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Farewell to the Flinders - one last look back as we headed for home. It is a beautiful place and we were sorry to leave. Our car was not so sorry as by this stage the muffler was being held on by fencing wire. Can't quite remember where I got that :-) The dirt roads and corrugations had taken their toll.
As we farewell the Flinders I'm afraid I must also farewell Flickr for a time. My small business is demanding a heavy workload of marketing duties and as I'm the entire Marketing Department, it will leave very little spare time in my days. I'm very sorry to have to leave. I will miss your wonderful images and kind, thoughtful comments. I hope to be able to return again perhaps in a couple of months and I look forward to that time very much. But, alas, it must be farewell for now.
From the archive, original on colour positive 35 mm film using a Milolta SRT 101 with a 58 mm lens (36 mm DSLR equivalent) scanned from the positive at 2400 dpi.
Flinders Ranges, South AustraliaA portion of the uplifted edge of the sedimentary rock layers which form parts of the Flinders Ranges.
From the archive, original on colour positive 35 mm film using a Milolta SRT 101 with a 58 mm lens (36 mm DSLR equivalent) scanned from the positive at 2400 dpi.
Flinders Ranges, South Australia circa 1973
Looking back on the month...I really need to get out of the house ...I may have almost exhausted all the things in my house that I can shoot. My motivation is again at an all time low...workload has been heavier in the past month or two mostly from staff shortages from Covid leave.
Apologies to everyone for not commenting on your pics as often as I'd like...and thank you to everyone who takes the time to comment/fav mine...It is all very much appreciated :)
Laura, 24 y/o, was among five finalists at the Hanami Festival Costumes Competition in Roihuvuori, Finland.
"I come from a rather low income family, which ended up being just me, my sister and our mother. She raised us as a single mother.
I never felt like we were struggling as a kid, but when more and more responsibilities came upon myself, I knew that I had to put in some effort in order to make it in the adult world.
"During my journey to adulthood, I've studied art, Japanese language, pop culture and singing. All of these are my passion, but as I'm still new to the field. I have to keep putting the bread on the table by other means. I've worked as a cashier and currently I'm working during night time as the person who delivers your newspaper to your door.
"Whenever my workload becomes bigger, thus more stressful, I try to relax with the help of my hobbies--cosplay, music, drawing and video games.
"My message to everyone: A day has way too few hours in it. Use your time well.
"Right now I'm struggling with my weight and body image, but more importantly I'm worried. Will the things I'm passionate about carry me anywhere in my life?
"To my younger self I have only one piece of advice: choose your friends well."
This is my 475th submission to The Human Family group.
Visit the group here to see more portraits and stories: www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily.
The lady whose house is on my back boundary poisoned my cats in MY yard because when they are in my yard the neighbour's dogs beside me bark. This lady who poisoned the cats had a go at me when I moved in for asking the neighbours to control their dogs. (of course this incited the dog owners to make sure the dogs barked every time I used my yard). She is best friends with them. She had been hosing my cats as well so they would run inside rather then sit in my yard. She lured them to her side (I had trained them not to go over and they were always happy to sit in my yard) and she threw food over and put food on the fence. Charlie became obsessed with running up and down the top of the fence looking for food on her side. Matilda would run up to the fence at night, bang at the door to go out, then run to the back and sit watching the top of the fence waiting for her to throw the bait.
The neighbours with the dogs also put baited food in the yard. (Pizza...it has onion powder and it's very bad for cats and dogs).
OUTCOME: Raphael and Charlie were unable to eat for 4 days, I had to syringe feed and I wasn't aware they had been poisoned. Charlie appears to have recovered ok but he is not how he used to be. Raphael is not getting enough oxygen...his gums and nose and paws go white. I thought he was anemic but the vet said likely lack of oxygen. His heart sounded fine. He has a little colour return. He is less active than usual and I worry he won't fully recover. His eyes have not returned to their usual colour. I still need to get his urine tested.
The poisoning has been happening for a while as I've noticed Raphael's skin looked bluish at times. And his eyes were going dark grey rather than amber...he hasn't looked well for a while. And Charlie's gum hasn't been healing we think because the poisoning has been happening for a while and they've increased their efforts last week. Charlie and Raphael have lost weight.
Mercedes got out 2 days ago, and yesterday she was vomiting, couldn't keep her food down.
I'm trying to build enclosures...I take one day at a time. I'm doing well though and I'm actually getting better. I turned a corner in my health a month ago. It's coming hotter here and the house is an oven. I don't have air con and I'm trying to get areas enclosed for them to be outside.
Raphael has learnt to walk on a lead...the others are not impressed! thanks everyone for your visits, your kind words and your care. I will visit when I can. I don't get to the computer for a few days often because I'm trying to build the enclosures, and the workload of raphael and Charlie spraying is difficult. But I am well !!! I'm sorry I can't get to your photos. I'm guessing about a month to get the things done that will make the cats more comfortable.
Dr Alia Crum arrived in the soft brightness that comes after a storm. The air outside Stanford’s Psychology Building was cool and clear, the kind of light that makes everything feel freshly washed. She settled into a comfortable chair in her office with an easy calm, as if the morning’s weather had cleared a little space around her too.
Crum is a psychologist who studies something deceptively simple. She examines how beliefs shape physiology. Not in the loose mystical way that phrase sometimes gets tossed around. Her work cuts closer to the bone. The body is not a passive machine. It responds to expectation. It listens to mindset. She has built a career showing that what we think about stress, food, exercise, illness and treatment can tilt the body’s response in measurable ways.
