) was selected for conversion into the prototype Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunship.The modificafion were done in April 1967 and May 1967 at Wright-Patterson Airforce Base,Ohio,by the Aeronultical Systems Division.Flight testing of the Lockheed AC-130 Hercules was done primarly at Eglin Air Force Base,Florida,and began on June 6,1967.Testing and addition modifications were done throughout the summer of 1967.By early September 1967,theaircraft Lockheed AC-130A Hercules was certifed ready for combat testing.The Lockheed AC-130 Hercules prototype was flown to Nha Trang Air Base,South Vietnam arriving on September 21,1967,for a 90-day test program.

Combat Test and Evaluation

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The prototype Lockheed AC-130 Hercules Gunship II program (inital designated Gunboat) was modified at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,Ohio,in the spring of 1967.Inital flight testing was done during the summer of 1967,primarly at Eglin Air Force Base,Florida.The aircraft Lockheed AC-130 Hercules was flown to Southeast Asia for follow-on -flight testing under combat conitions.

The Lockheed AC-130A Hercules arrived at Nha Trang Air Base,South Vietnam on September 21,1967.The inital test of the Gunship II program involved Close Air Support in the southern region of South Vietnam in the Mekong River Delta area.Close Air Supprt was a critical mission since support of Troops in Contact always took precepence over gunship missions.The next of tests evaluated the aircraft's Lockheed AC-130 Hercules interdiction capabilities primarly against enemy trucks operating on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the Tiger Hound (southern quadrant of the panhandle) aera of Laos.The final phase of test program involved flying armed reconnasissonce missions in the central highland of South Vietnam(2nd Army Corps area).Actual combat sorties flown between Septmber 24,1697 and December 1,1967.

The result of combat test program were very encouraging.The Gunship II program particularly good at interdiction of enemy supply vehicles.Of the 94 vehicles sighted,38 vehicles were destroyed (verified dircect hits and secondary explosions or sustained fire).During the combat evaluation,the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules fired more than 85,000 rounds of 20 milimeter cannon ammunition and more than 220,000 rounds of 7.62 milimeter miniguns ammunition.While the combat test program was suuccessful,there were some serious problems indentifed which would require fixing before the "production" Lockheed AC-130A Hercules modification program could begin.

After the prototype Lockheed AC-130A Hercules completed its inital combat evaluation in early December 1967,problems indentified during the test program were evaluated and integrated into an upgrade and overhaul plan expected to take until midsummer 1968.However,because of the success of first combat test,General William C. Westmoreland,Commander of the United States Military Assistance Command,Vietnam,requested the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules be returned to Southeast Asia as soon as possible,so it could be used befor the "wet" season Monsoon in late spring 1968.General Willim W. Momyer,Commander of the 7th Air Force,dircted the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules overhaul incude only essential fix and the gunship be returned to Southeast Asia by the begining of spring 1968.The overhaul was completed in early Febuary 1968 and the aircraft Lockheed AC-130 Hercules arrived back in Southeast Asia on Febuary 12,1968.During the second combat test,the Gunship II program was based at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base,Thailand,a forward operating location of the 14th Air Commando Wing based at Nha Trang Air Base,South Vietnam (location of the fist combat test).

The Lockheed AC-130A Hercules prototype conducted the second combat evaluation between Febuary 27,1968 and May 14,1968.Fouty-three combat missions were flown over Laos,primarily in the "Steel Tiger" area of the panhandle.Eight hundred 74 enemy vehicles were sighted--212 vehicles were destoyed and 107 vehicles were damaged.The Lockheed AC-130A Hercules gunship also destroyed one 37 milimeter antiaircraft artillery (AAA) and damaged four more 37 milimeter antiaircraft artillery (AAA) sites.

Because of some early problems with the gunship's fire control system and often heavy antiaircraft artillery (AAA),the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules teamed up with Cessna O-2 Skymaster "Covey" forward air controllers (FAC) and Lockheed C-130 Hercules "Blindbat" flare ships.The Lockheed C-130 Hercules "Blindbat" was verry effective detecting targets using its star light scope;however,it flew a predictable search pattern altitudes (right hana circular or race track at 8,000 feet -11,000 feet altitude).Enemy guners were quick to realized if they heard or saw the unarmed Lockheed C-130 Hercules "Blindbat" orbiting their psition,an attack strike was imminet and to hold fire waiting on the strike aircraft.The Lockheed AC-130A Hercules was highly vulnerable in this situation,so if a Lockheed C-130 Hercules "Blindbat" spotted a target,it would relay the information to the Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunship and clear the area.This allowed the Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunship to achive some amount of surprise when attacking defended ground targets,although most cases,the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules simply avoided areas known to contain heavy enemy antiaircraft artillery (AAA).

The Lockheed AC-130A Hercules worked well using the Cessna O-2 Skymaster "Covey" as a seeker aircraft.In general,the Cessna O-2 Skymaster "Covey" would fly slightly higher and inside the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules gunship's orbit.When an enemy antiaircraft artillery position was spotted,the Cessna O-2 Skymaster "Covey" marked the gun and called for a "fast mover" to attack it while the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules moved off to search for truck traffic in areas with little or no antiaircraft artillery (AAA) gun positions.

The overhaul conclusion of the second test program was the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules would be extremly effective in interdicting supply lines if the antiaircraft artillery (AAA) defense were neutralized.Note:Becaused of the bombing halt in place during the spring of 1968,three Cessna O-2 Skymaster "Covey",one Lockheed C-130 Hercules "Blindbat",and three McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs based at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base,Thailand were shot down over Laos (May 1968)--the enemy used that time to set-up many antiaircraft artillery (AAA) sites along the Ho Chi Minh Tral routes through southern Laos.

Following the second conbat evaluation,all major aircraft systems and component were critoqued on combat performance,ease of maintenance and relibility.The illuminator system was broken throughout the test period and was eventually removed from the aircraft Lockheed AC-130 Hercules.Problems with the system included lack of spare parts,poor repair manuals and xcontamination of the water cooling system.The LAU-74 semiautomatic flare launcher installed beside the illuminator on the aft ramp worked well throughout the tests.When the fire control computer was "down",the pilot sometimes resorted to Douglas AC-47D Skytrain "Spooky" or "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Puff" style tactics--drop flares to light the target and manually site the gun and "walk" the tracer path to the target.The fire control radar (DPN-34) was broken much of the time and rquired extensive maintenance between flights.The evaluation team recommended an entire new system be used on all further Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunship conversions.The infrared tracing tracking system was unable,but required a very exerienced operator to continuously track a ground target with the aircraft Lockheed AC-130 Hercules in attack mode (30 degree left bank).The guns all performed well and only miner jamming problems (fixable in flight by the guners) but was prone to problems otherwise.The fire control computer was subject to in-flight failure but worked well when it was functional.The Night Observation Device worked well and was among the most reliable pieces of equipment on the Gunship II program Lockheed AC-130 Hercules prototype.The navigation equipment worked well and most problems were associated with the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules attack tactics.Example,the search radar had a limited range of 30 miles and tended to have roll stabilzation problems during sustained bank flight.

The typical Lockheed AC-130A Hercules attack profile was flown at 5,000 feet above ground level (AGL) for armed reconnaissance missions and interdixtion missions.If moderate or heavy antiaircraft artillery (AAA) with attack from 6,500 feet or 8,000 feet above ground level (AGL) (in most cases,the Gunship II program would depart areas with heavy antiaircraft artillery (AAA) without attacking).For close air support of Troops In Contact (TIC) the aircraft Lockheed AC-130 Hercules would fly as low as 3,500 feet above ground level (AGL) to improve gun accuracy.THe standard speed was 145 knots.The aircraft Lockheed AC-130 Hercules while in a 30 degree left bank and guns were depressed 20 degrees (down).This combined with an approximate 10 degree ballistic arc caused the rounds to impact the target area at approximatley 60 degrees (from horizontal).This high angle of incidence produced good results even when penetrating the jungle canopy.The 20 milimeter "Vulcan" cannon were primary weapons used and a 2-second burst (75-100 rounds) from a single 20 milimeter cannon were usually sufficient to destroy an enemy truck.Whenfiring on a group of vehicles located close to one another,two 20 milimeter cannons fired simultaneously.The only time all eight guns (four 20 milimeter cannons and four 7.62 milimeter miniguns) were fired together was when attcking an enemy antiaircraft artillery (AAA) site.When the Gunship II program encountered an antiaircraft artillery (AAA) and didn't attack it (this was usually the case),a flare,timed to ignite when it hit the ground,was sometimes dropped on the site to mark it (and be avoided by the Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunship and forward air controller (FAC) in the area).

The final reconnendation of evaluation team included the need for an upgrade fire control system which could minmize the time over the target,reliable maintain lock,and store multiple target locations.The need for larger caliber guns to deal with antiaircraft artillery (AAA) sites and armored vehicles was also included in the report.The evaluation team suggested a 25 milimeter cannons;however,follow-on Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunships included 40 milimter cannons and some were equipped with a 105 milimeter howitzer!

M-102 105 MM Cannon

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Designed for easy transport by helicopter or light vehicles,the M-120 105 milimeter cannon first saw service in Southeast Asia with the U.S.Army in 1966.The M-102's light weight made it well-suited for use on Lockheed AC-130 Hercules gunships.One of the side-firing 40 milimeter guns on the Lockheed AC-130A Hercules was replaces with the modified M-102 105 milimeter cannon to increase firepower.

Other Lockheed AC-130A Hercules gunships,however used the powerful M-102 105 milimeter cannon effectively against enemy targets.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was designed as a troop and freight carrying aircraft capable of operating from unprepared surfaces. Because it was designed from the outset as a military cargo aircraft, the C-130 featured a rear ramp for ease of loading. At the time this was an innovation. The rear ramp also allows air-dropping of supplies.

The first prototype flew in 1954 and deliveries of the aircraft to the United States Air Force began in 1956.

The RAF ordered sixty-six Hercules, and the first of these was delivered in 1966.

This example is one of thirty of the original order that were lengthened, because some regular loads were filling the cargo bay while weighing much less than the aircraft could lift ("bulking out"). Extra length was achieved by inserting additional fuselage sections fore and aft of the wings.

More than 2300 Hercules have been built and there are more than forty variants of the type. The Hercules is used by more than 60 countries and has been in service with its original operator the United States Air Force for more than 50 years.

Type : Medium range tactical transport.

In Service : 1967 - 2011 (new C130Js introduced 1999)

Engines : Four 4,900hp Allison T-56 Turboprops.

Maximum Speed : 600kph (375mph)

Max. Altitude : 10,000m (33,000ft)

Airframe : All metal stressed-skin.

Wingspan : 40.5m (133ft)

Length : 34.6m (113ft 6ins)

Max Loaded Weight : 45,000kg (99,000Ib)

Empty Weight : 34,300kg (75,600Ib)

Capacity : 128 passengers /96 stretchers

64 paratroops

8 pallets

3 Land Rovers or an armoured personnel carrier.

Hercules C.3 XV202 history.

Manufacturers number 382-4226.

Built at Lockheed Marietta, Georgia as a C-130H-130-LM Hercules.

Given USAF serial number 66-8552 this aircraft was one of 66 C-130K Hercules aquired for the RAF between December 1966 and May 1968.

