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Core stability refers to a person's ability to stabilise their core. Stability, in this context, should be considered as an ability to control the position and movement of the core. Thus, if a person has greater core stability, they have a greater level of control over the position and movement of this area of their body. The body's core is frequently involved in aiding other movements of the body, such as the limbs, and it is considered that by improving core stability a person's ability to perform these other movements may also be improved i.e. core stability training may help improve someone's running ability. The bodies core region is sometimes referred to as the torso or the trunk, although there are some differences in the muscles identified as constituting them. The major muscles involved in core stability include the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm. The minor muscles involved include the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and trapezius. Notably, breathing, including the action of the diaphragm, can significantly influence the posture and movement of the core; this is especially apparent in regard to extreme ranges of inhalation and exhalation. On this basis, how a person is breathing may influence their ability to control their core.

 

Some researchers have argued that the generation of intra-abdominal pressure, caused by the activation of the core muscles and especially the transversus abdominis, may serve to lend support to the lumbar spine.

 

Typically, the core is associated with the body's center of gravity, which is over the region of the second sacral vertebrae groups and stability is associated with isometric or static strength. In addition, it is the lumbar spine that is primarily responsible for posture and stability thus providing the strength needed for the stability especially utilized in dynamic sports.

 

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The ArcelorMittal Orbit (often referred to as the Orbit Tower or its original name, Orbit) is a 114.5-metre (376-foot) sculpture and observation tower in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London. It is Britain's largest piece of public art, and is intended to be a permanent lasting legacy of London's hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, assisting in the post-Olympics regeneration of the Stratford area. Sited between the Olympic Stadium (now called London Stadium) and the Aquatics Centre, it allows visitors to view the whole Olympic Park from two observation platforms.

 

Orbit was designed by Turner-Prize winning artist Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond of Arup Group, an engineering firm. Announced on 31 March 2010, it was expected to be completed by December 2011. The project came about after Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell decided in 2008 that the Olympic Park needed "something extra". Designers were asked for ideas for an "Olympic tower" at least 100 metres (330 ft) high: Orbit was the unanimous choice from proposals considered by a nine-person advisory panel. Kapoor and Balmond believed that Orbit represented a radical advance in the architectural field of combining sculpture and structural engineering, and that it combined both stability and instability in a work that visitors can engage with and experience via an incorporated spiral walkway. It has been both praised and criticised for its bold design, and has especially received criticism as a vanity project of questionable lasting use or merit as a public art project.

 

The project was expected to cost £19.1 million, with £16 million coming from Britain's then-richest man, the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman of the ArcelorMittal steel company, and the balance of £3.1 million coming from the London Development Agency. The name "ArcelorMittal Orbit" combines the name of Mittal's company, as chief sponsor, with Orbit, the original working title for Kapoor and Balmond's design.

 

The ArcelorMittal Orbit temporarily closed after the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games while the South Plaza (in which Orbit is positioned) underwent reconstruction for its long-term legacy use as a public outdoor space. It re-opened to the public on 5 April 2014. The structure incorporates the world's tallest and longest – 178 m (584 ft) – tunnel slide, designed by Carsten Höller. The idea was originally envisioned by the London Legacy Development Corporation as a way to attract more visitors to the tower. The slide includes transparent sections to give a "different perspective" of the twisting red tower and was completed in June 2016. This follows an option to abseil down the tower, introduced in 2014.

 

According to London mayor Boris Johnson, in around October 2008 he and Tessa Jowell decided that the site in Stratford, London that was to become the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics needed "something extra" to "distinguish the East London skyline", and "arouse the curiosity and wonder of Londoners and visitors".

 

A design competition held in 2009 called for designs for an "Olympic tower". It received about 50 submissions. Johnson has said that his early concept for the project was something more modest than Orbit, along the lines of "a kind of 21st-century Trajan's Column", but this was dropped when more daring ideas were received.

 

The media reported unconfirmed details of the project in October 2009, describing the interest of the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, one of Britain's richest men, in funding a project that would cost around £15 million. Boris Johnson was believed to want something like the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. At that time there were understood to be five artists being considered, including Antony Gormley. Early designs reportedly included 'Transmission' by Paul Fryer, a 400-foot (120 m) high structure "resembling a cross between a pylon and a native American totem pole", according to The Times. A spokesman for Johnson would only confirm that he was "keen to see stunning, ambitious, world-class art in the Olympic Park", and that work on commissioning the project was at an early stage.

 

Mittal's involvement came about after a chance meeting with Johnson in a cloakroom in Davos in January 2009, as they were on their way to separate dinner engagements. In a conversation that reportedly lasted 45 seconds Johnson pitched the idea to Mittal, who immediately agreed to supply the steel. Mittal later said of his involvement, "I never expected that this was going to be such a huge project. I thought it was just the supply of some steel, a thousand tonnes or so, and that would be it. But then we started working with artists and I realised that the object was not just to supply steel but to complete the whole project. It took us almost 15 months of negotiation and discussion." Johnson has said that, "In reality, ArcelorMittal has given much more than the steel."

 

Kapoor's and Balmond's Orbit was announced as the winner on 31 March 2010. According to The Guardian, Orbit was chosen from a short list of three, beating a design by Antony Gormley and one by the architectural firm Caruso St John. According to The Times, Gormley's design was a 390-foot (120 m) steel colossus titled Olympian Man, a trademark piece of a statue of himself, rejected mainly on the grounds of its projected cost, estimated at £40 million.

 

Johnson and Jowell agreed to issue a commission for Orbit in partnership with Mittal after it was chosen by a nine-person advisory panel brought together by them to advise on a long list of proposals. According to Mittal, the panel made a unanimous decision to pick Orbit, as it both represented the Olympic Games and was achievable within the ambitious time frame. Kapoor described it as "the commission of a lifetime".

 

Johnson pre-empted possible criticism during the official launch by stating: "Of course some people will say we are nuts – in the depths of a recession – to be building Britain’s biggest ever piece of public art. But both Tessa Jowell and I are certain that this is the right thing for the Stratford site, in Games time and beyond."

 

The completed structure was officially unveiled to the press and public on 11 May 2012.

 

An image of the structure was included in the 2015 design of the British passport.

 

The structure was re-purposed with the world's longest slide in 2016, as a way to attract more visitors.

 

Design

According to Kapoor, the design brief from the Mayor's office was for a "tower of at least 100 metres (330 ft)", while Balmond said that he was told the Mayor was "looking for an icon to match the Eiffel Tower".

 

Kapoor said that one of the influences on his design was the Tower of Babel, the sense of "building the impossible" that "has something mythic about it", and that the form "straddles Eiffel and Tatlin". Balmond, working on the metaphor of an orbit, envisaged an electron cloud moving, to create a structure that appears unstable, propping itself up, "never centred, never quite vertical". Both believe that Orbit represents a new way of thinking, "a radical new piece of structure and architecture and art" that uses non-linearity – the use of "instabilities as stabilities." The spaces inside the structure, in between the twisting steel, are "cathedral like", according to Balmond, while according to Kapoor, the intention is that visitors will engage with the piece as they wind "up and up and in on oneself" on the spiral walkway.

 

The Independent described Orbit as "a continuously looping lattice ... made up of eight strands winding into each other and combined by rings like a jagged knot". The Guardian describes it as a "giant lattice tripod sporting a counterweight collar around its neck designed to offset the weight of its head, a two-storey dining and viewing gallery". According to the BBC, the design incorporates the five Olympic rings.

 

Upon its launch Johnson said "It would have boggled the minds of the Romans. It would have boggled Gustave Eiffel."[18] Nicholas Serota, a member of the design panel, said that Orbit was a tower with an interesting twist, with "the energy you might traditionally associate with this type of structure but in a surprisingly female form".

 

According to Mittal, Orbit was already the working title, as it describes continuous action, a creative representation of the "extraordinary physical and emotional effort" that Olympians undertake in their continuous drive to do better. It was decided to keep this as the final name and prepend ArcelorMittal (as the project supporter).

 

On the public announcement of the design Johnson conceded that it might become known by something other than its official name, suggesting "Colossus of Stratford" or the "Hubble Bubble", in reference to his belief that it resembles a giant shisha pipe, or a variant on people's perceptions that it resembled a "giant treble clef", a "helter-skelter", or a "supersized mutant trombone".

 

Designers

Orbit is described as "designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond". Kapoor is a Turner Prize winning sculptor, while Balmond is one of the world's leading designers. According to Kapoor, both men are "interested in a place where architecture meets sculpture" and "the way that form and geometry give rise to structure". Kapoor and Balmond stated that their interests have blurred and crossed over into each other's fields since they first began working together in 2002 on Kapoor's Marsyas installation in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern. As well as Orbit, in 2010 Kapoor and Balmond were also working on the Tees Valley Giants, a public art project in northern England.

 

The sculpture was engineered by the Global engineer Arup, who developed the overall geometry, structural design and the building services including the lighting displayed extensively during the Olympic games. Architectural input by Kathryn Findlay (Ushida Findlay Architects, as a sub-consultant to Arup) made the sculpture into a functional building, for example designing the staircase.

 

Structural

The organic design of Orbit demanded an extraordinary amount of structural engineering work. This was done by Arup, which reported that it took up two-thirds of the budget for the project (twice the percentage normally allotted to structural engineering in a building project).

 

From a structural point of view, Orbit consists of two parts:

The trunk has a base diameter of 37 metres (121 ft), narrowing to 5 metres (16 ft) on the way up, then widening again to 9.6 metres (31 ft) just under the observation deck. The trunk is supported and stabilized by the tube, which gives a structural character of a tripod to the entire construction. Further structural integrity is given to the construction by octagonal steel rings that surround the tube and trunk, spaced at 4 metres (13 ft) and cross-joined pairwise by sixteen diagonally mounted steel connectors.

 

A special part of the construction is the canopy, the conic shape that hangs off the bottom of the trunk. Originally planned as a fibreglass composite construction, costs forced the use of steel for this section as well. Centraalstaal was approached as a special consultant for the design of the steel cone and came up with a design for a cone built out of 117 individually shaped steel panels with a total surface area of 586 square metres. The entire cone weighs 84 tonnes.

 

Height

Early contradictory reports suggested the tower would be 120 metres (390 ft) tall. However, it finally measured in at 114.5 metres (376 ft), making it the UK's tallest sculpture, surpassing the 60-metre (200 ft) tall Aspire in Nottingham.

 

On announcing the project, the Greater London Authority described Orbit's height in comparison with the Statue of Liberty, stating that it would be 22 metres (72 ft) taller – the Statue of Liberty is 93 metres (305 ft) high, including the 46-metre (151 ft) statue and its pedestal. The media picked up the apparent intention to cast the Orbit as London's answer to the Eiffel Tower, which is 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall. The Guardian related how it was "considerably shorter", also noting that it is even "20 metres (66 ft) shorter than the diminutive Blackpool Tower".

 

Its height was also compared in the media with other London landmarks. It was described as being "slightly taller" or "nearly 20 metres (66 ft) taller" than the Big Ben clock tower, the centrepiece of the Palace of Westminster. It was also described as being "twice as tall" or "more than double the height" of Nelson's Column, the monument honouring Admiral Nelson in Trafalgar Square. Other reports described how it was "just short of" or "almost as tall as" the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, the ancient tomb of the Pharaoh Khufu. Big Ben is 96.3 metres (316 ft) tall, Nelson's Column is 51.5 metres (169 ft) tall, including statue and column. The Giza Pyramid was thought to have been constructed as 280 Egyptian cubits or 146.478 metres (480.57 ft) tall, although with erosion it has reduced in height by nearly 10 metres.

