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by Anne Madsen
DrawMore - Graphic Facilitation & Visual Recording
Contact:
drawmorestuff (at) gmail.com
Evaluation:
is systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards.
CP 2210, a rebuilt GP20 "Aardvark," led a track evaluation train westbound along the IC&E on 6-25-13, inspecting the track at a leisurely 20 MPH here at Irene Road near Kirkland, IL.
Local Accession Number: FA_CC.000446
Title: S. Matthew, S. John S. Luke, S. Mark
Creator/Contributor: Charles J. Connick Studios (creator); Charles J. Connick Associates (creator)
Genre: Design drawings; Gouaches
Date created: 1913-1986 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 gouache : color ; 32 x 30 cm.
General notes: Title from item, from additional material accompanying item, or from information provided by the Boston Public Library.; Handwritten on item back: Lawrence, Mass., St. Augustine's.
Date notes: Date supplied by cataloger.
Biographical and historical notes: Window designed for Saint Augustine's Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Subjects: Stained glass; Windows
Collection: Charles J. Connick Gouaches - Massachusetts
Location: Boston Public Library, Arts Department
Shelf locator: Massachusetts Box #10
Rights: Rights status not evaluated.
evaluation on board. You are allowed to use this image on your website. If you do, please link back to my site as the source: creditscoregeek.com/
Example: Photo by creditscoregeek.com
Thank you!
Mike Cohen
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Bell XP-68A owed its existence to the manufacturer’s rather disappointing outcome of its first jet fighter design, the XP-59A Airacomet. The Airacomet was a twin jet-engined fighter aircraft, designed and built during World War II after Major General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold became aware of the United Kingdom's jet program when he attended a demonstration of the Gloster E.28/39 in April 1941. He requested, and was given, the plans for the aircraft's powerplant, the Power Jets W.1, which he took back to the U.S. He also arranged for an example of the engine, the Whittle W.1X turbojet, to be flown to the U.S., along with drawings for the more powerful W.2B/23 engine and a small team of Power Jets engineers. On 4 September 1941, he offered the U.S. company General Electric a contract to produce an American version of the engine, which subsequently became the General Electric I-A. On the following day, he approached Lawrence Dale Bell, head of Bell Aircraft Corporation, to build a fighter to utilize it. As a disinformation tactic, the USAAF gave the project the designation "P-59A", to suggest it was a development of the unrelated, canceled Bell XP-59 fighter project. The P-59A was the first design fighter to have its turbojet engine and air inlet nacelles integrated within the main fuselage. The jet aircraft’s design was finalized on 9 January 1942 and the first prototype flew in October of the same year.
The following 13 service test YP-59As had a more powerful engine than their predecessor, the General Electric J31, but the improvement in performance was negligible, with top speed increased by only 5 mph and a slight reduction in the time they could be used before an overhaul was needed. One of these aircraft, the third YP-59A, was supplied to the Royal Air Force, in exchange for the first production Gloster Meteor I for evaluation and flight-offs with domestic alternatives.
British pilots found that the YP-59A compared very unfavorably with the jets that they were already flying. The United States Army Air Forces were not impressed by its performance either and cancelled the contract when fewer than half of the originally ordered aircraft had been produced. No P-59s entered combat, but the type paved the way for the next design generation of U.S. turbojet-powered aircraft and helped to develop appropriate maintenance structures and procedures.
In the meantime, a new, more powerful jet engine had been developed in Great Britain, the Halford H-1, which became later better known as the De Havilland Goblin. It was another centrifugal compressor design, but it produced almost twice as much thrust as the XP-59A’s J31 engines. Impressed by the British Gloster Meteor during the USAAF tests at Muroc Dry Lake - performance-wise as well as by the aircraft’s simplicity and ruggedness - Bell reacted promptly and proposed an alternative fighter with wing-mounted engine nacelles, since the XP-59A’s layout had proven to be aerodynamically sub-optimal and unsuited for the installation of H-1 engines. In order to save development time and because the aircraft was rather regarded as a proof-of-concept demonstrator instead of a true fighter prototype, the new aircraft was structurally based on Bell’s current piston-engine P-63 “Kingcobra”. The proposal was accepted and, in order to maintain secrecy, the new jet aircraft inherited once more a designation of a recently cancelled project, this time from the Vultee XP-68 “Tornado” fighter. Similar to the Airacomet two years before, just a simple “A” suffix was added.
Bell’s development contract covered only three XP-68A aircraft. The H-1 units were directly imported from Great Britain in secrecy, suspended in the bomb bays of B-24 Liberator bombers. A pair of these engines was mounted in mid-wing nacelles, very similar to the Gloster Meteor’s arrangement. The tailplane was given a 5° dihedral to move it out of the engine exhaust. In order to bear the new engines and their power, the wing main spars were strengthened and the main landing gear wells were moved towards the aircraft’s centerline, effectively narrowing track width. The landing gear wells now occupied the space of the former radiator ducts for the P-63’s omitted Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V12 engine. Its former compartment behind the cockpit was used for a new fuel tank and test equipment. Having lost the propeller and its long drive shaft, the nose section was also redesigned: the front fuselage became deeper and the additional space there was used for another fuel tank in front of the cockpit and a bigger weapon bay. Different armament arrangements were envisioned, one of each was to be tested on the three prototypes: one machine would be armed with six 0.5” machine guns, another with four 20mm Hispano M2 cannon, and the third with two 37mm M10 cannon and two 0.5” machine guns. Provisions for a ventral hardpoint for a single drop tank or a 1.000 lb (550 kg) bomb were made, but this was never fitted on any of the prototypes. Additional hardpoints under the outer wings for smaller bombs or unguided missiles followed the same fate.