August 1967 : Delivered to the RAF as Hercules C.Mk.1 following painting and fitting out by Marshalls of Cambridge.

1981 : Converted to C.Mk.3, with fuselage lengthened by 15ft/4.57m by Marshalls as one of 30 conversions carried out between 1980 and 1985 using additional Lockheed-supplied fuselage sections fore and aft of the wing.

Used mainly on longer routes and for paratrooping.

To RAF Lyneham Transport Wing, Wiltshire (comprising Nos. 24, 30, 47 and 70 Squadrons and 242 O.C.U, all part of No. 38 Group.

1986 : Retrofitted with in-flight refuelling probe above cockpit, designated C.3P.

1994 : Displayed at international Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, Gloustershire, as part of the Hercules' 40th anniversary and was serving as part of the Lyneham Transport wing.

1st January 2009 : To Marshalls, Cambridge for storage.

March 2011 : Took part in Operation ELLAMY from Malta in support of the Libyan conflict. Subsequently with No.47 Squadron, RAF Brize Norton (the last four Hercules left Lyneham on 1st July 2011, prior to that station's planned closure in late 2012).

12th August 2011 : Flown from RAF Brize Norton to RAFM Cosford. This is thought to be the final landing of the last RAF C.3.

Image copyright D.J.Ralley 2016.

Not to be used without prior permission.

The U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element (FCE) is a self-contained, mobile command post capable of worldwide communications, and can deploy within 72 hours.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.

The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.

“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.

During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.

“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.

Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.

“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH

Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.

“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”

Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.

“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.

USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.

“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”

In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.

Society is a powerfull being, capable of waging war upon it's enemies, destroying whole nations standing in it's way. To this mean society spare no expense, be it human lives or the resources and wealth of a whole nation.

In other words, when society sets forth to solve a task, be it to set foot on the moon, fight illiteracy or conquer a nation one the other side of the planet, it will do so with terrible force, determination and perseverance.

This poster I saw 3 times to day and it clearly show how serious society take discrimination against sexual minorities, in one of the most forward LBGT-rights countries in the world.

Yet... I ponder, what would I do that was even less costly and effortless than posters? What would I do that would make a bigger difference, than this poster weapon of mass destruction, that evidently in a flash will obliterate discrimination from the face of this nation?

Well now I ask... If I was society, I would hire transvestite police men/woman, directly seek them out for the sole purpose. Even the police would protest to such I am sure you know, as among the occupational hazards of working as a policeman, is the likelihood of catching Homophobia.

Now THAT would do more of a trick, to have one tranny police ninja woman, patrolling the streets of Copenhagen, one in Aarhus and one in Aalborg. ;o)

But right you are... I'm rambling again, preposterous thoughts deprived wisdom and touch with the reality of the real world of society. Pray forgive me.

Should you be so childish naive as I, bursting out that it is a wondrous idea, that I in fact should be the first ninja tranny cop, I beg you to remember that I do neither communicate, associate and CERTAINLY do not colaborate with the enemy.

Should you further more point to my ethics and moral, I might be tempted to agree with you there, that I as the first police tranny, WOULD make the HELL of a difference in society sending a signal and further more make headline news ripples throughout the world. But to this I must defend myself with the fact, that I as a transvestite, by the standards of my home country, are defined as inflicted by a mental and behavioural disorder.

apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en#/F60-F69

I am sure you will agree, that we cannot have the mentally sick allowed to performe the duty of police.

But in these times of change it is important to remember that new positions will appear, new opportunities evolve and new models as to role. As we will see the Tranny cop emerge in the future, the need for the Tranny villain will arise and the role of a ”Moriarty” of the subcultural underworld will need to be filled, a dark Queen.

It would of cause have to be someone used to not ”going by the books” so to speak, one with an outrageously dashing courageous audacity, a swashbucklers daring and a total lack of respect for law, orderly common moral and state authority. As documentet in many american movies, such master villain need be most eloquent and intelligent, plus have most exentric flaws such as a slight misuse of recreational drugs, a most peculiar taste in clothes, sexual partners and preferences.

We must all follow our calling in life and back when I was practically the only dark coloured child in the whole neighborhood, I carefully studied the Donald Duck magasines and found one character most identifiably fascinating and immediately then I knew, that if I could be anyone in the world of Disney, it would have to be, The Phantom Blot.

Though the US Navy reconsidered its decision to retire the AD Skyraider after the Korean War, it was still a piston-engined attack aircraft designed during World War II, while the Navy preferred going to a modern, all-jet attack/fighter fleet. To supplement and then replace the AD, the Navy issued a requirement for a jet attack fighter weighing no more than 48,000 pounds, capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, and with a speed of at least 550 miles an hour. The Navy was not surprised when Douglas’ chief designer, Edward Heinemann, submitted a proposal for a delta-winged, light attack jet—but they were surprised to find that it met all of the requirements, yet weighed in at only 23,000 pounds, less than half the required weight.

Heinemann’s design was quickly ordered by the Navy as the A4D Skyhawk. The first A4D-1 flew in June 1952, with deliveries to the fleet beginning in 1956. Pilots used to the increasingly larger and more powerful aircraft the US Navy fielded in the late 1950s, such as the F3H Demon and F4H Phantom II, were surprised at the diminutive A4D, which looked toylike on the decks of Forrestal-class supercarriers. It quickly earned the nicknames “Tinkertoy Bomber,” “Scooter,” and “Heinemann’s Hot Rod.”

The Skyhawk—redesignated A-4 in 1962—also quickly gained a reputation for reliability and nimbleness. Despite its small size, it could carry its own weight in bombs and still turn inside anything in the inventory, even the purpose-built F-8 Crusader fighter. Besides their internal 20mm cannon, A-4s could also carry up to four Sidewinder missiles.

It would be in the Vietnam War that the A-4 would prove its worth. Besides its large bombload and superb maneuverability, the Skyhawk was also found to be able to take considerable punishment. Several A-4s returned to their carriers missing pieces of rudder or with holes shot through the wings. At the beginning of American involvement, the Navy began replacing the older A-4C “short-nose” models with the improved A-4E, which added a fifth hardpoint and a longer nose with more advanced avionics; this was quickly supplemented by the A-4F, which added a dorsal hump with still more avionics and ECM equipment. Until the A-7 Corsair II began arriving in the fleet in the late 1960s, the A-4 represented the backbone of naval light attack units, operating alongside the A-6 Intruder in striking targets throughout Southeast Asia. On land, A-4s served with Marine Corps units, and proved so reliable and well-liked that the Marines decided not to use the A-7 at all.

The A-4’s story did not end with Vietnam. Recognizing its superb maneuverability, the US Navy began building adversary units with Skyhawks simulating the MiG-17 as part of the Top Gun program, beginning in 1969. These stripped down “Mongoose” A-4s proved to be a match even against far more advanced F-14 Tomcats and F-18 Hornets, and A-4s remained in the adversary role until 1998. Alongside these aircraft, the Navy used two-seat TA-4J Skyhawks as advanced trainers until 2003, while Marine units continued to use the penultimate A-4M Skyhawk in the light attack role until after the First Gulf War in 1991; Marine OA-4M “fast FAC” forward air control aircraft flew as late as 1998.

Overall, 2960 A-4s were produced and flew with the air arms of eleven nations. Still others survive as government contract aggressor aircraft, or in private hands, while many are preserved in museums.

Built as a TA-4F in 1966, Bureau Number 153671 spent most of her time as an A-4 pilot trainer and as an adversary trainer with Top Gun. It was converted to a TA-4J in 1971, but it was not until 1987 that it joined the Navy's training community with VT-7 at NAS Meridian, Mississippi. It remained with that squadron until it was retired in favor of the British Aerospace T-45A Goshawk in 2000. 153671 was for a time displayed at an air museum in Elkhart, Indiana, but when that museum closed, it was moved to Grissom AFB's airpark.

153671 still wears the "A" of VT-7, and is painted in the Navy's standard trainer scheme of overall white with international orange recognition bands.

Not long after the F-4C Phantom II entered USAF service in the early 1960s, the service issued a requirement for a heavy, all-missile equipped interceptor with variable-sweep wings and a top speed of nearly Mach 3. This requirement was soon cancelled, however, due to two events: the Vietnam War and the flight of the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat. Over North Vietnam, the heavy, all-missile F-4 had found itself at a disadvantage against smaller, lighter, gun-equipped MiG-17s, while the new Foxbat was erroneously thought to be a generation ahead of anything then in American service, both agile and capable of Mach 3 performance. The USAF changed its requirement to a lighter aircraft that would include an internal gun, with an emphasis on performance; it rejected a Grumman proposal for a land-based version of the F-14 Tomcat as being too heavy.

The new F-X proposal did away with maintenance-intensive swing wings in favor of a more conventional, easier to repair and produce fighter with a high thrust-to-weight ratio and superb performance in the vertical, once more drawing on the Vietnam experience, where North Vietnamese fighters had performed poorly in vertical maneuvers. Almost as much emphasis was given to the F-X’s radar, which had to have look-down, shoot-down capability—another failure of American technology over Vietnam. McDonnell Douglas’ twin-tailed proposal won the F-X competition, despite being roughly the same weight as a F-4E Phantom II, and more expensive; demands for lighter and less expensive fighters as an alternative to this new YF-15 Eagle led to the development of the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18 Hornet.

The first F-15 flew in July 1972 and immediately exhibited superb flight characteristics: for its size, which was slightly larger than a F-4, it was very agile. The combination of powerful turbofan engines and thrust-to-weight ratio made the F-15 one of the first fighters to be able to accelerate in a climb, rather than lose speed. Like the F-4, it used a mix of conformal-fuselage mounted AIM-7 Sparrows and wing rail-mounted AIM-9 Sidewinders, but unlike the F-4, the F-15 was built from the start with an internal 20mm gatling cannon. From a fighter pilot’s standpoint, the best part of the F-15, aside from its phenomenal performance, was the bubbletop canopy, set forward from the wide fuselage, giving superb all-around visibility.

Though the cost of the F-15 was brought into question, especially after the defection of a MiG-25 pilot in 1975 revealed that the Foxbat was nowhere near as capable as originally thought, but this only led the USAF to go with a mix of the F-15 and the less expensive F-16, which would prove to be superb “stablemates” in the decades to come. F-15As entered USAF service in 1976. Almost immediately, the F-15A was supplemented and supplanted by the F-15C, which introduced improved avionics, engines, and radar; F-15As underwent the Multi-Stage Improvement Program (MSIP) beginning in 1983, which rendered them basically identical to F-15Cs, and the two types are indistinguishable externally.

Though the F-15 was costly, the F-14 Tomcat was even more expensive, and so Israel chose the Eagle as the replacement for the Mirage III in 1978. Not long after the first Israel F-15As became operational, the Eagle scored its first kills over Syrian MiG-21s in 1979. This was to begin the F-15’s excellent combat record: during the 1982 Lebanon War, Israeli F-15s added 40 more kills over MiG-21s, MiG-23 Floggers, and MiG-25s; Saudi Arabia, which had received F-15s in 1981, added two Iranian F-4Es in 1984.