 

Construction

Orbit is located in the southern area of the Olympic Park, between London Stadium and the Aquatics Centre. After the March 2010 confirmation of the winning design, construction began in November 2010; it reached its full height in November 2011.

 

Steel is the primary material used in the sculpture. According to Balmond, there was no feasible alternative, as steel was the only material that could give the minimum thickness and maximum strength represented in the coiling structure. It was built from approximately 2000 tonnes of steel, produced as much as possible from ArcelorMittal plants, with the exact sourcing being determined by the grades of steel required and the technical requirements of the project. Of this, 60% was recycled steel produced by the Esch Belval steel plant in Luxembourg.

 

On 14 March 2011, with construction already underway on the main pylon, The One Show broadcast footage of the on-site status of project, and profiled the four-man team putting it together, comprising two steel erectors, a crane operator and a site foreman.

 

Use

As an observation tower, Orbit has two indoor viewing platforms on two levels, with each level having capacity for 150 people. According to the Greater London Authority, the observation platform offers "unparalleled views of the entire 250 acres (1.0 km2; 0.39 sq mi) of the Olympic Park and London's skyline". According to The Independent, visitors should take the lift to the top and descend the 455-step staircase; this should allow them to appreciate the views around which Anish Kapoor arranged the sculpture.

 

It is designed to cope with 700 visitors per hour. During the Olympic Games the entrance fee was £15 for adults and £7 for children. The tower does not include a dining area, however there is a cafe, shop and other facilities at the South Park Hub building, which opened in April 2014.

 

The ambition is that the sculpture, as well as being a focal point for the Olympic Park during the Games, will form part of the wider Stratford regeneration plans, which aim to turn the Olympic site into a permanent tourist destination after the Games. Tessa Jowell said Orbit will be "like honey to bees for the millions of tourists that visit London each year". Boris Johnson predicted it would become "the perfect iconic cultural legacy". According to Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Olympic organisers, it would play a central part in the Game's role of leaving a lasting legacy and transformed landscape in east London.

 

During the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Joe Townsend (a Royal Marine and double amputee) delivered the Paralympic flame into Olympic Stadium via a zipline that was attached to the top of Orbit.

 

In 2016, a permanent slide designed by German artist Carsten Höller was added to the sculpture. The slide is reported to be the world's tallest and longest tunnel slide at 178 metres. Though it was originally reported that admission to the slide would cost around £5, the general adult price for entry to the slide and viewing platforms is £30.00 (£25.00 if bought in advance), as of March 2023.

 

Funding

At the time of its public launch, the total cost of Orbit was announced as £19.1 million. ArcelorMittal was to fund up to £16 million, with the remaining £3.1 million being provided by the London Development Agency. This consists of a £10 million cash donation, and £6 million in underwriting of capital costs, which could be potentially recovered from profits generated after the Games. According to Johnson, the cost of the project would be recouped after the games through the private hire of a dining area at the top, predicting it would become a "corporate money-making venture".

 

Mittal said he was immediately interested in Orbit after he remembered the excitement that surrounded the announcement that London had won the Olympic bid. He saw it as an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for London, showcase the "unique qualities of steel" and play a role in the regeneration of Stratford. Mittal said of his involvement in the project, "I live in London – I’ve lived here since 1997 – and I think it’s a wonderful city. This project is an incredible opportunity to build something really spectacular for London, for the Olympic Games and something that will play a lasting role in the legacy of the Games."

 

Advisory panel member and director of the Tate gallery, Nicholas Serota, said Orbit was "the perfect answer to the question of how sport and art come together", and praised Mittal's "really impressive piece of patronage" for supporting a "great commission".

 

In October 2015 Len Duvall, a Labour member of the London Assembly, stated that the tower was losing £520,000 a year; LLDC said they had revised their visitor target from 350,000 to 150,000 per year.

 

Reception

Overall reception to Orbit was mixed, but mostly negative. With regard to its potential as a lasting visitor attraction, The Guardian's Mark Brown reflected on the mixed fortunes of other large symbolic London visitor attractions such as the popular, but loss-making, Thames Tunnel; the Skylon structure, dismantled on the orders of Winston Churchill; and the successful London Eye. When plans were first reported for an Olympic tower, the media pointed to a manifesto pledge of Johnson's to crack down on tall buildings, in order to preserve London's "precious" skyline. The Times criticised the idea as a vanity project of Johnson's, with a design "matching his bravado", built to "seal his legacy", surmising it would be compared to other similar vanity projects such as the "wedding cake", the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II built in Rome, or the Neutrality Arch, a rotating golden statue erected by Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov, while comparing Johnson to Ozymandias.[6] Art critic Brian Sewell said "Our country is littered with public art of absolutely no merit. We are entering a new period of fascist gigantism. These are monuments to egos and you couldn't find a more monumental ego than Boris."

 

The Times reported the description of it being the "Godzilla of public art". In October 2012, ArcelorMittal Orbit was nominated and made the Building Design magazine shortlist for the Carbuncle Cup—an award for the worst British building completed in the past year, which was ultimately awarded to the Cutty Sark renovation.

 

Jay Merrick of The Independent said that "[Orbit's] sculptural power lies in its ability to suggest an unfinished form in the process of becoming something else", describing how its artistic riskiness elevated it above the banal artworks of the public art movement that have been built elsewhere in Britain's towns and cities. Merrick was of the opinion that it would be either loved or hated, being a design which is "beautifully fractious, and not quite knowable". Jonathan Glancey of The Guardian described Orbit as "Olympian in ambition" and a "fusion between striking art and daring engineering", and said that, the Aquatics Centre apart, it represented the architecturally striking Joker in the pack, given that the rest of the landscaping and architecture for the Games "promises little to get excited about". He believed it would become a "genuine eyecatcher" for the Olympics television coverage, with its extraordinary form being a "strange and enticing marriage of sorts" between the Eiffel Tower and the un-built early Soviet era Tatlin's Tower, with the biblical Tower of Babel as "best man".

 

Richard Morrison of The Times described Orbit as "like an enormous wire-mesh fence that has got hopelessly snagged round the bell of a giant french horn", adding that it "seems like an awful lot of trouble just to look at East London", in comparison to a music hall comedian's refrain at the $16 million cost of the Brooklyn Bridge. Morrison not only compared Johnson to Ozymandias, but also to the 20th century dictators Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Nicolae Ceaușescu, in their acts of "phallic politics" in building grandiose monuments. Criticising the lack of public involvement, he described how it would be an "undesired intrusion by the few into the consciousness of the many". He feared that it could become one of the many "thousands of naff eyesores" of recent public art in Britain, citing the embracing couple at St Pancras station (The Meeting Place), the Dockland's Traffic Light tree, and the proposed Rotherhithe Tunnel 'match-stick man' tribute to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, as London-based examples. Fellow Times writer Tom Dyckhoff, while calling it "a gift to the tabloids" and a "giant Mr. Messy", questioned whether the Olympic site needed another pointless icon, postulating whether it would stand the test of time like the London Eye and become a true icon to match the Eiffel Tower, or a hopeless white elephant. Suggesting the project had echoes of Tatlin's Monument to the Third International, and especially Constant Nieuwenhuys' utopian city New Babylon, he asked whether Orbit was just as revolutionary or possessed the same ideological purpose, or whether it was merely "a giant advert for one of the world’s biggest multinationals, sweetened with a bit of fun".

 

Rowan Moore of The Guardian questioned if it was going to be anything more than a folly, or whether it would be as eloquent as the Statue of Liberty. He speculated that the project might mark the time when society stops using large iconic projects as a tool for lifting areas out of deprivation. He questioned its ability to draw people's attention to Stratford after the Games, in a similar manner to the successes of the Angel of the North or the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. He also questioned the piece's ability to strike a chord like the Angel, which he believed had at least "created a feelgood factor and sense of pride" in Gateshead, or whether it would simply become one of the "many more unloved rotting wrecks that no one has the nerve to demolish". He postulated that the addition of stairs and a lift made Orbit less succinct than Kapoor's previous successful works, while ultimately he said "hard to see what the big idea is, beyond the idea of making something big".

 

Fellow Guardian writer John Graham-Cumming rejected comparisons to icons like the Eiffel Tower, which had itself not been intended to be a lasting monument, only persisting into public acceptance as art through being useful; he also pointed out the Colossus of Rhodes collapsed within a few decades, and the Tower of Babel was "constructed to glorify those that constructed it." He suggested that Johnson should reconsider whether it should be pulled down after 20 years. Questioning its corporate role, he believed that meant it looked less and less like a work of art and more like a vanity project. In an online poll published by The Guardian, 38.6% of readers considered it a "grand design", while 61.4% considered it "garbage".

 

Responding to concerns from The Times that ArcelorMittal's sponsorship and naming of Orbit would represent an improper incursion of corporate branding into public life, Johnson stated that Olympic rules mean that it cannot carry any corporate branding during the games. Felicity Carus of The Guardian's environment blog questioned whether ArcelorMittal's record on carbon emissions was good enough to mean Orbit represented a fitting monument for the 2012 Olympics, billed as a 'world's first sustainable Olympics'.

 

Memorial controversy

The Mittal Steel company purchased the Omarska mining complex and planned to resume extraction of iron ore from the site. Mittal Steel announced in Banja Luka on 1 December 2005 that the company would build and finance a memorial in the 'White House' but the project was later abandoned. Many Bosnian Serbs believe there should not be a memorial, while many Bosniaks believe that construction should be postponed until all the victims are found and only if the entire mine—which is in use—be allocated for the memorial site.

 

By the time of the 20th anniversary of the camp's closure proposals for a physical memorial to the camp's existence had made no progress. ArcelorMittal said that it was prepared to meet the former inmates' demands but the local authorities were ultimately responsible for granting permission. The Republika Srpska authorities considered that allowing camp survivors free access to the site and the construction of a memorial as originally agreed by ArcelorMittal would undermine reconciliation. "Prijedor 92" president Mirsad Duratović, stated that the campaign for a memorial would continue.

 

In July 2012, ahead of the start of the 2012 London Olympic Games, survivors of the camp laid claim to the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower, located in the Olympic Park beside the Olympic stadium, as the 'Omarska Memorial in Exile'. The survivors allege that the Orbit is "tragically intertwined with the history of war crimes in Bosnia, as the bones of victims are mixed in with the iron ore". ArcelorMittal denied that material from Omarska had been used in the Orbit's construction. The company said that sensitive issues relating to the mine could not be addressed by ArcelorMittal on its own. Campaigners urged ArcelorMittal as the world's largest steel producer to use its considerable influence to oppose the local politics of denial and play an active role in healing fractured communities that have made the company's success possible. Susan Schuppli of the Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths' College in London, observed that ArcelorMittal insistence on "not taking sides" in an area where persecution and injustice continued was not neutrality but taking a political position by default.

 

Advisory panel

The advisory panel consisted of:

Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate gallery

Julia Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine Gallery

Hans-Ulrich Obrist, also of the Serpentine Gallery

Sarah Weir OBE, of the Olympic Delivery Authority

Stuart Lipton, of Chelsfield LLP

Anita Zabludowicz, of the 176 gallery Zabludowicz collection

Michael Morris and James Lingwood, directors of the Artangel arts commissioning organisation

Munira Mirza, the Mayoral Advisor on Arts and Culture

In announcing the winning design, Johnson thanked the Greater London Authority, the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, as well as David McAlpine and Philip Dilley of Arup, and Sir Robin Wales and Jules Pipe for their involvement and support in the project.

I was invited to a collab by moc550_berserk to celebrate him reaching 1000 followers on Instagram. I decided to do Spiriah, as I've always had a secret appreciation for the character. To mess up so badly is impressive.

