View allAll Photos Tagged technolgy
... in a shady haven at La Palmyre on the west coast of France
"Happy bath day guys! And don't forget to wash behind your ears!"
Zoom in while in lightbox and on full screen, and just drink it all in¹ . But not the water, of course, that would be yucky.
Some of the birds, both male and female, are covering eggs in nest mounds of mud; while others are sleeping, reflecting, fishing or just looking for the soap like that loner on the far left. Or is he drowning?
Can you spot the two whitish chicks, in separate nests, yet to be colourized by what they eat though seemingly already in the pink²?
The house is there to make the birds feel a little more at home. And, would you believe, the soap for behind the ears is on the house³ . Shh!!!
I hope, my friends, that you too are in a safe haven and in the pink,
Colin...
¹ to drink in = savourer / apprécier
² to be in the pink = être en pleine forme
³ on the house = offert par la maison
★ The picture is dedicated to someone very dear to us. She will
recognise it when she sees it and know it's for her when she
finishes reading about it!
( ◕‿◕ )
Another example of a cutting edge technology that is now obsolete, a dual band Blackberry that ran on a network that no longer exists.
Focus stack (21 images). Shot with single off-camera strobe (Godox AD200Pro/Godox XPro II L trigger), bare bulb, mounted on overhead boom above subject, bounced of what 32 inch white umbrella.
Over the vast, snowy regions that the people of the Varulev Empire call home, only the toughest of vehicles can thrive. Thankfully, the mobile artillery unit known as the Krigshund is ideal for the job.
Acting as a mobile turret to support the Wardens of Varulev, Krishund tanks move over the rough terrain with the speed of a mountain lion, and have plenty of bite to their frame as well.
Their primary cannon is the Rail Driver, a long range gun capable of firing EMP like bolts of energy that disables the vehicles of most foes, or a deadly blast of plasma should the situation grow dire.
In addition, the Krigshund has two sets of rear mountain pulse carbines, for combating infantry should it get too close, and a set of front mounted flame throwers for clearing nearby snow or enemy troops.
Though it's internal area is not designed for carrying many troops, the Krigshund comfortably carries a Driver and Gunner, who control the tank using VR technolgy and external cameras, so that the armour has no weaknesses that a crafty adversary may exploit.
The Krigshund fulfils the Armour category for Decisive Action 4.
Close-up on the 30 m long (3.2 m diameter) Hyperloop test facility at the Green Village, Delft University of Technolgy.
Cannot wait to take a ride ;-)
Bam.com: Hardt unveils Europe's first Hyperloop test facility in Delft
delfthyperloop.nl: Delft Hyperloop
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Technolgy gives access to news @ fingertips. But Nothing to beat the gud ol' newspaper with a cup of hot coffee
"Light of the Orient" or in Chinese "东方之光" is the name of this giant sculpture at the eastern end of Century Avenue, forming the entrance to Century Square.
The sculpture is actually a giant sundial, made from stainless steel. The large elliptical frame measures 400 square meters and the total length of the stainless steel tubes used exceeds 6,000 meters.
Explore #357 on Sunday, February 28, 2010
Added info, due to frequent questions, as most tourists never see this place:
The sculpture is in place since at least April 2001 - that's when I took my first ever photo of it (on slide film at that time). It's pretty far out on Century Avenue. As this avenue makes a turn after about 2 thirds of it's length, the sculpture can not be seen from the core zone of Lujiazui Financial District.
If one goes to visit a) the Science and Technolgy Musuem or to b) Century Park by subway (as nearly all tourists visiting these places do - but only few tourists ever visit them), one passes right under the sculpture and never sees it. And because it's too far out, all just take the subway back - and miss it again.
One will only accidentally "stumble over" it if:
- one walks down all Century Avenue (way too far - takes at least an hour from the Pearl Tower)
- goes by bus from Lujiazui to one of the 2 places mentioned above (but needs to find out what line - this info is only available in Chinese....)
- takes a taxi to one of the 2 places mentioned above (but needs to tell the taxi driver the place name in Chinese....)
- drives his/her own car / rented car to one of the 2 places mentioned above (but one needs a Chinese driver's license to drive / rent a car in China....), that's the way I found it back in 2001.
So, don't be disappointed if you have missed it, for the average tourist it's nearly impossible to just "stumble over" it. Even many Shanghaiese from Puxi don't know about this place.
Best approach: Subway line 2 (e.g. from Lujiazui), exit at the Science and Technology Museum station and walk back towards the previous station just a little bit (at most 10 minutes walk to the sculpture). Back to Lujiazui (or wherever) by subway from the Science and Technology Museum station again.
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
I had one like this growing up but ours was cream coloured. It was supplied by BT (British Telecom). It was a state owned until 1982. My current phone is cordless Panasonic. It has a built in answering machine in its base unit. It also fits in my hand. Its amazing how Technology has changed! Taken at the Vintage Technolgy display at the Scottish Vintage Bus Musuem, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.
Mamyia m645 - Mamyia-Sekor C 150mm 1:3.5 N - Ilford Delta 3200 @ ASA-3200
Ilford Microphen (Stock) 9:00 @ 20C
Meter: Gossen Lunasix F
Scanner: Epson V700
Editor: Adobe Photoshop CC
MXS Technolgies MXS | N530RH
Rob Holland Aerosports.
Westfield International Air Show | Westfield Barnes Regional Airport (KBAF) | Sunday, May 14th, 2023
After a souring of relations in the United States, William Lyon MacKenzie accepted a pardon and returned to Canada in 1849 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1851. He again began to call for True Reform, attacking many of the people and ideas he had gone after in the past. And while he prevented George Brown and the Clear Grits from allying themselves with the Hincks Government, instead it saw the creation of a centre Liberal-Conservative party with an alliance between Sir Allan MacNab's Tories and the Hincks Reformers. His confidence gone and failing health he resigned in 1858 buying a house in Toronto. Here he softened his views, repaired broken relationships and died in 1861. His final home, pictured here, is now a living history museum on Bond Street in Toronto.
Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125
Blazinal (1+25) 9:00 @ 20C
Meter: Pentax Spotmeter V
Scanner: Epson V700
Editor: Adobe Photoshop CC
As we left the city of Rhodes for the ruins of ancient Kamirus we drove along the habor area. Here at the entrance of the old harbor stands two columns with bronze deer statues on them.Many people felt that where these columns stand is where the Colossus of Rhodes stood, but this is not correct.
The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It was commissioned to Chares of Lindos and built by the his teacher Lysippo between 304 and 293 BC, which took 12 years and was completed in 282 BC. The statue represented their sun god Helios, which stood at the harbor entrance and was 73 feet high.
It stood close to the harbor but straight legged not spanning any area; technolgy was insufficient to raise a statue of this size with legs spread. An earthquake hit Rhodes in 226 BC badly damaging the town and toppling the Colossus. Then about 1400 AD an Italian visited the city and wrote a poem about walking through the legs of the Colossus and that is where this misconception originated. It stood close to this point but not spanning it.
Born in 1804, Robert Baldwin was not a natural politician or speaker. Yet he built on what his Father started in the reform movement. And while he had a tendency to quit and retire to a quiet private life, he continued to come back, eventually finding a friend and ally Louis LaFontaine. Together the two men unified a divided Parliament and achieved the goal of Responsible Government in 1849. He also created the framework for the Municipal Governments of today extending the idea of Democracy and Responsible Government to the local councils. The stress combined with internal divisions again beginning to show, he resigned in 1851, and passed away in 1858. His tomb, pictured here, is among the other Baldwins who shaped Toronto at St. James Cemetery.
Mamiya m645 - Mamiya-Sekor C 45mm 1:2.8 N - Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-125
Blazinal (1+25) 9:00 @ 20C
Meter: Pentax Spotmeter V
Scanner: Epson V700
Editor: Adobe Photoshop CC
I know I'm proud of my school's "Science and Technolgy Library." Maybe it's just my intellectual snobbery shining through, but this is embarrassing.
The AI view:
Techno fear (technophobia) is the irrational fear or anxiety regarding emerging technologies, advanced devices, or complex digital systems. It ranges from everyday reluctance to learn a new gadget to severe anxiety about artificial intelligence, data privacy, or being replaced by machines.
Music: Right Click and select "Open link in new tab"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj4ehQ-PMSk
Initium · Keaton Henson
Débora Wernke usa:
1x Base Risque Technolgy verdinha
1x Preto Fosco 01 - Risque
1x Paz e Amor - Impala
2x Misturinha - Bunny Mix
Essa semana eu to ALOKA das misturinhas, como todas podem ver HAHAHA isso foi desencadeado nada mais nada menos por causa da DYVA das misturinhas Dona Penélope! ♥
Xoxo ♥
ps.: clica *L* pra ver melhor a pic :3
_______________________________________________________________
DéboraWernke | FofuriceRules ~ blog, ~ facebook, ~ twitter, ~ tumblr, ~ youtube,
I have been tagged (by keroleen73) and asked to provide 16 random facts about me, so here we go:
1. I changed my lastname twice in my life - maybe I can shake them off...
2. When I was twenty and did alternative civilian service, we had to take part in a two week seminar. In the evening there were optional subjects one could take part in - At that occasion I learned how black and white photography works, how to make prints etc... since that time I am addicted to photography and I still have the equipment for the chemical process in the cellar.
