Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a better version 05-Feb-19 (DeNoise AI 29-Jul-22).

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWDN, this aircraft was delivered to the Orix Aircraft Corporation as G-OOAB in Mar-92 and leased to Air 2000 the following month. It was wet-leased to Bahamas Air in Nov-93, returning to Air 2000 in Mar-94.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Oct-00 and re-registered N292MX in Nov-00. The aircraft was leased to Mexicana in Dec-00. Mexicana ceased operations in Aug-10, it was repossessed and stored at Mexico City. It was to have been leased to the 'new' Mexicana but the finance didn't materialise and it was ferried to Marana, AZ, USA in Sep-11 for further storage.

 

It never flew again. The aircraft was sold to Evergreen Trade Inc in Oct-11 and was broken up at Marana in Oct-12.

Replaced by 50 of the oldest uploads

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 12-Feb-22 (DeNoise AI).

 

This aircraft, built as a Tristar 500, was delivered to British Airways as G-BFCE in Jul-79. It was in service for less than four years before it was sold to the UK's RAF Royal Air Force as ZD952 in Mar-83.

 

It was leased back to British Airways charter subsidiary British Airtours as G-BFCE in Jun-85 for the peak summer season, and returned to the RAF as ZD952 in early Oct-85.

 

It was converted to a Tristar KC.1 in Oct/Nov-85. The aircraft was in service with the Royal Air Force for another 29 years until it was permanently retired at Kemble, UK in Feb-14. Updated 12-Feb-22.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 23-Nov-21 (DeNoise AI).

 

A very early A330 (c/n 087), first flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWKF, this aircraft was delivered to LTU Lufttransport Unternemen as D-AERH in Mar-95. The airline was renamed LTU International Airways in Nov-97.

 

It was sold to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation in May-00 and leased back to LTU. The aircraft was returned to ILFC in Nov-02 and immediately leased to Skyservice Canada as C-FRAP. It was operated by Skyservice on behalf of 'ConQuest Vacations'.

 

The aircraft returned to the lessor at the end of Jun-03 and was leased to Air Luxor (Portugal) as CS-TQF the following day. It was wet-leased to Ariana Afghan Airlines in Apr-05, returning to Air Luxor around Mar-06. It was returned to the lessor in Apr-06 and stored at Lake Charles Regional, LA, USA.

 

In May-07 the aircraft was leased to Vietnam Airlines as VN-A368, returning to the lessor in Jul-11. It was immediately leased to Onur Air (Turkey) as TC-OCD.

 

In Sep-11 it went on a long-term wet-lease to Saudia Saudi Arabian Airlines. It returned to Onur Air in Jan-16. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Mar-16 and permanently retired at San Bernardino, CA, USA.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

  

Some background:

The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allied powers, subject to restrictions on its use of guided missiles. The Austrian State Treaty of 1955 committed Austria to permanent neutrality. Pilot training started out with a four Yak-11 Moose and four Yak-18 Max aircraft donated by the Soviet Union, and Austria purchased further light trainer types under the Military Assistance Program. Until 1960 Austria purchased training and support aircraft under the MAP, but no modern fighter aircraft; the role of a fighter was rather inadequately filled by thirty already outdated Saab 29 Tunnan, bought second-hand from the Swedish Air Force in the early 1960s which equipped two fighter bomber squadrons.

 

To expand its capabilities and modernize the fleet, Austria purchased from 1970 on a total of 40 Saab 105 lightweight multi-role aircraft from Sweden with the intention to deploy them in trainer, reconnaissance, ground attack and even interception roles. As it became clear in the 1980s that the light sub-sonic aircraft were inadequate for air combat and airspace interdiction, Austria started looking for a more capable aircraft. In 1984, Austria had devised a two-phase solution to its problem: buying 30 interim aircrafts cheaply as a stopgap and then trading them back for a new generation aircraft in the early or mid-Nineties.

 

International response was quick and manifold: Bristol Aerospace offered initially ex RAF Jaguars to be replaced by Tornado F.3 or even Eurofighters; Saab-Scania offered between 24 and 30 former Royal Swedish Air Force J 35D Draken, followed by Saab J 39 Gripen as future substitutes; General-Electric suggested downgraded F-16/79 or F-16A for phase one and an option for the same aircraft in a more modern variant for phase two; Northrop’s numberF-5E was another alternative for phase one. Dassault was also present with refurbished Mirage III initially, followed by Mirage 2000.

 

Finding the most suitable option in this mass was not easy, and eventually a surprising deal materialized: In 1985 the contract for the sale of twenty-four Lightning F.56 fighters plus four T.55 trainers was signed by the SPÖ/FPÖ government under Fred Sinowatz. The background: Saudi Arabia had been operating thirty-four F.53 single-seaters and six T.55 trainers since 1967 and was about to retire its fleet, which was still in very good condition and with a reasonable number of flying hours left on many airframes. The aircraft would be refurbished directly at BAe in Great Britain with the option to switch to the Tornado ADV or its successor, the Eurofighter Typhoon, later.

 

The Lightning F.53 was an export version of the RAF’s F.6, but with a multi-role mission profile in mind that included, beyond the primary interceptor mission with guided missiles or internal guns, the capability to carry out interdiction/ground attacks and reconnaissance missions. To carry a suitable ordnance load, the F.53 featured additional underwing pylons for bombs or unguided rocket pods. Instead of the standard Firestreak/Red Top AAM missile station in the lower front fuselage, two retractable panniers with a total of forty-four unguided 50 mm rockets, which were effective against both ground and aerial targets, could be installed, or, alternatively, two camera packs (one with five cameras and another with a rotating camera mount) was available for tactical photo reconnaissance missions. Overwing hardpoints, adapted from the Lightning F.6, allowed to carry auxiliary fuel tanks to increase range/endurance, additional rocket pods or even retarded bombs.

The Lightning T.55 was also an export variant, a two-seat side-by-side training aircraft, and virtually identical to the T.5, which itself was based on the older F.3 fighter variant, and fully combat-capable.

 

The Saudi Arabian multi-role F.53s had served in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles as well as an air defense fighter, with Lightnings of No. 6 Squadron RSAF carrying out ground-attack missions using rockets and bombs during a border dispute with South Yemen between December 1969 and May 1970. Saudi Arabia received Northrop F-5E fighters from 1971, which resulted in the Lightnings relinquishing the ground-attack mission, concentrating on air defense, and to a lesser extent, reconnaissance. Until 1982, Saudi Arabia's Lightnings were mainly operated by 2 and 6 Squadron RSAF (although a few were also used by 13 Squadron RSAF), but when 6 Squadron re-equipped with the F-15 Eagle from 1978 on, all the remaining aircraft were concentrated and operated by 2 Squadron at Tabuk. In 1985, as part of the agreement to sell the Panavia Tornado (both IDS and ADV versions) to the RSAF, the Lightnings were traded in to British Aerospace, returned to Warton for refurbishment and re-sold to Austria.

 

While the Saudi Arabian Lightnings’ hardware was in very good shape, the Austrian Bundesluftwaffe requested some modifications, including a different missile armament: instead of the maintenance-heavy British Firestreak/Red Top AAMs, the Lightnings were to be armed with simpler, lighter and more economical IR-guided AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs which were already in the Austrian Air Force’s inventory. Two of these missiles were carried on single launch rails on the lower forward fuselage; an additional pair of Sidewinders could also be carried on the outer underwing stations, for a total of four. The F.53s’ optional retractable unguided rocket panniers were dropped altogether in favor of a permanent avionics bay for the Sidewinders in its place. However, to carry out tactical reconnaissance tasks (formerly executed by J 29Fs with a removable camera pod instead of the portside gun bay), four Austrian Lightnings frequently had one of the optional camera compartments installed, thereby losing the capability to deploy Sidewinders, though.

 

Among other things, the machines were furthermore upgraded with new bird strike-proof cockpit glazing, avionics were modernized, and several other minor customer requests were adopted, like a 0.6-megacandela night identification light. This spotlight is mounted in the former portside gun bay in front of the cockpit, and an anti-glare panel was added under the windscreen.

The fixed in-flight refueling probe was deleted, as this was not deemed necessary anymore since the Lightnings would exclusively operate within neutral Austria’s borders. The probes could, however, be re-installed, even though the Austrian pilots would not receive on-flight refueling training. The Lightnings' optional 260 imp gal overwing tanks were retained since they were considered to be sufficient for extended subsonic air patrols or eventual ferry flights.

 

The refurbished Lightnings were re-designated F.56 and delivered in batches of four between 1987 and 1989 to the Austrian Air Force’s 1st and then 2nd Fighter Squadrons, carrying a grey air superiority paint scheme. At that time, the airframes had between 1,550 and 2,800 flight hours and all had a general overhaul behind them. In 1991, the Lightings were joined by eighteen German ex-NVA-LSK MiG-23s, which were transferred to Austrian Air Force's ‘Fliegerwerft B’ at Nittner Air Base, where they'd be overhauled and updated with NATO-compatible equipment. As MiG-23Ö they were exclusively used as interceptors, too.

 

Shortly after their introduction, the Austrian Lightnings saw their first major use in airspace interdiction starting 1991 during the Yugoslav Wars, when Yugoslav MiG-21 fighters frequently crossed the Austrian border without permission. In one incident on 28 June a MiG-21 penetrated as far as Graz, causing widespread demands for action. Following repeated border crossings by armed aircraft of the Yugoslav People's Army, changes were suggested to the standing orders for aircraft armament.

 

With more and more practice and frequent interceptions one of the Lightning's basic flaws became apparent: its low range. Even though the Lightning had a phenomenal acceleration and rate of climb, this was only achieved in a relatively clean configuration - intercepting intruders was one thing but escorting them back to the Austrian border or an assigned airfield, as well as standing air patrols, were a different thing. With more tactical experience, the overwing tanks were taken back into service, even though they were so draggy that their range benefit was ultimately zero when the aircraft would use its afterburners during a typical interception mission. Therefore, the Austrian QRA Lightnings were typically operated in pairs: one clean and only lightly armed (typically with the guns and a pair of AIM-9s), to make a quick approach for visual intruder identification and contact, while a second aircraft with extra fuel would follow at high subsonic speed and eventually take over and escort the intruder. Airspace patrol was primarily executed with the MiG-23Ö, because it had a much better endurance, thanks to its VG wings, even though the Floggers had a poor service record, and their maintenance became ever more complicated.

 

After more experience, the Austrian Lightnings received in 1992 new ALR-45 radar detectors in a fairing on the fin top as well as chaff and flare dispenser systems, and the communication systems were upgraded, too. In 2004 the installation of Garmin 295 moving map navigation devices followed, even though this turned out to be a negligible update: on December 22, 2005, the active service life and thus military use of the Lightnings in general ended, and Austria was the last country to decommission the type, more than 50 years after the first flight of the prototype on August 4, 1954.

The Austrian Lightnings’ planned service period of 10 years was almost doubled, though, due to massive delays with the Eurofighter’s development: In 2002, Austria had already selected the Typhoon as its new “Phase II” air defense aircraft, having beaten the F-16 and the Saab Gripen in competition, and its introduction had been expected to occur from early 2005 on, so that the Lightnings could be gradually phased out. The purchase of 18 Typhoons was agreed on 1 July 2003, but it would take until 12 July 2007 that the first Typhoon would eventually be delivered to Zeltweg Air Base and formally enter service with the Austrian Air Force. This operational gap had to be bridged with twelve F-5E leased from Switzerland for EUR 75 mio., so that Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties for the Austrian airspace could be continued.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 55 ft 3 in (16.84 m)

Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)

Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)

Wing area: 474.5 sq ft (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg) with armament and no fuel

Gross weight: 41,076 lb (18,632 kg) with two AIM-9B, cannon, ammunition, and internal fuel

Max takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojet engines,

12,690 lbf (56.4 kN) thrust each dry, 16,360 lbf (72.8 kN) with afterburner

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph+ at 40,000 ft)

Range: 738 nmi (849 mi, 1,367 km)

Combat range: 135 nmi (155 mi, 250 km) supersonic intercept radius

Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,500 km) with internal fuel

1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km) with external overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Zoom ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)

Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s) sustained to 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Zoom climb: 50,000 ft/min

Time to altitude: 2.8 min to 36,000 ft (11,000 m)

Wing loading: 76 lb/sq ft (370 kg/m²) with two AIM-9 and 1/2 fuel

Thrust/weight: 0.78 (1.03 empty)

 

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.181 in) ADEN cannon with 120 RPG in the lower fuselage

2× forward fuselage hardpoints for a single AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM each

2× underwing hardpoints for 1.000 lb (454 kg) each

2× overwing pylon stations for 2.000 lb (907 kg each),

typically occupied with 260 imp gal (310 US gal; 1,200 l) ferry tanks

  

The kit and its assembly:

This was another submission to the “Hunter, Lightning and Canberra” group build at whatifmodellers.com in 2022 and intended as a rather simple build since it was based on an alternate reality plot: the weird story that Austria was offered a revamped fleet of ex-Saudi Arabian Lightnings is true(!), but the decision eventually fell in favor of revamped Saab J 35Ds from Sweden. For this what-if build I used the real historic timeline, replaced the aircraft, and built both story and model around this – and the result became the BAC Lightning F.56 in Austrian Air Force service.

