Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 18-Apr-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 19-May-23.

Delivered to Channel Airways as G-ATEI in Nov-65. It was leased to LIAT Leeward Islands Air Transport the following month as VP-LIN, returning to Channel Airways as G-ATEI in May-66.

In May-69 it was leased to Transair Canada as CF-TAX and returned to Channel Airways as G-ATEI again in Nov-69. It was wet-leased to Rousseau Aviation, France, from May/Aug-70.

In Aug-70 it was leased to Philippine Airlines as PI-C1029 and re-registered RP-C1029 when the Philippines country code changed in Nov-74. It was written off when it crashed shortly after take-off from Manila in May-75 when a tyre burst during undercarriage retraction. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. There were no fatalities.

Replacing a photo from a few days earlier with a better version 29-Jun-22.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 18-Jan-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 09-Apr-26.

Named: "Ailbhe / St Albert".

This aircraft was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) as a Douglas C-54A serialled 42-107461 in Apr-44. After the end of WWII it was sold to American Airlines as N90431 in Apr-46.

It was sold to Aviation Enterprises in Sep-54 and sold on the AVENSA Colombia as YV-C-AVH the following month. The aircraft returned to the USA when it was sold to Resort Airlines as N75298 in Jan-55.

in Jul-60 the aircraft was leased to World Airways and returned to Resort Airlines in Jun-61. It was sold to Channel Air Bridge, UK as G-ARZV in May-62 and transferred to Aviation Traders (Engineering) for conversion to an ATL98 Carvair.

It had it's first flight after conversion in Dec-62 and was sold to Aer Lingus, Ireland as EI-AMP in Feb-63, for car ferry services between Dublin and points in the UK. Aer Lingus sold it to Eastern Provincial Airways, Canada as CF-EPU in Feb-68.

Sadly, it was written off just seven months later when it crashed on approach to Twin Falls, Labrador, Canada at the end of Sep-68.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 22-Oct-15, DeNoise AI 02-Oct-22

The final livery for Cambrian before it was absorbed into British Airways. Retro-fitted with weather radar.

G-AOYS was one of those rare aircraft that retained the same registration throughout its life. It was delivered to BEA British European Airways in Jun-58.

It was sold to Cambrian Airways, part of British Air Services, in Sep-71 (above photo taken just after delivery) and operated until Cambrian/British Air Services was absorbed into British Airways in Apr-74.

The aircraft was withdrawn from British Airways service and stored at Cardiff, Wales, UK, in Apr-80. It was sold to BAF British Air Ferries in May-81 and was wet-leased to Air Algerie between Jun/Oct-81.

It was sold to Panavia Air Cargo in Jan-84 and leased back to BAF until late 1984 when it was retired at Southend, UK. It was broken up there in Feb-85.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 06-Jan-17 (DeNoise AI 19-Sep-22).

This aircraft was delivered to Air New Zealand as ZK-NZT in Nov-77. It was leased to LAN Chile as CC-CJT in Jun-82 and returned to Air New Zealand as ZK-NZT in Mar-86. It was sold to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation later the same month and stored.

The aircraft was sold to American Airlines as N164AA in Jun-86 and served with them for another 18 years until it was retired and stored at Mojave, CA, USA in Dec-04. It was sold to Pacific AirCorp 46950 Inc in Jun-01 and was ferried to Marana, AZ, USA for further storage.

Permanently retired, it was sold to ART46950 LLC in Feb-03. It was noted still stored at Marana in Sep-09 and was broken up there sometime in 2014.

Installed as part of the Water Orton corridor resignaling scheme between 2009 and 2012 the repeater for WN4884 has always made for a fine frame for trains on the Up Derby Fast from the Saltley Viaduct. The signal stands in the way of the alignment of the new viaduct and has recently been replaced with a simple pole mounted version between the fast and slow lines. Pictured here back in 2019 as 43366 powers by with 1S51 Plymouth to Glasgow Central.

Service 17 returns tomorrow replacing the 17A which has run since lockdown timetables commenced.

67797 is seen here a few days before lockdown on the 17 passing the King Robert the Bruce statue. The Aberdeen one has not been touched but the Stirling one was defaced with Black Life Matters messages.

Replacing Stagecoach's services in Kings Lynn.

Shot from Bradford Road showing the ongoing work of strengthening of the Viaduct located just outside of Huddersfield Railway Station.

More information here: huddersfieldhub.co.uk/railway-bridges-in-huddersfield-to-...

And here: huddersfieldhub.co.uk/the-5-photos-which-show-the-sheer-s...

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 26-Nov-21.

Parked at the Cambrian end of the terminal for a change.

I have to say that this was never the best slide in the box and it's a bit blurred. However I've cleaned it up as much as I can.

Later Named: "Concord".

Delivered new to Canadian Pacific Air Lines in Aug-58 as CF-CZW, it was leased to British Eagle International in May-64 for the summer season, becoming G-ASTF.

It was returned to Canadian Pacific in Oct-64 and reverted to CF-CZW. It became G-ASTF again when it was sold to Caledonian Airways in Feb-66.

It was retired from service in Nov-69 and stored at London-Gatwick. A service life of only 11 years, not long by todays standards. It was broken up at Gatwick a year later, in Oct-70.

Q037 throttes up through Callahan, with the usual set of Widecab GEs replaced by a good ol' SD40 leader.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 09-Aug-21 (DeNoiseAI).

'Killer Whale' tail tail livery

Fleet No: "321".

Aircraft is current with North Cariboo Air. Updated Mar-21.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 21-Feb-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 30-May-23.

This was a Belgian charter flight with fans for that evenings Football (Soccer) match at Anfield between Liverpool and Anderlecht (25-Nov-64, Liverpool won 3-0).

This aircraft was delivered new to American Airlines in Jan-56 as N90780, a DC-6A dedicated freighter. It was sold to World Airways in Apr-61. Then sold to BIAS Belgian International Air Services as OO-ABE in Mar-64 and was converted to DC-6A/B standard.

It was wet-leased to Air Congo between Apr/Sep-66. In Feb-69 it was sold to Trans-Union Airlines as F-BRID and transferred to Europe Aero Service in Sep-71. In Jun-73 it was sold to Transportes Aeriens Reunis and later sold again to Delta Air Transport in Jul-75.

In Dec-75 it was sold to Atlas Aircraft Company as N9232Z and leased to Transportes Aereos SA, Guatemala, in Jun-76. The aircraft was re-registered TG-COC in Mar-77 and Transportes Aereos SA bought it in Jul-78 before selling it two months later to Aviateca Guaremala.

It was sold back in the USA to Quo Vadis Inc as N9232Z in May-84. I can find no further information or photo’s after 1984 and I’m assuming it was retired and broken up, although the registration wasn’t finally cancelled until 25-May-13.

Note: The registration OO-ABE has been re-issued and was used (Jan-19) on an Air Belgium A340-313X.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 17-Mar-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 21-Apr-23.

There were still a lot of 'big pistons' around in the mid '60s, as evidenced by the pools of dripping oil all over the ramp, most of it caused by ACE Freighters Constellations...

An early build DC-7, this aircraft was delivered new to American Airlines as N308AA in Dec-53. It only stayed with them for just over 5 years before being sold to leasing company GALCO in May-59.

It was leased to Overseas National Airways as N308A the following month. Overseas National went on to buy it in Dec-62 and then sold it a year later, in Dec-63, to US Overseas Airways.

They only kept it for 4 months before selling it to Ostermanair Charter as SE-CNG in Apr-64. Ostermanair merged into Internord in Nov-65. The aircraft was retired at Stockholm-Bromma Airport at the end of 1967 and was broken up in Jun-68.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 17-Feb-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 14-Apr-26.

ABC Air Bridge Carriers. Looking very much in need of a coat of paint. In the days before the internet was commonplace, who remembers sending Telex's?...

First flown in Dec-60 with the UK temporary registration G-1-7, this aircraft was delivered to Riddle Airlines, USA in Jan-61 as N6502R. It was sold to Capitol Airways in Jul-62 and sold to Zantop Air Transport in Sep-65.

Zantop Air Transport was renamed Universal Airlines and the aircraft was re-registered N895U in Sep-66. In Feb-72 it was sold to Sagittair, UK and stored at Coventry, UK. It was sold to Field Aircraft services in 1973 and remained stored until it was registered G-BEOZ in Mar-77.

