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Toowoomba. Toowoomba is Australia’s largest inland city except for our national capital, Canberra. In 2011 the Toowoomba metropolitan area had 106,000 residents. Why has Toowoomba been so successful in terms of its growth? Well it is the regional capital for the whole of the Darling Downs, one of the most rich and fertile agricultural regions of Australia. Because of the wealthy pastoralists and farmers of the region it has been a business and education hub for a huge region. It has many private and boarding schools and it has a varied industrial base although many of the industries are related to agricultural processing and supplies. Toowoomba had a large foundry from 1874 which made agricultural equipment for cereals, windmills, water pumps and railway engines. It soon had flourmills and bread making factories, butter factories from the 1890s and bacon factories and pork processors. Today it still has a large abattoir works in Oakey. In the past it was also a major railway city with railway workshops and branch rail lines to the north, south and west and the first interstate railway connection through New England to Sydney from 1888.
The first village on the Darling Downs was Drayton established in 1842. It is now just a suburb of Toowoomba. Farm lots were sold here, especially for market gardeners in the 1850s and Toowoomba on slightly higher ground than Drayton developed. Hotels and both the original Anglican and Presbyterian churches opened in Toowoomba in 1857. Farmers prospered on the fertile soils with the mild and damp climate and so the town prospered too. A shire council was formed in 1860 and the Botanic gardens were founded in 1865. Then as we already know the railway from Ipswich reached the town in 1867. By the mid 1870s Toowoomba had a population of 4,000 people and most of the facilities people expected of a town. In addition it had schools. A private Church of England School opened in 1856 and before 1865 another three private school had opened. The first state school also opened in 1865. A further 20 private schools opened before 1900. Current survivors from this early period include Toowoomba Boy’s Grammar (1876) and Christian Brothers College (1899). Today private boarding schools (7) and public schools are supplemented with a large TAFE college and the University of Southern Queensland (1992) which has its home base in Toowoomba. By the early 20th century Toowoomba was earning a reputation as a garden city and tourism became important. Now with exploration for coal seam gas across the Darling Downs and other mining further west Toowoomba is planning a major expansion of its airport to take large jets and other infrastructure to take the city far into the 21st century. Toowoomba is one of the fastest growing cities in Australia. Its City Council joined with adjoining rural councils in 2008 and the council region has over 153,000 people. But it has not forgotten its past. Over 50 buildings are registered on the state heritage register. We will see some of them in Ruthven Street and nearby areas. The register includes some of the 1870s mansions as well as churches, commercial buildings, the Court House, the Empire Theatre, railway station complex etc.
Cobb and Co Museum (admission is $13 and is not included) and Buildings around Queens Park.
1. Whyembah, 80 Campbell Street. 1890. Pressed tin walls but a gentleman’s house. Now restored.
2. Kimblehurst, 94 Campbell Street. Home of first local born Mayor.
3. Claremont, 91 Campbell Street. 1905 Coach house and stables at rear. Good iron lacework.
4. Killalah, 73 Margaret corner of Lindsay. 1911. Became Catholic Bishops House in 1944 now Catholic Education Off.
Cobb and Co as we heard in Charleville was instrumental in opening up Western QLD. Early routes opened up the west, later routes left from rail terminals. The Dalby-Roma route began in 1868 and ran until 1887 as the train covered this route from 1888. The Roma-Charleville route started in 1876 and ran till 1887. It ran three times a week. The last Cobb and Co coach ran in 1924 after which the horses, harnesses, coaches, depots and land etc were all sold. Cobb survived for so long as it switched routes quickly, it was adaptable, it provided feeder services to railways and the main stay was also the contract to carry the mails. Their coaches were sturdy and withstood the bad road conditions. All coaches were of the same design and parts were interchangeable between coaches. Passenger fares were always expensive but they still carried many passengers as there was no other transport option. Coaches carried 11 people with only six seated inside the coach. Cobb used good horses and although trips were slow, horses were changed about every 20 kms, so even a short run of about 80 kms would require 40 horses. Horses were used for about 18 months only as great stamina was required from the horses. Drivers had bad work conditions and yet they were expected to entertain passengers with songs and stories on the long trips. The company enterprise required great logistics and sufficient hay and horse feed was required at every changing station along every route which was an enormous task when you remember changing station were very 20 kms along the routes.
Some Toowoomba Buildings to look for in the city centre.