 

Initially I wanted to use an Airfix BAC Lightning in The Stash™, a really nice model kit and a relatively new mold, but it turned out to be the kit’s F.2A variant. While very similar to the F.6, changing it into a F.53 analogue with the OOB parts turned out to be too complex for my taste. For instance, the F.2A kit lacks the ventral gun bay (it just comes with the auxiliary tank option since the guns are already located in front of the cockpit) and the cable conduits on the lower flanks. Procuring a suitable and priceworthy Airfix F.6 turned out to be impossible, but then I remembered a Hasegawa Lightning F.6 in The Stash™ that I had shot at ev!lbay many moons ago for a laughable price and without a concrete plan. However, this kit is pretty old: it has raised (yet quite fine, less robust than the Matchbox kit) panel lines and even comes with a pilot figure, but also many weak spots like the air intake and the jet exhausts that end in flat walls after some millimeters depth and a very basic cockpit. But for this rather simple what-if project the kit appeared to be a suitable basis, and it would eventually find a good use.

 

The Hasegawa Lightning was basically built OOB, even though I made some cosmetic amendments like a better seat for the pilot, hydraulic fluid lines on the landing gear made from wire or opening the flat walls inside of the air intake opening and the jet nozzles. Behind the radome, a simple splitter plate was added as well as a recessed bulkhead in front of an implanted Me 262 cockpit tub (the Hasegawa kit just offers a bare floor panel, nothing else!), the afterburners were extended inwards with parts from a Matchbox A.W. Meteor night fighter.

 

The Red Top AAMs and the in-flight refueling probe were omitted. Instead, I added extra F.53-style forward-swept pylons under the outer wings, scratched from 1.5 mm styrene sheet due to their odd, raked shape, and I added Sidewinder launch rails plus suitable missiles from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set to all four stations. After long consideration I also retained the ‘overburger’ tanks, partly because of the unique layout on the Lightning, and also because of operational considerations.

Chaff dispensers were scratched from styrene profiles and placed at the fin’s base. A fairing for the retrofitted radar warning sensor was added to the fin tip, created from 1.5 mm styrene sheet.

  

Painting and markings:

To reflect the “alternate reality” role of the Lightning I gave the model a livery similar to the Saab J 35Ö that were actually procured: an adaptation of the USAF “Egypt One” scheme, carried primarily by the USAF F-16s. Adapting this simple three-tone camouflage from the flat F-16 to the Draken was easy and straightforward, but applying it to a Lightning with its many vertical surfaces turned out to be a tough challenge. I eventually came up with a paint scheme that reminds of the late RAF low-viz Lightning liveries, which existed in a wide range of patterns and graduations of grey.

 

The colors were authentic, FS 36118, 36270 and 36375 (using Humbrol 125, 126 and 127), and I decided to emphasize the camouflage of the flanks against the horizon, so that the vertical surfaces and the fin became FS 36270. The undersides of wings, stabilizers and fuselage became FS 36375. The dark FS 36118 was only applied to the upper sides of the wings and the stabilizer, and to a high dorsal section, starting at the wing roots. As a small contrast, the tank area on the spine was painted in light grey, simulating unpainted fiber glass. The radome was painted with a streaky mix of Humbrol 155 and 56.

 

As usual, the model received a light black ink washing, some post-panel-shading in lighter tones, and, due to the raised panel lines, was very lightly rubbed with graphite. The cockpit interior was painted in medium grey (Revell 47) with an olive drab fabric fairing behind the black pilot seat, which received ejection handles made from thin wire as eye candy. The landing gear and the respective wells were painted in Humbrol 56 (Aluminum Dope).

 

The decals are a wild mix: The fuselage roundels are actually wing markings from a Hasegawa J 35OE, as well as the huge orange "06" on the wings (I could not resist; they will later be partly obscured by the overwing tanks, but the heck with it!). The roundels on the wings come from a generic TL Modellbau sheet - I found that I needed larger markings than those on the Draken.

Both unit and individual aircraft identifiers are single black DIN font digits, also from TL Modellbau. The unit badges on the fin are authentic, even though from an earlier era: they came from an Austrian J 29 of Fliegerregiment 2 from a PrintScale sheet, and all stencils were taken from the OOB low-viz RAF markings sheet, plus four small warning triangles for the underwing pylons.

  

A ‘what-if’ model in the purest sense, since this model depicts what could really have been: ex Saudi-Arabian export BAC Lightnings over the Austrian Alps! However, refurbished Saab J 35D Draken made the race (and later followed by the Eurofighter Typhoon at ‘Stage 2’), so that this Lightning remains fictional. It does not look bad in the ‘Egypt One’ paint scheme, though, better than expected!

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a (slightly) better version 03-Dec-21 (DeNoise AI).

 

Very grainy, taken on a dark and murky day at LAX (but rescued by 'noise reduction' software).

 

An 'unlucky' aircraft which didn't stay long with any airline. First flown with the Boeing test registration N57008, this aircraft was an early standard B767-205 (Line No:81), delivered to Braathens S.A.F.E (Norway) as LN-SUV in Mar-84.

 

It was returned to the Boeing Equipment Holding Company as N767BE in Sep-85 and leased to TACA International Airlines in Oct-85. It returned to Boeing in May-86 and was leased to VARIG Brazil as PP-VNL the following month.

 

Boeing sold it to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation in Aug-86 while the lease to VARIG continued. It was returned to ILFC in May-87 and was leased to Britannia Airways as G-BNAX the following day, for the summer season.

 

Returning to ILFC in Oct-87 as N650TW, the aircraft was converted to a B767-205ER before being leased to TWA Trans World Airlines in Oct-87. It was sub-leased to Gulf Air between May/Sep-88.

 

In Mar-01 it was returned to ILFC and stored. In Oct-01 the aircraft was leased to Aero Continente (Peru) as OB-1758. It became OB-1758-P in Jun-03. It was returned to ILFC in Oct-04 as N371LF and stored at Dothan, AL, USA.

 

The aircraft was leased to MaxJet in Jan-06 and was re-registered N260MY the following month. MaxJet ceased operations in Dec-07 and it was impounded at New York-JFK. ILFC managed to retrieve it in Jan-08 and it was stored at Victorville, CA, USA.

 

It was leased to Air Seychelles (still as N260MY) in Aug-08 and was re-registered in S7-ILF in Sep-10. It was returned to ILFC in Nov-11 as N391LF and permanently retired at Goodyear, AZ, USA. The registration was cancelled in Mar-12. It was last noted still stored at Goodyear in Mar-13 and was subsequently broken up.

Found these instructions on Building School, I did not create this design, nor do I have knowledge in regards to who did.

 

However, we at the Liberation group feel that this would be an excellent Hardsuit design for our display.

 

Any thoughts?

~Kai

 

NOTE: Color Scheme is not locked in, most likely going with Light Gray.

 

EDIT: Credit for design goes to "Gambort"

Bell 412 Griffins replaced the Search and Rescue Wessex (is Wessii the plural?) serving with 84 sqn at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. They adopted the same playing card motifs as their predecessors. Here, ZJ703/Spades is seen at RIAT 2009. I don't think she flew all the way from Cyprus to attend, seem to recall it was based at Shawbury for a while and flew with the DHFS. Possibly after coming back to the UK for maintenance.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 07-Mar-21.

 

Of the four Jetstream's leased by North Vancouver Air, only two entered service (this one and N423UE) and were never registered in Canada.

 

First flown with the British Aerospace test registration G-31-780 (780 is also the c/n), this aircraft was transferred to British Aerospace Inc as N331QC in Dec-87. It was sold to the First Security bank of Utah and leased to the Jet Acceptance Corporation in Jun-88. The aircraft was delivered to Westair Holding Inc and leased to Westair Commuter Airlines in May-89. It was operated on behalf of United Express and re-registered N418UE in Sep-89. The aircraft was returned to British Aerospace Inc in May-98 and stored at Kingman, AZ, USA. It was leased to North Vancouver Air in Jun-99. It was returned to the lessor in Sep-00 and again stored at Kingman, AZ, USA. The aircraft was leased to SUM Air Services (FL, USA) in Jul-01 and was still operational in 2005. No further information. Updated Mar-21.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 04-Nov-24.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWDD, this aircraft was delivered to Edelweiss Air as HB-IHZ in Jun-99. It was sold to a lessor on delivery and leased back to Edelweiss.

 

The aircraft was wet-leased to Bangkok Airways in Oct-07 and returned to Edelweiss Air in Apr-08. It was sold back to Edelweiss in Nov-13.

 

The aircraft was stored at Zurich, Switzerland in Mar-20 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and returned to service in mid Jun-20. Current, updated 04-Nov-24.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 22-Jul-21 (using Topaz DeNoiseAI).

 

Fleet No: "015".

 

This aircraft was delivered to Continental Airlines as N27015 in Apr-00. Continental Airlines was merged into United Airlines in Oct-10. It was sold to a lessor in Mar-13, then sold back to United in Oct-17.

 

The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Washington-Dulles, USA in Mar-20 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was ferried to Roswell, NM, USA for further storage in Sep-20 and returned to service in mid Feb-21. Current, updated 10-Feb-23.

Bet-Cha Transit #R-3. Bus replaces a 2009 Thomas C2 for the 2014-2015 school year. STA #150357

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a slightly better version 21-Oct-17, plus DeNoise AI 17-Feb-23.

 

Taken through dirty glass and seen in the cold light of a Dubai dawn, well... hardly a 'cold' light, in June at dawn in Dubai it's already 30C. Good job they built a new ramp at Dubai before the A380's came along...

 

This aircraft was delivered to Hapag-Lloyd as D-AHLU in Nov-79. It was leased to Tunis Air between Apr/Jul-83 and to Global International Airways between Dec-84/Feb-85.

 

It was sold to Shannonair Leasing in Dec-89 and immediately leased to Emirates Airlines as A6-EMC. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Jun-93 and stored at Shannon, Ireland.

 

It was sold to Pacific Aircorp 727 Inc as N909PG in Mar-94 and converted to freighter configuration with a main deck cargo door. It was leased to AeroMexpress (Mexico) in May-94. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Oct-04 and leased to Custom Air Transport.

 

It was sold to Charter America Holdings Inc in Aug-06 and leased to AmeriJet International. In Oct-10 it was sold to SP Air Cargo (Brasil) as PP-SPC and returned to the US register, again as N909PG, in Aug-12 when it was sold to Aeronautical Airmotive Modifications Inc and stored at Opa Locka, FL, USA.

 

It was later moved to Sebring, FL, USA to be sold. Cargo Air bought it and it was last noted on maintenance at Opa Locka in Mar-13. The registration is still valid but after a quick trawl through FlightRadar24 is hasn't flown in at least the least 6 months, so I assume that it's been permanently retired somewhere. Updated (Oct-17).

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 25-Oct-19.

 

HISTORY UPDATE - Permanently retired.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AUAG, this aircraft was delivered to Air France as F-GUGI in Dec-04.

 

The aircraft was ferried Toulouse / St. Athan, Wales, UK in Dec-22 and permanently retired. Updated 15-Dec-22.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 02-Jan-23.

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AVWD, this aircraft was delivered to the CIT Leasing Corporation and leased to Independence Air (USA) as N805BR in Nov-04.

 

Independence Air ceased operations in Jan-06, it was returned to the lessor and stored at Mexico City. The aircraft was due to be leased to Volaris Mexico in Feb-06 but the lease wasn't taken up.

 

The aircraft was leased to Air-Berlin as D-ABGD in Jun-06 and returned to the lessor in May-09. It was parked at Dusseldorf (Germany). It was due for lease to Belle Air (Albania) as ZA-ARA but the registration wasn't used.

 

It was leased to Belle Air using the French Overseas registration F-OARF in Jul-09 (the registration was originally applied to the aircraft as F-OARA in error). The aircraft was transferred to an associate company, Belle Air Europe as EI-LIR in Mar-11.