It was leased to ABC Air Bridge Carriers in Aug-79. It was retired at East Midlands Airport, UK, in Mar-86 and was preserved at the East Midlands Aeropark in May-87.

Replacing an earlier photo with a better version 29-Apr-23.

Arriving to take Manchester City FC on the short hop to London-Stansted before their match against Fulham tomorrow (30-Apr-23)

First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AUBE, this aircraft was delivered to Silk Air (Singapore) as 9V-SLN in May-11. It was sold to a lessor as G-POWK and leased to Titan Airways in Jan-15.

As well as operating charter flights in their own right, Titan Airways are a major 'ACMI' airline operating services for other airlines.

The aircraft was wet-leased to British Airways between Mar / Oct-18, TUI Airways UK between May / Sep-19 and again between May / Sep-22. It was wet-leased to Jet2,com between Oct / Nov-22. Current, updated 29-Apr-23.

Recently replaced on the 901/906 from Largs to Glasgow is McGills Mercedes-Benz Citaro 3321 - BU64MWO which has now moved onto service X7 and now wears appropriate X7 branding.

Cusworth Hall is an 18th-century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house. It is now a country house museum.

The house is constructed of ashlar with slate roofs. The rectangular 6 x 5 bay plan main block is linked to 5 x 2 bay service wings.

The Wrightson family had held the lordship of Cusworth since 1669.

The present house was built in 1740–1745 by George Platt for William Wrightson to replace a previous house and was further altered in 1749–1753 by James Paine. On William's death in 1760 the property passed to his daughter Isabella, who had married John Battie, who took the additional name of Wrightson in 1766. He employed the landscape designer Richard Woods to remodel the park. Woods was one of a group of respected landscape designers working across the country during the 18th century and Cusworth was one of his most important commissions in South Yorkshire, another being at Cannon Hall. Woods created a park of 250 acres with a hanging and a serpentine river consisting of three lakes embellished with decorative features such as the Rock Arch and the Cascade.

The estate afterwards passed to John and Isabella's son, William Wrightson (1752–1827), who was the MP for Aylesbury from 1784 to 1790 and High Sheriff of Yorkshire for 1819–1820. He was succeeded by his son William Battie-Wrightson (1789–1879), who at various times was MP for East Retford, Kingston upon Hull and Northallerton. He died childless and Cusworth Hall passed to his brother Richard Heber Wrightson, who died in 1891.

The property was then inherited by his nephew William Henry Thomas, who took the surname Battie-Wrightson by Royal Licence and died in 1903. He had married Lady Isabella Cecil, eldest daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Exeter. Between 1903 and 1909 Lady Isabella made further alterations to the house. She died in 1917, leaving an only son Robert Cecil Battie-Wrightson (1888–1952). On his death in 1952, the estate descended to his sister, a nurse who had married a Major Oswald Parker but later was variously known as Miss Maureen Pearse-Brown and as Mrs Pearce. She was obliged to sell the contents of Cusworth Hall in October 1952 to meet the death duties levied at Robert Cecil's death. She subsequently sold the hall to Doncaster Council.

Cusworth Estate Cusworth was first mentioned as ‘Cuzeuuorde’ in the domesday survey of 1086 but there has been a settlement here for centuries dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. Many different families had held the lands and manor but they did not always live at Cusworth.

‘Old Hall’ A large house is first mentioned in 1327. Robert Wrightson bought the lands and manor of Cusworth in 1669 from Sir Christopher Wray. The first surviving map of Cusworth is that of Joseph Dickinson's 1719 plan which shows the hall and gardens covered only 1 acre with the orchards a further 2 acres. What is most significant at this time was the ‘Parke’ of some 25 acres. The ‘Old Hall’ was next to the walled gardens in the centre of Cusworth village. In 1726 the ‘Old Hall’ was expanded including altering the gardens between 1726 and 1735. This expanded the kitchen garden into the size and form we know today with the Bowling Green and Pavilion.

In the period 1740–1745 William Wrightson employed George Platt, a mason architect from Rotherham, to build a new hall – the current Cusworth Hall – high on a scarp slope on the Magnesian Limestone removing the Hall, and the family, from the village of Cusworth. The ‘Old Hall’ was largely demolished in the process, many components from the old building re-used in the new.

Cusworth Hall Cusworth Hall itself and its outbuildings are at the centre of the park enjoying ‘prospect’ over the town of Doncaster. The Grade I-listed eighteenth century hall was designed by George Platt in the Palladian style. Cusworth Hall is handsome, well proportioned, with wings consisting of a stable block and great kitchen. Later additions by James Paine include a chapel and library. It has decorative outbuildings including a Brew House, Stable Block and Lodge. In addition it has a decorative garden called Lady Isabella's Garden on the west side adjacent to the chapel. On its eastern flank the stable block and gardeners' bothy. Attached to the bothy is a decorative iron enclosure known as the Peacock Pen.

Cusworth Park Cusworth Park is an historic designed landscape with a Grade II listing in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. It was designed and created by the nationally known landscape architect Richard Woods to ‘improve’ the park in the style made famous by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown now termed ‘The English Landscape Park’. Work started in 1761 laying out the ‘grounds and the serpentine river’.

The land forming the existing park is 60 acres (25 hectares) – 250,000m, and was part of the much larger parkland (250 acres) and estates (20,000 acres) of the Battie-Wrightson family who owned Cusworth Hall.

The walled garden The earliest description of the layout of the park and walled gardens is that shown on Joseph Dickinson's 1719 plan. In 1761 Richard Woods altered areas within the walled gardens. Together ‘woods’ Kitchen Garden and Green House Garden occupy the site of the orchard shown on Dickinson's plan.

The purchase of bricks from Epworth for the construction of the walled gardens is recorded in the New House Accounts.

The garden was a compartmentalised space, however with focus on domestic production in some sections, exotics in another, an orchard, and formal flower gardens in the rest.

The kitchen gardens included pine pits (pineapple house), later to become stove houses and mushroom houses.

The Entrance Terrace (Upper Terrace) Old plans show a narrow walled enclosure or ‘entrance terrace' running east–west. The walls of this enclosure may well have been of stone or stoned faced and still, in part survives. To the south are the main components of the walled garden. Access from the terrace down to the bowling green is via a flight of stone steps.

Bowling Green Described on Richard Woods plans of 1760. This is a roughly square, walled enclosure where the bowling green is surrounded by an earthed banked terraced walk. The enclosure is defined by a brick wall, which was lowered along its western side to give a view over to the Green House Garden.

Summerhouse / Bowling Pavilion Built 1726. The summerhouse is the main architectural feature of the walled garden. It is of two stories with the upper storey accessed from the Bowling Green. There is an impression of more carefully shaped quoins at the corners but it is probable that the walls were originally rendered and lime washed externally. There are windows giving views across the Bowling Green from the upper chamber and across the Flower Garden from the lower chamber.

During restoration in the 1990s the upper chamber was decorated with Trompe-l'œil. showing views of imagined walled gardens at Cusworth.

Flower Garden The garden was designed to be viewed principally from the higher position of the bowling green. It was subdivided by cross-paths and furnished with four formal beds. Although one of the smallest compartments, the flower garden was the most highly ornamental and tightly designed. It would have created a formal, colourful architectural space contrasting with the simplicity of the bowling green

Hall Garden The function of the Hall Garden is not clear but appears to have been an extension of the decorative scheme of the flower garden. The Hall Garden has a perimeter walk and is then divided into two plots by a further, central path.

Peach House This whitewash wall indicates the position of the peach house.

Melon Pits Melon pits ran east–west along this area.

Orchard Through the 18th century the orchard was not enclosed and remained open until the late 19th century. It was double its current size extending back up to Cusworth Lane until the northern half was sold off for housing in the 1960s.

Kitchen Garden (No longer existing) The west, south and this east boundary wall(s) of the garden still exist but the plot of land was sold off for housing in the 1960s. There was an access gate between the Hall Garden and the kitchen garden (this can be seen bricked up in the northwest corner). This garden had a perimeter walk and was planted with trees arranged in parallel lines orchestrated around a small building at the northern end of the compartment.

Green House Garden (No longer existing) The kitchen garden represents the greater part of the area occupied by the original orchard shown on Dickinson's 1719 plan. The remaining area was described on Woods’ plan as the Green House Garden and was shown divided into two unequal parts. Both parts of the garden appear to have been planted with trees, probably fruit trees. A building abuts the bowling green in roughly the position as the one shown on the Dickinson plan but there is an additional building, roughly square in plan, to the northwest corner of the enclosure. This was probably the Dovecote for which Wrightson paid £9 15s 0d in 1736.

