Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 24-Jan-21.

Just prior to the take-over of Canadian by Air Canada, Canadian's aircraft had started to appear in this hybrid livery.

Fleet No: "CP650".

This aircraft was delivered to Pegasus Aviation Inc and leased to TACA Airlines as N769TA in Nov-94. It was sub-leased to Avianca Colombia in Sep-99 and returned to TACA in Oct-99.

It was stored at San Salvador, El Salvador in Oct-99. In Jun-00 it was returned to the lessor, leased to Air Canada as C-GGBI and sub-leased to Canadi>n Airlines International in a hybrid livery. Canadi>n Airlines was merged into Air Canada in Apr-01.

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Sep-03 and stored. It was re-registered N979PG in Dec-03. It was transferred to Pegasus Aviation Ireland Ltd in Jan-04 as EI-DDW and leased to Alitalia. It was returned to the lessor in Mar-13 as N979PG again.

In Apr-13 the aircraft was leased to Business Air (Thailand) as HS-BIH. They didn't last and it returned to the lessor as N969PG in Oct-14 and was stored at Bangkok - DMK.

It was ferried to Mexico City in Dec-14 for continued storage. The aircraft was fitted with blended winglets at Mexico City in Dec-15 before being leased to SBA Santa Barbara Airlines as YV612T in Jan-16.

It was stored at Mexico City in Mar-17 and was returned to the lessor in May-17 as 2-DYUS (Guernsey Register). The aircraft was leased to Boliviana de Aviacion as CP-3086 in Nov-17.

It was withdrawn from service and stored at Cochabamba, Bolivia in Mar-20 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and returned to service in Jul-20. The aircraft was ferried to Mexico City 20/21-Oct-22, probably for lease return. Updated 23-Oct-22.

I also have a photo of this aircraft with TACA Airlines at...

www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/6759745481

Replacing the "Coke bottle" styling was a more "swoopy" body style, while still retaining some traditional elements. The top of the rear window line went almost straight down to the lip of the trunk lid. The new design was initially characterized by a large B-pillar, until 1975 when the rear window was enlarged. Originally, the "wraparound" style window that occupied more of the b-pillar was initially supposed to be the deisgn, but problems with the glue and sealing the rear window led to the flat style window being used until the re-designed body in 1975. This style became the look that was to epitomize the F-body styling for the longest period during the Firebird's lifetime.

In 1980, ever-increasing emissions restrictions led Pontiac to drop all of its large-displacement engines. 1980 therefore saw the biggest engine changes for the Trans Am. The 301, offered in 1979 as a credit option, was now the standard engine. No manual transmission was available for the Formula or Trans Am in 1980, all received the 3-speed automatic Turbo Hydramatic 350. Engine options included a turbocharged 301 or the Chevrolet 305 small block. The turbocharged 301 used a Garrett TB305 turbo attached to a single Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor and featured a hood-mounted "boost" gauge that would light up as the TB305 accumulated boost. The hood of the 301T equipped Firebirds had a large offset bulge to accommodate for the mounting position of the carburetor on the engine as the turbocharger exhaust occupied a large amount of space in the engine bay.

This 1980 Firebird TransAm Highway Patrol CarTurbo was featured in the film 'Cannonball Run' released in 1981.

I've rediscovered PicMonkey.....found some options I overlooked before, so I now like it more than Pixlr. And more good news I discovered today......the old Picnik team is about to launch a new site that is very similar to Picnik called ribbit! Not up and running yet, but soon!

© all rights reserved

Replacing an earlier photo from Apr-15 with a better version 14-Sep-18.

Fleet No: '0901'.

Originally ordered by Continental Airlines, they were merged into United Airlines in Oct-10. This aircraft was built in Nov-11 and stored at the Boeing factory at Everett, WA, USA. It was first flown in Dec-12 and delivered to United Airlines as N27901 later the same month. Current (Sep-18).

Sonning Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames at Sonning, Berkshire. It is a brick arch bridge completed in 1775, to replace an earlier wooden bridge. The bridge has been the subject of many paintings and prints by artists and is a Grade II listed building.

A stone marker at the centre of the bridge is marked "B | O" (for the counties of Berkshire and Oxfordshire on each side of the river) with the vertical line indicating the exact boundary down the middle of the river. This is an ancient border which used to be between Wessex and Mercia.

The village of Sonning at the Berkshire end of the bridge, is one of the most charming on the Thames, despite being just a few miles from the ever expanding town of Reading. It was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book Three Men in a Boat as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river".

However, the village is plagued with queues of traffic, especially at morning and evening rush hours as the bridge is quite long and only one lane wide, and traffic lights control the intermittent flow of vehicles. It is the only bridge across the river between Reading and Henley on Thames and plans for another have been debated for many years.

Construction is now underway to replace Lord Nelson Elementary school with a seismically safe and state of the art school, thanks to a provincial investment of $18.4 million. The new school will be built to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold standard and will support BC’s new curriculum with modern and open learning spaces. It will include a Neighbourhood Learning Centre and a StrongStart program to support families, children and the community. The third floor will include a 69-space childcare centre, which is being funded by the City of Vancouver. The new school is expected to be ready for students in fall 2018. The Lord Nelson seismic replacement project will also help ensure young people get a chance to learn the trades as it will be built under BC’s Apprentices on Public Projects Policy.

Learn more:

Vancouver School District: www.vsb.bc.ca/

Seismic Mitigation Program: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/administrat...

Apprentices on Public Projects Policy: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/construction-industry...

Based on the Austin A60 and registered as "Morris 1/2 Ton Van". This is a late one, replaced the following year by the Marina based vans.

Seen in Ewell, Surrey.

The vehicle details for VOD 845K are:

Date of Liability01 07 2014

Date of First Registration25 08 1971

Year of Manufacture1971

Cylinder Capacity (cc)1622cc

Fuel TypePETROL

Vehicle StatusLicence Not Due

Vehicle ColourWHITE

The first generation Renault Mégane coupe replaced the aging R19, while based on its chassis. Like the transition from 21 - Laguna, and R5 to Clio, the Mégane lost its number, and gained a name.

Taking its name from a Renault concept car shown in 1988, the Mégane further developed the new corporate styling theme introduced by Patrick Le Quément on the Laguna, most notably the "bird beak" front grille – a styling cue borrowed from the Renault 16 of the 1960s.

Power came from the Renault E type ("Energy") engine in 1.4 L and 1.6 L, and the F-type unit in both 1.9 L diesel and 2.0 L petrol forms, although this time around there was a wider variety of 16 valve derivatives. A 1.9 L diesel engine in both normally aspirated and turbocharged forms was also available.

The Renault Mégane to go on to spawn a more premium version with greater success - the Renault Mégane Scenic - an early addition of the monovolume form to the C-Segment small car.

Thermit reaction

These have been ordered to replace ageing Class 319 stock which will now go north to operate Manchester-Liverpool services. They were commissioned in November 2014, so this picture (taken on 6th December 2014) is a very early one.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 05-Mar-21.

Fleet No: "625".

This Viscount, ex Air Canada sat in this position at Vancouver for many years before being floated across to Victoria, Vancouver Island on a barge for restoration. It's now complete and on display at the British Columbia Aviation Museum in the original Trans-Canada livery. The Museum is located at Sydney, BC, Canada (on the east side of Victoria International Airport).

The aircraft was delivered to Trans-Canada Air Lines as CF-THG in Mar-57. TCA was renamed Air Canada in Jun-64. It was withdrawn from service in Mar-74 and stored at Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Along with another 23 Air Canada Viscounts, the aircraft was sold to Beaver Enterprises at the end of Apr-74 and remained stored. It was sold to Harrison Air in Jan-77 and stored at Vancouver, BC, Canada.

It never entered service and was sold to BCIT British Columbia Institute of Technology in Jun-80 for use as an instructional airframe. It was retired by BCIT in late 1995 and remained in open storage at Vancouver International.

The aircraft was sold to the British Columbia Aviation Museum in Apr-05, external restoration in the original Trans-Canada livery was completed by late 2008.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a (slightly) better version 28-Jan-21 (apologies for the purple patch... This negative has deteriorated more than others!).

Fleet No: "139".

First flown with the Fokker test registration PH-EXA, this aircraft was delivered to Fairchild-Hiller (USA) as N287FH in Dec-71 and stored at Woensdrecht, Netherlands. It was sold back to Fokker in Dec-74 and re-registered PH-EXM in May-75.

The aircraft was sold to Garuda Indonesia Airlines as PK-GVN in Jun-75. It was sold back to Fokker as PH-EZY in Apr-84 and stored. It was sold to Piedmont Airlines (USA) as N291N in Mar-85. The aircraft was re-registered N459US in Nov-88 ahead of Piedmont's merger into US Air in Aug-89.

It was withdrawn from service and stored at Marana, AZ, USA in Apr-93. The aircraft was wet-leased to Canadian Regional Airlines in Sep-93 and was re-registered C-FCRI in Jun-94 and operated on behalf of Inter-Canadian Airlines.

It returned to Canadian Regional in Nov-95 and they bought it from US Airways in Jul-99. Canadian Regional became part of Air Canada Regional when Canadian Airlines International was merged into Air Canada in Nov-01. Air Canada Regional was renamed Air Canada Jazz in Mar-02 and the aircraft was permanently retired at Saskatoon, SK, Canada in Nov-02. It was sold to Quest Aviation Holdings in Jul-06 and later broken up.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 14-Dec-18, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 08-Aug-26.