 

Belle Air Europe ceased operations in Nov-13, he aircraft was repossessed by the lessor and stored at Ostrava, Czechia. it was leased to Air Serbia as YU-APD in Aug-14. Current, updated 03-Jan-23.

Added to my ejournal entry of the day. dennissylvesterhurd.blogspot.com/2025/02/day-86-i-suggest...

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 03-Nov-14, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 28-Mar-25.

 

Named: "Nordlingen".

 

First flown in Mar-87 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAR, this aircraft was delivered to Lufthansa in Jun-87 as D-AIAN. It operated for Lufthansa for almost 22 years until it was withdrawn from service and stored at Dresden, Germany in Oct-08.

 

It was sold in Apr-09, through an intermediary, to Kyrgyz Trans Avia as EX-35009. This appears to have been a way of getting round western sanctions on exports to Iran, like some of its sister-ships.

 

It was initially wet leased to Mahan Air in Jul-09. Not wet leased for long though! In Aug-09 it was re-registered in Iran as EP-MNR. I'm unable to verify that it's still in service after Nov-19 and it's given as 'stored' in most databases.

 

However, we don't know with aircraft in Iran whether it's just 'stored' or permanently retired, although it's now 38 years old! Updated 28-Mar-25.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 09-Oct-19.

 

Taken just a few months before the BKK airport code was transferred from Don Muang to the new Bangkok airport at Suvarnabhumi. Don Muang was re-coded DMK.

 

Operated by Bangkok Airways on behalf of Siem Reap Air on some services.

 

First flown in Mar-95 with the ATR test registration, this aircraft was stored at Toulouse until it was leased to Bangkok Airways as HS-PGE in Nov-95. It was returned to ATR and stored at Toulouse as F-WQNF in May-06. The aircraft was leased to Vietnam Airlines as VN-B216 in Jul-06. It was returned to ATR as F-WKVE in Jun-10 and was stored at St. Brieuc, France the following month. In Feb-11 it was leased to Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras as PR-AZT. It was transferred to Imetame Metalmechanica Ltda (Brasil), trading as Imetame Airline, in May-12 and was repainted in a special livery. It doesn't appear to be operational currently and I have no further information. Updated (Oct-19).

Replaced the sky of the original Dalden Tower image with a moon. I added some effects to create a spooky atmosphere.

 

Dalden Tower is found in Dalton-le-Dale near Seaham in County Durham.

 

It was built at least as early as 1375, when it passed from the hands of the Escolland family to the Bowes family. Prior to the switch, the Escollands had changed their name to Dalden, hence the name of the structure.

 

For two centuries it remained a popular and well-used residence for the Bowes family, subsequently passing through the hands of the Collingwoods, Millbankes and Londonderrys, but it has been derelict since at least the early 1700s.

 

Info obtained from:

northeasthistorytour.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/dalden-tower-...

Heidelberg - Heiliggeistkirche und Marktplatz

 

The Church of the Holy Spirit (German: Heiliggeistkirche) is the largest church in Heidelberg, Germany. The church, located in the marketplace in the old town center, was constructed between 1398 and 1515 in the Romanesque and Gothic styles. It annually receives 1–3 million guests a year, making it among the most visited churches in Germany.

 

The church was planned as the burial place of the Electors of the Palatinate and as a representative church of the Palatinate royal seat. In the Palatine War of Succession, the princely graves of the Electors were destroyed; today only the grave of the founder of the church, Elector Ruprecht III, remains. The church was also the location of the founding of the Heidelberg University and was the original repository of the Bibliotheca Palatina.

 

The congregation was originally Roman Catholic, but the church has changed denominations more than ten times through its history. Intermittently, over a 300 year period, the nave and the choir of the church were separated by a wall, allowing both Catholics and Protestants to practice in the church at the same time. The wall was ultimately removed in 1936, and the congregation is now solely Protestant. Today, it is a parish church within the Evangelical Church of Heidelberg and is part of the Evangelical Church in Germany.

 

History

 

A manuscript from 1239 references a Romanesque chapel in the center of Heidelberg named “Zum Heilien Geist” (English: to the Holy Ghost). A Gothic, asisleless church was constructed on that site around 1300 and subsequently referred to as the Chapel of the Holy Spirit (Heiliggeistkapelle). King Rupert commissioned a new church building in 1398, which replaced the chapel and became the current Church of the Holy Spirit. The current church is the third sacral building on the site.

 

Congregations

 

Between the 16th and 20th centuries, the church changed confessions over ten times, between Lutheranism, Calvinism, Catholicism, and Old Catholicism. Sermons had been delivered in German at various points before the Reformation at the Church of the Holy Spirit, but Protestantism was not quickly adopted in Heidelberg. The first Protestant service was conducted at the Church of the Holy Spirit in 1546. Elector Otto Henry converted the region in 1557, and the church was officially designated as a Lutheran parish church. Otto Henry's successor, Friedrich III, converted the church to Calvinism and commissioned the Heidelberg Catechism.

 

In 1706, a succession crisis resulted in the church being divided in half in order to accommodate both Catholics and Protestants simultaneously, so that both congregations could hold their services without any mutual disturbance. The church was divided by a wall which separated the nave and the chancel, creating a second altar in the center of the church. In 1719, Elector Karl III Philipp ordered soldiers to occupy the church and tear down the wall in order to restore it to a purely Catholic place of worship. Political pressure from other states and the Holy Roman Empire forced him to re-erect the wall shortly thereafter. The wall was again removed in 1886, but was rebuilt once more as a result of the Kulturkampf and pressure from the Vatican. It was ultimately removed on 24 June 1936. The church has been solely Protestant since.

 

Bibliotheca Palatina

 

The Bibliotheca Palatina was founded and originally kept in the gallery of the Church of the Holy Spirit, where good light for reading was available. It contained several collections, including the libraries of Heidelberg University, Heidelberg Castle, and several monasteries.

 

During the Thirty Years War, this collection of manuscripts and early printed books were taken as loot and presented to the Pope by the Count of Tilly, who commanded the Catholic League’s forces at Heidelberg in 1622. Reportedly 54 oxcarts filled with crates of books were taken to Rome from the Church of the Holy Spirit. They now form the Bibliotheca Palatina section of the Vatican Library. As a result of the Congress of Vienna, 847 of the german manuscripts from this collection were returned to the University of Heidelberg in 1816. For the University's 600th anniversary, a further collection of 588 of the Bibliotheca's documents were temporarily exhibited at the Church. Much of the exhibition contained documents detailing the workings of the former library itself: from the former library's binding techniques to records on the library's removal in 1623.

 

Architecture

 

Construction

 

Documents name Arnold Rype, a former mayor of Heidelberg, as the church's "master builder". At the time, the term "master builder" referred not to the architect but the financial initiator. The only known architects are Hans Marx, who worked on the church until 1426, as well as Jorg, who was responsible until 1439. Both men probably supervised work on the nave. Under the reign of Prince-elector Frederick I, a noted specialist in the construction of church towers, Niclaus Eseler, came from Mainz to Heidelberg and was likely responsible for the execution of the primary work on the church's spire, though the steeple was completed by Lorenz Lechler.

 

Construction began in 1398 when the cornerstone was laid. The choir was completed and consecrated in 1411, and the nave finished in 1441. The construction of the steeple was started in the same year, but works were interrupted until 1508, and the tower was finished in 1544.

 

Restoration

 

During the Palatinate War of Succession, the church was raided by French forces in 1693 and significantly damaged by a fire. The fire destroyed the church tower, which was rebuilt in 1709 in a baroque style. A viewing platform inside the main spire is accessible to the public via a narrow staircase with a total of 208 steps. The platform is located 38 meters above ground level.

 

The 1693 fire damaged the roof, and resulting in decades of water damage in much of the building. Late 18th century restoration efforts greatly altered the original design of the building. Crumbling, octagonal sandstone pillars were sanded-down to round columns. Medieval frescoes were either plastered over, or reinterpreted in baroque style.

 

One of the vaults of the nave is decorated with a fresco, created around 1440. Each of the vault's eight panels are decorated with an angel playing a unique instrument. The fresco was restored in 1950 by Harry MacLean, who added a bassoon to one angel, which was not original to the piece. A Holy Ghost hole sits between the eight angels.

 

Stained glass

 

Heiliggeistkirch's original medieval windows were destroyed by the fire of 1693. None of the original windows were preserved and no record or attestation to what they looked like exists. To replace the damaged windows, emergency glazing was introduced in the 19th century, principally in the choir and along the south aisle of the nave. Matching windows, installed on the north aisle, were subsequently destroyed in 1945 during the Second World War. The poor condition of the 19th century glazing became a pressing issue in the mid 20th century, resulting in a historically significant series of unrealised attempts to commission the design of a unified programme of stained glass windows from contemporary artists.

 

In the mid 1970s, the regional church board voted to replace the 19th century additions, as part of a broader restoration and repair of the interior. As a result, several significant efforts were made in the 1970s and 1990s to reinstall stained glass into these windows through a programme of artworks by a single artist. Initially, the German artist Johannes Schreiter was commissioned in 1977 to undertake the project and design a total of twenty-two pieces, but negative response to his designs and the resulting “Heidelbergerfensterstreit” (Heidelberg Window Controversy) meant that only one complete work, the Physics Window, was installed in the church. Subsequently, the British artist Brian Clarke was asked to submit a proposal for the remaining windows. His resulting designs drew on the history of the site's location as the repository of the Biblioteca Palatina and its link to the development of Calvinism through the 1563 Heidelberg Catechism. Ultimately, of Clarke's designs were implemented.

 

During the late 1990s, Hella Santarossa won a subsequent 1997 competition for a series of five windows whose core element is treated, broken coloured glass. Santarossa is a member of the Derix family, one of the major stained glass studios in Germany. Her series of five windows were installed in the north nave.

 

The "Heidelberger Fensterstreit"

 

The most famed and controversial stained glass works commissioned for the church are those of Johannes Schreiter, commissioned in 1977 to design twenty-two stained glass windows. At the time, this was to be the largest stained glass commission to have been granted to a single artist. The resulting avant-garde designs, which incorporated references from science, medicine, philosophy, and the analogue technologies of the day, became the subject of a cultural and theological dispute known as the "Heidelberg Controversy" (German: Heidelbergerfensterstreit Fensterstreit). This dispute is cited as "the most intense controversy on record involving twentieth century stained glass".

 

Schreiter's designs had previously been debated and tested within a focus group including theologians, art critics, and church attendees. They were then presented to the public in 1984 when the first window was installed on the south isle. This window is known as the "Physikfenster" (English: "Physics Window"). It's critical theme immediately became controversial. Critics called the Physics Window overly conceptual, elitist, and secularly dejected. When sketches of Schreiter's following pieces were released, local parishioners were reportedly disenfranchised by their themes. Protests, parish votes, and petitions ultimately prevented their installation. Nine years after Schreiter was commissioned, the project was officially terminated on June 23rd 1986. Schreiter had originally been commissioned to create ten separate pieces for the nave; the ensuing controversy caused the remaining nine to be abandoned. The Physics Window remains the only work of Schreiter's installed in the church, though other windows from the series have since been purchased and displayed by independent organisations, including other churches and hospital clinics.

 

The Physics Window is 458 cm tall and 125 cm wide. The majority of the piece is red, representing the Holy Spirit; a white arrow at the top represents the Holy Spirit descending to earth. Only two points on the piece are in bright blue: one highlighting the Einstein's theory of relativity, E=mc², and the other states the date the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, 6 August 1945. Written above both of these in black, gothic script, is a passage from the Second Epistle of Peter (2 Peter 3:10) combined with a passage from Isaiah (Isaiah 54:10). The first passage references an apocalyptic end to the earth, in which everything created by man is destroyed by fire. This theme is reflected in Schreiter's work by an effect in the glass that resembles burnt paper near the date of the Hiroshima tragedy. By contrast, the second passage offers hope, implying that God will remain merciful despite man's mistakes.

 

Notable burials

 

Originally, the Church of the Holy Spirit contained the tombs of the Palatinate electors, which were later destroyed by fire during the War of the Palatine Succession. The only remaining tomb is that of Prince-Elector Rupert III, the founder of the church, which is still preserved.

