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And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw very recently!!
Yes I'm back again.
However due to my main computer on which I edit my work being struck down with a big bad virus, this picture and all the others I am uploading, were Unedited but have now been replaced with Edited versions. So enjoy and Thanks for your patience and understanding.
I do still hate everything about this shit that is new Flickr and always will, but an inability to find another outlet for my work that is as easy for me to use as the Old BETTER Flickr was, has forced me back to Flickr, even though it goes against everything I believe in.
I don't generally have an opinion on my own work, I prefer to leave that to other people and so based on the positive responses to my work from the various friends I had made on Flickr prior to the changes I have decided to upload some more of my work as an experiment and to see what happens.
So make the most of me before they delete my acount: www.flickr.com/photos/69558134@N05/?details=1, to stop me complaining!!
In order to replace the lovable 328 of the late 90's, Ferrari's next product really had to get inventive. The 348 was an interesting product of the company, but often forgotten, overshadowed mostly by the successful F355 that replaced it, and the classical lines of the 328 it replaced.
The 348, badged as the rather unfortunately chosen 348TB for the coupé, Trasversale Berlinetta (or Tuberculosis, okay I'm sorry!) and 348TS, Spider, for the Targa versions, entered the market in 1989 to replace the 1985 328, which itself was a development of the 308 that dated back to 1975. The 348 featured a naturally aspirated 3.4L version of the Ferrari quad-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder V8 engine. As with its predecessors, the model number was derived from this configuration, with the first two digits being the displacement and the third being the number of cylinders.
The engine, which produced 300hp, was mounted longitudinally and coupled to a transverse manual gearbox, like the Mondial T with which the 348 shared many components. This was a significant change for Ferrari, with most previous small Ferraris using a transverse engine with longitudinal transmission. The T in the model name 348TB and TS refers to the transverse position of the gearbox. Overall, 2,895 examples of the 348 tb and 4,230 of the 348 ts were produced.
The 348's styling differed from previous models with straked side air intakes and rectangular taillights resembling the Testarossa. The F355 that replaced it returned to the styling cues of the 328 with round tail lights and rounded side air scoops. Fifty-seven "Challenge" models were built for owners who wanted a more "track-ready" car.
The 348 was fitted with dual-computer engine management using twin Bosch Motronic ECUs, double-redundant anti-lock brakes, and self-diagnosing air conditioning and heating systems. Late versions built after 1993 have Japanese-made starter motors and Nippondenso power generators to improve reliability, as well as the battery located within the front left fender for better weight distribution.
However, all these developments and more to the Ferrari formula eventually came to the development of the company's next big hit to show that it wasn't an ageing automotive dinosaur producing the same archaic designs. In 1994, the company's latest magnum-opus, the F355, burst onto the scene and set the entire motoring world ablaze. A car more manageable than the F40, but still possessing that spark that had kept the Ferrari badge going through those slow years in the late-70's and through the 80's.
With the release of the F355, the 348 seemed almost pedestrian and was axed in 1995 after 8,844 members had been built. Although some felt that the 348 would be blessed with instant classic status like the 328 it replaced, the 348 had trouble finding a gap in the preservation market, leaving it to fall into comparative obscurity. Like the Mondial, the 456 and the Testarossa, the 348 is a car that is often forgotten, outdone by the stylish F40 and the mighty F355's of the 1990's. Because of this, the 348 is a hard car to come by, and even when people do come across it, it's often mistaken for a 355 or a Testarossa.
But to be honest, hopefully someday the 348 will find itself some true classic status among the many great Ferrari cars that have preceded and succeeded it, after all, it's still a Ferrari, and on merit alone that's worth the price of admission!
Experimental piece for Beyond Beyond with Kim Klassen. The canola field is Kim's photo. The sky replacement is mine. Additional texture by Kim Klassen.
Built in 1906-1917, this Beaux Arts-style Capitol Building was designed by George B. Post to house the state house of representatives, state senate, and offices for the Wisconsin State Government. The fourth state capitol to house the state government since the state’s establishment in 1848, the building is the third building to sit on the present site, and replaced the previous state capitol, built in 1857-1869 and expanded in 1882, which burned down in February of 1904. The capitol houses both the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate, as well as the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor of Wisconsin. The first capitol of Wisconsin upon the formation of Wisconsin Territory in 1836 was in the village of Belmont, Wisconsin, with the legislature meeting in a hastily constructed wood-frame building, before deciding to designate the future site of Madison as the state capitol, and holding further sessions of the legislature in the much better-developed Mississippi River port town of Burlington (now in Iowa) until a capitol building could be completed in Madison. Upon Burlington becoming part of the new Iowa Territory, the state legislature moved to a log and stone building on the present site of the state capitol, a relatively humble Greek Revival-style building constructed in 1837, which looked much like older capitol buildings in the eastern United States, with doric columns and a rusticated fieldstone exterior. It was most similar to the Old State House in North Carolina, built only four years prior, and the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, built in the same year, though these two similar buildings were built almost entirely of stone blocks rather than fieldstone. The small second capitol building was the first state capitol of Wisconsin upon its ascension to statehood in 1848, but had become inadequate for the growing population and government by the 1850s. The original building was demolished and replaced with a larger, Classical Revival-style structure with Romanesque Revival elements constructed in stages between 1857 and 1869, which featured a dome inspired by the United Capitol Building, semi-circular porticoes with corinthian columns, and two short side wings with octagonal towers at the corners, which were modified and extended in 1882 with new wings that increased the Classical Revival aspects of the building and helped to downplay the Romanesque Revival elements that originally were very prominent on the structure. This building was oriented with the semi-circular original porticoes aligned with State Street and King Street, with the wings being oriented towards both sections of Hamilton Street, though the building appeared rather small within the large parklike expanse of Capitol Square. By the turn of the 20th Century, the old Capitol had become inadequate for the growing needs of Wisconsin, which had become wealthy, industrialized, and heavily populated by that point, so study of a replacement capitol building began in 1903. In February 1904, the old State Capitol burned to the ground when a gas jet ignited a newly varnished ceiling inside the building, which spread quickly despite the building featuring a then-advanced sprinkler system, as the reservoir of the nearby University of Wisconsin was empty, which allowed the fire to spread out of control. The north wing of the building, built in 1882, was the only portion that survived, with many relics, records, and important historical items being lost in the fire, though the state law library was saved thanks to efforts by University of Wisconsin students. The fire also happened just after the state legislature had voted to cancel the fire insurance policy on the building, thinking it was a costly and unnecessary folly.
The present building was built on the site of the previous building, with the construction process focusing on completing each wing one at a time to provide space to the state government with as much fiscal efficiency as possible due to financial limitations. Due to this, the north wing was built last to allow the remaining portion of the previous capitol to serve as space for the state government during the construction period, with the central rotunda and dome also being built after the other three wings had been completed, as they serve a more symbolic and less utilitarian purpose than the rest of the building. The building stands 284 feet (86 meters) tall to the top of the statue on the dome, which was sculpted in 1920 by Daniel Chester French, and is a personification of the state of Wisconsin, with the outstretched arm of the statue representing the state motto, “Forward”. The exterior of the building is clad in Bethel white granite, sourced from Vermont, with an additional 42 types of stone from a total of eight states and six countries being utilized on the interior of the building. The dome is the largest in the world to be entirely clad in granite, and is the tallest building in Madison, with a state law passed in 1990 stipulating that any building within a one-mile radius of the capitol is limited in height to the base of the columns of the dome, which stand at 187 feet, which preserves the visibility of the building from the surrounding landscape. The building has a greek cross footprint with four five-story wings that are aligned with the compass directions and radial streets following the compass directions that slice through the surrounding street grid, which is at a 45-degree angle to compass directions, instead roughly paralleling the shorelines of nearby Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, with Downtown Madison sitting on an isthmus between the two lakes. This places the building at a unique 45-degree angle orientation relative to the edges of Capitol Square and most buildings on adjacent streets. The building was one of the last works of the prolific architect George B. Post, whom died before the building was completed. The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s that added modern features to the interior and covered up many original features, with later projects between 1988 and 2002 restoring the building while updating the building’s systems and functions for the modern needs of the state government.
The exterior of the building’s wings feature porticoes on the ends with corinthian columns, arched windows on the third floor, rusticated bases with entrance doors and decorative keystones, decorative reliefs featuring festoons over the windows on the porticoes, cornices with modillions and dentils, and pediments with sculptural reliefs, which were created by several sculptors, and have different symbolism embodied by their design. On the east wing, which is home to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the sculpture known as Law, created by Karl Bitter, is located on the portico pediment, on the west wing, which houses the chamber of the Wisconsin Assembly, is a sculpture known as Agriculture, also created by Karl Bitter, on the north wing, which is home to a hearing chamber, is the sculpture known as Virtues and Traits of Character, created by Adolph Alexander Weinman, and on the south wing, which houses the chamber of the Wisconsin Senate, is a sculpture known as Wisdom and Learning of the World, created by Attilio Piccirilli. The sides of the wings feature simpler cornices with dentils, pilasters and recessed window openings with arched openings at the ground floor, windows with decorative pedimented headers on the second floor, arched windows on the third floor, two small two-over-two windows on the fourth floor, and a recessed fifth floor features small paired windows, hidden behind a balustrade that runs around the entirety of the building minus the ends of the wings, concealing a low-slope roof at the setbacks on the sides of the wings and above the corner porticoes. The upper roofs of the wings are low-slope with front gabled portions in the middle punctured by skylights, with the roof being almost entirely enclosed by a parapet. At the center of the building in the inside corners of the greek cross are semi-circular portions of the facade with semi-circular two-story ionic porticos with large terraces and grand staircases featuring decorative copper lampposts, decorative stone balustrades, concealed entrances to the ground floor underneath the terraces, and three doorways on the upper level, with drums surrounded by buttresses featuring small windows and domed roofs above the balustrade on the fifth floor. In the center of the building is the rotunda, which is topped with a large dome that rises from a tall base that terminates in a balustrade, with a low-slope roof at the base of the drum of the dome, which features a level with small windows at the base, with projected pavilions at the corners above the semi-circular porticoes below, which were originally to support four smaller domes, but ended up supporting sculptures by Karl Bitter, symbolizing strength, faith, prosperity, and abundance and knowledge. The drum of the dome is surrounded by a corinthian colonnade with corinthian pilasters on the exterior wall of the dome behind the colonnade, arched windows, and recessed decorative panels at the top of the colonnade below the architrave. Above the architrave is a cornice with modillions and dentils, above which is another balustrade, accessed via doors from the interior space above the inner dome of the rotunda, and ringed by six-over-six windows, pilasters, and a cornice with egg and dart motif at the top. Above this last cornice is the dome, which is ribbed, with the ribs terminating in voluted upside down brackets at the base, and clad in granite, terminating at the top at a balustrade around the base of the lantern. The cylindrical landern features corinthian columns, arched windows, festoons, with a concavely sloped roof featuring rubs terminating in volutes, above which is the base of the Wisconsin statue, which is coated in gold leaf.
The interior of the building is richly decorated with Beaux Arts detailing, utilizing plaster, a diverse array of stone and woodwork, engaged columns and pilasters, murals, vaulted ceilings, decorative balustrades, grand staircases, and modern oak furniture. The interior dome features a mural by Edwin Howland Blashfield, known as Resources of Wisconsin, which sits in the middle of the dome’s coffered ceiling, above the upper balcony at the base of the drum. The rotunda features green and white marble corinthian columns with gold leaf on the capitals, vaulted alcoves on the sides with coffered ceilings, a stone floor, and features marble from Tennessee, Missouri, Vermont, Georgia, New York, and Maryland, granite from Wisconsin and Minnesota, limestone from Minnesota and Illinois, marble from France, Italy, Greece, Algeria and Germany, and syenite from Norway. A large circular opening in the floor of the center of the rotunda allows light into the lower level of the building, and is supported by a ring of square columns underneath. The light fixtures in the space are a combination of lampposts and sconces. The pendentives below the drum of the dome in the rotunda are decorated with glass mosaics by artist Kenyon Cox. The interior’s decoration denotes hierarchy of space, with the level of detail varying throughout the building’s interior from simple offices and service areas to the grand public spaces, such as the rotunda and government meeting chambers. The two-story senate chamber is circular with marble cladding, corinthian columns, and pilasters on the walls, a decorative ceiling with a central shallow domed decorative glass skylight, and coffers with rosettes, with murals above the main podium, and balconies inside the alcoves behind the columns for spectators and observers. The two-story assembly chamber features a similar shallow domed decorative glass skylight on the ceiling, but is square in shape with decorative pendentives and arches on the perimeter of the space opening into alcoves with vaulted ceilings, with wood paneling and a large mural behind the main podium, and balconies in the upper level of the alcoves. The supreme court chamber is square with a square decorative glass skylight in the room’s coffered ceiling, white marble pilasters, paneling, and murals on the walls, and arched niches housing candelabra-type lamppost light fixtures. The north wing hearing chamber features a massive cove ceiling with decorative trim and murals, with a large square decorative glass skylight in the middle, and walls lined with ionic pilasters and stone panels. The Governor’s Conference Room, located in the east wing, features a heavily decorated ceiling with multiple coffers housing murals, decorative stained woodwork, a fireplace with a decorative marble surround flanked by two corinthian columns, and gold leaf on some of the trim. The interior of the building is even more richly detailed than the exterior.
The building, which has been fully modernized and restored to some semblance of its original appearance, remains the seat of the government of Wisconsin, presently the 25th largest by land area and 20th largest by population in the United States. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, owing to its historical and architectural significance, and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 2001. The building visually dominates the isthmus that makes up Downtown Madison, and sits in the city’s central square, one of the most visually impressive and stunning sitings of any capitol building in the United States.
The castle has been the seat of the Percy family since Norman times. By 1138 the original motte and bailey castle, with wooden buildings, was replaced with stone buildings and walls. In 1309 the keep and defences were made even stronger by Henry de Percy. The castle then stayed unchanged for 400 years. By the 18th century it had fallen into ruins. The keep however was then turned into a gothic style mansion by Robert Adam. In the 19th century the Duke of Northumberland carried out more restoration of the castle.
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ALNWICK CASTLE, THE CASTLE, STABLE COURT AND COVERED RIDING SCHOOL INCLUDING WEST WALL OF RIDING SCHOOL
Heritage Category: Listed Building
Grade: I
List Entry Number: 1371308
National Grid Reference: NU 18685 13574
Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 05/10/2011
NU 1813 NE 2/1 NU 1813 SE 1/1 20.2.52. 5330
Alnwick Castle The Castle, Stable Court and Covered Riding School including West Wall of Riding School
GV I
Alnwick Castle has work of every period on the line of the original motte and bailey plan. By 1138 a strong stone built border castle with a shell keep in place of the motte, formed the nucleus of the present castle with 2 baileys enclosing about 7 acres. The curtain walls and their square towers rest on early foundations and the inner gatehouse has round-headed arches with heavy chevron decoration. The Castle was greatly fortified after its purchase by Henry de Percy 1309 - the Barbican and Gatehouse, the semi-circular towers of the shell keep, the octagonal towers of the inner gateway and the strong towers of the curtain wall date from the early to mid C14. Ruinous by the C18, the 1st Duke had it rehabilitated and extended by James Prince and Robert Adam, the latter being mainly concerned with the interior decoration, very little of which remains except for fireplaces in the Housekeeper's and the Steward's Rooms and for inside the present Estates Office range. Capability Brown landscaped the grounds, filling in the former moat (formed by Bow Burn). The 4th Duke employed Anthony Salvin 1854-65 at the cost of £1/4 million to remove Adam's fanciful Gothic decoration, to restore a serious Gothic air to the exterior and to redesign the state rooms in an imposing grand Italian manner. The Castle is approached from Bailliff gate through the crenellated Barbican and Gatehouse (early C14): lion rampant (replica) over archway, projecting square side towers with corbelled upper parts, fortified passage over dry moat to vaulted gateway flanked by polygonal towers. Stone figures on crenellations here, on Aveners Tower, on Record Tower and on Inner Gateway were carved circa 1750-70 by Johnson of Stamfordham and probably reflect an earlier similar arrangement. In the Outer Bailey to the, north are the West Garrett (partly Norman), the Abbott's Tower (circa 1350) with a rib vaulted basement, and the Falconer's Tower (1856). To the south are the Aveners Tower [C18], the Clock Tower leading into the Stable Yard, the C18 office block, the Auditor's Tower (early Clk) and the Middle Gateway (circa 1309-15) leading to the Middle Bailey. The most prominent feature of the Castle on the west side is the very large Prudhoe Tower by Salvin and the polygonal apse of the chapel near to it. In the Middle Bailey, to the south are the Warders Tower (1856) with the lion gateway leading by a bridge to the grand stairs into the walled garden, the East Garrett and the Record Tower (C14, rebuilt 1885). In the curtain wall to the north are 2 blocked windows probably from an early C17 building now destroyed and the 'Bloody Gap', a piece of later walling possibly replacing a lost truer; next a small C14 watch tower (Hotspur's Seat); next the Constable's Tower, early C14 and unaltered with a gabled staircase turret; close by is the Postern Tower, early C14, also unaltered.'To the north-west of the Postern Tower is a large terrace made in the C18, rebuilt 1864-65, with some old cannon on it. The Keep is entered from the Octagon Towers (circa 1350) which have 13 heraldic shields below the parapet, besides the agotrop3ic figures, and a vaulted passage expanded from the Norman gateway (fragments of chevron on former outer arch are visible inside). The present arrangement of the inner ward is largely Salvin's work with a covered entrance with a projecting storey and lamp-bracket at the rear of the Prudhoe Tower and a corbelled corridor at 1st floor level on the east. Mediaeval draw well on the east wall, next to the original doorway to the keep, now a recess The keep, like the curtain walls, is largely mediaeval except for some C18 work on the interior on the west and for the Prudhoe Tower and the Chapel. The interior contrasts with the rugged mediaeval exterior with its sumptuous Renaissance decoration, largely by Italians - Montiroli, Nucci, Strazza, Mantavani and inspired from Italian sources. The chapel with its family gallery at the east end has 4 short rib vaulted bays and a shallow 3-light apse; side walls have mosaics, covered now with tapestry. The grand staircase With its groin vaulted ceiling leads to the Guard Chamber from which an ante-room leads west into the Library (in the Prudhoe Tower) and east into the Music Room (fireplace with Dacian captives by Nucci). Further on are the Red Drawing Room (caryatid fireplace by Nucci) and the Dining Room (ceiling design copied from St Lorenzo f.l.m. in Rome and fireplace with bacchante by Strazza and faun by Nucci). South of the Middle Gateway are Salvin's impressive Kitchen quarters where the oven was designed to burn a ton of coal per day. West of the Stable Courtyard, with C19 Guest Hall at the south end, is the C19 covered riding school, with stable to north of it, and with its west wall forming the east side of Narrowgate. The corner with Bailliffgate has an obtuse angled tower of 2 storeys, with a depressed ogee headed doorway from the street, and merlons.
Listing NGR: NU1863413479
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/137130...
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ALNWICK CASTLE
Heritage Category: Park and Garden
Grade: I
List Entry Number: 1001041
National Grid Reference: NU1739315366, NU2254414560
Details
Extensive landscape parks and pleasure grounds developed from a series of medieval deer parks, around Alnwick Castle, the seat of the Percy family since the C14.
Between 1750 and 1786, a picturesque landscape park was developed for Hugh, first Duke of Northumberland, involving work by James Paine, Robert Adam, and the supervision of work by Lancelot Brown (1716-83) and his foremen Cornelius Griffin, Robson, and Biesley in the 1760-80s, working alongside James and Thomas Call, the Duke's gardeners. During the C19 each successive Duke contributed and elaborated on the expansive, planned estate landscape, within which the landscape park was extended. This was accompanied by extensive C19 garden works, including a walled, formal flower garden designed in the early C19 by John Hay (1758-1836), and remodelled mid C19 by William Andrews Nesfield (1793-1881).
NOTE This entry is a summary. Because of the complexity of this site, the standard Register entry format would convey neither an adequate description nor a satisfactory account of the development of the landscape. The user is advised to consult the references given below for more detailed accounts. Many Listed Buildings exist within the site, not all of which have been here referred to. Descriptions of these are to be found in the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest produced by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
In the C13, Hulne Park, West Park, and Cawledge were imparked within the Forest of Alnwick. Hulne Park lay to the north-west of Alnwick Castle and Cawledge to the south and south-east. By the late Middle Ages, Hulne Park extended to 4000 acres (c 1620ha) enclosed by some 13 miles (c 21km) of wall. It was stocked with some 1000 fallow deer and a tower at Hulne Priory served as a hunting lodge. The parks formed the basis of Alnwick Park, landscaped by Sir Hugh Smithson (1714-86) who in 1750 became Earl of Northumberland, inheriting his father-in-law's northern estates. Prior to this, from 1748 he and his wife, Elizabeth Seymour (1716-76), had lived at Stanwick, Yorkshire (qv) and at Syon Park, London (qv), where they had already established a reputation for gardening, attested by Philip Miller's dedication, in 1751, of his Gardener's Dictionary to the Earl.
Together they embarked on an ambitious scheme to restore the Castle, develop the grounds and estate, and restore the Percy family traditions and identity at Alnwick. Those employed at Alnwick were also involved elsewhere on the Northumberland estates: James Paine, architect at Syon House, Daniel Garrett, architect at Northumberland House, the Strand (1750-3), Robert Adam, architect at Syon (1762-9), Lancelot Brown, landscape architect at Syon Park (1754-72).
In 1751, Thomas Call (1717-82), who had been the Earl's gardener at Stanwick, prepared a scheme for the parklands and pleasure grounds, including a plan for Brizlee Hill (the south part of Hulne Park). Call and his relation James, working at Alnwick by 1756, were responsible for the development of Hulne Park over twenty years. The date and extent of Lancelot Brown's involvement at Alnwick is uncertain, although his foremen Griffin, Robson, and Biesley worked at Alnwick with teams of men between 1771and 1781 and records shown that they also worked alongside Call and his men (in 1773 for example, Call had a team of sixty men and Biesley one of seventy-eight).
Hulne Park was developed as a picturesque pleasure ground with extensive rides, follies, and the enhancement of natural features. A characteristic of the Duke's scheme was his recognition of antiquarian sites within the landscape, which were embellished. Thus in 1755, Hulne Priory was purchased to become the focal point of Hulne Park. A garden was made within the cloister walls and, from c 1763, the priory became the gamekeeper's residence, with a menagerie of gold and silver pheasants. Statues of friars cut by the mason Matthew Mills were set in the landscape. In 1774, a medieval commemorative cross to Malcolm Canmore (listed grade II), situated at the northern entrance to the North Demesne, was restored.
Following the Duchess' death in 1776, the Duke decorated all her favourite locations with buildings, some being ideas she had noted in her memoranda. Work also included other notes and ideas the Duchess had had, including the ruin at Ratcheugh Crag and some ninety-eight drives and incidents.
Plans for the parklands at the North Demesne, Denwick, and Ratcheugh Crags were developed in the late 1760s, although in the case of the North Demesne some parkland planting had been undertaken by 1760, and the major work undertaken in the early 1770s is that attributed to Brown, mainly on stylistic grounds.
During the C19, under the second Duke (1742-1817) the parks were extended, this including the purchase of Alnwick Abbey and part of its estate. The complex of drives was also extended and this was accompanied by extensive plantations, including the large Bunker Hill plantation central to the north area of Hulne Park, named to commemorate the Duke's action in 1775 in the War of American Independence. Most significantly, between 1806 and 1811, building centred on construction of a perimeter wall, defining the boundary of Hulne Park, and lodges and gateways at entrances to the parks. The carriage drives were extended, necessitating the construction of bridges over the River Aln. These schemes were implemented by estate workers, local masons, and David Stephenson, the Duke's architect.
As the Castle had no formal flower gardens, John Hay was commissioned between 1808 and 1812 to design pleasure gardens to the south-east of the Castle, linking it with a new walled garden at Barneyside, furnished with a range of hothouses, glasshouses, and pine pits. These were extended in the 1860s when Anthony Salvin, employed in the restoration of the Castle, built a gateway between the inner bailey and the pleasure gardens. Nesfield designed a scheme for the walled gardens to be developed as an ornamental flower and fruit garden, with a large central pool, conservatory, and a series of broad terraces and parterres. The Alnwick scheme can be compared to Nesfield's in the precincts of Arundel Castle, West Sussex (qv), in 1845.
Alnwick Castle, parks and estate remain (2000) in private ownership, the latest significant developments being the replanting and restoration of the North Demesne (1990s) and plans to completely remodel the walled garden.
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
Alnwick Castle parks cover a tract of countryside encircling Alnwick town on its west, north, north-east, and south sides. The land is a mixture of contrasting landscape types, with high heather moorland and the rough crags of the Northumbrian Sandstone Hills sweeping down to the improved pasture lands along the wooded Aln valley. The parks exploit the boundaries of these distinctive landforms where the rugged moorland gives way to the pastoral, rolling landscape of the Aln, on its route to the sea. In the west parklands the river is confined between hills, and in places has incised deep, narrow valleys while in the east the landscape is more open.
The registered area of 1300ha is bounded on its north-east side by the Hulne Park wall, west of the Bewick to Alnwick Road (B6346). The west side of the area here registered follows field boundaries to the west of Shipley Burn, starting at Shipley Bridge, and then turns south-west at a point c 1km south of the bridge. It then runs for south-west for c 2.3km, to the west of Hulne Park, before crossing the River Aln and running parallel to Moorlaw Dean for c 1.2km, on the west side of the burn. The southern area is defined by Hulne Park wall running around the south point of Brizlee Wood then in a line due east, south of Cloudy Crags drive, to cross the Stocking Burn and reach Forest Lodge. The boundary then defines the north-western extent of Alnwick town and, crossing the Canongate Bridge, the southernmost extent of the Dairy Grounds.