3. I learned chess from my grandpa when I was six - and when my little sister was three, I taught her to play too. I used jelly bears as motivation - she's not playing anymore (probably fed up with jelly bears).
4. Until I was 16 I was always the odd one out. Two years later I was elected 'president' - weird thing... the less you care if you are popular, the more popular you get?
5. I don't believe there is a god - but if there is, I think she will forgive me...
6. I read all books by Terry Pratchett (I hope there are more to come). I also read Douglas Adams (who hasn't?) and Robert Rankin.
People who read these kind of books tend to become crazy lunatics. Weirdly enough I remained completly sane!!!!!
7. I decided my career would be in information technolgy when I was faszinated by computers as a kid of about 8 years. I asked my dad how they work - he usually could explain all that technical stuff, but he had to pass on computers - so I had to find out myself.
8. I live with my wife, my two daughters, a dog and two cats (didn't count all the small bugs and germs creeping around in human dwellings). [update: and my son][
9. I don't like shopping - that is probably the main reason why I usually wear only one pair of shoes until they break and I have to buy a new pair. (I am also afraid of the shoe event horizon and therefore try to buy as few shoes as possible.
10. I spent three days in a hospital when I was 10 years old or so. I turned around to see if my friend was watching when I was riding a bike freehandedly... don't look back!
11. I can't live without coffee - I admit it, I am addicted. But I quit smoking after smoking for 12 years - just from one day to the other.
12. I would have a big collections of single malt whiskeys if I was rich.
13. Not all of my facts start with "I"
14. I usually don't like pictures and portraits of myself - another good reason to be the one behind the camera.
15. I am not paranoid, they are really after me...
16. I am not superstitious, but for some unclear reason I choose 17 to be my lucky number when I was a kid - now I am lucky I don't have to think about a seventeenth fact about me that anyone could find interesting...
---
About the picture: There is no good, current picture of me to upload for this... I took this picture of my right eye and blended in my wedding ring, the aperture of an old Voigtländer lens, and the clockface of my watch - three items which are significant for me...
After walking briskly from Waikiki to Diamond Head and then racing up the stairs, only to get dizzy and almost pass out (twice) I was too late to catch the actual sunrise. But I was able to catch the sun hiding behind some clouds.
Now two years later, and I looked back at the archives and found three bracketed shots, which came together nicely as an HDR, which tremendously boosted the sky and clouds, but did cut down on the moodiness of the originals.
Anybody know if there is a group for this sort of thing? accidental HDRs from before the technolgy existed.
Lomo LCA+, Fuji Superia 400
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
It always pays to carry a camera. I now make a habit of this as there has been so many times I have missed a shot and cursed myself for not having it with me. Especially for the '100 Strangers' project, as this picture proves. I just happened to be coming out of a shop near where I live and spotted John walking past with his distinctive locks and colourful tie. I had my lomo lca with me so stopped him and asked to take his photo. I'm glad i did because we spent the next 15 minutes or so talking, or rather he did whilst I laughed at his stories. His full name is John Israel Robinson, one of ten children who all had biblical names apparently, his name given because he was born the year Israel was given independance in 1948. We talked about my use of film instead of digital and he told me how he loved technolgy and was up to speed with all the latest gadgetry including of all things, a pacemaker with built in wifi and gps so the hospital could monitor him. He said, 'It's great apart from the fact that when I'm with a woman, the doctors know if i'm on the job in the house, someone elses house, a field or a bus!!' Funny man.
La rame 01 des Usines Alsthom de La Rochelle sortie de montage en 1980 est prête à à assurer le 14h52 pour Valenciennes au départ de Paris-Nord.
First, thanks to Shockwave. He shows me, that i can be better with this. So, i delete the first version, restart PMG classic and star again. Thanks also to the others. Have a nice day.
In the year 1944, when Nazi Germany runs out of ressources, the german company Erma (developed and builded the MP 40), have the idea to construct a conversion kit for the american M1A1 Thompson. Basically, they put everything out of the Thompson that works for the caliber .45 and replaced it with stuff for the 9mm Parabellum caliber, including a magfeed similar to the MP 40, for using these magazins.
The kit includes a barrel with a passive cooling system, similar to the M1928 ones, a forward grip for better handling and a muzzle break.
The version you see here is the MP-1A kurz, designated for tank crews, paratroopers, special forces, covert ops, ect, and for suprise, it works very well, has less recoil than the MP-40 and you hit your target.
Thank you.
This presentation is sponored by Kyshira Armory, fakes weapon technolgies history since 2010 :D.
Here in this photograph we have this Arriva Midlands 'MIRA Technolgy Park' Scania K230UB Scania OmniLink registered YN08HZM with the fleet number of 3502 seen here departing Woburn after Showbus 2015.
Yet another important educational establishment was the opening of the Gordon (named after General William Gordon from the Siege of Khartoum 1884-5) Technical College in 1888. This grand Scottish baronial style building was extended in 1891 and the matching northern wing was added in 1916. It makes a dramatic statement in Fenwick Street. Part of the campus incudes the Bostock Memorial textile laboratories and the Edward Lascelles wool laboratories. One of the city’s wool broker was T E Bostock who was also Mayor of Geelong 1905 to 1908. When he died in 1922 a public subscription fund was started to build a memorial to him. He was a founder of Strachan Bostock and Co a leading wool firm and employer in the city. The foundation stone a new textile laboratories for what was then the Gordon Institute of Technology was laid in 1928. The architects were Laird and Buchan. About the same time (1921) a public subscription fund was started as a memorial to Edward Lascelles another Geelong leader of the wool industry. His wool stores are down on Brougham Terrace. The new Lascelles building in Art Deco style with strong vertical lines was to be joined to the Bostock Laboratories. Building started in 1944 and was completed in 1951. The architect of this Art Deco masterpiece was Percy Everett who also designed the old Courthouse into a Spanish Mission Art Deco building around 1930.
Urbaser is the environmental division of the ACS Group, and is one of the contractors that provide waste collection services in Madrid. Although there are multiple contractors operating within Madrid, each has to utilize the same green and white color scheme as seen on this truck.
In Madrid, waste is sorted into four different categories: glass, paper/cardboard, containers/plastics, and garbage. Glass and paper are placed into communal bins throughout the entire city that are collected by trucks utilizing a crane system. The way plastics and garbage are collected varies upon area.
This truck was seen in the San Blas neighborhood of the city. In this area residents had large communal bins for plastics and garbage, as well as the normal communal glass and paper containers.
The San Blas neighborhood is the the only part of the city that I've seen utilizing side loaders. The rest of the city is dominated by single and dual chamber rear loaders for the collection of plastics and garbage.
The Navajo Government Flag
The Navajo Nation Flag, designed by Jay R. Degroat, a Navajo from Mariano Lake, New Mexico (my fine friend & colleague at Crownpoint Institute of Technolgy), was selected from 140 entries, and was officially adopted by the Navajo Nation Council on May 21, 1968 by Resolution CMY-55-68.
On a tan background, the outline of the present Nation is shown in copper color with the original 1868 Treaty Reservation in Dark Brown. At the cardinal points in the tan field are the four sacred mountains. A rainbow symbolizing Navajo sovereignty arches over the Nation and the sacred mountains. In the center of the Nation, a circular symbol depicts the sun above two green stalks of corn, which surrounds three animals representing the Navajo livestock economy, and a traditional hogan and modern home. Between the hogan and the house is an oil derrick symbolizing the resource potential of the Tribe, and above this are representations of the wild fauna of the Nation. At the top near the sun, the modern sawmill symbolizes the progress and industry characteristic of the Navajo Nation's economic development.
Brief History of early Geelong.
The local Aboriginal people, the Barrabool tribe were possibly shocked when Captain Matthew Flinders sailed into Port Phillip Bay in April 1802. He sighted the You Yang Ranges and mentioned the Indented Head now known as Portarlington near Geelong. A major survey of the bay was undertaken by British officers in 1803 from a camp in what is now Sorrento. A party of 50 crew and marines around 300 convicts made camp here in October 1803 to found a new penal settlement for NSW. They were led by Lieutenant Governor David Collins. Bush was cleared, crops were sown but the settlement floundered and was abandoned in January 1804 when it was moved to Van Diemen’s Land with the founding of Hobart. It was many years later before white explorers Hamilton Hume and Captain William Hovell ended their overland exploration across NSW to Corio Bay near Geelong. White settlers rather than explorer came to Port Philip Bay in 1835. The group was led by John Bateman of Launceston who made a treaty with local Aboriginal groups to acquire large tracts of land around the bay from Geelong to Melbourne. Bateman’s group soon moved from their first camp at Indented head (Portarlington) to near the Yarra River and what is now Melbourne. John Fawkner, who had been the son of one of the convicts to land near Sorrento in 1803, arrived in late 1835 with a group of prospective white settlers from Van Diemen’s Land. They settled at Hobsons Bay also near Melbourne but the area near Geelong on Corio Bay remained untouched at this time. Except for one convict who escaped in 1803 and lived an isolated existence till the white settlers arrived. He was William Buckley.