The west boundary wall still exists and this low (east) wall that runs along the length of the bowling green but the plot of land was sold off for housing in the 1960s.

In 1961 Doncaster Rural District Council purchased Cusworth Hall and the adjoining parkland from the Battie-Wrightson family. The Council undertook an initial restoration of the grounds and also recreated what is now the tearooms within the former stable block. The former reception rooms and spacious galleries now house the Museum of South Yorkshire life, officially opened on 30 September 1967.

Cusworth Hall and Park underwent an extensive £7.5 million renovation between 2002 and 2005, involving essential conservation repairs to the Hall and extensive restoration of the landscape gardens. Within the hall external repairs to the stonework and roof were undertaken to ensure that the exterior was watertight, whilst internal works upgraded internal services and enabled new displays to be installed.

The restoration of the designed landscape have been greatly influenced by a comprehensive analysis of available archive material, among which are the original written memoranda and sketches produced by Richard Woods for his site forman Thomas Coalie. An integrated archaeological programme also formed a key aspect of the restorations, recording in detail landscape features such as the Rock Arch, Cascade, and Bridge. This restoration has not 'recreated' the 18th century scheme, although elements are still incorporated within a 'living' amenity garden that is now thriving as a result of the recent work undertaken in partnership with the Friends of Cusworth Park.

The Hall reopened to the public on 23 May 2007 and the new displays document the history of South Yorkshire and it is a valued resource for local residents, students and school groups alike.

Cusworth Hall Museum and Park is the venue for a varied program of seasonal exhibitions, events and activities linked to the history of the area. including Country Fairs, vintage vehicle rallies, historic re-enactments, wildlife sessions and a range of seasonally themed events. A free, weekly, 5 km parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9 am in the grounds of Cusworth Hall. The first event was held on Saturday 5 October 2019 and was hosted by the staff at Cusworth in collaboration with the local community.

Additionally, Doncaster Museums' Education Service offers a range of learning sessions to schools and educational establishments. Specialist and experienced Education Officers deliver learning workshops to schools across a broad range of topics as well as out-of-school-hours activities for families and local communities.

The new Galavant GTX3 replaces the old GT2. It now has 5.5 Liter V8 engine that produces 560 Horsepower and a top speed of 200 MPH. The new model has side exhaust, a tilted chassis, and still has room for the Stig in the Middle. Based on the 2019 Aston Martin Vantage. This is the first (build) car to have an actual V8 under the hood, and as always there is room for a minifigure inside as well.

Pictured in glorious evening light, here is First Solent's Volvo B7TL 37162 pictured heading through Titchfield Common on an X4 for Portsmouth. This is the first sighting I've had of a double deck out from Hoeford for months - since 30th March - and is probably due to the social distancing requirements.

What is also most interesting about this photo are two links. Firstly, these five buses (3 at Southampton on-loan from Hoeford, and 2 at Hoeford) have been reported as transferring to First in Cornwall, being replaced by Enviro400s returning on lease from Rotala in Manchester. This is also secondly interesting because it suggests the Enviros will be thrown into service for social distancing - likely to be on the Solent Rangers - sooner than expected.

Either way, I'm just glad the LED came out. A warning Kernow photographers - these are a nightmare to get consistently!

Abshot Road, Titchfield Common

19th May 2020

Replaced by 50 of the oldest uploads

Kidderminster Junction signal box was a BR(Western) design dating from 1953 and controlled the junction with the Severn Valley route. It closed on 24th August 2012.

In it later days the former BR(Western) lower quadrant signals had their arms and mechanism replaced with upper quadrant equivalents, as seen with the upper quadrant signal on the up line on the left.

The impressive gantry of lower quadrant signals on the right survived the 2012 rationalisation, being part of the preserved Severn Valley Railway and controlled from the 1987-built Kidderminster Town signal box.

A few days before closure, 172331 passes the signal box with 1634 Worcester Forename Street to Dorridge service.

The Moskvich 402 appeared in 1956. It replaced the 400-Series and had a complete new body, influenced by the mid 1950s British style.

The technics were still based on the pre-war Opel Kadett.

The 402 was replaced by the 407 with the same body but with a restyled grille and a more powerful engine.

The Moskvich 403 was debuting in 1961.

Export versions had a lot of luxury trim and were often painted in an attractive two-tone colour pattern.

1358 cc.

980 kg.

Production 402407/403 all versions: 1956-1965.

Production 407 this version: 1958-1964.

This car was for sale since April 8, 2018 by Jan Stolpa in Znojmo, Cz, for 45 000 Kč.

Found on rajveteranu.cz (June 8, 2018).

Original photographer, place and date unknown.

Amsterdam, June 8, 2018.

© 2018 Rajveteranu/Sander Toonen, Amsterdam/Halfweg | All Rights Reserved

nearly have the power steering leak solved, hoping I don't have to replace the whole pump. Otherwise this photo is for insurance and I can start driving her once I have new coverage.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 02-Feb-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 07-Jul-23.

"Sorry Captain, there'll be a slight technical delay"...

This aircraft was delivered to the Kings Flight, Royal Air Force as VL247, a Viking C Mk.2, in Feb-47. The Kings Flight became the Queens Flight in May-52. The aircraft was sold to Tradair in Aug-58 as G-APOR.

Like many airlines of the time, Tradair didn't last and ceased trading in Dec-62. Their assets were transferred to Channel Airways the following month. The aircraft was stored at Southend in Oct-63 and was broken up there in Feb-65.

Note: There were 3 ex Queens Flight Vikings, all were sold to Tradair, known as 'POO. POP & POR' (G-APOO, G-APOP and G-APOR).

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 17-Feb-18, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 16-Jan-24. Blurred, a long distance shot, outside the range of my 200mm telephoto.

STAF Cargo Airlines (Servicios de Transportes Aereos Fueguinos SA) Argentina. leased from/operated by World Airways.

As well as operating their own services and charters for the US Military, World Airways was a well established ACMI lease operator (= Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance & Insurance). The long history shows many of the leases.

This aircraft was built as an MD-11CF with a main deck cargo door and could be used for either passengers or cargo. It was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to World Airways as N276WA in Mar-95.

It was sub-leased to Garuda Indonesia Airways on a Haj Pilgrimage operation between May/Jul-95. In Aug-95 it started a long-term lease to Malaysia Airlines. They sub-leased it to Garuda Indonesia Airways for a Haj Pilgrimage operation in Apr-96.

It returned to MASkargo (Malaysia Airlines Cargo) in May-96 as a freighter. It was sub-leased to Philippine Airlines between Oct-96/Aug-97 when it returned to MASkargo. It returned to World Airways in Nov-97 and was sub-leased to STAF Cargo (Argentina) between Aug-98/Feb-00.

The aircraft was sub-leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines for a Haj Pilgrimage operation between Feb/Apr-00 in full STAF livery. It also operated Haj flights for Garuda Indonesia Airways between Jan/Apr-01 (with 10 days off in the middle).

It was returned to ILFC in Oct-12 and sold to FedEx Federal Express later the same month when it was stored at Victorville, CA, USA. The aircraft was re-registered N68092 but never flew again, it was used by Fed Ex as a spares source. It was last noted at Victorville in Oct-16, still as N276WA.

All the parts in this image were not officially released to the public. I have obtained them through other collectors and resellers. From left to right:

• prototype SNOT plates

• a test print

• a Q-Element

• a Grangemouth test brick

• a Satin-Light blue minifigure

These items have been collected because of a genuine hobbyist interest in, and enthusiasm for, LEGO history, production, engineering and quality control. Finding and understanding these items, is like an ongoing treasure hunt that is shared with a community of like-minded LEGO fans.

The items

Prototype parts

Prototype parts, like the prototype SNOT plates in the photo, are "early models" of part designs. The parts never made it into production in this form. They are generally used to evaluate the part design (for example to evaluate the concept, visual appearance, user-experience testing, ...). The parts are usually discarded afterwards.

The parts that I own have been sold in LEGO's internal shop for employees or have been given away in lots that LEGO donated, for example for promotional purposes.

Test bricks

LEGO required that the chemical companies and manufacturers followed a strict quality control programme using test bricks. They often manufactured other plastic products also. The quality control process that was in place for their work for LEGO, was frequently also applied to their other plastic products. As a result, test bricks can be found in a wide range of materials and colours that were never used by LEGO itself.