To the east of the Castle the registered area takes in the entire North Demesne bounded on its north by Long Plantation, a perimeter belt which lies on the south side of Smiley Lane and then extends eastwards to meet the junction of the B1340 and A1 trunk road. The A1 has effectively cut through the North Demesne from north to south and, although physically divorcing the two areas, they are still visually conjoined. Defined on its north side within the hamlet of Denwick by tree belts, the park extends eastwards for 1km before cutting across southwards to meet the River Aln at Lough House. This latter stretch is bounded by a perimeter belt. The south boundary of the North Demesne follows the river in part, before meeting the Alnwick to Denwick road (B1340). To the south, the Castle gardens are delimited from the town by property boundaries along Bondgate. An outlying area of designed landscape at Ratcheugh is also included.
A complex series of drives is laid throughout the parks, particularly in Hulne Park. A series of thirty standing stones stand at the beginning of the drives or where they converge. These are inscribed with the names of the drives and act as signposts.
Alnwick Castle (1134 onwards, c 1750-68 by James Paine and Robert Adam, 1854-6 by Anthony Salvin, listed grade I) lies on the high ground on the south side of the Aln valley, commanding views to the north, east, and west. To the south is Alnwick town but the landscape is designed so that the town is not in view of the Castle. The principal views from the Castle lie over the North Demesne.
The North Demesne originally included Denwick Park (they have now been divided by the A1 road), and together these 265ha form the core parkland designed by Brown. Perimeter tree belts define the park, and clumps and scatters of specimen trees ornament the ground plan. The Aln has been dammed to give the appearance of an extensive, natural serpentine lake, with bridges as focal points: the Lion Bridge (John Adam 1773, listed grade I) and Denwick Bridge (1766, probably also by Adam, listed grade I). A programme of replanting and restoration of the North Demesne is under way (late 1990s).
The medieval deer park of Hulne extended to the north of the Shipley Road (outside the area here registered). Hulne Park is now 1020ha and is in agricultural and forestry use. The principal entrance from Alnwick town is Forest Lodge, the only extant part of Alnwick Abbey. Hulne Park is completely enclosed by an early C19 perimeter wall, c 3m high with shaped stone coping and buttresses every 20m. Nearly 5km of wall lies alongside roads, 5km across fields, and 5km defines perimeter woodland and moorland from the enclosed park.
The park design consists of a series of oval-shaped enclosures, defined by tree belts vital for shelter. The highest point is in the west area of the park, from where there are long-distance views east to the sea. The River Aln winds its way through the park via a series of contrasting steep valleys and flatter lands. The valleys are emphasised by planting on the upper slopes, while the lower areas are encircled with designed plantations to emphasise the river's meanders and ox-bow lakes.
Picturesque incidents survive at Nine Year Aud Hole, where the statue of a hermit (late C18, listed grade II) stands at the entrance to a natural cave along Cave Drive, and at Long Stone, a monolith standing high on the west side of Brizlee Hill, with panoramic views over Hulne Park to the north-west. The picturesque highlight is Hulne Priory (original medieval buildings, C18 alterations and enhancements, all listed grade I), which includes a summerhouse designed by Robert Adam (1778-80, listed grade I) and statues of praying friars erected in the Chapter House (late C18). The Priory's picturesque qualities are well appreciated from Brizlee Tower (Robert Adam, listed grade I), built in 1781 to commemorate the creation of the Alnwick parks by the first Duke and Duchess, a Latin inscription stating:
Circumspice! Ego omnia ista sum dimensus; Mei sunt ordines, Mea descriptio Multae etiam istarum arborum Mea manu sunt satae. [Look about you. I have measured all these things; they are my orders; it is my planning; many of these trees have been planted by my own hand.]
Brizlee is sited on a high point which can be seen in views north-west from the Castle, mirroring views north-east to the 'Observatory' on Ratcheugh Crag, a sham ruined castle sited as an eyecatcher on high ground and built by John Bell of Durham in 1784 (plans to further elaborate it were designed by Robert Adam).
Another principal feature of Hulne Park is a series of regular, walled enclosures (the walls set in ditches with banks cast up inside the compounds) which line Farm Drive, the central road through the park, north-westwards from Moor Lodge. This functioned as the third Duke's menagerie, and is still pasture.
The 15ha Dairy Ground links Hulne Park and the North Demesne. It principally consists of the Aln valley north-west of the Castle, stretching between Canongate Bridge and Lion Bridge, laid out as pleasure gardens. Barbara's Bank and the Dark Walk are plantations laid out with walks on the steep slopes with a Curling Pond to the north of the Aln.
The walled garden of 3ha lies to the south-east of the Castle, reached by the remains of C19 pleasure gardens laid out on the slopes above Barneyside. After the Second World War use of the glasshouses ceased, and until recently (late 1990s) the Estate Forestry Department used it. The earthwork terraces and remnants of specimen planting of Nesfield's scheme survive.
REFERENCES
Note: There is a wealth of material about this site. The key references are cited below.
The Garden, 5 (1874), pp 100-1, 188; 20 (1881), pp 155-6 Gardeners' Chronicle, ii (1880), pp 523-4, 587; ii (1902), pp 273-4 J Horticulture and Cottage Gardener 15, (1887), pp 296-8 P Finch, History of Burley on the Hill (1901), p 330 Country Life, 65 (22 June 1929), pp 890-8; 66 (6 July 1929), pp 16-22; 174 (4 August 1983), p 275 D Stroud, Capability Brown (1975), pp 103-4 Garden History 9, (1981), pp 174-7 Capability Brown and the Northern Landscape, (Tyne & Wear County Council Museums 1983), pp 19, 22-3, 27, 42 Restoration Management Plan, Alnwick Castle, (Land Use Consultants 1996) C Shrimpton, Alnwick Castle, guidebook, (1999)
Description written: August 2000 Resgister Inspector: KC Edited: June 2003
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/100104...
See also:-
For Episode 2, Lucas replaced Jar Jar's really annoying hi- jinks with Threepio's slightly less annoying hi-jinks. My son likes this scene, but then again, he's 6. I must admit it's slightly amusing but it goes on for way too long.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Both the T-62 and T-64 were innovative in their own ways, but not successful in the long run because of their cost, complicated features, rushed production, or primitive FCS. The T-54/55 had been a highly successful export for the Soviet Union, but so far, nothing replaced it in this area. Due to their age and the never-ending competition between ammo and armor with the west, a new MBT with a large gun was needed. This model had to incorporate some innovations but had to be mature enough to exploit them fully and be fast enough to catch up with other vehicles. Overall, WARPAC quickly needed a replacement for its aging fleet of T-54/55s (the T-62 was only adopted by Bulgaria and the T-64 was even denied to the Warsaw Pact allies). So a “mobilization” model was called for, even though the T-64 was still in development.
Although in its general shape the T-72 superficially resembled previous designs, and especially the T-62 (small turret, low hull, very long gun), there were many differences in the drivetrain, turret design, engine, main gun and equipment. Compared to western standards, its specifics were regarded as drawbacks, being too small, cramped and uncomfortable. It was believed in the west the crewmen had to be of small stature (1.60 m or 5ft 3in), but after the fall of the iron curtain, it appeared to have been officially 1.75 m (5ft 9in). For its designers and commanders, the vehicle was in line with the experience of the Soviet armored forces during the “Great Patriotic War”. The USSR modeled its tanks along a specific tactical use. Tanks were generally low, nimble and fast, being difficult to hit, contrary to western tanks, which were, comparatively, at least 50 cm (1ft 8in) taller – and the T-72 was even 60 cm lower than its potential opponents!
The height requirement also helped to keep the total weight largely under the NATO practice. This allowed a great deal of mobility despite an aged V-12 diesel. For example, two T-72 could cross a bridge instead of waiting in line to cross it one at a time. This low profile was a problem when fording rivers more than 5 meters (16 ft) deep and a comprehensive sealing procedure, a snorkel and tightly waterproof interior were needed. These fittings also helped NBC protection, rendered possible by a synthetic fabric made of boron compound lining which reduced (but did not) radiations. There was also an extensive air filter system with safety valves and constant over-pressure. This helped eliminate any poisonous contamination as well as residual fumes that could leak out from the autoloader. Overall vision was not outstanding, with a set of extremely small periscope viewports. The hull construction called for an RHA (rolled homogenous armor) hull made of cast steel.
Crew comfort was seen as unnecessary, due to the survivability rates on the battlefield. The same law applied to a relatively non-refined interior and the simple, rugged, but efficient firing equipment, which was designed for mass production and easy maintenance. Any fragile and/or non-standard piece of equipment was therefore eliminated before production. This explained not only the production scale itself - much bigger than their western counterparts - but also the tank’s export success. Such manufacturing principles allowed costs to be kept very low, and at the same time produced a rugged piece of equipment which was durable, with part standardization (= interchangeability) and relatively low-tech, which was an advantage in many pre-industrial countries, both for maintenance and upgrades.
The hull’s basic RHA construction was augmented by spaced armor, which was upgraded to the T-64 standard composite armor in 1979. In the early 1980s, T-72s received additional add-on armor along with rubber side skirts, and, in the late 1980s, full ERA made of active protective tiles was generalized. At the origin, the basic cast armor was about 280 mm (11 in) at the thickest, with the nose up to 80 mm (3.1 in) and the glacis made of a 200 mm (7.9 in) thick laminated armor, well inclined. This gave a virtual equivalent of 500–600 mm (20–24 in) thickness against direct fire.
The turret was small in comparison to the T-62 and even the T-55, due to the elimination of the loader and its replacement by an auto-loader. The latter picked-up its rounds directly from a horizontal storage area (horizontally auto-fed), contrary to the faster and much more complex vertical actuators of the T-64 main gun automatic loader. The commander cupola was situated to the right rear, with four vision blocks, one periscope (later equipped with infrared sight), and a standard night illuminator. The gunner’s hatch was situated on the right-hand side and slightly angled down to the turret side.
The V12 was basically derived from the WW2 era 500 hp T-34 engine. Rugged and well-tested, it was also shared with the T-54/55 and T-62 families, meaning a lot of parts were interchangeable. It was capable of 780 hp (582 kW), which made the T-72 look underpowered compared to western tanks of the time, but its performances were kept high due to the lightweight hull. It was also much faster and nimbler than the T-62 and even the T-55. This engine was coupled to a synchromesh, hydraulically assisted, seven forward/one reverse gears transmission. The steering system is a traditional dual-tiller layout, rather than the steering wheel/yoke familiar in the west, imposing constant two-hands handling. By the 1980s, the powerplant upgraded to the new 840 bhp (630 kW) V-84 diesel.
The suspension set was a moderately new one, combining traditional torsion bars and shock dampers on the last and two first roadwheel sets. There were six evenly spaced sets of rubberized roadwheels per side. These roadwheels were completely redesigned and partly hollow, like the T-64 roadwheels, but made of steel rather than aluminum, due to costs and durability. They were also smaller and much lighter than the traditional “starfish” model, imposing four sets of return rollers to support the upper tracks. The tracks themselves were similar to the previous models, but not advanced like those of the T-64.
By 1973, the T-72 was accepted for service and over 25,000 units were built, but the production lines never really shut down. The T-72, in its modernized form, now represents the bulk of the Russian armored forces, and was adopted by the best armored units in all Eastern Europe forces. It was widely exported despite its price -double of that of a T-55- because it represented a good compromise, not complicated to operate and maintain, with many commonalities with previous models. It was a real upgrade in firepower, protection, speed and even fire accuracy compared to previous models, and even contemporary western MBTs. Unlike the T-62, the T-72 became an instant hit, was well-modernized over decades and is still frontline today, in thirty-six armies, including the Iraq.
Due to a ban on weapons deliveries after the Iran-Iraq war (where Iraq lost some 60 T-72Ms), a covert agreement was found to pass Czech-built M1 parts for a local assembly which was done as the “Asad Babil” or “Lion of Babylon”. There were armed with downgraded FCS and LRF, and a poor-quality glacis plate armor. Like the “Saddam”, a local adaptation of the M1 (downgraded for desert warfare), some suspensions’ shock absorbers were removed and a local-built searchlight was added on the right-hand-side. Saddams and Asad Babils were seen in action by 1991 and again in 2001 gulf war. Iraq had about 1000 T-72s, M, M1, but also the locally built Saddam and Asad Babil in 1990. After 2003, their numbers had dwindled to 375, and only 125 were listed in the new Iraqi Army - even though there were negotiations to procure up to 2.000 revamped T-72 by 2009.
But this deal did not come to fruition, and in 2010 twelve mothballed Iraqi T-72 survivors, mostly only hulls with engines but without a turret or armament, were modified into anti-aircraft systems, through the adaptation of the British Marksman short range air defense system developed by Marconi.
The Marksman system consists of a turret which carries a Marconi Series 400 radar and two Swiss Oerlikon 35 mm anti-aircraft autocannons. It is similar to the German Gepard system in terms of performance, ammunition carried and effective range of the ammunition, and intended to provide low-level air-defense for tank battalions.
The Marconi 400 series frequency agile surveillance and tracking X/J-band radar is able to detect targets out to 12 km in search mode and 10 km in tracking mode. The additional laser distance measure device functions up to 8 km. The turret can traverse a full 360 degrees and has an elevation range of −10 to +85 degrees. The magazines hold 460 fragmentation rounds and 40 armor-piercing anti-tank rounds. The vehicle is operated by only three crew members: commander, gunner, and driver. The commander and the gun operator in the turret both have gyro-stabilized optical aiming devices, and there are three communication radios in the vehicle for fire guidance and communications. The Swiss 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns have a rate of fire of 18 rounds per second and the fragmentation round has a muzzle velocity of 1,175 m/s. The effective range of the weapons is 4,000 meters. For self-defense, the vehicle is also equipped with eight Wegmann 76 mm smoke dischargers, a 7.62 mm assault rifle, and a flare gun.
In 2014 the Iraqi Army's T-72 battle tanks and the Marksman SPAAGs were actively involved in the Iraqi Civil War, an armed conflict which began in January 2014 with the Iraqi insurgency and which escalated into a civil war with the conquest of Fallujah, Mosul, Tikrit and in the major areas of northern Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS or IS). Even though no enemy aircraft were deployed, the T-72 Marksman SPAAGs proved to be very effective against lightly or unarmored vehicles and semi-fortified dugouts at medium range. The conflict ended in December 2017.
Specifications:
Crew: Three (commander, gunner, driver)
Weight: 47.2 tonnes (52.1 short tons)
Length: 8.06 m (26 ft 3 in) with turret forward and guns in march position
6.95 m (22 ft 10 in) hull only
Width: 3.59 m (11 ft 9 in)
Height: 4.46 metres (14 ft 7 1/2 in)
Suspension: torsion-bar
Ground clearance: 0.49 m (19 in)
Fuel capacity: 1,200 L (320 U.S. gal; 260 imp gal)
Engine:
V-92S2F V12 Diesel engine with 1,130 hp (840 kW)
Transmission:
Synchromesh, hydraulically assisted, with 7 forward and 1 reverse gears
Armor:
Steel and composite armour with ERA
250 mm (10 in) maximum in the hull front
Performance:
Speed:
- Maximum, road: 80 km/h (50 mph)
- Sustained, road: 60 km/h (37 mph)
- Cross country: up to 45 km/h (28 mph)
Operational range: 460 km (290 mi)
700 km (430 mi) with additional fuel drums
Power/weight: 18 hp/t
Armament:
2× 35 mm Oerlikon autocannon with 460 fragmentation rounds and 40 anti-tank rounds
The kit and its assembly:
Well, this is a rather simple, whiffy tank model. I have always been a fan of AA tanks, but there are only a few model kits in 1:72 scale, esp. of modern vehicles like the German Gepard, the American Sargeant Baker or the Finnish T-55 Marksman.
However, recently the German short run producer Silesian Models released a resin aftermarket conversion set with the Marksman turret, and I immediately was hooked and started wondering with which hull I could combine it? The resin set is actually intended for an M60 chassis, and while I found it to be a good idea I wanted a personal alternative. Using the Finnish T-55 variant as benchmark, I wondered if the Marksman system could be combined with a more modern hull of Soviet/Russian origin, and the omnipresent T-72 became an almost natural choice. Searching for a potential operator I eventually came across the New Iraqi Army, which operated the T-72 since the Eighties kept it in service until today.
The conversion is very simple and straightforward. The Modelcollect T-72 chassis was built OOB, using optional parts from the kit for the eight spoke wheels and a simple glacis plate without ERA. The side skirts were cut back.
A curious feature of the kit is the lower hull: it is a white metal piece instead of injected plastic, and the suspension parts are an integral part of this piece. This creates no major problem, though, and lowers the kit's CoG. You just need some superglue in order to attach the wheels and the upper hull parts, even though the latter can simple be attached in a snap-fit style. Overall detailling is superb and the fit is very good, too.
The nicely detailed Silesian Models resin Marksman turret went together well, too, even though the gun barrels were slightly bent. Some cleaning was necessary, but that has to be expected from such a short run kit. The turret also comes with an adapter plate for the M60 turret bearing, but it turned out to be too wide for the T-72 hull. So I simply cut out the T-72 kit's turret underside and glued it under the Marksman turret - and this worked very well and even had the bonus that I did not have to modify the kit's original turret bearing.
The only other addition are the wire antennae on the Marksman turret, made from heated sprue material.
Painting and markings:
Very straightforward, too. I used real life Iraqi T-72s as benchmark and chose a typical desert scheme, with an overall sand tone on top of which some brown mottles had been added. For the sand tone I used a car color: a Sixties Volkswagen tone called "Mexicobeige", applied with a rattle can. The brown mottles were later added with a small brush and they were mixed from Humbrol 29 (RAF Dark Earth) and 66 (Olive Drab) in a 2:1 ratio.
The Arabian tactical code number actually belongs to a MiG-29 (from a Begemot sheet), while the New Iraqi Army flag and the grey/green marking were printed with an inkjet at home on white decal paper.
The kit received a light dry-brushing treatment with Humbrol 168 (Hemp) and also a light wash with a highly thinned mix of red brown and grey. A coat of matt acrylic varnish sealed the model.
After the track segments had been mounted, the running gear was dusted with fine artist pigments, and another dusting treatment was finally applied to the upper hull, too, once the tank model had been fully assembled.
An interesting result, and even though the T-72/Marksman combo is fictional, the resulting SPAAG looks very plausible, even "natural"? The modern Iraqi colors and markings suit it well, too. Besides, a relatively quick and pleasant build/conversion, completed in less than five days.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 20-Jul-24.
This aircraft was delivered to SABENA - Belgian World Airlines as OO-SDF. It was sold to European Aviation (UK) in May-98 and leased back to SABENA.
It was returned to European Aviation in mid Jan-00 and re-registered G-CEAE ten days later. The aircraft was leased to subsidiary company European Aviation Air Charter in Feb-00 and operated as European Airlines.
In Mar-01 it was wet-leased to Air Sicilia (Italy) and returned to European Aviation Air Charter and European Aviation in Sep-01. It was sub-leased to European Aviation Air Charter again in Aug-04.
The aircraft was permanently retired at Mojave, CA, USA in early Dec-08. The registration was cancelled in Nov-13 and it was finally broken up at Mojave in Mar-19.
Added the Mamiya Sekor Macro C 80mm f4, partly to replace the compact 80mm f2.8. Think the f2.8 lens has focusing issue at infinity. Not sure if it's due to the drop or even before that. I suspect it's when I first got the M645 Super setup. It's relatively cheap and I always have back focus issues. I just kept going till I found a way to get focused shots.
It's only until recently when I shot a whole roll with M645 and the f2.8 lens and found all the focus at infinity shots were blur. I remembered focus at infinity with the 45mm and 150mm lens are sharp, be it handheld or on tripod (so it’s not camera bodies issue as well). Then saw this listing of 80mm Macro at about USD110. Much cheaper than the f2.8 lens and trying out the same lens might not be as interesting as trying macro on this setup. So I decided to acquire it though I am trying very well to limit my GAS now. Now I just have to confirm that the macro lens is sharp on focus at infinity and the rest I will explore slowly.
Recently, I have also started to find product ad or brochure of the film cameras I own. Felt my Canon Selphy a bit under utilized (ordering photobooks for my kids photos now as it's easier to manage in the long run). So, I printed postcard size of product photos and started collecting them.
The last time I shot with M39 lens on the mirrorless was probably 2 years ago. Find that it's not easy and feel they are not compatible or not really meant to be used together. Anyway, I have also bought a M39 to NEX adapter some time ago (not sure why). Yet to test whether the adapter works. Decided to try with the Canon M39 lens this time. Initially, I tried with the 35mm f2. At 1m away, it's much wider than 35mm. So switching to the 50mm f1.4 which I feel gives about 35mm angle of view. For this lens, I prefer to use aperture narrower than f2.8 or the 8 that I commonly use. At least it's able to show the 4 different lens which is what I want to record.
WSDOT has marked a major milestone in its effort to replace the aging and vulnerable State Route 520 floating bridge. After 13 years of thorough analysis and input from thousands of people, the state has announced a preferred alternative for the I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project.
Major safety, transit and environmental improvements are in store for the SR 520 corridor from I-5 in Seattle across Lake Washington to Medina. The SR 520 preferred alternative takes key steps to get ready for future light rail, help manage traffic in the Arboretum and transform the future highway with a landscaped lid and median for a parkway experience.
The new floating bridge and highway will have six lanes, including two general-purpose lanes and a new transit/HOV lane in each direction. Adding transit/HOV lanes makes travel in the corridor faster and more reliable for buses and carpools and supports regional plans for completing the HOV system to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles.
Details are on our website, including images of what a new, larger landscaped lid at Montlake Boulevard would look like. The preferred SR 520 alternative directly responds to input we received from the public, the City of Seattle, the University of Washington and environmental regulatory agencies. Work continues on design refinements for the Montlake area with those groups as well as transit agencies.
Highlights include:
Room for future light rail: The bridge deck will accommodate future light rail trains and the west end of the floating bridge will have room for trains to leave the corridor and head to the University of Washington area. Pontoons could be added to the floating bridge in the future to carry the weight of the trains.
Less traffic in the Arboretum: The project removes the ramps that currently carry traffic directly to Lake Washington Boulevard and the Washington Park Arboretum. Westbound off-ramps instead will carry buses and general purpose traffic to 24th Avenue E. and continue on to Montlake Boulevard.
Buses and a lid at Montlake: New direct-access ramps will carry buses to a new landscaped park lid at the Montlake Boulevard interchange. The open space will extend from Montlake Boulevard into the Arboretum.
Parkway on Portage Bay: A slimmed-down Portage Bay Bridge will be built as a 45-mph landscaped parkway with a 6-foot-wide planted median. The 105-foot-wide bridge is narrower than the 154 feet previously planned in the 2006 draft environmental impact statement.
Identifying a preferred design keeps us on track for opening a new bridge to traffic in 2014.
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Communications/ExpressLane/2010/05_07.htm
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/I5ToMedina/Default....
SR 520 - I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project
Status
February 2011
ESSB 6392 reports now available
We've sent two final reports to the governor and state legislators (High Capacity Transit Planning and Financing and the Washington Park Arboretum Mitigation Plan). This completes the requirements of Senate Bill 6392.
Floating bridge construction
Three teams have until spring to submit their bids and proposals for the new SR 520 floating bridge. Construction starts in 2012 and the bridge opens in 2014.
Overview
The I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project will replace the interchanges and roadway between I-5 in Seattle and the eastern end of the floating bridge.
Why is WSDOT pursuing this project?
About 115,000 vehicles and more than 190,000 people cross Lake Washington every day on the SR 520 floating bridge. It’s a key regional route for commuters and freight.
After floating for nearly 50 years, the four-lane bridge is often clogged by traffic and is showing its age.
The floating bridge pontoons are vulnerable to windstorms, and bridge support columns are vulnerable to earthquakes.
The End Result
The I-5 to Medina Bridge Replacement and HOV Project includes a new floating bridge and highway with six lanes, including two general-purpose lanes and one new transit/HOV lane in each direction.
The project also takes key steps to get ready for future light rail, help manage traffic in the Arboretum and transform the future corridor from Montlake to I-5 into a city parkway with landscaped lids and medians.
Project Benefits
The new SR 520 corridor through Seattle will:
Provide transit connections and priority.
Create a pedestrian-friendly urban interchange at Montlake Boulevard.
Restore park area and connections next to the Washington Park Arboretum.
Reduce noise levels from the Portage Bay Bridge.
Be ready for light rail if the region chooses to fund it in the future.
What is the project timeline?
Spring 2011: Publish final environmental impact statement
Mid-2011: Select contractor team for new SR 520 floating bridge
2012: Begin construction of floating bridge
2014: Open new floating bridge to drivers
The schedule for constructing the segments of the corridor west of Lake Washington is pending additional funding.
Financial Information
We are moving forward with construction on a new SR 520 floating bridge, which is fully funded by a variety of state and federal sources, including SR 520 tolling that is set to begin in spring 2011.
We are continuining to work with the Legislature to fund the elements of the project from I-5 to the floating bridge.
Visit the SR 520 Costs, Funding and Tolling page for additional information.
How can I get more information?
Contact:
E-mail: SR520bridge@wsdot.wa.gov
Phone: 206-770-3500
Infoline: 1-888-520-NEWS (6397)
Mail: I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project
SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program
600 Stewart Street, Suite 520
Seattle, WA 98101
Some background:
The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 L (270 cu in).
Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars.
At the time, noted car manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation.
A total of 720 4½ Litre cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously the Bentley Blower No.1 Monoposto in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).
Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,583 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm (130.0 in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly. The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised.
The robustness of the 4½ Litre's lattice chassis, made of steel and reinforced with ties, was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine. The engine was "resolutely modern" for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc (268.4 cu in): 100 mm (3.9 in) bore and 140 mm (5.5 in) stroke. Two SU carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted. The engine produced 110 hp (82 kW) for the touring model and 130 hp (97 kW) for the racing model. The engine speed was limited to 4,000 rpm.