1. Court House, corner of Neil and Margaret Streets. 1878. Grand in style with classical gable, central cupola etc.
2. Old Post Office, corner of Neil and Margaret Streets. 1877. Government architect design. White sandstone.
3. Wesley Church, Neil Street. 1877. Fine Gothic structure. No longer used as a church but part of Empire theatre.
4. Empire Theatre Neil Street. 1932. Original 1911 theatre burned down in 1932.
5. Masonic Temple Neil Street. 1886. Once had a circular drive in front of it.
6. St. Patrick’s Cathedral, James and Neil Streets.1885. Made of basalt flagstones. Impressive Gothic style.
7. City Hall in Ruthven Street built 1900. First wooden Town hall was built in 1862.
8. Railway Station in Russell Street. 1874, renovated 1998.
9. St. James Anglican Church, Russell and Mort Streets. 1869.
10. Male urinal, Russell and Victoria Streets. 1919. First sewage in Toowoomba in 1926. Red brick classical style!
New Sony A7R Test Photos of Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA Lens finished in Lightroom 5.3 ! Was using the B+W 49mm Kaesemann Circular Polarizer MRC Filter on bright, sunny day. Check out the low glare off the rocks and water and the bright blue sky! Super sharp images and crystal-clear pictures!
Here's some video shot at the same time as stills: youtu.be/Y7gq_gCk0jE
BE sure to join my youtube channel for goddess video shot @ the same time as the stills with the Sony A7 !
www.youtube.com/user/bikiniswimsuitmodels
Beautiful swimsuit bikini model goddess on a beautiful December Malibu afternoon! Shot it yesterday. :) Love, love, love the new Sony A7 R!
Was a fun test shoot. Many, many more to come!
All the best on your Epic Hero's Journey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
What a great day, caught up with my lovely virtual boyfriend on zoom, met an absolutely lovely gentleman for some great tongue action, retouched my makeup and now at a friends house chilling for a bit xx
In the times before modern mowing machines, an overgrown cemetery wouldn't have been abandoned. That natural meadow would've been the story each summer, grown tall till the scythe came swinging in September. All that mattered was nature not taking over permanently. There was more to do than constantly tending the dead, and wouldn't all those lost souls like somewhere to frolic, anyhow? Many of my visits have little to do with bones, stones, souls, or sad stories. Life is the drive, mine and whatever I encounter on the visit. Today was the tale of spiders, wildflowers, weeds, trees, and me. It seems tragic to make these places all about the dead. As far as what's growing is concerned, there's nothing but life here. I'm getting better at seeing the same.
June 14, 2025
Grafton, Nova Scotia
Year 18, Day 6425 of my daily journal.
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For Iron Photographer 256:
1 - two things that are the same
2 - two other things that are the same
3 - the color red
Top: SPD (Social Democrats)
Bottom: FDP (Free Democrats)
Same old song here. At least Whitney looks totally, like she stepped out of the Happy Hooker, the eighties edition. meh..
I took so many shots of this beautiful sunset on Sunday evening!! The scene just blew me away. They are all unedited photos!! ;-))
Explore #320 on June 4th
amazing from every view, I love the front side same as the back and backlit as well! that's why i didn't want to make a pillow from it, but instead I will try to find some suitable plexiglass to put it inside to all aspects of it be visible...
one of the original projects published in Shadowfolds book of Jeff Rutzky and Chris Palmer, my biggest shadowfold project till now
made on 50 cm square of blue lining fabric, not the best choice for shadowfolds but it was part of experiment :) ... after it was cut to obtain circle as you see it on pictures, final size is 27 cm (diameter)
the size was quite small and fabric quite light and wobbly, ironing was especially difficult, and you can see a lot of imperfections in detail, but i like overall view and feeling from this piece
started before Christmas and finished during winter holiday in Slovakia
Jeff managed to copy the pattern to the fabric, my thanks goes to him :)
Same location as a few days ago, but with more light and a different lens. Think this came out better.
Pretty brunette swimsuit bikni model goddess modeling the Nikon D800-based 45WindSurfer!
Shooting photographic stills & video @ same time with Nikon D800 & 70-200 mm VR2 Nikkor Lens bracketed to a camcorder--the awsome Panasonic HDC-TM900 32GB Flash Memory HD Camcorder ! It shoots stabilized 60P video for super-smooth slow-mo when I slow it down in post!
I call it the 45WindSurfer Bracket, as you can catch video's constant wind and still photography's intermittent waves!
Just as windsurding was invented by combining two sports--surfing and sailing--so too was 45windsurfing born by combining two art forms!
When you get to work with pretty swimsuit bikni models, you want to make the most of everyone's time & shoot stills photorgaphy and motion pictures / video @ the same time!
Shooting (45WindSurfing) on El Matador Beach in Malbu!