Original small titles & tail livery with additional 'Dubai Summer Surprises 1999' logo & titles.

First flown in Dec-98 with the Airbus test registration F-WWKL, this aircraft was delivered to Emirates as A6-EKQ on 11-Mar-99 and entered service on the Dubai/Manchester route on 28-Mar-99.

After nearly 17 years in service with Emirates it operated it's last service on 21-Dec-15 Muscat/Dubai and was stored at Dubai. The aircraft was sold to DAE Capital and ferried to Ras Al Khaimah in Feb-16 for further storage.

In Mar-16 the aircraft was leased to Air Transat as C-GJDA. It was sub-leased to Thomas Cook Airlines UK as G-TCCF in Oct-18 for the winter 2018/19 season. It was wet-leased to Condor Flugdienst in Nov-18 and returned to Thos Cook UK and Air Transat in Apr-19.

The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Jan-21 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and stored at Marana, AZ, USA (I think!). It was moved to Montreal-YUL, QC, Canada in Aug-21 for further storage.

It was ferried to Lourdes, France in Jan-22 and stored. The aircraft was returned to DAE Capital as LZ-DCE in early May-22 and permanently retired. It was broken up at Lourdes in Oct-22. Updated 27-May-26.

Note: The Thomas Cook Group signed a seasonal lease agreement with Air Transat in 2017. Thomas Cook Airlines UK had three Air Transat A330-243's for the winter (sub-leased to Condor Flugdienst, also part of the Thomas Cook Group). In exchange, around 6/7 of Thomas Cook UK's A321's were leased to Air Transat for the 2018/19 winter season for Florida & the Caribbean routes from Canada. The A330's weren't leased directly to Condor because they didn't have the A330 on their Air Operators Certificate (AOC).

Starting to replace my photos of Passiflora with ones carrying watermark to prevent further theft. I don't rate myself as a photographer but I use the pictures to tell a story.

Last time I posted this picture it got viewed 278 times and attracted comments by four people. Please support me by viewing this and commenting.

Here is the "story" -

Bred in the Netherlands by Cor Laurens and registered with Plant Breeder's Rights in the EU & named in honour of Princess Máxima of the Netherlands.

Sold under licence from Belgium.

A hybrid of (P. amethystina II x P. caerulea) x P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott‘ according to the official register. Very fragrant!

Similar to 'Purple Haze' also bred by Cor - see gallery in the link below.

www.flickr.com/photos/maracuja_rama/galleries/72157625519...

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 10-Aug-19, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 21-Jul-24.

This aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance corporation and leased to TAP Air Portugal as CS-TIK in Feb-92. It was returned to the lessor in Apr-99 and immediately leased to Air Malta as 9H-ADN.

It was returned to the lessor in Apr-04 as N161AN. The aircraft was leased to Air Sahara (India) as VT-SAY. Air Sahara was sold to Jet Airways around Mar-08 and renamed Jet Lite. The aircraft was stored at Delhi, India, in early 2009.

It was returned to the lessor as N161AN in Jul-10. Later that month it was leased to Small Planet Airlines as LY-FLH. The aircraft was retired at Tallinn, Estonia in late 2015 and was last noted at Tallinn in Apr-16 without engines, resting on pallets with the tail fins removed. It was completely broken up by late 2016.

I also have a shot of this aircraft in Small Planet livery at...

www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/9007342233

2013 Cincinnati

In-camera RAW conversion cropped in Flickr editor

(Hopefully will be replaced by properly processed version)

TE894 (LK08NVJ) working route 607.

Replacing an earlier photo taken 19JUN15 with a better version 18-Jun-16.

Barlaston Hall was built by architect Sir Robert Taylor for Thomas Mills in 1756-8, to replace the existing manor house that he had acquired through marriage. The hall has a red-brick exterior, and is one of a few of Taylor's buildings which retain his trademark octagonal and diamond glazing in the sash windows.

The hall came into the Adderley family in 1816 when Rosamund Mills co-heiress of the Barlaston estate, married Ralph Adderley of Coton Hall, Hanbury, Staffordshire. Their son Ralph Thomas Adderley was High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1866.

Following his death in 1931 the 380-acre (1.5 km2) estate was put up for sale and was bought by the Wedgwood pottery company in 1937, as a site to replace its operation in Etruria a few miles away in an industrial part of Stoke-on-Trent. A new electric pottery and model village for its employees were built in the grounds. From 1945 the hall housed the Wedgwood Memorial College, but when the building was found to contain dry rot, they left and moved elsewhere in the village. Wedgwood continued to maintain the Hall until the late 1960s after which the Hall was vandalised and lead removed from the roof. It also suffered major subsidence due to coal mining. The house had been built across a geological fault, and 4-inch (100 mm) wide cracks had opened in its walls

South Burlington School District #24. Retired. Replaced by a 2014 Chevrolet Starcraft Quest for the 2013-2014 school year.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 20-Oct-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 05-Jun-25.

With additional 'Continental Connection' sticker by the forward door.

On the riverside of the road opposite the point, stood a 6pdr (57mm) HOTCHKISS Mk I or II QF on a pedestal mount with an extended platform, reportedly replaced later by a captured German Twin 2cm FLAK30/38 on Naval Pedestal mounting or just possibly Twin MG42 7.92mm Machine Guns. A French (M1897) 75mm Field Gun was also on hand as an auxiliary weapon.

This wall was damaged in the storms last year and was removed, now replaced by metal railings.

.

In recognition of the the men of the 362 Coast Battery (555 Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery) who manned the searchlight and equipment and of the local men of the No. 17 (Gunners Platoon), C company, 9th (Home Guard) Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment

With the outbreak of World War 2, and in particular after the fall of Dunkirk, the ability to defend the coast including Shaldon set at the mouth of the River Teign became of increasing importance. Defences grew to include lookout posts, searchlights, armament against air and sea attack and the necessary ancillary buildings to service the units who manned the positions, such as the Artificers Workshop, Nissan Huts used as lecture rooms, and a dummy loading hut where they practiced loading the guns. Above Ness beach there was an observation look-out post and Bofors guns manned by a Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillary, stood where the zoo stands today. A boom spanned the mouth of the river and was closed from the last low tide to sunrise the following day. The remains of these emplacements still survive and offer a valuable insight this period of Shaldon's history.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 06-Apr-24.

Photo taken from the International Office Centre at the end of Ringway Road, on final approach for runway 24R.

Named: "City of Luxembourg / Grand Dutchy of Luxembourg".

First flown with the Boeing test registration N1785B, this aircraft was delivered to Cargolux Airlines as LX-FCV in Nov-93.

It was sold to UPS - United Parcel Service in Sep-09 as N581UP and initially stored at Roswell, NM, USA. The aircraft entered service in Sep-10. Current, updated 07-Apr-24.

Note: The registration LX-FCV was previously used on a Cargolux / Lion Air Boeing 747-121 (passenger version) between Jan-88 / Jun-90.

6685. The Oliver Hazard Perry/Adelaide Class missile frigate HMAS DARWIN participates in the International Fleet Review ' s Saturday night pyrotechnics and fireworks spectacular, marking the centenary of the RAN's first Fleet Entry into Sydney in October 1913.

On the precedent of its 50th and 75th anniversary reviews, held respectively in 1961 and 1986, one might have expected this main celebration of the RAN's Centenary to have been held in 2011.

The marker for the earlier re views had been King Geirge the V's Royal Assent and Proclamation of the Royal Australian Navy on July 10, 1911, replacing the former Commonwealth Naval Forces as an entity,

The Royal Assent was observed in 2011 with various low key events, but it became clear that in terms of being seen as a seminal event and marker, in recent it had somewhat fallen out of favour.

In 1911, the Australian public had been relatively unmoved by the Royal Assent, but it had responded with enormous pride and enthusiasm to the arrival of its own battlecruiser, joined by three cruisers and three destroyers, two years later.

In Australia, Navy Week has been celebrated in the first week of October pretty much ever since. For these reasons, it now seems that the most important celebrations will henceforth be based on the 1913 actual arrival of HMAS AUSTRALIA [I] in Sydney Harbour, than the stroke of King's pen in London in 1922.

Photo: ASIS Cassie McBride, RAN.

Railway Gazette reported on the 16th December 2016 that the leaders of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority had givene the go-ahead for a £460m project to replace the Merseyrail suburban electric multiple-unit fleet. This includes the selection of Stadler to supply a fleet of 52 trainsets for entry into service from the end of 2020. Contracts are expected to be signed in early 2017.

‘This is a once in a generation opportunity for custom-built trains that will be safer and carry more people more quickly’, said Chair of the combined authority and Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson. ‘Unusually, these trains will be owned by us locally, meaning we can make sure the trains are exactly what passengers want and that they are ready for our future plans.’

The project is being financed from a reserve fund which had been established for the purpose, as well as loans which the combined authority is to secure from sources including the European Investment Bank. Transport authority Merseytravel will own the trains and lease them to the operating concessionaire, which will be paid a lower operating fee to account for the expected increase in revenue and lower running costs.

The fleet renewal programme also includes power supply, track, and station upgrades and refurbishment of the Kirkdale and Birkenhead North depots. The reduced journey times and better reliability means the decision has been made to order 52 EMUs to replace the current fleet of 59 trains.