A single overhead camshaft actuated four valves per cylinder, inclined at 30 degrees. This was a technically advanced design at a time where most cars used only two valves per cylinder. The camshaft was driven by bevel gears on a vertical shaft at the front of the engine, as on the 3 Litre engine.
The Bentley's tanks - radiator, oil and petrol - had quick release filler caps that opened with one stroke of a lever. This saved time during pit stops. The 4½ was equipped with a canvas top stretched over a lightweight Weymann body. The hood structure was very light but with high wind resistance (24 Hours Le Mans rules between 1924 and 1928 dictated a certain number of laps for which the hood had to be closed). The steering wheel measured about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and was wrapped with solid braided rope for improved grip. Brakes were conventional, consisting of 17-inch (430 mm) drum brakes finned for improved cooling and operated by rod. Semi-elliptic leaf springs were used at front and rear.
Building the kit and its display box:
I normally do not build large scale kits, except for some anime character figures, and I especially stay away from car models because I find it very hard to come close to the impression of the real thing. But this one was a personal thing, and I got motivated enough to tackle this challenge that caused some sweat and shivers. Another reason for the tension was the fact that it was intended as a present - and I normally do not build models for others, be it as a gift or on a contract work basis.
The background is that a colleage of mine will retire soon, an illustrator and a big oldtimer enthusiast at the same time. I was not able to hunt down a model of the vintage car he actually owns, but I remembered that he frequently takes part with his club at a local car exhibition, called the "Classic Days" at a location called Schloss Dyck. There he had had the opportunity some time ago to take a ride in a Bentley 4.5 litre "Blower", and I saw the fascinationn in his eyes when he recounted the events. We also talked about car models, and I mentioned the 1:24 Heller kit of the car. So, as a "farewell" gift, I decided to tackle this souvenir project, since the Bentley drive obviously meant a lot to him, and it's a quite personal gift, for a highly respected, artistic person.
Since this was to be a gift for a non-modeler, I also had to make sure that the car model could later be safely stored, transported and displayed, so some kind of base or display bon on top was a must - and I think I found a nice solution, even with integrated lighting!
As already mentioned, the model is the 1:24 Heller kit from 1978, in this case the more recent Revell re-boxing. While the kit remained unchanged (even the Heller brand is still part of the molds!), the benefit of this version is a very nice and thin decal sheet which covers some of the more delicate detail areas like gauges on the dashboard or the protective wire mesh for the headlights.
I had huge respect for the kit - I have actually built less than 10 car models in my 40+ years of kit building. So the work started with detail picture research, esp. of the engine and from the cockpit, and I organized appropriate paints (see below).
Work started slowly with the wheels, then the engine followed, the steerable front suspension, the chassis, the cabin section and finally the engine cowling and the mudguards with the finished wheels. Since I lack experience with cars I stuck close to the instructions and really took my time, because the whole thing went together only step by step, with painting and esp. drying intermissions. Much less quickly than my normal tempo with more familiar topics.
The kit remained basically OOB, and I must say that I am impressed how well it went together. The car kits I remember were less cooperative - but the Heller Bentley was actually a pleasant, yet challenging, build. Some issues I had were the chrome parts, which had to be attached with superglue, and their attachment points to the sprues (the same green plastic is used for the chrome parts, too - a different materiallike silver or light grey would have made life easier!) could only hardly be hidden with paint.
The plastic itself turned out to be relatively soft, too - while it made cleaning easy, this caused in the end some directional issues which had to be "professionally hidden": Once the cabin had been mounted to the frame and work on the cowling started, I recognized that the frame in front of the cabin was not straight anymore - I guess due to the engine block which sits deep between the front beams. While this was not really recognizable, the engine covers would not fit anymore, leaving small but unpleasant gaps.
The engine is OOB not über-detailed, and I actually only wanted to open the left half of the cocling for the diorama. However, with this flaw I eventually decided to open both sides, what resulted in having the cowling covers sawn into two parts each and arranging them in open positions. Quite fiddly, and I also replaced the OOB leather straps that normally hold the cowling covers closed with textured adhesive tape, for a more voluminous look. The engine also received some additional cables and hoses - nothing fancy, though, but better than the quite bleak OOB offering.
Some minor details were added in the cabin: a floor mat (made from paper, it looks like being made from cocos fibre) covers the area in front of the seats and the steering wheel was wrapped with cord - a detail that many Bentleys with race history shared, for a better grip for the driver.
Overall, the car model was painted with pure Humbrol 239 (British Racing Green) enamel paint, except for the passenger section. Here I found Revell's instructions to be a bit contradictive, because I do not believe in a fully painted car, esp. on this specific Le Mans race car. I even found a picture of the real car as an exhibition piece, and it rather shows a faux leather or vinyl cladding of the passenger compartment - in a similar dark green tone, but rather matt, with only a little shine, and with a lighter color due to the rougher surface. So I rather tried to emulate this look, which would also make the model IMHO look more interesting.
As a fopundation I used a mix of Humbrol 239 and 75 (Bronze Green), on top of which I later dry-brushed Revell 363 (Dark Green). The effect and the gloss level looked better than expected - I feared a rather worn/used look - and I eventually did not apply and clear varnish to this area. In fact, no varnish was applied to the whole model because the finish looked quite convincing!
The frame and the engine were slightly weathered with a black ink wash, and once the model was assembled I added some oil stains to the engine and the lower hull, and applied dust and dirt through mineral artist pigments to the wheels with their soft vinyl tires and the whole lower car body. I wanted the car to look basically clean and in good shape, just like a museum piece, but having been driven enthusiastically along some dusty country roads (see below). And this worked out quite well!
Since I wanted a safe store for the model I tried to find a suitable display box and found an almost perfect solution in SYNAS from Ikea. The sturdy SYNAS box (it's actually sold as a toy/Children's lamp!?) had very good dimensions for what I had in mind. Unfortunately it is only available in white, but for its price I would not argue. As a bonus it even comes with integrated LED lighting in the floor, as a rim of lights along the side walls. I tried to exploit this through a display base that would leave a 1cm gap all around, so that light could be reflected upwards and from the clear side walls and the lid onto the model.
The base was created with old school methods: a piece of MDF wood, on top of which I added a piece of cobblestone street and grass embankment, trying to capture the rural atmosphere around Schloss Dyck. Due to the large scale of the model I sculpted a light side slope under the pavement (a Tamiya print with a light 3D effect), created with plaster and fine carpenter putty. The embankment was sculpted with plaster, too.
The cobblestone cardboard was simply glued to the surface, trimmed down, and then a fairing of the base's sides was added, thin balsa wood.
Next came the grass - again classic methods. First, the surface was soaked with a mix of water, white glue and brown dispersion paint, and fine sand rinsed over the surfaces. Once dry, another mix of water, white glue and more paint was applied, into which foamed plastic turf of different colors and sizes was dusted. After anothetr drying period this area was sprayed with contact glue and grass fibres were applied - unfortunately a little more than expected. However, the result still looks good.
At the border to the street, the area was covered with mineral pigments, simulating mud and dust, and on the right side I tried to add a puddle, made from Humbrol Clearfix and glue. For some more ambiance I scratched a typical German "local sight" roadsign from cardboard and wood, and I also added a pair of "Classic Days" posters to the mast. Once in place I finally added some higher grass bushels (brush fibres) and sticks (dried moss), sealing everything in place with acralic varnish from the rattle can.
In order to motivate the Bentley's open cowling, I tried to set an engine failure into scene: with the car abandoned during the Classic Days' demo races along the local country roads, parked at the side of the street, and with a puddle of engine below and a small trail of oil behind the car (created with Tamiya "Smoke", perfect stuff for this task!). A hay bale, actually accessory stuff for toy tractors and in fact a square piece of wood, covered with straw chips, subtly hint at this occasion.
Finally, for safe transport, the model was attached to the base with thin wire, the base glued to the light box' floor with double-sided adhesive tape and finally enclosed.
Quite a lot of work, the car model alone took four patient weeks to fully materialize, and the base in the SYNAS box took another two weeks, even though work proceeded partly in parallel. However, I am positively surprised how well this build turned out - the Heller kit was better/easier to assemble than expected, and many problems along the way could be solved with patience and creative solutions.
DISCLAIMER
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Military aircraft development made huge leaps in the 50ies, and it was around 1955 that the successful, transsonic MiG-19 was to be replaced by a next generation fighter - which was to attain more than Mach 2. At that time, these speed and performance figures were terra incognita, but OKB Mikoyan tackled the official request for a new light tactical fighter, which was primarily intended to be used against high flying bombers, guided by ground radar.
Since it was unclear which basic wing design would be most appropriate for the new high speeds, OKB MiG hesitantly brought forth several test aircraft which sported different wing shapes, so that direct comparison could be done. These were the Ye-1, which featured 57° swept wings, much like the MiG-19, the Ye-4, which featured a delta wing with an identical sweep, and finally the Ye-3, which featured a very thin but moderately swept wing - certainly inspired by the contemporary development of the radical F-104 Starfighter in the USA, which featured a duty profile which was very similar to the new Soviet tactical fighter's requirements.
All three aircraft did not go unnoticed from NATO intelligence, and since it was not clear whether these machines would eventually end up in front service, all received code names, which were, respectively, 'Faceplate', 'Fishbed' and 'Filbert'. As a side note, NATO expected the 'Faceplate' design to be the most likely to enter front service - but eventually it became the 'Fishbed'!
The original Ye-3 used a fuselage and tail of the other prototypes. Beyond the different wings, it featured a modified landing gear which had to be completely retracted into the fuselage, due to the wings' thinness. Since the internal space inside of these thin wings also restricted internal fuel capacity - compared to the Ye-1 and Ye-4 - the aircraft carried drop tanks on its wing tips, while the armament, two IR-guided short range missiles, would be carried under the wings on two hardpoints. These could alternatively carry pods with unguided missiles or iron bombs of up to 1.100 lb calibre. Two NR-30 30mm guns with 50 belt-fed RPG in the lower fuselage complemented the missile ordnance.
The original Ye-3 prototype was powered by an AM-11 engine rated at 8.580 lbf dry thrust and 11.200 lbf at full afterburner. It was the last of the test machine trio to fly: aptly coded "31 Blue" it made its maiden flight on 4th of April 1956 with OKB Mikoyan's chief test pilot Gheorgiy K. Mosolov at the controls. It was immediately clear that the aircraft had poor directional stability. It tended to spin at lower speeds, and at higher speeds the tailplane became ineffective. Handling was hazardous, and after just four test flights the aircraft had to be grounded.
It took until December 1956 that a satisfactory control surface solution could be found. Wind tunnel test had suggested that the horizontal stabilizer had to be moved much higher - higher than on the other prototypes, which already progressed in their test programs. The reworked Ye-3/1 featured a completely new T-tail arrangement with trapezoidal stabilizers which had little left in common with the other test types and made the aircraft look even more like a F-104 copy.In order to enhance the stability problem further, the ventral strakes had been enlarged and the fin chord slightly deepened. This new configuration was successfully tested on 21st 1956 of December.
At that time, a second Ye-3/1 was close to completion. Featuring the tactical code "32 Blue", this aircraft was powered by the new R-11 engine, an uprated AM-11 rated at 8.536 lbf dry and 12.686 lbf with afterburner. The same engine was soon re-fitted to "31 Blue", too, and during 1956 and 1957 both machines took part in the extensive trials program for the MiG-21, how the new fighter should be known in service.
"31 Blue" crashed on 30th of May 1958 due to hydraulic failure, even though the pilot was able to escape unharmed - just one day before another test aircraft, a Ye-6/1 (a modified swept-wing aircraft) crashed, too. Anyway, it was already becoming clear that the delta wing offered the best overall performance, being slightly superior to the swept-wing design. The straight, thin wing, though, was considered unsatisfactory and a dead end. The Ye-3/1 remained a touchy aircraft and was not popular among the test pilots. Compared to the swept or delta wing, the aircraft's agility was good, but it did not offer any significant benefit in speed, rate of climb or range and its poor directional stability was the biggest shortcoming. Additionally, the fact that starting and landing from improvised air strips was much more hazardous than with the other design types if not impossible with the small wings and tires) the Ye-3 was axed in January 1960 with no further development perspectives.
"32 Blue" survived the test phase, but eventually ended up as an instrcutional airframe at the Kharkov Aviation Institute without wings and fin.
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length (incl. pitot): 16.05 m (53 ft)
Wingspan (incl. drop tanks): 8,18 m (21 ft 6 in)
Height: 3.81 m (12 ft 6 1/3 in)
Wing area: 18 m² (196,1 ft²)
Aspect ratio: 7.3:1
Empty weight: 4.820 kg (10.617 lb)
Loaded weight: 7.844 kg (17.277 lb)
Max. take-off weight: 8.625 kg (19.000 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Tumanskiy R-11F-300 turbojet, rated at 3875 kgp (8.536 lbf) dry and 5.760 kgp (12.686 lbf) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 725 mph (1.167 km/h) at sea level, 1.190 mph (1.917km/h) at 13.000m (42.640 ft)
Combat radius: 450 km (245 nm, 280 mi)
Range: 850 ml (1.370 km)
Service ceiling: 19.000 m (62.320 ft)
Rate of climb: 38 m/s (7.480 ft/min)
Armament:
2× Nudelmann-Richter NR-30 30mm cannons with 50 RPG;
1.500 kg (3.300 lb) of payload on four external hardpoints, including:
- 2x PTB-350 wing tip drop tanks (fitted as standard)
- 2× K-13/R-3S (AA-2/"Atoll") AAMs on underwing pylons
- Alternatively, the two underwing pylons could carry pods with unguided missiles or iron bombs of up to 1.100 lb calibre.
The kit and its assembly:
Another whif, based on vague indications that this Starfighter-like design was seriouly considered at OKB MiG in the early 50ies because there exists a (crude) desktop model which shows a MiG-21 fuselage with F-104 wings and tail. An appealing design, and a good story to tell with a model. Anyway, AFAIK the 'Ye-3' designation was never used in the MiG-21 development phase or anywhere else at OKB MiG, so I borrowed it for the kit. The NATO code 'Filbert' is also a fantasy product.
Basically, this model is a kit-bashing. It consists of a Hasegawa MiG-21F-13 fuselage with new wings. The Hasegawa kit is ancient, I guess it is from the early 70ies. It has several flaws, so it is good fodder for such a project. For example, the MiG-21 lacks any serious interior, the landing gear is not even a joke and the prominent Soviet Red Stars have been molded onto the parts as raised panel lines! The area-ruled fuselage is pretty, though, very sleek.
Much room for improvements and improvisation, though. Hence, I built a cockpit interior from scartch and added an Airfix pilot, since these figures look very Soviet. As a side benefit, the figure is rather voluminous, so it covers much of the primitive cockpit interior...
Another modification is the landing gear - I wanted to incorporate much of the aforementioned F-16's landing gear, so that new wells had to be cut into the fuselage. This turned out to be easier than expected, and I did not waste too much effort on it. The F-16 landing gear is shorter than the MiG-21's, so the Ye-3 is closer to the ground than its real world cousins.
For the new thin wings I considered at first butchering an Airfix F-104G Starfighter as donation kit, but eventually found the wings being simply too small for my taste and for what the desktop model paradigm shows. I eventually ended up with wings from an Italeri F-16, which - believe it or not - have the SAME leading and trailing edge angles as the F-104, you just have make angled cuts at the wing tips and the wing roots... I just had to cover up the original flap engravings and fit them to the fuselage. The F-16's horizontal stabilizers were taken, too, but shortened in order to match the smaller dimensions for a Starfighter-like look.
The fin was clipped on top and a new upper end created from the single MiG-21 under-fuselage stabilizer. The latter was replaced by two splayed fins, an arrangement which was featured on the original Ye-prototypes but were later replaced by the single fin.
The missiles and their launch rails are leftover pieces from my recent MiG-21G conversion (from a Hobby Master kit), they were painted orange as dummies, according to Soviet practice.
As extra equipment for a test airfcraft, a small camera pod (based on real life picture of other MiG prototypes and test aircraft) was added under the front fuselage - for recording live missile launch tests.
Painting:
I wanted, according to the background story, keep this a prototype aircraft. Unfortunately, this means that I'd be limited to a natural metal finish - and I hate such surfaces, because they are a great challenge, esp. with the manual brush technique I use...
But I tried to make the best of it and painted the model with a plethora of metal tones - ranging from Testors/Model Master Metallizer (Polished Aluminum, Polished Steel, Titanium, Exhaust) through Humbrol enamels (Aluminum, Gun Metal, Chrome Silver) up to Revell Aqua Acryllics (Aluminum). Additionally, some service flaps were painted in light grey (Humbrol 64), the nose cone (which would have been a metal piece, not a plastic radome) was painted in Humbrol 140.
The kit also received a wash with black ink - not to make it look worn, but to add to a "metallic" look with more contrast at edges and raised panel lines. To enhance this metallic look further, the kit received a treatment with a 'graphite rubbing'.
To make the machine look even more interesting (but not out of style), I added some phototheodolyte calibration markings on fuselage and fin: simple, black stripes, but, again, based on real test aircraft of that era. Additionally, "31 Blue" received four stars under the cockpit as mission markers - not for shot-down aircraft, but for successful live missile launches.
After the decals were applied - puzzled together from the scrap box and several aftermarket sheets for Russian/Soviet aircraft - everything was sealed under a coat of semi-matte acryllic varnish (Tamiya TS-79).
In the end a rather simple conversion, but quite effective and convincing. I think that this potential MiG-21 layout does not look out of place - but there certainly were reasons why the thin, unswept wings did not make it to the hardware stage at OKB MiG...
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 25-Aug-19.
Operated by CityFlyer Express in British Airways livery with the -Whale Rider- Canada World Tail (right side).
First flown with the ATR test registration F-WWEV in May-96, the aircraft was stored at Toulouse before deliverery to Cityflyer Express as G-BXTN in Oct-97. Cityflyer were (and still are) a British Airways franchise partner and the aircraft was operated on behalf of British Airways Express. It was returned to ATR as F-WQNR in Aug-03 and stored at Dinard, France. In Feb-04 the aircraft became G-BXTN again when it was leased to Aurigny Air Services (Guernsey). It was returned to the lessor in Apr-09 as F-WKVC. In Jun-09 it was leased ro RAM Royal Air Maroc Express as CN-COD. It was returned to ATR in Dec-11 and sold to Aircraft Solutions Lux V-B Sarl with the Manx registration M-ABEG, then leased to fly540africa.com (Angola) as D2-FLC. Fly540 Angola ceased operations in May-14 and the aircraft was stored. It was returned to the lessor in Jan-16 as M-ABEG and continues in storage.
Hearing a GEVO horn coming as the bridge going down, it's the Iowa, but this one was an CBBI train from which day who knows as the Diamonds was replaced over the weekend which stopped all rail traffic expect the Metra Rock Island Trains which no linger have to cross the Diamonds.
Suprise it was IAIS 516 in it's 30th anniversary colors which caught us off guard railfanning at the station. The owner of the line west of here CSX RB dispatcher had gave Iowa a track warrant from Rockdale to past the bridge, in which it become Metra Rock Road Dispatcher Problems. Metra in return of which knew of it's coming, and no Metra trains conflicting lining him up to head for Blue Island as noticed by the signals at CP Richards went to a diverging clear for Iowa. An BNSF MoW worker told us that this train won't be going no where for a while. To make it more interesting, the crew told the dispatcher that they go illegal(Off Duty) in under an hour.
CSX RB was in talks to get an Iowa truck to have the conductor go to the end of the train to reverse back to rockdale, and the closest Iowa Crew base is in Blue Island 30+ mins. away, if not risking getting a speeding ticket, and spending a morning at traffic court.
As it was getting late Metra took away the signal since BNSF MoW would not clear the way, an Inbound Metra was approaching, and even if they did get the clearance to proceed. The crew would die on the Metra main before reaching Blue Island since they are limited only to 30mph because of no cab signals.
When I was leaving I asked the conductor how long before they went off duty, he said now under 30 mins. So by the Time I reached home the crew went Illegal.
What was intresting about this is that The Iowa Train was keeping the bridge down over the Des Planes River blocking Barge Traffic pissing off the Army Core, and the US Coast Guard, and probably both Iowa Interstate and CSX getting fined for the bridge being down for a long period of time. Metra, IAIS, and CSX pissed at BNSF(UP to a lesser) for blocking the diamonds. I bet some people received hell from this, and i wonder what the city of Joliet have to say about this.
Also to note there were IAIS, and CSX trains that were on sidings to come East backed up west of here in sidings, and east of here at Barr Yard with the CSX trains, and 3 Iowa west-bounders were sitting at Blue Island tat were suppose to come west. Joliet, IL, 5/18/2015
© 2015, James T.
At Wembley 66067 was replaced by two class 90s numbers 037 and 021 the wagons continuing on to Daventry under headcode 6B41.
DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd's class 66 (JT42CWR) number 66067 in English, Welsh and Scottish Railway maroon livery with zigzag gold band, large number and EWS logo works 6B20 from Dollands Moor to Wembley European Freight Operations Centre on 20 January 2015 hauling 27 Tonne (tare du wagon) G.E. Rail Services owned IZA (GE117CT Hfirrs 3) semi-perminantly coupled 4-wheeled CARGOWAGGON vans with shared running numbers built by Duewag. Having started out in France and passed through the channel tunnel each pair of vans is used to transport approximately 59,000 litters (59 Tonnes) of Danone bottled mineral water (eau minerale) in crates of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles such as Evian imported from Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps and Volvic from the Massif Central. Evian bottled at the SAEME plant Post is transported by train (for a map of the route click here) from Évian-les-Bains to the UK via Publier, (Bellegarde Longeray or Annemasse?), Culoz, Ambérieu-en-Bugey, Bourg-en-Bresse, Louhans, Gevrey-Chambertin, Dijon-Perrigny, Chalons-en-Champagne, Reims, Longueau and Calais-Frethun. For Volvic the route is thought to be from the SEV bottling plant in Riom to the UK via Gannat, Saincaize, Vierzon, Valenton (Paris), Longueau and Calais Frethun. From Wembley this train continues on route to Crick under headcode 6B41 and is ultimately unloaded at a distribution warehouse at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT).
A similar set of cargowaggon vans was photographed by Nicolas Villenave on 9 May 2014 returning empty passing through Écaillon (department Nord) on their way from Calais Frethun to Culoz railway junction in the Ain department in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, by Mattias Catry at Boisleux-au-Mont on 9 September 2012 and by Laurent Knop at Béthisy-St.-Pierre, Picardie in the Oise department on 12 March 2014. 66067 (works number 968702-067) was built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division, London, Ontario, Canada in 1998 and unloaded from the Heavy Lift Ship MV "Fairlift" at Newport Docks on 5 February 1999.
According to Realtime Trains the route and timings for 6B20 were;
Dollands Moor Sidings .........0707.........0727..........20L
Ashford International UML...0723.........0746 3/4..23L
Maidstone East [MDE] 1.........0750 1/2..0814 1/4....23L
Otford Junction[XOT]............0817 1/2....0839 1/2...22L
Swanley [SAY] 1.......................0829 1/2..0851...........21L
St Mary Cray Junction...........0835.........0856 1/4....21L
Bickley Junction[XLY]............0836 1/2..0859 1/4...22L
Bromley South [BMS].............0840.........0904 1/2...24L
Shortlands [SRT].....................0842.........0907.........24L
Shortlands Junction...............0843.........0909 1/2...26L
Voltaire Road Junction.........0906 1/2..0922..........15L
Latchmere Junction...............0911 1/2....0931 1/2....20L
Imperial Wharf [IMW] 2..........0915 1/2...0934 1/4....18L
West Brompton [WBP] 4.......0918..........0936 1/4....18L
Kensington Olympia .............0922........0938 3/4...16L
Shepherds Bush [SPB] 2.......0923.........0942..........19L
North Pole Signal Vc813.......0924 1/2..0944..........19L
North Pole Junction...............0925........0943 1/2....18L
Mitre Bridge Junction............0926 1/2..0946..........19L
Willesden West Londn Jn.....0928.........0947 1/2....19L
Wembley Eur Frt Ops Ctr.....0939.........0952..........13L
At Wembley 66067 was replaced by two class 90s numbers 037 and 021 the wagons continuing on to Daventry under headcode 6B41.
Wembley Eur Frt Ops Ctr................1143..........1308...........85L
Wembley Central [WMB] 5..............1148 1/2...1312 1/2......84L
Harrow & Wealdstone 5..................1154 1/2...1317 1/2......83L
Watford Junction [WFJ] 8................1202........1323 1/2......81L
Apsley [APS] 3....................................1209 1/2..1329 1/2.....79L
Hemel Hempstead [HML] 3............1211 1/2....1331.............79L
Bourne End Junction(Herts) ...........1213..........1332............79L
Berkhamsted [BKM] 3.......................1216 1/2...1335............78L
Tring [TRI] 3.........................................1222........1340 1/4.....78L
Ledburn Junction[XOD]...................1228.........1347............79L
Leighton Buzzard [LBZ] 3................1230.........1351 3/4......81L
Bletchley [BLY] 3...............................1237.........1400...........83L
Denbigh Hall South Junction.........1238 1/2..1401 1/4......82L
Denbigh Hall North Junction..........1240.........1402 1/4.....82L
Milton Keynes Central 3..................1242.........1403 3/4.....81L
Hanslope Junction[XHN].................1248.........1410 1/4......82L
Northampton [NMP] 1.......................1259........1428 1/2.....89L
Northampton Mill Lane Junction...1300 1/2..1501 1/4....120L
Long Buckby [LBK]............................1311...........1511 3/4....120L
Daventry South Junction.................1318..........1520 3/4..122L
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (griffin) is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. In 1979, the Swedish government began development studies for an aircraft capable of fighter, attack and reconnaissance missions to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen. The preferred aircraft was a single-engine, lightweight single-seater, embracing fly-by-wire technology, canards, and an aerodynamically unstable design. The powerplant selected was the Volvo-Flygmotor RM12, a license-built derivative of the General Electric F404−400; engine development priorities were weight reduction and lowering component count. A new design from Saab was selected and developed as the JAS 39, first flying in 1988.