The 45WindSurfer bracket allows one to attach any two cameras! Can hardly wait to attch a 4K Sony or JVC!
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue bikini!
All the best on your journey!
The same male Monarch butterfly resting on the same wild asters as in the previous fifteen photos
Camera Used: Canon EOS Rebel T1i
Lens Used: Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM prime lens
I wouldn't normally be driving 40 miles to photograph a filthy train in pitch black conditions, but with my old chum "Stapleton Road" visiting for a couple of days we popped out so he could have a crack at the two Cumbria RHTTs.
56113 leads 56105 at Sandy Lane, a location/locos combo' I'd done only a few weeks ago with Dave Mac on an equally dire day.
I've cropped the majority of the sky out, as my first ever attempts at merging two differently exposed shots in PS ended in abject failure.
Eddie and I then made the trip west to Wigton for the 70s on 3J11, but it was even darker there than it was here, so you won't be seeing my shot.
And here's the same ghoul, but with her hair more under control, and some Barbie shoes I got just for her. I decided if she's gonna have Barbie feet then I want to try and give her the impression she has MH size feet. At least these fit well with the MH theme. Oh incidentally, she also had Lala's heart tattoo on her cheek, which I removed. If you look closely, her pupils are heart shaped...a neat touch!
So weird looking! Not sure of exact species. In a patch of goldenrods. Not the same couple as other picture.
Observed at Parc-naturel Jacques-Bonnette.
Panasonic G9 with Olympus 60mm F/2.8 macro and diffused Nikon SB-20 flash.
No AI was used in the creation or post-processing of this photo - nor for any of my other photos posted here on Flickr.
IMPORTANT:
If you would like to use this photo in a way that is appropriate under its Creative Commons license, you are welcome to do so, but please make sure to credit me by my real name and Flickr handle, and please also include a link to the Flickr page of the photo, as well as a link to the relevant Creative Commons license text. I have put examples of proper attribution on my profile page. Optionally, you may also send me a little note about your use... :)
For any other type of use, please contact me to properly license this image.
Thank you!
P1082394_CrEtc1
Minolta X-500 with Minolta MD 3.5/28
(Minolta X-570 in USA)
The same flea market, another day, another camera bag. The seller immediately offered it for 5 €, a look into it explained why: one lens in two parts, another one with shattered front element, I had my very doubts whether this X-500 was in working order. But then I found this nice 3.5/28 in an acceptable condition, and since I have a weakness for those slow wide angle lenses I eventually purchased that bag.
After (a lot of) cleaning and testing it turned out, that the camera was fully working. The X-500 is ranged between the simple X-300 and the top model X-700 and meanwhile it is no insider tip any more that it is the preferred model of this series for many photographers. It has more features than the X-300 (DOF-preview, TTL-flash, interchangeable back, viewer indication of f-stop) and some small advantages over the X-700, like a better flash management and the fact, that in manual mode the set shutter speed is indicated in the viewfinder in addition to the metered one. And it seems, that most users don't miss the programmed AE mode of the X-700 at all.
It was introduced in April 1983, and in my opinion, it is one of the best amateur cameras of its time and still worth a recommendation today. It fits my hand very well and its not that miniaturized like a Pentax Super A or Yashica FX-D. Afaik, all three Minolta X-cameras were offered until 1999. BTW, I like the writing of my German instruction manual, with sentences like "man nimmt die LED-Anzeigen nur als ungefähren Anhaltspunkt bzw. beachtet sie einfach nicht" which roughly means "take the LEDs as approximate clue or just ignore them". Imagine that in a Nikon manual. Interesting to know, how faithful the translation is from the Japanese origin.
My idea about those slow wide angle lenses is, that the image quality might be not perfect, but very homogeneous over the whole frame, and meanwhile I have a couple of those. There is a nice site about Minolta lenses and its author supports my thoughts, he would prefer the 3.5/28 over the 2.8/28.
lensqaworks.com/2018/01/14/minolta-md-28mm-3-5/
The lens here is the third MD version (MDIII) with a lockable f/22. Fortunately its former owner protected the front lens element with a skylight filter, so it doesn't look that battered like the rest. Also nice is, that the snap-on lens hood of my Minolta 4/35-70 AF seems to fit perfectly, that's continuity. With some luck you can get that lens on *bay for only 15 €.
Gela. Tetradrachm circa 415-405, AR 16.48 g. ΓΕ – ΛΩ – [ΙΩ – Ν] Fast quadriga driven r. by Nike, holding kentron and reins; above eagle flying r. and, in exergue, large pellet. Rev. ΓΕΛΑΣ retrograde Forepart of man-headed bull (the river-god Gela) advancing l. through reeds; ibis and garlanded altar before his mid section. In l. field, fish swimming upwards and above, barley grain. Jenkins O 96 / reverse unlisted.