 

For this Moc I sought inspiration from the community on instagram, and tried to incorporate all of the "key traits" folks suggested. Didn't want him to just look like Antroz so kept black to a minimum and instead bad Grey/Bley as the tertiary color.

 

Also felt Spiriah would compensate for his cowardice with sheer size.

 

Had alot of fun with this build, and there are some parts that are held in place by pure friction.

 

Torso is completely custom with a Visorak torso frame piece serving as the starting point that everything branches off from.

 

Custom light up eyes were done by driftingmoc over on instagram. Check them out for great custom masks and pieces.

 

Search #federationoffear on instagram to see all the other great creations.

Sunset.

Ashover Rock. Ashover, Chesterfield. Derbyshire.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 27, 2020) As seen from Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 10, assigned to Naval Beach Unit 7, currently attached to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42), LCAC 9 conducts amphibious operations in the Philippine Sea. Germantown, part of Expeditionary Strike Group Seven 7, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

An ADL E20D Enviro200 on tendered 391 Stockport- Macclesfield service on Dorchester Way, Macclesfield.

 

This route has been very rewarding for photographers over recent years with a succession of operators, the most recent of which had employed new buses on it. Hopefully, a period of stability will now prevail.

 

24 - 235

 

05/2024 - new

The first free library in Bright was a wooden building established in the mid 1880s. However, but the Twentieth Century, the citizenry wanted something finer and more permanent as their free library, something that would reflect the stability and prosperity of the township. Wangaratta architect J. E. Ludholm and building contractors Messrs. McNichol and McNichol were awarded the design and construction of the new Bright Free Library. The elegant Federation Free Classical style building built on Ireland Street was the result. Completed in August 1910, the building was opened on the 23rd of September 1910. Constructed of red brick with contrasting materials for decoration, it has a symmetrical façade, a prominent tower and decorative finials. It also has some classical decorative accents. All of these elements are common characteristics of Federation Free Classical style architecture.

 

Bright, a town in north-east Victoria, is situated in the Ovens Valley and is part of the Alpine Region of Victoria. 210 kilometres from Melbourne, Bright was one of the towns in the Ovens Valley where gold was discovered. Gold was found near the junction of Morses Creek and the Ovens River in the 1850s. Established in 1862 and named Bright, most likely after John Bright (1811 - 1889) an English publicist, reformer and parliamentarian the township thrived. With the Gold Rush in full swing, Bright soon had Catholic, Wesleyan and Presbyterian churches, schools, three hotels, three quartz mills and two bank branches. As the yield of gold declined in the 1870s, so too did Bright’s population, yet by the 1880s, it became an alpine tourism town. The Bright Alpine club was formed in 1887 and a community library was started there in 1889. In the following year Bright was connected by railway to Myrtleford and Wangaratta, bringing with it much needed tourists from Melbourne. In 1910 a grand chalet was opened at Mount Buffalo and Bright ran a hire car service for visitors, who often stayed there overnight at a hotel or guesthouse. In 1919 a secondary school was opened in Bright. It also had a tourist progress association and local angling, bowling, racing, tennis and golf clubs amongst its many attractions. By the mid 1920s the people of Bright began planting exotic trees partly for landscape improvement and partly to lay the summer dust. The street tree plantings produced extraordinary autumn colours. By 1933, Bright was described as the “Tourism Capital of the Ovens Valley”. Bright’s train line continued until 1983 when it was finally discontinued and replaced with coaches. By that time, it was a well established tourism town with people flocking there all throughout the year for different reasons. Bright is a base for exploring the peaks of Mount Buffalo National Park and Alpine National Park as well as Mount Hotham, a popular ski resort. Bright is a starting point for the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, a hiking and cycling path. Bright Museum, in the town’s former train station, documents rail and gold rush history. The region is also known for wineries and of course its amazing display of autumnal foliage.

A group of U.S. Soldiers keeps an eye on the demarcation line during a security patrol outside Manbij, Syria, June 24, 2018. These independent, coordinated patrols with Turkish military forces help ensure the stability, safety and the continued defeat of ISIS in the region. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

  

Some background:

Seeking a domestic aircraft manufacturer, the Brazilian government made several investments in this area during the 1940s and '50s, but it was not until 1969 that Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica (EMBRAER) was created as a government-owned corporation. Born from a Brazilian government plan and having been state-run from the beginning, EMBRAER began a privatization process alongside many other state-controlled companies during the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso. This privatization effort saw EMBRAER sold on December 7, 1994, and helped it avoid a looming bankruptcy.

 

The company's first product was a turboprop transport, the EMBRAER EMB 110 Bandeirante. In the course of years, both civil and military aircraft were developed, the focus shifted more and more to airliners, but the military work was never abandoned. The company continued to win government contracts, which included the EMB 314/T-27 Tucano trainer or the EMB 324/A-29 ground attack aircraft.

 

The EMB 320 was a bigger aircraft, though, and conceived in the early 2000s, when, with renewed economic stability, the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira, FAB) underwent an extensive renewal of its inventory through several acquisition programs. The most ambitious of which was the acquisition of 36 new front-line interceptor aircraft to replace its aging Mirage III, known as the “F-X Project”.

 

In parallel, a supplement to the relatively new AMX fighter bomber (designated A-1 in Brazil) was needed, too, and this program ran under the handle “A-X Project”. While the F-X program was postponed several times until 2005, the A-X program made, thanks to its smaller budget needs, quick progress and resulted in the EMB 320 'Libélula' (Hornet), a dedicated ground attack, COIN and observation/FAC aircraft which would fill the gap between the AMX jets and various helicopters, e. g. the Mi-35M4 attack helicopter.

 

The EMB 320 was a straightforward design: a mid-wing two-turboprop-engined all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear. Conceptually it was very similar to the Argentinian FMA IA-58 Pucara, but more sophisticated and with more compact dimensions. The aircraft was designed to operate from forward bases, in high temperature and humidity conditions in extremely rugged terrain. Repairs could be made with ordinary tools, and no ground equipment was required to start the engines.

 

The EMB 320 had a tandem cockpit arrangement; the crew of two were seated under an extensively glazed canopy on Martin-Baker Mk 6AP6A zero/zero ejection seats and were provided with dual controls. The pilot sat in front, while the rear seat would, if the mission called for it, be occupied by an observer, WSO or a flight teacher for training purposes. Armor plating was fitted to protect the crew and engines from hostile ground fire.

 

The retractable tricycle landing gear, with a double nose wheel and twin main wheels retracting into the engine nacelles, was fitted with low pressure tires to suit operations on rough ground and unprepared air strips, while the undercarriage legs were tall to give good clearance for underslung weapon loads. The undercarriage, flaps and brakes are operated hydraulically, with no pneumatic systems.

Through powerful high lift devices the EMB 320 could perform short takeoffs and landings, even on aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious assault ships without using catapults or arresting wires. Additionally, three JATO rockets could be fitted under the fuselage to allow extra-short take-off.

 

The aircraft was powered by a pair of Garrett T76-G turboprops, 1,040 hp (775.5 kW) each, driving sets of contra-rotating, three-bladed Hamilton-Standard propellers which were also capable of being used as air brakes. The engines were modified for operating on soy-derived bio-jet fuel. Alternatively the engines would operate on high-octane automobile fuel with only a slight loss of power, too.

Fuel was fed from two fuselage tanks of combined capacity of 800 l (180 imp gal; 210 US gal) and two self-sealing tanks of 460 l (100 imp gal; 120 US gal) in the wings.

 

The “Libélula”, quickly christened this way due to its slender fuselage, straight wings and the large cockpit glazing, was highly maneuverable at low altitude, had a low heat signature and incorporated 4th generation avionics and weapons system to deliver precision guided munitions at all weather conditions, day and night.

 

Armament consisted of two fixed 30 mm (1.181 in) Bernardini Mk-164 cannons in the wing roots and a total of nine external weapon hardpoints; these included a pair of launch rails at the wingtips for AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs (or ECM pods), four underwing pylons outside of the propeller radius and three underfuselage hardpoints. Chaff/flare dispensers in the tail section provided passive safety. The EMB 320 could carry more than 3.5 tons of external munitions, and loiter for three or more hours.

 

Avionics included:

● MIL-STD-1553 standards

● NVG ANVIS-9 (Night Vision)

● CCIP / CCRP / CCIL / DTOS / LCOS / SSLC (Computerized Attack Modes)

● R&S{RT} M3AR VHF/UHF airborne transceiver (two-way encrypted Data Link provision)

● HUD / HOTAS

● HMD with UFCP(Up Front Control Panel)

● Laser INS with GPS Navigational System

● CMFD (Colored Multi-Function Display) liquid crystal active matrix

● Integrated Radio Communication and Navigation

● Video Camera/Recorder

● Automatic Pilot with embedded mission planning capability

● Stormscope WX-1000E (Airborne weather mapping system)

● Laser Range Finder

● WiPak Support – (Wi-Fi integration for Paveway bombs)

● Training and Operation Support System (TOSS)

The prototype made its maiden flight on 2nd of April 2000. In August 2001, the Brazilian Air Force awarded EMBRAER a contract for 52 A-27 Libélula aircraft with options for a further 23, acquired from a contract estimated to be worth around $320 USD millions. The first aircraft was delivered in December 2003. By September 2007, 50 aircraft had entered service. The 75th, and last, aircraft was delivered to the FAB in June 2012.

 

While the Libélula has not been used in foreign conflicts the aircraft already fired in anger: One of the main missions of the aircraft was and is border patrol under the SIVAM program, and this resulted in several incidents in which weapons were fired.

 

On 3 June 2009, two BAF A-27A Libélulas, guided by an EMBRAER E-99, intercepted a Cessna U206G engaged in drug trafficking activities. Inbound from Bolivia, the Cessna was intercepted in the region of Alta Floresta d'Oeste and, after exhausting all procedures, one of the Moscarsos fired a warning shot from its 30mm cannons, after which the aircraft followed the Libélulas to Cacoal airport.

This incident was the first use of powers granted under the Shoot-Down Act, which was enacted in October 2004 in order to legislate for the downing of illegal flights. A total of 176 kg of pure cocaine base paste, enough to produce almost a ton of cocaine, was discovered on board the Cessna; the aircraft's two occupants attempted a ground escape before being arrested by Federal Police in Pimenta Bueno.

 

On 5 August 2011, Brazil started “Operation Ágata”, part of a major "Frontiers Strategic Plan" launched by President Dilma Rousseff in June, with almost 30 continuous days of rigorous military activity in the region of Brazil’s border with Colombia. It mobilized 35 aircraft and more than 3,000 military personnel of the Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy and Brazilian Air Force surveillance against drug trafficking, illegal mining and logging, and trafficking of wild animals.

 

A-29s of 1°/3º Aviation Group (GAv), Squadron Scorpion, as well as six A-27A’s from 4°/3° GAv launched a strike upon an illicit airstrip, deploying eight 230 kg (500 lb) computer-guided Mk 82 bombs to render the airstrip unusable.

Multiple EMB 320 were assigned for night operations, locating remote jungle airstrips used by drug smuggling gangs along the border, and were typically guarded by several E-99 aircraft. The Libélulas also located targets for the A-29 Super Tucanos, allowing them to bomb the airstrips with an extremely high level of accuracy, making use of night-vision systems and computer systems calculating the impact points of munitions.