The Gripen is a multirole fighter aircraft, intended as a lightweight and agile aerial platform with advanced, highly adaptable avionics. It has canard control surfaces that contribute a positive lift force at all speeds, while the generous lift from the delta wing compensates for the rear stabilizer producing negative lift at high speeds, increasing induced drag. It is capable of flying at a 70–80 degrees angle of attack.
Being intentionally unstable and employing digital fly-by-wire flight controls to maintain stability removes many flight restrictions, improves manoeuvrability and reduces drag. The Gripen also has good short takeoff performance, being able to maintain a high sink rate and strengthened to withstand the stresses of short landings. A pair of air brakes are located on the sides of the rear fuselage; the canards also angle downward to act as air brakes and decrease landing distance
To enable the Gripen to have a long service life, roughly 50 years, Saab designed it to have low maintenance requirements. Major systems such as the RM12 engine and PS-05/A radar are modular to reduce operating cost and increase reliability. The Gripen’s systems were designed to be flexible, so that newly developed sensors, computers and armaments could be easily integrated as technology advances. The aircraft was estimated to be roughly 67% sourced from Swedish or European suppliers and 33% from the US.
To market the aircraft internationally, Saab formed partnerships and collaborative efforts with overseas aerospace companies. One example of such efforts was Gripen International, a joint partnership between Saab and BAE Systems formed in 2001. Gripen International was responsible for marketing the aircraft, and was heavily involved in the successful export of the type to South Africa; the organisation was later dissolved amidst allegations of bribery being employed to secure foreign interest and sales. On the export market, the Gripen has achieved moderate success in sales to nations in Central Europe, South Africa and Southeast Asia.
The Swedish Air Force placed a total order for 204 Gripens in three batches. The first delivery of the JAS 39A/B (single seat and two seat variants) occurred on 8 June 1993, when aircraft “39102” was handed over to the Flygvapnet during a ceremony at Linköping. The final Batch three 1st generation aircraft was delivered to FMV on 26 November 2008, but in the meantime an upgraded Gripen variant, the JAS 39C/D already rolled off of the production lines and made the initial versions obsolete. The JAS C/D gradually replaced the A/B versions in the frontline units until 2012, which were then offered for export, mothballed or used for spares for the updated Swedish Gripen fleet.
A late European export customer became the nascent Republic of Scotland. According to a White Paper published by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2013, an independent Scotland would have an air force equipped with up to 16 air defense aircraft, six tactical transports, utility rotorcraft and maritime patrol aircraft, and be capable of “contributing excellent conventional capabilities” to NATO. Outlining its ambition to establish an air force with an eventual 2,000 uniformed personnel and 300 reservists, the SNP stated that the organization would initially be equipped with “a minimum of 12 interceptors in the Eurofighter/Typhoon class, based at Lossiemouth, a tactical air transport squadron, including around six Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules, and a helicopter squadron for transport and SAR duties”.
According to the document, “Key elements of air forces in place at independence, equipped initially from a negotiated share of current UK assets, will secure core tasks, principally the ability to police Scotland’s airspace, within NATO.” An in-country air command and control capability would be established within five years of a decision in favor of independence, it continued, with staff also to be “embedded within NATO structures”.
This plan was immediately set into action with the foundation of the Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm (Republic of Scotland Air Corps/RoScAC) after the country's independence from Great Britain in late 2017. For the fighter role, Scotland was offered refurbished F-16C and Ds from the USA, but this was declined, as the type was considered too costly and complex. An offer from Austria to buy the country’s small Eurofighter fleet (even at a symbolic price) was rejected for the same reason.
Eventually, and in order to build a certain aura of neutrality, Scotland’s young and small air arm initially received twelve refurbished, NATO-compatible Saab JAS 39 Gripen (ten single-seater and two two-seaters) as well as Sk 90 trainers from Swedish overstock. These second hand machines were just the initial step in the mid-term procurement plan, though.
Even though all Scottish Gripens (locally called “Grìbhean”, designated F.1 for the JAS 39A single seaters and F.2 for the fully combat-capable JAS 39B two-seaters, respectively) were multi-role aircraft and capable of strike missions, its primary roles were interception/air defense and, to a lesser degree, reconnaissance. Due to severe budget restrictions and time pressure, these aircraft were almost identical to the Flygvapnet’s JAS 39A/B aircraft. They used the PS-05/A pulse-Doppler X band multi-mode radar, developed by Ericsson and GEC-Marconi, which was based on the latter's advanced Blue Vixen radar for the Sea Harrier that also served as the basis for the Eurofighter's CAPTOR radar. This all-weather radar is capable of locating and identifying targets 120 km (74 mi) away and automatically tracking multiple targets in the upper and lower spheres, on the ground and sea or in the air. It can guide several beyond visual range air-to-air missiles to multiple targets simultaneously. Therefore, RoScAC also procured AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM as primary armament for its Grìbhean fleet, plus AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles.
The twelve Grìbhean F.1 and F.2s formed the RoScAC’s 1st fighter (Sabaid) squadron, based at former RAF base Lossiemouth. Upon delivery and during their first months of service, the machines retained the former Swedish grey paint scheme, just with new tactical markings. In 2018, the RoScAC fighter fleet was supplemented with brand new KAI/Lockheed Martin TA-50 ‘Golden Eagle’ armed trainers from South Korea, which could also take over interceptor and air patrol duties. This expansion of resources allowed the RoScAC to initiate an update program for the JAS 39 fleet. It started in 2019 and included in-flight refueling through a fixed but detachable probe, a EuroFIRST PIRATE IRST, enhanced avionics with elements from the Swedish JAS 39C/D, and a tactical datalink.
With these updates, the machines could now also be externally fitted with Rafael's Sky Shield or LIG Nex1's ALQ-200K ECM pods, Sniper or LITENING targeting pods, and Condor 2 reconnaissance pods to further improve the machine’s electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities.
The aircraft’s designations did not change, though, the only visible external change were the additional IRST fairing under the nose, and the machines received a new tactical camouflage with dark green and dark grey upper surfaces, originally introduced with the RoScAC’s TA-50s. However, all Grìbhean F.1 single seaters received individual fin designs instead of the grey camouflage, comprising simple red and yellow fins, the Scottish flag (instead of the standard fin flash) and even a large pink thistle on a white background and a white unicorn on a black background.
Despite being 2nd hand aircraft, the Scottish JAS 39A and Bs are expected to remain in service until at least 2035.
General characteristics:
Crew: one
Length: 14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 30 m2 (320 sq ft)
Empty weight: 6,800 kg (14,991 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 14,000 kg (30,865 lb)
Powerplant:
1× Volvo RM12 afterburning turbofan engine,
54 kN (12,000 lbf) dry thrust, 80.5 kN (18,100 lbf) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 2,460 km/h (1,530 mph, 1,330 kn)/Mach 2
Combat range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
Ferry range: 3,200 km (2,000 mi, 1,700 nmi)
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
g limits: +9/-3
Wing loading: 283 kg/m2 (58 lb/sq ft)
Thrust/weight: 0.97
Takeoff distance: 500 m (1,640 ft)
Landing distance: 600 m (1,969 ft)
Armament:
1× 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 120 rounds
8 hardpoints (Two under the fuselage, one of them dedicated to FLIR / ECM / LD / Recon pods plus
two under and one on the tip of each wing) with a capacity of 5 300 kg (11 700 lb)
The kit and its assembly:
Nothing spectacular – actually, this build is almost OOB and rather a livery what-if model. However, I had the plan to build a (fictional) Scottish Gripen on my agenda for some years now, since I started to build RoScAC models, and the “Back into service” group build at whatifmodlers.com in late 2019 was a good motivation to tackle this project.
The starting point was the Italeri JAS 39A kit, a rather simple affair that goes together well but needs some PSR on almost every seam. Not much was changed, since the model would depict a slightly updated Gripen A – the only changes I made were the additional IRST fairing under the nose, the ejection handle on the seat and a modified ordnance which consists of a pair of AIM-9L and AIM-120 (the latter including appropriate launch rails) from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set. The ventral drop tank is OOB.
Painting and markings:
The motivation a behind was actually the desire to build a Gripen in a different livery than the usual and rather dull grey-in-grey scheme. Therefore I invented a tactical paint scheme for “my” RoScAC, which is a modified RAF scheme from the Seventies with uppers surfaces in Dark Green (Humbrol 163) and Dark Sea Grey (164), medium grey flanks, pylons, drop tank and a (theoretically) grey fin (167 Barley Grey, today better known as Camouflage Grey) plus undersides in Light Aircraft Grey (166), with a relatively high and wavy waterline, so that a side or lower view would rather blend with the sky than the ground below. The scheme was designed as a compromise between air superiority and landscape camouflage and somewhat inspired by the many experimental schemes tested by the German Luftwaffe in the early Eighties. The Scottish TA-50 I built some years ago was the overall benchmark, but due to the Gripen’s highly blended fuselage/wing intersections, I just painted the flanks under the cockpit and the air intakes as well as a short portion of the tail section in Barley Grey. That’s overall darker than intended (esp. in combination with the fin decoration, see below), but anything grey above the wings would have looked awkward.
As a reminiscence of the late British F-4 Phantoms, which carried a grey low-viz scheme with bright fins as quick ID markings, I added such a detail to the Gripen, too – in this case in the form of a stylized Scottish flag on the fin, with some mild 3D effect. The shadow and light effects were created through wet-in-wet painting of lighter and darker shades into the basic blue (using Humbrol 25, 104 and ModelMaster French Blue). Later, the white cross was added with simple decal stripes, onto which similar light effects were added with white and light grey, too.
Even though this one looks similar to my Scottish TA-50, which was the first model to carry this paint scheme, I like the very different look of this Gripen through its non-all-grey paint scheme. It’s also my final build of my initial RoScAC ideas, even though I am now considering a helicopter model (an SAR SA 365 Dauphin, maybe?) in fictional Scottish markings, too.
Southbound I-5 between the Convention Center and I-90 was reduced to one lane over President’s Day weekend to replace several aging expansion joints. Replacing the old joints helps prevent emergency repairs in the future, which are costly and can cause unplanned backups during rush hour.
The An-14 was designed to replace the An-2, but that was an unrealistic intention!
It's NATO code name was 'Clod'.
It was a very stable aeroplane with STOL capabilities and was a very good trainer.
It was further developed into the An-28 which is now built in Poland as the M-28 Bryza.
c/n 500303.
On display outside at the Russian Air Force Museum.
Monino, Russia.
13-8-201
Nazi, Neo-Pagan 'Christmas', Picture reproduced in: 'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' published in 1940 by Burns Oates
The Swastika replaces the star on top of the Christmas tree.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_persecution_of_the_Catholic_Ch...
Lying, atheist propaganda about Christians being in league with the Nazis - and that the Pope and Catholic Church were complicit in the persecution and of Jews has been propagated and spread by militant, atheist fanatics and other anti-Christian bigots since the end of the 2nd world war.
The truth ...
Hitler and the Nazis were pagan, naturalist, occultists with racial superiority and eugenics policies based on the writings of the German Darwinist, Ernst Haeckel.
They were haters of Christianity and, just like the atheists in all the brutal, communist regimes, their ultimate aim was to eliminate Christianity.
"We live in an era of the ultimate conflict with Christianity. It is part of the mission of the SS to give the German people in the next half century the non-Christian ideological foundations on which to lead and shape their lives. This task does not consist solely in overcoming an ideological opponent but must be accompanied at every step by a positive impetus: in this case that means the reconstruction of the German heritage in the widest and most comprehensive sense."
— Heinrich Himmler, 1937
Here is the real history in "Facts and Documents Translated from the German" and published at the time.
Frontispiece from 'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' published in 1940 by Burns Oates
www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/14425597587
"The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich" Published in 1940 is full (565 pages) of translated copies of original Nazi documents and cartoons lambasting the Church from the 1930's - 1940.
What about quotes from Hitler's writing and speeches, frequently presented by atheists, which allegedly show that Hitler supported Christianity?
It is well known that what Hitler said and what Hitler actually did were two entirely different things. Hitler didn't want to risk antagonising Christians in Germany. So he attempted to give the impression that he was on their side, however, the actions of the Hitler's National Socialist Party proved the exact opposite, as shown in this book.
And - even if Hitler claimed to be Christian, he couldn't have been, because he directly opposed the teaching of Jesus and the Church. This means he was an heretic and therefore would be automatically excommunicated.
Anyone who knows anything about Christianity knows that simply calling oneself Christian doesn't make one Christian. An heretic cannot be a Christian.
So Hitler and the Nazis were not Christian, they totally disregarded Christian, moral teaching and the Ten Commandments.
They believed in situational ethics and moral relativism (which is the essence of the atheist, Humanist Manifesto) just as Stalin, Mao and all the atheist tyrants of the 20th century did.
So Hitler's moral and ethical values were akin to atheist morals and ethics, inasmuch as they had no definitive yardstick. The Nazis abandoned the moral and ethical values of Christianity and were left with ephemeral ethics - which are reliant only on the situation, opinion or fashion. Just like the Humanist Manifesto, with no definitive, moral yardstick or inalienable, God-given rights, there can be no moral or ethical absolutes - right can be deemed to be wrong, and wrong can be deemed to be right. It varies according to the situation or what is judged to be 'necessary'. it is a recipe for tyranny.
Hitler was not strictly an atheist in belief, but he was similar in his ethical and moral relativism.
His ideology is best described as Darwinian inspired paganism. There are documents in this book which prove the Nazis were pagans, not Christians.
There are also documents reproduced in the book which prove that the Church hierarchy did not support the Nazis, that is why so many priests etc. were arrested, imprisoned and tortured on trumped-up charges.
So we know that, as Hitler rejected the teaching of Jesus on morals, he could not possibly be a Christian, regardless of what anyone claims.
The moral values of Christianity are the Ten Commandments and the values espoused in the teaching of Jesus and His Apostles.
Anyone who rejects those values, cannot claim to either be a Christian or to be acting as a Christian. They are based on two principles of loving God and loving one's neighbour (and even enemies) as oneself.
Every Christian has to aspire to those principles. If they fail through weakness they are guilty of sin, for which they can be forgiven with sincere repentance. If they deliberately reject those moral principles they forfeit the right to call themselves Christian. So, it is not possible for a true Christian to knowingly support a tyrannical regime such as the Nazis or the Communists, which murders, tortures or persecutes innocent people. If they do, they cease to be Christians, no matter what they may claim to the contrary.
www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/14425393220
It is obvious from the Nazi cartoon in the image above that the Nazis themselves certainly didn't think the Church or Pope were complicit in supporting Nazism. On the contrary, they obviously thought the Church was complicit in supporting the Jews. Which was in fact, the real truth as presented in the book below - written by a Jewish Rabbi.
'The Myth of Hitler's Pope' - How Pope Pius XII rescued Jews from the Nazis. by Jewish Rabbi David G Dalin.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895260344/ref=cm_cr_dpvoterdr?...
What about books, such as; 'Hitler's Pope' by the journalist John Cornwell, which claim that Pope Pius XII was complicit in the persecution and murder of Jews by keeping quiet about the crimes of the Nazis?
Cornwell's book has been completely discredited.
Catholics who attended church in Nazi Germany were left in no doubt that the Church opposed the Nazi regime well before 1940.
'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' 1940 - has page after page of contemporary source material, such as translated copies of Pastoral letters, Encyclicals and Sermons issued by Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals read in German churches at the time, including one from a combined Pastoral of Bishops, which criticise the National Socialists and point out the Nazis opposition to Catholicism and Christian civilisation.
Furthermore, Cardinal Pacelli, who became Pius XII, was one of them. And he was singled out for vilification by the Nazis in the Nazi publications of the Schwarze Corps.
So the idea that Catholics didn't know that the Church opposed Hitler and the Nazis is complete balderdash.
Catholic newspapers and publications were systematically banned or censored at the time. So Encyclicals and sermons were the only voice the Church had within Germany.
All German radio and newspapers were controlled by the Nazis. They wouldn't have publicised any public pronouncement by the Pope or any other opposition from the Catholic Church.
So the Church certainly wasn't silent - or complicit with the Nazis. And thousands of Catholics and priests were imprisoned, tortured and executed for being in league with Jews and also falsely accused of being in league with Freemasons and Communists.
The Nazis considered the Catholic Church (and other Christians) an enemy within.
And overwhelming evidence shows that the Pope was actively organising the escape of thousands of Jews from the Nazis. Vatican Radio had to keep the Pope's involvement out of the news in order not to undermine or damage the rescue effort.
The Pope was well aware that antagonising the Nazis with worldwide, public pronouncements from Vatican Radio would lead to an increased crackdown on priests and other Catholics who were working undercover to help Jews escape. It would have been completely counterproductive.
It is very significant that the Jewish Historian, Martin Gilbert, the biographer of Winston Churchill, who knew much more than Cornwell, or any other historical 'revisionists' wanted Pope Pius to be given the title Righteous among Nations.
“As one of the world’s leading experts on the Holocaust and WWII, Sir Martin was well aware of the lifesaving efforts of Pope Pius XII, most especially to save the Jews from the barbarism of the Nazi regime,” Krupp told the Register. “It was Sir Martin who encouraged me to nominate Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) to Yad Vashem to be named ‘Righteous Among Nations.’”
"In an interview in 2007, Gilbert explained how the wartime pope’s interventions and protestations directly helped to save 4,700 Jewish lives in Rome and that 477 Jews were given refuge in the Vatican. He also documented other ways in which Pius XII rescued Jews persecuted by the Nazis."
"In an earlier interview in 2003, he hoped his research would “restore, in a way, on the foundation of historical fact, the true and wonderful achievements of Catholics in helping Jews during the war.
Pave the Way Foundation also filmed an interview with Gilbert, during which he discussed his personal research on the actions of Pope Pius XII during World War II.
He was eager to see the Holocaust museum Yad Vashem open a file on Pius to study his worthiness to be included in the institution’s “Department of the Righteous.” He also wanted to see the wartime archives opened to the public so that historians could better understand Pius’ role."
Sir Martin Gilbert estimates the Catholic Church saved up to half a million Jewish lives.
books.google.co.uk/books?id=KQvGxx1qG90C&pg=PA191&...
Of course, this is all available in the public domain, but still atheists and other anti-Christian bigots persist in ignoring the truth and continue to propagate distortions and lies. Their motivation is not historical accuracy, but militant, ideological fanaticism.
www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/21486403228
Built in 1913, replacing an earlier wooden pole light dating from 1887, when the station was established. The octagonal brick tower is 37 feet tall and attached to a one story fog signal building. The original 4th order Fresnel lens has been replaced with a VRB 25 aero beacon, which provides a white flash every 5 seconds.The original one and one half story wooden keeper's house is now the residence for the 13th District Coast Guard commander.
Located on an active Coast Guard base in the southwest part of Seattle.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
In July 1967, the first Swedish Air Force student pilots started training on the Saab 105, a Swedish high-wing, twin-engine trainer aircraft developed in the early sixties as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force procured the type for various roles and issued the aircraft with the designation Sk 60.
The Sk 60 entered service in 1967, replacing the aging De Havilland Vampire fleet, and had a long-lasting career. But in the late Eighties, by which point the existing engines of the Swedish Air Force's Sk 60 fleet were considered to be towards the end of their technical and economic lifespan and the airframes started to show their age and wear of constant use, the Swedish Air Force started to think about a successor and/or a modernization program.
Saab suggested to replace the Saab 105’s Turbomeca Aubisque engines with newly-built Williams International FJ44 engines, which were lighter and less costly to operate, but this was only regarded as a stop-gap solution. In parallel, Saab also started work for a dedicated new jet trainer that would prepare pilots for the Saab 39 Gripen – also on the drawing boards at the time – and as a less sophisticated alternative to the promising but stillborn Saab 38.
The Saab 38 (also known as B3LA or A 38/Sk 38) was a single-engine jet trainer and attack aircraft planned by Saab during the 1970s and actually a collaboration between Saab and the Italian aircraft manufacturer Aermacchi (the aircraft resembled the AMX a lot). It was to replace the older Saab 105 jet trainer in the Swedish Air Force, too, but the aircraft never got past the drawing board and was canceled in 1979 in favor of the more advanced Saab JAS 39 Gripen multi-role fighter.
Anyway, this decision left Sweden without a replacement for the Sk 60 as transitional trainer and as a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft.
In 1991, Saab presented its new trainer design, internally called "FSK900", to the Swedish Air Force. The aircraft was a conservative design, with such a configurational resemblance to the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet that it is hard to believe Saab engineers didn't see the Alpha Jet as a model for what they wanted to do. However, even if that was the case, the FSK900 was by no means a copy of the Alpha Jet, and the two machines can be told apart at a glance. FSK900 had a muscular, rather massive appearance, while the Alpha Jet was more wasp-like and very sleek. The FSK900 was also bigger in length and span and had an empty weight about 10% greater.
The FSK900 was mostly made of aircraft aluminum alloys, with some control surfaces made of carbon-fiber / epoxy composite, plus very selective use of titanium. It had high-mounted swept wings, with a supercritical airfoil section and a leading-edge dogtooth; a conventional swept tail assembly; tricycle landing gear; twin engines, one mounted in a pod along each side of the fuselage; and a tandem-seat cockpit with dual controls.
The wings had a sweep of 27.5°, an anhedral droop of 7°, and featured ailerons for roll control as well as double slotted flaps. The tailplanes were all-moving, and also featured an anhedral of 7°. An airbrake was mounted on each side of the rear fuselage. Flight controls were hydraulic, and hydraulic systems were dual redundant.
The instructor and cadet sat in tandem, both on zero-zero ejection seats, with the instructor's seat in the rear raised 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) to give a good forward view. The cockpit was pressurized and featured a one-piece canopy, hinged open to the right, that provided excellent visibility.
The landing gear assemblies all featured single wheels, with the nose gear retracting forward and the main gear retracting forward and into the fuselage, featuring an antiskid braking system. The twin engines were two Williams International FJ44-4M turbofans without reheat, each rated at 16.89 kN (3,790 lbst). These were the same engines, that Saab had also proposed for Saab’s Sk 60 modernization program, even though a less powerful variant for the lighter aircraft.
The FSK900 could be fitted with two pylons under each wing and under the fuselage centerline, for a total of five hardpoint. The inner wing pylons were wet and could be used to carry 450 liter (119 US gallon) external tanks, a total external payload of 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) could be carried.
External stores included a centerline target winch for the target tug role, an air-sampling pod for detection of fallout or other atmospheric pollutants, jammer or chaff pods for electronic warfare training, a camera/sensor pod and a baggage pod for use in the liaison role. The aircraft also featured a baggage compartment in the center fuselage, which also offered space for other special equipment or future updates.
Potential armament comprised a conformal underfuselage pod with a single 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 120 rounds (the same weapon that eventually went into the Saab Gripen).
Other weapons included various iron and cluster bombs of up to 454 kg (1.000 lb) caliber, unguided missiles of various calibers and the Rb.74 (AIM-9L Sidewinder) AAM. A radar was not mounted, but the FSK900’s nose section offered enough space for a radome.
The Swedish Air Force accepted the Saab design, leading to a contract for two nonflying static-test airframes and four flying prototypes. Detail design was complete by the end of 1993 and prototype construction began in the spring of 1994, leading to first flight of the initial prototype on 29 July 1994. The first production "Sk 90 A", how the basic trainer type was officially dubbed, was delivered to the Swedish Air Force in 1996.
In parallel, a contract was signed for the re-engining of 115 Saab Sk 60 aircraft in 1993; the number of aircraft to be upgraded was subsequently reduced as a result of cuts to the defense budget and the advent of the FSK900, of which 60 were ordered initially.
The Sk 90 was regarded as strong, agile, and pleasant to fly, while being cheap to operate. Sk 90 As flying in the training role typically painted in the unique “Fields & Meadows” splinter camouflage, although decorative paint jobs showed up on occasion and many aircraft received additional dayglow markings.
Some of the few aircraft given to operational squadrons, which used them for keeping up flight hours and as hacks, had apparently been painted in all-grey camouflage to match the combat aircraft they shared the flight line with.
With the Sk 90 S a new variant was soon introduced, replacing the Sk 60 C, two-seat ground attack/reconnaissance version for the Swedish Air Force with an extended camera nose. It featured a similar camera arrangement to the Sk 60 C with a panoramic camera, plus an avionics palet in the baggage compartment for a modular DICAST (Digital Camera And Sensor Tray) pod under the fuselage. Unlike the Sk 60 C, which was converted from existing Sk 60 A trainers, the Sk 90 S was an original design. 20 were delivered until 1997, together with the standard trainers, which were kept on the production lines at slow pace until 1999.
A total of 108 production Sk 90s were built, and the Swedish Air Force has no further requirement for new Sk 90s at present. Upgrades are in planning, including fit of at least some Sk 90s with a modern "glass cockpit" to provide advanced training for the Saab Gripen (which had entered service in June 1992), and a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) for the FJ44-4M turbofans. Integration of the Rb.75 (the AGM-65A/B Maverick in Swedish service) together with a pod-mounted FLIR camera system was also suggested, improving the Sk 90’s attack capability dramatically. These updates were started in 2000. The modified aircraft received the designation Sk 90 B and Sk 90 SB, respectively, and until 2006 the whole fleet was updated.