The F-15’s shining moment was during the First Gulf War with Iraq in 1991. Eagles had been among the first aircraft deployed to the Gulf region in what was, at the time, the longest deployment ever undertaken by fighters—a grueling 14-hour flight from Langely AFB, Virginia, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, soon after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990. The Eagle fleet, which included Saudi F-15Cs, was added to during Operation Desert Shield; when Desert Storm was unleashed in January 1991, F-15s were in the vanguard, their target the Iraqi Air Force. Over the next six weeks, F-15s achieved air supremacy over Iraq, scoring 34 kills over mostly MiG-23s and MiG-29s, while the Saudis added two Mirage F.1s to the total. (A 37th kill was made by a F-15E Strike Eagle, which shot down a Mi-8 helicopter by dropping a laser-guided bomb on it.) Four Yugoslavian MiG-29s fell to F-15 missiles in 1999, bringing the F-15’s tally to 105 kills to date during its career: in return, no F-15s have been lost in aerial combat.

The F-15 Eagle remains the backbone of the USAF’s fighter community, despite suffering from a shortage of parts in the late 1990s and increasing age; the disintegration of a F-15A in 2007 brought home the fact that the Eagle is getting old. F-15s have been updated to carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X, while Israeli F-15s carry a mix of the AMRAAM and the deadly Python IV helmet-guided missile. The F-22 Raptor was meant to wholly replace the F-15, but the cancellation of further F-22 production in 2010 has left a gap between F-22s in service and F-15s needing to be replaced. As a result, the F-15C may remain in service as late as 2025, with about 70 updated as “Legacy Eagles”—these aircraft are receiving the same AESA advanced radar as the F-22. Boeing (which absorbed McDonnell Douglas) has also offered an advanced variant of the F-15, the so-called “Silent Eagle” that incorporates features of the F-22 into the F-15E airframe, which is still in production. F-15s also continue to serve with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Japan, with no real replacement in sight. Though getting aged by fighter standards, F-15s will be around for some time to come.

Dad was a big fan of the Israeli Air Force, and built quite a few Israeli aircraft. He first built this 1/48 F-15A in the late 1970s, but erroneously painted it in the short-lived "Air Superiority Blue" overall light blue scheme used initially by USAF F-15s; Israeli F-15s never carried this scheme, but it was thought they had due to one of the first photos of a IDF/AF Eagle. He later repainted it accurately in the compass gray over light gray scheme which Israel still uses, with more accurate unit markings as well--in this case, 133 Squadron ("Knights of the Twin Tail"), based at Tel Nof, Israel.

This aircraft, Baz 678 (Baz being Hebrew for Eagle), is named "Ha Yoreh (The Shooter)", and carries two kill marks on the nose, for two Syrian MiG-23 Floggers shot down on 11 June 1982. It is loaded with four AIM-7M Sparrows and four AIM-9L Sidewinders, a standard loadout for F-15s, though Israeli aircraft usually carry Pythons rather than Sidewinders.

Some background:

The Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was designed in answer to Royal Navy specifications for an engine capable of generating good power at low altitudes. Concepts for adapting the Spitfire to take the new engine had begun as far back as October 1939; Joseph Smith felt that "The good big 'un will eventually beat the good little 'un." and Ernest Hives of Rolls-Royce thought that the Griffon would be "a second power string for the Spitfire". The first of the Griffon-engined Spitfires flew on 27 November 1941. Although the Griffon-powered Spitfires were never produced in the large numbers of the Merlin-engined variants they were an important part of the Spitfire family, and in their later versions kept the Spitfire at the forefront of piston-engined fighter development. The first Griffon-powered Spitfires 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. In the end it was a slightly modified engine, the 65 series, which was used in the Mk. XIV, the first Spitfire mark with a Griffon engine to enter service. The resulting aircraft provided a substantial performance increase over the Mk IX. Although initially based on the Mk VIII airframe, common improvements made in aircraft produced later included the cut-back fuselage and tear-drop canopies, and the E-Type wing with improved armament.

However, following the 14 July Revolution of 1958, which resulted in the end of monarchy in Iraq, the influence of the Iraqi Communist Party grew significantly. The first commander of the Iraqi Air Force (the "Royal" prefix was dropped after the revolution), Jalal Jaffar al-Awqati, was an outspoken communist, and encouraged prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim to improve relations between Iraq and the USSR. The Soviets reacted quickly, and in the autumn of 1958 a series of arms contracts was passed between Iraq and the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. These stipulated the delivery of MiG-15UTI trainers, MiG-17F fighters, Ilyushin Il-28 bombers, and Antonov An-2 and An-12 transports. The first aircraft arrived in Iraq in January 1959; during the late Sixties and the early Seventies additional MiG-17s may have been purchased and then forwarded to either Syria or Egypt.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) with full span elliptical tips

Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)

Wing area: 242.1 sq ft (22.49 m²)

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

Empty weight: 6,578 lb (2,984 kg)

Gross weight: 7,923 lb (3,594 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,400[53] lb (3,810 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: 441 mph (710 km/h, 383 kn) in FS supercharger gear at 29,500 ft.

391 mph in MS supercharger gear at 5,500 ft.

Combat range: 460 mi (740 km, 400 nmi)

Ferry range: 1,090 mi (1,760 km, 950 nmi)

Service ceiling: 43,500 ft (13,300 m)

Rate of climb: 5,040 ft/min (25.6 m/s) in MS supercharger gear at 2,100 ft.

3,550 ft/min in FS supercharger gear at 22,100 ft.

Time to altitude: 7 mins to 22,000 ft (at max weight)

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

Power/mass: 0.24

Armament:

2× 20 mm (0.787-in) Hispano Mk II cannon, 120 rpg

4× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, 350 rpg,

Underwing hard points for 8× 60 lb (27 kg) rockets, 2 x 250 lb (113 kg) bombs or slipper tanks,

1× ventral hardpoint for a 500 lb (227 kg) bomb or a drop tank

The kit and its assembly:

This was a rather spontaneous interim build. The Academy Spitfire was left over from a D-Day combo that contained a Hawker Typhoon, too, and I lacked an idea for the Spitfire for a long time) since I am not a big fan of the aircraft, at least what-if-inspiration-wise). However, when pondering about a potential operator from the very early pos-war period I remembered the Royal Iraqi Air Force and its later Hawker Hunters which retained their NATO-style camouflage (RAF green/grey) despite being primarily operated in a desert environment. This, on a Spitfire…?

From this idea the Academy Spitfire was built almost OOB. Because the kit offers them as an option and for the cool look, I gave the Spitfire four RPGs under each outer wing. The ventral drop tank was taken from a Special Hobby late Spitfire kit. The only other additions are the antenna mast and the non-standard DF loop antenna behind the cockpit, created from thin wire and mounted on a small, streamlined socket.

Painting and markings:

The upper surfaces were painted in standard RAF WWII colors, Dark Green and Ocean Grey, using a mix of Humbrol 163 and 30 for a slightly more bluish WWII-style green and a mix of 106 and 145 for a lightened grey tone, respectively. As an individual contrast and paint scheme variation the undersides and the spinner were painted in RAF Azure Blue (Humbrol 157, lightened up with 47), more appropriate than the standard WWII Medium Sea Grey from the European theatre of operations. The cockpit interior became RAF cockpit green (Humbro,78) while the inside surfaces of the landing gear were painted in Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165), reflecting the original undersides’ tone in former RAF service.

Other markings were minimal. The Iraqi triangles were taken from a Balkan Models Su-25 sheet, because their green was rather pale, for more contrast to the surrounding camouflage. RIrAF fin flash was taken from a PM Model Hawker Fury two-seater (a.k.a. “Bagdad Fury”). The tactical code came from an Airfix Hawker Hunter (from an optional Kuwaiti machine). This looked O.K. but somewhat bleak, so I added more markings. I could not find any evidence for special ID markings on Iraqi aircraft during the Arab-Israel war, but to add an eye-catcher I gave the aircraft white ID bands on the wings and on the fuselage – inspired by markings carried by Egyptian aircraft (e. g. Spitfires) during the conflict, but somewhat simplified, without black trim. They were created from generic white decal sheet material.

After some soot stains around the gun ports and the exhausts, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

A relatively simple project and just a fictional livery - but the Iraqi Spitfire looks pretty cool, especially the ID stripes add a special touch. The European RAF scheme looks a bit off on an aircraft that would be delivered to the Middel East, but the Iraqi Air Force operated British types like the Hunter in this guise, and later Su-22 fighter bombers carried a similarly murky camouflage in very dark green and earth brown.

Really impressed with this camera! It is amazing what it is capable of doing.

The Avro Vulcan (officially Hawker Siddeley Vulcan[2] from July 1963)[3] is a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe and Company (Avro) designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced, the Vulcan was considered the riskiest option. Several scale aircraft, designated Avro 707, were produced to test and refine the delta wing design principles.

The Vulcan B.1 was first delivered to the RAF in 1956; deliveries of the improved Vulcan B.2 started in 1960. The B.2 featured more powerful engines, a larger wing, an improved electrical system and electronic countermeasures (ECM); many were modified to accept the Blue Steel missile. As a part of the V-force, the Vulcan was the backbone of the United Kingdom’s airborne nuclear deterrent during much of the Cold War. Although the Vulcan was typically armed with nuclear weapons, it was capable of conventional bombing missions, a capability which was used in Operation Black Buck during the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982.

The Vulcan had no defensive weaponry, initially relying upon high-speed high-altitude flight to evade interception. Electronic countermeasures were employed by the B.1 (designated B.1A) and B.2 from circa 1960. A change to low-level tactics was made in the mid-1960s. In the mid-1970s nine Vulcans were adapted for maritime radar reconnaissance operations, redesignated as B.2 (MRR). In the final years of service six Vulcans were converted to the K.2 tanker configuration for aerial refuelling.

Since retirement by the RAF one example, B.2 XH558, named "The Spirit of Great Britain" has been restored for use in display flights and air shows, whilst two other B.2s, XL426 and XM655, are kept in taxiable condition for ground runs and demonstrations at London Southend Airport and Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield respectively.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

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The original cars, capable of seating 10–12 passengers, had stained-glass windows. But when the Cliff Lift was refurbished in 1955, the car bodies were replaced without these. The wholly new aluminium cars were introduced in 1979, modelled on the original design. The stained-glass windows were reinstated in 1991. The wooden bodies of the passenger cars were fully refurbished and "victorianised" in 2011 by Stanegate Restorations of Haltwhistle, Northumberland.

When can baby go in pool - Baby has a reflex that makes it look capable of swimming, although in fact the baby is not born with the ability to swim.

Swimming with baby has the risk of drowning or swallowing a lot of water.

Physically, the baby also has not been able to hold his breath for a long time, let alone keep his head fixed above the water level.

Taking baby swimming are not recommended for a swimming program or exercise before reaching the age of at least one year, however, at least babies are allowed to enjoy playing in a water bath with their beloved parents.

For the sake of keeping this fun moment still going on safe, parents need to pay attention to some things, like when the baby can start splashing in the tub, how long and how the technique.

After six months of age, babies begin to be able to play water in a shallow pool. But keep in mind that this activity is not intended to practice real swimming skills.

When can babies swim? Children will be ready to receive real swimming lessons when they reach 3-4 years old.

Here are some techniques how to teach a baby to swim

Before starting swimming in the pool

Usually a baby with a fun shower routine to get used to the water. When bathing, sprinkle water onto his body or position himself on the surface of the water and gently move to the right or left.