Initially, old production moulds were used. These bricks have the LEGO logo on all studs. Later specific test brick moulds were made. Initially, those also had the LEGO logo on all studs. After that, bricks with the letters ABCD with varying stud size were used. Later those were replaced by bricks with the letter C on the studs. These days, several other letters are seen.

Nightshift Grangemouth test bricks

In the late 1970s some employees at Borg-Warner wanted to experiment with some of the excess plastic from the regular LEGO production and used the mould to produce bricks with a "granite effect", like the multicoloured brick in the photo. The bricks they produced were given to children. They did not see this as a problem, because the marbled "granite" bricks could be clearly distinguished from real LEGO products. This might have been done with permission within the factory, or they might have been produced during night shifts, but LEGO was not pleased about it. As the story was told on BrickLink, the bricks were eventually spotted by a LEGO representative and the mould was taken away.

It looks like soon after, the test moulds with LEGO logos were replaced with test moulds without LEGO markings. From now on, if any unofficial products that might not meet all quality standards made their way to the general public, it would be clear that these were not official LEGO products.

Test prints

A lot can go wrong while printing on LEGO parts. That is why LEGO has a quality control process for printing. We find both print alignment calibration parts and parts that are printed on the "wrong" base colour, like the minifigure head in the photo.

We assume that these wrong-coloured parts are usually test prints, made on whatever colour was available in the machine at the time but not on the intended colour. This way, the final print design can be evaluated while any test parts can easily be separated from the later actual production parts. That way, there can be no confusion and only the correct parts can be included into sets. Even with all that care, things can still go wrong. Technology can fail, printers can run out of ink, etc. As a result, incomplete prints or misaligned prints are also found.

These parts used to be very rare, but in recent year many have found their way to resellers. They have been included in charity gifts that LEGO made, and some German resellers that seem to have access to LEGO's leftovers get them.

Q-elements

Q-Elements are parts that are made by LEGO for use in model shops. The model shops can request certain parts in unusual colours when they need them. That is how the transparent dark blue brick in this photo was made. They are intended to be used by these model shops only, and as a result they probably do not have to meet all the strict quality requirements that the parts that are released in sets have to meet. That would explain why transparent parts are available to model shops but not in sets. Leftovers from these model shops are sometimes sold or given away.

Mould test runs

Moulds require maintenance. After a mould has been disassembled, maintained and reassembled, a test is needed to ensure that everything works properly. Traditionally, red and transparent material has been used for these tests because some flaws are more visible using these colours.

Few of these parts have shown up, although the number seems to be increasing. These parts used to be rare, but are not hard to find now (finding a random part is easy, finding a specific part is still nearly impossible).

The parts are still often sold as "rare prototypes" by resellers who wish to increase the price.

"Nightshift minifigures"

Before 2020, only very few transparent minifigures were known to exist. They were probably really part of initial mould testing (looking for hidden flaws in the first parts made in a new mould). These were extremely rare. Also, a red Darth Vader helmet was known. That part was probably also made during a first mould test. It sold for such a high value, that later clone brands made "replica prototype helmets" and sold those on Ebay.

In 2020, several transparent minifigures found their way to online sales platforms. The figures were made with genuine LEGO parts, made in unreleased colours. As far as we could tell, the parts originated in the Mexico factory. They were received with enthusiasm by several collectors who were willing to pay serious amounts of money for them. Soon, more minifigures became available. In order to increase collectability and related value, soon accessories like helmets/headgear and weapons were added to the minifigures. Minifigures related to themes like Star Wars and Batman became available in a wide range of colours. When these figures were first made, I expected LEGO to stop them soon. For some reason, LEGO has not done that or has not been able to. By 2022, the range of colours has increased to include 9 or 10 colours with glitter and 11 colours with satin have been made or announced (including the figure in this photo). Many of those colours were never released with those additions in officially released LEGO products.

Because the quality standards that normally apply to LEGO parts did not fully apply to these figures, deviations could occur. Several transparent parts are already known to crack. There is a good reason why LEGO does not release full-transparent minifigures. The available combination of material and design is not suitable for this application. This is an important quality consideration for LEGO products, but it does not appear to be for these unofficial released parts.

I would guess that these parts are made in small quantities during mould testing after maintenance. That would keep them out of the regular LEGO production lines, and possibly out of strict supervision.

Replicas and clones

Finally, there are replica's and clones, which are parts that were "inspired" by actual LEGO bricks. Made with "Is no fake, is copy"-ethics. For example, we have seen

• Replica stickers or replica prints on genuine (unprinted) LEGO parts, especially for expensive collectible sets

• Replica Plant Leaves 6 x 5 (part 2417) that were made "only in colours that LEGO did not make", until LEGO made some of those colours later...

• Replica train wheel rubber, to replace old parts that have deteriorated over time.

• Custom chromed parts, making it difficult to find the parts that were actually chromed by LEGO

• And finally last year there was a story that Chinese clone bricks were found that used the LEGO logo. As far as I know, this is the first time that suspected clone bricks might actually have used the LEGO logo. Usually, people just think that parts made in another mould version must be fake.

These fake parts often violate the intellectual property rights of LEGO (and franchises like Star Wars when those stickers/prints are copied). For collectors, they can make things very difficult. How to separate genuine or even rare valuable items from cheap knock-offs?

I don't have any of these in my collection, but I would probably be interested in a few of those rumoured Chinese Fake-LEGO-2x4-bricks with LEGO logo...

Reasons to collect

Treasure hunt and the community - It's a fun hobby

People still frequently find items that have never been seen by our community before. Finding them, sharing them online, and engaging the community bring both joy and social interaction with fellow collectors. The new items provide an opportunity to everyone to learn something new and to gain new insights or better understanding.

There is also fun in the chase. Figuring out what is out there and where to find it. Gotta catch 'em all!

And, finally.... Ohhh, Look how beautiful this new brick is!

Understanding history and product design

Through collecting these items, we can learn about LEGO's history. By comparing them, or thinking about why things are the way they are, we can learn about the evolution of technology and ideas. Every brick tells a story, about when and how it was made, about the challenges that had to be overcome or about the people that made and used them.

Conservation of knowledge and unique items

By finding, collecting and conserving items that are otherwise unobtainable and that might otherwise be scrapped and destroyed, we preserve tangible items that tell us the stories behind them in a visible way. When we find these items, we are often also finding the stories relating to these items.

Telling a story

Finally, when the items and their information become available, we can use those to tell a story. We can share what we have found in exhibitions or online, like on this Flickr page. Through these items and their stories, we can help people understand their rich history.

Ethical considerations

Collecting unreleased items?

While collecting, a collector should consider the implications of his or her actions.

We could consider several aspects:

1) Why the parts were made;

2) How the parts became available;

3) Who benefits from them;

4) Confidentiality and conflicts of interest.

Most of these parts were made as part of LEGO's design or quality control processes. They were made by LEGO or by their suppliers because they were needed.

Although the parts were not made to be released to the general public, most parts that do find their way out of the factories seem to do so by legitimate routes. They are, for example, included in sales or donations of leftover parts. There are stories where chemical companies have given test parts to their employees.

In most cases the person who made the parts did not personally benefit from them. The parts were often seen as unusable leftovers that could be donated or as interesting gifts to contacts or people who were involved in their development, or simply as toys for children of employees. Only later, often decades later when these children were grown up or when the employees died, did these parts make it to the secondary market. Resellers make some money by finding and selling these items.

As far as I know, confidentiality and conflicts of interest have not caused any issues yet. Considering confidentiality, we might happen to find information that could (still) be confidential. The basic principle should be that we, as fans of LEGO, do not wish to do any harm to LEGO. As a result, intellectual property and proprietary information should remain confidential. We can, however, share all publicly available information (including when it takes some effort of specialist knowledge to get it) about the items we find and our thoughts about them. Collectors might have personal friendships with people in the professional communities. We can ask for information, but we should respect their professional limits in what they can or cannot share and respect confidentiality when they ask us to remain silent about something.

Stimulation of illegitimate behaviour

In the case of the minifigure, a new situation seems to have occurred. It looks like someone, or probably a small group of people, is actively benefiting from an illegitimate activity. They have discovered the LEGO AFOL collectors market, and have found that serious money can be made by selling "unreleased prototypes", especially of minifigures related to collectable themes like Star Wars or Batman.