  

General characteristics

Crew: 2

Length (w/o pitot): 41 ft 10 in (12.76 m)

Wingspan: 40 ft 9 1/2 in (12.45 m)

Height: 13 ft 6 2/3 in (4.14 m)

Wing area: 203.4 ft² (18.9 m²)

Empty weight: 8.920 lb (4.050 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 16.630 lb (7.550 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× Garrett T76-G410/411 turboprops, 1,040 hp (775.5 kW) each

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 307 mph (267 kn, 495 km/h)

Range: 1.860 mi (1.620 nmi, 3.000 km)

Service ceiling: 30.160 ft (9.150 m)

Rate of climb: 2.966 ft/min (15 m/s)

 

Armament:

2× fixed 30 mm (1.181 in) Bernardini Mk-164 cannons in the wing roots with 200 RPG

9× external hardpoints for an ordnance load of 8.000 lb (3.630 kg), including smart weapons (e. g. Paveway GBUs, AGM-65B,C or D Maverick, AGM-114 Hellfire), iron bombs, cluster bombs, napalm tanks, unguided rocket pods and AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs as well as drop tanks.

  

The kit and its assembly:

This whif model is a remake of an idea I had/did many years ago from the remains of an Airfix OV-10D Bronco: converting it into a "normal" aircraft. While one could argue that this is not really exciting, I found this project pretty challenging as I wanted to make the result as plausible as possible, not just glue some leftover parts together (what I did years ago). And doing so turned a simple idea into major surgery and sculpting – or, how flickr fellow user Franclab called it, “it makes the Bronco look like the whif and the Libélula the real aircraft”.

 

The basis was a NiB OV-10A Bronco from Academy, a very good kit with a nice cockpit and lots or ordnance. Great value for the money. Design benchmark for what I had in mind was the FMA IA-58 Pucara, as it was designed for the exact same job as my EMB 320 - but details would differ.

 

The rear of the Bronco's central cabin was cut off and mated with the rear fuselage of a Matchbox Bf 110, which has a similar diameter - but the intersection between the square front of the Bronco and the oval Bf 110 fuselage was tricky (= requiring lots of putty work).

When these basic elements were fitted together, I finally decided to raise the spine. The mated fuselage parts would have had worked, but since the original high wings were missing, the EMB 320 would have had a distinctive and pointless hunchback - actually, with a rotor added, it could have become a helicopter, too!

Well, I went for the big solution, also in order to make the fuselage seam less obvious, and the whole upper rear fuselage was sculpted from 2C and NC putty. In the same process the tail was integrated into the fuselage. As a drawback, this shifted the kit's CG so far back that the lead load in the nose could not keep the front wheel down. Well, it's the price to pay for a better overall look.

 

The twin fins come from a 1:100 A-10, leftover from a Revell SnapFit kit, while the horizontal stabilizers were taken from the OV-10A, but had to be re-engraved in order to make the flap geometry plausible.

 

The wings were taken OOB and, relative to the Bronco, placed in a lower position, their original attachment point on top of the fuselage was faired over. The original plan had been to place them completely low, right where the OV-10's wing stubs would be located. But due to the engine nacelles under the wings I finally set them at mid height - otherwise, ground clearance and/or landing gear length had become a big issue - and the thing still looks stalky!

Moving the nacelles into a different (higher) wing position would have been an option, too, but that was IMHO too complicated. Since the EMD 320 would not have storage space behind the cockpit, a wing spar right through the fuselage would not be implausible. As a side effect I had to close the complete belly gap under the Bronco fuselage, again with 2C putty.

 

The Bronco’s tail booms were cut off and pointed end covers added, so that classic engine nacelles which also carry the main landing gear were created. The engine exhausts were relocated towards the nacelle’s end, and the propeller attachment modified, so that the propeller could turn freely on a metal axis and the overall look would be changed.

 

The cockpit tub was taken OOB, but armored seats from an Italeri AH-1 were used (with added headrests), as well as two crew figures, which come IIRC from a Hasegawa RA-5C Vigilante.

 

A new nose section with a sensor turret was built from scratch. It consists of parts from an AH-64 attack helicopter, mated with some styrene sheets for appropriate length. The shape was sculpted from massive material, and the result looks mean and menacing. The pitots were made from scratch, as well as the radar warning sensors on the hull.

 

The landing gear was improvised. The front strut actually belongs to a 1:200 Concorde(!) from Revell, the respective front wheels belong to an ESCI Ka-34 helicopter. For the main landing gear I used the struts from the Bronco kit, but the twin wheels are donations from the scrap box: these come from two Italeri Hawker Hawk kits.

 

The ordnance was puzzled together from the scrap box, too, as well as from Hasegawa Weapon sets. As the aircraft was supposed to have taken part in the real world “Operation Ágata”, I decided to add four light Paveway gliding bombs. Two Sidewinders and a pair of M260 rocket launchers (for seven 2.75"/70mm target marking missiles with phosphorous warheads) complete the full load.

The wing pylons come from two Italeri Tornados, those under the fuselage belong to a Matchbox Viggen and an Italeri Kfir.

 

As a final note: originally I wanted to call the aircraft “Moscardo” (= Hornet), but when it took shape its overall lines and potential agility made the dragonfly (Libélula in Portuguese) a much more appropriate namesake. So it goes... ^^

  

Painting and markings:

The reason why this turned out to be a Brazilian aircraft is the fact that I have been wanting to use the current FAB paint scheme for some time - it's basically made up from only two colors, FS 34092 (Dark Green) and FS 36176 (“F-15 Gray”, used on USAF F-15Es), paired with low-viz markings. Looks strange at first glance, like a poor man's Europe One/Lizard scheme, but over a typical rain forest scenery, low altitude and with hazy clouds around it is VERY effective, check the beauty pics which are based on BAF press releases. And it simply looks cool.

 

The pattern is based on current BAF F-5E fighters, the markings come from an FCM decal sheet and actually belong to a BAF Mirage 2000. 4º/3º GAv of the Brazilian Air Force is fictional, though, and some warning stencils were taken from the Academy kit.

 

The cockpit interior was painted in Dark Gull Gray (Humbrol 140), the landing gear wells in a yellow zinc chromate primer (Humbrol 225, Mid Stone) while the landing gear struts remained blank Aluminum, The outer wheel disks are white, while the inside is red - a detail I incorporated from some USN aircraft.

 

Painting was not spectacular - since the cockpit has a lot of glass to offer, I painted the windscreen with translucent light blue, and the observer on the rear seat received a similar sun blocker in deep blue. Translucent paint (yellow and black) was also used on the optical sensors at the nose turret as well as for position lights, all on a silver base.

 

The model was only slightly weathered thorough a black ink wash and some dry-brushing with Humbrol 140 and Testors 2076 (RLM 62) in order to emphasize panels - some panel lines were also painted onto the fuselage with thinned black ink, as the "new" rear body is devoid of any detail and difficult to engrave.

Breaking the tragedy of the horizon – climate change and financial stability.

 

Read the speech here:

www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/speeches/2015/...

 

Copyright: Johnny Millar

Madison Square area, Manhattan

  

The 40-story tower (thirty-four stories plus the six-story crown) for the New York Life Insurance Company, one of the "big three" insurance companies, was designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert in 1926 and constructed in 1927-28. The building is Gilbert's third and final version of the neo-Gothic skyscraper in New York City, following his successful use of the style for 90 West Street in 1907 and later for the 1913 Woolworth Building (both designated New York City Landmarks).

 

With the New York Life Insurance Company design, Gilbert melded the neo-Gothic embellishments of his earlier buildings with the cubic geometries of 1920s skyscrapers, making this building a significant transition from the historical revival-styled skyscrapers of the 1900s to the Art Deco towers of the late 1920s. New York Life's desire for a monumental headquarters building allowed Gilbert to finally achieve his wish of creating a skyscraper clad in stone.

 

Details include the richly-molded surrounds of the entrance, window spandrels, and gargoyles at the roof line. The structure's pyramidal tower makes the building a distinctive contribution to the Madison Square neighborhood and the New York City skyline. The New York Life Insurance Company was founded in 1841 as the Nautilus Insurance Company in New York City.

 

The building was constructed during the administration of President Darwin P. Kingsley, an internationally-renowned businessman who expanded the firm's operations and developed new types of insurance policies. The New York Life Building, the most prominent insurance company building constructed between World War I and the Great Depression, was also the last signature home office building constructed for an insurance company in New York City. It was designed to project a strong corporate image through its siting, style, and silhouette. Rising above Madison Square Park, the building is a powerful symbol of the New York Life Insurance Company's lasting stability.

 

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS

Madison Square Park

 

The New York Life Insurance Company Building overlooks the verdant Madison Square Park. The park itself had been included by the street commissioners in their 1811 Map of Manhattan. Then the park was a reserve of almost 239 acres; it was not pared down to its present seven acres until 1844.^

 

Decades before the architecture of commerce came to dominate its borders, Madison Square possessed a rich civic, military, social and cultural history. With the onset of the War of 1812, President James Madison mobilized troops and the site, a temporary home to upstate volunteers, became "Camp Madison," a likely source for the square's name. The Fifth Avenue Hotel, a Republican Party stronghold, opened in 1858 and the park opposite became a pantheon of the party's most revered public servants from New York; with bronze statues of Secretary William H. Seward, Senator Roscoe Conkling, and President Chester A. Arthur.^ To the east, Madison Avenue, insulated by the park, became a fashionable residential enclave.

 

In the 1880s and 1890s the Madison Square area became a theatrical center, causing residents to move uptown. In 1890 McKim, Mead & White's famous Madison Square Garden (demolished in 1924 for construction of the New York Life Insurance Company Building) opened at the northeast comer of Madison Avenue and East 26th Street on the site where P.T. Bamum formerly had his Hippodrome, and Gilmore's Garden had sheltered boxing demonstrations and the annual National Horseshow.^ At the same time, office buildings were also being constructed.

 

Also in 1890, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company purchased the houses on the square's east side between 23"* and 24^ Streets, the first of many property acquisitions the company would make on Madison Square. With the exception of the Madison Square Presbyterian Church, the whole block front was demolished to build the company's new headquarters, an eleven-story office building faced with Tuckahoe marble, designed by Napoleon LeBrun & Sons.

 

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's new and solid presence helped to revive Madison Square's eastern border. In 1896 the State of New York erected the marble courthouse for the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court (James Brown Lord, architect, a designated New York City Landmark), located on the northeast comer ofMadison and 25th Street. In 1907-09, Metropolitan Life replaced its 1890 building with the present fifty-story tower (a designated New York City Landmark), designed by Pierre L. LeBrun of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons. Evoking the campanile in Venice's St. Mark's Square, it was for a time the tallest building in the world.

 

History of the Life Insurance Industry and the New York Life Insurance Company

 

Life insurance in the modem sense, in which a large group shares financial liability calculated on the basis of statistics and laws of probability, is a relatively recent phenomenon, although it has its roots in earlier kinds of insurance.^ It was during the 1840s that America's large mutual insurance companies got their start, including New York Life. Such mutual associations allowed for the protection of policyholders without requiring large security deposits^

 

The New York Life Insurance Company was first chartered in 1841 as the Nautilus Insurance Company, offering marine and fire insurance. A mutual plan of life insurance was first offered in 1845, and the company officially changed its name to the New York Life Insurance Company in 1849.

 

By the end of the 1850s, most of the basic principles of the life insurance industry had been formulated. Level premium policies were the norm (rather than one year term policies in which the premium increases annually with age), and company medical examiners reviewed applications. State regulatory boards had been set up; reserves, dividends and rates had been established; and a strongly competitive marketing system had engendered a thriving industry.

 

At the outbreak of the Civil War, New York Life had many policyholders in the south, and although all southern business was suspended in 1861, business in general boomed. Life insurance coverage was to triple during the war years. In New York City alone, some 50,000 policies were in effect in 1860; by 1870, the number had swelled to 650,000.