Her early work came out of a moment most of us would ignore. While studying stress at Yale she realized that stress itself was not always the enemy. The fear of stress could be worse. The belief that stress is damaging primes the body to show more harmful patterns. The belief that stress can sharpen performance nudges the system toward resilience. Not wishful thinking. Observable biology. Shifts in cortisol. Changes in blood vessel constriction. A different hormonal conversation between mind and body.
One of her most famous studies grew from that instinct to question the obvious. The milkshake experiment has been told and retold because of how blunt and beautiful it is. Crum and her team gave participants a milkshake. Same ingredients. Same calories. Same everything. But the label was switched. For one group it was described as a rich decadent indulgence. For the other it appeared as a restrained sensible shake. People drank it while their hunger hormones were measured. Ghrelin the hormone that pushes hunger up or down behaved as if the labels were real. The decadent shake triggered a steep drop in ghrelin as though the body believed satisfaction had arrived. The restrained shake left ghrelin high as though the body had been shortchanged. The stomach listened not just to what was swallowed but to the story around it.
Crum leans into these contradictions. The world is overflowing with advice about how to treat your body. She keeps asking how the body treats belief. Her research at the Mind and Body Lab explores placebos, treatment expectations, the power of framing and how subtle shifts in context can rewrite physiology. People heal faster when they think a treatment is potent even if the medication is identical. Housekeepers who were told their daily work counted as exercise showed improvements in weight and blood pressure without any change in actual workload. Mindset became part of the treatment itself.
Talking with her you sense someone who has not grown cynical despite years of studying human perception. She seems fascinated by how easily the mind can box itself in and how quickly it can step out again with the right nudge. During the shoot she often rested her hand on a notebook the way some people hold a compass. These experiments begin as questions scribbled on a page before they grow into protocols, measurements and data sets that surprise the field again and again.
There is a warmth to the way she listens. She gives every idea a moment to breathe before responding. It makes sense. Her whole scientific life is built on the idea that thoughts matter. Beliefs matter. Not in a magical way. In a biological way. You walk out of her lab with the unsettling and oddly hopeful sense that the stories we tell ourselves are not just background noise. They seep inward. They shape the body. They set the terms for how we cope with stress, how we move through illness and how we meet our own expectations.
Photographing her on that quiet afternoon at Stanford felt like brushing up against the edge of a much larger truth. The mind is not sealed off from the body. Crum has spent her career proving it. And she is only getting started.
I've started school (college) and it's already quite the workload.
help out a soon to be college student by buying some prints in my etsy shop!
Sawah Padi Tali Air 5, Sekinchan, Selangor, Malaysia
Sekinchan is a small town located in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located along the coastal Federal Route 5 between the towns of Sabak Bernam and Tanjung Karang.
This is also considered one of my KPI listing, the initial plan was suppose to travel together with our hired photographer alongside with his clients (wife's friend) for their pre wedding shoot back in year 2012. Wanted to participate the precious moment but we know we missed it, we wanted to travel to this place so badly. Due to the heavy workload in our career path, we had postpone this trip to 2 years later.
The great thing about here is that, it feels so relax and connecting to the big mother nature. We were always hunting the date of harvesting, as during these period only will be able to see the rolls almost everywhere. I heard that is a magnificent scenery, unfortunately we didn't get the chance as we were late for 1 day. Darn... We been asking around the neighbourhood where else would have in the progress of harvesting and the answer was quite disappointing, we didn't give up easily. We been travel for 30 minutes just to continue hunting if we able to spot one.
By looking at the bad weather, we stopped our hunting process and headed back the place we went earlier, the harvested padi field. We spent about 30 minutes just to let the rain finished its job, I then suggested wifey that we should start looking at the ideal scene for our shooting.
The one you looking at now is the only spot that would be suitable to do my own shooting. You might think this is easy, the fact is that it ain't. The wet dirt soil, the unblock / cleaner scene, the 2 posing spot to be balance out the composition, and the last one is for the tripod. I have to go forth and back with carefully steps just to avoid the dirt stick on my shoes, no matter how careful I am, I still see some stains on my shoes.
It was quite amusing when we were posing with the timer set and remote triggered, some tourists still standing behind the camera and wonder why we doing that? Well, I just wanted to tell them this been a usual practice for us whenever we travel anywhere.
It is a new beginning, the year of Twenty Fourteen were way too much unexpected disasters, transportation accidents and the disease. I hope the year of Twenty Fifteen, filled with more laughters, happiness and make the world to be better place. Let's us embrace the new Twenty fifteen and so much looking forward to that.
You must see this on large View On White and View On Black
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P/s : This is Photoshop CS 5 and Lightroom 4 editing parts can be seen in the commentary too.
See this locomotive in the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDP5mgPXMf0&feature=youtu.be
At last! A steam tour comes to town after months of silence, today in the form of flagship British Railways Standard Class 7, 70000 'Britannia', hauling the 'Torbay Express' from Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear and return. Here, the train works the return service along the banks of the River Teign, whistling loudly and proudly to the sound of the the water and the Seagulls.
One of the last and most powerful steam locomotives ever built, the British Rail Standard Class 7 was BR's top express locomotive, and could have been utilised far better in its short lifespan, but ended up only serving the railways for 15 years, a blink of an eye compared to other mainline Pacifics of the time that had operated under the pre-nationalisation companies.