You can also soak in the tub with your baby on your chest.

Once accustomed to playing water while bathing.

Father and mother can start trying to use the pool. Start with a 10-minute session, and then still be possible, try lengthening the duration to 20 minutes.

Limit the duration to a maximum of 30 minutes if the baby is under the age of one year. Babies can lose body heat faster than adults so it does not take too long in the pool.

Regarding swimming lessons for babies, there are many pros and cons about this.

For those of you who accompany babies, focus on your baby, do not believe in a false sense of security or feel all okay without bothering to determine whether it is really safe.

Experts fear parents' negligence at swimming moments together, there are indications that parents are not really worried about babies in the pool and just have a false sense of security.

In addition, swimming lessons may be traumatic for children or children can suffer from water intoxication after swallowing pool water, hypothermia or chills, skin infections, and gastrointestinal infections.

When in the pool

Hold your baby and keep it close to your body. In other words, do not let him escape our view.

When he's already enjoying himself and the more confidence, try to slightly extend the scales of the mother while gesturing herself around.

Put a happy or fun face

Throw a compliment on him, although he may not be able to understand the words of adults, the mere expression can help him feel happy and safe to play water.

Position the baby supine

With his head propped against his father's shoulder or mother to keep his head above the water. With this position, the baby will be free to kick her feet in the water while keeping the baby warm.

Put your mouth underwater

To show the baby how to blow a bubble, this is an important lesson because when he blows bubbles, water will not be inhaled. It can also be trained in every shower routine. Blow the bath toy in front of the baby so he imitates it and makes it start to blow.

Prepare before swimming

In addition to swimming techniques, parents also must be ready to stand by baby equipment before starting swimming. Here are some things that need to be prepared.

Towel

Milk bottle is warm

Snacks

Baby diapers

In addition, a study suggested being careful in swimming pools with chemicals, such as chlorine.

Actually chemicals in the pool function to inhibit bacterial growth, but according to the study, exposure to chemicals in excess can cause interference with the eyes, upper respiratory tract, and skin.

A child specialist explains that if you get to kiss the chlorine baby from the pond water, then the chlorine level is too strong for the baby. The smell of chlorine itself smelled like the smell of a typical swimming pool,

Also, make sure the baby swimming pool water temperature is warm enough. Infants under the age of six months require a water temperature of about 32 degrees Celsius, Father and mother can use a thermometer to check the temperature.

If the baby is shivering immediately remove from the pool and dressing with a towel or cloth to warm his body.

In addition, the health condition of infants before swimming should be noted as well. If the baby looks unwell, such as flu and stomach pain, do not force to swim until the condition is really healthy

more info @ www.babygifa.com

The display reads:

ADA in Vietnam – M42 Duster

Combat experience in the Korea War quickly showed that while the M19 40mm Gun Motor Carriage was a capable platform, it needed improvement. By 1952, a new anti-aircraft tank was in development, designated the T141. The new vehicle used the same turret and gun mount from the M19, but mated it with the larger, more powerful M41 Walker Bulldog light tank hull. The resulting vehicle was standardized as the M42 40mm Gun Motor Carriage by 1952 and entered full production that year.

However, with the service entry of the Nike Ajax system in 1953, the Army was focused on missile systems and with the introduction of the Hawk missile in the late 1950s, the M42 was quickly passed to National Guard units and all but removed from the active inventory by 1963.

Just two years later, US forces entered combat in South Vietnam. Two Hawk missile battalions were deployed to provide air defense around Saigon and along the DMZ, but an additional system was needed to cover potential low-altitude threats. In addition to the air defense requirement, the Army also needed a vehicle that could provide heavy firepower for both convoy escort and firebase defense. The M42 was back in demand and by the beginning of 1966, three battalions were formed for service in Vietnam.

Those three units, 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery; 4th Battalion, 60th Artillery; and 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery arrived in-theater by mid-year and immediately had a significant impact on operations in their respective areas of operation. Each “Duster” battalion had a quad .50 battery and searchlight battery attached, forming an air defense task force that could respond to both air and ground threats, day or night.

On 20 June 1968, Air Defense and Field Artillery split the Artillery branch and the Duster, Quad, Searchlight and Hawk units were then designated ADA rather than “Artillery,” with the parenthetical Automatic Weapons, Searchlight or Guided Missile designation.

The story of Army Air Defense in Vietnam provides a fascinating contrast to the operations and equipment of the rest of the branch during the 1960s and early 1970s. While Army Air Defense of the day was focused on the strategic threat of a Soviet nuclear strike and were using the latest technology to deter that threat, the three ADA Duster battalions effectively used weapon systems from the “last war” to provide low altitude air defense and on-call direct fire support to infantry and artillery units across the entirety of South Vietnam from 1966 through 1972.

M42 Duster Specifications:

Weight: 50,000 lbs fully loaded

Height: 9 feet 4 inches

Length: 19 feet

Width: 10 feet 7 inches

Crew: Commander, driver, two loaders, two gunners

Armament: Two M2A1 40mm automatic anti-aircraft guns with 240 rounds per gun; 1-2 7.62 M60 Machine Guns with 1,750 rounds

Main Armament Rate of Fire: 120 rounds per minute, per gun

Engine: Continental AOS-895-3 6-cylinder opposed gasoline engine

Range: 100 miles

Speed 45 mph

The museum’s Duster served with the 1-44th Artillery in 1968.

The Duster occasionally towed the M332 ammunition trailer, which doubled the Duster’s ammunition capacity. However, it would be a liability in combat and would normally be removed before the Duster would be used in the convoy escort role.

Most Dusters in Vietnam carried some form of artwork. Usually the crew would name both the front hatch and the gun shield above the main armament.

Sergeant Mitchell W. Stout was born in Lenoir City, Tennessee on 24 February, 1950. He enlisted in the Army on 15 August 1967 and served his first tour in Vietnam as a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment in the Mekong Delta from August 1968 to August 1969. After completing his first tour, SGT Stout rotated back to the US, but returned to South Vietnam just five months later as a M42 Duster crewman.

Three months into his second tour, SGT Stout was commanding an M42 Duster at the Khe Gio bridge along Route 9, a strategic east-west route that was the supply lifeline to friendly outposts in western I Corps.

SGT Mitchell Stout

C/1-44th Artillery (Automatic Weapons), Khe Gio Bridge

The U.S. Army outpost at Khe Gio Bridge on Highway 9 near the DMZ was overrun by North Vietnamese troops on 12 March 1970. Fourteen Americans held the outpost along with a platoon of ARVN Infantry. Two M42 Dusters from C Battery 1-44th Artillery gave the small force a significant amount of firepower to protect the bridge, while an M151A1 searchlight jeep from G Battery, 29th Artillery provided nighttime battlefield illumination. Of those fourteen Americans, two were killed in action, five wounded and one was captured. Yet they fought valiantly and protected the bridge on Route 9, sparing it from destruction. Sergeant Mitchell Stout’s actions during the battle would earn him a posthumous Medal of Honor:

Citation:

Sgt. Stout distinguished himself during an attack by a North Vietnamese Army Sapper company on his unit's firing position at Khe Gio Bridge. Sgt. Stout was in a bunker with members of a searchlight crew when the position came under heavy enemy mortar fire and ground attack. When the intensity of the mortar attack subsided, an enemy grenade was thrown into the bunker. Displaying great courage, Sgt. Stout ran to the grenade, picked it up, and started out of the bunker. As he reached the door, the grenade exploded. By holding the grenade close to his body and shielding its blast, he protected his fellow soldiers in the bunker from further injury or death. Sgt. Stout's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action, at the cost of his own life, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the U.S. Army.

Taken December 13th, 2013.

Some background:

The Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was designed in answer to Royal Navy specifications for an engine capable of generating good power at low altitudes. Concepts for adapting the Spitfire to take the new engine had begun as far back as October 1939; Joseph Smith felt that "The good big 'un will eventually beat the good little 'un." and Ernest Hives of Rolls-Royce thought that the Griffon would be "a second power string for the Spitfire". The first of the Griffon-engined Spitfires flew on 27 November 1941. Although the Griffon-powered Spitfires were never produced in the large numbers of the Merlin-engined variants they were an important part of the Spitfire family, and in their later versions kept the Spitfire at the forefront of piston-engined fighter development. The first Griffon-powered Spitfires 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. In the end it was a slightly modified engine, the 65 series, which was used in the Mk. XIV, the first Spitfire mark with a Griffon engine to enter service. The resulting aircraft provided a substantial performance increase over the Mk IX. Although initially based on the Mk VIII airframe, common improvements made in aircraft produced later included the cut-back fuselage and tear-drop canopies, and the E-Type wing with improved armament.

However, following the 14 July Revolution of 1958, which resulted in the end of monarchy in Iraq, the influence of the Iraqi Communist Party grew significantly. The first commander of the Iraqi Air Force (the "Royal" prefix was dropped after the revolution), Jalal Jaffar al-Awqati, was an outspoken communist, and encouraged prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim to improve relations between Iraq and the USSR. The Soviets reacted quickly, and in the autumn of 1958 a series of arms contracts was passed between Iraq and the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. These stipulated the delivery of MiG-15UTI trainers, MiG-17F fighters, Ilyushin Il-28 bombers, and Antonov An-2 and An-12 transports. The first aircraft arrived in Iraq in January 1959; during the late Sixties and the early Seventies additional MiG-17s may have been purchased and then forwarded to either Syria or Egypt.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) with full span elliptical tips

Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)

Wing area: 242.1 sq ft (22.49 m²)

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

Empty weight: 6,578 lb (2,984 kg)

Gross weight: 7,923 lb (3,594 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,400[53] lb (3,810 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: 441 mph (710 km/h, 383 kn) in FS supercharger gear at 29,500 ft.

391 mph in MS supercharger gear at 5,500 ft.

Combat range: 460 mi (740 km, 400 nmi)

Ferry range: 1,090 mi (1,760 km, 950 nmi)

Service ceiling: 43,500 ft (13,300 m)

Rate of climb: 5,040 ft/min (25.6 m/s) in MS supercharger gear at 2,100 ft.

3,550 ft/min in FS supercharger gear at 22,100 ft.

Time to altitude: 7 mins to 22,000 ft (at max weight)

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

Power/mass: 0.24

Armament:

2× 20 mm (0.787-in) Hispano Mk II cannon, 120 rpg

4× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns, 350 rpg,

Underwing hard points for 8× 60 lb (27 kg) rockets, 2 x 250 lb (113 kg) bombs or slipper tanks,

1× ventral hardpoint for a 500 lb (227 kg) bomb or a drop tank

The kit and its assembly:

This was a rather spontaneous interim build. The Academy Spitfire was left over from a D-Day combo that contained a Hawker Typhoon, too, and I lacked an idea for the Spitfire for a long time) since I am not a big fan of the aircraft, at least what-if-inspiration-wise). However, when pondering about a potential operator from the very early pos-war period I remembered the Royal Iraqi Air Force and its later Hawker Hunters which retained their NATO-style camouflage (RAF green/grey) despite being primarily operated in a desert environment. This, on a Spitfire…?