 

Dorothea of Denmark, Electress Palatine (1520–1580)

Eberhard II, Duke of Württemberg (1447–1504)

Elisabeth of Nuremberg (1358–1411)

Louis III, Elector Palatine (1378–1436)

Louis IV, Elector Palatine (1424–1449)

Rupert, King of the Romans (1352–1410)

Wolfgang of the Palatinate (1494–1558)

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Die Heiliggeistkirche ist die größte und bedeutendste Kirche in Heidelberg. Mit der Apsis zum Marktplatz steht sie mitten in der Heidelberger Altstadt. Ihr Turm beherrscht und prägt – mit dem achteckigen Glockenturm des Schlosses – das Stadtbild. Die aus rotem Neckartäler Sandstein gebaute gotische Hallenkirche mit barockem Dach und barocker Turmhaube gilt als „völlig singuläres Bauwerk von hohem künstlerischen Rang“.

 

Die Kirche wurde von 1398 bis 1515 errichtet und war als Grablege der Kurfürsten von der Pfalz und als repräsentatives Gotteshaus der kurpfälzischen Residenzstadt geplant. Bei schweren Zerstörungen im Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieg wurden die Fürstengräber verwüstet, sodass sich heute nur noch das Grab des Erbauers des Chors der Kirche, Kurfürst Ruprecht III., der als Ruprecht I. deutscher König war, in der Kirche befindet. Bekannt ist die Heiliggeistkirche auch als einstiger Standort der Bibliotheca Palatina sowie wegen ihrer wechselvollen, eng mit der Geschichte Heidelbergs verknüpften, konfessionellen Geschichte. Von 1706 bis 1936 war die Kirche durch eine Scheidemauer in zwei Teile geteilt. Das Langhaus war protestantisch, der Chor katholisch. Seit 1936 gehört die gesamte Kirche zur Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden.

 

Kirchenrechtliche Stellung

 

Die Heiliggeistkirche war ursprünglich eine von der Peterskirche kirchenrechtlich abhängige Kapelle. Kurfürst Ruprecht III. erreichte im Zusammenhang mit der Gründung der Universität Heidelberg bei Papst Bonifatius IX., dass die Heiliggeistkirche aus der Abhängigkeit von der Peterskirche gelöst und zur Stiftskirche erhoben wurde. Verschiedene Pfründen, die ursprünglich an anderen Kirchen bestanden, wurden auf die Heiliggeistkirche übertragen und dienten der Finanzierung der jungen Universität, deren Professoren zugleich Stiftsherren an der Heiliggeistkirche waren. Die Einrichtung des Kollegiatstifts war 1413 abgeschlossen. Gleichzeitig fungierte die Heiliggeistkirche als Pfarrkirche für die Altstadt, während die Peterskirche die Funktion einer Pfarrkirche für die Neustadt (die nach der Stadterweiterung von 1392 hinzugekommenen Teile der heutigen Altstadt) übernahm. Kurfürst Ottheinrich löste nach seinem Amtsantritt das Stift auf und übertrug die Pfründen an die Universität, die Heiliggeistkirche wurde zur evangelischen Pfarrkirche.

 

Die Heiliggeistkirche blieb der Universität seit ihrer Gründung, die mit einer Messe in der (damaligen) Heiliggeistkirche gefeiert wurde, verbunden. In der Folgezeit blieb die Heiliggeistkirche Universitätskirche, ihre Tür diente als Schwarzes Brett der Universität. Im 19. Jahrhundert übernahm die Peterskirche die Funktion als Universitätskirche.

 

Baugeschichte

 

Eine dem Heiligen Geist geweihte Kirche am Heidelberger Marktplatz wurde im Jahr 1239 in einer Urkunde des Klosters Schönau zum ersten Mal erwähnt. Weitere Erwähnungen folgen erst in den Jahren 1353 und 1358.

 

Bei der im Jahr 1239 erwähnten Kirche handelte es sich um eine spätromanische Basilika, von welcher im Jahr 1936 eine Apsis ausgegraben wurde. Um 1300, vielleicht aber auch schon zwischen 1278 und 1288, wurde sie zu einer dreischiffigen spätromanischen oder bereits gotischen Kirche umgestaltet. Diese Kirche war halb so lang wie die jetzige und ist durch Ausgrabungen in den Jahren 1886 sowie 1936 bis 1942 gut dokumentiert. Als Grund für diesen Umbau wird ein Brand vermutet, dem ein Hochwasser vorausgegangen sein soll.

 

Kurfürst Ruprecht III. ließ anstelle des bisherigen Chores ab 1398 einen hohen und lichten Hallenchor erbauen. Da Heidelberg unter der Herrschaft Ruprechts I. die alten Zentren Bacharach, Alzey und Neustadt verdrängt hatte und alleinige kurpfälzische Residenzstadt geworden war, sollte es, seinem Rang entsprechend, eine große und repräsentative Kirche erhalten, die auch als künftige Grablege der Pfälzer Kurfürsten bestimmt war. Diese repräsentative Funktion erhielt besonderes Gewicht, als Ruprecht III. zum deutschen König gewählt wurde und der Chor der Heiliggeistkirche dereinst das Grab eines Königs aufnehmen sollte. Der Chor wurde vermutlich schon 1410 zur Beisetzung von Ruprecht III. vollendet.

 

Ursprünglich war der Bau eines neuen Langhauses nicht vorgesehen. Die Kombination eines hohen, stattlichen Chores mit einem älteren und kleineren Langhaus findet man heute noch bei der Sebaldus-Kirche in Nürnberg. Unter Kurfürst Ludwig III. wurde dann doch mit dem Bau eines neuen Langhauses begonnen, das 1441 fertiggestellt und genauso hoch wie der Chor war. Chor und Langhaus bilden äußerlich eine Einheit. Wahrscheinlich schon im Jahr 1441 wurde auch mit dem Bau des Westturms begonnen. Die Arbeiten mussten jedoch bis 1508 unterbrochen werden. Wahrscheinlich 1515 wurde der Turm – damals mit einem spitzen gotischen Helm – vollendet.

 

Als Baumeister nennen Urkunden einen Heidelberger Bürger namens Arnold Rype, der zeitweilig auch Bürgermeister der Stadt war. Im damaligen Sprachgebrauch meinte man mit Baumeister jedoch nicht den Architekten, sondern den – oft ehren- oder nebenamtlich tätigen – Finanzkoordinator. Von den Architekten der Heiliggeistkirche kennt man lediglich Hans Marx, welcher 1423 in einer Urkunde erwähnt wird und bis 1426 an der Kirche arbeitete, sowie Jorg, der bis 1439 zuständig war. Beide beaufsichtigten wahrscheinlich die Arbeiten am Langhaus. Unter Friedrich dem Siegreichen kam der berühmte Turmbauspezialist Niclaus Eseler aus Mainz nach Heidelberg, der vermutlich den Großteil der Arbeiten am Turm der Heiliggeistkirche durchführte, der jedoch erst in der letzten Bauphase von Lorenz Lechler vollendet wurde.

 

Am 22. Mai 1693 wurde die Kirche während des Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieges schwer beschädigt. Französische Truppen sperrten eine große Menschenmenge in der Heiliggeistkirche ein und steckten die Kirche in Brand. Erst als bereits Glocken, Balken und Gewölbeteile herabstürzten, wurde auf Bitten des jungen reformierten Pfarrers Johann Daniel Schmidtmann eine Tür geöffnet. Bei der Flucht aus der Kirche wurden viele Menschen erdrückt, andere von französischen Soldaten, die die Kirche plünderten, misshandelt.

 

In den Jahren 1698 bis 1700 wurde das Dach in damals moderner gebrochener Form wiederhergestellt. Bei dem Dach handelt es sich um eines der frühesten noch komplett erhaltenen Mansarddächer in Deutschland. 1709 erhielt der Turm seine barocke welsche Haube. Zwischenzeitlich angebrachte Seitenkapellen wurden bei dem Wiederaufbau entfernt.

 

Von 1978 bis 1985 wurde die Kirche umfassend restauriert; dabei wurde die ursprüngliche, auf Rottönen basierende Farbgebung wiederhergestellt.

 

Architektur

 

Die Heiliggeistkirche ist aus sorgfältig behauenen Sandsteinquadern aus dem Neckartal erbaut. Der Hallenumgangschor ist mit einer dreischiffigen Emporenhalle unter einem durchlaufenden Dach verbunden. Eine derartige Emporenhalle findet man in Süddeutschland äußerst selten. Den Durchgang vom Mittelschiff zu den Seitenschiffen bilden sechs Arkaden mit schlanken, kapitelllosen Rundpfeilern. Der gesamte Kirchenraum ist von einem einfachen Kreuzrippengewölbe überdeckt.

 

Das Niveau der nördlichen Empore liegt über dem der Südempore. Ungewöhnlich ist, dass die Seitenschiffe breiter als das Mittelschiff sind. Dies beruht darauf, dass die Emporen der Seitenschiffe von Anfang an dazu bestimmt waren, die Büchersammlung des Kurfürsten Ludwig III. aufzunehmen. Eine weitere Besonderheit liegt darin, dass die Hauptblickachse nicht wie üblich auf ein Fenster im Chor, sondern auf einen Strebepfeiler gerichtet ist. Dieses kühne Motiv der Achsenverschränkung ist bei Kirchenbauten der Parler-Schule oft zu finden. Eine baugeschichtliche Besonderheit stellt die Einziehung des Chormittelschiffs zum Triumphbogen dar.

 

An den Längsseiten der Kirche befinden sich gestufte, bis auf einige Wasserspeier schmucklose Strebevorlagen, dazwischen jeweils zwei übereinander angeordnete Maßwerkfenster, die großen am Chor mit drei oder vier Pässen. Der schlanke Westturm ist in den Baukörper eingezogen und besitzt ein achteckiges Glockengeschoss mit einer markanten Barockhaube.

 

Äußeres

 

Kennzeichnend für das Äußere der Heiliggeistkirche ist eine gewisse Monumentalität unter Verzicht auf Architekturdetails. An der Nordseite des Chors ist eine Sakristei angebaut mit einer gemalten Strahlenkranzmadonna an der Nordostecke als einzigem Schmuck. Das Gemälde stammt aus dem späten Mittelalter und wurde im 19. Jahrhundert sowie im Jahre 1987 restauriert.

 

Aus der Barockzeit stammen jeweils drei nachträglich eingebaute Portale an der Nord- und der Südseite. Über den mittleren Portalen auf Nord- und Südseite ist das Wappen des Kurfürsten Johann Wilhelm und seiner Gemahlin Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici angebracht. Unter diesem Herrscher wurde die Kirche instand gesetzt. Das barocke Hauptportal wurde 1967 an die Nordseite versetzt und durch ein neugestaltetes Portal ersetzt. An der Nordseite am Fischmarkt ist in der Außenwand ein kleiner mit Fischen geschmückter Brunnen eingelassen. Eine Markierung zeigt den Stand des Hochwassers im Jahr 1784 an.

 

Typisch für die Heiliggeistkirche sind die kleinen Ladenanbauten, die zwischen den Strebepfeilern eingefügt sind. Während früher Blumenhändler, Schuhmacher und Bäcker zu finden waren, sind heute neben kleinen Buchläden vor allem Andenkenbuden dort untergebracht. Der Schriftsteller Michael Buselmeier schrieb, dass sich „der Andenkenschund immer dreister breitmacht“. Auf der Südseite sind im Mauerwerk mehrere Brezeln dargestellt. Diese Darstellungen stammen aus dem 15. Jahrhundert und zeigen das richtige Größenmaß an, damit die Kunden überprüfen konnten, ob die von den Bäckern verkauften Brezeln die richtige Größe hatten.

 

Königsgrab

 

Entsprechend der Funktion als kurfürstliche Grablege befanden sich im Chor der Heiliggeistkirche insgesamt 54 Grabmale und Särge von zwischen 1410 und 1685 bestatteten Kurfürsten der Pfalz und von Angehörigen der kurfürstlichen Familien. Als besonders prächtig galt das Renaissance-Grabmal von Ottheinrich, das – schon zu seinen Lebzeiten aufgestellt – wegen der freizügigen Frauenfiguren Anstoß erregte, sodass Ottheinrich es mit Tüchern verhüllen ließ. Auch die Grabmale von Ludwig VI. und von Friedrich IV. waren aufwändig und repräsentativ gestaltet. Karl Ludwig und Karl II. verzichteten demgegenüber auf Grabmäler und ließen sich in schlichten Särgen bestatten.