In 1836 the first pastoralists moved into the Geelong region with David Stead and John Cowie on the Moorabool River and Alexander Thompson on the Barwon River (Kardinia estate meaning sunrise in local Aboriginal language). By 1837 there were enough pastoralists and their workers in the region for Magistrate Foster Fyans to be stationed at the Barwon River and Constable Patrick McKeever to be the first police officer there. The town of Geelong was surveyed in October 1838 with the first land sales in 1839. The first general store, the Wool Pack Inn and a wool store opened around his time and by 1841 there were 82 houses and over 400 residents and the town had its own newspaper. The main streets were named after places and people mainly who were early settlers– Moorabool, Yarra, Bellarine, Corio, Gheringhap, Swanston and Malop, Ryrie, McKillop, Myers, Brougham, Fenwick and etc. The name of Geelong came from a local Aboriginal languages meaning either “white sea bird” or “cliff” or “going up”. Within a short time there was a saddler, Wesleyan place of worship (not quite a church), a post service etc. In 1848 Geelong was declared a port for exporting wool, grain, hides, tallow etc. A year later (1849) it was officially proclaimed a town with its own Town Council and a mayor as the self-governing colony of Victoria was created from NSW. The growing Industrial Revolution in England and the great demand for wool for England’s woollen mills boosted the town’s growth and optimism which was exploded by the discovery of gold in central Victoria and Ballarat. Geelong was able to supply needed goods for the goldfields etc. In 1851 Geelong had 8,291 inhabitants but by 1853 it had 22,000 thanks to gold from Ballarat being received and exported from here. The basalt and sandstone Customs House was built in 1856 in Brougham Street when exports began from here rather than at Williamstown near Melbourne and immigrants landed directly in Geelong. The first Town Hall was built in 1855 and a telegraph connection with Melbourne was established in 1854. The fine sandstone Telegraph Station with a timeball for shipping on its roof was built in 1858 and still stands next to the former Post Office. The first railway in Victoria linked Melbourne and Geelong in 1854. A private company began building the Melbourne to Geelong railway in 1854 but it was not completed until 1856. The first railway station was replaced with the current one between 1877 and 1881 hence the polychromatic brick work which was popular at that time. A new railway line was built from Geelong to the goldfields at Ballarat starting in 1858 with completion of the link in 1862. A short tunnel was cut through the hill beyond the railway station in 1875 to allow trains to travel to South Geelong and on to Colac. By the mid-1850s Geelong was the third biggest town in the Australian colonies and a well-established city and it continued to greatly significantly in the 1860s. Brougham Street near the bay was lined with impressive wool stores and warehouses at this time and they still grace that street.
Building a city.
Churches and schools were important structures for the early citizens of Geelong as they were important signs of progress and civilisation. In 1855 Geelong Grammar School opened as an Anglican boarding school for boys. It had several moves to different premises and its prestige grew as a boarding school for the wealthiest of the Western District pastoralists. It moved to its present location on Corio Bay in 1914 from 55 Maud Street Geelong. This is the school Prince Charles attended in the 1960s. The Church of England Girls’ Grammar School only opened in 1906. Yet another important educational establishment was the opening of the Gordon (named after General William Gordon from the Siege of Khartoum 1884-5) Technical College in 1888. This grand Scottish baronial style building was extended in 1891 and the matching northern wing was added in 1916. It makes a dramatic statement in Fenwick Street. Part of the campus incudes the Bostock Memorial textile laboratories and the Edward Lascelles wool laboratories. One of the city’s wool broker was T E Bostock who was also Mayor of Geelong 1905 to 1908. When he died in 1922 a public subscription fund was started to build a memorial to him. He was a founder of Strachan Bostock and Co a leading wool firm and employer in the city. The foundation stone a new textile laboratories for what was then the Gordon Institute of Technology was laid in 1928. The architects were Laird and Buchan. About the same time (1921) a public subscription fund was started as a memorial to Edward Lascelles another Geelong leader of the wool industry. His wool stores are down on Brougham Terrace. The new Lascelles building in Art Deco style with strong vertical lines was to be joined to the Bostock Laboratories. Building started in 1944 and was completed in 1951. The architect of this Art Deco masterpiece was Percy Everett who also designed the old Courthouse into a Spanish Mission Art Deco building around 1930. Nearby is the Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary School which was established in 1856 and known as the Flinders National School for boys. It was the first state school in Geelong and became the first state school to offer high school studies. From 1864 it was also a primary school for girls and in 1939 it became a girls’ secondary school. Although the main building dates from 1856 it was extended, remodelled and given its current Italianate appearance with a three storey tower in 1880.
Outside the city centre are two other prestigious schools in Geelong from later in the 19th century –the Catholic Sacred Heart College in Newton and the formerly Presbyterian Geelong College. The main two storey Gothic buildings of Geelong College in Talbot Street Newton were designed by architects Davidson and Henderson in 1871. Additions in 1873 and layer have produced an outstanding college campus in architectural terms. The college began as a boarding school in 1861 and still offers boarding but now for both boys and girls. Boarding colleges in Geelong were needed for the wealthy pastoralists of the Western Districts to have their children well educated. Sacred Heart College for girls is in Retreat Road Newton. It was established in 1860 by the Sisters of Mercy from Dublin. It opened as a boarding school for girls and still provides that service. The early school complex was Gothic in design near a blue stone chapel built between 1871 and 1874. The early school and chapel remained largely unchanged. The architect was T Kelly. Presbyterian Girls College opened in 1920 in a grand house called Morongo which was built in 1860. This college amalgamated with Geelong College in 1994.
Although early church services for Catholics, Methodists and Presbyterians were held in private homes from the early years it took a few more years to build churches. The first church in Geelong appears to have been St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Yarra Street which for many years has been a Lutheran Church. Its foundation stone was laid in March 1841 and the simple Georgian style church opened as Scot’s Presbyterian in July 1842. It was changed to St Andrews Presbyterian in 1858. The current two storey classical façade was added in 1912 after it closed as a Presbyterian Church in 1911 and became a Scots Hall. It was purchased by the Lutherans in 1946. This heritage listed church is the first Presbyterian Church in Geelong and the oldest still standing in Victoria and the oldest Victorian church outside of Melbourne. The Catholics built an early church also in Yarra Street in 1842 which was demolished in 1872 when the nave of the current St Mary’s Church was completed. Work began on St Mary’s in 1854. Work continued on the current St Marys Basilica Church until it was completed in 1937. This grand cathedral like church with three towers and a huge rose window is befitting of Victoria’s second city. A fine two storey Catholic Presbytery is next to the church. Below the Catholic Basilica towards the harbour is the old Wesleyan Methodist Church which is now the Uniting Church. This Wesleyan Church was built in 1845 but there is little of the early church visible from the street except a few feet of wall with windows at the rear of the current church and the four partition mullion window on the street facing gable of the nave. There are several late 19th century additions around the 1845 nave. The oldest continuously used Anglican Church in Victoria is Christ Church Anglican Church in Moorabool Street. An early chapel school room was built around 1840 and it still stands on the site but the architect Edmund Blacket of NSW had work start on the church proper in 1843. It opened in 1847 with a nave and tower. It was enlarged with a transept which was completed in 1855. The spire on the tower was added later. Much of the sandstone of the church, especially the buttressed are weathered and peeling away in places.