Of the highest rarity, the finest of only two specimens known. A spectacular reverse
composition, undoubtedly one of the most interesting of the mint of Gela.
Perfectly struck on a full flan. Old cabinet tone and about extremely fine
Ex SBV Zürich 1, 1977, 52 and NAC 9, 1996, 155 sales. From the A.D.M. and Harald Salvesen collections.
In 689/8 BC, Gela was jointly founded by colonists from the Rhodian city of Lindos and a group of Cretans. Despite conflicts with the native Sicanian peoples, Gela prospered and by the early sixth century BC the city was extending its influence into western Sicily by founding Acragas. By the end of the century, however, political discord in the city had permitted Cleander, the son of Pantares, to overthrow the traditional oligarchic government and establish himself as tyrant in 505 BC. Although Cleander was later assassinated by the city’s democratic faction, this did not prevent his son, Hippocrates, from becoming the new tyrant of Gela in 498 BC. Under Hippocrates the power of Gela expanded immensely as his mercenary armies conquered the Greek cities of Callipolis, Leontini, Naxos, and Zankle. Victory over Syracuse also resulted in the addition of Camarina to Hippocrates’ Geloan empire. Although the Geloans still desired a return to constitutional government, after the death of Hippocrates in 491 BC, the tyranny was assumed by Gelon, a former bodyguard of Hippocrates. Gelon not only preserved previous gains but even captured Syracuse, where he became the founder of the city’s Deinomenid dynasty of tyrants. Syracuse became Gelon’s new capital and Gela was left to be administered by his brother, Hieron. When Gelon died in 485 BC, Hieron succeeded to the tyranny at Syracuse and Gela was ruled in turn by his brother, Polyzelos. However, by the mid-fifth century BC the tyranny was abolished and the old oligarchic government was restored at Gela. In the late fifth century BC, Gela was notable as one of the first Sicilian Greek cities to contribute military aid to Syracuse when it became the primary target of the Athenian Sicilian Expedition in 415–413 BC. When the Carthaginians besieged Gela’s old colony, Acragas, in 406 BC, the Geloans also dispatched reinforcements and, after the city fell, provided refuge to the homeless Acragantines. The Geloans faced the same tidal wave of Carthaginian arms in 405 BC, but received little aid from Syracuse and its tyrant, Dionysios I. The city was overwhelmed and destroyed, but the Carthaginians permitted those who had fled to return on the condition that they would not rebuild the fortification walls and pay tribute to Carthage—cold comfort for a people who had once been the preeminent power in Sicily. The present tetradrachm, which is the better of just two known, was struck in the period between the Sicilian Expedition and the Carthaginian conquest probably to finance the numerous military campaigns in which Gela was engaged. The types of quadriga and man-faced bull are traditional at Gela, going back to the early fifth century BC and the age of the great tyrants; however, here they have been updated to keep pace with the artistic developments of Syracusan coinage. Whereas the old quadriga was of the slow variety and driven by a human charioteer crowned by Nike, here Nike drives the chariot herself at what seems to be breakneck speed. Likewise, while the man-faced bull reverse, representing the local river-god, Gela, was a commonplace image on previous Geloan coins, here he is placed in context. The man-faced bull advances out of his comfortable river-bed surrounded by reeds and bulrushes in the company of an ibis to receive the sacrifice made at a nearby altar. This type is remarkable not only for its artistry but also for the way it illustrates the depth of Greek belief in nature deities like river-gods. Gela was considered a real divine presence that, if a worshipper was fortunate, might actually come forth to accept the gifts offered to him.
NAC114, 44
Nikon D800 and 70-200 mm F 2.8 lens photoshoot of beautiful redhead Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess with Pretty Blue Eyes and wavy blond hair.
Here is some awesome video I shot at the same time as the stills with the Sony Alpha NEX 6 camera with the 16-50 mm power zoom kit lens for nex6 e mount cameras bracketed to my Nikon D800:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYfDWw7w1uk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ8v2zzItis
Combine the shallow-depth-of-field with Sony NEX-6 latest face-tracking auto focus, and you can see how the moving video keeps the model's pretty blue eyes in focus, while blurring the background! The Sony Alpha NEX 6 has much better bokeh than the cameras I have been using! :)
She was tall, thin, fit, toned, defined, and beautiful! Pretty blue eyes and firery red hair!
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver(TM) Gold'N'Virtue(TM) Bikini!