 

Im Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieg wurden nahezu alle Grabmäler durch Brand und Plünderungen zerstört. Nur noch die Grabplatte des Kurfürsten Ruprecht III., als Ruprecht I. deutscher König, und seiner Gemahlin Elisabeth von Hohenzollern ist erhalten. Dabei handelt es sich um die Deckplatte der zerstörten Tumba. Das Grab war ursprünglich als Hochgrab in der Mitte des Chores aufgestellt, inzwischen hat die Grabplatte einen Platz im nördlichen Seitenschiff gefunden. Sie stellt eine bedeutende Bildhauerarbeit im hochgotischen „weichen Stil“ dar. Die Gesichter sind idealisiert, der König ist mit Zepter, Krone und Reichsapfel als Zeichen seiner Würde dargestellt. Die schlanken Körper sind in schwere und reiche Gewänder gehüllt, die kunstvolle Falten werfen. Die Gesichter wurden 1693 beschädigt und danach ergänzt. Zu Füßen des Königs liegt ein Löwe als Symbol der Stärke, zu Füßen der Königin ein Hund als Zeichen der Treue. Zwischenzeitlich befand sich die Grabplatte an der Scheidemauer, seit 1936 ist sie an ihrem jetzigen Platz, allerdings verkehrt herum, aufgestellt: Statt wie ursprünglich nach Osten, der aufgehenden Sonne und dem Jüngsten Tag entgegen, blickt der König nun nach Westen.

 

Als der Kurfürst im Jahr 1720 die Residenz nach Mannheim verlegte, wurde die Kirche im heute nicht mehr vorhandenen Heidelberger Karmeliterkloster neue kurfürstliche Grablage. Nach dem Ende der Kurpfalz im Jahr 1803 ließ Kurfürst Maximilian IV. Joseph die Särge nach München überführen, wo sie sich in St. Michael befinden.

 

Im südlichen Seitenschiff befinden sich einige Grabplatten von kurfürstlichen Hofmeistern und Professoren der Universität aus dem 15. Jahrhundert mit deutlichen Spuren des Brandes aus dem Jahr 1693.[28] Sie waren bei den Restaurierungsarbeiten ab 1936 im Kirchenraum gesichert worden und wurden anschließend dort eingemauert.

 

Glasfenster

 

Die mittelalterlichen Glasfenster wurden bei dem Brand im Jahre 1693 zerstört. Die später eingebauten Fenster barsten durch die Druckwelle, die bei der Sprengung der Alten Brücke im März 1945 entstanden war. Alle jetzigen Glasfenster stammen daher aus der Zeit nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.

 

Das westlichste Bleiglasfenster im südlichen Seitenschiff stammt von Johannes Schreiter und wurde 1984 eingebaut. Ursprünglich hatte Johannes Schreiter eine ganze Serie von Fenstern für die Heiliggeistkirche entworfen. Nach einem heftigen Streit wegen der von einigen als zu progressiv empfundenen Fenster wurde jedoch im Jahr 1986 beschlossen, keine weiteren Fenster von Johannes Schreiter einzubauen. Von den Fenstern, die die Beziehung der modernen Welt und der Wissenschaften zum Glauben reflektieren sollten, wurde nur das Physik-Fenster verwirklicht. Darin erkennt man unter anderem die berühmte einsteinsche Gleichung e = m c2 und das Datum des Atombombenabwurfs auf Hiroshima. Die fünf Fenster im Nordseitenschiff wurden in den Jahren 1999 bis 2001 eingebaut. Sie stammen von Hella Santarossa und behandeln das Wirken des für die Kirche namensgebenden Heiligen Geistes in der Welt. Das Glasfenster über der Westempore ist von Gottfried von Stockhausen aus dem Jahr 1967 und zeigt das Lamm auf dem Buch mit dem sieben Siegeln aus der Offenbarung des Johannes. Seine volle Pracht entfaltet es nur in der Abendsonne.

 

Bibliotheca Palatina

 

Von Beginn an war auf den Emporen die später um die Büchersammlung des Kurfürsten Ludwig III. erweiterte Stiftsbibliothek aufgestellt. Auf den Emporen gab es relativ gute Lichtverhältnisse zum Lesen. Durch wesentliche Ergänzung insbesondere durch Ottheinrich, aber auch unter Johann Casimir, wurde die Bibliothek zu der weltberühmten Bibliotheca Palatina. Während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges wurde die Sammlung im Jahr 1622 von Kurfürst Maximilian I. von Bayern als Kriegsbeute geraubt und dem Papst geschenkt. Von den rund 5000 Büchern und 3524 Handschriften gelangten 1816 nur 885 zurück und befinden sich heute in der Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg. Der Rest wird auch heute noch im Vatikan aufbewahrt. Zur 600-Jahr-Feier der Universität im Jahr 1986 kam eine repräsentative Auswahl der Bücher für eine einmalige Ausstellung vorübergehend an ihren alten Standort zurück. Das berühmteste Stück der Bibliotheca Palatina, die Manessische Liederhandschrift, hatte Kurfürst Friedrich V. mitgenommen, als er 1619 Heidelberg verließ, sodass sie dem Raub entging. Über Umwege gelangte sie nach Paris, 1888 konnte die Heidelberger Universitätsbibliothek sie zurückkaufen.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der Marktplatz ist ein zentraler Platz in der Altstadt von Heidelberg.

 

Topographie und Geschichte

 

Der Marktplatz ist einer der ältesten Plätze der Stadt und erfüllt seine namensgebende Funktion seit es den Platz als solchen gibt. Im Norden und Süden wird er von Häuserzeilen begrenzt, im Osten des Marktplatzes steht das Rathaus, im Westen wird der Platz von der Heiliggeistkirche dominiert.

 

In der Mitte des Platzes steht der Herkulesbrunnen, der zwischen 1706 und 1709 errichtet wurde und an die enormen Anstrengungen des Wiederaufbaus der Stadt nach den Verwüstungen des Pfälzischen Erbfolgekriegs erinnern soll.

 

Neben seiner Funktion als Ort für den Wochenmarkt diente der Platz in früheren Jahrhunderten auch als Platz für öffentliche Prozesse, wie z. B. gegen Johannes Sylvanus, die Räuberbande des Hölzerlips oder Mannefriedrich im Jahre 1812.

 

Nachdem der Marktplatz zwischenzeitlich auch als Parkplatz neben der damals noch für den Kraftfahrzeugverkehr freigegebenen Hauptstraße diente, ist er seit dem Ende der 1970er Jahre nunmehr nur noch für Fußgänger zugänglich. Im Winter dient der Marktplatz auch regelmäßig als ein Veranstaltungsort des Heidelberger Weihnachtsmarktes der am queeren "Pink Monday" nach dem 1. Advent pink-rosa beleuchtet ist (der andere Platz ist der Universitätsplatz).

 

(Wikipedia)

Built in 1900, the Crossville Depot replaced a boxcar that was used temporarily until the building was complete. Medal of Honor winner Sergeant Alvin C. York departed and returned from the Crossville Depot during World War I, and later, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who was here to visit the Cumberland Homesteads "New Deal" project. The Depot was featured in a famous scene from the movie Sergeant York. The railroad stopped running and tracks were removed in Cumberland County in the early 1980s, and in 1996 the Depot was renovated as a community project by the Rotary Clubs of Cumberland County. Currently, the Depot is a gift and coffee shop, and meeting facility.

 

Information above taken from the Crossville, TN Chamber website:

www.crossville-chamber.com/visiting.php?pg=22

 

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D5200 and combined with Photomatix to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

replaced the old one with a "frame" like it a lot better

Here is some useful information:

 

All poses are read and modified for your convenience.

 

- Facial expressions for all poses were obtained with the corresponding head hud.

- Make sure you stop all the huds controlling your hands, otherwise they will replace the bento pose.

- Please be aware that some minor changes to your form may be required to adjust poses.

- Contains 5 poses

 

- linktr.ee/breakstoresl

- www.facebook.com/breakstoresl

- www.instagram.com/breakstoresl/

- marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/227049

- discord.com/invite/PPajazqY3P

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 28-Jan-22 (DeNoise AI).

 

QANTAS Airways, operated by Southern Australia Airlines.

 

First flown in Feb-88 with the British Aerospace test registration G-5-097, this aircraft was leased to Westair Commuter Airlines (USA) as N293UE in Apr-88 and operated for United Express. It was sold to a lessor in Aug-88 and leased back to B.Ae while the lease to Westair/United continued.

 

It was returned to B.Ae in Sep-91 and leased to Air Nova (Canada) in Nov-91, still US registered. It was returned to B.Ae after only two months, in Jan-92, and leased to Air BC (Canada) between Feb/Apr-92. On return to B.Ae it was stored until it was leased to Empire Airlines as N461EA in Sep-92.

 

It was returned to B.Ae Asset Management in Jun-94 and stored until it was leased to Air Wisconsin as N293UE again and operated for United Express. It was returned to B.Ae Asset Management in Sep-96.

 

The aircraft was leased to National Jet Systems (Australia) and sub-leased to Southern Australia Airlines as VH-YAD in Nov-96 and operated on behalf of QANTAS Airways. It was briefly transferred to Australian Airlink between Jul/Aug-99. On it's return to Southern Australia Airlines the operation on behalf of QANTAS Airways continued. It was briefly transferred to Australian Airlink again between May/Jul-01 and returned to National Jet Systems in Oct-03.

 

It was permanently retired at Adelaide, South Australia in May-11 and broken up there in Nov-13.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 02-Dec-15.

 

Delivered to American Airlines in Apr-66 as N5026, this aircraft was only in service for 6 years and was due to be sold to UK start-up Orientair as G-AZMI.

 

However the deal fell through and it was leased to the British Aircraft Corporation instead, for about 10 days in Mar-72 using the temporary British registration G-16-19 before being returned to American Airlines as G-AZMI and stored at Bournemouth, UK.

 

It was sold to British Airways in Apr-74 and registered G-BBME. It was with BA for 14 years until it was retired at Bournemouth in Nov-88. In Jan-90 it was sold to Birmingham European Airways. Birmingham European merged with Brymon Airways in Oct-92 to form Brymon European Airways.

 

They de-merged the following year, in Aug-93, with Brymon Airways separating and operating their Dash 8's for British Airways Express, while the Birmingham European half was renamed Maersk Air UK and operated the One-Elevens, also on behalf of British Airways out of Birmingham.

 

The aircraft was sold in South Africa in Feb-97 to Nationwide Air Charter as ZS-OAG and painted in their full livery with additional SABENA titles. It was finally retired at Lanseria, South Africa, in Mar-98, and broken up there by 2000.

Replaced to add back the EXIF data that Picasa dropped.

Another Gemini which has transferred from Leeds Bramley to Huddersfield to replace elderly ALX400's, First West Yorkshire Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 32461 (YJ04FZK) is seen at Storthes Hall on route 398, in place of the usual 51 reg ALX400’s

So this is a bit of an on and off project I’ve had, and so happy with the final result.

 

Captain America was the first figure I finished out of the 5 I made. The helmet is from the Cat Woman from TLBM, which I sanded the shit out of. The torso is layered with E-tape, and the pouches are dry sculpted. The shield was painted with metallic blue, silver, and red.

 

Black Widow was inspired by TheMooseFigs version he posted a while ago. I painted the head and hair piece, sculpted the chest, used etape for the straps, my favourite part is the shield logos painted on her shoulders.

 

Hawkeye was made in a day. The face was painted, just a shaved version of my Civil War Hawkeye figure. The torso is layered in etape. The legs have etape straps. The bow was stolen from my Civil War version, and the quiver is a LEGO one i sanded down.

 

Thor’s torso was sculpted, with etape underneath. The chainmail on the arms were sculpted. I used fabric on the waist for the cloth thing he has, sculpted the circles. Replaces the handle on Mjolnir with a brown one, used a strip of etape for the handle boi at the end.

 

Wanted to make Iron Man in a battle damaged look, which meant a lot of gunmetal. I really liked DaLastPrime Battle Damaged Mark 42, which inspired me to sculpt the arms and legs.

 

Hulk is just my IW hulk which used Chris ball joint arm technique.

 

That’s it for these figures! Let me know you r thoughts!

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 25-Mar-25.

 

Air France by Brit Air. Original 'Brit Air' name style and logo on the engines.

 

First flown in Aug-97 with the Bombardier test registration C-GBFF, this aircraft was delivered to Brit Air, France as F-GRJJ at the end of Oct-97. It was sold to a lessor on delivery and leased back to Brit Air (Brittany Air International).

 

The aircraft was operated on behalf of Air France. It was returned to Brit Air and stored (where?) in Jul-12. At the end of Mar-13, all three of Air France's domestic subsidiary's, Brit Air, Region Air and Airlinair were merged into a new company, 'HOP! for Air France'

 

This aircraft was eventually broken up but I have no information as to where or when. The registration was cancelled in Jul-15.