We cannot be certain as long as no official statements are made by LEGO, but it seems like these parts are made using LEGO moulds and LEGO materials without proper authorisation and without financial benefits for LEGO. This might be a form of theft, by the employee(s) who used the facilities and materials for personal gain. When buying these items, we might support and stimulate this kind of behaviour.

I consider the "nightshift minifigures" an interesting example of how LEGO employees and LEGO collectors deal with these items. Because of that, I do think that some of these parts have a place in my collection. I do however do not wish to stimulate the production of these figures much. That is why I choose to limit myself to a few parts. I will not buy any for resale or trade. That is just my approach though, every collector will have to make his or her own choices here.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 20-Dec-15.

Delivered to JAL Japan Air Lines in Mar-66 as JA8311, it was sold to Dan-Air Services as G-BAJW in Dec-72. It was wet-leased to GAS Air Nigeria for the 1983/84 winter season between Oct-83/Apr-84.

It was also leased to Royal Nepal Airlines as 9N-ABW for the winter season 1985/85 from Oct-85/Apr-86 when it returned to G-BAJW again. In Mar-88 it was sold to the Aeron Leasing Corporation and leased back to Dan-Air until they returned it to Aeron in Oct-89.

It was sold the same day to AmeriJet International as N190AJ and converted to freighter with a main-deck cargo door in Jan-90. The aircraft was wet-leased to Aces Colombia in Jan-91 and returned to Amerijet in Dec-91.

It was sold to Northern Air Cargo (Alaska) in Apr-98. It continued in service with NAC through into the 2000's and was retired at Anchorage, AK, USA, in approx 2011. It's still in use (2015) as a Fire Service trainer.

Replaces hair mesh 052

www.mediafire.com/download/f8n9eqqzxee186q/Shaelyn%27s_Ha...

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 01-Feb-18 (DeNoise AI 11-Sep-22).

BASE Airlines - Business Air, with additional 'So nice to fly with' titles.

Previously G-LOGT of Loganair

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 17-Feb-16, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 05-Apr-26.

Delivered to Air Malta in Mar-83 as 9H-ABA, the aircraft was traded in to British Aerospace in part-exchange for B.Ae 146's in Sep-94. It was sold on the same day to Indigo Aviation AB and leased to ANZ Air New Zealand as ZK-NAF.

In May-99 it was sub-leased to Royal Tongan Airlines (operated by ANZ). It was returned to Air New Zealand and the lessor in Apr-01 and stored. In Jul-01 it was sold to Sierra Pacific Airlines as N712S. It was retired and stored at Tucson, AZ, USA, in Aug-02. The aircraft was last noted still stored at Tucson in Jan-13.

I also have a photo of this with Air New Zealand at...

www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/6158471273

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a better version 02-Mar-14 + Topaz DeNoise AI 28-Sep-22.

A weather diversion from London-Gatwick (I had left B.Cal by then and was with Cal Air, so I had time to go out and take a photo!)

Named: "Mungo Park - The Scottish Explorer"

This aircraft was originally delivered to Lufthansa as D-ABYG in Feb-72. It was sold to GATX Leasing in May-79 and leased to Braniff International as N611BN.

It was returned to the lessor in Mar-82 and leased to British Caledonian Airways as G-BJXN the following month. British Caledonian was merged into British Airways in Apr-88.

The aircraft was wet-leased to MEA Middle East Airlines in Jul-88 and immediately sub-leased (operated by BA) to Nigeria Airways and returned to MEA and BA in Oct-88. British Airways returned it to the lessor in May-90

It was sold to Potomac Capital Investment as N78019 and leased to Continental Airlines the same day. The aircraft was transferred to Continental Micronesia in Nov-95 and returned to Continental Airlines and the lessor in Feb-99. It was stored at Mojave, CA, USA.

In Aug-99 the aircraft was leased to Air Atlanta Icelandic as TF-ABA and immediately wet-leased to Tunis Air for a Haj Pilgrimage operation, returning to Air Atlanta in Oct-99. It was wet-leased to Saudia, Saudi Arabian Airlines between Nov-99 / Apr-00.

The aircraft was returned to the lessor as N745LA in Aug-02 and stored at Marana, AZ, USA. It was sold to Logistic Air Inc in Jun-03 and remained stored at Marana until it was ferried to Sharjah, UAE in Mar-05. It was moved to Ras-al-Khaimah, UAE in May-05 for further storage.

It was re-registered 5U-ACE (Niger, Africa!) in Sep-05 and remained stored at Ras-al-Khaimah. It was noted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, operating a Haj Pilgrimage flight from Nigeria in Jan-06 and again in Dec-06 with periods in storage at Ras in between.

The aircraft was due to be leased to Gambia International Airlines in Jun-07, but that didn't happen. It was ferried to Roswell, NM, USA in Jul-07 and was permanently retired. It was last noted still at Roswell in Nov-15. Updated 28-Sep-22.

I also have a photo of this aircraft with Continental Micronesia as N78019 at...

www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/6505945315

This weekend several miles or track are being replaced on the Schiphol Route near Kaagbrug.

I saw two mow trains, one with RTS / Swietelski engine 92 84 2275 101-8, one with Strukton engines Carin and Danique.

i replaced the original photo, but im putting it in thi comments.

this was the initial edit i did after i shot this photo, but second guessed myself and went with a more basic edit.

+ the original in comments

explored

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 15-Jul-16.

Originally built as an MD-81, this aircraft was delivered to a lessor and leased to Swissair as HB-INN in Aug-81. It was converted to MD-82 standard prior to being returned to the lessor in Jul-97.

It was re-registered N928TW and stored at Kansas City, MO, USA the following month. It was leased to TWA Trans World Airlines in Dec-97. TWA was taken over by American Airlines in Dec-01 and the aircraft became part of the American Airlines fleet.

It was permanently retired and stored at Roswell, NM, USA in Feb-03. It was last noted still stored at Roswell in Sep-10. The registration was finally cancelled in Mar-13. Presumably it's now been broken up.

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 03-Feb-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 17-Jun-23.

Not my photo although I was there on the day (I ran out of film!), scanned from a slide in my collection (one of only 6 of the 18,200 photos on Flickr that I didn't take myself).

This aircraft was delivered new to the UK Royal Air Force in Feb-46 as MW258 and used extensively on the Berlin Air Lift. It was stored at RAF Kilbride, Scotland in Feb-51 and transferred to RAF Aldergrove, Belfast in Feb-54.

It was sold to Aviation Traders (Engineering) Ltd. in Dec-54 as G-ANXN and transferred to Air Charter in Feb-55. Dan-Air bought it in Sep-56 and operated it for 7 years until it was retired at Lasham in 1963 and broken up there later the same year.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 28-Nov-18 (DeNoise AI 05-Sep-22).

This aircraft was delivered to Cathay Pacific Airways as VR-HUD in Dec-92. It was re-registered B-HUD in Jul-97 when Hong Kong became an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China.

The aircraft was withdrawn from service and permanently retired at Kemble, UK in Sep-12. It was broken up there in Apr/May-13.

Technically this is two light houses, the black tower is not on the white building, it is behind it. The circular building was built with a lighthouse on top, Wyatt's Tower in 1843 by Trinity House. The problem with Dungeness is that it is still growing, shingle is deposited by the tides so the lighthouse is slowly going further in land. By 1904 a new higher tower was required and a new Lighthouse built. When the powerstation was built, this lighthouse was replaced by a new automatic light in 1964.

Not sure when or even why I built this. Looks like it was ages ago... Just recently I replaced some old pieces with the newly added and even made everything (apart from minifigs) in existing colors. This car fits a fig and has opening doors. I guess it's even possible to put two minifigs in there, but that's just too much for LDD and you'll have to remove some strengthening elements from that interior. Anyways, I really like this little thing. It's a good break from my non-stop mecha :D

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 09-Sep-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 01-Sep-25.

Fleet No: "608".

Delivered new to Eastern Air Lines as N8608 in Aug-60, the aircraft was sold to Air Spain in Apr-73 as EC-CDA. Air Spain ceased operating in Feb-75 and the aircraft was stored at Palma, Majorca, Spain.

It was Jun-76 before Eastern was able to repossess it through the Spanish Courts and it became N8608 again. It was ferried back to the USA in Aug-76 and stored at Marana, AZ.

It was sold to JH Goodwin & Associates in Nov-76 and remained stored until it was sold to Hamarein Air of the United Arab Emirates as A6-SHA in Feb-77. It was leased to Bursa Hava Yollari, Turkey, as TC-JBV in Mar-80 and they bought it 4 months later.