Designed by Robert Riddles, who had previously coined the design for the War Department Austerity 2-10-0 and 2-8-0 freight locomotives, the BR Standard Class 7's were conceived of as a result of the 1948 locomotive exchanges, which were done to test the best and worst aspects of locomotive design within the Big Four railway companies that had existed before nationalisation. The research gained from operating the best designs of the GWR, LMS, LNER and Southern railways on different areas of the British Railways network paved the way for several new classes of standardised locomotives to be constructed, largely to replace many of the ageing Victorian era engines that even in the late 1940's continued to ply their merry trade.
The first design requested by the Railway Executive was for a new express passenger Pacific locomotive, designed specifically to reduce maintenance and using the latest available innovations in steam technology from home and abroad. Various labour-saving devices were utilised to produce a simple, standard and effective design, able to produce equivalent power to some of the Pacifics that were still available as legacies of the Big Four.
The basic design of the Standard 7's can be traced to LMS construction practices, largely owed to Riddles' previous career with that company, but complimented this with the boiler and trailing wheel design of the Southern Railway's Merchant Navy Pacifics so as to follow the best design practice. The firebox was also similar in having a rocking grate, which allowed the fire to be rebuilt without stopping the locomotive, removing both ash and clinker on the move. A self-cleaning smokebox was used, which enabled ash to flow into the atmosphere, reducing the workload of the engine cleaner at the end of a working day. A single chimney was placed on top of the smokebox, which was unusual for a Pacific type of locomotive.
The Standard 7's were fitted with 6 ft 2 in driving wheels, allowing these engines greater capacity for use in mixed-traffic working, which made them available for both sustained fast running with heavy passenger trains, yet small enough to allow them to undertake more mundane tasks such as freight haulage.
55 of these engines were constructed between 1951 and 1954, with 70000 'Britannia' being the first and flagship of the fleet, with residual locomotives of the class being dubbed 'Britannia-Class'. Three batches were constructed at Crewe Works, before the publication of the 1955 Modernisation Plan.
Britannia was built at Crewe, completed on 2 January 1951. She was the first British Railways standard locomotive to be built and the first of 55 locomotives of the Britannia class. The locomotive was named at a ceremony at Marylebone Station by the then Minister for Transport Alfred Barnes on 30 January 1951. The BR Locomotive Naming Committee were determined not to use names already in use on other locomotives. They tried to observe this by not selecting the name Britannia for use on 70000 because it was already in use on one of the ex-LMS Jubilee Class locomotives, but Robert Riddles overruled them and the Jubilee had to be renamed.
The Britannias took their names from great Britons, former Star Class locomotives, and Scottish firths, although one locomotive, 70047, was never named. The success of these first Standard Pacifics gave birth to two other Pacific classes over the BR years, including the unique BR Standard Class 8, number 71000 'Duke of Gloucester', which was built in 1954 to replace the destroyed Princess Royal Class locomotive number 46202 Princess Anne, lost in the Harrow and Wealdstone rail disaster of 1952, and the fleet of 10 BR Standard Class 6 'Clan' Pacifics that were employed on services in the west of Scotland, but failed to gain a stellar reputation due to their employment on timetables for the more powerful Standard 7's they couldn't keep up to.
The class gained a warm response from locomotive crews across all British Railway Regions, with especially glowing reports from those operating them from Stratford depot on the Eastern Region, where its lower weight and high power transformed motive power over the restricted East Anglian lines. However, negative feedback was received from various operating departments, most notably on the Western Region. The criticism was primarily out of partisan preference for GWR-designed locomotive stock among Western Region staff; in particular, the class was 'left-hand drive' in contrast to 'right-hand drive' GWR locomotive and signalling practice, a factor in the Milton rail crash of 1955.
For this reason, the Western Region locomotive depots at Old Oak Common and Plymouth Laira declared that the class was surplus to requirements. However Cardiff Canton depot displayed its liking for the class (despite being part of the former GWR empire) and managed to obtain good results on South Wales passenger traffic.
The Midland Region also had favourable reports, but a marked consistency in losing time on the longer runs between Holyhead and Euston was recorded, although all complaints were down to the individual techniques of the operating crews. This was compounded by the irregular allocation of the class to depots all over the network, meaning that few crews ever had a great deal of experience in driving them. The Southern Region also had an allocation of seven in May 1953, when all Merchant Navy Class locomotives were temporarily withdrawn for inspection after 35020 "Bibby Line" sheared a crank axle on the central driving wheel.
Repairs to the class were undertaken at Crewe, Swindon and Doncaster Works until the financial constraints of the British Railways Modernisation Plan in terms of expenditure on steam began to preclude the regular overhaul of locomotives. During the mid-1960s overhauls were carried out exclusively at Crewe Works.
Britannia was initially based at Stratford in order to work East Anglian expresses to Norwich and Great Yarmouth, but was also particularly associated with the Hook Continental boat train to Harwich. Subsequently, the loco was based at Norwich Thorpe in January and March 1959 before spending the remainder of her career on the London Midland Region based at Willesden, Crewe North, Crewe South and finally Newton Heath.
The locomotive also had the distinction of hauling the funeral train for King George VI from King's Lynn, Norfolk to London following his death in February 1952 at Sandringham House, Norfolk. For this task, Britannia had her cab roof painted white, as was the custom with royal locomotives. Britannia has also worn the white roof in preservation.
However, as the locomotives entered the 1960's, the modernisation plan continued to gather pace, and diesel locomotives started to replace steam on most parts of the network. Very soon the Standard 7's placement on Top-Line expresses were demoted to the on-again-off-again work of freight and parcels, and cosmetic maintenance was reduced as their final years loomed. The lavish BR Brunswick Green soon faded to grey, and in some cases BR Lined Black was adopted for ease.