Surprisingly Geelong also had a break away or Reformed Church of England congregation which built the magnificent Trinity Church on la Trobe Terrace in 1858. The church closed around the turn of the century and it became the Churches of Christ Church, which it still is, in 1907. It is the only independent Anglican Church known in Victoria and possibly in Australia. Almost next door to it in La Trobe Terrace and Myers Street is yet another Free Presbyterian Church built in 1870. The Free or Reformed Presbyterians built quite a few churches in Geelong including a small church in 1862 in Fenwick Street. Almost next door to that church the Baptists built their early church around 1860 (with a raised roof) and a later church in 1911. But the biggest Free Presbyterian Church in Geelong was built in 1861 in Gheringhap Street in basalt with sandstone quoins which are now badly weathered. Next door they began a Presbyterian school in 1854. Two school rooms of that early school remain in Gheringhap Street. The church closed in 1977 with the formation of the Uniting Church but its magnificent mullion stained glass window in the gable by Ferghuson and Urie has been preserved. The main Presbyterian Church, St George’s in La Trobe Terrace was built in 1861. Behind it is a superb basalt two storey manse. The church closed around 2011 and is now vacant. By 1900 there were six Presbyterian churches just in central Geelong including the Ryrie Street church of 1858 which is now incorporated into a modern building façade at 12 Ryrie Street. The Jewish community acquire land for a synagogue in 1851 in Yarra Street but they did not build a synagogue on it until 1861. It closed as a synagogue in 1984. There were Baptist, Congregational, Primitive Methodist and other Presbyterian churches in the town. Many have now been demolished but several (Catholic, Presbyterian and Anglican) still exist near the railway station. Although not a church and far from it the Protestant Hall erected in 1888 at 61 Yarra Street is worthy of mention. Conflict between Protestants and Irish Catholics in Victoria was always an issue and a lodge purely for Protestants was seen as appropriate in those times. In 1882 a Protestant Hall was built in Melbourne for the Protestant Alliance Friendly Society with the support of Orange Lodges. The Protestant Hall in Geelong which opened in 1888 survived until closure in 2013. It was basically a pro-British Empire association run by the Protestant Alliance Friendly Society which provided insurance for funerals and the like with an emphasis on loyalty to the Crown and Empire. Other lodge organisations including the Loyal Corio Lodge used the Geelong Protestant Hall for their meetings and the Protestant Alliance raised funds for the Geelong hospital and other charitable organisations. By the 1920s there were Protestant Halls in Mildura, Shepparton, Ballarat and several Melbourne suburbs but few survived as long as the Geelong Hall.
Some of the commercial buildings of Geelong have heritage listing or are of special historical importance. At 1 Malop Street is the former interwar stripped classical building of Dalgety Wool Merchants and shipping agents. It was built in 1924 and has now been incorporated into a 14 storey office block. Next door at 9 Malop St. is the former London Chartered Bank built in 1860 with classical elements and an almost fortress like appearance. It is built in local sandstone. It became an English Scottish and Australian bank in 1921 but is now purely used for commercial purposes. Across the street at 8 Malop St is the Trustees building. It was built in 1857. Additions in 1886 gave it the current appearance and is probably when it became the Trustees Building. On the next corner of Malop and Clare streets is the former Carlton Hotel. An old hotel on this site from the 1850s was rebuilt as a modern Art Deco building around 1930 with porthole windows, wrought iron on the doors, coloured tiled walls to the street etc .On the next corner with Moorabool Street and Malop Street is the National Mutual Building. It was built in stripped classical style in 1929 and is still a city landmark. On the opposite corner is part of Market Square. This big square was once a park but the site was converted to shopping. The Market Square along Moorabool Street was built in 1912 and opened in 1913. It began life as Solomon’s store. Like many public buildings in Geelong it has a cupola on each street corner of the building. Further along at 79 Malop Street is the fine CML or Colonial Mutual Life insurance building. It was built in 1923 and the fine stone and cement corner tower with its cupola has an historic clock in it dating to 1856. A clock tower was built in the middle of the 1850 square. When the square was redeveloped the clock was put into the CML tower. Further along Malop Street at 138 is the former Corio Chambers used for city lawyer offices. It was built in Queen Anne style in the 1890s and although it is on a corner with Yarra Street it does not have a cupola. Instead it has a small spire instead and three pediments in the steep angled roof. The decoration or entablature around the windows is superb. It was later known as Southern Union House as the Union Investment Company had offices here. It is still a city landmark.
In Ryrie Street a number of buildings are worthy of mention. At 137 Ryrie are the Hopetoun Chambers named after the then Governor of Victoria. Built in 1891 in classical style for businessman G.F. Belcher. Next door is Belchers Corner (with Moorabool St.) with another building that has Corinthian acanthus leaved pilasters against the walls etc. On the opposite corner is the landmark T and G Life Assurance Building with its fine Art Deco features and its six storey clock tower. When built in 1934 this would have been the tallest building in Geelong. Nearby at 161 Ryrie is the Geelong Gas Company building built in Art Deco style with bay windows, towers etc The Gas Works Co was founded in 1858 and operated until 1971 with the gas works at Geelong West. The offices in Ryrie Street were built in 1920. At 194 Ryrie is the Geelong Theatre now beautifully painted. It began theatre productions in 1913. Today it is a Village Cinema. On the next corner of Ryrie and Yarra note the Gatehouse on Ryrie Guest House. This pretty two storey red brick Art and Crafts house with some Art Nouveau decoration was erected in 1897. The plaster decoration in the gables is very Art Nouveau with a pseudo armorial shield and a French fleur de lys.
The civic precinct and buildings of Geelong are especially attractive around Johnstone Park. The park was named after a mayor of Geelong Robert de Bruce Johnstone. When the town was laid out the area here was a swamp. In the 1850s it became a dam to supply water for the growing town. Mayor Johnstone in 1865 wanted a fine park and garden there for Geelong. Hence the naming of the park after him. An early bandstand was erected here but the park and gardens were beautified in 1917 when a new bandstand with a cupola was erected. Later a war memorial and war memorial gates were built in the park which were opened in 1926. One the edge of the park is the Town Hall which dates from 1855 when it faced Little Malop Street. Its grand classical style was befitting of a growing city. The rest of the original architectural plans for the Town Hall facing Gheringhap Street were completed in 1917. Just two years before that the Geelong Art Gallery was built on the edge of the park too. Behind the Art Gallery is the futuristic Dome which is now the city library. It was only completed in 2015. Although not part of the civic complex across the park is the stunning facade of the Gordon Technical College in Fenwick Street which was built in 1887. On the north western corner of the park is the Geelong railway station. The company that built the Melbourne to Geelong railway opened the service in 1856. Malop Street begins at Johnstone Park and at the eastern end of it is another garden- the Geelong Botanic Gardens. 200 acres were set aside here as a reserve in 1851 when Victoria became a separate colony from NSW. An area for a botanic garden was established in 1857 when the first garden curator Daniel Bunce was appointed. In 1859 a conservatory and a greenhouse were erected in the gardens as the plant collection from around the world was being established. In line with Victorian era trends a fernery was built in 1885 and a pond in 1886. The fernery was demolished in 1920 as gardening trends altered. The gardens were renovated in 2002 with new arid land and Australian native gardens.
Industries of early Geelong. In the 1860s several textile mills opened to use the wool from the Western Districts and Geelong holds the distinction of having the first woollen textile mill in Victoria. Meat processing works and tile and brick manufacturers also opened in the 1860s and 1870s. In addition all the usual small industries of any Australian town operated such as blacksmiths, wheelwrights, saddlers, candle makers, aerated drink makers etc. The city also had a gas works, a paper mill, an early cement works, several tanneries including the largest in Victoria because of the wool sent there, a fellmongery works and rope works. In the 1920s Cresco Fertiliser works, Ford’s Motor vehicle plant opened (closed 2016) and a whisky distillery. In the 1930s International Harvester Works opened. After World War Two in 1954 the oil refinery at Corio Bay began operations followed a few years later by the Alcoa aluminium refinery thus establishing a wide economic and industrial base for the growing city. As a major city Geelong had a tram network to move its workers and citizens around. The trams operated from 1912 to 1956 with the first routes to Geelong West and Newtown. The first seven trams were all built in Adelaide. A line to the Barwon River suburbs was built in 1913 and to East Geelong in 1922. By the 1920s tams were being purchased from Adelaide, Melbourne and America. More lines were added in later years before the demise of all services in 1956. In addition to trams Geelong also and the bay steamers to provide ferry services to Portarlington and Melbourne. A steamer service to Melbourne began in 1855 from the new pier at the end of Moorabool Street. By the time of World War Two the steamers were languishing in the face of fast train and road transport to Melbourne and the service finished in 1942 and the Moorabool Street pier was demolished in 1949.
The first bus to be seen updating Transpeak under High Peak, this former Scania Demonstrator is hardly the height of comfort with flimsy plastic seating, but clocking in at just five years old, this is the height of technolgy compared to what else runs on it!!
789 is seen passing through Belper with a Transpeak to Derby, having set off some two and a half hours prior from Manchester!!
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Q-6 program was initiated in the mid-1970s when, during the Battle of the Paracel Islands in 1974, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) proved incapable of ground support missions. Due to the lack of modern avionics and ground infrastructure to support a modern air war, Chinese aircraft suffered navigation and other logistics problems that severely limited their performance. The first Chinese aircraft did not actually reach the islands until several hours after the battle was over.