From this idea the Academy Spitfire was built almost OOB. Because the kit offers them as an option and for the cool look, I gave the Spitfire four RPGs under each outer wing. The ventral drop tank was taken from a Special Hobby late Spitfire kit. The only other additions are the antenna mast and the non-standard DF loop antenna behind the cockpit, created from thin wire and mounted on a small, streamlined socket.

Painting and markings:

The upper surfaces were painted in standard RAF WWII colors, Dark Green and Ocean Grey, using a mix of Humbrol 163 and 30 for a slightly more bluish WWII-style green and a mix of 106 and 145 for a lightened grey tone, respectively. As an individual contrast and paint scheme variation the undersides and the spinner were painted in RAF Azure Blue (Humbrol 157, lightened up with 47), more appropriate than the standard WWII Medium Sea Grey from the European theatre of operations. The cockpit interior became RAF cockpit green (Humbro,78) while the inside surfaces of the landing gear were painted in Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165), reflecting the original undersides’ tone in former RAF service.

Other markings were minimal. The Iraqi triangles were taken from a Balkan Models Su-25 sheet, because their green was rather pale, for more contrast to the surrounding camouflage. RIrAF fin flash was taken from a PM Model Hawker Fury two-seater (a.k.a. “Bagdad Fury”). The tactical code came from an Airfix Hawker Hunter (from an optional Kuwaiti machine). This looked O.K. but somewhat bleak, so I added more markings. I could not find any evidence for special ID markings on Iraqi aircraft during the Arab-Israel war, but to add an eye-catcher I gave the aircraft white ID bands on the wings and on the fuselage – inspired by markings carried by Egyptian aircraft (e. g. Spitfires) during the conflict, but somewhat simplified, without black trim. They were created from generic white decal sheet material.

After some soot stains around the gun ports and the exhausts, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

A relatively simple project and just a fictional livery - but the Iraqi Spitfire looks pretty cool, especially the ID stripes add a special touch. The European RAF scheme looks a bit off on an aircraft that would be delivered to the Middel East, but the Iraqi Air Force operated British types like the Hunter in this guise, and later Su-22 fighter bombers carried a similarly murky camouflage in very dark green and earth brown.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

The Morris County is a buffet lounge car capable of seating 28 passengers in comfortable captain's chairs. The spacious windows allow for a picturesque view of the passing scenery. With a full kitchen to treat your guests for a full meal, it is the perfect standalone car for a business meeting, social gathering, or family event. The car features two restrooms, a generator for power, and heat & air conditioning throughout. The Morris County is fully certified by Amtrak, the FRA, and NJ Transit to operate anywhere the rails lead it.

The Morris County was built as a 56-seat coach by Budd in December 1946 for the New York Central. Numbered #2936, the car served on the Empire State Limited through its transfer to Penn Central on February 1, 1968. In 1971, the car was sold to Ross Rowland's High Iron Company, which ran steam-powered excursion trains in the northeast. It was rebuilt into a 28-seat parlor car in 1977 and then leased to the Chessie System for its steam specials from 1977 to 1979. Painted Chessie yellow and numbered Chessie #17, the car was eventually donated to the United Railway Historical Society and stored on the M&E. The Morristown & Erie acquired the car from the URHS in the mid-1980s. The car was renamed the Morris County and repainted into Erie Lackawanna colors. It was upgraded to full Amtrak and FRA standards in the early 2000s and repainted again into colors once worn by the New York Central’s famous 20th Century Limited train. The car underwent a full overhaul in the summer of 2013, which saw the three layers of paint removed to restore the original stainless steel exterior. The interior was completely repainted and refurbished, and many of the car's mechanical features were upgraded to meet modern standards of comfort and operational ease.

Photos, text and plan - Morristown & Erie Railway

The Typhoon FGR4 provides the RAF with a highly capable and extremely agile multi-role combat aircraft, capable of being deployed in the full spectrum of air operations, including air policing, peace support and high intensity conflict.

Specifications

Engines: 2 Eurojet EJ200 turbojets

Thrust: 20,000lbs each

Max speed: 1.8Mach

Length: 15.96m

Max altitude: 55,000ft

Span: 11.09m

Aircrew: 1

Armament: Paveway IV, AMRAAM, ASRAAM, Mauser 27mm Cannon, Enhanced Paveway II

Initially deployed in the air-to- air role as the Typhoon F2, the aircraft now has a potent and precise multirole capability.

The pilot can carry out many functions by voice command or through a handson stick and throttle system. Combined with an advanced cockpit and the HEA (Helmet equipment assembly) the pilot is superbly equipped for all aspects of air operations.

Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain formally agreed to start development of the aircraft in 1988 with contracts for a first batch of 148 aircraft – of which 53 were for the RAF – signed ten years later. Deliveries to the RAF started in 2003 to 17(R) Sqn who were based at BAE Systems Warton Aerodrome in Lancashire (alongside the factory where the aircraft were assembled) while detailed development and testing of the aircraft was carried out. Formal activation of the first Typhoon Squadron at RAF Coningsby occurred on the 1st Jul 2005. The aircraft took over responsibility for UK QRA on 29 Jun 2007 and was formally declared as an advanced Air Defence platform on 1 Jan 2008.

Initial production aircraft of the F2 Tranche 1 standard were capable of air-to-air roles only and were the first Typhoons to hold UK QRA duties. In order to fulfill a potential requirement for Typhoon to deploy to Op HERRICK, urgent single-nation work was conducted on Tranche 1 to develop an air-to-ground capability in 2008. Tranche 1 aircraft were declared as multi-role in Jul 2008, gaining the designation FGR4 (T3 2-seat variant), fielding the Litening Laser Designator Pod and Paveway 2, Enhanced Paveway 2 and 1000lb freefall class of weapons.

All F2/T1 aircraft have been upgraded to FGR4/T3.

Tranche 2 aircraft deliveries commenced under the 4-nation contract in 2008, in the air-to-air role only. These aircraft were deployed to the Falkland Islands to take-over duties from the Tornado F3 in Sep 09.

A total of 53 Tranche 1 aircraft were delivered, with Tranche 2 contract provisioning for 91 aircraft. 24 of these were diverted to fulfill the RSAF export campaign, leaving 67 Tranche 2 aircraft due for delivery to the RAF. The Tranche 3 contract has been signed and will deliver 40 aircraft. With the Tranche 1 aircraft fleet due to retire over the period 2015-18, this will leave 107 Typhoon aircraft in RAF service until 2030.

Weapons integration will include Meteor air-to-air missile, Paveway IV, Storm Shadow, Brimstone and Small Diameter Bomb. Additionally, it is intended to upgrade the radar to an Active Electronically Scanned Array.

Type: Space heavy fighter-bomber

Crew: 1

Length/wingspan: 28 studs/22 studs

Engine(s): 1 Tiren Broad T-34 ion engine

Speed:

Service ceiling: Unlimited

Range:

Weaponry: 4x 0.7in laser cannons and 4 hard points capable of numerous weapons (though usually 4x 2.5 in laser cannons)

The T-57 Stalker is Ranter Tec’s winning entry in the HBC (Heavy Bomber Challenge) issued by the Trynin military as a direct response to the Boeing B-100 Boomerang. Technically the T-57 is fighter-bomber, not a heavy bomber. This break in the rules didn’t matter to the Trynin military who saw great potential in the versatile, heavily armored, single pilot, “heavy” fighter-bomber.

The T-57 was created immediately after the Trynin military issued the HBC and went from schematics to prototype in six month time. It was the first official entry in the HBC but was the last to go through military trials due to problems with the weight and engines. It took the T-57 almost two more years to go into mass production.

When the first T-57 squadrons were first flown in 2076 during the battle of [], they saw little success which was mainly due to their operators not correctly arming the T-57s. For the next year the T-57s would only claim two warships and only a hundred fighter-craft, with a loss of over seven-hundred T-57s. It wasn’t until [general] armed the T-57s with three inch beam cannons did they become success.

The T-57 is heavily armored with eight inch trendmite armor on the sides a two inch coating on the body. It does however lack a shield generator.

The Tiren Broad T-34 ion engines provide the T-57 with over [] pounds of thrust but its heavy armor plating reduce its top speed to [] mph. The broad emplacement (thus the name) of the engines across the whole rear end allows the T-57 to maneuver efficiently but again, its weight reduces its maneuverability. Although it does have two anti-gravity generators to allow atmospheric flight and increase its maneuverability. It also features an experimental magnetic thrust vectoring system to boost maneuverability and speed.

Most anti-aircraft T-57s are armed with the normal four .7 inch laser cannons in the nose and four 2.5 laser cannons in the roots. This gave the T-57 enough stopping power to down a small transport if necessary, and a light enough airframe to maneuver correctly and maintain high enough speeds.

Many of the bomber variants were armed with two .7 inch laser cannons in the upper nose, two 1 inch plasma cannons in the lower nose, and two 3 inch beam cannons in the roots. This arrangement of weapons gave the T-57 almost as much firepower as the Boeing B-100 Boomerang but greatly hinders the maneuverability and speed.

During the end of the Agronomic war the T-57 began to operate more and more as a fighter craft. This was due to the massive amounts of real fighters lost in battle and the arrival of the U-2 Bomber.

The T-57s destroyed twenty-seven warships and over twenty-thousand fighter-craft during the Agronomic War. Today T-57s are the hottest fighter-craft on the market and all but the U.E.C (United Earth Confederation) have at least one squad of T-57s.

The Tornado GR4 is a variable geometry, two-seat, day or night, all-weather attack aircraft, capable of delivering a wide variety of weapons. Powered by two Rolls-Royce RB 199 Mk 103 turbofan engines, the GR4 is capable of low-level supersonic flight and can sustain a high subsonic cruise speed. The aircraft can fly automatically at low level using terrain-following radar when poor weather prevents visual flight. The aircraft is also equipped with forward-looking infrared and is night-vision goggle compatible, making it a capable platform for passive night operations. For navigation purposes, the Tornado is equipped with an integrated global positioning inertial navigation system that can also be updated with visual or radar inputs. The GR4 is also equipped with a Laser Ranger and Marked Target Seeker system that can be used for ground designation or can provide accurate range information on ground targets.

The GR4 can carry up to three Paveway II, two Paveway III or Enhanced Paveway Laser and Global Positioning System Guided Bombs (LGBs), and by using a Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designation (TIALD) pod it is able to self-designate targets for LGB delivery. The GR4 also has a ground-mapping radar to identify targets for the delivery of conventional 1000lb bombs. All GR4 aircraft are capable of carrying the Air Launched Anti- Radiation Missile (ALARM), which homes on the emitted radiation of enemy radar systems and can be used for the suppression of enemy air defences. The GR4 is capable of carrying up to nine ALARM missiles or a mixed configuration of ALARM missiles and bombs. In the reconnaissance role the GR4 can carry the Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod to provide detailed reconnaissance imagery; this is currently being replaced with the RAPTOR pod, which provides an even greater day-and night reconnaissance potential.

For self-protection, the GR4 is normally armed with two AIM-9L Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, a BOZ-107 Pod on the right wing to dispense chaff and flares and a Sky Shadow-2 electronic countermeasures pod on the left wing. The aircraft can also carry an integral 27mm Mauser cannon capable of firing 1700 rounds per minute.