The first locomotive to be withdrawn from service was number 70007 Coeur-de-Lion in 1965, and the entire class was gradually transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor and Glasgow Polmadie depots. Britannia was withdrawn in May 1966, after 15 years of service.
A succession of bulk withdrawals began in 1967, culminating in the very last steam operation in British Railways service on August 11th, 1968, where Standard 7 number 70013 Oliver Cromwell, was chosen to assist in hauling the Fifteen Guinea Special, the last steam hauled British Railways passenger service from Liverpool to Carlisle via the S&C. 70013 was chosen as it was the last the last BR-owned steam locomotive to undergo routine heavy overhaul at Crewe Works, being out-shopped after a special ceremony in February 1967. The engine hauled the Manchester to Carlisle leg of the service via the Settle and Carlisle line, with LMS Class 5 45110, and LMS Stanier Class 5 locomotives, 44781 and 44871 double-heading the return working back to Manchester.
Upon withdrawal, 70000 was initially planned for preservation with the National Railway Museum due to it's cultural significance, but because of its prototypical nature, 70013 was instead chosen and bought up for preservation. 70000 would later be preserved by Britannia Locomotive Company Ltd.
After moving from one home to another, the engine wound up on the Severn Valley Railway, where she remained for a number of years in operational but non-mainline condition. With the society wishing to make more use of the locomotive, she was moved to the European gauge Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough, where she was also fitted with an air-brake compressor. Britannia made her return to the main line on 27 July 1991, successfully working enthusiast trips until 1997.
With an expired mainline boiler certificate, due to the high cost of refurbishment, the locomotive was sold to Pete Waterman in 2000. Stored at Waterman's workshops at the Crewe Heritage Centre, after initial assessment the amount of work resulted in Waterman selling her to Jeremy Hosking. The locomotive underwent restoration at Crewe which involved a newly refurbished cab, a new smoke box and major work on the boiler; replacement steel sides, new crown stays, new front section barrel section, new steel and copper tubeplate, repairs and patches to door plate and major work to copper firebox.
Transferred to the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust, the locomotive was returned to main line operational condition in 2011, initially out shopped in its prototype black British Railways livery. After a running-in period, in 2012 the locomotive was repainted in British Railways Brunswick Green, but with an early BR crest. On 24 January 2012, the loco hauled the Royal Train with Prince Charles on board to Wakefield Kirkgate, where he rededicated the locomotive. For the trip the loco again had a painted white cab roof, removed after the engine's appearance at the West Somerset Railway's Spring Gala.
deVries - ALBERTA
Universal Carrier with mixer workload body.
Camion Universal carrier équipé avec bétonnière.
Photo: Murray Markanen
Follow my Year Long Project Here!!!
View Large On Black, you can see the huge scar on my lower back. (I was impaled as a child in grade 7). True story. Needed over 100 stitches and a 3.5 hour surgery to removal most of the metal/bone fragments (some days I think I can still feel some of them).
I've just had one of the most difficult weeks of my young life... I found out a family member will never leave hospital, my Grandmother is sick again and my workload has doubled....
I had no time to think of photography and I can't say that I really wanted too... I wanted to just quit the project and hole up in my room till the world righted it self. But life is just not like that. Sorry guys, I wish this shot was more creative but it's just been on of those weeks...
A friend of mine has a saying, "Just keep going!" So that's what I'll do!
Strobist info:
b1600 1/32 with DIY beauty dish camera right at shoulder height and 3 feet back
b800 1/1 behind the wall and bare
b400 1/1 behind the wall and pointed down the hallway frame right.
All feedback and comments are greatly appreciated! I'll be around to all of your streams shortly.
PS: Sandy and I will be doing a collaborative photo for the local Foodbank on Monday, so stay tuned for that!
PSS: Going to start adding music to my songs, something that tries to explain my emotion... so here it is..
Worthington mixer workload body on Mack chassis - Company Brochure.
Bétonnière Worthington sor camion Mack - image tirée d`une brochure publicitaire.
Collection Murray Markanen Collection.
Slightly edited shot of the lovely Miss A in my living room in Amsterdam. Taken with my Sony HX1.
Oh my, what a crappy week this was, sooo much work, such a horrible full-time schedule filled with evening-shifts, and so many retarded Office-politics moments, I'm really glad it's over, pheeew! But I'm not the only one working hard, the lovely Miss A is a student, and looking at her workload and the constant effort it takes to keep make up with the very high demands of her studies, I'm almost glad that I'm just an office-slave, and not in school anymore. Luckily Miss A likes a good challenge, as she's proven in the past by running up walls, walking across Spain and on frozen canals, and biking through various European countries in one day, repeatedly...OK, that last one, I did with her, but I silently started weeping to myself after 150 kilometers in the saddle, while she was plowing across the concrete street as if she had just woken up from a relaxing nap, lol :D
Have a nice weekend!
'Like' me on Facebook :)
copyright © Mim Eisenberg/mimbrava studio. All rights reserved.
One of iGoogle's Flowers of the Day on March 28, 2009.
Click here to see last year's similar shot. Please scroll all the way down to see them side by side.