The first EMU is scheduled to be delivered in summer 2019 for several months of testing ahead of the delivery of series-built trains by the end of 2020. A new timetable will be introduced in 2021 once the existing Class 507 and 508 units dating from the 1970s have been withdrawn; the new trains’ better acceleration and braking is expected to enable Hunt’s Cross – Southport journey times to be reduced by 9 min.

The 65 m long four-car EMUs will have the same number of seats as the existing three-car sets, but will be 4 m longer with wide through gangways to provide an increase in standing space. This will increase total capacity per EMU from 303 to 486 passengers.

There will be a mix of airline and facing seats, with more space for bicycles, pushchairs and persons with reduced mobility. The train body will be designed specifically for the Merseyrail network, with lower floors and a sliding step to provide near-level access.

There will be a passenger intercom and CCTV linked to the driver and control room. The doors will be illuminated red, amber and green inside and out to show when they are opening or closing and when it is safe to board and alight.

At 99 tonnes, the EMUs will be lighter than the current 105 tonne trains, and energy consumption is expected to be 20% lower, including regenerative braking; options for energy storage are to be studied.

The 750 V DC third-rail EMUs will be capable of conversion to dual-voltage operation for use on 25 kV 50 Hz lines with a view to serving Skelmersdale, Warrington and Wrexham in the longer term.

The trains will be equipped for driver controlled operation, which the combined authority said was ‘put forward by all bidders’ as way to meet the requirements of a report into a fatal incident in 2011. The driver will be responsible for opening and closing the doors and for train dispatch, eliminating the need for guards. Roving customer service roles will be created, with staff available to assist passengers ‘at key locations and times’. There will be fewer customer service roles than guards positions, and while the combined authority envisages there will be natural wastage over the next four years, it has endorsed proposal to guarantee continued employment for all guards currently permanently employed.

‘In an ideal world we’d like to have a second member of staff on every train to ensure the highest level of customer service, but there aren’t the resources to do that’, said Councillor Liam Robinson, Chair of the Merseytravel Committee. ‘Some guards will have the opportunity to be employed in a new on-board customer service role and others will be able to take advantage of other redeployment opportunities, all on the same terms and conditions as now.’

The contract came in slightly over budget (£460m vs target of £400m)

52 units, slightly over the tender requirement of 50 but a reduction from current fleet of 59 (increased reliability and faster journey speeds anticipated to compensate)

65m versus tender specification of 60m to allow doubling up, though that wasn't expected to be normal operating practise just for event strengthening (3m longer than current 62m fleet) and they have significantly higher capacity (60%) from being a wide aisle articulated design.

No mention of earlier proposed fleet extension options, the tender called for 60 options on top of original 50

99 tonnes, 6 tonnes lighter than existing trains and 20% more energy efficient.

DOO but with driver aides such as radar to detect obstructions and people standing too close.

The single doors in the end cars appear to be to allow them to work in multiples without having to extend the platforms. By having a single door in the middle of the car the front and or back could potentially overhang the platform ends to provide a capacity uplift without the additional infrastructure costs.

Images- Merseytravel/Stadler.

W547 SJF - Soon to be replaced by new WRC. This will then move to Lutterworth.

Replacing the aperture mechanism with one from eBay. Work area.

SONY DSC

+++ 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 Israel Aircraft Industries Nesher (Hebrew: נשר, "Vulture" - often mistranslated as "Eagle") is the Israeli version of the Dassault Mirage 5 multi-role fighter aircraft. Most were later sold to the Argentine Air Force as Daggers, and later upgraded as Fingers.

In 1981, the Kfir had supplanted the Nesher in Heyl Ha'avir, and the Neshers were renovated, for sale overseas. Neshers were sold to the Argentine Air Force in two batches, 26 in 1978 and 13 in 1980, under the name Dagger, comprising 35 Dagger A single-seat fighters and four Dagger B two-seat trainers. The Daggers then saw much action against the British in the Falklands War.

General characteristics:

Crew: one

Length incl. pitot: 15.65m (51 ft 3 in)

Wingspan: 8.22m (26 ft 11 in)

Height: 4.25m (13 ft 11 in)

Wing area: 34.8m² (373 sq. ft)

Empty weight: 6,600kg (14,535 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 13,500kg (29,735 lb)

Powerplant:

SNECMA Atar 09 engine with 4,280 kg (9,430 lbf)dry thrust

and 6,200 kg (13,660 lbf) with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: mach 2.1 (39,370ft)

Range: 1,300km (810 ml), clean and with internal fuel only

1,186km (736 ml) with 4700 litres of auxiliary fuel in drop tanks

plus 2 Air to Air missiles and 2600 lb of bombs

Service ceiling: 17,680 (55,775ft)

Rate of climb: 16,400ft/min (83.5 m/s)

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 552 cannons with 125 rounds per gun under the air intakes

Five pylons for a wide range of up to 4.200kg (9,250 lb) of disposable stores

The kit and its assembly:

This short notice build towards the end of the 2016 "Cold War GB" at whatifmodelers.com was inspired by a CG rendition of an IAF F-4 in the unique brown/blue paint scheme, posted by fellow user SPINNERS a couple of days before. Seeing that design variant I wondered how a Kfir in this livery would look like...?

I had a C-2 Kfir in the stash, but also stumbled across a Heller Mirage IIIE/R/5BA kit without a real purpose in the stash and remembered the Kfir's predecessor, the Nesher, which was more or less a bluntly copied Mirage 5. Since the type was earlier and more appropriate for the brown/blue livery, I decided to convert the Heller Mirage into a Nesher, since it comes pretty close.

The Heller kit is old and rather basic by today's standards. You get fine but raised panel lines, only a rough interior, mediocre fit and a brittle plastic that catches scratches and dents when you only look at it.

Anyway, creating a Nesher from the Heller kit is not really complicated. Two major mods have to be made: the fin has to be enlarged or replaced, and the nose needs a special pitot installation.

The Nesher carried the bigger Mirage III/5 fin, and the Heller kit only bears the short version. Since I had a donation PM Model Nesher/Dagger kit in store (horrible kit, it rather resembles a mutated Mirage III but neither the israeli nor the Argentinian aircraft!) I just transplanted the fin. This appeared easier than adding a fin fillet, and having just the right donation part at hand made the decision even easier. :D

The nose is the Mirage 5's, but the tip was slightly modified and the pitot needed a separate fairing/attachment under the nose tip. The latter was created from a piece of round styrene and blended with the lower front fuselage.

After the major body work was done, some antennae/sensors were replaced or added, a Panzer IV’s sprocket wheel as an afterburner interior (just to have something inside the gaping exhaust hole) as well as launch rails under the outer wings for a pair of Shafrir-2s. The sleek drop tanks come OOB from the Heller kit – it only offers a pair of bigger tanks with fins, but no offensive ordnance at all.

In the cockpit I used a Martin Baker ejection seat from an Italeri Kfir, a slightly better option than the OOB part.

Painting and markings:

This is the actual whif aspect about this build, which is just the fictional application of a real world IAF scheme that was in use about 10 years before the Yom Kippur War. In real life the Nesher just came too late to carry the murky brown/blue pattern, because it was phased out in 1967, after the Six Days War. But putting it onto a more modern aircraft creates interesting results!

The scheme is based upon the original grey/green French pattern, just with the colors replaced with RAL 8000 (Grüngrau) or Field Drab (FS 30215) and RAL 5008 (Graublau), the authentic upper surface tones for this strange camouflage.

I’ve already built a (real world) IAF Ouragan in this style, so I had some practice and good references at hand. Model Master 1702 (alternatively: Humbrol 142) is a good option for the brown/tan tone, even though it is a bit too dark for my taste. "Israeli Armor Grey" from ModelMaster is a more approriate tone - it's lighter and actually an equivalent for RAL 8000, which is also used on Israeli tanks!

For the greyish-green dark blue I used Humbrol 77 (Navy Blue) which comes IMHO close. The undersides were painted in a pale grey, I used FS 36440 (Light Gull Grey, Humbrol 129 in this case). Some sources claim it to be RAL 7044 (Seidengrau), but the FS tone is practically identical.

All Neshers (even in later Argentinian service) had their nose painted black. There was no radar oder radome fitted, it was rather a deception in order to make enemies confuse the simple ground attack Neshers with the more potent (and radar-equipped) Mirage IIIs.

The kit received a light black ink wash and some dry-brushing for panel emphasis. The decals come mostly from the PM Model Nesher, including the large, yellow Yom Kippur War ID triangles which create a powerful contrast on the dark underground. Interesting result!

Anyway, while the decals might be the best thing about the PM kit, they have thier drawbacks, too. While they are 100% opaque the carrier film is thick, stiff and brittle, and they do not adhere well to the underground, despite decals softener and other tricks. :(

As a small detail I put the aircraft's tactical code on a silver background, as if the aircraft had originally been bare metal with the camouflage rather hastily applied. Since I had no IAF squadron markings left I added a yellow/black checkerboard pattern to the fin's rudder - the marking of the 113 Tayaset "Ha'Tsira'a (The Wasps), which actually operated the Nesher in the Yom Kippur conflict, just with a different camouflage.

Finally, the kit received some smoke/exhaust marks with graphite and was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish. To make matters worse, the Revell varnish turned white, so I had to repair that damage as good as I could, and the finish now is far from what I had originally hoped for, despite the general troubles with the PM Model kit's decals.

A rather subtle whif, and even the aircraft itself is real (or at least a "realistic" model replica). Anyway, the paint scheme application changes things considerably, and the model ended - with the ID trinagles and the other bright markings - more colorful than expected. But the finish ended up rather poor, so that I am a bit disappointed.