 

By mid-war, New York Life had an annual premium income of one million dollars, and in order to handle the increased volume, adopted the so-called general agency system. A general agent was granted exclusive territorial rights and was paid on a commission basis. Sales agents, in turn, were paid on commission by the general agent rather than the insurance company itself. This organization was to continue for the next three decades.

 

During the post-Civil War boom years, the older established insurance companies were faced with fierce competition from dozens of newcomers, the majority of which were stock rather than mutual companies. In the scramble for business, New York Life quickly reestablished its southern contacts; in 1864, it honored pre-war policies for those not directly active in the war, extending the same privilege to combatants in 1867.

 

The company also initiated a campaign of westward expansion, with general agents in Denver and Salt Lake City in 1869andinSanFranciscoin 1870. In the same year an agent for Europe and Great Britain was dispatched to Paris, thereby inaugurating a world-wide expansion, which by the turn of the century included agencies not only all over Europe but also in the Far East, Africa, and South America.

 

The Panic of 1873 dealt a heavy blow to the life insurance industry. A great many of the new companies failed and life insurance and the number of policies declined drastically. Company failures in a climate of widespread financial turmoil inevitably led to charges of corruption and resulted in a series of state investigations. New York Life came under scrutiny in 1877, but was cleared. With competition substantially reduced, New York Life, along with the Equitable Life Assurance Company and the Mutual Life Insurance Company, became known as the "Big Three." These companies continued to lead the American life insurance industry virtually unchallenged for the rest of the century.

 

New York Life had been under the leadership of President Morris Franklin since 1848. His successor, WilliamH. Beers, another New York Life veteran who joined the company in 1851, embarked on a more aggressive course.

 

Under Beers' direction, New York Life, in the continuing race for supremacy among the Big Three, offered new types of polices, including the Accumulation Policy, which essentially had no restrictions and was incontestable after the first year, while the company's vast surpluses were invested in ever more diversified fields.

 

Beers' successors, however, were even more committed to his philosophy, and were distinctly more sophisticated in their approach. The new leadership was shared by President John A. McCall and his "right hand" man, George W. Perkins.^

 

At Perkins' instigation, the general agency system was dismantled. The flaws in the agent system had long been recognized: sales agents loyalties were to the general agent and not the company; all agents readily and frequently switched allegiance; unauthorized rebating was standard procedure. Perkins' new branch office system provided for a general manager on a Axed salary with only small commissions awarded for new policies; the manager and all sales agents reported directly to the home office; the company offered financial incentives for productivity and long term service. That the new system worked to the benefit of the company was demonstrated by its widespread imitation.

 

Investments, although limited to a degree by state law, were ever more varied and far-flung, including substantial commitments abroad. The extent of investment holdings, information never readily available, can however be at least suggested by other statistics. As early as 1890 there was more life insurance in force in the United States that in the entire British Empire. American companies had sold their first billion dollars worth of insurance by 1899; a second billion had been sold by 1905.

 

But if the mood at New York Life was euphoric, the anti-big business mood of the country had become even more inflamed. Under strong public pressure, the New York State Legislature instituted the Armstrong investigations of 1905-06, which were to alter the profile of America's insurance industry. The actual investigation, conducted under the aegis of Judge Charles Evans Hughes, resulted in condemnatory but non-criminal findings. A series of reform laws were passed, controlling the size and nature of investments, regulating the extent of annual company growth, restricting political involvement, and mandating a new election of board members.

 

New York Life experienced another period of rapid growth during the boom years of 1924 to 1929, which culminated in the construction of its new headquarters at 51 Madison Avenue. The company weathered the Great Depression with its assets and stature intact, and after World War II embarked on the greatest expansion in its history, as it diversified into the fields of group coverage and health insurance. New York Life is now a global organization with total assets exceeding ninety billion dollars.

 

The New Home Office at 51 Madison Avenue

 

The New York Life Insurance Company Building at 51 Madison Avenue is the product of the period of rapid economic growth following the First World War and accelerating in the 1920s. It represents a synthesis of historical style with contemporary scale and massing. Its setback skyscraper silhouette derives from the economic imperatives of commercial real estate in 1920s New York, as shaped by the strictures of city zoning regulations.

 

In 1912, four years after the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company completed its office tower on Madison Square in 1908, the New York Life Insurance Company assumed the mortgage on Madison Square Garden, which occupied the site of the present New York Life building. After years of operating at a loss, Madison Square Garden Anally declared bankruptcy in 1917, and New York Life acquired the property through foreclosure of the mortgage.

 

In 1919, architect Cass Gilbert prepared sketches of an office building for New York Life at the Madison Square site. New York Life recognized the architect's mastery of the skyscraper form and his ability to create a distinctive corporate image through architecture. The company clearly understood the impact of expressing the dependability and durability of New York Life through the architecture of its new building, and likewise recognized that it would be adding an iconic image to the city's skyline.

 

Gilbert proposed two schemes, both showing a monumental tower over a wide base occupying most or all of the full-block site. One version depicted a tall base opened up by deep light courts on the east and west facades; the other incorporated a much lower base treated as a simple platform for the high tower. The possibility of a very tall tower remained under consideration until 1926 but was ultimately abandoned.

 

It was not until early 1923 that New York Life began serious consideration of moving its home office to Madison Square, with the formation of the "Committee on the Survey of the Home Office Building and On the Desirability of Madison Square Garden as a Future Home for this Company."^" By this time, the Company's operations were outgrowing the home office building at 346 Broadway, forcing some departments into office space at other locations. By the end of the year, the committee concluded that the Madison Square Garden site was an acceptable location for the new home office, but that the company should explore other locations anyway.

 

Gilbert presented tentative plans for the Madison Square Garden site in February 1924. It consisted of a twenty-eight-story building with sixteen stories to be built immediately, and with structural provisions for the addition of twelve more at a later time. By April, Gilbert proposed a twenty-one-story building with a flat-topped, two-story central tower rising fifty feet.

 

The Board of Directors (The Board) approved the scheme in mid- May, and later that month, the Real Estate Record & published its first account of the proposed building, based on a preliminary filing with the New York City Department of Buildings: twenty eight stories overall, including a twenty-one-story base and a seven-story tower; broad, loft-like massing, with large floor plates, minimal setbacks, and no light courts; east-west passage through the ground floor connecting both avenues to the lobby, joined by a single transverse passage with entrances on 26^ and 27*^ Streets; five basement levels, including an entrance to the Fourth Avenue IRT subway; and ground-floor commercial space oriented to both the sidewalk and the interior passage. This scheme would form the basis of the plan that was finally approved.

 

For much of the rest of 1924, however, Gilbert continued to explore a number of designs. As late as November, the Board was still considering such diverse alternatives as a twenty-one-story block with a short tower, a 1000-foot tower with a broad base, and a sixteen-story slab with no tower. Nevertheless, the Board continued to favor the earlier twenty-eight-story scheme. Demolition of Madison Square Garden began in May 1925,^ and foundation excavation began in August.

 

In April 1926, with excavation over 60 percent complete, structural steel fabrication at least 20 percent complete, and after the expenditure of over $ 1 million, Gilbert's design was abandoned when bids for construction came in significantly higher than expected. Other drawbacks included the enormous floors plates that would require artificial lighting and ventilation since a large percent of the space would be too far from any of the building's exterior walls. These conditions would raise the company's cost per square foot for construction and for on-going operations, reduce the amount of lease revenue, and compromise working conditions for the company's staff.

 

The New York State Department of Insurance, the regulatory agency overseeing the insurance industry, also disapproved of the design on economic grounds: "It would appear, therefore, that your architect is not able to prepare plans of a solid block building, which would be practical for rentable purposes and bring proper return to your company on its investment."^ The Board directed Gilbert to develop a new plan as soon as possible, and he began redesigning the building in May.

 

By this time, Gilbert had delegated further design work on the building to his staff, which was consistent with the general character of his practice in the years after World War I. During this Anal period in the architect's career, the firm's buildings reflected Gilbert's design team as a whole.^ Under the watchful eye of New York Life's building subcommittee, anew plan was developed during the spring and early summer of 1926, with approval of the final, semi-monumental design coming in early August.

 

The thirty-four-story building, to be constructed of limestone rather than marble as originally envisioned, incorporated setbacks and a distinctive, gilded pyramidal roof containing six additional floors. The building's massing shares the geometry of other, zoning-influenced skyscrapers of the 1920s. Incorporating ornamentation of the Renaissance, Gothic, and ArtDeco styles, and inspired by old towers, town halls, and civic buildings in France and the Netherlands, Gilbert called the style of the building "American Perpendicular."^

 

Later in August, foundation work was completed and general construction of the building began.^ As construction progressed under the supervision of general contractor Starrett Brothers, the architects remained distant from the day-to-day operations. By 1927, Gilbert's office was "...simply approving or disapproving the contractor Starrett Brothers' decisions, largely without comment."^

 

The completion of the New York Life Building was celebrated by owner, architect, and critics alike. Proud New York Life officials dedicated their new home office with a gala ceremony in December 1928. Gilbert expressed his satisfaction with the final product as a special and distinctive synthesis of historical precedents and modem conditions. Architectural critics also praised the design's practical and aesthetic achievements. In March 1929, published an issue exclusively devoted to the New York Life Building, and reported:

"The New York Life Building is an important

economic factor in the community because of

its usefulness. Its observance of the accepted criteria of correct designing, harmonious proportions of its mass, cultured restraint and refinement of its ornamentation, general fitness and inspiring beauty and dignity, cause it to assume its rightfully pre-eminent position in the never ending pageant of the world's architecture."^

 

Later History

 

The New York Life Insurance Company enjoyed continuous prosperity following World War II and funded a number of housing developments in the city. The company constructed an annex located at 63 Madison Avenue in 1958-62. Called the North Building, it was designed by the firm Carson & Lundin. The original building at 51 Madison Avenue became known as the South Building. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

 

Since its completion in 1928, the South Building's exterior has remained largely intact, while the interior has been continually upgraded and modernized. The original bronze window sash and frames remain intact, as do most of the original storefronts. The only major loss of original fabric took place during the reconfiguration of the original tower roof in 1966-67, which included the removal of much of the stonework on the thirty-fifth floor. Temporary roof repairs began in 1956, and a major roof replacement, designed by Carson, Lundin & Shaw, commenced in 1966.

 

The work included removal of the original copper-and-gold-leaf roof, reinforcement and reconfiguring of the structural steel, and extending the slope of the roof downward. The new roof consists of gold-toned ceramic tile over a double layer of plywood sheathing. Modification of the stonework at the thirty-fifth floor included removal of the tourelles and limestone masonry screens. The bronze lantern and spire were restored. Nighttime illumination of the tower roof began in 1985 to mark the 140^ anniversary of the company's founding.

 

In 1988, mechanical equipment was installed on the fourteenth floor setback, and in 1992, new roofs were installed on the twenty-sixth, thirty-fourth, and thirty-fifth-floor setbacks. New cooling towers were installed on the twenty-sixth-floor setback on the western side of the building in 1991. Major exterior ( rehabilitation work took place in 1994 in preparation [ for New York Life's 150^ anniversary, including the installation of new gold-toned ceramic tile on the tower roof and the cleaning and repointing of the exterior masonry.

 

Description

 

The building contains thirty-four stories of office and ground-floor commercial space, five basement levels, a first-floor mezzanine, and six penthouse levels, enclosing mechanical equipment, within the roof structure; it rises to a total of 617 feet. It is a steel-framed structure, clad on the exterior with granite at the base and Indiana limestone on the upper floors. There are setbacks at the fifth, fourteenth, twenty-sixth, thirtieth, thirty-first, thirty-fourth, and thirty-fifth floors. The eight-sided pyramidal roof is topped by a cast-bronze lantern. The building's more than 2,200 exterior windows contain heavy bronze sash and frames.