Many of you have probably noticed how the Interestingness pages have changed as of late February and how different types of photos are now being highly ranked. I have expressed to Flickr staff my disagreement with the change but have met a stone wall. The first page of Explore says that photos in the top 500 will be awesome and gorgeous, and until the recent tweaking last month, many of them were. Now, in addition to what I consider the loss of high-quality photos or even very interesting ones from the top pages (though thankfully some still appear there), I have just learned that the Interestingness algorithm was deliberately tweaked to penalize those who post to numerous groups. I belong to many groups, many of which I was invited to join. Since I am one who does post to many groups, because many of my photos are pertinent and relevant to them and because I sincerely want to share them with people of like interests, then I can expect that my photos will be less likely to appear in the top 500. So be it.
I wish I could go visiting and commenting, or even reciprocating, as much as I would like to, but I can't because of workload demands. Please bear with me, and with this message. Thanks.
Reminder: Please do not post notes on my photo or any images in your comments unless they are germane to my shot and of thumbnail size. If you do, I will delete the comment without notification. I welcome your input, but please express yourself in text only, or provide a link to your image. Thank you.
Blogged at pricklypig.blogspot.
© All rights reserved. No usage allowed in any form without the written consent of Mim Eisenberg.
Trying some kind of photo essay, here are the result of a 1800 to 0200 shift on L536 job, based out of Coteau-du-Lac, QC on a stormy December Sunday.
Coteau terminal dispatch three job on a daily basis going either toward Valleyfield or to Cornwall,ON.
L536 is a daily roadswitcher assignment staffed by a crew of three with their main purpose was to satisfy the carload needs of the huge Glencore zinc treatment plant located in Salaberry de Valleyfield,QC at the end of a 2-plus mile long spur branching off the Valleyfield subdivision at Cecile, milepost 39.5.
Adding to the daily workload was five other customers to serve, all within the Valleyfield wharf area.
CN conductor S.B, a favorite of mine to work with, was talking with Trainmaster R.C on the booking room company phone, getting the "dope" for the shift along with some company-issued safety tips for the rainy and snowy night to come.
Brakeman P.A.F is still in the kitchen part of the office, eating local fast-food as dinner in order to gain some courage-calories for the harsh night to come on the lead.
We are all part of Coteau's Swing job, working a Wednesday to Sunday day to night schedule, covering the days off of the regular crews.
Basically, we are Coteau's bitch.
CN L53621-04
Coteau-du-Lac,QC
December 4th, 2023
When I worked as set photographer for the Gedda Headz music video in Hong Kong, there was always a cast and crew of at least thirty people on set. I haven't any experience of working on a film set of that size anywhere else, so I can't say whether it's because of a specifically Chinese work ethic of efficiency and diligence, but everything I wanted was brought to me, immediately and without fuss. As I stood chatting with one of the cast while a shot was being set up, I mentioned that I was thirsty. Overhearing this, one of the runners - one of whom is pictured here as we filmed one night on the streets of Mongkok - dashed off and, seconds later, handed me a bottle of water. Almost uncomfortable with their servility, I was gushing gratitude all the time and this seemed to surprise them: completely free of resentment or irritation at having to run around after other people, they understood that this was their job.
By way of contrast, I worked in offices and shops when I was younger and, when the boss would bring more work to be done or assign some tasks, my colleagues would moan about all the work they were being given. They would do as little work as possible and would complain when that minimum amount was raised. Although I understand that people don't like work, I never related to that particular dissatisfaction: whether I was asked to go and deliver something or make someone a cup of tea, I appreciated that it was my job and I was being paid for it, and I appreciated that the boss is the boss. Even if the workload seemed heavy, I knew that - at least in those jobs I was doing - come 5pm or whenever, I would be able to down tools and go home regardless.
Hong Kong, 2009.
The Dogwood tree might have provided the strong, straight, clean and minimal frame wood for the 'tension-lever tight' leather-clad prehistoric transport dragons (ideas I am developing - visible elsewhere on my Photostream).
In the above image, the bracts have opened, the flowers have come and gone, and the edible fruits will grow. The photo is also a test for a new lens I purchased on a street thrift market. The lens is a Hisawa 80-200mm an optic that has largely avoided reviews and attracts only rare internet comments such as : 'it's only worth its weight in scrap'. My copy of the lens is a smooth as butter and seems to be a late M42 from around 1980 (I'd guess). Older zooms tend to produce wild chromatic aberrations when pointed into light and this was no exception with the RAW module overheating and the green and pink sliders trying to help out with the workload. Tints have not been added in post. For bokeh, the diaphragm looked interesting at f8 with short Catherine wheel extensions leaving the aperture and maybe adding to the complexity of the blur. The lens is all metal, nice integrated hood and very pleasant to use and sharp enough to catch two mosquitoes sitting out on a leaf. Trying to get a decent image from any tool or situation is a pleasure and can push creativity, so perhaps best to not be a slave to all reviews. From the same market I picked up the last Sly and the Family stone album for one euro. Another poorly reviewed product from 1980 - in reality, alive and lucid orchestration and still a lesson in music. I'm not sure that the Hisawa was as much of a discovery but there are plenty worse lenses for sure.
As I was setting up, a tiger mosquito landed on me. Easy to swat, but irritating as they seem to have the energy to sting during the day. This swat was the first of this species that I've seen in our village and it is said to be arriving all over France with global warming spead by, among other things, hitching a ride inside cars - a specific environment it seems to be attracted to. Sparrows are attracted to petrol stations, pied wagtails are attracted by car parks and now mosquitoes attracted to the insides of cars !! Modernity would have provided some surprises for our prehistoric ancestors.