The three XP-68As were built at Bell’s Atlanta plant in the course of early 1944 and semi-officially christened “Airagator”. After their clandestine transfer to Muroc Dry Lake for flight tests and evaluations, the machines were quickly nicknamed “Barrelcobra” by the test staff – not only because of the characteristic shape of the engine nacelles, but also due to the sheer weight of the machines and their resulting sluggish handling on the ground and in the air. “Cadillac” was another nickname, due to the very soft acceleration through the new jet engines and the lack of vibrations that were typical for piston-engine- and propeller-driven aircraft.
Due to the structural reinforcements and modifications, the XP-68A had become a heavy aircraft with an empty weight of 4 tons and a MTOW of almost 8 tons – the same as the big P-47 Thunderbolt piston fighter, while the P-63 had an MTOW of only 10,700 lb (4,900 kg). The result was, among other flaws, a very long take-off distance, especially in the hot desert climate of the Mojave Desert (which precluded any external ordnance) and an inherent unwillingness to change direction, its turning radius was immense. More than once the brakes overheated during landing, so that extra water cooling for the main landing gear was retrofitted.
Once in the air, the aircraft proved to be quite fast – as long as it was flying in a straight line, though. Only the roll characteristics were acceptable, but flying the XP-68A remained hazardous, esp. after the loss of one of the H-1s engines: This resulted in heavily asymmetrical propulsion, making the XP-68A hard to control at all and prone to spin in level flight.
After trials and direct comparison, the XP-68A turned out not to be as fast and, even worse, much less agile than the Meteor Mk III (the RAF’s then current, operational fighter version), which even had weaker Derwent engines. The operational range was insufficient, too, esp. in regard of the planned Pacific theatre of operations, and the high overall weight precluded any considerable external load like drop tanks.
However, compared with the XP-59A, the XP-68A was a considerable step forward, but it had become quickly clear that the XP-68A and its outfit-a-propeller-design-with jet-engines approach did not bear the potential for any service fighter development: it was already outdated when the prototypes were starting their test program. No further XP-68A was ordered or built, and the three prototypes fulfilled their test and evaluation program until May 1945. During these tests, the first prototype was lost on the ground due to an engine fire. After the program’s completion, the two remaining machines were handed over to the US Navy and used for research at the NATC Patuxent River Test Centre, where they were operated until 1949 and finally scrapped.
General characteristics.
Crew: 1
Length: 33 ft 9 in (10.36 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 4 in (11.7 m)
Height: 13 ft (3.96 m)
Wing area: 248 sq ft (23 m²)
Empty weight: 8,799 lb (3,995 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,138 lb (6,873 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 17,246 lb (7,830 kg)
Powerplant:
2× Halford H-1 (De Havilland Goblin) turbojets, rated at 3,500 lbf (15.6 kN) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 559 mph (900 km/h)
Range: 500 mi (444 nmi, 805 km)
Service ceiling: 37,565 ft (11,450 m)
Rate of climb: 3.930 ft/min (20 m/s)
Wing loading: 44.9 lb/ft² (218.97 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.45
Time to altitude: 5.0 min to 30,000 ft (9,145 m)
Armament:
4× Hispano M2 20 mm cannon with 150 rounds
One ventral hardpoint for a single drop tank or a 1.000 lb (550 kg) bomb
6× 60 lb (30 kg) rockets or 2× 500 lb (227 kg) bombs under the outer wings
The kit and its assembly:
This whiffy Kingcobra conversion was spawned by a post by fellow user nighthunter in January 2019 at whatifmodelers.com about a potential jet-powered variant. In found the idea charming, since the XP-59 had turned out to be a dud and the Gloster Meteor had been tested by the USAAF. Why not combine both into a fictional, late WWII Bell prototype?
The basic idea was simple: take a P-63 and add a Meteor’s engine nacelles, while keeping the Kingcobra’s original proportions. This sounds pretty easy but was more challenging than the first look at the outcome might suggest.
The donor kits are a vintage Airfix 1:72 Gloster Meteor Mk.III, since it has the proper, small nacelles, and an Eastern Express P-63 Kingcobra. The latter looked promising, since this kit comes with very good surface and cockpit details (even with a clear dashboard) as well as parts for several P-63 variants, including the A, C and even the exotic “pinball” manned target version. However, anything comes at a price, and the kit’s low price point is compensated by soft plastic (which turned out to be hard to sand), some flash and mediocre fit of any of the major components like fuselage halves, the wings or the clear parts. It feels a lot like a typical short-run kit. Nevertheless, I feel inclined to build another one in a more conventional fashion some day.
Work started with the H-1 nacelles, which had to be cut out from the Meteor wings. Since they come OOB only with a well-visible vertical plate and a main wing spar dummy in the air intake, I added some fine mesh to the plate – normally, you can see directly onto the engine behind the wing spar. Another issue was the fact that the Meteor’s wings are much thicker and deeper than the P-63s, so that lots of PSR work was necessary.
Simply cutting the P-63 OOB wings up and inserting the Meteor nacelles was also not possible: the P-63 has a very wide main landing gear, due to the ventral radiators and oil coolers, which were originally buried in the wing roots and under the piston engine. The only solution: move the complete landing gear (including the wells) inward, so that the nacelles could be placed as close as possible to the fuselage in a mid-span position. Furthermore, the - now useless - radiator openings had to disappear, resulting in a major redesign of the wing root sections. All of this became a major surgery task, followed by similarly messy work on the outer wings during the integration of the Meteor nacelles. LOTS of PSR, even though the outcome looks surprisingly plausible and balanced.