 

The building has a four-story, full-block base and, above that, a nine-story central section from which the twenty-one-story tower rises. The tower is flanked by two square, twelve-story wings and is topped by a six-story crown featuring an eight-sided pyramidal roof. The ascending volumes and subtle arrangement of window bays give the building its solid vertically. Culminating in a grand, gilded crown, the building's mass achieves a distinctly recognizable silhouette.

 

Storefronts

 

The building retains original storefronts in many of its sidewalk-level masonry bays on all four facades. This infill consists of plate-glass show windows in bronze frames and granite bulkheads. Various storefront types exists, most of which are variations of four original types or early alterations. The first type has a central revolving door and a louvered transom. The second type has original tripartite show windows above a granite bulkhead. The third type, which was a design revision during construction in 1928, consists of original tripartite show windows with an ornamental bronze base panel above a granite bulkhead.^ The fourth type, which is either original or an early alteration, has tripartite show windows above a granite bulkhead with an operable transom.

 

A number of storefronts incorporate ventilation louvers at transom level in various configurations and of unknown date. A commercial tenant has recently removed one storefront on either side of the northeast comer (Park Avenue South and East 27^ Street) of the building to create a recessed comer entrance, and has installed fixed fabric awnings and exterior lighting in all its storefront bays. Two storefronts on either side of the southeast comer (Park Avenue South and East 26^ Street) of the building have recessed, centered, single-leaf doors inserted into the original tripartite glazing. Two storefronts along East 27"* Street have been replaced with truck dock openings.

 

Mezzanine Glazing

 

Directly above the storefronts, the windows of the first floor mezzanine occupy the upper portions of the arched masonry openings at the building's base on all four facades. These were originally glazed with panes of clear glass set three rows high in a framework of bronze supports. Each opening had an operable section, and many of these remain.

 

More than half of these mezzanine windows have been altered over the years in conjunction with the installation of floor-mounted heating con vectors on the mezzanine interior. These changes affected the lowermost row of panes, where the convectors are noticeable from the exterior through clear glass. Methods for obscuring the convectors include back painting the clear glazing, or replacement of some or all of the lower clear panes with frosted, textured, or ribbon glass. A small proportion of mezzanine-level glazing has been partially or completely replaced with louvered vents of various dates.

 

Roof Areas

 

Ventilation stacks and small louvered enclosures have been a minor presence on the roof setbacks since the building was completed in 1928, but none of the originals are visible from street level. Since at least the late 1960s, these setbacks have also been the location for various installations of power systems, cooling equipment, and other mechanical components and equipment rooms, some of which are visible from the street.

 

Current roof-top installations include, on the fifth floor, enclosed mechanical space on the 27th Street side (date unknown), with ventilation and air-conditioning above, and other equipment on the 26th Street side; on the fourteenth floor, a number of enclosed mechanical spaces of varying heights, dates, and materials, back-up power systems, cooling equipment, duct runs from the exterior walls to the parapet openings, vent stacks, and exhaust and ventilation units; and on the twenty-sixth floor, main cooling towers (east side installed by the late 1960s, west side c. 1991-92) and miscellaneous antennae.

 

Windows

 

The building retains the vast majority of its original one-over-one bronze window sash and frames. Four basic types exist, distinguished by the lintel configuration. A fifth type, which was a later addition consists of fixed, single panes of glass, enclosing previously open or louvered openings at the thirty-fourth floor.

 

A number of window openings are partially or completely given over to ventilation louvers. Originally, artificial ventilation was provided for the interior from the basement through the thirteenth floor. Vent fans with louvered exterior intakes were located on the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh floors. Basement intakes were located in the ceilings of the outer vestibules of the side entrances. The exhaust was vented at penthouse level. The original vent louver distribution has been partially retained, particularly on the ninth and eleventh floors.

 

Additional louvers have been installed at various window openings across the 26^ and 27"* Street facades.

 

Signage

 

Non-tenant signage includes bronze New York Life corporate nameplates at the building comers and flanking the east and west entrances; a New York Community Trust "Landmarks of New York" plaque, installed in the 1960s at the west entrance; and original, projecting bronze "subway entrance" signs with internally illuminated letters, flanking the east entrance.

 

Commercial tenant signage consists of a number of different types, including: vinyl and back painted lettering on glass; interior illuminated signs, flat exterior window signage at the storefront and mezzanine level; Axed fabric awnings (at the northeast comer restaurant only); and a projecting blade sign at the northeast comer of the building..

 

Madison Avenue Facade

 

The ground floor consists of a nine-bay arcade with a central, double-height main entryway flanked by smaller openings, all leading into a recessed outer vestibule. The central arch has an omate surround supported by masked bosses. The flanking openings feature ogee labels with bosses, shields, crockets, and finials. Each opening contains elaborate bronze gates. The entry ways are flanked by historic wall lamps. The recessed vestibule features a granite and terrazzo floor, a barrel vault with coffering flanked by domed vaults, bronze and glass doors, multi-light transom with molded enframent and crestwork, and bronze hanging lamps. The remaining ground-floor arches have compound heads and contain historic storefront infill, except for one bay containing an historic projecting bronze secondary entryway featuring decorative panels and another bay containing a non-historic, polished-metal commercial entrance.

 

The second-story windows, which are paired above the storefront arches, sit upon a continuous, molded band and have bracketed sills.

 

They have enframents consisting of compound columns sitting on molded bases. They are topped by carved, projecting panels. The third- and fourth-story windows, which are arranged similarly as those on the second floor, except for the grouped sash above the central arch, are recessed and separated by narrow columns and geometrically-carved panels between the floors.

 

A bracketed balcony, featuring elaborately-carved panels, is located above the main entryway. The fourth-story windows are arched and topped by ogee labels that pierce the crown moldings above the windows and extend into the parapet. The parapet consists of alternating carved and solid sections.

 

Central -Section.

 

The seven-bay central section, which rises nine stories above the base, has paired sash in the five center bays, divided by compound columns, and single sash in the end bays. The bays are separated by multi-story piers, broken by a wide, molded band at the level of the twelfth-story window sills. Decorative spandrels separate the floors.

 

The thirteenth-story window openings are arched and topped by decorative panels below the parapets. The parapets consist of alternating sections of solid stone and sections containing cusped screens. Gargoyles protrude around the entire thirteenth floor. Flagpoles, dating from 1928, stand at the comers of the fourteenth floor setback.

 

Wing.

 

The five-bay wing facade, beside the tower, rises twelve stories above the fourteenth-story setback. Its three center bays are grouped, divided by compound columns and separated from the outer bays by multistory piers. There are paneled spandrels from the fourteenth to the twenty-first floors; the twenty-second-floor window openings are arched and topped by ogee labels that extend through the ornamented spandrels above.

 

Decorative spandrels featuring a shield motif separate the twenty-third to the twenty-fifth floors. The twenty-fifth-floor window openings are arched and topped by decorative panels below open sections of the cusped parapets at the twenty-sixth floor setback. Flagpoles, dating from 1928, stand at the comers of the twenty-sixth-floor setback.

 

The tower rises twenty-one stories from the fourteenth-story setback. The twelve-story, one-bay wide lower sections of the tower flank the projecting wing and are ornamented similarly to the wing facade, except that a wide, molded band crowns the twenty-fifth floor. The tower above the twenty-fifth floor has five bays, separated by multi-story piers. The three center bays contain paired sash divided by compound columns. There are paneled spandrels from the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth floors. The twenty-ninth and thirtieth-floor window openings are arched and topped by ogee labels that extend through the spandrels to pierce the thirtieth-story sills. The thirtieth and thirty-first stories have small setbacks.

 

At the thirty-second through thirty-fourth stories, the three central bays are recessed below relieving arches. They contain paired sash separated by compound columns and have ornate spandrels. The thirty-fourth-floor window openings are arched. The center piers feature slim pilasters. Gargoyles protrude around the entire thirty-fourth floor, which is topped by a decorative parapet featuring alternating solid areas and open sections with cusps.

 

Park Avenue South Facade

 

Base. The treatment and detail is similar to that on the Madison Avenue facade, including the historic, projecting bronze secondary en try way featuring decorative panels. In addition, one storefront at the north comer of the facade was removed to create a recessed comer entrance and several fixed fabric awnings have been installed. There is also a recessed, historic bronze entryway at the south comer. Original, projecting bronze "subway entrance" signs with internally illuminated letters, flank the main entrance

 

Central Section. The treatment and detail is similar to that on the Madison Avenue facade.

 

The treatment and detail is similar to that on the Madison Avenue facade.

 

Tower. The treatment and detail is similar to that on the Madison Avenue facade.

 

East 26th Street Facade

 

Base. The 26^ Street base features articulation and ornament similar to the Madison Avenue facade. The ground floor of the four-story base consists of a nineteen bay arcade containing entryways in the seventh and thirteenth bays leading to recessed outer vestibules. The entryways contain elaborate bronze gates, bracketed jambs, flanking bronze wall lamps, and surmounting bronze grilles featuring the New York Life seal. The vestibules contain granite and terrazzo floors, bronze doors, multi-light transoms with molded frames, bronze hanging lamps, and grilled ceilings. There is also a recessed, historic, bronze entryway at the east comer.

 

The seventeen-bay central section, which rises above the base behind the fifth-floor setback, includes two-bay light wells that are one bay deep. The bays contain single, paired, and grouped fenestration. The central section is ornamented similarly to the corresponding area facing Madison Avenue.

 

The wings, which sit symmetrically next to the east and west sides of the tower, have three bays; the two inner bays of each wing contain paired sash separated by compound columns. The wings are ornamented similarly to the corresponding areas facing Madison Avenue.

 

Tower.

 

The tower rises twenty stories from the fourteenth-story setback. The lower twelve story sections of the tower, flanking the projecting wings have ornamentation that is similar to the facade of the wings facing Madison Avenue. The ornamentation of the tower above the twenty-fifth floor is similar to the corresponding area facing Madison Avenue. East 27"* Street Facade

 

Base. The treatment and detail is similar to that on the East 26^ Street facade, except that four of the bays between the vestibule entryways contain loading docks, one storefront at the east comer of the facade was removed to create a recessed comer entrance, and several fixed fabric awnings have been installed.

 

The treatment and detail is similar to that on the East 26"* Street facade. Wi'ngj. The treatment and detail is similar to that on the East 26^ Street facade.

 

Tower. The treatment and detail is similar to that on the East 26"* Street facade.

 

The Crown

 

The crown, which consists of an octagonal pyramid sitting upon a square base, has been significantly altered and simplified over time. The crown incorporates the thirty-fifth through the fortieth stories. The thirty-fifth story falls within the base and the others within the pyramid. The thirty-fifth floor is setback from the floor below and contains comer turrets, arched fenestration, finials rising up from the piers below, and an open parapet with cusps.

 

Louvered openings pierce the base of the roof behind the parapet and exterior lighting arrays are mounted atop the parapet itself. The only major loss of original fabric took place during the reconfiguration of the original tower roof in 1966-67, which included the removal of much of the stonework on the thirty-fifth floor. The work included removal of the original copper-and-gold-leaf roof, reinforcement and reconfiguring of the structural steel, and extending the slope of the roof downward.

 

The present roof, installed in 1994, consists of gold-toned ceramic tile over a double layer of plywood sheathing. Modification of the stonework at the thirty-fifth floor included removal of the tourelles and limestone masonry screens. The bronze lantern and spire have been restored. At present, a narrow walkway between the base of the roof and upper parapet houses a number of pieces of air-conditioning equipment.

 

- From the 2000 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report

the skeletal remains of this of this beautiful Gothic styled. considering the condition of this church, it is amazing to see some totally intact stained glass windows.