It was withdrawn from use and stored at Beek, Holland, in Apr-81. It remained stored at Beek until it was bought by Omega Air for spares in Sep-84. It was broken up at Beek in Dec-84.

Replaced with Hasselblad X1 scan:

Somewhere in the Tien Shan in southeastern Kyrgyzstan.

August 2010.

Contax G2, Zeiss G Biogon 21mm and Kodak Ektar.

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

www.ps-photo.net

For my photography project, I followed my friend Gloria around for a day, when going to stage school.

And I just really like this photo. :)

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 24-Aug-21 (DeNoiseAI).

I flew on this aircraft many times when it was G-GCAL with Cal-Air and Novair.

This was the 2nd DC-10 prototype and first flew on 29-Jan-71 as N101AA. This registration was swapped with the original prototype, N10DC, in Dec-72 when N101AA was delivered to American Airlines.

After being stored by McDonnell Douglas in 1973 it was leased to Laker Airways as G-BELO in Jun-77 and operated with them until they ceased operations in Feb-82 when it was repossessed.

After a year in storage it was leased to American Trans Air in Feb-83 as N183AT. It was returned to the lessor in Dec-85 and stored.

The aircraft was leased to Cal Air International in Feb-86 as G-GCAL. Cal Air was renamed Novair International in Dec-88 and ceased trading in Mar-90. It was stored initially at Prestwick, Scotland, UK before being transferred to Waco, TX, USA.

In Nov-91 it was sold to Project Orbis as N220AU. After an almost 4 year conversion programme it returned to operation as a flying eye hospital.

It was retired in Dec-13 after 42 years in service, not because it had come to the end of it's life but because of a shortage of volunteer DC-10 rated pilots and flight engineers after FedEx converted their DC-10F's to MD-10 standard for two crew operation.

The aircraft was stored at Victorville, CA, USA. However, the old 'gal was repainted in Orbis' latest livery and pressed back into service in mid 2014.

It was finally retired at the end of Oct-16 after 45 years in service and ferried Los Angeles / Long Beach on 03-Nov-16 for a final visit to her birthplace. Her final flight was on 07-Nov-16 from Long Beach to Davis Monthan Air Force Base where she's been displayed at the Pima Air and Space Museum.

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a better version 23-Apr-14 (DeNoise AI 14-Sep-22)

Ahhh! DC-10!

Ex Laker Airways G-GFAL. BCA Charter & British Caledonian Charter, renamed Cal-Air International and later Novair International.

First flown by McDonnell Douglas in Dec-78 using the test registration N1002D, this aircraft was delivered to Laker Airways in Feb-79 as G-GFAL. Laker Airways ceased operations on 05-Feb-82 and the aircraft was repossessed by Mitsui Leasing.

The Rank Leisure Group and Thomson Holidays had a big summer charter programme with Laker Airways and were suddenly short of capacity. They entered into discussions with British Caledonian Airways and as a result B.Cal and Rank Leisure formed British Caledonian Charter with a 51%/49% holding.

The leases of 2 Laker DC-10-10's were transferred and British Caledonian took delivery of G-GFAL on 22-Feb-82 when it was re-registered G-BZJD. It was transferred to British Caledonian (Charter) Ltd on 01-Mar-82.

The company was renamed Cal Air International Airways in Oct-85. When B.Cal was taken over by British Airways, they didn't want Cal Air (they already had British Airtours which became Caledonian Airways Mk:2) and B.Cal's 51% was sold to the Rank Leisure Group.

Cal Air was renamed Novair International in Dec-88. Rank Leisure closed the company down at the end of Mar-90 (and I was out of a job!). The aircraft was initially stored at Prestwick, Scotland, and later, ferried to Waco, TX, USA in Nov-90 for continued storage.

It was sold to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation in Nov-92 as N581LF and remained stored at Waco until Feb-94 when was converted into a freighter with a main-deck cargo door and leased to FedEx Federal Express as N10060 in Aug-94.

In Nov-08 it underwent the MD-10 conversion with the MD-11 'glass cockpit' and 2 crew operation. Sadly, this aircraft was finally retired in Jan-21 after an amazing 42 years in service. Updated 14-Sep-22.

An Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22 "Raptor" assigned to the 3rd Wing flies over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Feb. 27, 2018. The Lockheed Martin F-22 "Raptor" is the U.S. Air Force’s premium fifth-generation fighter asset.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lockheed Martin F-22 "Raptor" is a fifth-generation, single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signal intelligence capabilities. The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22's airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.

The aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A. Despite its protracted development and various operational issues, USAF officials consider the F-22 a critical component of the service's tactical air power. Its combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and situational awareness enable unprecedented air combat capabilities.

Service officials had originally planned to buy a total of 750 ATFs. In 2009, the program was cut to 187 operational production aircraft due to high costs, a lack of clear air-to-air missions due to delays in Russian and Chinese fighter programs, a ban on exports, and development of the more versatile F-35. The last F-22 was delivered in 2012.

Development

Origins

In 1981, the U.S. Air Force identified a requirement for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) to replace the F-15 "Eagle" and F-16 "Fighting Falcon". Code named "Senior Sky", this air-superiority fighter program was influenced by emerging worldwide threats, including new developments in Soviet air defense systems and the proliferation of the Su-27 "Flanker"- and MiG-29 "Fulcrum"-class of fighter aircraft. It would take advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon, including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems, more powerful propulsion systems, and most importantly, stealth technology. In 1983, the ATF concept development team became the System Program Office (SPO) and managed the program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The demonstration and validation (Dem/Val) request for proposals (RFP) was issued in September 1985, with requirements placing strong emphasis on stealth and supercruise. Of the seven bidding companies, Lockheed and Northrop were selected on 31 October 1986. Lockheed teamed with Boeing and General Dynamics while Northrop teamed with McDonnell Douglas, and the two contractor teams undertook a 50-month Dem/Val phase, culminating in the flight test of two technology demonstrator prototypes, the YF-22 and the YF-23, respectively.

Dem/Val was focused on risk reduction and technology development plans over specific aircraft designs. Contractors made extensive use of analytical and empirical methods, including computational fluid dynamics, wind-tunnel testing, and radar cross-section calculations and pole testing; the Lockheed team would conduct nearly 18,000 hours of wind-tunnel testing. Avionics development was marked by extensive testing and prototyping and supported by ground and flying laboratories. During Dem/Val, the SPO used the results of performance and cost trade studies conducted by contractor teams to adjust ATF requirements and delete ones that were significant weight and cost drivers while having marginal value. The short takeoff and landing (STOL) requirement was relaxed in order to delete thrust-reversers, saving substantial weight. As avionics was a major cost driver, side-looking radars were deleted, and the dedicated infra-red search and track (IRST) system was downgraded from multi-color to single color and then deleted as well. However, space and cooling provisions were retained to allow for future addition of these components. The ejection seat requirement was downgraded from a fresh design to the existing McDonnell Douglas ACES II. Despite efforts by the contractor teams to rein in weight, the takeoff gross weight estimate was increased from 50,000 lb (22,700 kg) to 60,000 lb (27,200 kg), resulting in engine thrust requirement increasing from 30,000 lbf (133 kN) to 35,000 lbf (156 kN) class.

Each team produced two prototype air vehicles for Dem/Val, one for each of the two engine options. The YF-22 had its maiden flight on 29 September 1990 and in flight tests achieved up to Mach 1.58 in supercruise. After the Dem/Val flight test of the prototypes, on 23 April 1991, Secretary of the USAF Donald Rice announced the Lockheed team as the winner of the ATF competition. The YF-23 design was considered stealthier and faster, while the YF-22, with its thrust vectoring nozzles, was more maneuverable as well as less expensive and risky. The aviation press speculated that the Lockheed team's design was also more adaptable to the U.S. Navy's Navalized Advanced Tactical Fighter (NATF), but by 1992, the Navy had abandoned NATF.

Production and procurement

As the program moved to full-scale development, or the Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) stage, the production version had notable differences from the YF-22, despite having a broadly similar shape. The swept-back angle of the leading edge was decreased from 48° to 42°, while the vertical stabilizers were shifted rearward and decreased in area by 20%. To improve pilot visibility, the canopy was moved forward 7 inches (18 cm), and the engine intakes moved rearward 14 inches (36 cm). The shapes of the wing and stabilator trailing edges were refined to improve aerodynamics, strength, and stealth characteristics. Increasing weight during development caused slight reductions in range and maneuver performance.