Work on the fuselage started in parallel. It was built mainly OOB, using the optional ventral fin for a P-63C. The exhaust stubs as well as the dorsal carburetor intake had to disappear (the latter made easy thanks to suitable optional parts for the manned target version). Since the P-63 had a conventional low stabilizer arrangement (unlike the Meteor with its cruciform tail), I gave them a slight dihedral to move them out of the engine efflux, a trick Sukhoi engineers did on the Su-11 prototype with afterburner engines in 1947, too.
Furthermore, the whole nose ahead of the cockpit was heavily re-designed, because I wanted the “new” aircraft to lose its propeller heritage and the P-63’s round and rather pointed nose. Somewhat inspired by the P-59 and the P-80, I omitted the propeller parts altogether and re-sculpted the nose with 2C putty, creating a deeper shape with a tall, oval diameter, so that the lower fuselage line was horizontally extended forward. In a profile view the aircraft now looks much more massive and P-80esque. The front landing gear was retained, just its side walls were extended downwards with the help of 0.5mm styrene sheet material, so that the original stance could be kept. Lots of lead in the nose ensured that the model would properly stand on its three wheels.
Once the rhinoplasty was done I drilled four holes into the nose and used hollow steel needles as gun barrels, with a look reminiscent of the Douglas A-20G.
Adding the (perfectly) clear parts of the canopy as a final assembly step also turned out to be a major fight against the elements.
Painting and markings:
With an USAAF WWII prototype in mind, there were only two options: either an NMF machine, or a camouflage in Olive Drab and Neutral Grey. I went for the latter and used Tamiya XF-62 for the upper surfaces and Humbrol 156 (Dark Camouflage Grey) underneath. The kit received a light black ink wash and some post shading in order to emphasize panels. A little dry-brushing with silver around the leading edges and the cockpit was done, too.
The cockpit interior became chromate green (I used Humbrol 150, Forest Green) while the landing gear wells were painted with zinc chromate yellow (Humbrol 81). The landing gear itself was painted in aluminum (Humbrol 56).
Markings/decals became minimal, puzzled together from various sources – only some “Stars and Bars” insignia and the serial number.
Somehow this conversion ended up looking a lot like the contemporary Soviet Sukhoi Su-9 and -11 (Samolyet K and LK) jet fighter prototype – unintentionally, though. But I am happy with the outcome – the P-63 ancestry is there, and the Meteor engines are recognizable, too. But everything blends into each other well, the whole affair looks very balanced and believable. This is IMHO furthermore emphasized by the simple paint scheme. A jet-powered Kingcobra? Why not…?
Are these two waiting for the right bus?
MCW Metrobus UKA22V was one of the evaluation vehivles bought by Merseyside PTE in 1980. Seen in Croxteth Park, Liverpool at a rally
M
f/4.5
1/1600 sec
ISO 100
Evaluative
PNG.
Canon Picture Style: Camera Neutral
White Balance: As Shot
K 5150 Tint +15
15 EV @ ISO 100
ACR Tonal Adjustment: Default
Canon 67mm Protector Filter
2:09 pm
Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple
A McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle of the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron "Green Bats" from Nellis AFB heads out to the range.
The 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron is a composite unit that conducts operational tests of the latest hardware and software enhancements for all fighter and attack aircraft in the USAF inventory prior to release to combat forces.
File name: 10_02_000028
Title: Pine Cone Brand: Grown and packed by Gold Buckle Association, East Highlands, California, grown in U.S.A.
Date issued: 1930-1939 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 print : lithograph, color ; 10 x 11 in.
Description: Fruit crate label advertising oranges showing a scene of orange groves and mountains superimposed onto a pine cone.
Genre: Fruit Crate Labels; Advertisements; Lithographs
Subjects: Oranges
Notes: Title from item.; Lithograph by Schmidt Litho. Co., L. A.
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: Rights status not evaluated.
Princess of South Africa Barbie head on a painted-to-match Volks Dollfie Plus body. The Mbili sculpt is still one of my favorites from Mattel--enough that I forgive the rag-doll floppiness of the body.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Short Tucano is a two-seat turboprop basic trainer built by Short Brothers in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a licence-built version of the Brazilian Embraer EMB-312 Tucano. Development of the Tucano started in May 1984 after an agreement between Embraer and Short Brothers to meet a requirement to replace the BAC Jet Provost as a basic trainer with the Royal Air Force. The Royal Air Force issued Air Staff Target 412 to define the requirement for a high-performance turboprop trainer. A shortlist of designs competed for the contract; the other types considered were the Pilatus PC-9, the NDN-1T Turbo-Firecracker and the Australian Aircraft Consortium (AAC) A.20 Wamira II.
In 1984 Embraer sent Shorts the seventh EMB-312 airframe off the production line for modifications in order to meet AST-412 requirements. The type was displayed in September 1984 at the Farnborough Airshow featuring an uprated PT6A-25C2 engine and a ventral air brake to meet required stall speed of 60kt. However, tests undertaken at Boscombe Down later on that year indicated the need to re-engine the aircraft (to meet the RAF requirement for time to height) and the Garrett TPE331 was chosen.
On 21 March 1985, the Short Tucano proposal was declared the winner of the AST.412 contract worth £126 million for 130 aircraft and an option for a further 15, but the option was never taken up. The first flight of the prototype EMB-312G2 which featured a four-bladed Hartzell propeller with the Garrett TPE331-10 engine took place in Brazil on 14 February of the following year, the aircraft being then disassembled and airlifted back to Belfast on 29 March 1986 to fly again just ten days later. In June, the TPE331-10 engine was replaced by the TPE331-12B, a major difference being the integration of an Electronic Engine Controller (EEC) system.