In addition to the need to upgrade its logistics capability and infrastructure, China also decided that nothing-in-its-then-aircraft-inventory could fill the requirement for support missions in the South China Sea. Fighters such as the J-5, J-6, J-7, and J-8 lacked a ground attack capability and were hampered by short range. The only Chinese ground attack aircraft atr that time, the Nanchang Q-5 (a MiG-19 derivate with a solid nose, an internal weapon bay and lateral air intakes), was also short ranged and had a relatively low payload. China's bombers such as the Harbin H-5 and Xian H-6 were slow and lacked a sufficient self-defense capability. A new aircraft was therefore seen as desperately needed to fulfill a new naval strike mission in support of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Immediately after the battle, both the PLAAF and PLAN submitted their requirements for a new fighter bomber/ground attack aircraft to the 3rd Ministry of PRC. After extensive research, the 3rd Ministry decided that, based on the Chinese aeronautical industrial capability at the time, it was impossible to develop two separate airplanes at the same time. Instead, a decision was made to develop a single airplane when the prime requirements of the PLAAF and PLAN were similar, even though with different versions tailored to meet the different secondary needs of PLAAF and PLAN.
In June 1976 representatives from various aircraft factories were summoned to Beijing to discuss the project, and were instructed to come up with designs in the shortest possible time. Shenyang Aircraft Factory (later reorganized into Shenyang Aircraft Corporation) was the first to come up with a design, the JH-8 (FB-8), which was essentially a ground attack version of the large, twin-engined J-8II (F-8II) interceptor. Next came the Q-6, a new design from the Nanchang Aircraft Factory. The Xi'an Aircraft Factory (later reorganized into Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation) was the last one to present a design, the Xian JH-7, also a new design.
Initially, the 3rd Ministry favored the JH-8, however because the design of the operational J-8II was still not completed the risk was considered to be too high, so it was eliminated. The projected development of JH-7 was too far out, and so the Q-6 was selected because it was believed to be the one that would be able for service the soonest.
The Q-6's distictive feature was its swing wing arrangement, and the project was China's first venture into this direction. Before the Q-6 program started, however, China had already obtained MiG-23BN and MiG-23MS aircraft from Egypt. A few downed F-111 were also provided to China by North Vietnam. Based on the research effort performed on these aircraft, it was suggested that the variable-sweep wing should be adopted for China's new ground attack aircraft.
The general designer of Nanchang Q-5, and the future academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (elected in 1995), Mr. Lu Xiaopeng, was named as the general designer of Q-6. Lu personally visited PLAAF and PLANAF numerous times to obtain their input, which was the base of the Tactical Technological Requirements of the Q-6 he was in charge of, and by February 1979, the general design of the attack aircraft was finalized, based on the initial requirement of the 3rd Ministry.
The original plan was to base the design of Q-6 on the MiG-23BN, the ground attack version of MiG-23. However, both PLAAF and PLAN required a true dogfight capability for self-defense. Due to the need of dogfight capability, a radar was needed, and the ground attack version of the Soviet fighter had no radar. As a result, the plan was changed to base the design on the MiG-23MS instead. But this was not a true solution: Studies revealed that in order to successfully perform the required missions for PLAAF and PLANAF, ground attack radar, as well as terrain-following radar, were needed, too. And for the intended dogfight capability, the RP-22 Sapfir-21 radar (NATO reporting name Jay Bird) of the MiG-23MS lacked the BVR capability.
Facing this technological lack the decision was made to use avionics reverse-engineered from the F-111 to makeup the MiG-23 shortcomings. But as with other technological features adopted for the Q-6, they were proven to be way too ambitious for the Chinese industrial, scientific and technological capability at the time, which resulted in prolonged development.
Problems did not stop, the airframe itself proved to be troublesome, too. Originally the design was based on the MiG-23MS, and was initially thought to be better than the MiG-23BN, because it provided more room in the nosecone to house the radar.
However, the Chinese microelectronic industry could not provide the solid state electronics needed to miniaturize the intended radar, and as a result, the size of the fuselage had theoretically to be increased from the size of the MiG-23 to that of the Su-24 to fit an appropriate radar dish with the technolgy available at that time. Research furthermore revealed that the side-intakes of the MiG-23 design were not sufficient enough to meet the required dogfight capability, so the side-intakes arrangement was changed into a single chin-intake instead, and the Q-6 is claimed to be the first Chinese aircraft to have a chin-mounted intake.
The engine itself was also a problem, since China did not possess a powerful jet fighter engine that would match the intended performance profile of the Q-6. At first there were plans to use 122.4 kN thrust of a WS-6 engine (which was used in the H-6/Tu-16 bomber!), but these were not suited for a fighter and simply too large. To match the targets of an aircraft weight of 14.500 kg, the biggest load of bombs of 4.500 kilograms and a combat radius of 900 km, the Q-6 was finally outfitted with the Wopen WS-9 afterburning turbofan - a license-built Rolls Royce RB.168 Spey Mk. 202 with 91.3 kN of thrust.
Chinese considered the greatest achievement of the Q-6 in its fly-by-wire (FBW) control of the variable-sweep wings, both were the first of its kind in China. The original goal of reverse-engineering the FBW of the F-111 proved to be way too ambitious and had to be abandoned, so a much simpler version was adopted. The triplex analog FBW of the Q-6 was effectively just slightly more advanced than the most rudimentary FBW in that the mechanical servo valves were replaced with electrical servo valves, operated by electronic controllers. But contrary to the most rudimentary FBW, where hydraulic actuators still existed, the hydraulic actuators are replaced by electrical actuators on the Q-6. Anyway, this system proved to be the major obstacle in the hardware development of the Q-6 and it took nine years to complete (1980–1988), under the personal leadership of Mr. Lu Xiaopeng.
In 1988, three prototypes were built: one for static test, one for avionics tests on the ground, and one for the variable sweep wing research. The serial aircraft for PLAAF and PLANAF would have been separate variants, called Q-6A and Q-6B, which are believed to be offered for export now (see below).
Although hailed as a technological breakthrough for the Chinese aviation and providing superior performance to fixed-wing designs (esp. the outdated Q-5), the Chinese system was more than 12% heavier than the simple mechanical-hydraulic controlled variable-sweep wing of the benchmark MiG-23, and the Q-6 avionics were still far from being up-to-date.
Once identified as an indigenous aircraft (the Q-6 was at first deemed to be a variant or straight copy of the MiG-23/27, and therefore premilinarily coded 'Flogger L'), NATO alloted the Code 'Fruitcase' to it, with suffixes for the various export variants (see below).
It was not before 1990 that the aircraft was completed and (theoretically) ready for service – but at that time, technology and military strategy had already changed, and China had been developing the more capable (but much bigger) twin-engined Xian JH-7 fighter bomber for PLAAF and PLANAF. But it would still take some years until the JH-7A would enter service with the PLANAF: in early 2004, and with the PLAAF by the end of the year.
For China, the most important factor which prevented the Q-6 introduction into PLAAF and PLANAF service, was the 'discovery' of stealth features on the battlefield: variable-sweep wing would enlarge the aircraft's radar cross section multiple times and thus making it impossible to survive on the modern battlefield, because it would be much more likely to be detected and shot down.
Anyway, internal politics did not stop China from offering the now completed airframe on the export market as A-6 'Kong Yun' ("Cloud"), as a more capable successor to the Nanchang A-5 (the export version of the MiG-19-based Q-5). From 1992 onwards, several former A-5 users bought the aircraft as A-6 multi-role fighters. It is assumed that these correspond to the Q-6's development lines for PLAAAF an PLANAF.
Current users are the Bangladeshi Air Force (8× A-6B), Myanmar Air Force (20× A-6C), Sri Lanka (11× A-6B) Korean People's Air Force (probably less than 50x A-6A) and the Sudanese Air Force (A total of about 20, 3–11 of them servicable, probably all A-6A).
A-6A ('Fruitcase A'):
The first version and despite being marketed as a "multi-role combat aircraft" a very simple variant with a small radome, probably containing a Type 226 pulse-Doppler radar (a Chinese copy of the GEC-Marconi Skyranger).
A-6B ('Fruitcase B'):
Similar in apperance to the A-6A with a bigger radome. This variant is equipped with a Chinese KLJ-6E pulse-Doppler radar (A Chinese copy of the Italian Pointer-2500 radar, the same as featured on the Chinese Q-5M Fantan attack aircraft), which gives all weather attack capability. These aircraft are also fitted with a HUD, a GPS receiver/inertial navigation system, a 360° radar warning system, a tactical radio navigation system and chaff/flare dispensers on the rear fuselage.
The Sri Lanka aircraft have been seen carrying an external FLIR pod on one of the underfuselage pylons, while the Bangladeshi Air Force aircraft exclusively feature a small fairing under the nose which is believed to contain a LR/MTS, allowing the deployment of PGM.