Nikon D800E Photographs of a Beautiful Sandy-Blonde/Brunette Swimsuit Bikini Model shot with the new Nikon D800 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens.
Shot in both RAW & JPEG, but all these photos are RAWs finished in Lightroom 5.3 ! :)
May the HJM Goddesses guide, inspire, and exalt ye along yer heroic artistic journey!
All the Best on Your Epic Hero's Journey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Modeling the black & gold "Gold 45 Revolver" Gold'N'Virtue swimsuits with the main equation to Moving Dimensions Theory on the swimsuits: dx4/dt=ic. Yes I have a Ph.D. in physics! :) You can read more about my research and Hero's Journey Physics here:
herosjourneyphysics.wordpress.com/ MDT PROOF#2: Einstein (1912 Man. on Rel.) and Minkowski wrote x4=ict. Ergo dx4/dt=ic--the foundational equation of all time and motion which is on all the shirts and swimsuits. Every photon that hits my Nikon D800e's sensor does it by surfing the fourth expanding dimension, which is moving at c relative to the three spatial dimensions, or dx4/dt=ic!
The books behind the pretty goddess on the Malbu bluff and surfboard are The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, Homer's Iliad, Homer's Odyssey, Shakespeare, and Herman Melville's Moby Dick! My favorite books! Will have some video of the pretty model reading them beside a campfire soon.
They're all collectors editions! My books cost as much as my surfboards!
And for those who always ask, I shoot in RAW! Always! :)
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
AGO was founded in 1911 in Munich as Flugmaschinenwerke Gustav Otto by Gustav Otto and a Dr Herbert Alberti. Gustav, the son of Nicolaus Otto – inventor of the four-stroke engine, was a pioneer aviator (pilot's license No. 34) and engine-builder. As was usual in those days, a flying school was attached to the business – one of its later students was Ernst Udet. The initials AGO had a variety of meanings (such as Aktiengesellschaft Otto) during the company's lifetime, but in its final version stood for Apparatebau GmbH Oschersleben. At its peak, the company employed around 4,500 people.
After the outbreak of World War I, AGO built a series of military reconnaissance aircraft, beginning with the AGO C.I – a pusher-powered biplane designed by August Haefeli. The most successful of AGO's wartime aircraft was the C.IV of 1916, of which 70 examples were built. After the Armistice, Otto tried automobile manufacturing, but in 1919 had to dismiss the employees of the Berlin company and divest himself of the Oschersleben factory. He himself withdrew to Lake Starnberg where he died in 1926. The company continued, and in the same year developed 20 new hectares of factory space near the Sudenburger Maschinenfabrik und Eisengießerei AG plant at Magdeburg. By 1928 this enterprise was also forced to close. On 30 July 1930, AGO's remaining assets were sold at auction by order of the court.
In 1933 the government resurrected AGO by refurbishing the Oschersleben plant for aircraft production once more. The first order was for 36 Arado Ar 65 fighters, 197 Arado Ar 66 trainers, and 71 Heinkel He 51 fighters. The first of these to fly was an Ar 65s, on 1 May 1935. This was followed by an order for 140 Henschel Hs 123 dive-bombers delivered at the end of 1937, AGO's introduction to all-metal construction. Next came orders for 241 Gotha Go 145 trainers and 187 Arado Ar 96, and then 150 Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance aircraft. This latter order was increased to 390 units in Summer 1938. Between March 1937 and March 1938, AGO built 121 Focke-Wulf Fw 44. In 1938, production of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 began, and from 1941 onwards, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 became the mainstay of AGO's production.
AGO only designed a few aircraft on their own and produced them during WWII. The first new AGO aircraft becoming the AGO Ao 192 Kurier of 1937. The last type that went into production was the Ao 175, a reconnaissance and liaison aircraft. A design for a heavy fighter project, the Ao 225 did not progress past the wind-tunnel stage and even the 8−225 RLM airframe designator for the type was withdrawn by the RLM and reassigned to Focke-Achgelis.
The Ao 175 was conceived when the Henschel Hs 126, a pre-war twin-seat design from 1936 with a parasol wing reconnaissance and observation short range aircraft, entered service. While fulfilling its duties it lacked overall performance, the type showed little development potential, so that the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) issued a specification for an advanced short-range reconnaissance aircraft to succeed the type in the tactical support role provided by the Luftwaffe to the Wehrmacht. While Arado Flugzeugwerke (Arado) had responded with the Arado Ar 198, Focke-Wulf's design team produced the Fw 189, a twin-boom aircraft with a central crew gondola with a glazed stepless cockpit. AGO proposed the Ao 175, which was, using the Hs 126 as benchmark, the most conventional design, and it was adopted together with the bigger Fw 189.