Besides, a highly recommended source for this aircraft is Amos Dor's "IAI Nesher (From Mirage to Kfir, pt. 2 of 3)" book from "The IAI Aircraft Series", AD Graphics/Milano, 2000. All the other publications from this series of books are also generally recommended for any IAF builds.

Replacing an earlier scanned print with a better version 18-Nov-18.

Taken through glass from the old Emirates offices in the Control Tower Block Extension.

This aircraft was delivered to CSA Czechoslovak Airlines as OK-OBL in Nov-84. It was leased to Air Moravia in Dec-91 and returned to CSA in Jun-92 (presumably why it has no titles in my photo). The aircraft operated CSA's last IL-62 flight in Oct-94 and was stored at Prague. It was sold to Bemoair in Apr-96 and sold to Egretta in May-97. The aircraft was leased to Air Cess (based at Sharjah, UAE) in May-98. It was sold to Yana Air as XU-229 (Cambodia) in Jan-99 and operated out of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE with additional Sin-Sad titles. It was stored at Ras Al Khaimah in mid 2001 and broken up there in Oct-06.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 30-Sep-22.

Seen here on its first visit to Manchester in the original livery.

First flown in Dec-88 as CCCP-82060, this world-famous aircraft was operated by Antonov Airlines and originally designed to carry the Russian equivalent of the Space Shuttle, 'Buran'.

Russia's 'Space Shuttle' programme was cancelled and the aircraft converted into a freighter configuration, completed in Sep-93 and re-registered in Ukraine as UR-82060. It was withdrawn from use and stored at the Antonov factory airfield at Gostomel, Kyiv, Ukraine in Apr-94.

It was re-registered UR-480182 in May-96 and returned to its original registration, UR-82060 in May-98. The aircraft didn't fly again until May-01 when it entered service as the world's largest cargo carrier.

It was stored at Gostomel between Aug-20 and Jun-21. It was stored again at Gostomel in early Feb-22. Sadly, the aircraft was destroyed by Russian Forces on 24-Feb-22 in the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Great Sampford, Essex

The beautiful church of St Michael the Archangel at Great Sampford is not the first church to stand on the rising ground at the centre of the village overlooking the cornfields along the valley of the river Pant. It is possibly sited on an ancient place of cult or religious significance. The proximity of the Stow farm may be of some importance, for the word ‘Stow’ in Old English can mean a ‘holy place’ or ‘place of assembly’. A pre-Conquest church, presumably of timber and thatch construction, followed perhaps, by a simple stone-built church, was replaced by the 13c on the same site by a major church building of which one of the transepts remains as the vestry of the present church which was built between 1320 and 1350. The original dedication of the church, if different, is not known as the first documentary reference to St Michael occurs as late as 1540 in a Sampford will. Dedications were sometimes changed and the use of the proper style, St. Michael the Archangel, is in fact quite rare. However, dedications to St. Michael or St. Michael and All Angels are numerous and were popular as the Archangel is an important figure in Christian tradition and art, symbolising the victory of God over evil, as an intercessor for the sick and as a leader of the Church militant. Churches dedicated to him, as at Great Sampford, are often found on hill—top sites or on high ground .a possible allusion to St. Michael’s pre-eminence in the Angelic Host of Christian belief. His Feast Day is 29th September.

Knowledge of the origins of the Christian Church in Essex relies largely on the fragile but growing evidence of archaeology and landscape interpretation. An ill-defined and mobile pattern of contemporaneous pagan and early Christian practices in the Roman era comes into historical focus with the missionary endeavours of the Roman and Celtic Churches when such names as Augustine, Mellitus and Cedd are prominent in Essex history. Within that tradition there are various, as yet unproven, theories about the establishment of a church at Great Sampford.

On entering the church the first impression that the visitor receives is of its elegant dignity; the next, the incongruence of its scale in such a tiny rural community. An interesting aspect of this enigma is the search for a convincing explanation of its status, from the mid-13c until 1907, as a deanery church serving twenty-one surrounding parishes in the Freshwell Hundred and in part of Uttlesford. It may have been a consequence of an early ‘minster’ (i.e.: missionary) role or as the result of a parochial compromise in an area with more important communities such as (Saffron) Walden. We do not know. However, it is a fact that the missionary work of the early minsters often extended to and beyond the boundaries of the administrative hundreds and became the sites of the hundredal centres themselves. There may well be historic linkages, not yet understood, between the Freshwell and Uttlesford Hundreds and the Sampford Deanery that relate to the early status of the church at Great Sampford.

The earliest historical fact about St. Michael’s is the grant by William Rufus, son and successor of William the Conqueror, of the church at Sampford along with the subordinate chapel at Hempstead with their lands and tithes to Battle Abbey in 1094. According to Philip Morant, the most famous of Essex historians, this was a formal confirmation of the Conqueror's original royal grant. This act of confirmation was a necessary and regular practice in regard to the efficacy of grants and early charters which were frequently forged. The church at Hempstead was within the jurisdiction of the vicar of Great Sampford until as late as 1979. Great Sampford remained in the hands of Battle Abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 when it was transferred to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury. In 1836 it passed to the newly-established Church Commissioners. In 1982 Great Sampford was combined with the parish of Little Sampford.

For perhaps a thousand years, even more, the Church at Sampford pursued its mission and, like others of medieval foundation, did not escape the consequences of religious, political and parochial events or circumstances. An astonishing flowering of spiritual faith and social commitment led to the building and re-building of these lovely churches. This phase was followed by the painful disruption of the Reformation, the Commonwealth and the Restoration, all of which led to anxious change and despoliation. In the course of these events much of the magnificence of the church at Great Sampford and its furnishings was lost or abandoned. All his was compounded by periods of neglect and the chronic problems of maintaining a great building in a small village bereft of wealthy resident patrons.

The loss, confiscation or sale of the rood, images, church plate and "such other goods as could be spared" was mirrored by decay of the fabric as is evident from the Parochial Inventories and Visitations of the l6c and l7c. The l7c saw the introduction of new arrangements for the railing of the Lord’s Table and seating for the congregation, a school was held in the south transept and the village musicians performed in a gallery under the tower. The inevitable ‘restorations’ by the Victorians led to the removal of furnishings, the installation of new pews, patterned floor tiling and the stripping of the stucco from the exterior walls of the church to expose the original flint and rubble surfaces. In more recent times the spiral staircase in the tower was removed and the roof structure of the south aisle replaced. We are, fortunately, left with a church of beauty and distinction.

It is hoped that the following brief notes on the architectural features and minor objects and details of interest in the church will help visitors to enjoy their visit.

The significance of St. Michael the Archangel in the village scene is apparent from the scale of the building, its strong profiles and conspicuous English Gothic idiom of the Decorated period. Internally, the major architectural theme is that of a restrained, uncomplicated elegance that is enhanced by the ample light admitted by plain glass windows. A dominant feature is the fine range of trefoiled, cinquefoiled and sexfoiled lights of the nave, chancel and aisle windows all dating from the period c. 1320-50. The cusped tracery of the windows is complemented by the symmetrical refinement of the arcading which is only lightly embellished by mouldings and carved capitals, typical of the period, and among the best in the county. Although not devoid of interesting detail, there is nothing to detract from the simple elegance and spatial qualities with which the fenestration and graceful arcading endow this fine building.

In 1769 Peter Muilman referred to the church at Great Sampford which "stands pleasantly on a small eminence by the roadside". Pleasantly indeed, the church is handsomely set in the Essex cornfields and seen to advantage from the high ground on the opposite side of the river. Close to, the sturdy profiles and somewhat severe external textures, relieved by some decorative areas of knapped flint flushwork, offer little hint of the quality of its Gothic interior. The main structure is built with random-faced flint and rubble set in lime mortar with limestone and clunch dressings. The roof is tiled and slated. The prominent west tower was built in the mid-l4c and, like the south aisle, has an embattled parapet. The south porch is of the same period. Unhappily, the window tracery of the 13c transept has been lost and is now disfigured by brickwork of two phases which seem to date from the late-18c to early-19c. Conspicuous in the churchyard are the fine lime trees planted in about 1835. The only monument of significance is the obelisk near the east wall of the churchyard which commemorates members of the Watson Family of Sampford. Colonel Jonas Watson was a distinguished soldier who was killed in action at the siege of Cartagena in 1741. But spare a moment to look at the adjacent grave stone of William Ruffle who died in 1881, a village worthy who served Great Sampford as shopkeeper, constable, clerk and in other public offices for over half a century.

External details of note are a rare series of consecration crosses of varying designs around the church, an early scratch dial, now displaced and seen on a doorstep in the north wall, a benchmark and the slot for the surveyor’s bench on the south-west buttress of the tower and miscellaneous graffiti mainly in the porch. Other details of interest include the rainwater heads, the vigorous carvings on the label of the south transept and niches in the south transept and the north and west walls. The clock on the church tower was installed in l9ll to mark the coronation of King George V.

On entering, visitors will appreciate the impressive dimensions and architectural refinement of this handsome village church. Standing in the centre of the nave the dominant curvilinear idiom of the Gothic styling will be apparent. The nave is flanked by north and south arcaded aisles with plain two-centred arches datable to the l4c. The piers of the north arcade are quatrefoil in plan with slender engaged shafting; those of the south arcade are octagonal in plan. All of the piers have moulded bases and capitals.