 

YOUR COMMENT IS THE GREATEST "AWARD" YOU COULD GIVE -- No graphics please.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY COMMENTS!!!

 

www.muchphotography.com

Puck's Glen is a river-formed ravine on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, with a popular scenic walking trail beside the Eas Mòr stream (Gaelic for "big waterfall"). In 2020 the glen and adjoining trails were closed temporarily due to issues of stability of the gorge, and felling of trees infected by larch disease.

 

It comes under Forestry and Land Scotland which has highlighted it as a feature of the Argyll Forest Park (itself within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park), and described it as "One of the most magical forests in Scotland, with a delightful trail along a rocky gorge."

 

The stream tumbles down a series of waterfalls and rapids, joining the River Eachaig about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) south of the entrance to the Benmore Botanic Garden. A car park off the A815 road (about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Dunoon on the road to Loch Eck) gives access by a track to the foot of the glen path, as well as forest paths giving an alternative route to the top of the glen.

 

The Benmore Estate, previously hunting grounds of the Campbells of Ballochyle, was improved by a succession of owners in the 19th century. Forestry plantation began in the 1820s, and extensive garden improvements were made from 1862 by James Piers Patrick. The Ordnance Survey from 1865 shows the Eas Mòr gorge extending uphill through a small area of woodland into open moorland with some trees in the ravine.

 

In 1870 the Greenock sugar refiner and philanthropist James Duncan bought the estate, and added the adjacent Kilmun and Bernice Estates. He arranged extensive plantings, including more than six million trees around the estate, and added paths leading up the Eas Mòr gorge for his visitors to enjoy the magical atmosphere of the glen, reminiscent of the mythological Puck, the character Puck in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

 

Henry Younger of the Edinburgh brewer Younger's bought the estate in 1889, and with his son Harry George Younger made many improvements to the woods and gardens.

 

Two strips of Japanese larch planted at Puck's Glen around 1903 were successfully established by 1912, though European larch had failed in the locality. In 1918, the Anchor Line Staff Magazine noted that Benmore House was celebrated for "Puck's Glen with its amber stream cutting a channel through moss-draped schistose rock, and tumbling from one silver rock-chalice to another."

 

In 1924, Harry George Younger presented the estates to the Forestry Commissioners. The Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society made a visit in July 1925, and described Puck's Glen as "a striking example of how man, working hand in hand with nature, has made what was once a bare hillside ravine into one of the most lovely walks imaginable." Starting near the sixth milestone from Dunoon on the old main road to Arrochar, the bridle-path "by the stream which the Ordnance Survey map calls the Eas Mor, but which is better known as Puck's Burn" was soon hemmed in by steep banks, "while growing on their slopes are conifers of a dozen or more varieties, rhododendrons, and many of the rarer species of ferns. The path follows the stream through the whole course of the ravine".

 

In commemoration of the improvements James Duncan had made to the estate, Younger provided the Bayley Balfour Memorial Hut above the glen, dedicated to the memory of the botanist Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour. The hut was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer with wood panelling featuring all the varieties of timber grown at Benmore, and positioned above the tree-tops. The dedication ceremony in September 1928 enjoyed fine weather; The Gardeners' Chronicle described its site as commanding "beautiful views above a gorge where 'the singing waters fall to the Eachaig River from lofty heights' " amidst towering woods, with Beinn Mhòr visible through a faint blue haze.

 

In 1929 the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh opened the Younger Botanic Garden in the Benmore estate as its first outstation, and in the 1930s the Forestry Commission established Kilmun Arboretum to the south of Puck's Glen, planting large groups of tree species rather than individual specimens

 

The Forestry Commission's Scottish National Forest Park Guide, issued in 1947, calls Puck's Glen "a rocky cleft beside a rushing stream, leading up to a fine viewpoint, which may be visited without charge or formality", and describes access by Clyde steamer and bus services.

 

In 1948, the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal noted regular visits to Puck's Glen, "attractive at all seasons but at its best in the Rhododendron month of June", and praised the view "from the Rest Hut, exquisitely designed by Robert Lorimer".

 

The Bayley Balfour Memorial Hut, Puck's Hut, was moved in 1968 to the walled garden in the Botanic Garden. It originally had a fireplace and chimney, but these were not reconstructed, and were replaced by an additional window. In 1992 the hut was listed as a Grade C listed building.[15] The Puck's Glen path needed repair, and was restored in May 1986, with renewed bridges.

 

The high rainfall, with an average annual precipitation of around 200 to 230 cm (79 to 91 in), is suited to temperate rainforest and associated undergrowth. The acid soil makes the area particularly suitable for conifers. The Forestry Commission has planted coniferous trees at the sides of Puck's Glen, which runs through Uig Wood. The lower slopes of this woodland feature some of the earliest tree plantations on the estate.

 

The wood forms part of Benmore forest, which features waymarked trails leading visitors among trees including giant Californian redwoods, Douglas fir and Western hemlock. Puck's Glen itself is part of the Puck's Glen Gorge Trail, leading from the car park, and the Black Gates Trail which starts at the entrance to Benmore Botanic Garden, and goes past extensive mature conifers on the hillside of Benmore forest before connecting to the top of the Upper Puck's Glen loop.

 

A signpost at the forestry track crossing Puck's Glen points south along the track to Kilmun Arboretum and north along the track to Benmore Botanic Garden. It also points to the Upper Puck's Glen Loop path which continues further uphill beside the stream before connecting to the top of the Black Gates Trail. Some detailed routes are available online at Walkhighlands.

 

Argyll Forest Park is a forest park located on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. Established in 1935, it was the first forest park to be created in the United Kingdom.[2] The park is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, and covers 211 km2 in total.

 

From the Holy Loch in the south to the Arrochar Alps in the north, the park includes a variety of landscapes, from high peaks to freshwater and seawater lochs.

 

Much of the forest park lies within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which was established in 2002, however the forests at Corlarach and Ardyne in Cowal are outwith the national park boundary but within the forest park.

 

Forestry and Land Scotland highlight trails at the following places:

Glenbranter, bike trails and walks, featuring ancient oaks

Puck's Glen, trail up rocky gorge among woodlands

Benmore, forest around Benmore Botanic Garden, with giant trees

Kilmun Arboretum, collection of tree species in woodland groves

Ardentinny, easy trails and beach walk

 

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park (Scottish Gaelic: Pàirc Nàiseanta Loch Laomainn is nan Tròisichean) is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park. The park extends to cover much of the western part of the southern highlands, lying to the north of the Glasgow conurbation, and contains many mountains and lochs. It is the fourth-largest national park in the British Isles, with a total area of 1,865 km2 (720 sq mi) and a boundary of some 350 km (220 mi) in length. It features 21 Munros (including Ben Lomond, Ben Lui, Beinn Challuim, Ben More and two peaks called Ben Vorlich) and 20 Corbetts.

 

The park straddles the Highland Boundary Fault, which divides it into two distinct regions - lowland and highland - that differ in underlying geology, soil types and topography. The change in rock type can most clearly be seen at Loch Lomond itself, as the fault runs across the islands of Inchmurrin, Creinch, Torrinch and Inchcailloch and over the ridge of Conic Hill. To the south lie green fields and cultivated land; to the north, mountains.

 

The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park lies close to Scotland's heavily populated Central Belt, and the area has long been popular with visitors. Principal attractions are viewing scenery and wildlife, walking, climbing, water sports, and other outdoor activities. In 2017, there were 2.9 million visits to the park, of which 2.1 million were day visits and 783,000 were made by visitors staying overnight within the park.

 

Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020). The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Robin Currie, a councillor for Kintyre and the Islands.

 

Argyll and Bute covers the second-largest administrative area of any Scottish council. The council area adjoins those of Highland, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.

History

 

Buteshire and Argyll were two of the historic counties of Scotland, having originated as shires (the area controlled by a sheriff) in the Middle Ages. From 1890 until 1975 both counties had an elected county council.

 

In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts were abolished and replaced with upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. The Strathclyde region was created covering a large part of western Scotland. Strathclyde was divided into nineteen districts, one of which the 1973 Act called "Argyll", covering most of the former county of Argyll, but also including the Isle of Bute from Buteshire. The shadow authority elected in 1974 requested a change of name to "Argyll and Bute", which was agreed by the government before the new district came into being on 16 May 1975.

 

As created in 1975 the Argyll and Bute district covered the whole area of fourteen of Argyll's sixteen districts and part of a fifteenth, plus two of Buteshire's five districts, which were all abolished at the same time:

 

From Argyll:

Campbeltown Burgh

Cowal District

Dunoon Burgh

Inveraray Burgh

Islay District

Jura and Colonsay District

Kintyre District

Lochgilphead Burgh

Mid Argyll District

Mull District

 

North Lorn District: the Lismore and Appin, and Ardchattan electoral divisions only, rest (Ballachulish and Kinlochleven electoral divisions) went to Lochaber district of Highland

Oban Burgh

South Lorn District

Tiree and Coll District

Tobermory Burgh

 

From Buteshire:

Bute District

Rothesay Burgh

 

The two Buteshire districts together corresponded to the whole Isle of Bute. The rest of Buteshire, being the Isle of Arran and The Cumbraes went to Cunninghame district. The Ardnamurchan district from Argyll went to the Lochaber district of Highland. The new district was made a single Argyll and Bute lieutenancy area.

 

Local government was reformed again in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitary council areas. Argyll and Bute became one of the new council areas, but had its territory enlarged to include the town of Helensburgh and surrounding rural areas which had been in the Dumbarton district prior to 1996, and had formed part of the county of Dunbartonshire prior to 1975. The Helensburgh area had voted in a referendum in 1994 to join Argyll and Bute rather than stay with Dumbarton.

 

Transport

Railways

The main railway line in Argyll and Bute is the West Highland Line, which links Oban to Glasgow, passing through much of the eastern and northern parts of the area. From the south the line enters Argyll and Bute just to the west of Dumbarton, continuing north via Helensburgh Upper to the eastern shores of the Gare Loch and Loch Long. The line comes inland at Arrochar and Tarbet to meet the western shore of Loch Lomond. At the northern end of the loch the lines leaves Argyll and Bute to enter Stirling council area. The Oban branch of the West Highland Line re-enters the area just west of Tyndrum, and heads west to Oban: stations on this section of the line include Dalmally and Taynuilt railway station. The majority of services on the line are operated by ScotRail: as of 2019 the summer service has six trains a day to Oban, with four on Sundays. In addition to the ScotRail service is the nightly Caledonian Sleeper, although this does not run on the Oban branch.

 

Helensburgh also has a much more frequent service into Glasgow and beyond via the North Clyde Line, which has its western terminus at the town's central railway station.

 

Roads

The main trunk roads in Argyll and Bute are:

The A82, which runs along the western shore of Loch Lomond, providing the main route between Glasgow and Fort William.

The A83, which leaves the A82 at Tarbet, heading west and then south to eventually reach Campbeltown by way of Inveraray and Lochgilphead.

The A85, which leaves the A82 at Tyndrum (just outside Argyll and Bute) and heads west to Oban via Dalmally.

The A828, which leaves the A85 at Connel and north through Appin to join the A82 at Ballachulish.

The A815, which leaves the A83 in Glen Kinglas near Cairndow, heading south through Strachur and Dunoon and ends at Toward 40 miles later, on the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula. The A815 is the main road through Cowal.

The A886, which leaves the A815 at Strachur, passing through Glendaruel, the route includes a ferry link to the Isle of Bute, Colintraive - Rhubodach terminating at Port Bannatyne to the north of Rothesay.