In addition to the revised engine, the major differences of the Shorts Tucano are a strengthened airframe for an improved fatigue life, a cockpit layout similar to the Hawk advanced trainer, a revised oxygen system, a flight data recorder, a four-bladed propeller, ventral airbrake and restyled wingtips. Two Martin-Baker MB 8LC ejection seats are used and the canopy was modified to meet the RAF's bird strike requirements. During its production run, Shorts commonly promoted the airframe as being "100% British-built". In order to meet RAF requirements, the EMB-312 has some 900 modifications reducing commonality with the original aircraft to only 50%.
The first standard production model T.Mk 1 was flown on 30 December 1986 and the official rollout took place on 20 January 1987. First deliveries to the RAF took place in 1989, while the last delivery to RAF occurred 25 January 1993.
In addition to the primary order from the RAF, export customers emerged for the Shorts-produced Tucanos. The Kenyan Air Force ordered a total of 12 units and a further 16 Tucanos were exported to Kuwait. The Tucanos serving in the Kuwait Air Force were furnished to be armed and combat-capable for the purposes of weapons training and light attack duties; each aircraft features four pylons capable of mounting various rocket pods, cannons, bombs, and auxiliary fuel tanks.
In RAF service the Short Tucano replaced the Jet Provost as the basic trainer, preparing the student pilots for progression to BAe Hawk advanced flying training. The aircraft proved to be 70% cheaper to operate than its predecessor and the Tucano's accident record has also been remarkably better than other ab-initio training aircraft, with only five aircraft written off with no fatalities in over 20 years.
In March 2007, regarding experiences from the War in Afghanistan, the British Parliament was debating the idea of replacing Harriers and Tornados for armed Short Tucanos during close air support missions. This led to the Tucano TGR.2, an armed version with extensive modification, since the RAF aircraft were not fitted with wing hardpoints.
The Tucano TGR.2 was created from existing T.1 trainers in the course of standard overhaul procedures through the VT Group, which supported maintenance for the RAF. 22 aircraft were converted in the course of 2008-9, primarily through new, reinforced wings with four hardpoints that could carry up to 1.000 lb ordnance, similar to the Tucano export models. Under the hood, avionics were upgraded, too, so that the machine could carry podded sensors like FLIR pods for a limited all-weather capability or a laser target illuminator, so that smart weapons (including laser-guide bombs or the Brimstone missile) could be effectively deployed. Other external weapon loads include machine gun and cannon pods, unguided missiles and iron bombs of up to 500 lb caliber. Furthermore, up to eight Starstreak launch tubes for self-defense or against other aircraft or helicopters could be carried, too.
The full trainer capability was retained, so that the T.1's full mission spectrum remained covered, but armed training was now made possible, too. During attack missions the aircraft would be typically flown by single pilot only, even though surveillance and Forward Air Control missions would require a crew of two.
The Tucano T.1 trainer was scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2015, and it will be replaced by the winner of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) programme. The armed TGR.2 will be kept in service for some further years (probably 2020) and complement Operational Conversion Units, primarily for basic and weapon training, but also as aggressor aircraft in dissimilar training at low altitude.
General characteristics:
Crew: one–two
Length: 32 ft 4 in (9.85 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
Height: 11 ft 1¾ in (3.40 m)
Wing area: 208 ft² (19.3 m²)
Empty weight: 4,447 lb (2,017 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 7,220 lb (3,275 kg)
Powerplant:
1 Garrett TPE331-12B turboprop, 1,100 shp (820 kW)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 274 kn (315 mph, 507 km/h) (at 10,000–15,000 ft)
Cruise speed: 180/240 (low level) knots (253 mph, 407 km/h) (economy cruise)
Never exceed speed: 300 kts (322 mph, 555 km/h)
Stall speed: 69 kn (80 mph, 128 km/h) (flaps and gear down)
Range: 900 nmi (1,035 miles, 1,665 km)
Service ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,363 m)
Rate of climb: 3,510 ft/min (17.8 m/s)
Wing loading: 28.6 lb/ft² (140 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.152 hp/lb (0.250 kW/kg)
Armament:
No internal weapons, but 4× underwing hardpoints for 1,000 lb (454 kg) of stores
The kit and its assembly:
The relatively simple 7th contribution to the “RAF Centenary” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com in 2018. I had this project on the agenda for a while, and the GB was a good occasion to tackle it.
The basic idea had been a camouflaged Short Tucano in RAF service, namely in the NATO Green/Lichen Green livery typical for the RAF’s Harrier GR.5.
I also had already a kit stashed away, a Tucano from Premiere. The model was built basically OOB, just with a few cosmetic additions. The kit itself is rather simple and reminds of a mediocre Matchbox kit: without “trenches”, and some nice details like the wheels or separate clear parts for the position lights. But nothing actually fits together well, PSR was necessary literall everywhere. Certainly not a kit for beginners.
Personal changes are:
- Ejection trigger handles and filled headrests for the seats; HUDs on the dashboards
- A metal axis for the propeller and a styrene tube adapter in the front fuselage
- Some additional blade antennae and radar warning bumps
- Flare/chaff dispensers under the stabilizers
- Four underwing hardpoints with ordnance (a pair of slightly pimped SUU-11 minigun pods from a Matchbox AH-1 and two pairs of missile launch tubes, IIRC these come from a H0 scale Bo 105 wreck and are actually TOW launch tubes)
Despite my attempts to add as much lead as possible to the nose, the kit still won’t rest on its front wheel and tip over…
Painting and markings:
As mentioned above, this is basically a livery whif – and the green/green paint scheme is rather simple, too. For the NATO Green I used Tamiya XF-67, which is supposed to be the authentic tone. In the past I have used other shades of Green (Humbrol 75, but it’s too dark and bluish, and 102, which lacks yellow), but with mixed results.
The undersides, Lichen Green, were painted with Xtracolors X024, which is supposed to be the authentic tone. At first I found it to look much too dark and murky – at least for a small 1:72 model – but in combination with the NATO Green it works well. To my surprise, the tone looks quite similar to RLM 02!