AJ
My self-imposed workload has been punishing for the last few weeks so my Camera has been mostly gathering dust apart from the odd family get-together - hence my spell of absence from Flickr.
Then, Saturday became unexpectedly free so I hastily planned a pre-dawn drive to Hamilton, Ontario to catch the sun burning off the fog around the waterfalls. Well the fog definitely showed up, so much so that the Sun didn't get a look-in. Not the conditions I hoped for but still made some nice long exposures possible with the limited and nicely defused light.
The best of the shoot are on my Facebook Page here..
Hey guys! I'm not dead!
So after a huge workload over the past few months, I'm finally free(ish). I'm currently on a sabbatical, but I've remembered not to neglect this platform!
Continuing my trend of Custom Smallville figures, I've had this figure finished for a while, and have been waiting for the right time to post it. Personally this is my favourite design of Wonder Woman EVER.
The base model is Wonder Woman (obviously) which has been painted. The skirt, wristbands, and Pauldron are all made out of e-tape. I originally painted her in a metallic red, but it came out looking like nail polish or lipstick. So the copious repaints have led to some thick brush marks on some areas, eg: the chest. Which is why I've been hesitant to post this figure. The only part of that colouring remains on the sword, where it looked feasible.
Anyways, happy holidays everyone! Hopefully I'll be able to post everything else when I get back :)
Catherine Zeta-Jones, (born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Born and raised in Swansea, Zeta-Jones aspired to be an actress from a young age. Zeta-Jones initially established herself in Hollywood with roles that highlighted her sex appeal such as in the action film The Mask of Zorro (1998) and the heist film Entrapment (1999). Critics praised her portrayal of a vengeful pregnant woman in Traffic (2000) and a murderous singer in the musical Chicago (2002). The latter won her Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades. She starred in high-profile films for much of the decade, including the black comedy Intolerable Cruelty (2003), the heist film Ocean's Twelve (2004), the comedy The Terminal (2004), and the romantic comedy No Reservations (2007). Parts in smaller-scale features were followed by a decrease in workload, during which she returned to stage and portrayed an ageing actress in A Little Night Music (2009), winning a Tony Award. Zeta-Jones continued to work intermittently in the 2010s, starring in the psychological thriller Side Effects (2013) and the action film Red 2 (2013).
Making my way down to Pocra Quay at Aberdeen Harbour Scotland this evening Thursday 21st June 2018, I passed this beauty, swiftly parking my car I hoped to chat with the driver and gain permission to capture a few shots, I could see the cab curtain drawn with no sign of anyone in the cab , hence I snapped away, posting a few of the better shots I managed to take .
Ian S Roger Transport - History
Three generations of Ian S Roger's family has been involved in the livestock haulage business and the next generation is waiting in the wings to get going if they so desire. Ian S Roger was born at Newton of Forgie in 1943 and has lived there all his life. His father John was a cattle dealer and after leaving school, Ian attended all the local markets with him and developed a great interest in the attendant transporting floats. The arrival of a 3- ton, petrol driven Austin lorry with a Clark and Sutherland wooden body for own account operations at the family farm in 1960, saw Ian S Roger achieve his ambition in driving.
Just like today, back then a livestock truck body was a considerable investment for any business, so the next truck to arrive, a 1962 BMC Diesel, reused the same well cared for wooden float. The BMC lasted six years and gave way to an 8-ton Commer, complete with a varnished cedar wood float with sheep decks.
In 1969, Ian married Rachel who shared the same level of enthusiasm for livestock and haulage as Ian and in 1975 the business name of Ian S Roger first appeared on the side of a lorry, after Ian's father decided to retire.In the same year the new company purchased a one-year old Volvo F86 6- wheeler, which was a technologically advanced motor for its time. One factor that makes the Ian S Roger fleet of vehicles so recognizable is the colour scheme which is truly unique and currently there's no other haulier in Britain that uses their base hue of Rover Sand paint which is an old British Leyland colour.
In addition to bringing up two sons, Graeme and Colin born in 1970 and 1972 respectively, Ian and Rachel dedicated every waking minute to running the farm and haulage business. Their hard graft began to pay dividends when gradual expansion occurrerd towards the end of the decade. In 1981, not long after the death of his father, Ian purchased his first articulated combination and that year also witnessed the arrival of the then new aluminium built floats with folding sheep decks. The frequent cleaning of the livestock containers also moved forward by leaps and bounds, as the acquisition of more modern pressure washers made the drivers' lives somewhat easier.
In addtion to the expanding livestock requirements, general haulage work was also on the increase and always up for a challenge the Ian S Roger trucks began appearing further and wider across the UK than ever before. By the end of the 1980s, Ian and Rachel actively gave up farming at Newton of Forgie to concentrate exculsively on road transport. From that point onwards the farm's 150 acres would be annually acutioned off for grazing to produce good land management and this useful practice still continues today.
After serving engineering apprenticeships in nearby Elgin, sons Graeme and Colin officially joined the family firm in 1991 and 1992 respectively, to help with the ever-growing levels of work, although as boys from an early age, both had shown a remarkable interest in the family's work and most of their free time was spent enthusiastically supporting their parents.
The family take their business roles seriously, but always have time for a wee bit of good natured banter along the way. The healthly mix of responsibility and enjoyment is perhaps the secret of how all four individuals work so well together and they are quick to point out that there are no official job titles used - it's all about teamwork to get the job done properly. In the workshop there is one full time mechanic assisted by an apprentice and around 15 drivers but peaks in workloads often see seasonal staff employed. All the staff live relatively locally and there's always a waiting list for any any vacancies.