The Tornado GR4 is now equipped with the Storm Shadow missile and the new Brimstone missile. The Storm Shadow allows the Tornado to make precision strikes in poor weather with a greatly increased stand-off range from the target area. Brimstone provides the Tornado with an effective anti-armour weapon, also providing an enhanced stand-off range.

The Tornado GR4 is currently operated from two bases. Based at RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland, are the Operational Conversion Unit, No. 15(R) Squadron, and Nos 12(B), 14 and 617 Squadrons. RAF Marham is the home of the GR4s of Nos II(AC), IX(B), 13 and 31 Squadrons.

In addition to its long-range, high-speed precision strike capability, including supersonic at low level with a low-level combat radius of 400nmls, the Tornado GR4 is a world leader in the specialised field of all-weather, day and night tactical reconnaissance. The new RAPTOR (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod TORnado) pod is one of the most advanced reconnaissance sensors in the world and greatly increased the effectiveness of the aircraft in the reconnaissance role. Its introduction into service gave the GR4 the ability to download real-time, long-range, oblique-photography data to ground stations or to the cockpit during a mission. The stand-off range of the sensors also allows the aircraft to remain outside heavily defended areas, thus minimising the aircraft’s exposure to enemy air-defence systems.

The Tornado Ground Reconnaissance Force (TGRF) has been at the forefront of UK Military Deployed Operations continuously for the last 20 years. The Force provides vital protection when our troops are engaged by enemy ground forces and have the ability to strike important targets. We may not know individual soldiers and marines personally, but we deeply care about them and salute their courage and achievements; we do everything in our power to protect them. The last 12 months have been a particularly busy period, seeing concurrent operations in Afghanistan and Libya, integrating with our allied armed forces from around the world.

The Role Demonstration Team are very proud to represent the Royal Air Force and specifically the TGRF by demonstrating some realistic scenarios encountered on deployed operations, enabling you, the public, to gain a better understanding of their core task. However, when you see them performing, it will be the culmination of weeks of preparation and concerted effort by not only the crews, but a dedicated team of managerial, engineering and administrative support back at RAF Lossiemouth. Whilst the crews take the glory for the superb displays, they cannot even begin to do their job without the commitment and backing of these dedicated professionals.

No. 15 Squadron (also known as No. XV Squadron) of the Royal Air Force operates the Panavia Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth. Currently XV (Reserve) Squadron is the RAF's Operational Conversion Unit for the Tornado GR4. The OCU teaches pilots how to fly the aircraft and what tactics to use to best exploit the performance of their aircraft and its weapons

Waiting in the rain & in vain for 60103 Flying Scotsman at Ampthill Crossing 4/11/2017 (It was 25 minutes earlier than scheduled and sitting in my car it passed by heard but not seen)

The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel multiple unit high-speed train capable of 125 mph (200 km/h). Twenty-seven units have been built in Belgium by Bombardier Transportation.

The Class 222 is similar to the Class 220 Voyager and Class 221 Super Voyager trains used by CrossCountry and Virgin Trains, but it has a different interior. The Class 222 trains have more components fitted under the floors to free up space within the body. Since 2009 East Midlands Trains has been the only train operating company using Class 222s.

All coaches are equipped with a Cummins QSK19 diesel engine of 750 hp (560 kW) at 1800 rpm.[2] This powers a generator, which supplies current to motors driving two axles per coach. Approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km) can be travelled between each refuelling.

Class 222 have rheostatic braking using the motors in reverse to generate electricity which is dissipated as heat through resistors situated on the roof of each coach; this saves on brake pad wear.

In common with the Class 220s, B5000 lightweight bogies are used - these are easily recognisable since the entire outer surface of the wheel is visible, with inboard axle bearings.

The Class 222 are fitted with Dellner couplers,[3] as on Class 220 Voyager and Class 221 SuperVoyager trains,[3] though these units cannot work together in service because the Class 222 electrical connections are incompatible with the Class 220 and Class 221 trains.[3][clarification needed]

All Class 222 units are maintained at the dedicated Etches Park depot in Derby, just south of Derby station.

Formation[edit]

Seven car length Class 222 No. 222003 at London St Pancras

Five car length Class 222 No. 222016 at Bedford

Class 222 units are currently running in the following formations:

East Midlands Trains: seven cars with 236 standard seats and 106 first-class seats.

Coach A - Standard Class with driving cab and reservable space for two bikes

Coach B - Standard Class

Coach C - Standard Class

Coach D - Standard Class with Buffet counter

Coach F - First Class

Coach G - First Class

Coach H - First Class, kitchen and driving cab

East Midlands Trains: five cars with 192 standard seats and 50 first-class seats

Coach A - Standard Class with driving cab and reservable space for two bikes

Coach B - Standard Class

Coach C - Standard Class with Buffet counter

Coach D - Standard Class / First Class composite

Coach G - First Class, kitchen and driving cab

East Midlands Trains: four cars with 132 standard seats and 33 first-class seats

Coach A - Standard Class with driving cab and reservable space for two bikes

Coach B - Standard Class with Buffet counter

Coach D - Standard Class / First Class composite

Coach G - First Class, kitchen and driving cab

The four- and five-car units can be coupled to form 9/10-car services at peak times. When coupled together, coaches A-G are found in the front unit and the rear coaches become labelled J, K, L, M, N, with the first-class seats in coaches J and K.

Initially, the 23 units ordered for Midland Mainline were 4-car and 9-car. Over time these have been gradually modified to the current formations. The 4-car units ordered by Hull Trains had an option when constructed to be extended to 5-cars if required.[4]

East Midlands Trains has named the following Meridians:

Unit numberNameDate namedNamed byNotes

222 001The Entrepreneur Express22 September 2011Tim Shoveller, East Midlands Trains Managing DirectorNamed to kick off the start of the 2011 entrepreneur festival MADE

222 002The Cutlers' Company18 October 2011Pamela Liversidge, Master CutlerNamed to mark the successful partnership between East Midlands Trains and Sheffield

222 003Tornado24 March 2009Tim Shoveller, East Midlands Trains Managing DirectorDriving car 60163 named as it has the same number as Tornado

222 004Children's Hospital Sheffield26 February 2013Michael Vaughan, Charity PatonTo mark the successful partnership between East Midlands Trains and the Sheffield Children's Hospital

222 006The Carbon Cutter31 May 2011Philip Hammond, Transport SecretaryTo mark the introduction of eco-mode to the fleet

222 008Derby Etches Park13 September 2014David Horne, East Midlands Trains Managing DirectorNamed as part of the open day at Derby Etches Park

222 015175 Years of Derby's Railways 1839 - 201418 July 2014Paul Atterbury, Antiques Roadshow Expert and railway authorTo mark 175 years of railways in Derby

222 022Invest In Nottingham19 September 2011Jon Collins, leader of Nottingham City CouncilNamed to launch the 2011 Invest in Nottingham day

222 011Sheffield City Battalion 1914-191811 November 2014Ron Wiltshire, Royal British Legion representativeNamed to honour Sheffield City Battalion who fought in the World War I

East Midlands Trains Class 222/0 No. 222018 at Loughborough.

In 2008 further rearrangements were made to the sets: another carriage was removed from the eight-car Meridians, except for 222 007, which has been reduced to five cars.[6] The surplus coaches were then added to the remaining four-car Meridians to make six seven-car sets (222 001-222 006) and 17 five-car sets (222 007-222 023). This took place from March to October 2008; as part of the process, two first-class coaches removed from 222 007 were converted to standard class and part first class.

The seven-car trains are almost exclusively used on the fast services between London St Pancras and Sheffield. These do not operate the London St Pancras-Leeds, although the service is via Sheffield. The five-car trains are mainly used between London St Pancras and Sheffield, Nottingham or Corby on semi-fast services. The four-car trains supplement the five-car trains on these services.

In December 2008 the Class 222 Meridians started work on the hourly London St Pancras to Sheffield services, because they have faster acceleration than the High Speed Trains and so were able to reduce the Sheffield to London journey time by 12 minutes. The hourly Nottingham service was then transferred to High Speed Train running to cover for the Meridians now working the hourly Sheffield fast service.[7]

In February 2009, 222 101 and 222 102 transferred from Hull Trains to East Midlands Trains, and were quickly repainted in the East Midlands Trains white livery. 222 104 followed from Hull Trains later in the year. 222 103 followed a few months after 222 104 after repairs had been completed (see below). 222 103 has now been reinstated for service after two years for repairs after the unit fell from jacks at Bombardier, Crofton in early 2007.

Capable of 15-25 rounds per second - creates one pin in Bolt Action.

photo by Skelly, Silver City, New Mexico

Lote Addison Skelly

L. A. Skelly, the present obliging and capable Postmaster of Silver City, who for the past eight years has been numbered among her successful business men, is a native of Iowa. He was born in Hopeville, Clark county, on the 5th of September, 1861, and is of Scotch-Irish and English ancestry, the family having been founded on American soil during Colonial days, while its members served as soldiers of the Revolution, valiantly aiding in the cause of independence. A. J. Skelly, the father of our subject, was born in Indiana in 1830 and was reared at Lincoln, Logan county, Illinois, where he married. The eldest son was born in Lincoln, removed to Iowa, Clark county, in 1859, and enlisted from Iowa. The second son, Lote Addison, was born in Clark county, Iowa, September 5, 1861. The family returned to Lincoln, Illinois, where A. J. Skelly, the father, died. He married Miss Jennie R. Bushnell, a native of the State of Illinois and a descendant of a New York family of English origin. When the Civil war was inaugurated he enlisted in Company B, Sixth Iowa Infantry, and after faithfully serving for three years his health became so impaired that he was honorably discharged. He then returned to his home, where he died, at the age of thirty-five years, leaving a widow and their three sons. Mrs. Skelly is still living and has now reached the age of sixty-three. One of the sons is now in New Mexico and another in California.

The second son is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. He was educated in Davenport, Iowa, and at the early age of seven years began to earn his own living by running errands and doing other work as he could. When a lad of ten he went to the Soldiers' Orphans' Home at Davenport, Iowa, where he spent four years, going thence to Wichita, Kansas, in which State he engaged in cattle-herding for a year. His mother having again married and removed to Atlantic, Iowa, he returned to that place, and for a year worked for R. M. Cross bakery business. During the excitement attending the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, he went to that place, where he remained three months, when he joined his parents, who had removed to Wahoo, Nebraska. He was there engaged in driving a stage and in conducting a confectionery establishment for seven years. In 1886 he became a resident of Placerville, California, where he learned photography, carrying on that line of business in California and Arizona. In 1887 he established an art gallery in Silver City, New Mexico, the business proving a profitable one. His excellent workmanship and his artistic taste have brought to him a liberal patronage, which is steadily and constantly increasing. In addition to his gallery he owns a valuable block of buildings on the northeast corner of Broadway and Main streets. He also has a nice residence in the city.

In June, 1889, Mr. Skelly was happily united in marriage with Miss Ella B. Carvil, a native of Nova Scotia, and to them have been born three interesting children, all sons, namely: Addison E., George F. and Bland E.