Replacing a very old but well used Washtec SoftCare Pro

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 29-Nov-23.

 

This photo was taken by a friend, Ted Marsland, and is reproduced here with his full permission.

 

I liked the Trans Canada livery & at the time I thought it was a great shame when it became Air Canada.

 

Fleet No: "913".

 

Delivered to TCA Trans Canada Airlines as CF-TKM in Apr-61, TCA became Air Canada in Jun-64. It only operated for 10 years and was stored at Montreal-Dorval in 1971.

 

It was sold to Compania Inter-Americana SA (Panama) in Aug-73 and was broken up for spares at Montreal the same month by Invicta International Airlines of the UK.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 11-Nov-19 + DeNoise AI 29-Oct-22.

 

With Additional 'Bayer Leverkusen' titles & logo (German football/soccer team).

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWBQ, this aircraft was delivered to GECAS and leased to LTU International Airways as D-ALTC in Apr-01. It was painted in the 'Bayer Leverkusen' livery in Sep-03.

 

LTU International was taken over by Air Berlin in Apr-07 but they continued to operate separately. The aircraft was repainted in Air Berlin livery in Jan-08 and the take-over was completed in May-09.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Feb-11 and leased to Brussels Airlines as OO-SNA a few days later. The aircraft was painted in the full 'Belgian Red Devils' special livery in Mar/Apr-16. After 21.5 years in service it was ferried to St. Athan, Wales, UK in Oct-22 and permanently retired. Updated 29-Oct-22.

Restringing the telecaster.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 08-Aug-21 (DeNoiseAI).

 

"Signatures/Spirit of Canadi>n" special livery.

 

Delivered to Alitalia as I-DYND in May-75, this aircraft was sold to PIA Pakistan International Airlines as AP-BBL in May-83.

 

It was one of 4 PIA DC-10's which were exchanged for 4 of CP's B747-200's and was delivered to CP Air as C-FCRE in Dec-85.

 

CP Air was renamed Canadian Pacific Airlines again in Jan-86 and was renamed Canadian Airlines International in Apr-87. The aircraft was sold to a lessor in May-91 as N42783 and leased to VASP Brasil as PP-SON the following month.

 

It returned to the lessor as N42783 in Nov-92 and was stored at Marana, AZ, USA. In Aug-93 it was leased to Canadian Airlines again, still registered N42783 until it was re-registered C-FCRE again in Mar-95.

 

The aircraft was retired and stored at Abbottsford, BC, Canada in Nov-99 and returned to the lessor in Dec-99. It was ferried to Marana at the end of Jun-00 for further storage and re-registered N305FV the following month.

 

At some point it was due to be leased to Dairo Air Services (DAS Air Cargo), Uganda but that didn't happen and it was finally broken up at Marana in Feb/Mar-04.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus DeNoise AI 04-Dec-22.

 

I've always found lime green to be one of the most difficult colours to photograph... sometimes it comes out as mustard!

 

First flown with the Boeing test registration N1787B, this aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Flying Colours Airlines as G-FCLF in Mar-99.

 

It was repainted in full 'jmc AIR' livery at Southend, UK in Nov-99 prior to the merger of Flying Colours and Caledonian Airways (the ex British Airways version) to form 'jmc AIR' at the end of Mar-00.

 

The name 'jmc AIR' was an Ad-Man's dream but became the Company's nightmare. The travelling public knew Caledonian Airways and Flying Colours. However, no one had a clue what 'jmc' was. Even those of us 'in the trade' looked at each other and said "what?" JMC were the initials of Thomas Cook's son, John Mason Cook, but who knew?

 

jmc AIR didn't do well and in Apr-03 they were reborn as Thomas Cook Airlines UK. The aircraft was leased to Jazz Air (Canada) as C-GJZT in Nov-10 and operated on behalf of Thomas Cook Canada for the winter season, returning to Thomas Cook UK in Apr-11.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Dec-13 and initially stored at Manchester. It was re-registered VQ-BTB in Jan-14 and leased to Abakhan Avia (Russia) in Feb-14. It was fitted with blended winglets in Mar-14 and was operated on behalf of Royal Flight (Russia).

 

Western sanctions on Russia after their invasion of Ukraine in Feb-22 meant that all leased aircraft in Russia were no longer insured or supported by lessors. This aircraft was impounded and stored at Hurghada, Egypt in Mar-22.

 

It was released to the lessor in Oct-22 and ferried to Shannon, Ireland for storage. In Sep-23 the aircraft was ferried to Goodyear, AZ, USA and sold to AerSale Inc as N835AS. Stored, updated 23-Feb-24.

replaces the previous shot...Okanagan Lake BC Canada

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 09-Apr-17 + DeNoise AI 11-Oct-22.

 

Taken through glass with some slight reflections.

 

This aircraft was delivered to VARIG Brasil as PP-VMA in May-74. It was sold to a lessor in Dec-98 and leased back to VARIG. It was returned to the lessor in Feb-99 after 25 years in service.

 

The aircraft was leased to AVENSA Venezuela as YV-051C the following month. It returned to the lessor as N940PG in Aug-00 and was stored at Rio de Janeiro-Galileo International.

 

It was leased to AVENSA again in Jul-01, this time as YV-069C. The aircraft returned to the lessor in Jan-03 as N940PG. It was leased to SBA Santa Barbara Airlines as YV-1052C in May-03.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Dec-05 and permanently retired at Roswell, NM, USA after 31 years in service.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 08-Sep-23.

 

This aircraft was ordered by Libyan Arab Airlines as a 'Combi' passenger/freighter with a side cargo door (SCD). It was due to be registered 5A-DIK but the order was cancelled prior to delivery.

 

The aircraft first flew in Mar-80 and was stored at Seattle-Everett, WA, USA until it was delivered to VARIG Brasil as PP-VNB in Feb-81. In Dec-82 VARIG sold it to Orient Leasing and leased it back.

 

It was returned to Orient Leasing in Dec-94 and was stored at Rio de Janeiro-Galeao, Brazil. In Feb-96 it was sold to Cathay Pacific Airways as VR-HME. The aircraft was converted to a full freighter configuration by Apr-96 and leased to Cathay's subsidiary, Air Hong Kong.

 

In Oct-97 it was re-registered B-HME when Hong Kong became an autonomous region of China. The aircraft was returned to Cathay Pacific Airways Cargo in Jul-02 and continued in operation until it was retired in Sep-08 and stored at Victorville, CA, USA. It was last noted still at Victorville in May-15.

mémoire2cité - Sols absorbants, formes arrondies et couleurs vives, les aires de jeux standardisées font désormais partie du paysage urbain. Toujours les mêmes toboggans sécurisés, châteaux forts en bois et animaux à ressort. Ces non-lieux qu’on finit par ne plus voir ont une histoire, parallèle à celle des différentes visions portées sur l’enfant et l’éducation. En retournant jouer au xixe siècle, sur les premiers playgrounds des États-Unis, on assiste à la construction d’une nation – et à des jeux de société qui changent notre vision sur les balançoires du capitalisme. Ce texte est paru dans le numéro 4 de la revue Jef Klak « Ch’val de Course », printemps-été 2017. La version ici publiée en ligne est une version légèrement remaniée à l’occasion de sa republication dans le magazine Palais no 27 1, paru en juin 2018. la video içi www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwj1wh5k5PY The concept for adventure playgrounds originated in postwar Europe, after a playground designer found that children had more fun with the trash and rubble left behind by bombings -inventing their own toys and playing with them- than on the conventional equipment of swings and slides. Narrator John Snagge was a well-known voice talent in the UK, working as a newsreader for BBC Radio - jefklak.org/le-gouvernement-des-playgrounds/ - www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/chasing-the-vanishing-p... or children, playgrounds are where magic happens. And if you count yourself among Baby Boomers or Gen Xers, you probably have fond memories of high steel jungle gyms and even higher metal slides that squeaked and groaned as you slid down them. The cheerful variety of animals and vehicles on springs gave you plenty of rides to choose from, while a spiral slide, often made of striped panels, was a repeated thrill. When you dismounted from a teeter-totter, you had to be careful not to send your partner crashing to the ground or get hit in the head by your own seat. The tougher, faster kids always pushed the brightly colored merry-go-round, trying to make riders as dizzy as possible. In the same way, you’d dare your sibling or best friend to push you even higher on the swing so your toes could touch the sky. The most exciting playgrounds would take the form of a pirate ship, a giant robot, or a space rocket.

“My husband would look at these big metal things and go, ‘Oh my God, those are the Slides of Death!'” - insh.world/history/playground-equipment-of-yesterday-that...

Today, these objects of happy summers past have nearly disappeared, replaced by newer equipment that’s lower to the ground and made of plastic, painted metal, and sometimes rot-resistant woods like cedar or redwood. The transformation began in 1973, when the U.S. Congress established the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which began tracking playground injuries at hospital emergency rooms. The study led to the publication of the first Handbook for Public Playground Safety in 1981, which signaled the beginning of the end for much of the playground equipment in use. (See the latest PPS handbook here.) Then, the American Society for Testing and Materials created a subcommittee of designers and playground-equipment manufacturers to set safety standards for the whole industry. When they published their guidelines in 1993, they suggested most existing playground surfaces, which were usually asphalt, dirt, or grass, needed to be replaced with pits of wood or rubber mulch or sand, prompting many schools and parks to rip their old playgrounds out entirely.

Top: A Space Age rocket-themed playground set by Miracle Playground Equipment, introduced circa 1968, photographed in Burlington, Colorado, in 2009. Above: Two seesaws and a snail-shaped climber, circa 1970s, photographed in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, in 2007. (Photos by Brenda Biondo)

Top: A Space Age rocket-themed playground set by Miracle Playground Equipment, introduced circa 1968, photographed in Burlington, Colorado, in 2009. Above: Two seesaws and a snail-shaped climber, circa 1970s, photographed in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, in 2007. (Photos by Brenda Biondo)

That said, removing and replacing playground equipment takes money, so a certain amount of vintage playground equipment survived into the next millennium—but it’s vanishing fast. Fortunately, Brenda Biondo, a freelance journalist turned photographer, felt inspired to document these playscapes before they’ve all been melted down. Her photographs capture the sculptural beauty and creativity of the vintage apparatuses, as well as that feeling of nostalgia you get when you see a piece of your childhood. After a decade of hunting down old playgrounds, Biondo published a coffee-table book, 2014’s Once Upon a Playground: A Celebration of Classic American Playgrounds, 1920-1975, which includes both her photographs of vintage equipment and pages of old playground catalogs that sold it.

Starting this November, Biondo’s playground photos will hit the road as part of a four-year ExhibitsUSA traveling show, which will also include vintage playground postcards and catalog pages from Biondo’s collection. The show will make stops in smaller museums and history centers around the United States, passing through Temple, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; Kansas City, Missouri; and Greenville, South Carolina. Biondo talked to us on the phone from her home in small-town Colorado, where she lives with her husband and children.

This 1975 Miracle catalog page reads, "This famous Lifetime Whirl has delighted three generations of children and still is a safe, playground favorite. Although it has gone through many improvements many of the original models are still spinning on playgrounds from coast to coast." (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)This 1975 Miracle catalog page reads, “This famous Lifetime Whirl has delighted three generations of children and still is a safe, playground favorite. Although it has gone through many improvements many of the original models are still spinning on playgrounds from coast to coast.” (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)Collectors Weekly: What inspired you to photograph playgrounds?Biondo: In 2004, I happened to be at my local park with my 1-year-old daughter, who was playing in the sandbox. I had just switched careers, from freelance journalism to photography, and I was looking for a starter project. I looked around the playground and thought, “Where is all the equipment that I remember growing up on?” They had new plastic contraptions, but nothing like the big metal slides I grew up with. After that, I started driving around to other playgrounds to see if any of this old equipment still existed. I found very little of it and realized it was disappearing quickly. That got to me.I felt like somebody should be documenting this equipment, because it was such a big part—and a very good part—of so many people’s childhoods. I couldn’t find anybody else who was documenting it, and I didn’t see any evidence that the Smithsonian was collecting it. As far as I could tell, it was just getting ripped up and sent to the scrap heap. At first, I started traveling around Colorado where I live, visiting playgrounds. Eventually, I took longer trips around the Southwest, and then I started looking for playgrounds whenever I was in any other parts of the country, like around California and the East Coast. It was a long-term project—shot over the course of a decade. And every year that I was shooting, it got harder and harder to find those pieces of old equipment.