Prime contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics manufactured the majority of the airframe and performed final assembly at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia; program partner Boeing Defense, Space & Security provided additional airframe components as well as avionics integration and training systems. The first F-22, an EMD aircraft with tail number 4001, was unveiled at Marietta, Georgia, on 9 April 1997, and first flew on 7 September 1997. Production, with the first lot awarded in September 2000, supported over 1,000 subcontractors and suppliers from 46 states and up to 95,000 jobs, and spanned 15 years at a peak rate of roughly two airplanes per month. In 2006, the F-22 development team won the Collier Trophy, American aviation's most prestigious award. Due to the aircraft's advanced nature, contractors have been targeted by cyberattacks and technology theft.

The USAF originally envisioned ordering 750 ATFs at a total program cost of $44.3 billion and procurement cost of $26.2 billion in fiscal year (FY) 1985 dollars, with production beginning in 1994. The 1990 Major Aircraft Review led by Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney reduced this to 648 aircraft beginning in 1996. By 1997, funding instability had further cut the total to 339, which was again reduced to 277 by 2003. In 2004, the Department of Defense (DoD) further reduced this to 183 operational aircraft, despite the USAF's preference for 381. A multi-year procurement plan was implemented in 2006 to save $15 billion, with total program cost projected to be $62 billion for 183 F-22s distributed to seven combat squadrons. In 2008, Congress passed a defense spending bill that raised the total orders for production aircraft to 187.

The first two F-22s built were EMD aircraft in the Block 1.0 configuration for initial flight testing, while the third was a Block 2.0 aircraft built to represent the internal structure of production airframes and enabled it to test full flight loads. Six more EMD aircraft were built in the Block 10 configuration for development and upgrade testing, with the last two considered essentially production quality jets. Production for operational squadrons consisted of 37 Block 20 training aircraft and 149 Block 30/35 combat aircraft; one of the Block 35 aircraft is dedicated to flight sciences at Edwards Air Force Base.

The numerous new technologies in the F-22 resulted in substantial cost overruns and delays. Many capabilities were deferred to post-service upgrades, reducing the initial cost but increasing total program cost. As production wound down in 2011, the total program cost is estimated to be about $67.3 billion, with $32.4 billion spent on Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) and $34.9 billion on procurement and military construction (MILCON) in then year dollars. The incremental cost for an additional F-22 was estimated at about $138 million in 2009.

Ban on exports

The F-22 cannot be exported under US federal law to protect its stealth technology and other high-tech features. Customers for U.S. fighters are acquiring earlier designs such as the F-15 "Eagle" and F-16 "Fighting Falcon" or the newer F-35 "Lightning II", which contains technology from the F-22 but was designed to be cheaper, more flexible, and available for export. In September 2006, Congress upheld the ban on foreign F-22 sales. Despite the ban, the 2010 defense authorization bill included provisions requiring the DoD to prepare a report on the costs and feasibility for an F-22 export variant, and another report on the effect of F-22 export sales on U.S. aerospace industry.

Some Australian politicians and defense commentators proposed that Australia should attempt to purchase F-22s instead of the planned F-35s, citing the F-22's known capabilities and F-35's delays and developmental uncertainties. However, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) determined that the F-22 was unable to perform the F-35's strike and close air support roles. The Japanese government also showed interest in the F-22 for its Replacement-Fighter program. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) would reportedly require fewer fighters for its mission if it obtained the F-22, thus reducing engineering and staffing costs. However, in 2009 it was reported that acquiring the F-22 would require increases to the Japanese government's defense budget beyond the historical 1 percent of its GDP. With the end of F-22 production, Japan chose the F-35 in December 2011. Israel also expressed interest, but eventually chose the F-35 because of the F-22's price and unavailability.

Production termination

Throughout the 2000s, the need for F-22s was debated, due to rising costs and the lack of relevant adversaries. In 2006, Comptroller General of the United States David Walker found that "the DoD has not demonstrated the need" for more investment in the F-22, and further opposition to the program was expressed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England, Senator John McCain, and Chairman of U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services Senator John Warner. The F-22 program lost influential supporters in 2008 after the forced resignations of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General T. Michael Moseley.

In November 2008, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated that the F-22 was not relevant in post-Cold War conflicts such as irregular warfare operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in April 2009, under the new Obama Administration, he called for ending production in FY2011, leaving the USAF with 187 production aircraft. In July, General James Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated to the Senate Committee on Armed Services his reasons for supporting termination of F-22 production. They included shifting resources to the multirole F-35 to allow proliferation of fifth-generation fighters for three service branches and preserving the F/A-18 production line to maintain the military's electronic warfare (EW) capabilities in the Boeing EA-18G "Growler". Issues with the F-22's reliability and availability also raised concerns. After President Obama threatened to veto further production, the Senate voted in July 2009 in favor of ending production and the House subsequently agreed to abide by the 187 production aircraft cap. Gates stated that the decision was taken in light of the F-35's capabilities, and in 2010, he set the F-22 requirement to 187 aircraft by lowering the number of major regional conflict preparations from two to one.

In 2010, USAF initiated a study to determine the costs of retaining F-22 tooling for a future Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). A RAND Corporation paper from this study estimated that restarting production and building an additional 75 F-22s would cost $17 billion, resulting in $227 million per aircraft, or $54 million higher than the flyaway cost. Lockheed Martin stated that restarting the production line itself would cost about $200 million. Production tooling and associated documentation were subsequently stored at the Sierra Army Depot, allowing the retained tooling to support the fleet life cycle. There were reports that attempts to retrieve this tooling found empty containers, but a subsequent audit found that the tooling was stored as expected.

Russian and Chinese fighter developments have fueled concern, and in 2009, General John Corley, head of Air Combat Command, stated that a fleet of 187 F-22s would be inadequate, but Secretary Gates dismissed General Corley's concern. In 2011, Gates explained that Chinese fifth-generation fighter developments had been accounted for when the number of F-22s was set, and that the U.S. would have a considerable advantage in stealth aircraft in 2025, even with F-35 delays. In December 2011, the 195th and final F-22 was completed out of 8 test EMD and 187 operational aircraft produced; the aircraft was delivered to the USAF on 2 May 2012.

In April 2016, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee proposed legislation that would direct the Air Force to conduct a cost study and assessment associated with resuming production of the F-22. Since the production halt directed in 2009 by then Defense Secretary Gates, lawmakers and the Pentagon noted that air warfare systems of Russia and China were catching up to those of the U.S. Lockheed Martin has proposed upgrading the Block 20 training aircraft into combat-coded Block 30/35 versions as a way to increase numbers available for deployment. On 9 June 2017, the Air Force submitted their report to Congress stating they had no plans to restart the F-22 production line due to economic and operational issues; it estimated it would cost approximately $50 billion to procure 194 additional F-22s at a cost of $206–$216 million per aircraft, including approximately $9.9 billion for non-recurring start-up costs and $40.4 billion for aircraft procurement costs.

Upgrades

The first aircraft with combat-capable Block 3.0 software flew in 2001. Increment 2, the first upgrade program, was implemented in 2005 for Block 20 aircraft onward and enabled the employment of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). Certification of the improved AN/APG-77(V)1 radar was completed in March 2007, and airframes from production Lot 5 onward are fitted with this radar, which incorporates air-to-ground modes. Increment 3.1 for Block 30 aircraft onward provided improved ground-attack capability through synthetic aperture radar mapping and radio emitter direction finding, electronic attack and Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) integration; testing began in 2009 and the first upgraded aircraft was delivered in 2011. To address oxygen deprivation issues, F-22s were fitted with an automatic backup oxygen system (ABOS) and modified life support system starting in 2012.

Increment 3.2 for Block 35 aircraft is a two-part upgrade process; 3.2A focuses on electronic warfare, communications and identification, while 3.2B includes geolocation improvements and a new stores management system to show the correct symbols for the AIM-9X and AIM-120D. To enable two-way communication with other platforms, the F-22 can use the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) as a gateway. The planned Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) integration was cut due to development delays and lack of proliferation among USAF platforms. The F-22 fleet is planned to start receiving Increment 3.2B as well as a software upgrade for cryptography capabilities and avionics stability in May 2019. A Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint (MIDS-J) radio that replaces the current Link-16 receive-only box is expected to be operational by 2020. Subsequent upgrades are also focusing on having an open architecture to enable faster future enhancements.