Mr. Skelly is an active Democrat, warmly advocating the principles of his party, and socially is a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity. He has represented his local lodge in the Grand Lodge for seven years, and is Grand Prelate of the Grand Lodge of New Mexico. In March, 1894, he was appointed by President Cleveland to the office of Postmaster of Silver City. He has fitted up one of his own buildings as an office, purchasing new boxes and an entire new outfit, giving to the town an office of which it may be justly proud. His faithful discharge of the duties connected therewith have met the commendation of the postoffice department at Washington and of the patrons of the office here. He is an enterprising, progressive business man and certainly deserves great credit for his success in life. He is in the truest sense a self-made man and his prosperity has been secured through indefatigable energy, steadfastness of purpose and integrity. [Source: "An Illustrated History of New Mexico . . .;" The Lewis Publishing Company, 1895; tr by GT Team]

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

Eager to expand its market and partly to replace the USA as supplier of military equipment in Asia, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) was looking in the early 1990s to export its Kfir fighters to the Republic of China (Taiwan). The Kfir (Hebrew: כְּפִיר‎, "Lion Cub") was an Israeli all-weather multirole combat aircraft based on the French Dassault Mirage 5, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-built version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine. The Kfir program originated in the quest to develop a more capable version of the IAI Nesher, an unlicensed Mirage 6 copy which was already in series production. After General De Gaulle embargoed the sale of arms to Israel, the IAF feared that it might lose qualitative superiority over its adversaries in the future, which were receiving increasingly advanced Soviet aircraft. The main and most advanced type of aircraft available to the IAF was the Mirage, but a severe problem developed due to the Mirage fleet's depletion due to attrition after the Six-Day War. Domestic production would avoid the problem of the embargo completely; efforts to reverse engineer and reproduce components of the Mirage were aided by Israeli espionage efforts to obtain technical assistance and blueprints from third party Mirage operators.

However, the machines remained, due to escalating maintenance problems and reaching the airframes’ end of life after more than thirty years, only active until 2006. The remaining sixteen machines were eventually returned to Israel and superseded by new F-16C/D fighters.

General characteristics

Crew: One

Length (incl. pitot): 15.73 m (51 ft 6 1/4 in)

Wingspan: 8.22 m (26 ft 11½ in)

Height: 4.61 m (14 ft 11 3/4 in)

Wing area: 34.8 m² (374.6 sq ft)

Empty weight: 7,285 kg (16,060 lb)

Loaded weight: 11,603 kg (25,580 lb) with two 500 L drop tanks, two AAMs

Max. take-off weight: 16,200 kg (35,715 lb)

Powerplant:

1× General Electric J-79-J1E turbojet (IAl Bedek-built) with a dry thrust of 52.9 kN (11,890 lb st)

and 79.62 kN (17,900 lb st) with afterburner

Performance

Maximum speed: 2,440 km/h (2 Mach, 1,317 knots, 1,516 mph) above 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Combat radius: 768 km (415 nmi, 477 mi) in ground attack configuration, hi-lo-hi profile,

with seven 500 lb bombs, two AAMs, two 1,300 L drop tanks

Service ceiling: 17,680 m (58,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 233 m/s (45,950 ft/min)

Armament:

2× Rafael-built 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 553 cannons, 140 RPG

9× hardpoints under the wings and fuselage for up to 5,775 kg (12,730 lb) of payload

The kit and its assembly:

Another IAI Kfir, and – weird as it seems – the story of Taiwan procuring the Israeli fighter instead of the early F-16 is actually real! And it was a great basis to produce a what-if model of such an aircraft, had it ever entered ROCAF service.

The kit is the Italeri Kfir C.2/7 kit, which is rather simple and not as crisp as the Hasegawa alternative. It also has its assembly issues. The outlines are OK and the kit comes with fine recessed surface details, but fit is so-so and there are some weak spots: the fuselage/wing seams, the complex intersections under the air intakes that run right through the gun ports, sinkholes on the wings’ upper surface and an integral cockpit tub/front landing gear well piece that won’t fit properly. The Hasegawa kit’s fit is better, but the Italeri Kfir is detail-wise not worse – and it’s cheaper.

The only changes are four additional underwing pylons (from two different F-16 kits) and their ordnance. The Paveway bombs come from the Italeri NATO weapons set, the Pave Spike laser pod from a Hasegawa set, and the ALQ-119 pod was left over from a Revell F-16 kit. The OOB Shafrir AAMs were replaced by more modern AIM-9J Sidewinders. The ventral pylon was left away.

Inside of the cockpit the original Martin Baker Mk. 5 ejection seat was replaced with a more modern Mk. 10, and a monitor and a HUD screen were added to the dashboard.

Painting and markings:

I did not want a grey low-viz livery, and since the ROCAF had operated many US-built aircraft (including the F-5Es) in USAF SEA scheme colors, I adapted it for the Kfir, too. However, finding a suitable pattern was not easy. I looked into many options, including the official USAF F-102 and F-106 SEA patterns or the Belgian Mirage Vs’ tricolor scheme, but did not like any of them so that I developed my own and created a four-side profile as benchmark.

The paints became Humbrol 117 (FS 34102), 118 (FS 30118) and 116 (FS 34079). The underside became Humbrol 28 (FS 36622), with a wavy, low waterline. The landing gear and the air intakes became classic white, while the cockpit tub was kept in medium grey. Very straightforward and “realistic”.

After basic painting was done the model received an over washing with thinned black ink and some post-shading with lighter shades of the camouflage tones. FS 34079’s shading was moved into a more bluish tone for a better contrast to the lighter FS 34102.

The markings are a mix from various sources. The roundels and the serial numbers came from a BestFong sheet for Taiwanese F-5s, the unit markings from an Xtradecal F-5E sheet. Most stencils were taken from the Kfir’s OOB sheet.

The Paveway bombs were painted in two different shades of olive drab, the Sidewinders became standard white with black heads. The ALG-119 pos was, for some color contrast, painted in light grey (FS 36375), and the Pave Spike pod, simulating a 2nd hand AN/AVQ-23E pod from RAF stock, became Dark Green. I even considered a livery in Desert Pink (check Gulf War Buccaneers that carried them), but found that to look too exotic.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

Lady in Blue -- "In Los Angeles, Jennifer Narody has been having a series of disturbingdreams involving eerie images of a lady dressed in blue. What she doesn't know is that this same spirit appeared to leaders of the Jumano Native American tribe in New Mexico 362 years earlier, and was linked to a Spanish nun capable of powers of "bilocation," or the ability to be in two places simultaneously. Meanwhile, young journalist Carlos Albert is driven by a blinding snowstorm to the little Spanish town of Ágreda, where he stumbles upon a nearly forgotten seventeenth-century convent founded by this same legendary woman. Intrigued by her rumored powers, he delves into finding out more. These threads, linked by an apparent suicide, eventually lead Carlos to Cardinal Baldi, to an American spy, and ultimately to Los Angeles, where Jennifer Narody unwittingly holds the key to the mystery that the Catholic Church, the U.S. Defense Department, and the journalist are each determined to decipher -- the Lady in Blue." -- from www.amazon.com

A so-so novel...started out intriguing, but the end was a bit of a letdown.

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Demon Lover -- "Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart." -- from www.amazon.com

An interesting book...a lot like her other books (written under her real name: Carol Goodman)...would have been a better novel with less emphasis on the erotic aspects of the story...some of the detailed sexual encounters were extraneous and did nothing to move the plot forward.

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Gideon's Corpse -- "A top nuclear scientist goes mad and takes an innocent family hostage at gunpoint, killing one and causing a massive standoff.

A plume of radiation above New York City leads to a warehouse where, it seems, a powerful nuclear bomb was assembled just hours before.

Sifting through the evidence, authorities determine that the unthinkable is about to happen: in ten days, a major American city will be vaporized by a terrorist attack.

Ten days. And Gideon Crew, tracking the mysterious terrorist cell from the suburbs of New York to the mountains of New Mexico, learns the end may be something worse--far worse--than mere Armageddon." -- from www.amazon.com

A great thriller...didn't guess the bad guy until nearly the end...definitely looking forward to more books in this series.

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Day After Night -- "Day After Night is based on the extraordinary true story of the October 1945 rescue of more than two hundred prisoners from the Atlit internment camp, a prison for “illegal” immigrants run by the British military near the Mediterranean coast south of Haifa. The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp who survived the Holocaust: Shayndel, a Polish Zionist; Leonie, a Parisian beauty; Tedi, a hidden Dutch Jew; and Zorah, a concentration camp survivor. Haunted by unspeakable memories and losses, afraid to hope, the four of them find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience even as they confront the challenge of re-creating themselves in a strange new country." -- from www.amazon.com

A very moving story...I hadn't heard about these "internment camps" before so it was a bit of a history lesson in addition to being a great story.

The Lady in Blue -- Started: Feb. 4, 2012 Finished: Feb. 12, 2012

The Demon Lover -- Started: Feb. 11, 2012 Finished: Feb. 18, 2012

Gideon's Corpse -- Started: Feb. 11, 2012 Finished: Feb. 15, 2012

Day After Night -- Started: Feb. 16, 2012 Finished: Feb. 16, 2012

25 Book Challenge Books #7, #8, #9 & #10

After Adolf Hitler took power in Germany in 1933, the nation’s secret rearmament after World War I could come out into the open. The Luftwaffe quickly announced a competition for a single-seat point defense interceptor, able to reach 250 mph at 20,000 feet, be capable of reaching 15,000 feet in 17 minutes or less, and have heavy cannon armament. Production aircraft would need to use either the Junkers Jumo 210 or Daimler-Benz 600 series inline piston engines. Arado, Heinkel, and the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, headed by its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt, all submitted entries. The Ar 80 was rejected, but both Heinkel’s He 112 and BFW’s Bf 109 were highly competitive. To ensure he had enough aircraft for the competition, Messerschmitt’s first Bf 109V1s were equipped with borrowed Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines.

During the competition, it looked as if the He 112 would win it: the Bf 109 was disliked by test pilots because of poor visibility forward on the ground, unreliable narrow-track landing gear, sideways-closing canopy, and heaviness on the controls. However, the Bf 109 was lighter and cheaper than the He 112, and it had better manueverability, thanks to the then novel inclusion of leading-edge slats; it was also faster. The Reich Air Ministry chose the Bf 109, noting that Messerschmitt needed to put it in full production as soon as possible: the British were testing a similar high-performance fighter, the Supermarine Spitfire.

Initially, production Bf 109s (from the A through D variants) used the less powerful Jumo engine. These aircraft provided valuable experience in the type, however: several Bf 109Ds were deployed with the German “volunteer” Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, where it proved to be superior to anything in either the Spanish Republican or Nationalist air forces.

By the beginning of World War II in September 1939, however, the majority of German fighter units had been equipped with the Daimler-Benz DB 601 powered Bf 109E, which was an even better aircraft with plenty of power. “Emils” obliterated the obsolescent air forces of Poland, Norway, and the Low Countries, and did well against more contemporary aircraft such as the Hawker Hurricane and Dewoltine D.520 over France. Only against the Spitfire, which the Bf 109 met for the first time during the Dunkirk evacuation, did it meet its match. This was to continue during the Battle of Britain. German pilots such as Werner Molders and Adolf Galland learned that the Spitfire could turn inside the Bf 109, but that their fighter was better in the vertical; the only limit to the Bf 109’s performance was its lack of range, which limited it to 15 minutes combat time over England—the 109 had simply never been designed as an escort fighter. Pilots liked the stable gun platform of the Bf 109, which concentrated its main armament in the nose, consisting of two machine guns in the cowl and a single cannon firing through the propeller hub.