The 14c west tower is constructed in four stages. Internally it is open to the nave under a two-centred moulded arch. There is access to the belfry but, sadly, the brick-built circular Tudor staircase was removed about fifty years ago. The carved head of a woman recovered from this staircase, although it presumably originated from elsewhere in the church, can be seen in the vestry. But the finest aspects of this church are to be seen in the early chancel which is remarkable for its size and the splendour of its architectural expression. It dates from the first decades of the l4c. This fine chancel is framed by an exceptionally large east window of five cinquefoiled lights, the curvilinear bar tracery and verticality of which enhance the powerful impact of this aspect of the building. Most interesting, and presumably deriving from the deanery status of the church, there is a series on the north and south walls of twenty-one stalls recessed under a canopied arcade with mouldings and cusping. At the east end of the south arcade there are the piscina and sedilia. The chancel arch, of the same period and sprung from the capitals of clustered shafts, shows residual traces, near the base on either side of the step, of a former stone screen which is possibly significant in view of the rare stone screens in the nearby churches of Stebbing and Great Bardfield. Note also the small blocked low window by the north side of the arch. The panels behind the altar on which the Creed, Lords Prayer and Commandments are painted were made in 1837 for the church at Danbury and brought to Great Sampford in 1894.

The vestry, formerly a chapel, is of great interest as a surviving major element of the previous church of the late - 13c (however when I visited this was locked). In the east wall there are good coupled windows of two trefoiled lights with two quatrefoil and sexfoil circular openings, interesting examples of pierced plate-tracery. The large brick-filled window in the south wall is of the mid-13c with good mouldings and the surviving arch and shafting in the splays. Below this window, fragments of medieval glass were found buried in the ground outside. The contemporary archway in the west wall has some intriguing carved capitals richly adorned with robust oak-leaf foliage and vibrant figures including an owl, snail, pig and a human face in a good state of preservation. One is assumed to be a representation of a ‘Green Man’ a symbolic figure of English folklore. The north wall has four quatrefoil openings. There is, under the south window, a triple gabled recess with crockets and linear moulding, pinnacles and a neat acanthus motif which was probably once a fine tomb of an important local family, perhaps a member of the de Kemesek family. It is said to have served as a fireplace in the time when the vestry housed the village school! The battened and studded oak door leading into the chancel is 16c.

The open church roof structures are well worth close study. The best is in the vestry which is roofed with twelve pairs of collared scissor-braced trusses supporting the steep-pitched rafters on moulded wall plates. The chancel roof is also of trussed-rafter construction of seven cants, as is that of the nave roof which also has three tie-beams which may have been installed at a later date, perhaps when, as we know from church records, the roof was repaired in the 16c. The lean-to roof of the north aisle is attractively braced with graceful curved members sprung from a good moulded wall-plate. Unfortunately, the original roof of the south aisle has been replaced by a modern structure, but three of the amusing stone corbels which supported it remain. The trussed-rafter roof of the south porch with seven cants should be noted as it rests on extremely fine early moulded plates. Visitors should not miss the intriguing carved medieval wooden head which is fastened onto the wall above the chancel arch at the north-west corner facing the nave. This appears to have been repositioned, perhaps from a figure that was once part of church statuary. On the south side in the clerestory will be seen an attractive 15c Perpendicular style rectilinear and cinquefoiled window of three ogee lights which was devised to throw light onto the former rood.

Originally the church would have been resplendent with a comprehensive range of wall paintings for visual instruction depicting scenes of biblical or religious significance. A few fragments survive, having been discovered during restoration work in 1979, above the arches on the walls of the north arcade. Although faint and incomplete the two remaining paintings are of interest. One represents the seven deadly sins in the form of a diagrammatic tree which is comparatively rare. The other may be of St. Christopher, a saintly figure normally positioned, as possibly here, opposite the church entrance as a reassuring gesture to the worshippers. There are traces, too, possibly of another period, that suggest a dragon was depicted which would imply an association with St. Michael to whom the church is dedicated or, possibly, St. Margaret. Traces of colour in the wall plaster of the vestry may eventually yield further paintings.

Worthy of note are some special features beginning with the door at the church entrance. This is thought to be contemporary with the building of the church in the early l4c and, although damaged at the base, is still a fine example and retains the original wrought iron strap-work and studding. According to expert opinion it is the most elaborate of all saltire-braced doors in Essex. The boards of which it is constructed are pegged together. The font in the south aisle has a plain moulded octagonal bowl of the 15c. Its stem is earlier and has complex decoration which combines ogee-headed panels with intricate tracery on a chamfered 14c plinth. The Victorian pews were recently detached and the nave flooring paved. The beautiful series of kneelers worked with flower motifs were recently embroidered by local people. The lovely embroidered runner on the step of the sanctuary was made in 1990 and is an exact copy of the Victorian runner it replaced.

It is valid to observe that St. Michael’s benefits aesthetically from the absence of monumental clutter which, although sometimes historically useful, can be detrimental to the architectural purity of the building as a whole. The only remaining monuments of antiquity in the church are the tomb slabs (Calthorp and Burrows) of the 17c and 18c in the chance]. They commemorate a family whose name persists at a local farm and another of textile merchants who lived opposite the church. There is another (Gretton) in the south aisle. The pulpit, the provenance of which is unknown, is Victorian. There are also a few notable pieces of furniture. These include a 17c desk with a writing slope and cupboard which once served the school in the church. There is also a standing cupboard or hutch of the late 16c and a 16c church chest, iron-banded with strap hinges and an interior ‘till’ which may have been built-in as a response to a Parochial Visitation of 1686 which ordered it to be provided and lockable. The modern portable altar at the east end of the north aisle was given to the church by an anonymous donor in 1991. The small bronze of the Madonna and Child is of German provenance.

The five church bells which were once rung for church services as well as for special village occasions like harvest and gleaning can no longer be pealed. This is because of structural weaknesses in the belfry though they are still hung on the original stocks. Nowadays one is chimed for church services, as a Sanctus bell and used to ring the hours for the clock. The first, third and fourth bells were cast by William Land in 1624; the second (which bears the Royal Arms and a medallion with a bust of Charles II) by Henry Yaxley in 1684; the fifth by John Hodson in 1664. The church plate includes an interesting early Elizabethan silver cup of 1562 with a paten cover of c1567 and another paten dated 1630. None of these is inscribed although they carry makers' marks. An electro-plated flagon of 1854 was purchased by the vicar for five guineas in 1856. The organ, installed in 1976, is said to have come from a nonconformist chapel and to have been built in c1830 by G.M. Holdich. The eagle lectern in the south aisle was placed in the church in 1909 as a tribute to the incumbency of the Rev. Robert Eustace, vicar from 1850 to 1905.

Almost every ancient church has a range, most of which cannot be satisfactorily explained, of markings and graffiti, ostensibly symbolic figuring, idle scratchings and numerous initials and dates. Great Sampford has a generous quota of such. Of genuine interest is a 3-men’s (or 9-men's) Morris cut into the second stall on the north side of the chancel inside the altar rail. These are gaming boards of some antiquity, the play having affinities with ludo and allegedly used to relieve the boredom of long sermons or tedious ritual. On the opposite side one of the sedilia has a set of unexplained grooves, possibly another game.

This guide has so far been concerned mostly with events, architecture and objects of beauty or interest. More important are the people, clergy, church officers and villagers who have worked for and worshipped in the church. They all emerge from the obscurity of the past through the church records and the village archives as personalities or in human situations which help us to share their hopes, commitment or despair. The clergy, ever since Thomas de Sampford, dean in 1163, have served the church and ministered to the people throughout the ages and struggled with the traumas of turbulent and anxious times. The churchwardens, like Richard Petytt and John Mylner in the l6c and their successors, have striven to preserve the church from decay and neglect and carried out their onerous and multifarious duties with devotion if not always with alacrity. There have been too the countless parishioners whose recurring family names fill the registers recording the joy of marriage and birth and the sadness of illness and death. They are all part of the story and the reality of the church and its life in the village. They too were familiar with the building we admire. They sat in the pews and looked upon the beauty that is now our heritage. Their responsibility has passed to successive generations, and now to us. We hope that they would have approved of this little booklet and that it will play its part in safeguarding the continuity of that inheritance.

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a better version 03-Oct-21 (DeNoide AI). Taken through glass with some bad reflections.

First flown in Nov-88 with the Boeing test registration N1791B.

It had been ordered by the GPA Group (later to become part of GECAS) for lease to Istanbul Airlines. The lease was cancelled and the aircraft remained parked at Seattle-Boeing Field.

It was leased to BMA British Midland Airways as G-OBMG at the end of Mar-89. The aircraft was returned to the lessor at the end of Mar-99 and leased to Travel Service Airlines (Czech Republic) as OK-TVR the following day.

It was wet-leased to Jordan Aviation between Oct-00/Apr-01, and again between Feb/Jul-02. The aircraft was wet-leased to flyGlobespan.com (UK) between Mar/Oct-05.

In Jan-06 it was due to be leased to Air Class Airways (Spain) as EC-JQA. It was ferried to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, but the lease was cancelled and the aircraft was parked at Las Palmas until it finally returned to Travel Service in late Mar-06.. It was returned to the lessor in Feb-07.

At the end of Feb-07 the aircraft was leased to Hola Airlines (Spain) as EC-KBO. It was wet-leased to Olympic Airlines between Mar/Oct-07 and to Pyrenair (Spain) between Mar/May-08. Hola operated many short-term wet-leases for other airlines until the aircraft was repossessed by the lessor as N870AG in Feb-10. Hola ceased operations five days later.