The Ao 175 was a conservative design and followed the Hs 126’s parasol layout with a fixed landing gear but differed in some details and offered a better overall performance. The aircraft’s overall dimensions were like the Hs 126, but the all-metal fuselage was sleeker, with a fully closed and generously glazed cockpit for pilot and observer who sat in tandem. The cabin offered space for an additional folding seat for a passenger or a third crewman, e.g. an observer or a camera operator.
For reconnaissance duties the Ao 175 featured three camera compartments behind the cabin: a vertical rack, an oblique forward rack, and a compartment for a horizontal camera with a window in the port side flank. Rb 20/30 and Rb 50/30 cameras could be mounted in each, the oblique rack could even hold a longer Rb 75/30 camera.
The Ao 175’s high wing was mounted above the cockpit and braced against the fuselage, but with less struts and drag than on the Hs 126. A fixed slat ran along the entire length of the wing's leading edge while a hinged and slotted set of control surfaces ran along the entire length of trailing edge. This arrangement was allegedly inspired by an earlier Junkers wing design concept, referred to as a “Doppelflügel” or "double-wing" aircraft wing control surface. On the Ao 175, this setup along each wing panel's trailing edge was split nearly 50/50 between the inboard-located flaps and outboard-located ailerons, which, in turn, included trim tab devices over half of each aileron's trailing edge length. This combination of flaps and slats created an impressive STOL and slow airspeed performance – in fact, the design was so effective that the Ao 175 could land almost vertically when flying against the wind and also required less than 100 m of runway for taking off.
The Ao 175’s powerplant was a liquid-cooled Jumo 211A with 1.000 hp – an unusual choice for a reconnaissance aircraft that operates at low altitudes, but the engine was chosen because it was available and proven, and it offered a relatively low cowling that resulted in a very good field of view for the pilot ahead and downwards. Thanks to the relatively powerful engine and good aerodynamics the Ao 175 achieved a top speed of more than 400 km/h, considerably more than any other German reconnaissance type of the early and mid-war period.
The Ao 175’s armament was still relatively light. It consisted of a synchronized single 13 mm MG 131 in the cowling in front of the cockpit which fired through the propeller disc, and for defense a 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun in a dorsal flexible mount position fired to rear – even though several other, heavier weapons like the twin-barrel MG 81Z or another MG 131 were frequently mounted by the crews.
A ventral hardpoint could carry a single 250 kg (550 lb) bomb or similar loads (e .g. a rack with 2x2 50 kg bombs), but in practice this was hardly ever used. Instead, a 300 l drop tank was frequently carried to extend range and loiter time, or a cargo container of similar shape when the aircraft was used for liaison missions.
During early 1940, Luftwaffe pilots commenced training on the new type. While operational trials of the type were quite successful, Luftwaffe officials concluded that there was little advantage to withdrawing the existing Hs 126s in favor of Ao 175s. Instead, the service decided to introduce the type relatively slowly, thus the Ao 175, just like the Fw 189, was not operational at any meaningful quantity until the summer of 1942. This delay did allow for some refinements to the aircraft, though, particularly its airframe, to be performed during 1941. Modifications around this time included desert survival gear and floats, because most of the first Ao 175 A-1 production models were sent into the MTO and operated in North Africa, Italy, and the Balkans.
By September 1942, 172 Ao 175s were reportedly operational at the Southern front, making up the majority of short-range reconnaissance aircraft present. After that, more aircraft of the improved B variant were delivered, primarily to the Eastern front. Thanks to its relatively high speed and maneuverability Soviet fighters had difficulties targeting the Ao 175, and the Flamingo was often able to out-turn attacking fighters by flying in a tight circle into which enemy fighters could not follow or use the aircraft’s excellent climbing ability at low altitude to move out of fighters’ way. Ao 175 also saw service on other fronts, including West in France and Belgium and even the Middle East.
Production ended in 1944 after roughly 750 aircraft, exact production numbers remain uncertain because production was, beyond ARO’s Oschersleben factory, also carried out in France and Czechoslovakia.