Tests were also made with reinforced underwing pylons that would allow the carriage of the RBS-15 anti-ship missile. Even though the Sk 90 did not carry a radar, the missile-armed trainers were considered as a linked multiplicators for Saab 39s with the appropriate avionics, so that salvoes of multiple missiles could be launched in order to overload ship defences and improve hit probability. While the latter assumption was proved as correct during field trials with two modified Sk 90s, the missiles’ extra drag and the consequent loss in agility, speed and range made the concept unpractical, since the armed Sk 90 could not keep up with the Saab 39, limit reaction time and would offer an easy target.
Another plan was the Sk 90 C, a two-seater with enhanced attack capabilities. Its most distict feature was a simplified PS-05/A pulse-Doppler X band multi-mode radar, developed by Ericsson and GEC-Marconi for the JAS 39 Gripen.
The system was based on the Blue Vixen radar for the Sea Harrier that also served as the basis for the Eurofighter's CAPTOR radar, and it would allow a highly improved air-to-air and air-to-ground capability, also in better concunction with the Saab Gripen as lead aircraft. Two technology demonstrators were converted from Sk 90 A trainers, but the project was shelved - due to budget restrictions and simply through the fact that the JAS 39 Gripen offered anything the Swedish Air Force had called for in just one, single weapon system, so that the Sk 90 remained in its advanced trainer and tactical recce role. The technology package was offered to foreign customers, though.
Despite its qualities and development potential, the Sk 90 did not attain much foreign interest. It suffered from bad timing and from the focus on domestic demands. It came effectively 10 years too late to be serious export success, and the Sk 90 was very similar to the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet (even though it was cheaper to operate) - at a time when the German Luftwaffe started to prematurely phaze out its attack variant and flooded the market with cheap second hand aircraft in excellent condition. Besides, the Saab Sk 90 had, with the BAe Hawk, another proven competitor with a long operational track record all over the world.
Modest foreign sales could be secured, though: Austria procured 36 Sk 90 Ö in 2002 (basically comparable with the updated Sk 90 B), replacing its Saab 105 fleet and keeping up its close connection with Saab since the Seventies. Malaysia showed interest, too, as well as Singapore, Myanmar, Finland, Poland and Hungary.
The latest interest came from the Republic of Scotland in late 2017 – after the country’s separation from the United Kingdom and building an independent air force with a supplier from a neutral country.
The Republic of Scotland’s Air Corps (RoScAC) started negotiations with Saab and the Swedish government over either eight newly built or refurbished, older Sk 90 As that were updated to C standard with the PS-05/A radar.
Scotland additionally showed interest in a small fleet of 1st generation Saab 39 interceptors that would replace the RAF fighters based on Scottish ground.
General characteristics:
Crew: two pilots in tandem
Length incl. pitot: 13.0 m (42 ft 8 in) for the A trainer, 13.68 m (44 ft 10 in) for the S variant
Wingspan: 9.94 m (32 ft 7 in)
Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Empty weight: 3,790 kg (8,360 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 7,500 kg (16,530 lb)
Powerplant:
2× Williams International FJ44-4M turbofans without reheat, rated at 16.89 kN (3,790 lbst) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 1,038 km/h (645 mph)
Range: 1,670 km (900 nm)
Armament:
No internal gun; five hardpoints for 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of payload and a variety of ordnance
The kit and its assembly:
A simple kit travesty! This is basically the 1:72 Kawasaki T-4 from Hasegawa, with little modifications.
Originally, I wondered what an overdue Saab 105 replacement could or would look like? The interesting Saab 38 never saw the light, as mentioned above, there was also an A-10-style light attack aircraft (maybe to be built as a kitbashing some day...) and I assume that neutral Sweden would rather develop its own aircraft than procure a foreign product.
Consideration of the BAe Hawk, Alpha Jet and the L-39 Albatros as inspirations for this project, I eventually came across the modern but rather overlooked Japanese Kawasaki T-4 trainer – and found that it had a certain Swedish look about it? Hmm... And coupled with a very characteristic paint scheme, like “Fields & Meadows”, maybe…?
I wanted to keep things simple, though, so the T-4 was mostly built OOB. A pleasant experience. The kit is relatively simple and fit is very good, with only minimal PSR necessary.
The only changes are the underwings hardpoints, which come from a Heller SEPECAT Jaguar, the pair of drop tanks (from an Academy F-5E, IIRC), a scratched recce pod for the ventral hardpoint and a modified bow section. This camera nose is a transplant from a Marivox Saab 105, assuming that the new trainer would be employed in similar roles as the Sk 60. The respective Swedish kit comes with a lot of optional parts, including the extended Sk 60 C’s camera nose - and it fits very well onto the T-4's rounded nose.
Painting and markings:
Well, when building a kit is not a true challenge, maybe the paint job is? The T-4 in a "Fields & Meadows" livery was the initial inspiration for this build, so I tried to stick with the concept as far as possible, even though I'd assume that Swedish aircraft in the kit's time frame would rather be grey with subdued markings. But there's hardly anything as Swedish and spectacular as "Fields & Meadows", and this scheme would also be perfect for the tactical recce role of this build.
The pattern was loosely inspired by the Saab Viggens’ scheme (I found pictures of Sk 60 in Fields & Meadows, but could not puzzle together a complete view) as benchmark.
Painting was done with a fine brush (size 2), free-handedly. Even the waterline was created without masking tape - a clean, bigger brush (size 6) was enough to create the sharp edge. This sounds bizarre and maybe suggest a masochistic touch, but it actually worked better than expected - and I was in the lucky situation that I did not have to slavishly copy and recreate the splinter pattern on a real-world model. ;-)
Finding proper tones for the famous and very characteristic Swedish paint scheme was not easy, though. Pictures of real aircraft vary largely, light conditions and weathering make a proper identification difficult, to say the least. Since I wanted a simple solution (a lot of corrections during the painting process was expected), I settled upon the following enamel tones:
• Modelmaster 2060, RAF Dark Green
• Humbrol 150, Forest Green FS 34127
• Humbrol 72, Khaki Drill, for the earth tone
• A 1:1 mix of Humbrol 33 (Flat Black) + Modelmaster 2094 (RAL 7021) for a very dark grey
• Humbrol 247 (RLM 76) for the undersides
Painting was done from black (starting here because it was the only mixed tone), then the earth tone, light green and finally the dark green - a slow (2 full days) but rather uncomplicated process. But I think that the effort paid out, and helps selling the fictional Sk 90 idea.
The cockpit was painted in neutral grey, while the landing gear and the air intakes became white. A very Swedish touch are the bright green headrests - seen on Saab 37.
The markings were kept simple, puzzled together from various sources. Tactical codes come from a Heller Saab 37 Viggen sheet, while the roundels come from an RBD Models sheet (great stuff!) from Sweden - they actually belong to a Saab 32, but since the roundel sizes are normed the transplant onto the smaller aircraft here was easy and even plausible.
Some stencils were taken from the T-4 OOB sheet or gathered together from the scrap box, e .g. the "FARA" warnings.
The silver trim at the flaps and the fin rudder were made with generic 0.5mm decal stripes in silver. Similar strips in black were used to create the de-icers on the wings' leading edges.
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
Not tough to build, but still a challenge to paint. But the result is spectacular, and the T-4 under foreign flag looks disturbingly plausible. How could Sweden hide this aircraft from the public for so long...?
And it's certainly not the last T-4 I will build. A Scottish aircraft, as mentioned in the background, is a hot candidate - but the aircraft has a lot of OOB whiffing potential...
We had a weekend in Borrowdale recently, a Christmas present that we tagged a day on to. After calling at work on Saturday morning to open for business we headed up the motorway to Penrith. The road through the central lakes was washed away in the recent floods and it is going to be a long job replacing it. This made the diverted journey around 145 miles but we had a good run up there. We wanted to get walking ASAP so we pulled in at Threlkeld with a view to heading up Clough Head, and subject to conditions, head over the Dodds and back by the Old Coach Road. We had left appalling weather at home, wind, rain, fog and sleet on the tops. Thankfully it was better further north. There was laying snow on the summits, it was fairly calm low down and some summits were cloud free.
We left the car at 11.10 in our winter gear, straight up through the quarries and the steep scree slope (another Red Screes), by now we were into the snow line. The cloud was down, the wind gale force and the summit frozen hard – a different world up here. South next to Calfhow Pike, the wind made it difficult to talk and it was around -4 so the there was a fair wind-chill factor. It was tough going to our next top – Great Dodd, part of the Helvellyn massif – It was to icy to walk in places which meant deviating from the path, and losing our bearings, visibility was around ten yards with spindrift creating a whiteout at times. We battled on to the top and found the summit cairn. Great Dodd isn’t the easiest top to find your way off in low visibility, we would have gone further but in these conditions it was pointless so we retraced our steps to Calfhow and clear conditions. From here we followed Mosedale beck to Mariel Bridge, which is on the Old Coach Road, this gave us a circular route back to our start. The Old Coach Road has been wrecked by the floods and the 4x4 off roaders are making it a lot worse. 9.25 miles in 3 ¼ hours and we were in Brysons Tearooms in Keswick for Coffee and cake by 3.45pm. We carried on to Borrowdale and checked in at our hotel, not a bad day really.
After a poor night in a poor bed we were breakfasted and out for 8.30. We drove the few miles up to Seatoller and we were kitted up and away at 9.10. A bitterly cold and icy morning, there was some sun but not as much as promised. We could see the summit of Great End covered in cloud, we were heading up there on to the Sca Fell massif. We followed the valley to the east of Seathwaite Fell, a new path for us. Once in the snow the going was very icy with the path ice covered in places. The snow was dry and powdery and in places it had blown over the underlying ice. At this point I might add, we do own crampons. After a winter of splashing around soaked we didn’t expect to need them and they were at home – very clever! This was our first real winters day this winter, other than an hour on Sca Fell Pike on Christmas Day, we haven’t seen winter conditions this winter. By the time we got to Esk Hause it was difficult to stay upright and on our way to Great End we had to pick our way very carefully around the worst of the ice. The spindrift made it difficult to see the ground at times, spinning around our feet in a mist. Once on the summit the cloud was thick and the wind speed high. We had been here fairly recently so I knew the layout of the summit and we had little difficulty finding the summit cairn. We were cursing our lack of crampons and the cloud. Instead of heading into the cloud along the Sca Fell Pike path we decided to get under the cloud, back to Esk Hause and head over Allen Crags and Glaramara. At this point we both took some heavy falls, as did others up there, a lot turned around and headed back down, it was deadly. The cloud had thickened, there wasn’t a ray of sun to soften things. Our chosen route was one of the hardest afternoons we had ever had. Everywhere was frozen solid, we had to kick toe or heel holes to move on slopes that we wouldn’t have broken stride on normally. Minor rock scrambles down steep crags had become life threatening in places and we proceeded with extreme care. The knees were creaking on the long descent to Seathwaite. 10.3 miles in six hours, almost half the speed of yesterday. We made it Keswick for afternoon tea – and bought some Micro Spikes for unfinished business to deal with tomorrow. A beautiful day was forecast so fingers crossed we headed back for a soak in the tub.
Day three, a gorgeous icy, sunny winters day. Things looked promising. We left along yesterday’s route at the same start time – with walking poles and Micro Spikes! At the top of the valley we met a guy who had set off before us, two guys known to him were picking their way through the crags, tiny specks on the 800 foot rocky crag. Some appeared to have tried to climb the snow filled chimney that runs to the summit but we heard later that conditions weren’t suitable. Even though it was minus four the sun had softened the snow just enough to get a grip and it was easier to avoid the worst of the ice, unlike yesterday. The summit of Great End was incredible with never ending vistas. We could see a steady stream of walkers on every path by now. Word had got out that we were in for a rare treat today, plus it was school half term so a lot of people were off work. I visited every possible viewpoint as we went to the summit of Ill Crag , Broad Crag and finally Sca Fell Pike. It was 1.00 PM by now and a steady stream of elated walkers were arriving on England’s highest point. It was bitter but beautiful. We had around five miles back to the car along the Corridor Route to Styhead, Stockley Bridge and Seathwaite. Part of this route we had covered recently on Christmas Day and despite the snow and ice we powered along. We would have been back in two hours but! A mile from the car, following the manmade path down Taylorgill Force to Stockley Bridge Jayne Stumbled. It’s not often she walks in front. I normally lead and relay instructions and warnings back to her. She hit the rock path with her head and face really hard, stunned, she rolled off the path over a drop. She was vertical, resting on a rock on her knees and clinging on to the edge of the path with her fingertips. I grabbed her rucksack and held her whilst I checked her injuries. She had a bad bump on her temple, another on her forehead, split the bridge or her nose, her glasses had gone flying but would straighten. Being left handed she had stuck her left hand out and it had been bent back, it was swelling and discolouring pretty fast. When I had established that nothing was serious enough to stop her moving I got her back on to the path to see to her injuries. The pain initially made her think that she was in a worse state than ( I thought) she really was. She could move her fingers and wrist, albeit with some pain but not enough for it to be broken. The wound to the bridge of her nose although very painful wasn’t going to be a problem. The bumps on her head were turning into eggs by now. I gave her Ibuprofen and Paracetemol and she sat and composed herself for the final mile. We made it to the café in Keswick and got a slightly later afternoon break, our first of the day again. 11.3 miles today in 6 ¼ hours and fairly tough going. It was nothing more than a careless, tired perhaps, stumble on one of the horrible ( our own opinion, I might add) manmade paths made out of irregular stones which are laid at odd angles and are a nightmare to descend when wet on tired legs. A few days later and Jayne is sat on reception at the doctors looking like she’s been boxing, with a purple eye and nose, her left hand swollen and purple – otherwise she’s OK. I came down with mild food poisoning during the night and had to drive 145 miles home at 8.00 the morning after feeling extremely ill. I was due to start fasting for a Colonoscopy in three days. I ended up eating six slices of toast over a four day period – Monday evening to Thursday evening- Having had over 40 stomach endoscopies in twenty years the colonoscopy was nothing more than uncomfortable and , subject to biopsy results, everything looked OK. The trapped wind was another matter – for two days! All in all a very traumatic week. Needless to say we didn’t use the Micro Spikes.
Conrails red class marker lights are alight on the 8753 as a west bound freight waits at SEPTA's Cheltenham Station, for the SEPTA' dispatchers permission to proceed.
The factory premium sound system was buggered. My friend Will donated this old Pioneer in dash and I reworked the original faceplate to hold it.
My three-year old Regenyei Federschwert is in need of replacing the grip cord wrapping but it's good to check over the entire steel longsword trainer to check on its overall condition. Not counting the times I took breaks or used other simulators the total time used where there was impact is closer to a year and a half. That's anywhere from light contact to full force depending on what kind of exercise, drills, or sparring conditions.
It has been used mostly with Ensifers, Regenyeis, and a few Chlewbowskis. The most damage came from blunts such as Albion which have thinner edges and softer steel that knurl and create sharp edges that can produce notches. Potentially the most non-visual damage may probably be from old Angus Trim I-Beam with its shorter length and massively thicc edge.
Fortunately sparring against I-Beams is generally limited to people who have some very good control over power delivery. One-handed swords with bucklers, wooden shaft spears with rubber tips, and tires round out the remaining physical contacts.
Regenyei steel feders on average lasts two years. I've seen ones that break in about a year and others that are close to four years. Most reputable smiths will replace feders that break under a year when it's used reasonably.
Inspection
One of the insightful things pointed out by a Victorian practitioner in the club is that chips along the blade edges can over time act as points of stress such as the triangular cut outs of a potato chip bag. I use a green Scotch-Brite half-sponge to smooth these out while others use files.
The blade while clearly worn is smooth and one of the interesting things that happened to it was that I lent it to a Japanese sword practitioner early on. His tendency to parry was to use the flat of the sword instead of the edge which makes total sense for the system he was familiar with. Even now there is this interesting pattern of burning embers fanned by a breeze that slowly fades up along the lower blade flat.
The guards have a number of chips from attempts to control opposing blades that has been smoothed out. The pommel has a few dents and scratches mostly from bashing - lightly - against drill partners and opponent's faces in close distances but otherwise the peen at the bottom is still smooth. No monologues here when opponents are trying to push the blades into your face.
The grip on the other hand has dents. Our club's master at arms has experimented with 3D-printed handles and while I noted that these plastics cave in from grip strikes which is expected, the wood has that as well. It seems to be two to three times more resilient from cave-ins and there's no cracks or rot so and that's very good news.
I'm glad that I choose a cord wrapping instead of leather. Cords are easily treated and fixed using bees wax and can be done as field repairs. Eventually there was more wax than cord and the cords exploded out spectacularly during a Swordsquatch sparring session while twisting the grip into a Zwerchau. The cord on the grip needs to be entirely replaced.
General Maintenance
Always keep in mind that I'm just another random voice on the internet so while I make an effort to verify things it's best to ask those who are much more knowledgeable. It's best to considered what's said here as a starting point to ask questions rather than an infallible instructional. Anyway this is what works for me, other people will have different suggestions that will work too. I mentioned most of this previously in other places except now it's been informed by real-world use and time.
Safety - Personal Protective Equipment
During sanding I wear a 3M Ultimate FX FF-402 full-face respirator with olive-coded 3M multi gas vapor cartridges that are NIOSH P100 rated. I recommend cheaper full-face respirators if lightness and the ability to speak are not as important. This isn't a test to be used for proper equipment check but after putting on the respirator I cup the cartridge intakes with my hands and breathe in and out to check for leaks. I do this facing forward and once again looking down to see if the straps are loose.
I had conversations with a surprising number of people outside of the martial art community saying that a full face respirator is a waste of money because they know metal smiths don't use them. Fair enough they do what they want. I sometimes wear a Petzl headlamp and during cleaning see lots of Scothc-Brite strands and metal dust in the air and am used to wearing full-faced respirators. Your health is more important than convenience and that's all I have to say on that.
Wearing a full-face respirator is sweaty even when it's cold so for cleaning I put isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel and wipe down anything that came into contact with my face and fair. This includes the straps too because it's not good to have things growing while the respirator is sitting in a bag for a week or more. I have a sacrificial plastic face shield over the respirator face but unless there's paint or an accident then it probably doesn't need to be replaced for years. I still use the original removable shield.
Disposable gloves are also useful to avoid chemicals, rubbing metal particulates into eyes, or ingesting metal while eating.
Preparation and Sanding
If a file is being use make sure it's for steel and not wood and I've seen sandpaper used just fine too. Low grit number is rougher, higher grit number is smoother.
For corrosion and notches I use a green Scotch-Brite half-sponge while others use files. The 3M Scotch-Brite pads have grit ratings classified by color. Green pads are about 600 grit and the blue pad I sometimes use for light anti-corrosion work that is equivalent to a 3M white pad is a finer 1000 grit. It's important to keep in mind that unless the federschwert's purpose is to be hung on a wall or non-contact solo drills then the blade is going to get marred so I wouldn't bother with immaculate polishing with Metal Glo. This is a workhorse, each mark tells a story.
All metal surfaces are wiped down with isopropyl alcohol with a towel to remove oil before Scotch-Brite is used. It seems strange to say this but it's best not to ever get a Scotch-Brite sponge wet because they get less pliable and can crack after drying.
The feder has a blunt edge so it's fine to go back and forth over the entire blade with a Scotch-Brite linearly along the blade length. The only time I spot clean is if I know I'll be going over the entire blade anyway. I admit avoiding noticeable scuff spots is partly for aesthetic reasons although a blade that has a predictable pattern will make looking for problems so much easier.
I place the tip down on cardboard and clean the guards, pommel, and the flared schilt at the base of the blade easily this way. The blade can be cleaned like this although I find it easier to just run it horizontally like a fiddle. I occasionally let it cool down which gives me an excuse to take a break.
Red is active rust while black marks tend to be inactive. Dents and what not along the edges should be sanded smooth. A good rule of thumb is if you still don't want the blade edge or other surfaces to drag across your skin or clothing then it needs more smoothing. This applies to the guards as I and many others have had forearms shredded during grappling.
A very noticeable sign for the need for sanding the blade is during sparring or heavy contact drills that have blades sparking. While extremely cool looking those are pieces of metal burned off form impact and friction leaving a jagged edge behind.
Cleaning and Corrosion Prevention
All surfaces are then wiped with isopropyl alcohol towel to remove as much of the steel dust. Dust increases surface area, attracts more dust and moisture, and breaks the protective barrier of the thin film of oil that prevents corrosion. Usually I find that a followup with a separate oily rag will fully wipe off metal particulates.
I use food grade mineral oil that's also good for knives and wooden butcher blocks. This is absolutely not corn oil or olive oil as they will eventually go rancid. Regular mineral oil will work fine as well as gun oil. Choji sword oil as far as I can tell is basically expensive scented mineral oil.
WD-40 is primarily for water displacement so that oils intended for corrosion prevention can be used. For short durations of a few days WD-40 is better than nothing but it evaporates too quickly for long term corrosion prevention.
Once applied the oil should add a glossy effect on metal surfaces but it shouldn't be thick to reduce attracting dust. An hour or two after applying oil if there's a sweating effect on the surfaces then there's too much oil and a simple wipe should fix it.
Optionally I use a cotton swap with a little bit of oil to wipe the inside of the feder's back-folded tip, the top and bottom gaps between the blade schilt and the guard, the depressed ring at the base of the pommel, and the flattened peen.
I often wipe down the feder with oil after class. If there is skin contact such as during blade grabs then I will wipe down surfaces with isopropyl alcohol before applying oil. This is because there's a chance that salt and moisture can get trapped between the surface the fresh application of oil causing corrosion and ultimately pitting. I've seen this out at sea with tools where the environment has a high salt content in the moisture but it has happened with my feder.
Once oiled there's no issues with storing the feder out in the open for a month. Once there's dust then it needs to be wiped down with oil again as one time I've actually seen the beginnings of pitting from where the oil film barrier was compromised by the dust. That took an hour to slowly sand without leaving a noticeable sanding spot mark. Corrosion prevention done consistently will save tons of time down the road.
I knew someone who used floor wax to good effect giving the blade a slightly duller matte look. Unfortunately edges and strikes along the flat easily removes the protection. The best bet is to wipe down everything after practice. It's probably a good idea to avoid storing the feder in scabbard for long periods. If placed on a sword hangar or display make sure to research if galvanic corrosion will occur with any metal in contact with the steel.
Corded Wrap Grip Maintenance
I really liked the look and feel of leather wraps but even before finding out that one of things we drill for is hand strikes from other's experiences that leather gets damaged easily and is a pain to repair compared to cord. I wear leather gloves anyway. After a month of using the corded grip I noticed that there were very small fibers starting to appear almost like a fuzz. The cord was very slowly coming apart from use so a few people suggested I use bees wax and work it into the cord with heat to prevent fraying.
For melting bees wax I use a Xikar Tech 525BK Lighter refillable with butane. It's a cigar lighter with an adjustable flame dial at the bottom. I also have a Zippo lighter using traditional lighter fluid and one with a Thunderbird butane insert and neither has a flame as predictable as a jet flame. I've use double jets and it was annoying trying to figure out where the sweet spot is for melting things without under or overcooking especially with shock cords so single flame is the way to go.
The wax will darken the color of the cord so mine went from an almost cherry brown to a chocolate brown. The cord will be a little grippier too which is a nice bonus. Some people use epoxy or other kinds of shellac-like covering for the grip and they work quite well up until they crack from a hand strike. The wax does very well with keeping cut cords onto the grip and using a finger nail it can be shaped with thread lines that will hide the repair at first glance.
Epilogue
Everything seems to have held up well and the cord is the only thing that is in need of replacement. Thanks for reading this far and I hope this is a useful starting point to ask others about basic maintenance for your federschwert.
Built in 1970-1974, this Modern International-style skyscraper was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Fazlur Rahman Khan for Sears, Roebuck and Company, replacing their earlier headquarters in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood where the company had been since 1905. The Sears, Roebuck and Company headquarters remained in the building until 1994, when they moved to a new suburban office park in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The Sears Tower stands 108 stories and 1,451 feet (442 meters) tall, becoming the tallest building in Chicago in 1972, surpassing the Aon Center, which had held the title for only a month, and surpassing the height of the Empire State Building in New York City in early 1973. The building surpassed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City when it topped out on May 3, 1973, and was the world’s tallest building from 1973 until 1998, when the spires of the Petronas Towers were completed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The building, however, did not hold the title of the world’s tallest structure, being surpassed by several communication towers, and did not hold the designation as the tallest structure in North America, as the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada stood 350 feet taller, but as the CN Tower does not have habitable floors for much of its height, it is not defined as a building. The building also did not hold the designation of having the world’s tallest pinnacle height until 2000, with the 1,500-foot antennas atop the older John Hancock Building to the northeast being taller than the building upon its completion, and the 1,727-foot high antenna atop One World Trade Center holding the designation for decades. The land for the building was acquired by Sears in 1970, and involved the closure of one block of Quincy Street, as well as the acquisition and demolition of two blocks full of buildings. The construction process was fraught with difficulties as bad weather and labor strikes delayed the project, with five workers dying during construction. The building also faced controversy over the tower blocking television signals being broadcast from other towers in the Chicago Loop, which was the subject of lawsuits during construction that ultimately led to the building receiving broadcast antennas atop the roof, resulting in its eventual distinctive silhouette and height of 1,729 feet from the ground to the top of the western antenna after it was extended in 2000. The building was also the first structure in the Chicago Loop to feature blinking FAA beacons to warn air traffic atop the roof, due to its height. The building was not fully leased for over a decade due to its immense size and a massive wave of office construction around the time it was built, leading to a 50% vacancy rate during the 1970s and much of the 1980s.