In late May-10 the aircraft was leased to Safair (South Africa) as ZS-SPA for the southern hemisphere winter season, it returned to the lessor as N870AG in Oct-10 and was immediately leased to SkyKing (USA).

In mid Jan-12 the aircraft was operated on behalf of Direct Air, based in Florida, USA (a seat sales agency with no AOC or aircraft of their own). It was a shambles and ceased operations in mid Mar-12, almost taking SkyKing down with them.

The aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored at Miami, FL, USA before being leased to SkyKing again in Feb-13. They finally ceased operations at the end of Jan-14 when the aircraft again returned to the lessor and was stored at Miami.

In Aug-14 it was leased to Grand Cru Airlines (Lithuania) as LY-CGC. It was wet-leased to Ellinair (Greece) between Jun/Oct-16. At the end of Oct-16 Grand Cru was renamed GetJet Airlines. The aircraft was wet-leased to Tunisair (Tunisia) between Apr/Jun-17 and wet-leased to Ellinair again between Jun/Oct-17. The aircraft was permanently retired at Vilnius, Lithuania in Sep-18 after 30 years in service. It was broken up there in Jan-20. Updated 03-Oct-21.

Scientists can now modify genes or replace faulty genes with healthy ones to treat, cure or prevent a disease or medical condition. Gene therapy can be performed both inside and outside the body. This graphic illustrates in simple terms how gene therapy works inside the body. Read the FDA Consumer Update to learn more.

This infographic is an original FDA creation and in the public domain. It may be shared, downloaded and redistributed without restriction. Credit to FDA is appreciated but not required.

FDA infographic by Michael J. Ermarth

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 06-Apr-25.

Named: "Stuttgart".

Built as a Boeing 747-200B 'Combi' with a side cargo door, the aircraft was first flown in Nov-86 with the Boeing test registration N6038E. It was delivered to Lufthansa as D-ABZE in Jan-87. It was withdrawn from service and stored at Marana, AZ, USA in May-03.

The aircraft was wet-leased to Air Pullmantur (Spain) in Jul-03. The wet-lease became a dry-lease in Jan-04 when the aircraft was re-registered EC-IUA. It was returned to Lufthansa Leasing GmbH in early 2005 and stored at Marana again.

In Dec-05 it was leased to Air Universal (Mauritania) as 5T-AUE and returned to Lufthansa Leasing in Oct-06 when it was leased to Hellenic Imperial Airways as SX-DIE. It was wet-leased to Libyan Airlines in Jun-07 and returned to Hellenic Imperial in Apr-08 when it was re-registered SX-TIE.

Hellenic Imperial's AOC was cancelled by the Greek CAA in Nov-08 for three months. The aircraft was stored at Athens and eventually returned to service in May-09. It was wet-leased to Med-View Airlines (Nigeria) in Oct-09 for a Haj Pilgrimage and returned to Hellenic Imperial in Dec-09.

After a scheduled service to Karachi, Pakistan in Oct-11, the Pakistan Authorities declared the aircraft 'not airworthy' and it was grounded and stored at Karachi.

Hellenic Imperial stopped their few scheduled services the following day and operated charter flights until mid 2012 when they 'suspended operations'. SX-TIE was last noted still stored at Karachi in Jan-14. Updated, 27-Jul-22.

Replaced the tortoise shell with a Bakelite pickguard. Looks. . ."rigjht" to me.

Replacing and earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 06-Jul-23.

All white livery with titles.

This was the prototype MD-83 which first flew with the McDonnell Douglas test registration N19B in Dec-84. After participating in the MD-83 development programme the aircraft was delivered to Finnair O/Y as OH-LMS in Oct-85.

It was sold to a lessor in Jan-99 and leased back to Finnair before being returned to the lessor and leased to Flying Finn Airways in Jan-03. It returned to the lessor in May-03.

In Jun-04 the aircraft was leased to Austral Lineas Aereas (Argentina) as LV-PJH. It was re-registered LV-ARF two weeks later. It was returned to the lessor in Dec-10 and leased to Andes Lineas Aereas (Argentina) in Jan-11.

The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Jul-12 and permanently retired at Orlando-Sanford, FL, USA after 28 years in service. It was last noted still at Sanford in Feb-13 without engines. Updated 06-Jul-23.

Leica M240, Summilux-M 35mm ASPH FLE, @f/1.4.

The Ferrari 250 is a sports car built by Ferrari from 1953 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series included several variants. It was replaced by the 275 and the 330.

Most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases, 2,400 mm (94.5 in) for short wheelbase (SWB) and 2,600 mm (102.4 in) for long wheelbase (LWB). Most convertibles used the SWB type.

Nearly all 250s share the same Colombo Tipo 125 V12 engine. At 2,953 cc (180 cu in), it was notable for its light weight and impressive output of up to 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp) in the Testa Rossa and GTO. The V12 weighed hundreds of pounds less than its chief competitors — for example, it was nearly half the weight of the Jaguar XK straight-6.[1] Ferrari uses the displacement of a single cylinder as the model designation.

The light V12 propelled the small Ferrari 250 racing cars to numerous victories.

250 GT California Spyder LWB

1959 California Spyder LWB

Designed for export to North America, the 1957 250 GT California Spyder was Scaglietti's interpretation of an open-top 250 GT. Aluminium was used for the hood, doors, and trunk lid, with steel elsewhere for most models. Several aluminium-bodied racing versions were also built. The engine was the same as in the 250 Tour de France racing car with up to 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp). All used the long 2,600 mm (102.4 in) chassis, and Pirelli Cinturato 185VR16 tyres (CA67) were standard.

A total of fifty LWBs were made before the SWB version superseded them in 1960. One example sold at auction on August 18, 2007 in Monterey, California for $4.9 million.

A barn find 1961 SWB formerly owned by French actor Alain Delon while he was dating Jane Fonda sold for US$15.9 million in February 2015.[10]

Source: Wikipedia

North chancel stained glass window designed by Glenn Carter, given by the Officers and Airmen of RAF Swanton Morley to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Station in 1990.

This replaced stained glass recorded in 17c “On two of ye north Chancel windows are 2 persons kneeling in blue gowns but no arms or inscription.”

“On the south windows are some words in round pieces of glass. I believe J..hu Mcy and Lady Help.” . - Church of All Saints, Swanton Morley, Norfolk

through the years

Sold for £3,249,500 inc. premium

Fully restored by Works Service,1960 Aston Martin DB4GT 'Jet' Coupé Chassis no. 0201L Engine no. 370/0201/GT

Day 137 of my 365 day photo challenge.

A visit to the auction at the Aston Martin Works, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.

Footnotes

Coachbuilt examples of the DB4/5/6 family of Aston Martins are extremely rare, making the unique Bertone-bodied car offered here all the more precious and desirable. '0201L' is the last DB4GT chassis completed in period (a further six 'Sanction II/III' DB4GT Zagatos were built in the late 1980s/early 1990s) and was first displayed on Bertone's stand at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, which was followed by an appearance at Turin that same year. Its designer was none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro, one of the 20th Century's foremost automotive stylists and then only 22 years of age, who would go on to create some of the Italian coachbuilder's most memorable designs before leaving to join Carrozzeria Ghia. By the time he left Ghia to found Italdesign in 1968, Giugiaro had been responsible for such sublime creations as the Maserati Ghibli and De Tomaso Mangusta.

It was only appropriate that Aston Martin's top-of-the range and most expensive production model, the DB4GT, should have been selected for this very special project. As its nomenclature suggests, the DB4GT was a competition variant of the DB4 sports saloon. Launched at the London Motor Show in 1958, the Aston Martin DB4 had emphatically demonstrated that a British manufacturer could better the Italians at their own game when it came to constructing the ultimate Gran Turismo. Its specification included a completely new steel platform chassis with disc brakes all round, and a race-developed twin-cam six-cylinder 3.7-litre engine, all clothed in a perfectly proportioned aluminium body designed by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. Overall, the DB4 was state-of-the-art for its time, a masterpiece of robust British engineering combined with exquisite Italian styling.

Engineered under the watchful eye of Harold Beech, the immensely strong platform-type chassis replaced the DB2/4's multi-tubular spaceframe, the latter being considered incompatible with Touring's Superleggera body construction that employed its own lightweight tubular structure to support the hand-formed aluminium-alloy body panels. The trailing-link independent front suspension of the DB2/4 gave way to unequal-length wishbones while at the rear the DB4 sported a live axle located by Watts linkage instead of its predecessor's Panhard rod.

The new car's competition potential had been recognised from the outset and the factory lost no time in developing a lightweight version suitable for racing, the resulting DB4GT debuting at the 1959 London Motor Show. The model had already been proven in competition earlier that year when the prototype driven by Stirling Moss ('DP/199') won its first race at Silverstone. Extensive modifications to the standard car took 5" out of the wheelbase and replaced the rear seats with a luggage platform on all but a small number of cars. Together with lighter, 18-gauge bodywork, these changes reduced the car's weight by around 200lb (91kg).