This merry-go-round, photographed in Cañon City, Colorado, in 2006, is very similar to the Lifetime Whirl above. In the background are a rideable jalopy and animals, including four attached to a teeter-totter. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

This merry-go-round, photographed in Cañon City, Colorado, in 2006, is very similar to the Lifetime Whirl above. In the background are a rideable jalopy and animals, including four attached to a teeter-totter. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

Collectors Weekly: How did you find them?

Biondo: I would just drive around. I started hunting down local elementary schools and main-street playgrounds as well as neighborhood playgrounds. If I had a weekend, I would say, “OK, I’m going to drive from my home three hours east to the Kansas border, stay overnight and drive back.” Along the way, I would stop at every little town that I’d pass. They usually had one tiny main-street playground and one elementary school. I never knew what I was going to find. In a poorer area, a town often doesn’t have much money to replace playground equipment, whereas more affluent areas usually have updated their playgrounds by now. It was a bit of a crap shoot. Sometimes, I’d drive for hours and not really find anything—or I’d find one old playground after the other, because I happened to be in an area where equipment hadn’t been replaced.

I couldn’t get to every state, so I had to shoot where I was. I think there certainly are still old playgrounds out there, especially in small towns. But there’s fewer and fewer of them every year. My book has something like 170 photographs. I would guess that half the equipment pictured is already gone. Sometimes, I’d go back to a playground with a nice piece of equipment a year later to reshoot it, maybe in different lighting or a different season, and so often it had been removed. That pressured me to get out as often as I could because if I waited a few weeks, that piece might not be there anymore.

A 1911 postcard shows girls playing on an outdoor gymnasium at Mayo Park in Rochester, Minnesota.

a 1911 postcard shows girls playing on an outdoor gymnasium at Mayo Park in Rochester, Minnesota.

Collectors Weekly: What did you learn about playground history?

Biondo: I didn’t know American playgrounds started as part of the social reform or progressive movement of the early 1900s. Reformers hoped to keep poor inner-city immigrant kids safe and out of trouble. Back then, city children were playing in the streets with nothing to do, and when cars became more popular, kids started to get hit by motorists. Child activists started building playgrounds in big cities like Boston, Chicago, and New York as a way to help and protect these kids. These reformers felt they could build model citizens by teaching cooperation and manners through playgrounds. These early main-street parks would also have playground leaders who orchestrated activities such as games and songs.

“I started driving to playgrounds to see if any old equipment still existed. I found very little of it and realized it was disappearing quickly.”

In the late 1800s, Germans developed what they called “sand gardens,” which are just piles of sand where kids can come dig and build things. There were few of those in the United States as well. But by the early 1900s, the emphasis of playgrounds was on the apparatuses, things kids could climb on or swing on.

Soon after I started researching playground history, I happened to stumble on an eBay auction for a 1926 catalog that the playground manufacturers used to send to schools. At that point, I wasn’t thinking of doing a book, but I thought I could do something with it. I won the catalog; I paid, like, $12 for it. And it was so interesting because I could see this vintage equipment when it was brand new and considered modern and advanced. The manufacturers boasted about how safe it was and how it was good for building both muscles and imaginations.

After that, I would always search on eBay for playground catalogs, and I ended up with about three dozen catalogs from different manufacturers. My oldest is 1916, and my newest is from 1975. So I would take a photograph of some type of merry-go-round, and then I might find that same merry-go-round in a 1930 catalog. Often in the book, I pair my picture with the page from the catalog showing when it was first manufactured. I discovered a couple dozen manufacturers, which tended to be located in the bigger industrial areas with steel manufacturing, like Trenton, New Jersey, and Kokomo and Litchfield, Indiana. Pueblo, Colorado, even had a playground manufacturer. Burke and GameTime were big 20th century companies, and actually are among few still in existence.

The cover of a 1926 catalog for EverWear Manufacturing Company. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

The cover of a 1926 catalog for EverWear Manufacturing Company. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

Collectors Weekly: I recently came across an old metal slide whose steps had the name of the manufacturer, American, forged in openwork letters.

Biondo: I love those. One of the last pages in the book shows treads from six different slides, and they each had the name of their manufacturer in them, including Porter, American, and Burke. One time when I was traveling, I did a quick side trip to a small town with an elementary school. In the parking lot was this old metal slide with the American step treads, lying on its side. You could tell it had just been ripped off out of the concrete, which was still attached to the bottom, and was waiting for the steel recyclers to come and take it away.

I thought, “Oh my gosh, just put it on eBay! Somebody is going to want that. Don’t melt it down.” But nobody thinks about this stuff getting thrown away when it should be preserved. If you go on eBay, you can find a lot of those small animals on springs that little kids ride, because they’re small enough to be shipped. Once I saw someone selling one of those huge rocket ships, which had been dismantled, on eBay, but I don’t know if anybody ever bid on it. It’s rare to see the big stuff, because it is so expensive to ship. It’s like, “What kind of truck do you need to haul this thing away?” I don’t know of anyone who’s collecting those pieces, but I hope somebody is.

A metal slide in Victor, Colorado, had step treads with the name "American" in them. Photographed in 2008. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

A metal slide in Victor, Colorado, had step treads with the name “American” in them. Photographed in 2008. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

Collectors Weekly: It seems like an opportunity for both starting a collection or repurposing the material.

Biondo: I photographed many of the apparatuses as if they were sculptures because they have really cool designs and colors. Even when they’re worn down, the exposed layers of paint can be beautiful. Hardly anybody stops to look at it that way. People drive by and think, “Oh, there’s an old, rusty, rundown playground.” But if you take the time to look closely at this stuff, it’s really interesting. Just by looking at these pieces, you can picture all the kids who played on them.

Collectors Weekly: Aren’t people nostalgic for their childhood playgrounds?

Biondo: While I was taking the pictures, I visited Boulder, Colorado, which is a very affluent community. I was sure there would be no old playground equipment there. When I was driving around, all of a sudden, I looked over and saw this huge rocket ship. It turns out that one of the original NASA astronauts, Scott Carpenter, grew up in Boulder, and this playground was built in the ’60s to honor their hometown boy. Because of that, the citizens of Boulder never wanted to take down the rocket ship. One of the first exhibitions of this photography project happened in Boulder, and at the opening, I sold four prints of that rocket ship. People would come up to me at the exhibition, and they’d go, “Oh my gosh, I grew up playing on this when I was a little kid! Now, my kids are playing on it, and I’m so excited that I can get a picture of it and hang it in their bedroom.” So people have a strong nostalgic attachment to this equipment. It’s sad that most of it’s not going to be around for much longer.

A 1968 Miracle Playground Equipment catalog features the huge rocket-ship play set seen at the top of this story. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

A 1968 Miracle Playground Equipment catalog features the huge rocket-ship playset seen at the top of this story. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

Collectors Weekly: Besides slides and animals on springs, what were some other pieces that were common in older playgrounds?

Biondo: I didn’t come across as many old swings as I expected. I thought they would be all over the place, but I guess they’re gone now because they were so easy to replace. I tended to find merry-go-rounds more frequently—you know, the one where you’d run around pushing them and then jump on. When my kids were younger, they’d go out playground hunting with me, and the merry-go-rounds were their favorite things. They’re just so fun. The other thing you don’t find often is the seesaw or teeter-totter, and that was my favorite.The Karymor Stationary Jingle Ring Outfit appeared in the 1931 playground catalog put out by Pueblo, Colorado's R.F. Lamar and Co. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

The Karymor Stationary Jingle Ring Outfit appeared in the 1931 playground catalog put out by Pueblo, Colorado’s R.F. Lamar and Co. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

Before I started this project, I didn’t know there was such a variety of equipment. I figured I’d see seesaws, swings, slides, and merry-go-rounds. But I had no idea there were such things as revolving swings, which would be attached to a spinning pole via outstretched metal arms. Many mid-century pieces had themes from pop culture like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Cinderella,” “Denis the Menace,” cowboys and Indians, and Saturday-morning cartoons. During the Space Age, you started to see pieces of equipment shaped like rocket ships and satellites, because in the ’60s, Americans were so excited about space exploration. What was going on in the broader culture often got reflected in playground equipment.

Pursuing the catalogs was eye-opening. I live about an hour and a half south of Denver, so I often looked for playgrounds around the city. There, I’d find these contraptions where were shaped like umbrella skeletons, but then they had these rings hanging off the spindles. I’ve never seen them outside of Colorado. Then I bought a 1930s catalog from the manufacturer in Pueblo, Colorado, which is only 45 minutes from me, and it featured this apparatus. Later, I met people in Denver who’d say, “Oh, yeah, I remember that thing as a kid. It’s kind of like monkey bars where you had to try and get from ring to ring swinging and hanging by your arms.” There was so much variety, and even so many variations on the basics.I have a cool catalog from 1926 from the manufacturer Mitchell, which doesn’t exist anymore. I looked at one of the contraptions they advertised and I was like, “Oh my God, this looks like a torture device!” It was their own proprietary apparatus and maybe it didn’t prove to be very popular. I had never seen something like that on a playground. There probably weren’t very many of them installed.

This strange Climbing Swing from the 1926 Mitchell Manufacturing Company catalog looks a bit like a torture device. Brenda Biondo says she's never found one in the wild. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

This Climbing Swing from the 1926 Mitchell Manufacturing Company catalog looks a bit like a torture device. Biondo’s never found one in the wild. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

Collectors Weekly: After a while, were you able to date pieces just by looking at them?

Biondo: From looking at the catalogs, I certainly got a better idea of when things were built. But there were a handful things I couldn’t find in the catalogs. You can guess the age by knowing the design, as well as by looking at the amount of wear and the height of the piece. Usually, the taller it was, the older it was. One of the oldest slides I photographed was probably from the ’30s. I climbed to the top to shoot it as if the viewer were going to go down the slide. Up there, the place where you’d sit before sliding had been used for so many years by so many kids that I could see an outline of all the butts worn into the metal. You can imagine all the children who must have gone down that slide to wear the metal down like that.

This 1930s-era slide, found in Sargents, Colorado, in 2007, developed a butt-shaped imprint. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

This 1930s-era slide, found in Sargents, Colorado, in 2007, developed a butt-shaped imprint. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

Collectors Weekly: How did Modernism influence playground design?

Biondo: In 1953, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a competition for playground design. Modern Art was just getting popular, and the idea of incorporating the theories of Modernist design into utilitarian objects was in the air, and was translated into playgrounds for several years. I have a 1967 catalog that features very abstract playground equipment made from sinuous blobs of poured concrete. And you’ve probably seen some of it, but there’s not too much of that around. That’s another example of how broader cultural trends were reflected in playgrounds.

When most people think of playgrounds, they say, “Oh, that’s a kiddie subject. There’s not much to it.” But when you start looking into them, you realize playgrounds are a fascinating piece of American culture—they go back a hundred years and played a part in most Americans’ lives. These playground pieces are icons of our childhood.

Collectors Weekly:What was the impact of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which launched in 1973?

Biondo: Things started to change after that, which is why I limited to book to apparatuses made before 1975. New playgrounds were starting to be build out of plastic and fiberglass. I looked up the statistics, and according to the little research I’ve done—contrary to what you’d expect—there’s not much difference in the number of injuries on older equipment versus injuries on equipment today. A “New York Times” article from 2011 called “Can a Playground Be Too Safe?” explains that studies show when playground equipment was really high and just had asphalt underneath it and not seven layers of mulch, thekids knew they had to be careful because they didn’t want to fall. Nowadays, when everything is lower and there’s so much mulch, kids are just used to jumping down and falling and catching themselves. So kids learned to assess risk by playing on the older equipment. They also learned to challenge themselves because it is a little scary to go up to the top of the thing.

This old postcard of Shawnee Park in Kansas City, Kansas, circa 1912, shows how tall slides could get.

 

This old postcard of Shawnee Park in Kansas City, Kansas, circa 1912, shows how tall slides could get.

At my local park where you have new equipment, the monkey bars aren’t that high and there’s mulch below it, but a child fell and broke their arm last year. When I was talking to the principal at the school where they had just torn out that old American slide, I asked her, “Why did you replace the equipment?” She said, “We felt the parents in the community were expecting to have a little bit newer and nicer equipment. And this stuff had been here for so long.” And I said, “Have you seen a difference in injury rates since you put up your newer equipment?” She replied, “I’ve been a principal here several years, and we never had a serious broken-bone injury on the playground until four months ago on the new equipment.”