A-6C ('Fruitcase C'):
Dedicated ground attack variant with a solid, more slender nose and full PGM capability. The nose features a fairing with windows for an ALR-1 laser rangefinder/marked target seeker (LR/MTS) in a small ball turret, and possibly LLLTV/FLIR. This optical system offers day/night attack capability. Like the A-6B, these aircraft feature HUD, GPS, tactical radio and optional flare dispensers.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 56 ft 1 in (17.10 m)
Wingspan: 47 ft 2 in (14.4m) at 16°, 28 ft 6 in (8,7m) at 72°
Height: 15 ft 9.5 in (4.82 m)
Empty weight: 16.520 lb (7.500 kg)
Loaded weight: 28.370 lb (12.880 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 32.820 lb (14.900 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Xian WS-9 Qin Ling afterburning turbofan (a license-built Rolls Royce RB.168 Spey Mk. 202), rated at 54,6 kN (5.562kp) dry and at 91,3KN (9.305kp) at full afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 1.2 at low altitude and in clean configuration, subsonic with external ordnance; 1.055mph (1.700 km/h) at height and in clean configuration
Combat radius: 485 nmi (560 mi, 900 km)
Service ceiling: 49.180 ft (15.000 m)
Armament:
2× Type 23-III twin-barreled 23mm cannons in the wing roots with 200 RPG
7× Hardpoints (three under the fuselage, one under each fixed wing root and the mobile outer wings) for a maximum external ordnance of 10.000 lbs (4.540kg), including guided and unguided bombs, missiles, napalm tanks or 800l drop tanks; the two hardpoints under the outer wings are fixed and can only be used when the wings are kept in the most forward position (they are normally only used for drop tanks in ferry configuration).
The kit and its assembly:
This is a whif, but the Nanchang Q-6 was actually developed until 1989 – even though it never entered any service. It was over-ambitious and a dead end, overtaken by technological advances and the fact that Chinese development used to take decades rather than years.
Anyway, the Q-6 actually looked as if someone had glued the nose and air intake of a F-16 onto a MiG-23/27 fuselage - weird, but cool, so why not try this at home?
Like many kitbashing things, what sounds simple turned out to be a bit tricky in detail, even though the surgery was finally easier than expected. The model basis is pretty simple: I took an Academy MiG-27, sawed off the fuselage in the wing roots area (about 1cm, the cockpit section is an extra fuselage section), and did the same with an Italeri F-16 nose section, right behind the cockpit, where the front wheel well ends. The top insert for the single seater was left a bit longer, so that it would overlap with the MiG-23/27 spine.
When you fit these parts together, height is almost perfect, even the wing root/LERX angles match, but there are gaps left on the flanks where the original MiG-27 air intakes would be. These have to be covered, what creates lines reminiscent of the respective area on a MRCA Tornado. Furthermore, the spine behind the cockpit has to be sculpted, too.
Furthermore, the wing root levels of the MiG-23/27 and the F-16 did not match - they have a difference in height of about 4mm on the model, and this was the biggest challenge.
In order to compensate for this problem on my model, any LERX sign was removed from the F-16 nose. Inside of the F-16 section, a column was added that supports the rear upper half of the front fuselage, since the flanks had to go almost completely.
On the outside, the necessary intersections/extensions sculpted new with 2C putty, extending the MiG-23/27 lines forward. The final surface finish was done with NC putty. This major surgery was less complicated than expected - lots of work, though, but feasible.
The new front section with its blended fuselage/LERX area around the cockpit reminds surprisingly much of the MiG-29? As a side note: when you look at CG simulations of this aircraft, this area is a frequent field of trial and error. You find unconclusive, if not impossible designs.
Other changes include a less modern canopy from a MiG-21 (I think it comes from an Academy MiG-21F kit), which was more tricky to fit onto the original F-16 canopy than the LERX stuff. The F-16 canopy looked just too modern for my taste. An old Airfix pilot figure was added, too.
Another new feature is a new jet pipe, a J-79 nozzle from an Italeri Kfir that fits perfectly into the rear fuselage, and the fin. The latter was taken as a leftover part from my recent CF-151A project and comes from a 1:144 scale Tu-22M bomber (Dragon). It's higher, but less deep, and I thought that a slightly different shape and more area would be suitable for an attack aircraft. For the same reason the single, foldable stabilizer fin under the rear fuselage was replaced by two fixed strakes (from the F-16). Small details, but they change the look and make the aircraft appear more simple.
The landing gear was taken from the MiG-27, the front wheel strut had to be slightly shortened due to the reduced wheelbase on the Q-6.
The ordnance was puzzled together – according to current BAF weapons in use. I went for unguided missiles (taken from the Academy MiG-27 donation kit) and some 100kg iron bombs, leftover from a Trumpeter Il-28 bomber kit. These were arranged under the wing roots on improvised tandem MERs.
I did not even try to engrave new panel lines on the new front section - actually, almost the whole upper surface is featureless since it was made with putty. But bot 2C and NC putty are pretty touchy to drilling or engraving (as the rather fruitless attempt to drill open cavities for the two guns proved...), so I decided to just use paint effects.
Painting and markings:
I had been wanting to build a Bangladeshi Air Force aircraft for quite a long time, and the Q-6 was finally a great opportunity. As a ground attack aircraft, the livery was to reflect that role, and among modern BAF aircraft I found C-130 transporters carrying a wrap-around ‘Lizard’/’European One’ scheme, in the traditional tones of FS34102, FS34097 and FS 36081 (Humbrol 117, 149 and 32). Maybe the BAF C-130s are ex USAF aircraft? It seems to be common BAF practice to keep former users' liveries and even bort numbers! Anyway, I find the Lizard cammo on a swing wing aircraft like this rather disturbing, but overall the whole thing looks pretty cool, probably also because of the exotic roundels.
Another option would have been a two-tone green camouflage (seen on BAF An-32 transports) or a three-tone pattern of pale sand, dark brown and dark green with light blue undersides, seen on BAF A-5 fighters. The garish, blue livery of BAF MiG-29s, as well as the blue and grey patterns on BAF F-7 fighters, were ruled out, since they’d rather suggest an air superiority role.
The camouflage pattern is based on USAF A-10 aircraft, and the aircraft’s upper sides were thoroughly weathered with a black ink wash and dry-brushing in lighter shades of the basic tones. After all, my kit is to represent a Q-6 after more than 15 years of service, so that the grey would become much lighter, the dark green get a greyish-blue hue and the light green tone adapt an almost olive drab look. As a result, the aircraft does not look too dark and murky, and the missile ordnance does not stand out too much.
The roundels were improvised – Bangladeshi aircraft kits/decals are rare. AFAIK, only one 1:72 Fujimi MiG-21 offers a BAF markings option, otherwise I could not find anything else, even among aftermarket offerings. Scratching is more fun, though, so “my” markings are actually Pakistani roundels (from a TL Modellbau aftermarket sheet) with red decal discs covering the original white central disc.
The flag on the fin was cut from generic green decal sheet, the red disc was punched out from red decal sheet, just like the roundel additions. Straightforward – and highly effective! Other markings were puzzled together from the scrap box, since the Q-6 never got beyond prototype stage, anything was possible concerning stencils etc.
The bort numbers are guesstimates - typically, BAF (and also PAF) carry a full registration on the tail fin and only a three-digit code on the nose. Squadron emblems are only small and carried either on the nose or the fin, so the model is rather simple in appearance.
The cockpit interior was painted in "Russian Interior Blue-Green" (Testors 2135, a stuff also in use in China, as far as I can tell), the landing gear and its wells were kept in Aluminum (Humbrol 56). The air intake was painted in light grey from the inside, the radome became black.
Author: Wolfgang Kunze
Hardcover: 960 pages
Publisher: VLB Berlin (5th edition, August 2014)
Language: English (German, translated)
ISBN-13: 978-3-921690-49-9
▶ Back cover: here.
****************
▶ "Wolfgang Kunze, born in 1926 [d. 2016] is a qualified brewer and maltster, who studied brewing and engineering at the VLB Berlin. For 38 years, he was a teacher and head of the Dresden Brewer's School, where he introduced generations of young brewers and maltsters to the art of brewing.
His comprehensive knowledge and didactic experience, which he vividly conveys in the several updates of his book, have made Technology Brewing & Malting over the last 50 years what it is today: a standard work, worldwide."
*****************
▶ "The book – in brewers’ circles well-known as just the 'Kunze'– has accompanied countless brewers and maltsters on their way into and through the professional practice since its first edition in 1961. Meanwhile, more than 30,000 German, about 13,000 English, 6000 Chinese, 3500 Russian and 1500 Spanish copies have been printed. It has also been translated into Polish, Serbian and Hungarian.
The 5th English Edition has been revised, partly updated and has been upgraded with a new modern layout. It contains 960 pages with more than 850 figures, covering all aspects of the technology of beer brewing and malting, including raw materials, filling, packaging, and engineering issues."
***************
▶ Photo by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.
▶ For a larger image, type 'L' (without the quotation marks).
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▶ Camera: Olympus Pen E-PL1.
— Lens: Olympus M.45mm F1.8.
— Edit: PicMonkey.