The GT used a tuned engine which, equipped with a twin-plug cylinder head and triple Weber 45DCOE carburettors, produced a claimed 302bhp at 6,000rpm, a useful increase over the standard car's claimed 240bhp. Maximum speed, of course, depended on overall gearing but 153mph was achieved during testing with a 0-60mph time of 6.1 seconds recorded. The DB4 was also one of the first cars to go from standstill to 100mph and then brake to a dead stop on under 20 seconds, a tribute, in part, to its up-rated Girling brakes as used on Aston Martin's sports racers of the era.

Viewed from the front, the GT was readily distinguishable by its faired-in headlamps with Perspex covers, a feature later made standard on the DB5 and DB6. The rear screen and quarter windows were Perspex on many examples; bumper over-riders were deleted and the wind-down windows were frame-less within the doors. Twin Monza quick-release competition fuel fillers were added atop the rear wings, leading to a large-capacity fuel tank mounted flat in the boot. GTs were fitted as standard with lightweight Borrani 42-spoke wire wheels with alloy rims and three-ear 'knock-offs'. Trimmed to full Aston Martin road car specification, the interior boasted fine Connolly leather upholstery and deep-pile Wilton carpeting, while the GT benefited from the addition of an oil temperature gauge to the standard complement.

The DB4GT offered a strong challenge to the prevailing Ferrari dominance in GT racing, with examples entered by the works and John Ogier's Essex Racing Stable enjoying numerous victories. Driven by the likes of Roy Salvadori, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark and Innes Ireland, the DB4GT earned its stripes every weekend on the racing circuit. In December 1959, at the Bahamas Speed Week, Stirling Moss won driving a standard customer DB4GT 'borrowed' by the works following the demise of Moss's intended DBR2! The DB4GT was indeed a true dual-purpose car, equally at ease on both the circuit and Grand Tour. Only 30 were produced in left-hand drive configuration.

Originally finished in light green with contrasting grey interior, the 'Jet', as it became known, was lavishly trimmed in the best Aston Martin tradition, contrasting with the less well appointed, though lighter, Zagatos. Reminiscent of some Bertone creations on Ferrari chassis, this svelte notchback coupé is unique among DB4GTs as the only example bodied in steel, and would surely have made more of an impact had its Geneva debut not coincided with that of the Jaguar E-Type. A case of unfortunate timing if ever there was one, not that Bertone could be blamed for that. Giugiaro would body only one other Aston Martin, the DB7 Vantage-based 'Twenty Twenty' concept car of 2001, while a few years later Bertone revived the original idea with its 'Jet 2' on the Vanquish V12 platform.

'0201L' is known to have spent some time in Beirut before relocating to the USA, remaining there for several years before being rediscovered by Aston Martin Chairman, Victor Gauntlett, in the 1980s and shipped back to the factory. Quoted in Classic & Sports Car magazine's May 2013 edition, Kingsley Riding-Felce, currently Managing Director Aston Martin Works, recalled: 'The car was in a pretty sad state. It had suffered an engine fire... The bonnet was badly burnt and rust had taken hold in the steel bodywork. Only the sills plus the front and rear aprons are aluminium. Everything else is steel so Bertone must have made tooling, which suggests that it was hoping for a production series.'

Its late owner, Hans-Peter Weidmann, bought '0201L' from Victor Gauntlett while the car was undergoing total restoration to concours condition at Newport Pagnell under Kinglsey's supervision. He recalled some of the problems for C&SC: 'It was a big job because we had to make new door skins and fabricate replacement bumpers out of brass. It was quite a challenge configuring them to the body and getting the clearances right, but we wanted to keep it as original as possible. The instruments had to be redone and searching out missing switchgear in Italy proved quite a task. The Jet was very well made and clearly built to be driven. The styling isn't very Aston Martin but we never tired of looking at it.'

The car has been regularly maintained by the factory since the rebuild's completion in 1988 and comes with a comprehensively illustrated album of photographs recording the restoration, together with Swiss registration papers.

Following its total restoration at Works Service, the 'Jet' went on to amass an enviable collection of concours d'élegance awards including 1st in the Italian Coachwork class at Pebble Beach (1989) and 'Best in Show' at Villa D'Este and RAID Basle (both in 2001). Bertone's 'Jet' is one of very few cars summoned back to Pebble Beach, reappearing there in 1997 as part a special tribute to Aston Martin. Further 1stin- class awards have been garnered at the Hurlingham Club, AMOC Silverstone, Bagatelle Paris, Düsseldorf, Schloss Schwetzingen and New York, the most recent being awarded at Het Loo in 2007 (the Trophies from these concours successes are offered with the Car).

In recent years Hans-Peter Weidmann spent more time driving this unique Gran Turismo as its maker intended. Interviewed by Octane magazine for a feature on the Aston Martin DB4 (November 2005 edition) he declared: 'It was intended to be a grand tourer and that's just what I use it for.' By that time he had driven some 35,000 miles in the car including a marathon trip from San Francisco to Vancouver, covering the 950 miles in one night! Only one fuel stop would have been necessary as the oversize (37-gallon/168-litre) tank all but fills the boot, making this a car with true continent-crossing

capability. Indeed, Octane found that, compared with the other DB4 variants, the steel-bodied Jet 'rides more smoothly, in keeping with its Continental image.'

The year 2013 marks Bonhams' 14th annual auction at Works Service and we are immensely proud to have been entrusted with the sale of this most important Aston Martin. The DB4GT 'Jet', most significantly, has the unique cachet of being a one-off design by Bertone, and also is uniquely entwined with Aston Martin Works Service, which undertook its concours restoration with no expense spared. Concluding the C&SC article, Kingsley Riding-Felce said: 'Hans-Peter wouldn't want the Jet to go into storage, and we hope that the new owner will take part in this year's centenary events.'

Offered for sale for the first time on almost 30 years, '0201L' embodies the precious assets of rarity, continuous history, versatile usability and superb running condition. Arguably the most desirable Aston Martin currently available, it is the perfect acquisition with which to celebrate the marque's centenary in 2013.

Should the vehicle remain in the UK, local import taxes of 5% will be applied to the purchase price.

£2,800,000 - 3,800,000

3,300,000 - 4,500,000

Concours d'elegance

Aston Martin DB4GT Bertone Jet

1989 Pebble Beach, 1st in Class Italian Coachwork

1991 London, Hurlingham Club, 1st in Class

1991 Silverstone, Aston Martin Owners Club -1st in Class and overall winner

1992 Paris, Bagatelle, 1st in Class

1997 Pebble Beach, Second Invitation

2001 Villa D'Este, 1st in Class and Best in Show

2001 Dusseldorf, 1st in Class and Best in Show

2001 Schloss, Schwetzingen, 1st in Class

2001 RAID, Basel, Best in Show

2005 New York, 1st in Class

2007 Pebble Beach, Third Invitation

2007 Holland, Het Loo, 1st in Class

Acrylic paint on papyrus mounted on canvas, 20x20cm.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 16-Jul-21, plus DeNoise AI 16-Jul-21.

With additional 'Dubai Shopping Festival 2002' titles & logo.

First flown with the Boeing test registration N5020K, this aircraft was delivered to Emirates Airlines as A6-EMG in Apr-97. It served with Emirates until it was retired in May-16 and stored at Dubai.

It was sold to Triple Seven (CIS) Ltd as 2-RLAK in Jul-16 and ferried to Jakarta-CGK, Indonesia for further storage. It was moved to Teruel (Spain) in Dec-16 for further storage.

The aircraft was re-registered VP-BSN in Jun-17 for lease to VIM Airlines (Russia). However VIM ceased operations in Oct-17 before the lease could take place. The aircraft was permanently retired at Teruel and was last noted still at Teruel in Jun-18. Updated 16-Jul-21.

Replacing your old full bed headboard with the new model may be part of your house renovation. This is common, as people sometimes can be bored of their home decoration or interior design look. It is not so difficult to design your new full bed headboard, or you can even utilize your used doors...

midcityeast.com/what-is-your-favorite-full-bed-headboard/

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

In Autumn 1946, the Saab company began internal studies aimed at developing a replacement aircraft for the Saab B 18/S 18 as Sweden's standard attack aircraft. In 1948, Saab was formally approached by the Swedish Government with a request to investigate the development of a turbojet-powered strike aircraft to replace a series of 1940s vintage attack, reconnaissance, and night-fighter aircraft then in the Flygvapnet’s inventory. On 20 December 1948, a phase one contract for the design and mock-up of the proposed aircraft was issued. The requirements laid out by the Swedish Air Force were demanding: the aircraft had to be able to attack anywhere along Sweden's 2,000 km (1,245 miles) of coastline within one hour of launch from a central location, and it had to be capable of being launched in any weather conditions, at day or night.

However, this was still not the end of the Saab 32, which turned out to be even more long-lived: By 2010, at least two Lansens were still operational, having the sole task of taking high altitude air samples for research purposes in collaboration with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, and by 2012 a total of three Lansens reportedly remained in active service in Sweden.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2

Length: 14.94 m (49 ft 0 in)

Wingspan: 13 m (42 ft 8 in)

Height: 4.65 m (15 ft 3 in)

Wing area: 37.4 m² (403 sq ft)

Airfoil: NACA 64A010

Empty weight: 7,500 kg (16,535 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 13,500 kg (29,762 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Svenska Flygmotor RM6A afterburning turbojet

(a Rolls Royce Avon Mk.47A outfitted with an indigenous afterburner),

delivering 4,88 kp dry and 6,500 kp with reheat

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,200 km/h (750 mph, 650 kn)

Range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi) with internal fuel only

Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 100 m/s (20,000 ft/min)

Armament:

No internal weapons.