Messerschmitt listened to Battle of Britain veterans and produced the Bf 109F, which was more aerodynamically clean, as it eliminated tailplane bracing and the wing cannon, which had been added before the Battle of France but impacted the 109’s manueverability. The “Fritz” was the equal of the Spitfire and superior to the P-40 Warhawk, which it began to fight in North Africa in early 1941, and far and away better than anything the Soviet Air Force could field when Hitler invaded Russia in June 1941. German veteran pilots began to rack up incredible kill ratios, with Molders and Galland topping the 100 mark in early 1941; Hans-Joachim Marseille would clear the 150 kill mark by 1942.

Yet the situation in Europe changed, and changed too rapidly for Messerschmitt to truly react. By 1943, when the Bf 109G was introduced, the tide was beginning to turn; by 1944, when 109 production hit its peak, the fighter was clearly outclassed by newer Allied fighters. The Bf 109 was not as manueverable as the P-51 Mustang and was outlcassed above 15,000 feet by the P-47 Thunderbolt; on the Eastern Front, the Russians began fielding the powerful Lavochkin La-5 and the nimble Yakovlev Yak-3. German pilot quality kept the Bf 109 very competitive in the East, where several Luftwaffe pilots now surpassed the 200 victory mark, but in the West, where Allied pilots were every bit as good as their German counterparts, attrition began to set in. German pilot training could not keep up with losses, and German pilot quality began to degrade; worse, the Bf 109 simply had reached the end of its development. By 1944, the 109 was obsolete and hunted down by American fighters ranging all over the shrinking Reich: even the best pilot could do little when he was attacked the moment he took off by P-51s superior to his aircraft and in far greater numbers.

The “Gustav” had introduced the more powerful DB 605 engine, which had needed so many adaptations and cooling vents that the Bf 109G was referred to by pilots as the “pickle”: the Bf 109K returned to a more aerodynamic finish, but the “Kara” was nearly obsolete before it entered service. Luftwaffe pilots and RLM officials had wanted Messerschmitt to end Bf 109 production in favor of the jet-powered Me 262, but this was not practical due to the lack of jet engines; Willy Messerschmitt himself also distrusted the new technology and kept the 109 in production far longer than it should have been. Whatever the case, the Bf 109 was still in production when its factories were destroyed or overrun in 1945.

Despite its shortcomings—more 109s were destroyed in landing accidents on the Eastern Front than by Russian fighters—it had proven a deadly opponent. Over a hundred Luftwaffe pilots scored more than a hundred kills in the aircraft; a few, such as Molders, Galland, and Marseille had done so against Allied pilots their equal in skill and training. On the Eastern Front, the numbers became truly ridiculous: between the two of them, Gerhard Barkhorn and Erich Hartmann destroyed 653 Soviet aircraft alone. Kill ratios against the Soviets were as high as 25 to 1. Bf 109s were also flown by the top ace of Finland, Ilmari Juutilainen, and Romania, Alexandru Serbanescu; it was also briefly flown by Italy’s top ace, Adriano Visconti.

33,984 Bf 109s were produced during World War II, making it the most widely produced fighter in history. Today, only 70 remain, with a mere seven original or restored examples airworthy.

The Bf 109 in the Malmstrom Museum’s model collection is a late model Bf 109G-10. This version of the “Gustav” was built by Erla Aircraft under license from Messerschmitt, and used the more streamlined cowl and engine of the Bf 109K, along with an improved canopy that eliminated some of the visibility-reducing bracing. This aircraft, Werknummer 610937, was flown by Major Erich Hartmann, at the time the group commander of III Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 52, on the Russian Front. As such, it carries the double chevron of a group commander on the fuselage; the yellow fuselage stripe and undernose panel indicate an aircraft assigned to the Eastern Front.

The black tulip petals on the nose and the artwork below the canopy were Hartmann’s personal markings; the latter, showing a heart pierced by an arrow with the name Usch were for Hartmann’s wife Ursula, and also gave rise to Hartmann’s callsign, “Karaya One.” The tulip petals were originally for identification, but Hartmann occasionally had them painted out, as Soviet pilots would spot them and quickly disengage rather than face a German expert ace. Kill marks with the legend “300” are carried on the rudder, but according to Hartmann himself, these were not carried operationally and only on occasion for propaganda pictures. It carries standard Luftwaffe late war splinter/spot camouflage of two shades of gray over light gray-green. This aircraft was later burned by ground crews to avoid capture.

The carrier capable E-2 Hawkeye, built by Grumman, was designed to patrol the approaches to a carrier battle group to detect impending attack by hostile aircraft, missiles or sea forces. In addition to the early warning function, the E-2 provided strike and traffic control, area surveillance, search and rescue guidance, navigational assistance and communications relay services. The E-2C model was built from 1971 to 2009.

The aircraft in the photograph has the unit identification marking of VAW-116--Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 116, "The Sun Kings."

Measurements 104 inches long fully loaded. Drop down center leg provides extra support when necessary. 104 long x 45 wide x 29 inches tall. Three 19.5 inches leafs.

I've waited a proper scanner (Canon 9000F) to arrive for 2 months now, but wanted to see what's my new Hassy is capable of. So I "scanned" these with very poor technique by shooting on light desk with 100mm macro lens with 5D MkII. I'll have to scan this again when the scanner arrives.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.

Like many of the fans who endured the cold, drizzly conditions inside Reliant Stadium to start the game, the Texans took a few minutes to warm up Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale against the Chicago Bears.

After a wake-up call courtesy of a momentum-changing sack by defensive end Mario Williams and a stern message from coach Gary Kubiak, the fans were treated to a spectacular offensive display led by Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and rookie running back Steve Slaton .

The 31-24 win gave Houston its second-consecutive 8-8 record to end the season, and it shut out the Bears from postseason contention.

Texans owner Bob McNair admired the team's strong finish to the season.

"I'd rather be 16-0," McNair said. "But I think starting out the way we did, 0-4, coming back, understand that only nine other teams have ever done that (start 0-4 and finish .500 or better) in this history of the NFL. So I think it was an accomplishment for our team."

Early on, the Texans appeared to suffer from the same malaise they showed at Oakland a week earlier. But the team erased a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter.

In that stretch, Johnson scored back-to-back touchdowns to bring the franchise-record crowd of 70,838 to its feet. The Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 148 yards (14.8 avg.) to end the season with the NFL lead in receptions (115) and receiving yards (1,575).

Meanwhile, Slaton rebounded from a first half in which he totaled only 19 rushing yards and lost a fumble to put the offense on his back in the final quarter of play. By gaining 128 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in the game, Slaton may have sealed NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Slaton’s five-yard gain with 1:24 remaining in the contest gave Houston a first down and allowed the team to run out the remainder of the clock.

"I really like the way we came back and played after we played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball throughout the first quarter," Kubiak said.

Chicago scored its first touchdown with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter when wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stretched out for a four-yard touchdown grab near the front left pylon. A 15-yard reception by wide receiver Devin Hester and a 15-yard penalty on defensive end Tim Bulman for roughing the passer set up the score.

Wide receiver André Davis ' 39-yard kickoff return down the Bears' sideline gave the Texans solid field position at their 42-yard line to begin their second possession. But Slaton fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after being tackled by cornerback Charles Tillman. Defensive end Alex Brown recovered the fumble and returned it 17 yards to the Houston 38.

Three plays later, Robbie Gould's 37-yard field goal made the score 10-0.

The next drive started promising when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a tight spiral to Davis for a 33-yard gain up the middle of the field. But tight end Owen Daniels was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness on the next play, and Schaub was flagged 10 yards for intentional grounding one play later to derail the drive and force a punt.

Upon returning to the sideline, the offense received an earful from Kubiak.

"I just didn't think we were going about our business the way we were capable of playing," Kubiak said. "That's not us. We're usually a pretty poised group as a football team and right there is losing poise and getting a shot in on a guy and all of a sudden it took a lot of momentum away from us."

With 11:26 left in the first half, Chicago took over at the Houston 49 following a three-and-out series by the Texans. But Williams saved the defense with his 12th sack of the season by tackling quarterback Kyle Orton at the Chicago 45 for a 10-yard loss on third down.

From there, Johnson caught three passes for 72 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown where he dragged two defenders with him over the goal line. Kris Brown's extra point cut the Bears' lead to 10-7 with 5:50 remaining before halftime.

Running back Ryan Moats forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff when he tackled Devin Hester. Brown dove on the ball at the Chicago 38 for the Texans' first takeaway.

On third-and-goal at the three-yard line, Schaub threw a fade route to Johnson in the back right corner of the end zone, and Johnson ripped away the ball from Tillman for the score.

Safety Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff of the second half 40 yards to the Chicago 45. But on third-and-six, rookie safety Dominique Barber blitzed off the right side to sack Orton for a nine-yard loss.

Picking up where he left off in the first half, Johnson gained 21 yards to the Houston 48 on his first reception of the third quarter. Later, Slaton's 17-yard catch and wide receiver Kevin Walter's 23-yard grab helped give the Texans a first down at the Chicago 17.

Moats scored his first touchdown with the team on a two-yard rush off the left guard to cap the nine-play drive. Brown's extra point extended the Texans' lead to 21-10 with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

The Bears refused to lie down and responded with a seven-play, 77-yard drive over 3:00. A 37-yard catch by Hester to the Texans' one-yard line set up Orton's touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen.

Late in the third quarter, the Texans moved into scoring range thanks to a 33-yard catch by Daniels to the Chicago 15. On third-and-10 at the 15-yard line, wide receiver David Anderson made a diving nine-yard reception, and Schaub dove forward on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Following two short rushes by Slaton, Schaub's pass intended for Anderson on third-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete, setting up Brown's 22-yard field goal.

Following a Chicago punt to the Houston 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Schaub drove the offense 89 yards in 11 plays. On the first play of the series, he avoided a safety on first down by tossing a pass in the flats to Slaton, who outran a defensive lineman for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Slaton rushed for 47 yards before Manning tackled him at the Chicago 29.

A 14-yard reception by Johnson set up Slaton's 15-yard touchdown run, but a holding call on right guard Mike Brisiel negated the score. On the next run by Slaton, he was tackled and fumbled after a one-yard run, but Kubiak challenged the call. Replays showed Slaton's elbow was down before the ball came loose, and officials overturned the call.

On third-and-14, Bears linebacker Nick Roach was penalized for holding, giving the Texans an automatic first down at the 14-yard line. Slaton capped the team’s second-consecutive 11-play series with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-17 after Brown's extra point.

The Bears made things interesting by picking apart the Texans' prevent defense on an 11-play, 72-yard drive over 1:55. On fourth-and-one at the Houston 11, Orton dove forward for a first down at the two-minute warning. He moved the Bears to the one-yard line by finding running back Adrian Peterson open on a nine-yard screen pass.

Safety Eugene Wilson was injured on the play, resulting in a burned timeout for Houston. Once play was restored, Orton pushed his way over the goal line for a touchdown that made the score 31-23 with 1:29 left in the game.

But Gould’s onside kick was recovered by Walter at the Chicago 44, and Slaton preserved the win on his final carry of the game for five yards and a first down.