For some better contrast of the soft engravings, I gave the kit a light black ink wash and did some post-shading with FS 34096 (Modelmaster) on the upper surfaces and Revell’s 45 underneath.
The cockpit was painted in Dark Sea Grey (Tamiya XF-54), while the landing gear wells became Light Aircraft Grey (Humbrol 166) and the struts, as well as the wheel discs, white.
The propeller spinner and the blades’ back side became black, while the front was painted in light grey (Humbrol 64), with blade tips in red-white-red.
Decals came from various aftermarket sheets (Sky Models, XXX), primarily from Harrier GR.5 aircraft. Some stencils had to be replaced, since Premiere’s OOB decal sheet turned out to be highly brittle, and any decal without any color foundation disintegrated immediately upon contact.
The canopy frames, as well as the black walkways on the wing roots, were created with generic decal stripe material.
The fancy shark mouth was a spontaneous addition, since I found the all-green aircraft to look rather bleak – and its low-viz design in black and light grey blends well into the overall look. The decals originally come from an Academy AH-64, but the eyes were placed in a higher position and the area of the front landing gear well was improvised with paint.
Finally, the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
Well, nothing spectacular, but I must say that I find the green/green livery rather attractive, and it works IMHO well with the modern Tucano.
Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22A Raptor of the 422d Test and Evaluation Squadron from Nellis AFB observed during Red Flag 14-2 exercises at Nellis AFB.
[group] Gulls and terns | [order] Charadriiformes | [family] Laridae | [latin] Larus cachinnans | [UK] Yellow-legged Gull | [FR] | [DE] Gelbfussmove | [ES] | [NL] Geelpootmeeuw
spanwidth min.: 120 cm
spanwidth max.: 140 cm
size min.: 52 cm
size max.: 58 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 27 days
incubation max.: 31 days
fledging min.: 35 days
fledging max.: 31 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 2
eggs max.: 3
Physical characteristics
These gulls have a medium grey coloured back and the adults have yellow legs and a red orbital ring. The bill is also yellow with a small red mark at the end. Juveniles have streaked grey-brown bodies with dark bills and pink legs.
Habitat
The Yellow-legged Gull is found in a great variety of habitats, preferring quieter locations such as small islands and coastal cliffs where it spends the night and nests. During the day, these birds are commonly seen in large numbers in areas of human settlement.
Other details
Larus cachinnans is a widespread breeder in coastal areas of southern and eastern Europe, which constitutes >50% of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is large (>310,000 pairs), and increased between 1970-1990. Although there were declines in Croatia and Georgia during 1990-2000, populations across the rest of its European range increased or were stable, and the species showed a marked increase overall.
Four races of the Yellow-legged Gull inhabit the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, the Atlantic coasts of the Iberian Peninsula and south-western France, the Azores and Madeira. Inside the continent it is breeding in Switzerland and Austria. Most of the populations are sedentary, but many birds from the Mediterranean move outside the breeding season northwards to Central Europe and the coasts of the Channel and southern North Sea. The population of those races in the European Union is estimated at 140000 breeding pairs. They have strongly increased in recent decades
Feeding
Yellow-legged Gull: Usually found near ocean or shorelines, feeding on almost anything it can eat. May parasites on food from other seabirds.
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Monogamous and colonial. Nest built by both sexes on ground or on cliff ledges- lined with debris, grasses, and feathers. Three eggs, buff or olive and marked with brown, black, or darker olive, incubated 28-30 days by both adults. Young stay in nest 35-45 days- one brood per year.
Migration
Fairly well documented by ringing recoveries- migratory, partially migratory, and sedentary. Nominate cachinnans adults mostly sedentary or locally dispersive around Black and Caspian Seas- others, and especially immatures, disperse to south of breeding range and south-east Mediterranean, some to northern Red Sea and Persian Gulf, and also wander with michahellis along river valleys (especially Danube) to western and central Europe, a few regularly as far as north-east Germany and Poland, where some possibly remain to breed. Race michahellis probably originally sedentary, but following expansion to north and west in 1970s considerable post-breeding dispersal, particularly of young birds, takes place in these directions, from Mediterranean along rivers such as Rhone and Rhine to large lakes in Austria, Switzerland, and southern Germany, with some continuing on to southern North Sea coast and south-east England (where marked increase in numbers in last 20 years), a few (principally from Italy) reaching southern Baltic, and also to north-west along Aude and Garonne to French Atlantic coast, where many immatures from Spain also gather. Large numbers remain in Mediterranean however- population on Moroccan Atlantic coast apparently sedentary. Races atlantis and lusitanius mainly resident, though some disperse down African coast as far as Nigeria. Nominate cachinnans immatures arrive in Poland June-August, recorded in north-east Germany around mid-August, with maximum numbers in September, most departing from there in late autumn though some stay until May. Returns to colonies on Black Sea and south-west Caspian between February and May. Race michahellis disperses to north mainly June and July (many Mediterranean birds already on French Atlantic coast in April, where may oversummer until October)- many leave Lake Geneva (though some overwinter) for Dutch and Belgian coast mostly around October, and increasing numbers, mainly immatures, recorded in Belgium September-October, perhaps joining birds already there since July. Present in north-east Germany June-December (maximum in August), and in south-east England mainly July-October. Returns to Mediterranean mostly December-January- birds noted in colonies in Camargue already in November and all breeders present by February.
evaluation on board. You are allowed to use this image on your website. If you do, please link back to my site as the source: creditscoregeek.com/
Example: Photo by CreditScoreGeek
Thank you!
Mike Cohen
Brought for evaluation along with a Volvo & Mercedes Atego this truck is still on frontline duty. The Volvo & Atego are now in training centre as crews did not like the them.