 

Ferry services

Due to its heavily indented coastline and many islands, ferries form an important part of the council area's transport system. The main ferry operator in Argyll and Bute is Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which operates services from the mainland to most of the inhabited islands. Several other routes are operated by commercial operators, usually on contract to the council, although the Western Ferries service across the Firth of Clyde is run on a commercial basis.

Bute is served by a route across the Kyles of Bute between Rhubodach and Colintraive in Cowal, as well as a route between Rothesay to Wemyss Bay in Inverclyde. Both routes are operated by CalMac.

Coll and Tiree are each served from Oban, via a CalMac service that also provides links between the two islands, and a once-weekly link to Barra.

Gigha is served by a CalMac route from Tayinloan in Kintyre.

Islay is served by a CalMac route from Kennacraig in Kintyre. The service is timetabled to utilise either one of two ports on the island, with both Port Askaig and Port Ellen having a service to the mainland.

Feolin on Jura is linked to Port Askaig on Islay via a vehicle ferry run by ASP Ship Management on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council. There is also a passenger-only service between the island's main centre, Craighouse, and Tayvallich on the mainland that is operated by Islay Sea Safaris.

Kerrera is linked to Gallanach (about 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Oban) by a passenger-only service operated by CalMac.

Lismore is served by two ferries, a vehicle and passenger service operated by CalMac that runs from Oban, and a passenger-only service from Port Appin that is operated by ASP Ship Management on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council.

Mull is served by a route between Oban and Craignure on the island's east coast, as well as routes across the Sound of Mull (between Lochaline and Fishnish, and Tobermory and Kilchoan). All three routes are operated by CalMac.

Iona is linked to Mull via a CalMac service from Fionnphort at Mull's southwest tip.

The island of Seil, which itself is linked to the mainland via the Clachan Bridge, has links to two further islands: Easdale and Luing. Both services are operated by ASP Ship Management on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council.

 

There are also routes connecting some mainland locations in Argyll and Bute to other parts of the mainland:

There is a CalMac service across Loch Fyne which provides a link between Portavadie in Cowal and Tarbert in Kintyre.

The Cowal peninsula route is a passenger-only service from the Dunoon Breakwater to Gourock pier, giving easy access to ScotRail services at Gourock railway station with onward transport to Glasgow Central station. This route was for a period run by a CalMac subsidiary company, Argyll Ferries, but has since January 2019 been operated directly by CalMac.

CalMac provide a limited (3 ferry each way per week) service between Cambeltown in Kintyre and Ardrosssan in North Aryshire during the summer months.

Western Ferries, a commercial operator, runs a vehicle and passenger service between Hunters Quay to McInroy's Point that also provides a link between Cowal and Inverclyde in (partial) competition with the subsidised CalMac service.

A service operated by Clyde Marine Services on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport runs between Kilcreggan and Gourock pier, providing a link from the Rosneath peninsula to the rail network at Gourock.

 

Argyll and Bute also has ferry services linking it to islands in neighbouring council areas:

Oban is the mainland terminal for services to Barra in Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Outer Hebrides).

Lochranza on Arran, in North Ayrshire, has a year-round service to Kintyre: during the summer the mainland port used is Claonaig, however in winter the service is reduced to a single daily return crossing from Tarbert.

 

There is also a passenger-only ferry service linking Campbeltown and Port Ellen on Islay with Ballycastle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, running seasonally from April to September, operated by West Coast Tours as the Kintyre Express.

 

Cultural references

The later scenes of the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love were filmed around the lochs and hills of Argyll and Bute.

 

The area has also been indirectly immortalised in popular culture by the 1977 hit song "Mull of Kintyre" by Kintyre resident Paul McCartney's band of the time, Wings.

SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 11, 2019) Sailors wait with chocks and chains on the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85). McCampbell is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaac Maxwell/Released)

Stability is a blessing, instability is a calamity

 

© Eric Lafforgue

www.ericlafforgue.com

...stability in a fast world

ZEISS Planar T* 2/50 ZM

A 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1B Lancer prepares to land at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 22, 2020. This B-1B aircrew completed a 24-hour mission that included a large force exercise. The 9th EBS is deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of a Bomber Task Force supporting Pacific Air Forces’ strategic deterrence missions and commitment to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman River Bruce)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 25, 2020) San Antonio Class amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) transits the Philippine Sea. The America Amphibious Ready Group, assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eleven, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Cavenaile)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 26, 2020) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Steven Weaver, left, from Green River, Wyo., and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Devin Call, from Winchester, Va., both assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), signal a CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unite (MEU), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 to launch from the ship’s flight deck. America, flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit team, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Vincent E. Zline)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Jan. 22, 2022) Lance Cpl. Carson Casmirri, front, from Denver, and Lance Cpl. Caleb Marler, from Lawson, Missouri, both assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), attach cargo to an MH-60S Sea Hawk, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, on the flight deck of forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st MEU, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Theodore C. Lee)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 25, 2020) The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) transits the Philippine Sea. America, flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Cavenaile)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 10, 2020) Sailors conduct a visit, board, search and seizure exercise in a rigid-hull inflatable boat from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

Sculpted by Lee Lawrie, the imposing low-relief panel, Wisdom, was insalled over the entrance to the main building of Rockefeller Center,30 Rockefeller Plaza. The 37 foot high art deco icon can be clearly seen from Fifth Avenue. In addition to scale, Lawrie relied on mass, color, gilding and two different materials to create his piece.

 

The top piece, 22'x14' of Indiana limestone, depicts a figure set at an angular slant, thrusting out towards the spectator from a vast, swelling of clouds around his naked body. With furrowed brown and golden rays crowning his head, his left hand shoves away the "clouds of ignorance" and his right clutches a golden compass theat measures the cosmic forces swirling in 15'x55 glass screen below. His long beard, symbolizing experience, is blown back by sheer force of that which surrounds him. Below the figure reads the Biblical passage,"Wisdom and Knowledge Shall Be the Stability of Thy Times" (Isaiah 33:6).

 

Wisdom is flanked on either side by Sound and Light, and was the first exterior piece in the Center to be painted and gilded.

 

German-born Lee Lawrie was well known as an architectural sculptor. His work can be found at St. Thomas Church and throughout Rockefeller Center: Winged Mercury and Heraldic Lions at the British Empire Building; Fleur-de-lis and Seeds of Good Citizenship at La Maison Française; Progress at One Rockefeller Plaza; The Story of Mankind, Saint Francis of Assisi, Swords into Plowshares, Columbia Greeting a Woman, Boatman, Fourteen coats of Arms, Corncucopia of Plenty, and most famously, Atlas at the International building.

 

Rockefeller Center was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1985.

 

In 2007, Rockefeller Center was ranked #56 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list.

 

Rockefeller Center National Register #87002591

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 15, 2016) - An MH-60S Sea Hawk assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 flies above amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20). Green Bay, attached to Expeditionary Strike Group 7, is operating in the Philippine Sea in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Diana Quinlan/Released) 160915-N-WF272-519

 

** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/ **

 

SASEBO, Japan (Oct. 27, 2020) A hose team attacks a mock fire during a Federal Fire integrated firefighting drill aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). The fire drill integrates fire fighters from Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo Federal Firefighters with Sailors aboard the ship to train on fighting in-port fires. New Orleans, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders)

WATERS NEAR GUAM (May 30, 2015) An F/A-18E Super Hornet from the "Royal Maces" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, are on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. George Washington will conduct a hull-swap with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) later this year after serving seven years as the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Clemente A. Lynch/Released)

... is one of the most important astronomical research centers in the world.

Located on the island of La Palma, at an altitude of 2.4 km on the edge of the Caldera de Taburiente caldera, it consists of over 20 active telescopes or observation instruments.

It belongs to the same elite class as Paranal (Chile), Mauna Kea (Hawaii) and Siding Spring (Australia).

In European terms, it is the best possible place for astronomy, thanks to the world's top-class skies, where clarity, darkness and stability are exceptional.

Must attribute with link to: www.ptpioneer.com

Girl doing lunges with stability ball

Must attribute with link to: www.ptpioneer.com

Personal training military press with dumbbells on a stability ball exercising outdoors.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 25, 2020) The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) transits the Philippine Sea. America, flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Cavenaile)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 11, 2020) A firefighter’s helmet is placed at the ceremonial Prisoner of War/Missing in Action table on the mess decks of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) during a moment of silence held in remembrance of the 9/11 attacks 19 years ago. Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 26, 2020) Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) launch from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) in an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Archangels of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 Detachment 6 to conduct a visit, board, search and seizure exercise. America, flagship of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit team, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Vincent E. Zline)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 3, 2020) An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the “Archangels” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, Detachment 6, delivers stores to the flight deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) as the ship conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10). Germantown, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

rbsh

NASA conducted a key stability test firing of the J-2X rocket engine Dec. 1, marking another step forward in development of the upper-stage engine that will carry humans farther into space than ever before.

 

The Dec. 1 test firing focused on characterizing the new engine's combustion stability, a critical area of development. During the test firing, a controlled explosion was initiated inside the engine's combustion chamber to introduce an energetic pulse of vibrations not expected during nominal operations. Data from this and future combustion stability tests will help engineers understand more about the engine's performance and robustness during engine operation.

 

The J-2X engine was test fired on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center, in south Mississippi. The engine is being developed by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It will provide upper-stage power for NASA's new Space Launch System. The SLS will carry the Orion spacecraft, its crew, cargo, equipment and science experiments to space -- providing a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching the moon, asteroids and other destinations in the solar system.

 

Read the NASA press release:

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/j2x/stability1.html

 

Watch the video:

www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=...

 

Image credit: NASA/SSC

 

More about the J-2X Engine Development:

www.nasa.gov/j2x

 

There's a Flickr photoset about the J-2X egnine development, if you'd like to know more: www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/sets/72157625345364038/

  

_____________________________________________

These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights please visit: www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelin...

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 26, 2020) MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters assigned to the Archangels of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 Detachment 6 prepare to launch from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) to conduct a visit, board, search and seizure exercise with Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). America, flagship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, assigned to Amphibious Squadron Eleven, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter Estrada)

TAIWAN STRAIT (June 4, 2020) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) transits the Taiwan Strait. Russell is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Lynch)

Must attribute with link to: www.ptpioneer.com

Abdominal exercise with stability ball

PHILIPPINE SEA (March 14, 2020) Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Skyler Haynes aims a torpedo launcher aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) during an anti-submarine exercise. Mustin is underway conducting operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific while assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15 the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s largest principal force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Askia Collins)

TAIWAN STRAIT (June 4, 2020) Ensign Ryan O’Neal, from Wichita, Kan., searches for surface contacts from the pilot house as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) transits the Taiwan Strait. Russell is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Lynch)

The photo shows a vehicle on a demonstration track where the Bendix ESP stability system is turned off. The outriggers are installed to maintain control of the trailer during demonstrations. The Bendix(R) ESP(R) Electronic Stability Program is now standard on new Kenworth T680 and T880 tractors.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 31, 2020) Seaman Jonathan Schreiber, from Houston, left, and Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Tyron Kelly Pajel, from San Diego, carry chocks and chains from a CH-53 E Super Stallion helicopter with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) during flight operations on the flight deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown, part of America Expeditionary Strike Group, 31st MEU team is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serves as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)

SASEBO, Japan (Oct. 27, 2020) A hose team attacks a mock fire during a Federal Fire integrated firefighting drill aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). The fire drill integrates Federal fire fighters from Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo with Sailors aboard the ship to train on fighting in-port fires. New Orleans, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders)

PHILIPPINE SEA (Jan. 13, 2021) Machinery Repairman Fireman Alexis Gonzalez, from West Palm Beach, Fla., machines a Baxter bolt onboard USS America (LHA 6). America, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, serving as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kelsey Culbertson)