There were some nasty accidents in the ‘60s and ’70s, where kids got their arms or their heads caught in the contraptions. Those issues definitely needed to be assessed. What’s interesting is the Consumer Product Safety Commission never issued requirements, just suggested guidelines. But manufacturers felt that if their equipment didn’t meet those guidelines, they’d be vulnerable to liability. Everybody went to the extreme, making everything super safe so they wouldn’t risk getting sued.A 1970s-era climbing-bar apparatus, photographed in Rocky Ford, Colorado, in 2006. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

A 1970s-era climbing-bar apparatus, photographed in Rocky Ford, Colorado, in 2006. (Photo by Brenda Biondo)

In the last decade, people have been looking at playground-equipment design and trying to make it more challenging and more encouraging of imaginative play, but without making it more likely someone’s going to get injured. And adults, I think, are realizing kids are spending more time indoors on devices so they want to do everything they can to encourage kids to still get outside, run around, and climb on things.

Collectors Weekly: You don’t need a playground to hurt yourself. When I was a kid, I fell off a farm post and broke my arm.Biondo: Oh, yeah, kids have been falling out trees forever—they always want to climb stuff. Playground politics are always evolving. Even in the 1920s, the catalogs talked about how safe their equipment was, and they were selling these 30-foot slides. Sometimes, I’d be out with my family on a vacation, and we’d make a little side tour to look for an old playground to shoot. My husband would look at these big metal things and go, “Oh my God, those are the Slides of Death!” because they were so huge and rickety. But back then, these were very safe pieces of equipment compared to what kids had been playing on before.

A page from the 1971 GameTime catalog offering rideable Saddle Mates. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

A page from the 1971 GameTime catalog offering rideable Saddle Mates. (Courtesy of Brenda Biondo)

Collectors Weekly: Growing up in the 1980s, I always hated the new fiberglass slides because I’d end up with all these tiny glass shards in my butt.

Biondo: Yeah, I remember that, too. It’s always something. It is fun to talk to people about playgrounds because it reminds them of all the fun stuff they did as kids. When people see pictures of these metal slides, they tell me, “Oh my gosh, I remember getting such a bad burn from a metal slide one summer!” The metal would get so hot in the sun, and kids would take pieces of wax paper with them to sit on so they’d go flying down the slide. I have some old postcards that show playgrounds from the early ’20s. The wood seesaws not only were huge, but they had no handles so you had hold on to the sides of the board where you sat. I’m looking at that like, “Oh my God!” It’s all relative.

playground_postcard_milwaukee

Kids ride the rocking-boat seesaw at a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, park in this postcard postmarked 1910.

(To see more of Brenda Biondo’s playground photos and vintage catalog pages, pick up a copy of her book, “Once Upon a Playground: A Celebration of Classic American Playground, 1920-1975.” To find an exhibition of Biondo’s playground project, or to bring it to your town, visit the ExhibitsUSA page. To learn more about creative mid-century playgrounds around the globe, also pick up, “The Playground Project” by Xavier Salle and Vincent Romagny.) insh.world/history/playground-equipment-of-yesterday-that...

The bus moves under its own power for the first time since 2007. The main reason the bus was removed from service was due to a gearbox issue. Having now replaced the unit it was time to check the electrical side of the system and make the relevant repairs.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 28-Feb-21.

 

Fleet No: "709".

 

This aircraft was delivered to American Airlines as N709AA in Jul-81. It was sold to GECC General Electric Capital Corporation (forerunner of GECAS) in Jan-83 and leased back to American. It was sold by GECC to FedEx Federal Express at the end of Jul-97 and bought back by American Airlines the same day.

 

It continued in service with American Airlines until it was withdrawn from service and sold to the Aviation Capital Group Corporation in Aug-01. It was converted to freighter configuration with a main deck cargo door in Nov-01 and leased to Capital Cargo International Airlines in Dec-01.

 

It was returned to the lessor in Mar-02 and leased to DHL Airways in Apr-02. The aircraft was re-registered N752DH in May-02. At the end of Jun-03 DHL Airways was renamed Astar Air Cargo. In May-09, after 28 years in service, it was permanently retired at Kingman, AZ, USA.

 

It was sold back to DHL Network Operations in Jun-11 and remained stored at Kingman. The aircraft was sold to Kalitta Charters II in Jan-13 and ferried to Oscoda, MI, USA where it was used for spares. It was last noted still stored at Oscoda in Oct-19 in DHL's yellow livery, without engines and with many parts missing.

 

The registration N709AA was later used on a private Gulfstream V.

Using Claude prompt

 

Edit the reference photo: replace the white mannequin torso with a live adult professional model, shown from mid-torso up in the same three-quarter angle and framing. She wears a fitted, matte black high-neck leotard that fully covers her chest and torso, for a tasteful, modest, editorial look. She has vibrant natural ginger hair, softly styled and swept back so it doesn’t cover the rope, fair skin with subtle freckles, and a warm, genuine, relaxed smile with her gaze slightly off-camera.

  

Preserve the rope harness exactly as in the reference: the same black and natural jute rope, the same star-shaped pattern across the chest, the same wrap-and-lash details along the horizontal bands, the same knots at the collar, and the same lower band beneath the bust. Do not alter, simplify, or add rope or knots. The rope should sit naturally over the leotard, following the body’s contours with realistic tension, shadows, and fabric compression.

  

Background: a dark, moody, seamless studio backdrop in deep charcoal with a subtle gradient and a faint warm haze, giving strong separation so the black and tan rope stands out. Optional: a soft, out-of-focus warm amber bokeh in the distance.

  

Lighting: cinematic, low-key studio lighting. A large soft key light from the upper left at 45° to sculpt the form and show the rope’s twist and fiber texture. A warm rim light from behind right to outline the shoulders and hair. A subtle cool fill light to keep detail in the black rope. Gentle specular highlights on the jute, with no blown highlights or crushed blacks.

  

Style: cinematic editorial photograph, shot on a full-frame camera with an 85mm f/1.8 lens, shallow depth of field with the rope harness in crisp focus, rich contrast, teal-and-amber color grade, fine film grain, 8K detail, photorealistic skin and fabric texture.

  

Negative prompt

  

altered rope pattern, extra or missing knots, rope merging into hair, bare skin on chest, nudity, distorted hands, extra limbs, plastic skin, mannequin look, harsh flash, flat lighting, cluttered background, text, watermark

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 08-Jun-22.

 

This aircraft was delivered to Swedish Air Lease and leased to Spanair (Spain) with the temporary registration EC-150 in Jul-88, becoming EC-EJQ in Aug-88.

 

It was sold to another lessor in Jun-93 while the lease to Spanair continued. Due to Spanish regulations at the time, a new owner meant a new registration, and the aircraft was re-registered EC-487. It became EC-FTU in Oct-93.

 

The aircraft was returned to the lessor as EI-CNO in Feb-97. The following month it was leased to Nouvelair Tunisie (Tunisia), retaining it's Irish registration. It was returned to the lessor in Dec-04 and parked at Paris-deGaulle.

 

In Jan-05 the aircraft was leased to Blue Air (France) as F-GMLK. Blue Air ceased operations in Oct-10 and the aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored at Marana, AZ, USA.

 

The aircraft was sold to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N565MS in Dec-10 and moved to Tucson, AZ, USA for continued storage. It was sold to Falcon Air Express in Jun-11 and was permanently retired. It was used as a spares source. It was last noted at Tucson in May-12 and eventually broken up. Updated 08-Jun-22.

Adeiladwyd yr eglwys hon, a gynlluniwyd gan Paley ac Austin o Gaerhirfryn, yn 1873. Cymerodd le'r hen eglwys, a oedd wedi ei chysgeru i Sant Mihangel. Mae mewn arddull trawsnewidiol rhwng Romanésg a Gothig Seisnig Cynnar.

 

’Roedd galw am adeilad mwy am fod cynifer o ymwelwyr yn dylifo i'r dref erbyn 70au'r 19eg ganrif.

 

Cynlluniwyd llawer o'r gwydr lliw gan Syr Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898).

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Savet e oa bet an iliz-man, hini ar Werc'hez Varia, e 1873, dre ma oa re vihan an iliz kozh, dediet da Sant Mikael, o vezañ ma teue kement a douristed da vBetws-y-coed a-benn bloavezhiou 70 an 19vet kantved. En ur stil ardreuzadek emañ, etre ar stil romantek ha ar c'hentañ maread gotek saoz.

 

Kalz eus ar gwerennou-livet zo bet raktreset gant an Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898).

 

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Saint Marys, at Betws-y-coed, was built in 1873, and designed by Paley & Austin of Lancaster. It is a transitional style, between Romanesque and Early English.

 

This larger building was needed to replace the old St. Michael's Church as so many tourists were pouring into the village by the 1870s.

 

Much of the stained glass was designed by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898).

 

www.churchinwales.org.uk/parishholding/bangor/b052-en/chu...

Replacing a photo from Apr-15 with a better version

 

This aircraft was delivered to PIA Pakistan International Airlines as AP-BGK in Feb-04. PIA was banned from flying in European airspace between Jun-20 and Nov-25 after it was revealed that up to a quarter of all pilot licences issued in Pakistan were not valid.

 

'I Love Paris' stickers were applied beneath the flight desk windows in Jan-25. It was changed to 'I Love Manchester' in Nov-25. Current, updated 14-Sep-26.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 21-Mar-26.

 

Named: "Al Kharrara" (appears on the aircraft just below the flight-deck windows in Arabic).

 

First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAL in Feb-14. It was originally due for delivery to Qatar Airways as A7-AKC but that registration wasn't used. After fitting out and painting at Hamburg-Finkenwerder it was delivered to Qatar Airways as A7-APC in Dec-14.

 

The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Apr-20 as a consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic and stored at the old Doha International Airport. It returned to service in Aug-22.

 

It operated the Qatar Airways service to London-Heathrow on 28-Feb-26. The return was cancelled due to the USA and Israel declaring war on Iran and the aircraft was parked at London-Heathrow.

 

It was withdrawn from service and ferried from Heathrow to Teruel, Spain on 20-Mar-26 for long-term storage. Updated 21-Mar-26.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 09-Sep-21 (DeNoise AI)

 

This aircraft was ordered by ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation for Canadian Airlines International as C-FBCA, however the order was cancelled before completion (C-FBCA was later used on a different frame in Apr-92).

 

It first flew with the Boeing test registration N6009F and was delivered to ILFC and leased to VARIG Brasil as PP-VPI in May-91. It was returned to ILFC in Aug-94 as N891LF and was stored.

 

The aircraft was due to be leased to Air New Zealand as ZK-ILF, however that registration wasn't used and it was delivered as ZK-SUH in Nov-94. With the worldwide downturn in passenger traffic after the 9/11 terrorist atrocity in Sep-01, the aircraft was returned to the lessor in Feb-02 and was stored at Auckland, New Zealand.

 

Air New Zealand renewed the lease again in Aug-02. The aircraft continued in service until it was permanently retired in Jul-14. It was stored at Victorville, CA, USA and was last noted still at Victorville in Oct-16.

This bus is one of 20 2023 IC CE’s currently in the process of being added to the fleet. This bus replaced a 1999 AmTran Conventional once in the fleet.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 08-Jan-23.

 

First flown with the Boeing test registration N1786B, this aircraft was delivered to Pembroke Capital Aircraft and leased to Israir (Israel) as 4X-ABJ in Feb-99. It was returned to the lessor in Nov-00 and sold to Aircraft Financing & Trading BV the following day.

 

It was leased to SunExpress Airlines (Turkey) as TC-SUE in Jan-01. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Mar-03 and immediately leased to Hamburg International Airlines as D-AHIF.

 

It was wet-leased to Iceland Express between Apr/Sep-03 and wet-leased to Kosova Airlines between approximately May-05/Jun-06. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Mar-08 and leased to Sterling European Airlines as OY-MRU in Apr-08 in a red livery.

 

Sterling European ceased operations in Oct-08, the aircraft was returned to the lessor and initially stored at Copenhagen Denmark before being moved to Belgrade in Dec-08.

 

It was fitted with blended winglets in Mar-09. From the ashes of Sterling European came Cimber Sterling and the aircraft was leased to them in Apr-09. Sadly, they ceased operations in May-12 and the aircraft was again returned to the lessor and stored at Copenhagen.

 

It was moved to Shannon, Ireland in Jun-12 and remained stored until it was leased to JetTime (Denmark) as OY-JTT in Apr-13. It was wet-leased to British Airways between Mar/Oct-16 and continues in service with JetTime.

 

In Mar-20, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. the aircraft was parked at Copenhagen (Denmark). It was ferried to Kemble, UK and permanently retired in Apr-20. It was broken up there in Jan-22. Updated 08-Jan-23.