The Newton of Forgie farm depot was extended in 2006 and a new wash area and office were added. Most of the vehicles are kept at another depot in Aultmore, where there's plenty of room for HGV parking.
Some years ago, Corgi ,the diecast model makers, approached the Roger Family and asked if they could make a model of one of their tractor units with a livestock trailer. The family readily agreed and the chosen unit was a 2003 Foden Alpha with a Houghton Parkhouse 2/4 deck livestock trailer, scale 1:50. It is now much sought after by collectors because Foden ceased production in 2005 and livestock trailers are much less common than other articulated trailers.
I saw these geese in the parc, they stood so still that I first thought they are statues! Sorry my friends, it's bedtime for me too as I'm very, very tired because of my present workload. I can't pay you a visit for the time being but I'll keep up with you as soon as possible. :-)
This is one of the shots I did for an internal project for our student magazin, Under Dusken. The theme for the project was movies. I ended up shooting 10 photos with a total workload of somewhere between 50 and 70 hours. Tons of work but tons of fun as well!
We shot this in a gym hall with a large trampoline and a pool filled with foam cubes. Good times :) The rest was five hours of Photoshop composition.
Stay tuned, more to come! :)
Comments of all sorts are - as always - highly appreciated!
Lighting info
- Key: Quadra A Head | Rotalux 135cm Octa | slightly right, front, above
- Rim: Nikon SB-26 | bare, 1/4 CTB | right, slightly behind, above
- Rim: Canon 580EXII | bare, 1/4 CTB | left, slightly behind, above
all triggered with Elinchrom Skyports
Gear info
- 5D II
- 50mm ƒ/1.2L
Processing
- Lightroom 3
- Photoshop CS5
© 2011 by Severin Sadjina | www.sesaphoto.com
This DAF recovery truck replaced an ancient Scammell recovery truck and is seen returning from a job for a local haulage company.
Recent investment in the Network Buses fleet has brought the age of frontline vehicles down to the lowest level ever and the resultant decline in engineering callouts means this rig often finds most of its light workload with other commercial vehicle operators.
Bangladesh, April 2013: (Left-right) Shilpi and a friend embellish a luxury saree with beads in Dhaka. Shilpi attends a local UNICEF-supported school in addition to spending three to four hours each day on embroidering, helping to ease the workload of her mother, who struggles to provide for her five children. Each of Shilpi’s siblings – including a 14-year-old sister who works in an informal garment factory – also play a vital role in the family’s survival.
© UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani
To see more: www.unicef.org/photography
Also download the UNICEF Photography iPhone app here
Catherine Zeta-Jones, (born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Born and raised in Swansea, Zeta-Jones aspired to be an actress from a young age. Zeta-Jones initially established herself in Hollywood with roles that highlighted her sex appeal such as in the action film The Mask of Zorro (1998) and the heist film Entrapment (1999). Critics praised her portrayal of a vengeful pregnant woman in Traffic (2000) and a murderous singer in the musical Chicago (2002). The latter won her Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades. She starred in high-profile films for much of the decade, including the black comedy Intolerable Cruelty (2003), the heist film Ocean's Twelve (2004), the comedy The Terminal (2004), and the romantic comedy No Reservations (2007). Parts in smaller-scale features were followed by a decrease in workload, during which she returned to stage and portrayed an ageing actress in A Little Night Music (2009), winning a Tony Award. Zeta-Jones continued to work intermittently in the 2010s, starring in the psychological thriller Side Effects (2013) and the action film Red 2 (2013).
German postcard by Franz Josef Rüdel, Filmpostkartenverlag, Hamburg. Photo: Michael Haring. Signed in 2000.
On 4 October, German actor Günter Lamprecht (1930-2022) passed away in Bonn, Germany. He played many complex character roles in theatre, film and television and had his big breakthrough as Franz Biberkopf in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's monumental television series Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980). Later he became popular as commissioner Franz Markowitz in the Krimi series Tatort (1991-1995). He also appeared in such films as Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1978), Das Boot (1981) and Comedian Harmonists (1997). Lamprecht was 92.
Günter Hans Lamprecht was born in 1930 in Berlin. He was the son of a taxi driver and a cleaning lady. His father was an alcoholic and abused his mother. At the age of 15, Günter was a medic in the final phase of the Second World War in the Battle of Berlin. After the end of the war, he first became an apprentice orthopaedic mechanic (someone who makes prosthesis's). He also trained as an amateur boxer with European Heavyweight Champion Bubi Scholz. In 1953, he began to study acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar and two years later made his debut at Berlin's Schiller Theatre. His first permanent theatre engagement then followed at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, from where he moved to the Theater Oberhausen, where he was engaged from 1959 to 1961. Lamprecht often played roles as 'the common man' in plays, such as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' 'Endstation Sehnsucht' (A Streetcar Named Desire) and John in Gerhard Hauptmann's 'Die Ratten' (The Rats). His first television roles were mostly in adaptations of plays, such as Schwank Der Meisterboxer (1968) alongside Willy and Lucy Millowitsch. He also starred in the TV series Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi (Günter Gräwert, 1973) based on the travel stories by Karl May, and Stellenweise Glatteis/Black ice in places (Wolfgang Petersen, 1975). His first film role was in Das Messer im Rücken/A Knife in the Back (Ottokar Runze, 1975). For his role in the film Das Brot des Bäckers/Baker's Bread (Erwin Keusch, 1976), he worked in a bakery for three weeks to immerse himself in his role. Lamprecht won the Ernst Lubitsch Award for his performance. In Peter Beauvais' film Ruckfalle/Relapses (1977), he played the role of an alcoholic and received a Goldene Kamera for it.