Sgt. Ian Pocklington, assigned to 21st Theater Sustainment Command, takes part in the Close Combat Attack lane portion of U.S. Army Europe's 2013 Best Warrior Competition in Grafenwoehr, Germany Aug. 21. The competition is a weeklong event that tests Soldiers’ physical stamina, leadership, technical knowledge and skill. Winners in the Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer categories of the USAREUR competition will go on to compete at the Department of the Army level. (U.S. Army photo by Gertrud Zach)
A paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, teaches soldiers with the Ukrainian Land Forces on how to conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation and take appropriate action, in the correct sequence, to restore breathing and, if necessary, the pulse Nov. 25, 2015, during a combat lifesaver training as part of Fearless Guardian II at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center near Yavoriv, Ukraine. The Ukrainian Land Forces begin the first week of training where soldiers from the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine will instruct on how to conduct infantry-based, defensive-focused training at the individual and collective levels including medical training in combat lifesaver and casualty evacuation. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Russell M. Gordon, 10th Press Camp Headquarters)
They're not quite report cards in the usual sense, but every few months, I need to evaluate longtime students. Happily, this usually means positive progress, and students wave them like flags as they run to share their good news.
For the Twisted Fairytales project, the initial idea was to use the story of 'Sleeping Beauty' but then chose to do 'The Gingerbread Man' as I thought it would be simpler and less time constraining. Being a gingerbread, the character design was very simple and the story only needed two types of characters, them being 'The Gingerbread Man' and the cannibals (the fox not being needed as only his head would be featured) so I used a template and created two gingerbreads. The main character would feature two round, black eyes and 3 black buttons and the cannibals would have a grass skirts, spears, a bloodstained shirt and an angry expression as standard.
The story went that The Gingerbread Man kills the fox after he learns of his intention to eat him, he then tries to find a town where he would be safe. The Gingerbread Man finds a town which unbeknownst to him is inhabited by cannibals, the cannibals capture the gingerbread man and march him over to a pot where he is cooked and eaten. The story never differentiated throughout the project as what I had in mind seemed elegantly simple and the idea of having cannibals always stuck as it sticks to the theme of Twisted Fairytales and adds a unique twist to the original fairytale where instead of being eaten by any of the people or animals in the town, he is instead ironically eaten by his own kind.
The story featured medias such as pencil to plan out each scene, watercolored and cheap paints to fill the scene and fine liner pens to go around characters and scenery to make them more bold. I marked out the paper and used square card to create the boxes and used a small gingerbread cookie-cutter to create the characters and make sure they were all proportionate.
Though happy with the overall storyboard If I were to change anything I would add more features to The Gingerbread Man (e.g. tie, scarf) as he looks slightly plain and colourless in comparison to the cannibals as he only has black eyes and black buttons and the cannibals have green, grass skirts.
I still marvel that I painted her--even though I was just copying a Momoko face, I think I adapted it well to the Hi:Glam sculpt, and it's some of my better brush control.
I earned all "D"s. which isn't too bad when the "D" stands for distinguished. Now I just need that classroom contract.
Random fact: I take pride in my work and hate when people don't care about theirs. If you don't like a job, then you should find something else is my motto. Of course, with this economy I understand why people aren't leaving. Therefore, I've been giving people a lot of slack in this lately.
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
Spioróg
Status: Common resident, with occasional winter visitors from Continental Europe.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population has been evaluated as Secure.
Identification: A small bird of prey (raptor) with broad wings with blunt wing tips and a long tail. Small hooked bill suitable for eating meat. Tail is banded in all plumages with four or five bands. The sexes are different in size, the female is larger than the male. Sparrowhawks have barred underparts in all plumages, with the barring extending across the underwings, breast, belly and flanks. Males are bluish-grey above and often have orangey-brown barring on the breast, belly and underwing coverts; the rest of the barring is brown. Females are grey above with brown-grey barring on the underparts. Juvenile birds are dark brown on the upperparts with finely marked feathers; the underparts are coarsely and irregularly barred.
Similar Species: Goshawk, Kestrel
Call: The main call a rapid high pitched chattering, which is usually only heard in the breeding season.
Diet: Usually small birds which are taken when perched or in flight, sometimes after a long chase. Attacks with one or both feet, will pursue prey on foot. Sparrowhawks often utilize hedge rows or other cover, flying low on one side and then crossing over to other side to surprise its prey. Is a master of flying in woodland where it can fly through small gaps in branches pursuit of its prey, displaying great agility. Will use woodland edges, rides as well as any cover, especially cover that adjoins woodland. Will even pursue prey birds on foot over the ground.
Breeding: Probably the most common bird of prey in Ireland. Widespread in woodland, farmland with woods, larger parks and gardens. Nests in trees. Breeds throughout Ireland but is scarce in the west, where tree cover is low. Formally bird of woodland, it is now also found extensively in wooded farmland and will venture into urban gardens, where small birds attracted to bird feeders are taken, much to some peoples distress.
Wintering: Resident in Ireland. Can be seen throughout the country, although numbers will be low in the some parts of the west. Resident birds will be joined by wintering birds from Britain and Europe.
Where to See: Many people see these birds in their gardens, where they will be hunting on small birds. Can be difficult to spot in the countryside but will often give good views, when flying over head, where it may on 'prospecting' flights
Out on the pan at RAF Coningsby were three of No.41(R) 'TES' Squadron's Eurofighter Typhoons, ZK332/EB-J, ZJ947/EB-L & ZJ914/EB-H, all being readied for the day's 'Test & Evaluation' tasks.
Solar engineer Joshua Stein works on one of several photovoltaic systems being evaluated for industry partners at Sandia National Laboratories in the U.S. Regional Test Centers program. Sandia won a three-year renewal of a Department of Energy contract to manage the RTCs, a network of five sites across the country where industry can assess the performance, reliability and economic viability of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies.