▶ Commercial use requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Q-6 program was initiated in the mid-1970s when, during the Battle of the Paracel Islands in 1974, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) proved incapable of ground support missions. Due to the lack of modern avionics and ground infrastructure to support a modern air war, Chinese aircraft suffered navigation and other logistics problems that severely limited their performance. The first Chinese aircraft did not actually reach the islands until several hours after the battle was over.
In addition to the need to upgrade its logistics capability and infrastructure, China also decided that nothing-in-its-then-aircraft-inventory could fill the requirement for support missions in the South China Sea. Fighters such as the J-5, J-6, J-7, and J-8 lacked a ground attack capability and were hampered by short range. The only Chinese ground attack aircraft atr that time, the Nanchang Q-5 (a MiG-19 derivate with a solid nose, an internal weapon bay and lateral air intakes), was also short ranged and had a relatively low payload. China's bombers such as the Harbin H-5 and Xian H-6 were slow and lacked a sufficient self-defense capability. A new aircraft was therefore seen as desperately needed to fulfill a new naval strike mission in support of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Immediately after the battle, both the PLAAF and PLAN submitted their requirements for a new fighter bomber/ground attack aircraft to the 3rd Ministry of PRC. After extensive research, the 3rd Ministry decided that, based on the Chinese aeronautical industrial capability at the time, it was impossible to develop two separate airplanes at the same time. Instead, a decision was made to develop a single airplane when the prime requirements of the PLAAF and PLAN were similar, even though with different versions tailored to meet the different secondary needs of PLAAF and PLAN.
In June 1976 representatives from various aircraft factories were summoned to Beijing to discuss the project, and were instructed to come up with designs in the shortest possible time. Shenyang Aircraft Factory (later reorganized into Shenyang Aircraft Corporation) was the first to come up with a design, the JH-8 (FB-8), which was essentially a ground attack version of the large, twin-engined J-8II (F-8II) interceptor. Next came the Q-6, a new design from the Nanchang Aircraft Factory. The Xi'an Aircraft Factory (later reorganized into Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation) was the last one to present a design, the Xian JH-7, also a new design.
Initially, the 3rd Ministry favored the JH-8, however because the design of the operational J-8II was still not completed the risk was considered to be too high, so it was eliminated. The projected development of JH-7 was too far out, and so the Q-6 was selected because it was believed to be the one that would be able for service the soonest.
The Q-6's distictive feature was its swing wing arrangement, and the project was China's first venture into this direction. Before the Q-6 program started, however, China had already obtained MiG-23BN and MiG-23MS aircraft from Egypt. A few downed F-111 were also provided to China by North Vietnam. Based on the research effort performed on these aircraft, it was suggested that the variable-sweep wing should be adopted for China's new ground attack aircraft.
The general designer of Nanchang Q-5, and the future academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (elected in 1995), Mr. Lu Xiaopeng, was named as the general designer of Q-6. Lu personally visited PLAAF and PLANAF numerous times to obtain their input, which was the base of the Tactical Technological Requirements of the Q-6 he was in charge of, and by February 1979, the general design of the attack aircraft was finalized, based on the initial requirement of the 3rd Ministry.
The original plan was to base the design of Q-6 on the MiG-23BN, the ground attack version of MiG-23. However, both PLAAF and PLAN required a true dogfight capability for self-defense. Due to the need of dogfight capability, a radar was needed, and the ground attack version of the Soviet fighter had no radar. As a result, the plan was changed to base the design on the MiG-23MS instead. But this was not a true solution: Studies revealed that in order to successfully perform the required missions for PLAAF and PLANAF, ground attack radar, as well as terrain-following radar, were needed, too. And for the intended dogfight capability, the RP-22 Sapfir-21 radar (NATO reporting name Jay Bird) of the MiG-23MS lacked the BVR capability.
Facing this technological lack the decision was made to use avionics reverse-engineered from the F-111 to makeup the MiG-23 shortcomings. But as with other technological features adopted for the Q-6, they were proven to be way too ambitious for the Chinese industrial, scientific and technological capability at the time, which resulted in prolonged development.
Problems did not stop, the airframe itself proved to be troublesome, too. Originally the design was based on the MiG-23MS, and was initially thought to be better than the MiG-23BN, because it provided more room in the nosecone to house the radar.
However, the Chinese microelectronic industry could not provide the solid state electronics needed to miniaturize the intended radar, and as a result, the size of the fuselage had theoretically to be increased from the size of the MiG-23 to that of the Su-24 to fit an appropriate radar dish with the technolgy available at that time. Research furthermore revealed that the side-intakes of the MiG-23 design were not sufficient enough to meet the required dogfight capability, so the side-intakes arrangement was changed into a single chin-intake instead, and the Q-6 is claimed to be the first Chinese aircraft to have a chin-mounted intake.
The engine itself was also a problem, since China did not possess a powerful jet fighter engine that would match the intended performance profile of the Q-6. At first there were plans to use 122.4 kN thrust of a WS-6 engine (which was used in the H-6/Tu-16 bomber!), but these were not suited for a fighter and simply too large. To match the targets of an aircraft weight of 14.500 kg, the biggest load of bombs of 4.500 kilograms and a combat radius of 900 km, the Q-6 was finally outfitted with the Wopen WS-9 afterburning turbofan - a license-built Rolls Royce RB.168 Spey Mk. 202 with 91.3 kN of thrust.
Chinese considered the greatest achievement of the Q-6 in its fly-by-wire (FBW) control of the variable-sweep wings, both were the first of its kind in China. The original goal of reverse-engineering the FBW of the F-111 proved to be way too ambitious and had to be abandoned, so a much simpler version was adopted. The triplex analog FBW of the Q-6 was effectively just slightly more advanced than the most rudimentary FBW in that the mechanical servo valves were replaced with electrical servo valves, operated by electronic controllers. But contrary to the most rudimentary FBW, where hydraulic actuators still existed, the hydraulic actuators are replaced by electrical actuators on the Q-6. Anyway, this system proved to be the major obstacle in the hardware development of the Q-6 and it took nine years to complete (1980–1988), under the personal leadership of Mr. Lu Xiaopeng.
In 1988, three prototypes were built: one for static test, one for avionics tests on the ground, and one for the variable sweep wing research. The serial aircraft for PLAAF and PLANAF would have been separate variants, called Q-6A and Q-6B, which are believed to be offered for export now (see below).
Although hailed as a technological breakthrough for the Chinese aviation and providing superior performance to fixed-wing designs (esp. the outdated Q-5), the Chinese system was more than 12% heavier than the simple mechanical-hydraulic controlled variable-sweep wing of the benchmark MiG-23, and the Q-6 avionics were still far from being up-to-date.
Once identified as an indigenous aircraft (the Q-6 was at first deemed to be a variant or straight copy of the MiG-23/27, and therefore premilinarily coded 'Flogger L'), NATO alloted the Code 'Fruitcase' to it, with suffixes for the various export variants (see below).
It was not before 1990 that the aircraft was completed and (theoretically) ready for service – but at that time, technology and military strategy had already changed, and China had been developing the more capable (but much bigger) twin-engined Xian JH-7 fighter bomber for PLAAF and PLANAF. But it would still take some years until the JH-7A would enter service with the PLANAF: in early 2004, and with the PLAAF by the end of the year.
For China, the most important factor which prevented the Q-6 introduction into PLAAF and PLANAF service, was the 'discovery' of stealth features on the battlefield: variable-sweep wing would enlarge the aircraft's radar cross section multiple times and thus making it impossible to survive on the modern battlefield, because it would be much more likely to be detected and shot down.
Anyway, internal politics did not stop China from offering the now completed airframe on the export market as A-6 'Kong Yun' ("Cloud"), as a more capable successor to the Nanchang A-5 (the export version of the MiG-19-based Q-5). From 1992 onwards, several former A-5 users bought the aircraft as A-6 multi-role fighters. It is assumed that these correspond to the Q-6's development lines for PLAAAF an PLANAF.
Current users are the Bangladeshi Air Force (8× A-6B), Myanmar Air Force (20× A-6C), Sri Lanka (11× A-6B) Korean People's Air Force (probably less than 50x A-6A) and the Sudanese Air Force (A total of about 20, 3–11 of them servicable, probably all A-6A).
A-6A ('Fruitcase A'):
The first version and despite being marketed as a "multi-role combat aircraft" a very simple variant with a small radome, probably containing a Type 226 pulse-Doppler radar (a Chinese copy of the GEC-Marconi Skyranger).
A-6B ('Fruitcase B'):
Similar in apperance to the A-6A with a bigger radome. This variant is equipped with a Chinese KLJ-6E pulse-Doppler radar (A Chinese copy of the Italian Pointer-2500 radar, the same as featured on the Chinese Q-5M Fantan attack aircraft), which gives all weather attack capability. These aircraft are also fitted with a HUD, a GPS receiver/inertial navigation system, a 360° radar warning system, a tactical radio navigation system and chaff/flare dispensers on the rear fuselage.