General characteristics:
Crew: 2 (plus 1 optional passenger)
Length: 11.5 m (37 ft 8.75 in)
Wingspan: 13.86 m (45 ft 4.75 in)
Height: 4,18 m (13 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 30.0 m² (322 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,030 kg (4,480 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,493 kg (6,483 lb)
Powerplant:
1× liquid-cooled Jumo 211A with 1.000 hp (736 kW) at 2.200 rpm,
driving a three-blade Junkers constant speed propeller
Performance:
Maximum speed: 395 km/h (245 mph, 215 kn) at 2,500 m (8,200 ft)
Cruise speed: 317 km/h (197 mph, 171 kn)
Landing speed: 65 km/h (40 mph; 35 kn)
Stall speed: 55 km/h (34 mph; 30 kn)
Take-off distance to 50 ft (15 m): 150 m (491 ft)
Range: 1,500 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 550 m/min (1,800 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in eight minutes and 18 seconds
Wing loading: 166 kg/m² (34 lb/ft²)
Armament:
1x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun in the nose, synchronized to fire through the propeller
1x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun in a flexible dorsal mount
(often replaced with a 7.92 mm MG 81Z or a 13 mm MG 131).
1x ventral hardpoint for a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb or a 300 l (66 imp. gal/80 US gal) drop tank
The kit and its assembly:
This build is the result of a long gestation and the use of several kitbashing remains from former projects – incidentally all German donors. At the core was a leftover but complete MPM Ju 87 A fuselage, a typical early short-run kit with thick sprues and massive attachment points of the parts, lack of locator pins on the parts, dubious fit, and a very thin and wobbly vacu canopy. Nothing you really want to work with…
I also had wings and landing gear from an Italeri Hs 126, and recently it struck me to combine these with the Ju 87 fuselage into a mid-war recce/spotter aircraft.
However, as simple as this sounds, closer inspection of the hardware revealed several flaws in my plan, and overcoming these required more planning. This led eventually to more/extra donor parts in the form of Fi 156 wings (Academy kit) to bring the concept to fruition, because the deep Hs 126 wings and their elliptical shape would not match well with the rest of the Ju 87, and especially not with its cockpit position and glazing. As a bonus, though, the Fi 156 wings also had the benefit of a square shape which would match well with the Ju 87 stabilizers, and they also had a kinked root for a direct attachment to the fuselage instead of the Hs 126’s indirect struts arrangement. The Hs 126’s spatted landing gear was to be retained, though, because it would fit very well under a Ju 87.
Work started with the chunky fuselage, and I kept it mostly OOB. The only major change is the addition of an adapter for the propeller mounted on an axis (OOB there is NOTHING – you are supposed to glue the spinner to the hull, and that’s it!), and I added some struts inside of the cockpit (inspired by the Westland Lysander’s construction) because the wings would require some support in real life. Major PSR and body work was required to make the Ju 87 wing roots disappear on the fuselage, a ventral display holder adapter was added, as well as camera fairings behind the cockpit. On the original Ju 87 stabilizers simpler support struts were used (actually from the Ju 87 A’s landing gear), and the Hs 126 landing gear and its spats were glued to the lower hull behind the engine.
The biggest challenge became the attachment of the wings, though, because they had to be mounted somehow to the glazing. This would already be tricky with a styrene canopy, but the Ju 87’s thin vacu canopy – due to its instability and the material as such – called for a scratched solution/construction! I initially tried to use the clear parts from the Fi 156 kit, but they would not fit. My solution eventually was again inspired by the Westland Lysander, or better the Matchbox kit’s construction: I cut two slits into the vacu canopy and placed a horizontal styrene bar through them, so that the Fi 156 wings could be mounted on their original attachment points. However, they ended up quite ahead, but at least I had them in a plausible position, even though the whole thing was not stable.
The next problem arose through the canopy itself: mounting a thin and rather flexible vacu piece on the OOB Ju 87 would already have been a stunt, but now it also carried very fragile and instable wings! With much patience and after several failed attempts I was able to fix the vacu canopy in place (with super glue and white glue), and once it was in position I added the wings support struts from the Hs 126 to stabilize the whole parasol construction and somewhat relieve the canopy from the wings’ weight. Never again…!
Painting and markings:
Putting the Ao 175 into the MTO was a good excuse to apply a German North Africa paint scheme, brought to Northern Italy with withdrawing units. The plan was to create an aircraft with field camouflage over a standard paint scheme, and to this end the painting process became a bit more complex than usual.
The core scheme is a simple, uniform RLM 78/79 (Himmelblau and Sandgelb) livery with a low and straight waterline, plus white MTO markings on fuselage and wing tips. For the Sandgelb I used Modelmaster 4789, which is a nice brownish tone that is not too bright and yellow-ish, and Tamiya XF-23 for Himmelblau, which is a tad darker and more greyish than RLM65. At this stage the white wingtip undersides were painted, too.