The building was designed as a clustered series of nine 75-foot square tubes of varying heights within the structural grid of the building’s 225-foot square footprint, with the full site being occupied by the building on the lower floors, gradually tapering as various tubes terminate on the upper floors, eventually leaving only two tubes at the top that rise from the base of the site. Two tubes, at the southeast and northwest corners, rise 50 floors, with the tubes at the southwest and northeast corners rising 66 floors, the tubes in the middle of the south, north, and east sides of the building rising 90 floors, and the central tube and the tube in the middle of the west side of the building rising the full 108 floors of the building’s overall height. This system of construction and method of design was highly economical, and has been repeated by subsequent supertall skyscrapers, including the Burj Khalifa. The exterior of the building is clad in anodized aluminum, which has been painted black, with columns evenly spaced 15 feet apart on the exterior, with bronze-tinted ribbon windows, and bands of louvers at the mechanical floors. The building was renovated in 1984, with a shopping center being added to the first four floors of the building, and a visitor center was added for the building’s skydeck observation deck. The building has two lobbies, one on the north side of the building, utilized by office tenants, and one on the south side of the building, utilized for visitors, with the entrances being located on the first floor and ground floor of the building, respectively, due to the grade change and sloping of the site from north to south. The lobbies contain artworks by Jacob Hashimoto and Olafur Eliasson, a sculpture honoring Fazlur Rahman Khan, and from 1974 until 2017, the building’s lobby housed a notable sculpture by Alexander Calder, which was removed during the building’s renovations. The 103rd floor of the building houses the skydeck observation deck, which features several boxes made entirely of glass that extend outside of the building’s exterior walls and allow visitors a 180-degree viewing experience of the city outside, outwards, above, and below their feet, with the glass floors of the boxes allowing visitors to see the streets below.
The building today is the third-tallest in the western hemisphere, being surpassed by the new One World Trade Center in 2014 and Central Park Tower in 2020, both in New York City, and the twenty-third tallest building in the world, with the list now being dominated by towers in Asia. However, despite its reduced status on the world stage, the building remains the tallest in Chicago. In 2009, the building’s naming rights were sold to Willis Group, which renamed the building the Willis Tower, with Sears having sold the tower in 1994 and the naming rights in 2003. The tower’s original namesake, a far cry from the robust and successful company it was a half-century ago, is now bankrupt and on the verge of going defunct. In 2017-2022, the building underwent a substantial renovation that involved the addition of a three-story podium, which wraps the base of the tower, and replacing building's original plaza and entrances. The new podium contains a food hall, two lobbies, and an atrium with a glass roof, with the exterior matching the appearance of the original building, with the exception of a dynamic sculptural facade on the exterior of the previously existing mechanical ventilation shaft along Jackson Boulevard. The building houses multiple office tenants with retail space in the base, and attracts many visitors annually who mostly visit to ascend to the skydeck and view the city from the building’s impressive height.
A Saturday morning, and on a second wild goose chase looking for the Wall Pennywort in Folkestone.
Problem was, I didn't have the photo with me so I could triangulate the plant with the church in the background. Instead, I (wrongly) assumed that it would be growing on a wall, so spent the morning looking on every wall in the churchyard, and nothing found.
But St Mary was open.
And I just had the 50mm with me, but I was delighted inside to find the harsh orange lights under the tower have been replaced with something kinder.
I did meet a warden who was very interested in the plant tale, and other stories, so I didn't get round to photograph everything, but did see the old clock mechanism for the first time, not sure where that had been kept up to now.
And the remains of St Eanswythe, or almost certainly her remains, now dated to the mid 7th century are in a niche in the Chancel ready for placing somewhere befitting a Kentish Queen.
A superb location in a leafy churchyard away from the busy shopping centre, and yet much more of a town church than that of a seaside resort. It was originally a thirteenth-century building, but so much has happened to it that today we are left with the impression of a Victorian interior. Excellent stained glass by Kempe, mosaics by Carpenter and paintings by Hemming show the enthusiasm of Canon Woodward, vicar from 1851 to 1898. His efforts encouraged others to donate money to beautify the building in an almost continuous restoration that lasted right into the twentieth century They were spurred on by the discovery, in 1885, of the bones of St Eanswythe, in a lead casket which had been set into the sanctuary wall. She had founded a convent in the town in the seventh century and died at the age of twenty-six.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Folkestone+1
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FOLKESTONE.
THE parish of Folkestone, which gives name to this hundred, was antiently bounded towards the south by the sea, but now by the town and liberty of Folkestone, which has long since been made a corporation, and exempt from the jurisdiction of the hundred. The district of which liberty is a long narrow slip of land, having the town within it, and extending the whole length of the parish, between the sea shore and that part of the parish still within the jurisdiction of the hundred, and county magistrates, which is by far the greatest part of it.
THE PARISH, which is about three miles across each way, is situated exceedingly pleasant and healthy. The high chalk, or down hills uniclosed, and well covered with pasture, cross the northern part of it, and from a sine romantic scene. Northward of these, this part of the parish is from its high situation, called the uphill of Folkestone; in this part is Tirlingham, the antient mansion of which has been some years since pulled down, and a modern farm-house erected in its stead; near it is Hearn forstal, on which is a good house, late belonging to Mr. Nicholas Rolse, but now of Mr. Richard Marsh; over this forstal the high road leads from Folkestone to Canterbury. The centre of the parish is in the beautiful and fertile vale called Folkestone vale, which has downs, meadows, brooks, marshes, arable land, and every thing in small parcels, which is sound in much larger regions; being interspersed with houses and cottages, and well watered by several fresh streams; besides which, at Ford forstall, about a mile northward from the town, there rises a strong chalybeat spring. This part of the parish, by far the greatest part of it, as far as the high road from Dover, through it, towards Hythe, is within the jurisdiction of the hundred of Folkestone, and the justices of the county. The small part on the opposite, or southern side of that road is within the liberty of the town or corporation of Folkestone, where the quarry or sand hills, on the broken side of one of which, the town is situated, are its southern maritime boundaries. These hills begin close under the chalk or down hills, in the eastern part of this parish, close to the sea at Eastware bay, and extend westward along the sea shore almost as far as Sandgate castle, where they stretch inland towards the north, leaving a small space between them and the shore. So that this parish there crossing one of them, extends below it, a small space in the bottom as far as that castle, these quarry, or sand hills, keeping on their course north-west, from the northern boundary of Romney Marsh, and then the southern boundary of the Weald, both which they overlook, extending pretty nearly in a parallel line with the chalk or down hills.
The prospect over this delightful vale of Folkestone from the hill, on the road from Dover as you descend to the town, is very beautiful indeed for the pastures and various fertility of the vale in the centre, beyond it the church and town of Hythe, Romney Marsh, and the high promontory of Beachy head, boldly stretching into the sea. On the right the chain of losty down hills, covered with verdure, and cattle seeding on them; on the lest the town of Folkestone, on the knole of a hill, close to the sea, with its scattered environs, at this distance a pleasing object, and beyond it the azure sea unbounded to the sight, except by the above-mentioned promontory, altogether from as pleasing a prospect as any in this county.
FOLKESTONE was a place of note in the time of the Romans, and afterwards in that of the Saxons, as will be more particularly noticed hereafter, under the description of the town itself. By what name it was called by the Romans, is uncertain; by the Saxons it was written Folcestane, and in the record of Domesday, Fulchestan. In the year 927 king Athelstane, son of king Edward the elder, and grandson of king Alfred, gave Folkstane, situated, as is mentioned in the grant of it, on the sea shore, where there had been a monastery, or abbey of holy virgins, in which St. Eanswith was buried, which had been destroyed by the Danes, to the church of Canterbury, with the privilege of holding it L. S. A. (fn. 1) But it Seems afterwards to have been taken from it, for king Knute, in 1038, is recorded to have restored to that church, the parish of Folkstane, which had been given to it as above-mentioned; but upon condition, that it should never be alienated by the archbishop, without the licence both of the king and the monks. Whether they joined in the alienation of it, or it was taken from them by force, is uncertain; but the church of Canterbury was not in possession of this place at the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in 1080, being the 14th year of the Conqueror's reign, at which time it was part of the possessions of the bishop of Baieux, the conqueror's half-brother, under the general description of whose lands it is thus entered in it:
In Limowart lest, in Fulcbestan hundred, William de Acris holds Fulchestan. In the time of king Edward the Consessor, it was taxed at forty sulings, and now at thirty-nine. The arable land is one hundred and twenty carucates. In demesne there are two hundred and nine villeins, and four times twenty, and three borderes. Among all they have forty-five carcates. There are five churches, from which the archbishop has fifty-five shillings. There are three servants, and seven mills of nine pounds and twelve shillings. There are one hundred acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of forty bogs. Earl Godwin held this manor.
Of this manor, Hugo, son of William, holds nine sulings of the land of the villeins, and there he has in demesne four carucates and an half, and thirty-eight villeins, with seventeen borderes, who have sixteen carucates. There are three churches, and one mill and an half, of sixteen shillings and five-pence, and one saltpit of thirty pence. Wood for the pannage of six bogs. It is worth twenty pounds.
Walter de Appeuile holds of this manor three yokes and twelve acres of land, and there he has one carucate in demesne, and three villeins, with one borderer. It is worth thirty shillings.
Alured holds one suling and forty acres of land, and there he has in demesne two carucates, with six borderers, and twelve acres of meadow. It is worth four pounds.
Walter, son of Engelbert, holds half a suling and forty acres, and there he has in demesne one carucate, with seven borderers, and five acres of meadow. It is worth thirty shillings.
Wesman holds one suling, and there he has in demesne one carucate, and two villeins, with seven borderers having one carucate and an half. It is worth four pounds.
Alured Dapiser holds one suling and one yoke and six acres of land, and there he has in demesne one carucate, with eleven borderers. It is worth fifty shillings.
Eudo holds half a suling, and there he has in demesne one carucate, with four borderers, and three acres of meadow. It is worth twenty shillings.
Bernard de St. Owen, four sulings, and there he has in demesne three carucates, and six villeins, with eleven borderes, having two carucates. There are four servants, and two mills of twenty-four shillings, and twenty acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of two bogs.
Of one denne, and of the land which is given from these suling to ferm, there goes out three pounds. In the whole it is worth nine pounds.
Baldric holds half a suling, and there he has one carucate, and two villeins, with six borderers having one carucate, and one mill of thirty pence. It is worth thirty shillings.
Richard holds fifty-eight acres of land, and there he has one carucate, with five borderers. It is worth ten shillings.
All Fulchestan, in the time of king Edward the Consessor, was worth one hundred and ten pounds, when he received it forty pounds, now what he has in demesne is worth one hundred pounds; what the knights hold abovementioned together, is worth forty-five pounds and ten shillings.
¶It plainly appears that this entry in Domesday does not only relate to the lands within this parish, but to those in the adjoining parishes within the hundred, the whole of which, most probably, were held of the bishop of Baieux, but to which of them each part refers in particular, is at this time impossible to point out. About four years after the taking of the above survey, the bishop was disgraced, and all his possessions consiscated to the crown. After which, Nigell de Muneville, a descendant of William de Arcis, mentioned before in Domesday, appears to have become possessed of the lordship of Folkestone, and as such in 1095, being the 9th year of king William Rusus, removed the priory of Folkestone from the bail of the castle to the place where it afterwards continued. His son William dying in his life-time s. p, Matilda his sole daughter and heir was given in marriage with the whole of her inheritance, by king Henry I. to Ruallanus de Albrincis, or Averenches, whose descendant Sir William de Albrincis, was become possessed of this lordship at the latter end of that reign; and in the 3d year of the next reign of king Stephen, he confirmed the gifts of his ancestors above-mentioned to the priory here. He appears to have been one of those knights, who had each a portion of lands, which they held for the de sence of Dover castle, being bound by the tenure of those lands to provide a certain number of soldiers, who should continually perform watch and ward within it, according to their particular allotment of time; but such portions of these lands as were not actually in their own possession were granted out by them to others, to hold by knight's service, and they were to be ready for the like service at command, upon any necessity whatever, and they were bound likewife, each knight to desend a certain tower in the castle; that desended by Sir William de Albrincis being called from him, Averenches tower, and afterwards Clinton tower, from the future owners of those lands. (fn. 2) Among those lands held by Sir William de Albrincis for this purpose was Folkestone, and he held them of the king in capitle by barony. These lands together made up the barony of Averenches, or Folkestone, as it was afterwards called, from this place being made the chief of the barony, caput baroniæ, as it was stiled in Latin; thus The Manor of Folkestone, frequently called in after times An Honor, (fn. 3) and the mansion of it the castle, from its becoming the chief seat or residence of the lords paramount of this barony, continued to be so held by his descendants, whose names were in Latin records frequently speit Albrincis, but in French Avereng and Averenches, and in after times in English ones, Evering; in them it continued till Matilda, daughter and heir of William de Albrincis, carried it in marriage to Hamo de Crevequer, who, in the 20th year of that reign, had possession given him of her inheritance. He died in the 47th year of that reign, possessed of the manor of Folkestone, held in capite, and by rent for the liberty of the hundred, and ward of Dover castle. Robert his grandson, dying s. p. his four sisters became his heirs, and upon the division of their inheritance, and partition of this barony, John de Sandwich, in right of his wife Agnes, the eldest sister, became entitled to this manor and lordship of Folkestone, being the chief seat of the barony, a preference given to her by law, by reason of her eldership; and from this he has been by some called Baron of Folkestone, as has his son Sir John de Sandwich, who left an only daughter and heir Julian, who carried this manor in marriage to Sir John de Segrave, who bore for his arms, Sable, three garbs, argent. He died in the 17th year of Edward III. who, as well as his son, of the same name, received summons to parliament, though whether as barons of Folkestone, as they are both by some called, I know not. Sir John de Segrave, the son, died possessed of this manor anno 23 Edward III. soon after which it appears to have passed into the family of Clinton, for William de Clinton, earl of Huntingdon, who bore for his arms, Argent, crusulee, situchee, sable, upon a chief, azure, two mullets, or, pierced gules; which coat differed from that of his elder brother's only in the croslets, which were not borne by any other of this family till long afterwards, (fn. 4) died possessed of it in the 28th year of that reign, at which time the mansion of this manor bore the name of the castle. He died s. p. leaving his nephew Sir John de Clinton, son of John de Clinton, of Maxtoke, in Warwickshire, his heir, who was afterwards summoned to parliament anno 42 Edward III. and was a man of great bravery and wisdom, and much employed in state affairs. He died possessed of this manor, with the view of frank-pledge, a moiety of the hundred of Folkestone, and THE MANOR OF WALTON, which, though now first mentioned, appears to have had the same owners as the manor of Folkestone, from the earliest account of it. He married Idonea, eldest daughter of Jeffry, lord Say, and at length the eldest coheir of that family, and was succeeded in these manors by his grandson William, lord Clinton, who, anno 6 Henry IV. had possession granted of his share of the lands of William de Say, as coheir to him in right of his grandmother Idonea, upon which he bore the title of lord Clinton and Saye, which latter however he afterwards relinquished, though he still bore for his arms, Qnarterly, Clinton and Saye, with two greybounds for his supporters. After which the manor of Folkestone, otherwise called Folkestone Clinton, and Walton, continued to be held in capite by knight's service, by his descendants lords Clinton, till Edward, lord Clinton and Saye, which title he then bore, together with Elizabeth his wife, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. conveyed these manors, with other premises in this parish, to Thomas Cromwell lord Cromwell, afterwards created earl of Essex, on whose attainder two years afterwards they reverted again to the crown, at which time the lordship of Folkestone was stiled an honor; whence they were granted in the fourth year of Edward VI. to the former possessor of them, Edward, lord Clinton and Saye, to hold in capite, for the meritorious services he had performed. In which year, then bearing the title of lord Clinton and Saye, he was declared lord high admiral, and of the privy council, besides other favours conferred on him; and among other lands, he had a grant of these manors, as abovementioned, which he next year, anno 5 Edward VI. reconveyed back to the crown, in exchange for other premises. (fn. 5) He was afterwards installed knight of the garter, by the title of Earl of Lincoln and Baron of Clinton and Saye; and in the last year of that reign, constable of the tower of London. Though in the 1st year of queen Mary he lost all his great offices for a small time, yet he had in recompence of his integrity and former services, a grant from her that year, of several manors and estates in this parish, as well as elsewhere, and among others, of these manors of Folkestone and Walton, together with the castle and park of Folkestone, to hold in capite; all which he, the next year, passed away by sale to Mr. Henry Herdson, citizen and alderman of London, who lest several sons, of whom Thomas succeeded him in this estate, in whose time the antient park of Folkestone seems to have been disparked. His son Mr. Francis Herdson alienated his interst in these manors and premises to his uncle Mr. John Herdson, who resided at the manor of Tyrlingham, in this parish, and dying in 1622, was buried in the chancel of Hawking church, where his monument remains; and there is another sumptuous one besides erected for him in the south isle of Folkestone church. They bore for their arms, Argent, a cross sable, between four fleurs de lis, gules. He died s. p. and by will devised these manors, with his other estates in this parish and neighbourhood, to his nephew Basill, second son of his sister Abigail, by Charles Dixwell, esq. Basill Dixwell, esq. afterwards resided at Tyrlingham, a part of the estate devised to him by his uncle, where, in the 3d year of king Charles I. he kept his shrievalty, with great honor and hospitality; after which he was knighted, and in 1627, anno 3 Charles I. created a baronet; but having rebuilt the mansion of Brome, in Barham, he removed thither before his death. On his decease unmarried, the title of baronet became extinct; but he devised these manors, with the rest of his estates, to his nephew Mark Dixwell, son of his elder brother William Dixwell, of Coton, in Warwickshire, who afterwards resided at Brome. He married Elizabeth, sister and heir of William Read, esq. of Folkestone, by whom he had Basill Dixwell, esq. of Brome, who in 1660, anno 12 Charles II. was created a baronet. His son Sir Basill Dixwell, bart. of Brome, about the year 1697, alientated these manors, with the park-house and grounds, and other estates in this parish and neighbourhood, to Jacob Desbouverie, esq. of LondonHe was descended from Laurence de Bouverie, de la Bouverie, or Des Bouveries, of an antient and honorable extraction in Flanders, (fn. 6) who renouncing the tenets of the Romish religion came into England in the year 1567, anno 10 Elizabeth, and seems to have settled first at Canterbury. He was a younger son of Le Sieur des Bouveries, of the chateau de Bouverie, near Lisle, in Flanders, where the eldest branch of this family did not long since possess a considerable estate, bearing for their arms, Gules, a bend, vaire. Edward, his eldest son, was an eminet Turkey merchant, was knighted by king James II. and died at his seat at Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, in 1694. He had seven sons and four daughters; of the former, William, the eldest, was likewife an eminent Turkey merchant, and was, anno 12 queen Anne, created a baronet, and died in 1717. Jacob, the third son, was purchaser of these manors; and Christopher, the seventh son, was knighted, and seated at Chart Sutton, in this county, under which a further account of him may be seen; (fn. 7) and Anne, the second daughter, married Sir Philip Boteler, bart. Jacob Desbouverie afterwards resided at Tyrlingham, and dying unmarried in 1722, by his will devised these manors, with his other estates here, to his nephew Sir Edward Desbouverie, bart. the eldest brother son of Sir William Desbouverie, bart. his elder brother, who died possessed of them in 1736, s. p. on which his title, with these and all his other estates, came to his next surviving brother and heir Sir Jacob Desbouverie, bart. who anno 10 George II. procured an act to enable himself and his descendants to use the name of Bouverie only, and was by patent, on June 29, 1747, created baron of Longford, in Wiltshire, and viscount Folkestone, of Folkestone. He was twice married; first to Mary, daughter and sole heir of Bartholomew Clarke, esq. of Hardingstone, in Northamptonshire, by whom he had several sons and daughters, of whom William, the eldest son, succeeded him in titles and estates; Edward is now of Delapre abbey, near Northamptonshire; Anne married George, a younger son of the lord chancellor Talbot; Charlotte; Mary married Anthony, earl of Shastesbury; and Harriot married Sir James Tilney Long, bart. of Wiltshire. By Elizabeth his second wife, daughter of Robert, lord Romney, he had Philip, who has taken the name of Pusey, and possesses, as heir to his mother Elizabeth, dowager viscountess Folkestone, who died in 1782, several manors and estates in the western part of this county. He died in 1761, and was buried in the family vault at Britford, near Salisbury, being succeeded in title and estates by his eldest son by his first wife, William, viscount Folkestone, who was on Sept. 28, anno 5 king George III. created Earl of Radnor, and Baron Pleydell Bouverie, of Coleshill, in Berkshire. He died in 1776, having been three times married; first, to Harriot, only daughter and heir of Sir Mark Stuart Pleydell, bart. of Colefhill, in Berkshire. By her, who died in 1750, and was buried at Britford, though there is an elegant monument erected for her at Coleshill, he had Hacob, his successor in titles and estates, born in 1750. He married secondly, Rebecca, daughter of John Alleyne, esq. of Barbadoes, by whom he had four sons; William-Henry, who married Bridget, daughter of James, earl of Morton; Bartholomew, who married MaryWyndham, daughter of James Everard Arundell, third son of Henry, lord Arundell, of Wardour; and Edward, who married first Catherine Murray, eldest daughter of John, earl of Dunmore; and secondly, Arabella, daughter of admiral Sir Chaloner Ogle. His third wife was Anne, relict of Anthony Duncombe, lord Faversham, and daughter of Sir Thomas Hales, bart. of Bekesborne, by whom he had two daughters, who both died young. He was succeeded in titles and estates by his eldest son, the right hon. Jacob Pleydell Bouverie, earl of Radnor, who is the present possessor of these manors of Folkestone and Walton, with the park-house and disparked grounds adjacent to it, formerly the antient park of Folkestone, the warren, and other manors and estates in this parish and neighbourhood.
FOLKESTONE is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Dover.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary and St. Eanswith, consists of three isles and three chancels, having a square tower, with a beacon turret in the middle of it, in which there is a clock, and a peal of eight bells, put up in it in 1779. This church is built of sand-stone; the high chancel, which has been lately ceiled, seems by far the most antient part of it. Under an arch in the north wall is a tomb, with the effigies of a man, having a dog at his feet, very an tient, probably for one of the family of Fienes, constables of Dover castle and wardens of the five ports; and among many other monuments and inscriptions, within the altar-rails, are monuments for the Reades, of Folkestone, arms, Azure, a griffin, or, quartering gules, a pheon between three leopards faces, or; for William Langhorne, A.M. minister, obt. 1772. In the south chancel is a most elegant monument, having the effigies of two men kneeling at two desks, and an inscription for J. Herdson, esq. who lies buried in Hawkinge church, obt. 1622. In the south isle a tomb for J. Pragels, esq. obt. 1676, arms, A castle triple towered, between two portcullises; on a chief, a sinister hand gauntled, between two stirrups. In the middle isle a brass plate for Joane, wife of Thomas Harvey, mother of seven sons (one of which was the physician) and two daughters. In the north wall of the south isle were deposited the remains of St. Eanswith, in a stone coffin; and under that isle is a large charnelhouse, in which are deposited the great quantity of bones already taken notice of before. Philipott, p. 96, says, the Bakers, of Caldham, had a peculiar chancel belonging to them in this church, near the vestrydoor, over the charnel-house, which seems to have been that building mentioned by John Baker, of Folkestone, who by his will in 1464, ordered, that his executors should make a new work, called an isle, with a window in it, with the parishioners advice; which work should be built between the vestry there and the great window. John Tong, of Folkestone, who was buried in this church, by will in 1534, ordered that certain men of the parish should be enfeoffed in six acres of land, called Mervyle, to the use of the mass of Jhesu, in this church.
On Dec. 19, 1705, the west end of this church, for the length of two arches out of the five, was blown down by the violence of the wind; upon which the curate and parishioners petitioned archbishop Tillot son, for leave to shorten the church, by rebuilding only one of the fallen arches, which was granted. But by this, the church, which was before insufficient to contain the parishioners, is rendered much more inconvenient to them for that purpose. By the act passed anno 6 George III. for the preservation of the town and church from the ravages of the sea as already noticed before. After such works are finished, &c. the rates are to be applied towards their repair, and to the keeping in repair, and the support and preservation of this church.
¶This church was first built by Nigell de Muneville, lord of Folkestone at the latter end of king Henry I. or the beginning of king Stephen's reign, when he removed the priory from the precinct of the castle to it in 1137, and he gave this new church and the patronage of it to the monks of Lolley, in Normandy, for their establishing a cell, or alien priory here, as has been already mentioned, to which this new church afterwards served as the conventual church of it. The profits of it were very early appropriated to the use of this priory, that is, before the 8th of king Richard II. anno 1384, the duty of it being served by a vicar, whose portion was settled in 1448, at the yearly pension of 10l. 0s. 2½d. to be paid by the prior, in lieu of all other profits whatsoever. In which state this appropriation and vicarage remained till the surrendry of the priory, in the 27th year of king Henry VIII. when they came, with the rest of the possessions of it, into the king's hands, who in his 31st year demised the vicarage and parish church of Folkestone, with all its rights, profits, and emoluments, for a term of years, to Thomas, lord Cromwell, who assigned his interest in it to Anthony Allcher, esq. but the fee of both remained in the crown till the 4th year of king Edward VI. when they were granted, with the manor, priory, and other premises here, to Edward, lord Clinton and Saye, to hold in capite; who the next year conveyed them back again to the crown, in exchange for other premises, (fn. 23) where the patronage of the vicarage did not remain long; for in 1558, anno 6 queen Mary, the queen granted it, among several others, to the archbishop. But the church or parsonage appropriate of Folkestone remained longer in the crown, and till queen Elizabeth, in her 3d year, granted it in exchange, among other premises, to archbishop Parker, being then in lease to lord Clinton, at the rent of 57l. 2s. 11d. at which rate it was valued to the archbishop, in which manner it has continued to be leased out ever since, and it now, with the patronage of the vicarage, remains parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury; the family of Breams were formerly lessees of it, from whom the interest of the lease came to the Taylors, of Bifrons, and was sold by the late Rev. Edward Taylor, of Bisrons, to the right hon. Jacob, earl of Radnor, the present lessee of it.