Learn more at bit.ly/2Z2gie7.
Photo by Randy Montoya.
Sample image taken with a Nikon CoolPIX P7700. These samples and comparisons are part of my upcoming CoolPIX P7700 review at:
Feel free to download the original image for evaluation on your own computer or printer, but please don't use it on another website or publication without permission from Cameralabs.com
Problem Evaluation & Prioritization
Problem areas are evaluated and ranked for each mission. Prioritization uses a needs-based approach which addresses worst problems first.
A dashboard dial created by an artist during a session of Lucy Kimbell's Free Evaluation Service performance/service
In Paris, on the way up to "Sacre Coeur" there is an abundance of road shops. But choosing a dress is not a so easy task.
Boston is the capital and most populous municipality of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city proper covers 48 square miles (124 km2) with an estimated population of 685,094 in 2017, making it also the most populous city in the New England region. Boston is the seat of Suffolk County as well, although the county government was disbanded on July 1, 1999. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 4.8 million people in 2016 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country. As a combined statistical area (CSA), this wider commuting region is home to some 8.2 million people, making it the sixth-largest in the United States.
Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon U.S. independence from Great Britain, it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education and culture. The city has expanded beyond the original peninsula through land reclamation and municipal annexation. Its rich history attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing more than 20 million visitors per year. Boston's many firsts include the United States' first public or state school (Boston Latin School, 1635), first subway system (Tremont Street Subway, 1897), and first public park (Boston Common, 1634).
The Boston area's many colleges and universities make it an international center of higher education, including law, medicine, engineering, and business, and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, with nearly 2,000 startups. Boston's economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, and government activities. Households in the city claim the highest average rate of philanthropy in the United States; businesses and institutions rank among the top in the country for environmental sustainability and investment. The city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States as it has undergone gentrification, though it remains high on world livability rankings.
Boston's early European settlers had first called the area Trimountaine (after its "three mountains," only traces of which remain today) but later renamed it Boston after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, the origin of several prominent colonists. The renaming on September 7, 1630, (Old Style) was by Puritan colonists from England who had moved over from Charlestown earlier that year in quest of fresh water. Their settlement was initially limited to the Shawmut Peninsula, at that time surrounded by the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River and connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The peninsula is thought to have been inhabited as early as 5000 BC.
In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony's first governor John Winthrop led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, a key founding document of the city. Puritan ethics and their focus on education influenced its early history; America's first public school was founded in Boston in 1635. Over the next 130 years, the city participated in four French and Indian Wars, until the British defeated the French and their Indian allies in North America.
Boston was the largest town in British America until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid-18th century. Boston's oceanfront location made it a lively port, and the city primarily engaged in shipping and fishing during its colonial days. However, Boston stagnated in the decades prior to the Revolution. By the mid-18th century, New York City and Philadelphia surpassed Boston in wealth. Boston encountered financial difficulties even as other cities in New England grew rapidly.
Revolution and the Siege of Boston
Many of the crucial events of the American Revolution occurred in or near Boston. Boston's penchant for mob action along with the colonists' growing distrust in Britain fostered a revolutionary spirit in the city. When the British government passed the Stamp Act in 1765, a Boston mob ravaged the homes of Andrew Oliver, the official tasked with enforcing the Act, and Thomas Hutchinson, then the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. The British sent two regiments to Boston in 1768 in an attempt to quell the angry colonists. This did not sit well with the colonists. In 1770, during the Boston Massacre, the army killed several people in response to a mob in Boston. The colonists compelled the British to withdraw their troops. The event was widely publicized and fueled a revolutionary movement in America.
In 1773, Britain passed the Tea Act. Many of the colonists saw the act as an attempt to force them to accept the taxes established by the Townshend Acts. The act prompted the Boston Tea Party, where a group of rebels threw an entire shipment of tea sent by the British East India Company into Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party was a key event leading up to the revolution, as the British government responded furiously with the Intolerable Acts, demanding compensation for the lost tea from the rebels. This angered the colonists further and led to the American Revolutionary War. The war began in the area surrounding Boston with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Boston itself was besieged for almost a year during the Siege of Boston, which began on April 19, 1775. The New England militia impeded the movement of the British Army. William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, then the commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America, led the British army in the siege. On June 17, the British captured the Charlestown peninsula in Boston, during the Battle of Bunker Hill. The British army outnumbered the militia stationed there, but it was a Pyrrhic victory for the British because their army suffered devastating casualties. It was also a testament to the power and courage of the militia, as their stubborn defending made it difficult for the British to capture Charlestown without losing many troops.
Several weeks later, George Washington took over the militia after the Continental Congress established the Continental Army to unify the revolutionary effort. Both sides faced difficulties and supply shortages in the siege, and the fighting was limited to small-scale raids and skirmishes. On March 4, 1776, Washington commanded his army to fortify Dorchester Heights, an area of Boston. The army placed cannons there to repel a British invasion against their stake in Boston. Washington was confident that the army would be able to resist a small-scale invasion with their fortifications. Howe planned an invasion into Boston, but bad weather delayed their advance. Howe decided to withdraw, because the storm gave Washington's army more time to improve their fortifications. British troops evacuated Boston on March 17, which solidified the revolutionaries' control of the city.
Post Revolution and the War of 1812
After the Revolution, Boston's long seafaring tradition helped make it one of the world's wealthiest international ports, with the slave trade, rum, fish, salt, and tobacco being particularly important. Boston's harbor activity was significantly curtailed by the Embargo Act of 1807 (adopted during the Napoleonic Wars) and the War of 1812. Foreign trade returned after these hostilities, but Boston's merchants had found alternatives for their capital investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the city's economy, and the city's industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance by the mid-19th century. Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers until the early 20th century, and was known for its garment production and leather-goods industries. A network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region facilitated shipment of goods and led to a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a dense network of railroads furthered the region's industry and commerce.