The Sri Lanka aircraft have been seen carrying an external FLIR pod on one of the underfuselage pylons, while the Bangladeshi Air Force aircraft exclusively feature a small fairing under the nose which is believed to contain a LR/MTS, allowing the deployment of PGM.
A-6C ('Fruitcase C'):
Dedicated ground attack variant with a solid, more slender nose and full PGM capability. The nose features a fairing with windows for an ALR-1 laser rangefinder/marked target seeker (LR/MTS) in a small ball turret, and possibly LLLTV/FLIR. This optical system offers day/night attack capability. Like the A-6B, these aircraft feature HUD, GPS, tactical radio and optional flare dispensers.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 56 ft 1 in (17.10 m)
Wingspan: 47 ft 2 in (14.4m) at 16°, 28 ft 6 in (8,7m) at 72°
Height: 15 ft 9.5 in (4.82 m)
Empty weight: 16.520 lb (7.500 kg)
Loaded weight: 28.370 lb (12.880 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 32.820 lb (14.900 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Xian WS-9 Qin Ling afterburning turbofan (a license-built Rolls Royce RB.168 Spey Mk. 202), rated at 54,6 kN (5.562kp) dry and at 91,3KN (9.305kp) at full afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 1.2 at low altitude and in clean configuration, subsonic with external ordnance; 1.055mph (1.700 km/h) at height and in clean configuration
Combat radius: 485 nmi (560 mi, 900 km)
Service ceiling: 49.180 ft (15.000 m)
Armament:
2× Type 23-III twin-barreled 23mm cannons in the wing roots with 200 RPG
7× Hardpoints (three under the fuselage, one under each fixed wing root and the mobile outer wings) for a maximum external ordnance of 10.000 lbs (4.540kg), including guided and unguided bombs, missiles, napalm tanks or 800l drop tanks; the two hardpoints under the outer wings are fixed and can only be used when the wings are kept in the most forward position (they are normally only used for drop tanks in ferry configuration).
The kit and its assembly:
This is a whif, but the Nanchang Q-6 was actually developed until 1989 – even though it never entered any service. It was over-ambitious and a dead end, overtaken by technological advances and the fact that Chinese development used to take decades rather than years.
Anyway, the Q-6 actually looked as if someone had glued the nose and air intake of a F-16 onto a MiG-23/27 fuselage - weird, but cool, so why not try this at home?
Like many kitbashing things, what sounds simple turned out to be a bit tricky in detail, even though the surgery was finally easier than expected. The model basis is pretty simple: I took an Academy MiG-27, sawed off the fuselage in the wing roots area (about 1cm, the cockpit section is an extra fuselage section), and did the same with an Italeri F-16 nose section, right behind the cockpit, where the front wheel well ends. The top insert for the single seater was left a bit longer, so that it would overlap with the MiG-23/27 spine.
When you fit these parts together, height is almost perfect, even the wing root/LERX angles match, but there are gaps left on the flanks where the original MiG-27 air intakes would be. These have to be covered, what creates lines reminiscent of the respective area on a MRCA Tornado. Furthermore, the spine behind the cockpit has to be sculpted, too.
Furthermore, the wing root levels of the MiG-23/27 and the F-16 did not match - they have a difference in height of about 4mm on the model, and this was the biggest challenge.
In order to compensate for this problem on my model, any LERX sign was removed from the F-16 nose. Inside of the F-16 section, a column was added that supports the rear upper half of the front fuselage, since the flanks had to go almost completely.
On the outside, the necessary intersections/extensions sculpted new with 2C putty, extending the MiG-23/27 lines forward. The final surface finish was done with NC putty. This major surgery was less complicated than expected - lots of work, though, but feasible.
The new front section with its blended fuselage/LERX area around the cockpit reminds surprisingly much of the MiG-29? As a side note: when you look at CG simulations of this aircraft, this area is a frequent field of trial and error. You find unconclusive, if not impossible designs.
Other changes include a less modern canopy from a MiG-21 (I think it comes from an Academy MiG-21F kit), which was more tricky to fit onto the original F-16 canopy than the LERX stuff. The F-16 canopy looked just too modern for my taste. An old Airfix pilot figure was added, too.
Another new feature is a new jet pipe, a J-79 nozzle from an Italeri Kfir that fits perfectly into the rear fuselage, and the fin. The latter was taken as a leftover part from my recent CF-151A project and comes from a 1:144 scale Tu-22M bomber (Dragon). It's higher, but less deep, and I thought that a slightly different shape and more area would be suitable for an attack aircraft. For the same reason the single, foldable stabilizer fin under the rear fuselage was replaced by two fixed strakes (from the F-16). Small details, but they change the look and make the aircraft appear more simple.
The landing gear was taken from the MiG-27, the front wheel strut had to be slightly shortened due to the reduced wheelbase on the Q-6.
The ordnance was puzzled together – according to current BAF weapons in use. I went for unguided missiles (taken from the Academy MiG-27 donation kit) and some 100kg iron bombs, leftover from a Trumpeter Il-28 bomber kit. These were arranged under the wing roots on improvised tandem MERs.
I did not even try to engrave new panel lines on the new front section - actually, almost the whole upper surface is featureless since it was made with putty. But bot 2C and NC putty are pretty touchy to drilling or engraving (as the rather fruitless attempt to drill open cavities for the two guns proved...), so I decided to just use paint effects.
Painting and markings:
I had been wanting to build a Bangladeshi Air Force aircraft for quite a long time, and the Q-6 was finally a great opportunity. As a ground attack aircraft, the livery was to reflect that role, and among modern BAF aircraft I found C-130 transporters carrying a wrap-around ‘Lizard’/’European One’ scheme, in the traditional tones of FS34102, FS34097 and FS 36081 (Humbrol 117, 149 and 32). Maybe the BAF C-130s are ex USAF aircraft? It seems to be common BAF practice to keep former users' liveries and even bort numbers! Anyway, I find the Lizard cammo on a swing wing aircraft like this rather disturbing, but overall the whole thing looks pretty cool, probably also because of the exotic roundels.
Another option would have been a two-tone green camouflage (seen on BAF An-32 transports) or a three-tone pattern of pale sand, dark brown and dark green with light blue undersides, seen on BAF A-5 fighters. The garish, blue livery of BAF MiG-29s, as well as the blue and grey patterns on BAF F-7 fighters, were ruled out, since they’d rather suggest an air superiority role.
The camouflage pattern is based on USAF A-10 aircraft, and the aircraft’s upper sides were thoroughly weathered with a black ink wash and dry-brushing in lighter shades of the basic tones. After all, my kit is to represent a Q-6 after more than 15 years of service, so that the grey would become much lighter, the dark green get a greyish-blue hue and the light green tone adapt an almost olive drab look. As a result, the aircraft does not look too dark and murky, and the missile ordnance does not stand out too much.
The roundels were improvised – Bangladeshi aircraft kits/decals are rare. AFAIK, only one 1:72 Fujimi MiG-21 offers a BAF markings option, otherwise I could not find anything else, even among aftermarket offerings. Scratching is more fun, though, so “my” markings are actually Pakistani roundels (from a TL Modellbau aftermarket sheet) with red decal discs covering the original white central disc.
The flag on the fin was cut from generic green decal sheet, the red disc was punched out from red decal sheet, just like the roundel additions. Straightforward – and highly effective! Other markings were puzzled together from the scrap box, since the Q-6 never got beyond prototype stage, anything was possible concerning stencils etc.
The bort numbers are guesstimates - typically, BAF (and also PAF) carry a full registration on the tail fin and only a three-digit code on the nose. Squadron emblems are only small and carried either on the nose or the fin, so the model is rather simple in appearance.
The cockpit interior was painted in "Russian Interior Blue-Green" (Testors 2135, a stuff also in use in China, as far as I can tell), the landing gear and its wells were kept in Aluminum (Humbrol 56). The air intake was painted in light grey from the inside, the radome became black.
Seen parked at Cambridge Museum of Technolgy Cambridge. 25/6/19 has been converted to a drinks bar. Owner Sam Owens, Le Verre Gourmand UK Ltd t/a Thirsty, Cambridge www.wearethirsty.co.uk/ bought it from The Brew Brothers, Bournemouth 4/17 who had already converted it as a bar.
New to Devon General 5/95 as No 1058 & later Stagecoach Devon as 468.
Last psv operator Hussain, t/a Star Travel, Aylesbury by 2007 withdrawn by 8/09, sold by 7/14.
?/?? unknown owner, Cambridge for mobile tack shop, not completed
By 4/15 it was with a Manchester owner who bought it for a caravan but aborted that project & put it in on eBay (4/15). It then apparently passed to The Brew Brothers of Bournemouth who converted it to a bar, they advertised it in April 2017 for £15000 on Gumtree. The price apparently including the business & web site, but it looks like the bus was sold without the business, although the web site is at the time of writing (8/17) still live thebrewbrothersuk.wordpress.com/ but with no events listed after 22/4/17