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Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Formerly the British ship HMS Venerable, she was sold to the Netherlands in 1948 as a light attack carrier and operated Fairey Firefly strike fighters and Hawker Sea Fury fighters, which were in 1958 replaced by Hawker Sea Hawk jet aircraft. In 1960, she was involved in the decolonization conflict in Western New Guinea with Indonesia. After a major refit in 1964, following the settlement of issues threatening its former colonial territories and changes in the mission for the Royal Netherlands Navy within NATO, the role was changed to anti-submarine warfare carrier and primarily ASW aircraft and helicopters were carried. At that time, the last Dutch Sea Hawks were phased out and the Koninlijke Marine ’s FJ-4B fighter bombers were relegated to land bases and soon handed back to the USA and re-integrated into USMC units. As an alternative multi-role aircraft that could both deliver strikes against ground as well as sea targets and provide aerial defense for the carrier or escort its slow and vulnerable ASW aircraft, the American Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was procured.
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk was a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet-powered Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy's pre-1962 designation system. The Skyhawk was a relatively light aircraft, with a maximum takeoff weight of 24,500 pounds (11,100 kg), had a top speed of 670 miles per hour (1,080 km/h) and very good handling, making it a serious threat in an aerial dogfight. The aircraft's five hardpoints supported a variety of missiles, bombs, and other munitions.
The A4D (re-named into A-4 under the USA’s unified designation system) was capable of carrying a bomb load equivalent to that of a World War II–era Boeing B-17 bomber and could even deliver nuclear weapons using a low-altitude bombing system and a "loft" delivery technique. The A-4 was originally powered by the Wright J65 turbojet engine, but from the A-4E onwards, the more fuel efficient and powerful Pratt & Whitney J52 engine was used. The Skyhawk proved to be a relatively common United States Navy aircraft export of the postwar era. Due to its small size, it could be operated from the older, smaller World War II-era aircraft carriers still used by many smaller navies during the 1960s. These older ships were often unable to accommodate newer Navy fighters such as the F-4 Phantom II and F-8 Crusader, which were faster and more capable than the A-4, but significantly larger and heavier than older naval fighters.
At the same time as the Netherlands, Australia was looking for a new carrier-borne jet aircraft, too, and in negotiations with Douglas for newly built A-4s for the RAN's carrier HMAS Melbourne, a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier. These aircraft had a very similar duty profile to those the Royal Netherlands Navy was looking for, and in order to save development costs and speed up the procurement process, the Royal Netherlands Navy simply adopted the Australian specifications which became the unique A-4G variant, the Skyhawk’s first dedicated export version.
The A-4G was directly developed with minor variations from the current, most modern Skyhawk variant, the USN's A-4F. In particular, the A-4G was not fitted with the late Skyhawk variants' characteristic avionics "hump", had a simple ranging radar for air-to-air combat and was modified to carry four underwing Sidewinder AIM-9B missiles (instead of just two), increasing their Fleet Defense capability. Additionally, the A-4Gs for the Royal Netherlands Navy received the avionics package to deploy radio-controlled AGM-12 Bullpup missiles, which the Kon. Marine had been using together with the FJ-4Bs for some years, and Skyhawks’ capability to provide buddy-to-buddy refueling services with a special pod made them a vital asset for carrier operations, too.
A total of twenty A-4G Skyhawks were purchased by the Royal Australian Navy in two batches for operation from HMAS Melbourne, and the Koninlijke Marine ordered twelve. These aircraft were part of the first A-4G production batch and arrived in 1967, together with four TA-4J trainers, for a total fleet of sixteen aircraft. The machines were delivered in the contemporary US Navy high-visibility scheme in Light Gull Grey and White, but they were soon re-painted in a less conspicuous scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey on the upper surfaces and Sky underneath, conforming to NATO standards of the time. After initial conversion training from land bases the re-formed MLD 861 Squadron (a carrier-based unit that had operated Fairey during the Fifties) embarked upon HNLMS Karel Doorman in February 1968 with a standard contingent of six carrier-based aircraft. The rest was stationed at Valkenburg Naval Air Base for maintenance and training and frequently rotated to the carrier.
However, the Dutch Skyhawks' career at sea was very short – it lasted in fact only a couple of months! A boiler room fire on 26 April 1968 removed HNLMS Karel Doorman from Dutch service. To repair the fire damage, new boilers were transplanted from the incomplete HMS Leviathan. But this did not save the ship, and in 1969 it was decided that the costs for repairing the damage in relation to the relatively short time Karel Doorman was still to serve in the fleet proved to be her undoing and she was sold to the Argentine Navy, renamed Veinticinco de Mayo, where she would later play a role in the 1982 Falkland Islands Conflict.
Additionally, the fatal fire accident coincided with the arrival of land-based long range maritime patrol aircraft for the Royal Netherlands Navy that were to take over the ASW role Karel Doorman had been tasked to perform ever since the start of the 1960s. These were one squadron of Breguet Atlantique sea-reconnaissance aircraft and one of P-2 Neptunes, while the international NATO anti-submarine commitment was taken over by a squadron of Westland Wasp helicopters operated from six Van Speijk-class anti-submarine frigates.
This left the Royal Netherlands Navy with a full operational squadron of almost brand-new aircraft that had overnight lost their raison d'être. To avoid sunk costs the government decided to keep the Skyhawks in active service, even though only land-based now and as part of the Netherlands air force's home defense – a plan that had been envisioned for the A-4Gs for the mid-Seventies, anyway.
In 1974, the A-4G's MLD 861 Squadron was disbanded (again) and the aircraft were formally transferred to the Royal Netherlands Air Force, where they received new tactical codes (H-30XX - H- 30YY) and formed the new RNLAF 332 Squadron, primary tasked with aerial support for the Netherlands Marine Corps. To avoid staff and equipment transfer costs to a different location, the Skyhawks stayed at their former home base, Valkenburg Naval Air Base, where they operated alongside the MLD’s new long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
At that time, the machines received a small update during regular overhauls, including the ability to deploy the new TV-guided AGM-65 Maverick missile (which replaced the unreliable and rather ineffective AGM-12) as well as more effective AIM-9J air-to-air missiles, and an AN/APQ-51 radar warning system, recognizable through small cone-shaped radomes under the nose, at the tail and under the wing roots. Being land-based now, some machines received a new NATO-style camouflage in Olive Drab and Dark Grey with Light Grey undersides, even though the Skyhawks’ full carrier capability was retained in case of a NATO deployment on another nation’s carrier.
In 1979, when the RNLAF received its first F-16A/B fighters, all Skyhawks eventually received a more subdued grey three-tone camouflage with toned-down markings which was effective both over the sea and in the sky, similar to the RNLAF’s NF-5A/B day fighters.
However, the arrival of the modern F-16, which was in any aspect superior to the A-4 except for a lack of carrier-capability, meant that the RNLAF Skyhawks’ career did not last much longer. In the early Eighties, all Dutch A-4Gs were replaced with license-built F-16A/B fighter bombers. They were placed in store and eventually sold to Israel in 1985, where they were revamped and re-sold with surplus A-4Es to Indonesia as attrition replacements after high losses during the anti-guerilla warfare in East Timor. They were delivered in 1986 and served in Indonesia until 2003, where the last Skyhawks were finally retired in 2007.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 40 ft 1.5 in (12.230 m)
Wingspan: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Wing area: 260 sq ft (24 m²)
Airfoil: root: NACA 0008-1.1-25; tip: NACA 0005-.825-50
Empty weight: 9,853 lb (4,469 kg)
Gross weight: 16,216 lb (7,355 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 24,500 lb (11,113 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Pratt & Whitney J52-P-6A turbojet engine, 8,500 lbf (38 kN) thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 585 kn (673 mph, 1,083 km/h) at sea level
Range: 1,008 nmi (1,160 mi, 1,867 km)
Ferry range: 2,194 nmi (2,525 mi, 4,063 km)
g limits: +8/-3
Rate of climb: 5,750 ft/min (29.2 m/s)
Wing loading: 62.4 lb/sq ft (305 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.526
Armament:
2× 20 mm (0.79 in) Colt Mk 12 cannon with 100 RPG
5× hardpoints with a total capacity of 8,500 lb (3,900 kg)
The kit and its assembly:
This what-if project was more or less a stopgap: I had a Hasegawa 1:72 A-4E/F kit in The Stash™, primarily bought for its separate avionics hump that is supposed to be transplanted on a Fujimi A-4C someday to create an A-4L, of which AFAIK no OOB kit exists. However, I played with potential fictional operators, and read about the Australian A-4Gs. When I compared them with the historic timeframe of the Dutch HNLMS Karel Doorman, I recognized very close parallels (see background above) so that a small Skyhawk fleet for a single carrier with a focus on ASW duties would make sense – even though Karel Doorman was soon struck by a fire and ended the story. However, this was a great framework to tell the story of Dutch Skyhawks that never had been, and my model depicts such an aircraft soon after its update and in late RNLAF colors.
The Hasegawa kit is not bad, but IMHO there are better offerings, you can see the mold’s age. It goes together easily, comes with a good pilot figure and offers optional parts for an E or F Skyhawk, plus lots of ordnance, but it comes with raised (yet very fine) panel lines and an odd canopy: the clear part is actually only the canopy’s glass, so that the frame is still molded into the fuselage. As a result, opening the cockpit is a VERY tricky stunt (which I eventually avoided), and the clear piece somehow does not fit well into its intended opening. The mold dates back to 1969, when the A-4E/F was brand new, and this was all acceptable in the Seventies and Eighties. But for today’s standards the Hasegawa kit is a bit outdated and, in many cases, overpriced. Permanent re-boxings and short-run re-issues do not make the old kit any better.
Despite these weaknesses the kit was built OOB, without big modifications or the optional camel hump for the A-4F, with the early straight IFR probe and with parts from the OOB ordnance. This included the ventral drop tank (which comes with an integral pylon) and the underwing pylons; from the outer pair the integral launch rails for the Bullpups were sanded away and replaced with a pair of longer launch rails for AIM-9B Sidewinder AAMs from the scrap box.
As a modern/contemporary detail I scratched a training/dummy AGM-65 Maverick without fins for one of the inner underwing stations, which would later become a colorful eye-catcher on the otherwise quite subdued aircraft. Additionally, some small blade antennae were added around the hull, e. g. on the front wheel well cover for the Bullpup guidance emitter.
Painting and markings:
A Kon. Marine Skyhawk offers a wide range of painting options, but I tweaked the background that I could incorporate a specific and unique Dutch paint scheme – the early Eighties livery of the RNLAF’s NF-5A/Bs. These aircraft initially wore a NATO-style green/grey livery with pale grey undersides, but they were in the late Seventies, with the arrival of the F-16s, repainted with the F-16s’ “Egypt One” colors (FS 36118, 36270 and 36375). However, the Egypt One scheme was not directly adopted, only the former RAF-style camouflage pattern was re-done with the new colors. Therefore, the Skyhawks were “in my world” transferred from the Dutch Navy to the Air Force and received this livery, too, for which I used Humbrol 125, 126 and 127. The pattern was adapted from the sleek NF-5s as good as possible to the stouter A-4 airframe, but it worked out.
However, the result reminds unintentionally a lot of the Australian A-4Gs’ late livery, even though the Aussie Skyhawks carried a different pattern and were painted in different tones. Even more strangely, the colors on the model looked odd in this striped paint scheme: the dark Gunship Gray appeared almost violet, while the Medium Gray had a somewhat turquoise hue? Weird! Thankfully, this disappeared when I did some post-panel-shading after a light black in washing…
The cockpit became Dark Gull Grey (FS 36231, Humbrol 140), even though there’s hardly anything recognizable through the small canopy: the pilot blocks anything. The landing gear and the respective wells became classic bright white (Revell 301), as well as the air intake ducts; the landing gear covers received a thin red outline.
The Sidewinders and their launch rails became white, the drop tank was painted in FS 36375 like the underside. The dummy AGM-65 was painted bright blue with a white tip for the live seeker head.
The decals were gathered from various sources. The RNLAF roundels came from a generic TL Modellbau sheet, the tactical code from a Swiss F-5E. The small fin flash is a personal addition (this was not common practice on RNLAF aircraft), the red unit badge with the seahorse comes from a French naval WWII unit. Most stencils were taken from the OOB sheet but supplemented with single bits from an Airfix Skyhawk sheet, e. g. for the red trim around the air intakes, which was tricky to create. The interior of the fuselage air brakes was painted in bright red, too.
After a Koninlijke Marine FJ-4B Fury some years ago, here’s a worthy and logical successor, even though it would have quickly lost its naval base, HNLMS Karel Doorman. Really bad timing! Even though not much was changed, this simple looking aircraft has IMHO a certain, subtle charm – even though the paint scheme makes the Dutch Skyhawk look more Australian than intended, despite representing an A-4G, too. But time frame and mission profiles would have been too similar to ignore this parallel. Not a spectacular model, but quite convincing.
Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 15-Jul-20.
Taken from the Templeton bridge.
Hybrid livery with the old white fuselage and new tail livery (2005).
Fleet No: "202".
An early A320 (Line No:069), first flown in Oct-89 with the Airbus test registration F-WWDO, this aircraft was due for delivery to Ansett Airline (Australia) as VH-HYJ but the order was cancelled.
The aircraft was delivered to AerFi Airbus as C-FDQV in Nov-89 and leased to Air Canada in Feb-90. It was permanently retired at Tucson, AZ, USA in Apr-19 after just over 29 years in service.
VH Produce owner Vue Her is a Hmong farmer on a 10-acre field, who grows several Asian specialty crops in Singer, CA, near Fresno, on November 9, 2018. He has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to implement many conservation improvements, including help replacing an old tractor for a more efficient lower emission tractor and installation of seasonal high tunnels.
Growing up on a farm and learning the skills was just not possible for Vue Her who was born to farmer parents in a refugee camp in Thailand. He could not put into practice all the farming skills they used in Laos. General schooling in the refugee camps was minimal. At the age of 15, he started working a variety of odd jobs and work as a craftsman in the camp. This 'on the job' experience taught him an appreciation for hard work, and he took pride in being able to contribute to his family. There he married and started his own family.
Eager to work, he started with Foster Farms as a janitor. Then he stocked produce at an Asian grocery store. He kept working hard and saved his money. After years of factory work, he started his farm operation on leased land, in 2011, with plans to buy his own land in two years.
As a young man with a growing family, starting a farm in the United States was a big challenge and he knew he needed help. While listening to a local Asian language radio station, he heard NRCS soil conservationist Sam Vang’s NRCS radio program (in the Hmong language). Producer Vue Her said, “I am a big fan of the program and without the NRCS radio program, I don’t think I knew USDA programs.” (Note: The radio station is no longer producing the program.)
Farming, in the beginning, was hard and not efficient for Vue Her because he had to wait to use a borrowed tractor. This caused the soil to be worked out of schedule, causing the harvest to be out of the schedule for the farmer's markets where he sells his produce. To stay on schedule and meet market needs he purchased his own tractor that was supported by the USDA through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) program. www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/...
He quickly learned from Sam Vang that the farming practices his parents used are different from the standard practices in the US. Soil conservationist Sam Vue helped him learn about soil conservation, management skills, business knowledge, and time management. Some examples of this are the practice of rotating the crops in each plot to promote soil health and using standardized tractor attachment settings to save time and effort. For this Mr. Her says, "I'm happy to be part of NRCS programs and to know the staff. I have less stress, and I'm thankful for the farm management skills. Whenever I have a question, I call Sam."
The EQIP program also helped him purchase two seasonal high tunnels so that they can grow dozens of different varieties of Asian vegetable in the long arched plastic wrapped structures. In the tunnels, many of the vegetables are planted as seeds and are very sensitive to either frost or heat. High tunnels also helped him to maintain steady production and income year-round.
As a family business, his workforce is his seven children who pitch in after school. Each week, they push to pick, clean and box the produce just before the weekend markets. Today, wife Mai Houa Yang, son Bee Her, and daughter Chai Her harvest peanuts for sale tomorrow.
"I appreciate being able to produce traditional vegetables for other cultures, says Mr. Her. "I feel good about working hard and being accepted in the community of growers and by my customers."
When asked, what is a good day? He laughs, every day is the best day because I spend more time on the farm than at home.
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
I have been through the village many times, but not found the church ope, but after driving by recently, I saw the west porch door open, so found a place to park nearby.
The church stands on high ground over the village's famous ford, and beside what was once the high road, but is still busy.
The porch is underneath the tower on the west end of the church, and upon entering the building is filled with light. The pews have been replaced by modern seating, an there is a fairly new alter, but the apse is clean and light.
A couple were visiting from up north, and were delighted to have met another visitor, especially one who has visited close to 350 Kentish churches.
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Sitting on high ground above the famous ford, this is a light and well cared for church. Saxon in origin, but with a character now of the thirteenth century, it is currently (2005) being reordered to make it more adaptable. Already the north aisle is not part of the church but proposals to remove pews and change the layout will result in an even more flexible space. The finest part of the church is the south transept - with its very tall lancet windows and modern altar.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Eynsford
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EYNSFORD.
SOUTHWARD from Farningham lies Eynsford, sometimes written Aynsford, so named from a noted ford here over the river Darent.
THIS PARISH extends about four miles from east to west, and about three miles from north to south; on the north side it reaches almost up to the village of Farningham, near to which stood the antient mansion of Sibell's; and towards the west, over the hills, by Wested-farm and the obscure and little known hamlet of Crockenhill, both within its bounds, among a quantity of woodlands. The soil is in general chalky, except towards the west, where there is some strong heavy land. The village of Eynsford, through the eastern part of which the high road leads from Dartford through Farningham, and hence towards Sevenoke, is situated near the south-west bounds of the parish, in the valley on the banks of the Darent; over it there is a bridge here, repaired at the public charge of the county. At the north end of the village, near the river, are the remains of Eynsford castle, (fn. 1) and at the south end of it the church; beyond which this parish extends southward, on the chalk hills, a mile and an half; where, near the boundaries of it, is Afton lodge.
THIS PLACE was given to Christ church, in. Canterbury, in the time of archbishop Dunstan, who came to the see in 950, by a certain rich man, named Ælphege; after whose death one Leossune, who had married the widow of Eadric, Elphege's nephew, retained this land as his own, notwithstanding this devise of it. Upon which the trial of it was appointed at Ærhede, before Uulsi, the priest seir-man, or judge of the county, in presence of archbishop Dunstan, the parties themselves, the bishops of London and Rochester, and a multitude of lay people; and there, in the presence of the whole assembly, the archbishop taking the crossin his hand, made his oath upon the book of the ecclesiastical laws to the scir-man, who then took it to the king's use, as Leossune himself refused to receive it, that the right use of these lands was to Christ church; and as a farther confirmation of it to future times, it had the ratification of a thousand of the choicest men out of Suthex, Westsex, Middlesex, and Eastsex, who took their oaths also on the cross to the truth of it after him. (fn. 2)
At the time of taking the general survey of Domesday, Eynesford was held of the archbishop of Canterbury, by knight's service, and accordingly it is thus entered, under the general title of Terra Militum Archiepi, in that record.
Ralph Fitz Unspac holds Ensford of the archbishop. It was taxed at six suling. The arable land is. In demesne there are five carucates and 29 villeins, with nine borders, having 15 carucates. There are 2 churches and nine servants, and two mills of 43 shillings, and 29 acres of meadow; wood for the pannage of 20 hogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth 16 pound, and now it is worth 20 pounds.—Of this manor Richard de Tonebridge holds as much wood as 20 bogs may go out from, and one mill of five shillings, and one fishery in this lowy.
In the reign of king Henry II. a family of the name of Eynsford was in the possession of this place, one of whom. William de Eynesford, was sheriff of London in that reign. (fn. 3) They bore for their arms, A fretty ermine, which coat is carved on the roof of the cloisters, at Canterbury. William de Eynesford, whether the same as above mentioned does not appear, held the MANOR and CASTLE of Eynsford of the archbishop, at which time archbishop Becket, having given the church of Eynsford to one Laurence, William de Eynesford dispossessed him of it, for which he was excommunicated by the archbishop, which offended the king exceedingly; (fn. 4) another of the same name possessed this manor and castle in the 12th and 13th years of king John. (fn. 5) In the reign of king Edward I. this estate was become the property of the family of Criol, in the 21st year of which, as appears by the Tower records, John de Criol and Ralph de Sandwich claimed the privileges of a manor here; Nicholas de Criol, a descendant of this John, died possessed of it, anno 3 king Richard II. (fn. 6) after which it passed by sale to the Zouches, of Harringworth. William Zouche died possessed of it in the 5th year of that reign, and left three sons, Sir William le Zouche of Braunfield, Edmund. and Thomas; which last and this castle and manor, of which he was possessed at his death, anno 6 king Henry IV. (fn. 7) After which it passed into the name of Chaworth; and Elizabeth, wife of William Chaworth, was found to die possessed of it in the 17th year of king Henry VII. Soon after which, it was conveyed by sale to Sir Percival Hart, of the body of Henry VIII. His son, Sir George Hart, died anno 22 queen Elizabeth possessed of this castle and manor, with the mill, called Garsmill, holding them of the king, as of his manor of Otford, by knights service; (fn. 8) since which they have descended in the same manner that Lullingstone has, to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. the present possessor of them.
There are large ruins still remaining of Eynsford castle. The walls, which are built of squared flint, are near four feet thick, being entire for near forty feet in height. The circuit of these walls are of a very irregular form, and contain about three quarters of an acre of ground, in the middle of them is a strong keep or dungeon. It stands at a small distance eastward from the river Darent, between which and the castle, as well as for the same space about it, there is much rubbish and foundations of buildings, and there are remains of a broad moat round it, now quite dry.
Many lands in Eynsford are held of this manor by annual quit rents. A constable is chosen at the court leet, held for it, for the liberty of Eynsford, which extends over the parish of Eynsford, and great part of the south side of Farningham-street.
SOUTH-COURT is a manor here, which was antiently part of the estate of the family of Eynesford, already mentioned, and was formerly parcel of Eynsford-castle. John de St. Clere possessed this manor in the 20th year of king Edward III. at which time he paid aid for it. In the reign of king Henry VII. it was come into the name of Dinham; and John Dinham died possessed of the manor of South-court, with its appurtenances, in Eynsford, which he held of the archibshop, as of his manor of Otford, by knights service, in the 17th of king Henry VIII. (fn. 9) From Dinham it passed by sale to Sir Thomas Wyatt of Allington-castle, from which family it was sold to Hart; and Sir John Hart, son and heir of Sir Percival Hart, knight of the body to king Henry VIII. (fn. 10) died possessed of it in the 22d year of queen Elizabeth, holding it of the queen, as of her manor of Otford, by knight service.
Since this unity of possession, the style of these manors has been, the castle and manor of Eynsford cum Southcourt; by which title they have descended, in the same manor as Lullingstone, to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. the present possessor of them.
The MANOR of ORKESDEN, the mansion of which is now called, by corruption, Aston-LODGE, was antiently possessed by a family, who took their surname from their residence here. William de Orkesden, in the 12th and 13th years of king John's reign held half a knight's see in Eynsford, by knight's service of the archbishop. He was one of the Recognitores Magna Assise, or justices of the Great Assize. (fn. 11)
In the reign of king Edward III. Reginald de Cobham was become possessed of this manor; in the 14th year of which he obtained a charter of free warren in all the demesne lands within his lordship of Orkesdenne; and in the next year he obtained licence to castellate his house here. He was son of Reginald de Cobham, who was son of John de Cobham of Cobham, by his second wife, Joane, daughter of Hugh de Nevill. (fn. 12)
This Reginald de Cobham was a great warrior; and in the 18th year of king Edward III. was constituted admiral of the king's fleet, from the Thames mouth westward. In the 20th of king Edward III. he paid aid for one quarter of a see in Orkesden, which he held of William de Eynesford, as of his manor of Eynsford. He died of the pestilence in the 35th year of that reign possessed of this manor, leaving Regihald his son and heir, and Joane his wife, daughter of Sir Maurice de Berkeley surviving, who possessed this manor at her death, anno 43 king Edward III. (fn. 13) Her son, Reginald, was lord of Sterborough, castle, in Surry, from whence this branch of the Cobhams was henceforward called, Cobhams of Sterborough-castle. (fn. 14)
His grandson, Sir Thomas Cobham, left a sole daughter and heir, Anne, who carried this manor in marriage to Sir Edward Borough, who survived him, and died possessed of it in the 20th year of king Henry VIII. then holding it of the lord Zouche, as of his manor of Eynsford, by knights service. (fn. 15)
Thomas, their son and heir, was summoned to parliament, as lord borough, anno 21 Henry VIII. He left Thomas his son and heir, who bequeathed this manor of Orkesden to his youngest son, Sir William Borough; and he, in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign, passed it away by sale to Francis Sandbache, esq. who sold it to John Lennard, esq. custos brevium of the court of common-pleas, who purchased it for his second son, Samuel Lennard, who was afterwards knighted, and was of West Wickham, in this county. On his death, in 1618, he was succeeded here by his son, Sir Stephen Lennard, who was created a baronet in 1642; he sold it to Richard Duke, esq. from whom it passed to Nathaniel Tench, esq. who died in 1710, and was buried at Low Leyton, in Essex. His only surviving son, Fither Tench, was created a baronet in 1715. (fn. 16) and died possessed of Orkesden manor in 1736; soon after which it was conveyed by sale to Percival Hart. esq. of Lullingstone, whose grandson, Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. is the present owner of it.
Many lands in Eynsford, Lullingstone, and Sevenoke, are held of this manor by small annual quit rents.