13× external hardpoints (five major pylons and eight more for light weapons)

for a wide variety of up to 3.000 kg of ordnance, typically only used

for ECM and chaff/flare dispenser pods and/or a conformal ventral auxiliary tank

The kit and its assembly:

This is a what-if project that I had on my idea list for a long time, but never got the nerve to do it because it is just a mild modification – the model depicts a real aircraft type, just with a fictional livery for it (see below).

The plan to create a J 32E from Heller’s A 32 kit from 1982 predated any OOB option, though. Tarangus has been offering a dedicated J 32B/E kit since 2016, but I stuck to my original plan to convert a Heller fighter bomber which I had in The Stash™, anyway)- also because I find the Tarangus kit prohibitively expensive (for what you get), even though it might have saved some work.

The Heller A 32A kit was basically built OOB, even though changing it into a J 32B (and even further into an “E”) called for some major modifications. These could have been scratched, but out of convenience I invested into a dedicated Maestro Models conversion set that offers resin replacements for a modified gun bay (which has more pronounced “cheek fairings” than the attack aircraft, the lower section is similar to the S 32C camera nose), a new jet exhaust and also the Lansen’s unique conformal belly tank – for the cost of a NIB Heller Saab 32 kit alone, though… :-/

Implanting the Maestro Models parts was straightforward and relatively easy. The J 32B gun bay replaces the OOB parts from the Heller kit, fits well and does not require more PSR than the original part. Since the model depicts a gun-less J 32E, I faired the gun ports over.

The RM6A exhaust was a bit more challenging – it is a bit longer and wider than the A 32A’s RM5. It’s not much, maybe 1mm in each dimension, so that the tail opening had to be widened and slightly re-contoured to accept the new one-piece resin pipe. The belly tank matched the kit’s ventral contours well. As an extra, the Maestro Models set also offers the J 32B’s different tail skid, which is placed further back on the fighter than on the attack and recce aircraft.

The J 32E’s characteristic collection of sizable blade antennae all around the hull was scratched from 0.5 mm styrene sheet. Furthermore, the flaps were lowered, an emergency fuel outlet was added under the tail, the canopy (very clear, but quite thick!) cut into two parts for optional open display, and the air intake walls were extended inside of the fuselage with styrene sheet.

Under the wings, four pylons (the Heller kit unfortunately comes totally devoid of any ordnance or even hardpoints!) from the spares box were added that carry scratched BOZ-1 chaff dispensers and a pair of ADRIAN/PETRUS ECM pod dummies – all made from drop tanks, incidentally from Swedish aircraft (Mistercraft Saab 35 and Matchbox Saab 29). Sure, there are short-run aftermarket sets for this special equipment that might come closer to the real thing(s), but I do not think that the (quite considerable) investments in all these exotic aftermarket items are worthwhile when most of them are pretty easy to scratch.

Painting and markings:

The paint scheme was the actual reason to build a J 32E: the fundamental plan was to build a Lansen in the Swedish air superiority low-viz two-tone paint scheme from the Nineties, and the IMHO only sensible option beyond pure fantasy was the real J 32E as “canvas”. I used JAS 39 Gripens as reference: their upper tone is called Pansargrå 5431-17M (“Tank Grey”, which is, according to trustworthy sources, very close to FS 36173, U.S. Neutral Grey), while the undersides are painted in Duvagrå 5431-14M (“Dove Grey”; approximately FS 36373, a tone called “High Low Visibility Light Grey”). Surprisingly, other Swedish types in low-viz livery used different shades; the JA 37s and late J 35Js were painted in tones called mörkgrå 033M and grå 032M, even though AJSF 37s and AFAIK a single SK 37 were painted with the Gripen colors, too.

After checking a lot of Gripen pictures I selected different tones, though, because the greys appear much lighter in real life, esp. on the lower surfaces. I ended up with FS 36231 (Dark Gull Grey, Humbrol 140, a bit lighter than the Neutral Grey) and RLM 63 (Lichtgrau, Testors 2077, a very pale and cold tone). The aircraft received a low waterline with a blurry edge, and the light grey was raised at the nose up to the radome, as seen on JA 37s and JAS 39s. To make the low-viz Lansen look a little less uniform I painted the lower rear section of the fuselage in Revell 91 and 99, simulating bare metal – a measure that had been done with many Lansens because leaking fuel and oil from the engine bay would wash off any paint in this area, leaving a rather tatty look. Di-electric fairings like the nose radome and the fin tip were painted with a brownish light grey (Revell 75) instead of black, reducing contrast and simulating bare and worn fiber glass. Small details like the white tips of the small wing fences and the underwing pylons were adapted from real-world Lansens.

After a light black ink wash, I emphasized single panels with Humbrol 125 and 165 on the upper surfaces and 147 and 196 underneath. Additionally, grinded graphite was used for weathering and a grimy look – an effective method, thanks to the kit’s fine raised panel lines. The silver wing leading edges were created with decal sheet material and not painted, a clean and convenient solution that avoids masking mess.

The ECM and chaff dispenser pods were painted in a slightly different shade of grey (FS 36440, Humbrol 40). As a subtle contrast the conformal belly tank was painted with Humbrol 247 (RLM 76), a tone that comes close to the Lansens’ standard camouflage from the Sixties’ green/blue livery, with a darker front end (Humbrol 145) and a bare metal tail section.

The cockpit interior was, according to pictures of real aircraft, painted in a greenish grey; I used Revell 67 (RAL 7009, Grüngrau) for most surfaces and slightly darker Humbrol 163 for dashboards and instrument panels. The landing gear wells as well as the flaps’ interior became Aluminum Bronze (Humbrol 56), while the landing gear struts were painted in a bluish dark green (Humbrol 195) with olive drab (Revell 46) wheel hubs - a detail seen on some real-life Saab 32s and a nice contrast to the light grey all around.

All markings/decals came from RBD Studio/Moose Republic aftermarket sheets for Saab 32 and 37. From the latter the low-viz national markings and the day-glo orange tactical codes were taken, while most stencils came from the Lansen sheet. Unfortunately, the Heller kit’s OOB sheet is pretty minimalistic – but the real A/S 32s did not carry many markings, anyway. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish. As a confusing detail I gave the aircraft an explicit “16M” unit identifier, created with single black 4 mm letters/numbers. As a stark contrast and a modern peace-time element I also gave the Lansen the typical huge day-glo orange tactical codes on the upper wings that were carried by the Swedish interceptors of the time.

A relatively simple build, thanks to the resin conversion set – otherwise, creating a more or less believable J 32E from Heller’s A 32 kit is a tough challenge. Though expensive, the parts fit and work well, and I’d recommend the set, because the shape of the J 32B’s lower nose is quite complex and scratching the bigger jet pipe needs a proper basis. The modern low-viz livery suits the vintage yet elegant Lansen well, even though it reveals the aircraft’s bulk and size; in all-grey, the Lansen has something shark- or even whale-ish to it? The aircraft/livery combo looks pretty exotic, but not uncredible - like a proven war horse.

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 26-Dec-19, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 01-Mar-25.

Now with the web address added.

This aircraft was delivered to Air-Berlin as D-ABAL in Jun-96. It was sold to a lessor on delivery and leased back to Air Berlin. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Oct-06 and leased to Bluebird Cargo as TF-BBB in Nov-06.

It was stored at Keflavik, Iceland until the end of Dec-06 when it ferried to Xiamen, China for freighter conversion with a main-deck cargo door. The conversion was completed in Mar-07.

Bluebird returned the aircraft to the lessor as N212BF in Dec-08 and it was leased to China Postal Airlines as B-2891 a few days later. Current, updated 01-Mar-25.

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a slightly better version 08-Jun-19.

Named: "Snoopy".

This aircraft was delivered to Western Airlines as N909WA in May-78. Western was merged into Delta Air Lines in Apr-87. The aircraft was sold to UAS and leased to Scanair (charter subsidiary of SAS) in Jun-88. It was sub-leased to American Airlines the following day and returned to Scanair in Nov-88.

The aircraft was re-registered SE-DHY in Feb-89. It was wet-leased to Sun Country Airlines in Nov-94. While it was with Sun Country, Scanair was merged with Conair Scandinavia (registered in Denmark) to form Premair in Jan-94 and the aircraft returned to Premiair in Apr-94.

In late 1994 Premiair's Tour Operator owner was bought by the UK's Airtours Group. The aircraft was re-registered OY-CNY in May-95. In 1996 Premiair's aircraft were repainted in the Airtours Group livery although the Premiair name was retained.

In Oct-00 the aircraft was transferred to Airtours International Airways as G-TDTW (it was originally to have been registered G-PRMJ but that wasn't taken up). In May-02 Airtours International was renamed MyTravel Airways. The DC-10's were retired at the end of the 2003 summer season and this aircraft was initially stored at Exeter, UK in Oct-03.

It was moved to Kemble, UK in Jan-04 to be broken up. However, it was sold to Aircraft Investment Inc in Mar-04 and remained stored until it was sold (with two sister ships) to Executive Aerospace and registered in Swaziland as 3D-MRQ.

It was sold to Interlink Airlines in Jan-05 and ferried to Johannesburg, South Africa where it was stored again. In Jan-06 the aircraft was sold to Global Aviation Investments (Pty) Ltd as ZS-GAW. It remained stored at Johannesburg for another nine years, in faded basic Airtours livery, until it was broken up there in 2015. The registration was cancelled in Jun-15.