For the post-camouflage look the markings were added now – puzzled together from various sources. The tactical code is a mix of the Academy Storch’s individual “BA” code, which is a staff code with an unusual green letter, with a smaller unit code. The underwing “Bs” came from the Storch, as well as the fuselage Iron Crosses. The national markings above and under the wing came from a TL Modellbau aftermarket sheet, the Iron Crosses on the upper side lack black edges, so that there is no stark contrast with the Sandgelb around them. The unit badge under the windscreen is fictional, IIRC from a late German Bf 109, though. A light black ink washing was used to emphasize some seams, esp. for the flaps, and a light post-shading was done to add surface structure.
After that the tedious process of adding a meander pattern with RLM 80 (Olivgrün) over the Sandgelb base, around all markings. For the sake of easy application, I used acrylic Revell 65 (Bronzegrün, RAL 6031). Everything was done with a relatively small brush and took some time and several turns to cover area by area with the green wiggles. Some wet sanding was later used to simulate some wear and tear around the leading edges.
The propeller spinner became green with a white spiral, repeating the staff marking from the individual code letter. The propeller blades were painted with a very dark mix of green-grey and black.
As finishing steps some soot stains were created with graphite behind the exhausts, the position lights were made with clear paint on a silver base, the camera lenses (black decal material) received a glossy finish with ClearFix, and the wire antennae from the wingtips to the fin were created with heated black sprue material.
The finished aircraft looks disturbingly plausible – either like a sinewy and streamlined Henschel Hs 126, or a Fi 156 on steroids! The Fieseler Storch’s square wings are a great supplement to the equally shaped Ju 87 stabilizers, and the fixed landing gear with spats does not look out of place, either. Biggest stunt was the fitting of the high wings into/with the wobbly vacu canopy, though, and while this was a really complicated affair I am very happy how it turned out, and it’s even quite stable/rigid, thanks to the Hs 126 support struts. And the complex paint scheme effectively hides some flaws…
Video of the same scene and their beautiful song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v5AQ2yiA2o
After admiring their song for a very long time now, yesterday morning was my first chance to film a Pacific wren singing! The video above was the result. Short, but sweet, as they say!
The first photo looking back to five years ago shows Stagecoach Chesterfield Scania 15826 on Pond Street, Sheffield, in route 43 livery. Although I've already uploaded another photo from the same burst I took to show this vehicle here, this is more so I can have a front-end photo to accompany the rear, which I also took a photo of.
23.12.16
Looking to Streymoy Island - on the left side -
You have to be lucky with the weather on the Faroe Islands!
Eysturoy Island
Eysturoy (Danish: Østerø) means East island (pronounced ['estroi]) and is the second-largest of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, both in size and population.
Description
Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with some 66 separate mountain peaks, including Slættaratindur, the highest peak in the archipelago. Important towns on Eysturoy are Fuglafjørður in the north and the densely populated area of the municipalities of Runavík and Nes in the south.
Eysturoy is connected with Streymoy via a road bridge over the sound. This bridge is humorously referred to by islanders as the only bridge over the Atlantic (the natives of the Scottish island of Seil make the same claim, as do the people of Great Bernera located in Na h-Eileanan Siar. Leirvík on the east coast of the island is the gateway for transport connections to the north-eastern islands, particularly Klaksvík on the island of Borðoy, which is the Faroes' second-largest town.
Sites of interest on Eysturoy include the villages of Eiði and Gjógv, the latter having a small natural port in a rock column; the Blásastova historical museum in the village of Gøta; and the varmakelda (thermal springs) of Fuglafjørður, which indicate the volcanic origin of the archipelago. Off the northern tip of the island are the basalt sea stacks Risin og Kellingin.
Important Bird Area
The north, north-east, and south-east coasts of the island have been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of their significance as seabird breeding sites, especially for Manx Shearwaters (2500 pairs), European Storm Petrels (500 pairs) and Black Guillemots (300 pairs).
Eysturoy (Deens: Østerø) is het op een na grootste eiland van de Faeröer, zowel naar grootte (286,3 km²) als naar bevolking (10.586).
Op het zeer bergachtige eiland ligt de Slættaratindur, het hoogste punt van de Faeröer. De belangrijkste plaatsen op het eiland zijn Fuglafjørður, Runavík, Gjógv en Nes.
Eysturoy wordt door een nauwe zeestraat gescheiden van Streymoy, het grootste eiland van de archipel. Een brug over deze straat verbindt de beide eilanden. Deze brug wordt schertsend de enige brug over de Atlantische Oceaan genoemd, hoewel de bewoners van het Schotse eiland Seil hetzelfde beweren. Vanuit het relatief dichtbevolkte zuiden van Eysturoy is Tórshavn op Streymoy per veerboot sneller te bereiken dan via deze brug.