During this period, Boston flourished culturally, as well, admired for its rarefied literary life and generous artistic patronage, with members of old Boston families—eventually dubbed Boston Brahmins—coming to be regarded as the nation's social and cultural elites.
Boston was an early port of the Atlantic triangular slave trade in the New England colonies, but was soon overtaken by Salem, Massachusetts and Newport, Rhode Island. Boston eventually became a center of the abolitionist movement. The city reacted strongly to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, contributing to President Franklin Pierce's attempt to make an example of Boston after the Anthony Burns Fugitive Slave Case.
In 1822, the citizens of Boston voted to change the official name from the "Town of Boston" to the "City of Boston", and on March 4, 1822, the people of Boston accepted the charter incorporating the City. At the time Boston was chartered as a city, the population was about 46,226, while the area of the city was only 4.7 square miles (12 km2).
19th Century
In the 1820s, Boston's population grew rapidly, and the city's ethnic composition changed dramatically with the first wave of European immigrants. Irish immigrants dominated the first wave of newcomers during this period, especially following the Irish Potato Famine; by 1850, about 35,000 Irish lived in Boston. In the latter half of the 19th century, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, Germans, Lebanese, Syrians, French Canadians, and Russian and Polish Jews settling in the city. By the end of the 19th century, Boston's core neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants. Italians inhabited the North End, Irish dominated South Boston and Charlestown, and Russian Jews lived in the West End. Irish and Italian immigrants brought with them Roman Catholicism. Currently, Catholics make up Boston's largest religious community, and the Irish have played a major role in Boston politics since the early 20th century; prominent figures include the Kennedys, Tip O'Neill, and John F. Fitzgerald.
Between 1631 and 1890, the city tripled its area through land reclamation by filling in marshes, mud flats, and gaps between wharves along the waterfront. The largest reclamation efforts took place during the 19th century; beginning in 1807, the crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre (20 ha) mill pond that later became the Haymarket Square area. The present-day State House sits atop this lowered Beacon Hill. Reclamation projects in the middle of the century created significant parts of the South End, the West End, the Financial District, and Chinatown.
After the Great Boston fire of 1872, workers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront. During the mid-to-late 19th century, workers filled almost 600 acres (2.4 km2) of brackish Charles River marshlands west of Boston Common with gravel brought by rail from the hills of Needham Heights. The city annexed the adjacent towns of South Boston (1804), East Boston (1836), Roxbury (1868), Dorchester (including present-day Mattapan and a portion of South Boston) (1870), Brighton (including present-day Allston) (1874), West Roxbury (including present-day Jamaica Plain and Roslindale) (1874), Charlestown (1874), and Hyde Park (1912). Other proposals were unsuccessful for the annexation of Brookline, Cambridge, and Chelsea.
20th Century
The city went into decline by the early to mid-20th century, as factories became old and obsolete and businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere. Boston responded by initiating various urban renewal projects, under the direction of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) established in 1957. In 1958, BRA initiated a project to improve the historic West End neighborhood. Extensive demolition was met with strong public opposition.
The BRA subsequently re-evaluated its approach to urban renewal in its future projects, including the construction of Government Center. In 1965, the Columbia Point Health Center opened in the Dorchester neighborhood, the first Community Health Center in the United States. It mostly served the massive Columbia Point public housing complex adjoining it, which was built in 1953. The health center is still in operation and was rededicated in 1990 as the Geiger-Gibson Community Health Center. The Columbia Point complex itself was redeveloped and revitalized from 1984 to 1990 into a mixed-income residential development called Harbor Point Apartments.
By the 1970s, the city's economy had recovered after 30 years of economic downturn. A large number of high-rises were constructed in the Financial District and in Boston's Back Bay during this period. This boom continued into the mid-1980s and resumed after a few pauses. Hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's Hospital lead the nation in medical innovation and patient care. Schools such as Boston College, Boston University, the Harvard Medical School, Tufts University School of Medicine, Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Berklee College of Music, and Boston Conservatory attract students to the area. Nevertheless, the city experienced conflict starting in 1974 over desegregation busing, which resulted in unrest and violence around public schools throughout the mid-1970s.
21st Century
Boston is an intellectual, technological, and political center but has lost some important regional institutions, including the loss to mergers and acquisitions of local financial institutions such as FleetBoston Financial, which was acquired by Charlotte-based Bank of America in 2004. Boston-based department stores Jordan Marsh and Filene's have both merged into the Cincinnati–based Macy's. The 1993 acquisition of The Boston Globe by The New York Times was reversed in 2013 when it was re-sold to Boston businessman John W. Henry. In 2016, it was announced that General Electric would be moving its corporate headquarters from Connecticut to the Innovation District in South Boston, joining many other companies in this rapidly developing neighborhood.
Boston has experienced gentrification in the latter half of the 20th century, with housing prices increasing sharply since the 1990s. Living expenses have risen; Boston has one of the highest costs of living in the United States and was ranked the 129th-most expensive major city in the world in a 2011 survey of 214 cities. Despite cost-of-living issues, Boston ranks high on livability ratings, ranking 36th worldwide in quality of living in 2011 in a survey of 221 major cities.
On April 15, 2013, two Chechen Islamist brothers detonated a pair of bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring roughly 264.
In 2016, Boston briefly shouldered a bid as the US applicant for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The bid was supported by the mayor and a coalition of business leaders and local philanthropists, but was eventually dropped due to public opposition. The USOC then selected Los Angeles to be the American candidate with Los Angeles ultimately securing the right to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.