On the western side of this parish, next to St. Mary Cray, lies the HAMLET of CROCKENHILL, which, as appears by a writ, Ad quod damnum, brought against the prioress of Dartford, in the 11th year of king Edward IV. was in the possession of that prioress and convent; with whom it staid till their suppression, in the reign of king Henry VIII. when their lands and revenues were surrendered into the king's hands; all which were confirmed to him and his successors by the general words of the act of the 31st of his reign, the year after which the king granted to Percival Hart, esq. among other premises, the manor of Crekenhill, alias Crokenhill, with its appurtenances, to hold of him in capite by knights service. (fn. 17) His son, Sir George Hart, of Lullingstone, died possessed of it, being then stiled Crockenhill, alias Court-hawe, in the 22d year of queen Elizabeth, holding it by the above tenure. Since which it has descended, in the same manner as the rest of his estates in this parish, to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. the present possessor of it.
This manor pays a yearly fee-farm rent to the crown of eleven shillings and five-pence.
LITTLE-MOTE and PETHAM-COURT are two manors, situated at the two opposite sides of this parish; the former being at the north east corner of it, near Farningham; and the latter at the north-west corner of it, near adjoining to Crokenhill and St. Mary Cray. These manors were, for many generations, part of the possessions of the family of Sibell, who resided at a mansion, called after them Sibell's, situated in Little or Lower Mote, and bore for their arms, Argent, a tiger gules, viewing himself in a glass or mirror, azure. Their estate here was much increased in the reign of king Henry VIII. by one of them marrying the female heir of Cowdale. These Cowdales bore for their arms, Argent, a chevron gules between three cows heads caboshed sable; which coat, both impaled and quartured with Sybill, Philipott says was remaining in the mansion here, both in painted glass and carved work, in his time. (fn. 18)
One of this family, John Sibell, died in the 17th year of queen Elizabeth, possessed of these estates, and also of the demesne lands of the manor of Hiltes bury; all which were held of the manor of Eynsford. He left an only daughter and heir, Elizabeth, and Jane his wife surviving, who held these estates for her life, and afterwards married Francis Hart, esq.
Elizabeth Sibell, the daughter, in the 24th year of queen Elizabeth, married Robert Bosevile, esq. afterwards knighted, the younger brother of Henry Bosevile of Bradborne, and son of Ralph Bosevile, of that place, clerk of the court of wards; and he, on her mother's death, became, in her right, possessed of Sibell's, with the manors of Littlemote and Petham. His descendant, Sir Thomas Bosevile, was of Littlemote, and had been a colonel in the king's army, and knighted by king Charles I. at Durham, in May 1642. He died the next year, and was buried in St. Mary's church, Oxford. (fn. 19) By Sarah, his wife, who afterwards married Col. Richard Crimes, he had a son, Thomas, who possessed these manors and Sibell's on his father's death. He married Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir Francis Wyat, of Boxleyabbey, and died in 1660, leaving an only daughter and heir, Margaretta, who carried the manor of Petham-court in marriage to Sir Robert Marsham, bart. of Bushey-hall, in Hertfordshire; and his great grand son, the Right Hon. Charles Marsham, lord Romney, is the present possessor of it.
But the manor of Littlemote, with Sibell's, became the property of Sir Henry Bosevile, who died in 1702, (fn. 20) without issue, and devised this manor and estate to his kinsman, Robert Bosevile, esq. of Staffordshire, whose family was originally of Ardesley, in Yorkshire, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, a younger branch of them settled in Kent, at Bradborne, in Sevenoke, and here at Eynsford; and a younger branch of these again in Staffordshire; they bore for their arms, Argent, a fess lozengy gules, in chief three bears heads erased sable.
His son of the same name, in the year 1755, sold it, in several parcels, to different persons, since which it has been of no consequence worth mentioning, and the old mansion of Sibell's has been pulled down some years ago, and two tenements have been erected on the scite of it.
Charities.
PERCIVAL HART, esq. gave by will, for the benefit of the poor, an annuity out of lands, vested in Sir John Dyke, bart. and of the annual produce of 2l.
AN UNKNOWN PERSON gave for the like use, a house, let by the parish to Philip Weller, and of the annual value of 4l.
SIR ANTHONY ROPER and . . . . . . . . HATCLIFF, esq. (as is supposed) gave for the benefit of the same, lands and houses in Greenwich, the rents to be divided, to the parish of Farningham threefifths, to Horton Kirkby one-fifth, and to this parish of Eynsford one-fifth, the annual produce being to this parish, on an average, 7l.
EYNSFORD is in the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION OF THE diocese of Rochester, and being a peculiar of the archbishop, it is as such in the deanry of Shoreham. The church, which is dedicated to St. Martin, is situated at the south-east end of the village.
It seems from the form of it to be one of our early Norman structures, and coeval with the castle. It is built in the form of a cross, with two large wings or side chancels; that on the south side belonged to the Sibell's, and afterwards to the Bosevile's, many of whom lie buried in it, several of whose gravestones and inscriptions are now so covered with fifth and rubbish that they are illegible; and the place itself, through continued neglect, is hastening to a total ruin. The north chancel is kept in good repair, and is filled with pews and a neat vestry room. In this chancel, according to Weever, was a stone, on which was engraved, in wondrous antique characters, Ici gis. la famme de la Roberg de Eckisford, perhaps it may have been so spelt for Einesford, or one of his mistakes for it, and if so, this chancel might belong to the Eynesfords, lords of this manor and castle; the stone is now hid by the wooden flooring over it. At the west end of the church is a spire steeple, underneath which is a curious circular door way of Saxon or very early Norman architecture. (fn. 21)
Among other monuments and inscriptions in this church, in the chancel, a gravestone, arms, a lion passant guardant, in chief three stirrups, for George Gifford, esq. obt. 1704, æt. 85; another for Thomas Gifford, esq. obt. 1705, æt. 59. In the chancel, on the south side of the church, a gravestone for lady Sarah Bosevile, wife of Col. Richard Crimes, obt. 1660; another for Tho. Bosevile, esq. of Littlemote, in Eynsford, only son of Sir Thomas Bosevile; he married Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir Francis Wiat of Boxley-abbey, by whom he left Margaretta, his sole daughter and heir; obt. 1660; another, arms, five lozenges in fess, in chief three bears heads erased, impaling two bends engrailed, and a canton, for Sir Henry Bosevile, of Littlemote, and dame Mary his wife; she died 1693, he died 1702. On the south wall, a monument with the above arms, for Mrs. Margaret Bosevile, only daughter and heir of Sir Henry Bosevile, of Littlemote, ob. 1682, æt. 26. (fn. 22)
William de Eynesford, lord of this parish, gave the church of Eynsford to the monks o Christ-church, in Canterbury, when he became a monk there; which was confirmed by William de Enysford, his grandson. (fn. 23) Archbishop Richard, in the reign of king Henry II. appropriated this church to the almonry of Christ church. (fn. 24) In the time of Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, there was a dispute, whether the church of Farningham was a chapel to the church of Eynsford or not ?
In consequence of which, the archbishop, by his decree, made with the consent of all parties in 1225, ordained, that the rector of Eynsford and his successors, should possess entirely the whole church of Eynsford, with all its tythes, as well great as small, houses, lands, gardens, and all other things belonging to it, which the rector of it was wont to have before; and that the almoner of Christ-church, and not the monks, should possess, to the use of the almonry, the chapel of Farningham, with its appurtenauces, &c. belonging to it, as is therein mentioned; and that the rector of this church of Eynsford should, on a vacancy, present to the vicarage of this church; and that further than this, neither should intermeddle, or claim a right in the above premisess. (fn. 25)
Thus this rectory became a fine cure, the parson of this church from that time having presented to the vicarage, the incumbent of which has had the cure of souls, in which situation the rectory still remains, being esteemed as a donative of the patronage of the archbishop of Canterbury.
In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church was valued at thirty marcs. (fn. 26) In 1575, Henry Withers, clerk, parson of the parish church and benefice of Eynsford, leased this rectory to Thomas Dunmoll, yeoman, at 12l. 6s. 8d. per annum. In 1633, John Gifford, D. D. rector, let the same to Thomas Gifford, his son, at forty pounds per annum rent.
By virtue of the commission of enquiry into the value of church livings, in 1650, issuing out of chancery, it was returned, that Eynsford was a donative, with a house, and one hundred acres of glebe, and the great tythes, worth altogether one hundred and ten pounds per annum, then in the possession of George Gifford, esq. that the vicarage had a house, but no glebe land, and was worth thirty-five pounds per annum, one master Heriot enjoying it, and preaching there. (fn. 27)
Francis Porter, rector in 1674, let to George Gifford, esq. of Pennis, this rectory, or parsonage of forty pounds per annum, and of twenty pounds to the vicar, Edward Tilson, which last sum is mentioned to be an augmentation made in pursuance of the king's letters recommendatory, which lease was confirmed in 1707, in pursuance of like letters of queen Anne.
¶George Gifford, esq. of Pennis, continued lessee till his death, in 1704, when his interest in it devolved to his son, Thomas Gifford, who died the next year, and left three daughters and coheirs, viz. Margaret, married to Thomas Petley; Mary to John Selby, and Jane to Finch Umsrey; this parsonage being let by them at one hundred and forty-five pounds per annum.
The interest of this lease passed by sale from them to Percival Hart, esq. of Lullingstone, whose grandson, Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. a few years ago, suffered the lease to expire.
The rectory of Eynsford is valued in the king's books at 12l. 16s. 8d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 5s. 8d. the vicarage at twelve pounds, and the tenths at 1l. 4s. (fn. 28)
Church of St Oswald, Lythe, North Yorkshire
The former building it replaced, dated from the 12c & 13c but stone cross head & hog back fragments of the 9c & 10c found in 1910 built into the walls, mark this as an important Viking burial ground and pre-1066 Conquest Christian site
The church was granted to the monks of Nostell Priory during the period of Alexander III being pope (1159–1181) and was named after their dedication of St Oswald.
At some point, the walls were re-enforced with buttresses and two arches inside the church were demolished to be made into one.
C1768 The top of the tower was removed "for fear of it falling down upon the church.".
In 1818, the roof was stripped of its lead covering and replaced with slate
The churchyard was enlarged in 1887 and a lych-gate added.
The present building , with the exception of the 13c north wall and east end of the chancel, was entirely rebuilt in 1910–11 by architect Sir Walter Tapper
It now consists of a chancel with a vestry on the north and a chapel on the south, nave , north and south aisles, south porch and west tower topped by a short stone spire 32 ft. in height.
The tower has 2 bells, one inscribed 'Gloria in Altissimis Deo, 1682,' and the other 'Sanctus Oswel Deo.'
There are memorials to the Marquis of Normanby, Earl of Mulgrave Phipps family of Mulgrave Castle, including one to 8 year old Henrietta Sophia Phipps of 1808 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/U4Bp6C
Picture with thanks - copyright Mike Kirby CCL www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1409016
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some Background:
The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, day/night interceptor, replacing the propeller-driven North American F-82 Twin Mustang in this role. The system was designed to overtake the F-80 in terms of performance, but more so to intercept the new high-level Soviet bombers capable of nuclear attacks on America and her Allies - in particular, the new Tupelov Tu-4. The F-94 was furthermore the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War in January 1953.
The initial production model was the F-94A, which entered operational service in May 1950. Its armament consisted of four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns mounted in the fuselage with the muzzles exiting under the radome for the APG-33 rader, a derivative from the AN/APG-3, which directed the Convair B-36's tail guns and had a range of up to 20 miles (32 km). Two 165 US Gallon (1,204 litre) drop tanks, as carried by the F-80 and T-33, were carried on the wingtips. Alternatively, these could be replaced by a pair of 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under the wings, giving the aircraft a secondary fighter bomber capability. 109 were produced.
The subsequent F-94B, which entered service in January 1951, was outwardly virtually identical to the F-94A. The Allison J33 turbojet had a number of modifications made, though, which made it a very reliable engine. The pilot was provided with a more roomy cockpit and the canopy was replaced by a canopy with a bow frame in the center between the two crew members, as well as a new Instrument Landing System (ILS). However, this new variant’s punch with just four machine guns remained weak, and, in order to improve the load of fire, wing-mounted pods with two additional pairs with machine guns were introduced – but these hardly improved the interceptor’s effectiveness. 356 of the F-94B were built.
The following F-94C was extensively modified and initially designated F-97, but it was ultimately decided just to treat it as a new version of the F-94. USAF interest was lukewarm, since aircraft technology developed at a fast pace in the Fifties. Lockheed funded development themselves, converting two F-94B airframes to YF-94C prototypes for evaluation with a completely new, much thinner wing, a swept tail surface and a more powerful Pratt & Whitney J48, a license-built version of the afterburning Rolls-Royce Tay, which produced a dry thrust of 6,350 pounds-force (28.2 kN) and approximately 8,750 pounds-force (38.9 kN) with afterburning. Instead of machine guns, the new variant was exclusively armed with more effective unguided air-to-air missiles.
Eventually, the type was adopted for USAF service, since it was the best interim solution for an all-weather fighter at that time, but it still had to rely on Ground Control Interception Radar (GCI) sites to vector the interceptor to intruding aircraft.
Anyway, The F-94C's introduction and the availability of more effective Northrop F-89C/D Scorpion and the North American F-86D Sabre interceptors led to a quick relegation of the earlier F-94 variants from mid-1954 onwards to second line units and Air National Guards. By 1955 most of them had been phased out of USAF service. However, some of these relatively young surplus machines were subsequently exported to friendly nations, esp. to NATO countries in dire need for all-weather interceptors at the organization’s outer frontiers where Soviet bomber attacks had to be expected.
One of these foreign operators was Greece. In 1952, Greece was admitted to NATO and the country’s Air Force was, with US assistance, rebuilt and organized according to NATO standards. New aircraft were introduced, namely jet fighters which meant a thorough modernization. The first types flown by the Hellenic Air Force were the Republic F-84G Thunderjet (about 100 examples) and the Lockheed F-94B Starfire (about thirty aircraft).
The Hellenic F-94Bs represented the USAF’s standard, but for their second life they were modified to carry, as an alternative to the type’s standard machine gun pods under the wings, a pair of pods with unguided air-to-air missiles, similar to the F-94C. Their designation remained unchanged, though.
This first generation of jets in Hellenic service became operational in 1955 and played an important role within NATO's defense strategy in the south-eastern Europe in the following years. They also took part in Operation Deep Water, a 1957 NATO naval exercise held in the Mediterranean Sea that simulated protecting the Dardanelles from a Soviet invasion and featured a simulated nuclear air strike in the Gallipoli area, reflecting NATO's nuclear umbrella policy to offset the Soviet Union's numerical superiority of ground forces in Europe.
In the late 1960s, the F-84 fighters were replaced by the Canadair Sabre 2 from British and Canadian surplus stocks and the Hellenic Air Force acquired new jet aircraft. These included the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter, the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger. The latter entered service in service 1969 and gradually replaced the F-94Bs in the all-weather interceptor role until 1971.
In the mid-1970s the Hellenic Air Force was further modernized with deliveries of the Dassault Mirage F1CG fleet, Vought A-7Hs (including a number of TA-7Hs) and the first batch of McDonnell-Douglas F-4E Phantom IIs, upgraded versions of which still serve today.
After their replacement through the F-102 the Hellenic F-94Bs were still used as advanced trainers, primarily for aspiring WSOs but also for weapon training against ground targets. But by the mid Seventies, all Hellenic F-94Bs had been phased out.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2
Length: 40 ft 1 in (12.24 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 9 in (12.16 m)
Height: 12 ft. 2 (3.73 m)
Wing area: 234' 8" sq ft (29.11 m²)
Empty weight: 10,064 lb (4,570 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,330 lb (6,960 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 24,184 lb (10,970 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Allison J33-A-33 turbojet, rated at 4,600 lbf (20.4 kN) continuous thrust
and 6,000 lbf (26.6 kN) thrust with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: 630 mph (1,014 km/h) at height and in level flight
Range: 930 mi (813 nmi, 1,500 km) in combat configuration with two drop tanks
Ferry range: 1,457 mi (1,275 nmi, 2,345 km)
Service ceiling: 42,750 ft (14,000 m)
Rate of climb: 6,858 ft/min (34.9 m/s)
Wing loading: 57.4 lb/ft² (384 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.48
Armament:
4x 0.5"0 (12.7 mm) machine guns in the lower nose section
2x 165 US Gallon (1,204 litre) drop tanks on the wing tips
2x underwing hardpoints for
- two pods with a pair of 0.5" (12.7 mm) machine guns each, or
- two pods with a total of 24× 2.75” (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets, or
- two 1.000 lb (454 kg) bombs (instead of the wing tip drop tanks)
The kit and its assembly:
This is a rather simple entry for the 2018 "Cold War" GB at whatifmodelers.com, in the form of a more or less OOB-built Heller F-94B in a fictional guise. The original inspiration was the idea of a camouflaged F-94, since all USAF machines had been left in bare metal finish with more or less colorful additions and markings.
That said, the kit was built almost completely OOB and did – except for some sinkholes and standard PSR work – not pose any problem. In fact, the old Heller Starfire model is IMHO a pretty good representation of the aircraft. O.K., its age might show, but almost anything you could ask for at 1:72 scale is there, including a decent, detailed cockpit. I just added a wire pitot under the nose and opened the gun ports, plus some machine gun barrels inside made from hollow steel needles. The main wheels had to be replaced due to sinkholes, and they appeared to be rather narrow for this massive aircraft, too. I found decent replacements from a Tamiya 1:100 F-105D.
Painting and markings:
Even though the F-94 never wore camouflage in real life, I chose to add some (more) color to this Hellenic Starfire. In fact, the RHAF adopted several schemes for its early jet types, including grey undersides to otherwise NMF machines grey/green NATO colors, all-around ADC Grey, the so-called Aegean Grey or the USAF's South East Asia scheme. I chose the latter, since I expected an unusual look, and the colors would be a good match for the Hellenic landscape, too.
The basic colors (FS 30219, 34227, 34279 and 36622) all come from Humbrol (118, 117, 116 and 28, respectively), and for the pattern I adapted the USAF’s recommendation for the C-123 Provider transport aircraft. Beyond a black ink wash and some post-shading for weathering effects the whole surface of the kit received a wet-sanding treatment for additional wear-and-tear effects, exploiting the fact that the kit is molded in silver plastic which, in the end, shines through here and there. The result is a shaggy look, but it’s not rotten and neglected.
The machine gun pods received black front ends (against glare), which was also added to the tip tanks’ front end inside surfaces. The radome and the fin tip were painted with a mix of Humbrol 168 (RAF Hemp) and 28, and the gun ports as well as the afterburner section were painted with Steel Metallizer.
Using a 340th Mira’s early F-84G for further inspiration, I decided to add some bright squadron markings to the aircraft in the form of yellow-black-checkered tip tanks. These were created with black decal squares (cut from TL Modellbau generic material) over a painted, yellow base (Humbrol 69). I considered even more markings, e.g. a checkered fin rudder or an ornamental decoration, but eventually rejected this idea in favor of the aircraft’s camouflage theme.
Other decals come primarily from a HiScale F-84G sheet. Some elements were taken from the Heller OOB sheet and some additional stencils were gathered from various sources, including an Xtradecal T-33 and a PrintScale F-102 sheet.
After some soot stains around the exhaust were added with graphite, the kit was sealed under a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
An interesting result, since a camouflaged F-94 is literally unusual. I am positively surprised how good the aircraft looks in the USAF SEA livery.
During 1916 the British born Australian architect Walter Richmond Butler (1864 – 1949) designed a new Anglican Mission to Seamen to be built on an oddly shaped triangular block of land at 717 Flinders Street on the outskirts of the Melbourne central city grid, to replace smaller premises located in adjoining Siddeley Street, which had been resumed by the Harbour Trust during wharf extensions.
The Missions to Seamen buildings, built on reinforced concrete footings, are in rendered brick with tiled roofs. Walter Butler designed the complex using an eclectic mixture of styles, one of which was the Spanish Mission Revival which had become a prevalent style on the west coast of America, especially in California and New Mexico during the 1890s. The style revived the architectural legacy of Spanish colonialism of the Eighteenth Century and the associated Franciscan missions. The revival of the style is explicit in the Mission’s small, yet charming chapel with its rough-hewn timber trusses, in the bell tower with its pinnacles and turret surmounted by a rustic cross and in the monastic-like courtyard, which today still provides a peaceful retreat from the noisy world just beyond the Missions to Seamen’s doorstep. The chapel also features many gifts donated by members of the Harbour Trust and Ladies’ Harbour Lights Guild, including an appropriately themed pulpit in the shape of a ship's prow and two sanctuary chairs decorated with carved Australian floral motifs. Some of the stained glass windows in the chapel depict stories and scenes associated with the sea intermixed with those Biblical scenes more commonly found in such places of worship.
The adjoining Mission to Seamen’s administration, residential and recreational building shows the influence of English domestic Arts and Crafts architecture, with its projecting gable, pepper pot chimneys and three adjoining oriel windows. The lobby, with its appropriately nautically inspired stained glass windows, features a large mariner's compass inlaid in the terrazzo floor. Built-in timber cupboards, wardrobes, paneling and studded doors throughout the buildings evoke a ship's cabin.
Walter Butler, architect to the Anglican Diocese in Melbourne, had come to Australia with an intimate knowledge and experience of the Arts and Crafts movement and continued to use the style in his residential designs of the 1920s. The main hall has a reinforced concrete vaulted ceiling. Lady Stanley, wife of the Mission's patron, Governor Sir Arthur Lyulph Stanley, laid the foundation stone of the complex in November 1916. The buildings were financed partly by a compensation payment from the Harbour Trust of £8,500.00 and £3,000.00 from local merchants and shipping firms. The Ladies' Harbour Lights Guild raised over £800.00 for the chapel. Most of the complex was completed by late 1917 whilst the Pantheon-like gymnasium with oculus was finished soon afterwards. The substantially intact interiors, including extensive use of wall paneling in Tasmanian hardwood, form an integral part of the overall design.
The Missions to Seamen buildings are architecturally significant as a milestone in the early introduction of the Spanish Mission style to Melbourne. The style was to later find widespread popularity in the suburbs of Melbourne. The choice of Spanish Mission directly refers to the Christian purpose of the complex. The Missions to Seamen buildings are unusual for combining two distinct architectural styles, for they also reflect the imitation of English domestic architecture, the Arts and Crafts movement. Walter Butler was one of the most prominent and progressive architects of the period and the complex is one of his most unusual and distinctive works.
The Missions to Seamen buildings have historical and social significance as tangible evidence of prevailing concerns for the religious, moral, and social welfare of seafarers throughout most of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. The complex has a long association with the Missions to Seamen, an organisation formed to look after the welfare of seafarers, both officers and sailors, men "of all nationalities". It had its origins in Bristol, England when a Seamen's Mission was formed in 1837. The first Australian branch was started in 1856 by the Reverend Kerr Johnston, a Church of England clergyman, and operated from a hulk moored in Hobsons Bay; later the Mission occupied buildings in Williamstown and Port Melbourne. In 1905 the Reverend Alfred Gurney Goldsmith arrived at the behest of the London Seamen's Mission to establish a city mission for sailors working on the river wharves and docks. The building reflects the diverse role played by the Mission with its chapel, hall and stage, billiards room, reading room, dining room, officers' and men’s quarters, chaplain's residence, and gymnasium. It is still in use to this day under the jurisdiction of a small, but passionate group of workers, providing a welcome place of refuge to seamen visiting the Port of Melbourne.
Walter Butler was considered an architect of great talent, and many of his clients were wealthy pastoralists and businessmen. His country-house designs are numerous and include “Blackwood” (1891) near Penshurst, for R. B. Ritchie, “Wangarella” (1894) near Deniliquin, New South Wales, for Thomas Millear, and “Newminster Park” (1901) near Camperdown, for A. S. Chirnside. Equally distinguished large houses were designed for the newly established Melbourne suburbs: “Warrawee” (1906) in Toorak, for A. Rutter Clark; “Thanes” (1907) in Kooyong, for F. Wallach; “Kamillaroi” (1907) for Baron Clive Baillieu, and extensions to “Edzell” (1917) for George Russell, both in St Georges Road, Toorak. These are all fine examples of picturesque gabled houses in the domestic Queen Anne Revival genre. Walter Butler was also involved with domestic designs using a modified classical vocabulary, as in his remodelling of “Billilla” (1905) in Brighton, for W. Weatherley, which incorporates panels of flat-leafed foliage. Walter Butler also regarded himself as a garden architect.
As architect to the diocese of Melbourne from 1895, he designed the extensions to “Bishopscourt” (1902) in East Melbourne. His other church work includes St Albans (1899) in Armadale, the Wangaratta Cathedral (1907), and the colourful porch and tower to Christ Church (c.1910) in Benalla. For the Union Bank of Australia he designed many branch banks and was also associated with several tall city buildings in the heart of Melbourne’s central business district such as Collins House (1910) and the exceptionally fine Queensland Insurance Building (1911). For Dame Nellie Melba Butler designed the Italianate lodge and gatehouse at “Coombe Cottage” (1925) at Coldstream.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 28-Mar-17.
Enlarged from well beyond the range of the 200mm lens I had at the time, so it's a bit grainy.
Beverly is training Zinder (German for Cinder) to be a trailing dog to eventually replace Nikki, in Southwest Search Dogs, our all-volunteer K-9 Search and Rescue(SAR) group. I think Zinder is about three months old, because she still has her puppy fur and is still really soft. At trainings, she gets passed around from one handler to the next, like a human baby, because she's really fun to hold, but she always looks back to Bev, since she has already bonded to her. Bev is reflected in Zinder's eyes in this shot, as she was holding treats that she used to move her into position and to give her a good expression. It required a lot of patience on all of our parts, because Zinder didn't understand that we wanted her to stay in one place for more than just a couple of seconds.
It's always a bittersweet experience to train replacements for our search dogs. On the one hand, puppies are so cute, enthusiastic and quick to learn, but on the other hand, our working dogs have served us so well, been so loyal to us, and the bond that we developed with them is so strong that it can't be put into words, and it is really sad to watch them grow old and to have to deal with the inevitability of their passing. We know that they can never be replaced, but there is always room in our hearts for just one more dog.