In 2024, funding is projected to begin for the F-22 mid-life upgrade (MLU), which is expected to include new sensors and antennas, hardware refresh, cockpit improvements, and a helmet mounted display and cuing system. Other enhancements being developed include IRST functionality for the AN/AAR-56 Missile Launch Detector (MLD) and more durable stealth coating based on the F-35's.

The F-22 was designed for a service life of 8,000 flight hours, with a $350 million "structures retrofit program". Investigations are being made for upgrades to extend their useful lives further. In the long term, the F-22 is expected to be superseded by a sixth-generation jet fighter to be fielded in the 2030s.

Design

Overview

The F-22 "Raptor" is a fifth-generation fighter that is considered fourth generation in stealth aircraft technology by the USAF. It is the first operational aircraft to combine supercruise, supermaneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion in a single weapons platform. The F-22 has four empennage surfaces, retractable tricycle landing gear, and clipped delta wings with reverse trailing edge sweep and leading edge extensions running to the upper outboard corner of the inlets. Flight control surfaces include leading-edge flaps, flaperons, ailerons, rudders on the canted vertical stabilizers, and all-moving horizontal tails (stabilators); for speed brake function, the ailerons deflect up, flaperons down, and rudders outwards to increase drag.

The aircraft's dual Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 augmented turbofan engines are closely spaced and incorporate pitch-axis thrust vectoring nozzles with a range of ±20 degrees; each engine has maximum thrust in the 35,000 lbf (156 kN) class. The F-22's thrust-to-weight ratio at typical combat weight is nearly at unity in maximum military power and 1.25 in full afterburner. Maximum speed without external stores is approximately Mach 1.8 at military power and greater than Mach 2 with afterburners.

The F-22's high cruise speed and operating altitude over prior fighters improve the effectiveness of its sensors and weapon systems, and increase survivability against ground defenses such as surface-to-air missiles. The aircraft is among only a few that can supercruise, or sustain supersonic flight without using fuel-inefficient afterburners; it can intercept targets which subsonic aircraft would lack the speed to pursue and an afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to reach. The F-22's thrust and aerodynamics enable regular combat speeds of Mach 1.5 at 50,000 feet (15,000 m). The use of internal weapons bays permits the aircraft to maintain comparatively higher performance over most other combat-configured fighters due to a lack of aerodynamic drag from external stores. The aircraft's structure contains a significant amount of high-strength materials to withstand stress and heat of sustained supersonic flight. Respectively, titanium alloys and composites comprise 39% and 24% of the structural weight.

The F-22's aerodynamics, relaxed stability, and powerful thrust-vectoring engines give it excellent maneuverability and energy potential across its flight envelope. The airplane has excellent high alpha (angle of attack) characteristics, capable of flying at trimmed alpha of over 60° while maintaining roll control and performing maneuvers such as the Herbst maneuver (J-turn) and Pugachev's Cobra. The flight control system and full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) make the aircraft highly departure resistant and controllable, thus giving the pilot carefree handling.

Stealth

The F-22 was designed to be highly difficult to detect and track by radar. Measures to reduce radar cross-section (RCS) include airframe shaping such as alignment of edges, fixed-geometry serpentine inlets and curved vanes that prevent line-of-sight of the engine faces and turbines from any exterior view, use of radar-absorbent material (RAM), and attention to detail such as hinges and pilot helmets that could provide a radar return. The F-22 was also designed to have decreased radio emissions, infrared signature and acoustic signature as well as reduced visibility to the naked eye. The aircraft's flat thrust-vectoring nozzles reduce infrared emissions of the exhaust plume to mitigate the threat of infrared homing ("heat seeking") surface-to-air or air-to-air missiles. Additional measures to reduce the infrared signature include special topcoat and active cooling of leading edges to manage the heat buildup from supersonic flight.

Compared to previous stealth designs like the F-117, the F-22 is less reliant on RAM, which are maintenance-intensive and susceptible to adverse weather conditions. Unlike the B-2, which requires climate-controlled hangars, the F-22 can undergo repairs on the flight line or in a normal hangar. The F-22 has a Signature Assessment System which delivers warnings when the radar signature is degraded and necessitates repair. While the F-22's exact RCS is classified, in 2009 Lockheed Martin released information indicating that from certain angles the aircraft has an RCS of 0.0001 m² or −40 dBsm – equivalent to the radar reflection of a "steel marble". Effectively maintaining the stealth features can decrease the F-22's mission capable rate to 62–70%.

The effectiveness of the stealth characteristics is difficult to gauge. The RCS value is a restrictive measurement of the aircraft's frontal or side area from the perspective of a static radar. When an aircraft maneuvers it exposes a completely different set of angles and surface area, potentially increasing radar observability. Furthermore, the F-22's stealth contouring and radar absorbent materials are chiefly effective against high-frequency radars, usually found on other aircraft. The effects of Rayleigh scattering and resonance mean that low-frequency radars such as weather radars and early-warning radars are more likely to detect the F-22 due to its physical size. However, such radars are also conspicuous, susceptible to clutter, and have low precision. Additionally, while faint or fleeting radar contacts make defenders aware that a stealth aircraft is present, reliably vectoring interception to attack the aircraft is much more challenging. According to the USAF an F-22 surprised an Iranian F-4 "Phantom II" that was attempting to intercept an American UAV, despite Iran's assertion of having military VHF radar coverage over the Persian Gulf.

Replacing an earlier scanned print with a slightly better version 24-Jan-19. Sorry it's a little blurred.

Taken from the Templeton Bridge.

Named: "Derwent Water".

This aircraft was delivered to BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation as G-AWNE in Mar-71. BOAC was merged with BEA British European Airways to form British Airways in Apr-74. The aircraft was sold to AAR Aircraft Leasing in Feb-98 and leased back to British Airways. After 28.5 years in service it was returned to the lessor and stored at Roswell, NM, USA in Nov-99. It was sold to Kabo Air (Nigerial) in Jan-01 as 5N-RRR. It never left Roswell and was eventually broken up there for spares.

Every morning you get another 1440 minutes replacement...but do understand that it's a "limited offer".

ODC:Replace

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 12-Nov-17.

Skyservice USA was an Airtours company which operated in west coast USA. They also had a DC-10-10 which operated mostly between west coast points and Hawaii for in house tour operator 'Sun Trips' (there is a DC-10 photo in the Douglas DC-10 set).

This was another lessor owned aircraft with a long history. First flown in Jun-93 with the Airbus test registration F-WWDM, this aircraft was stored at Toulouse, France in Jul-93 before delivery to the Orix Aircraft Corporation in Sep-93. It remained in storage until it was re-registered N437RX in Mar-94.

It was leased to Airworld, UK as G-BVJV in Apr-94 for the summer season. On it's return to Orix in Nov-94 it was stored at Stansted, UK and leased to Airworld again in Apr-95. It was sub-leased to Skyservice Airlines (Canada) as C-FWOQ in Nov-95 and returned to Airworld as G-BVJV in Apr-96.

It was leased to Transmeridian Airways, USA as N437RX in Nov-96 for the winter, returning to Airworld as G-BVJV in Apr-97. The aircraft returned to Orix in Nov-97 and was leased to Airtours International Airways as G-EPFR two weeks later.

It was sub-leased to Skyservice as C-FTDF in Dec-97 and returned to Airtours in Apr-98. In Nov-98 it was sub-leased to Airtours subsidiary SkyserviceUSA and returned to Airtours as G-EPFR in Apr-99.

In Feb-00 the aircraft was leased to Airtours German subsidiary FlyFTI (operating for German Tour Operator, Frosch Touristik International). It was re-registered D-AAMS in Mar-00. It returned to Airtours in Jan-01 and was sub-leased to Skyservice Airlines, Canada as C-FTDF in Feb-01.

The sub-lease to Skyservice continued with the aircraft being sub-leased back to Airtours International for the summer season from Apr/Nov-01.

Airtours was renamed MyTravel Airways in Apr-02 and the summer sub-leases from Skyservice, Canada continued between May/Nov-02, Apr/Nov-03, May/Nov-04, May/Nov-05 and Mar/Nov-06. The aircraft was returned to MyTravel Airways, this time as G-FTDF, in Apr-07.

MyTravel was merged into Thomas Cook Airlines UK in Mar-08. The aircraft continued in service until it was permanently retired and stored at Manchester, UK in Jan-11. It was ferried to Greenwood, MS, USA for further storage. The registration was cancelled in Aug-11 and it was later broken up.