In 1973, filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder cast Günter Lamprecht in his Science-Fiction series Welt am Draht/World on a Wire (1973). Fassbinder gave Lamprecht a leading role in the feature film Die Ehe der Maria Braun/The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979) opposite Hanna Schygulla and then another lead in the TV miniseries Berlin Alexanderplatz (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1980), an acclaimed adaptation of Alfred Döblin's 1929 novel. The latter role, as Franz Biberkopf, marked his big breakthrough as an actor. received much critical praise and international awards. Lamprecht became particularly popular in Germany for his role of the Berlin commissioner Franz Markowitz in the Krimni series Tatort/Crime Scene (1991-1995). This was followed by many roles in films and television series, such as Die große Flatter/The great flutter (Marianne Lüdcke, 1979), as the captain of the supply ship Weser in the epic war film Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981) and as director Erik Charell in Comedian Harmonists/The Harmonists (Joseph Vilsmaier, 1997) about the popular German vocal group the Comedian Harmonists of the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1999, Günter Lamprecht and his partner Claudia Amm were seriously injured after being shot at by 16-year-old Martin Peyerl after a performance in Bad Reichenhall. Four other people were killed in the shooting (three passers-by and his sister), after which the perpetrator committed suicide, bringing the death toll to five. He wrote down his experiences during Hitler's Third Reich in the book 'Und wehmütig bin ich immer noch. Eine Jugend in Berlin' (And Sadly I'm Still: A Youth in Berlin). In 2007, the second part of this autobiography was published: 'Ein höllisches Ding, das Leben' (A Hellish Thing, Life). The title is a quote from Berlin Alexanderplatz. In the constituency where he lived, he devoted himself to charity and the environmental movement. Since 1994, he was patron of the artist project ARTCORE in Solingen. He was politically active and supported the SPD. Lamprecht worked as an actor into old age, although he limited his filming workload after the turn of the millennium. In 2016, he played the former chief detective Franz Markowitz in the 1000th Tatort episode Taxi nach Leipzig/Taxi to Leipzig (Alexander Adolph, 2016), having already starred in the pilot episode of the same name in 1970. In 2017, he played Reich President Paul von Hindenburg in the first season of the crime series Babylon Berlin (Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, Hendrik Handloegten, 2017). In 2019, he was in front of the camera for the last time for the television film Meeresleuchten/Sea Lights (Wolfgang Panzer, 2021). Günter Lamprecht died in 2022 at the age of 92 in the Bad Godesberg district of his home town of Bonn. Lamprecht was married to actress Gisela Zülch (1967-1997) and then became the partner of actress Claudia Amm, with whom he lived until his death.
Sources: Wikipedia (German, Dutch and English), and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Chassis n° 2071GT
Engine n° 2071GT
Bonhams : the Zoute Sale
Estimated : € 1.200.000 - 1.600.000
Zoute Grand Prix 2019
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2019
By the early 1960s, road car production had ceased to be a sideline for Ferrari and was seen as vitally important to the company's future stability. Thus the 250, Ferrari's first volume-produced model, can be seen as critically important, though production of the first of the line - the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to '54 - amounted to fewer than 20. Before the advent of the Europa, Ferrari had built road-going coupés and convertibles in small numbers, usually to special customer order using a sports-racing chassis as the basis. Ghia and Vignale of Turin and Touring of Milan were responsible for bodying many of these but there was no attempt at standardisation for series production and no two cars were alike.
The introduction of the 250 Europa heralded a significant change in Ferrari's preferred coachbuilder; whereas previously Vignale had been the most popular carrozzeria among Maranello's customers, from now on Pinin Farina (later 'Pininfarina') would be Ferrari's number one choice, bodying no fewer than 48 out of the 53 Europa/Europa GTs built. Pinin Farina's experiments eventually crystallised in a new Ferrari 250 GT road car that was first displayed publicly at the Geneva Salon in March 1956. However, the Torinese Carrozzeria was not yet in a position to cope with the increased workload, resulting in production being entrusted to Carrozzeria Boano after Pinin Farina had completed a handful of prototypes.
The 250 GT featured the lighter and more compact Colombo-designed 3.0-litre V12 in place of its predecessor's bulkier Lampredi unit. Power output of the single-overhead-camshaft all-aluminium engine was 220bhp at 7,000rpm. Shorter in the wheelbase (by 200mm) than that of the Europa, the 250 GT chassis followed Ferrari's established practice, being a multi-tubular frame tied together by oval main tubes, though the independent front suspension now employed coil springs instead of the previous transverse leaf type. A four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox transmitted power to the live rear axle, while braking was looked after by hydraulic drums all round.
True series production began with the arrival of Pininfarina's 'notch back' Coupé on the 250 GT chassis, some 353 of which were built between 1958 and 1960 within the sequence '0841' to '2081'. However, the relatively small scale of production meant that cars could still be ordered with subtle variations according to customer choice, as well as enabling a handful of show cars and 'specials' to be constructed on the 250 GT chassis.
A number of prominent European coachbuilders offered a variety of body styles on the 250 GT chassis, with Scaglietti and Pininfarina producing elegant open-top spyder and cabriolet models. Exhibited at the 1957 Geneva Salon, the latter's first 250 GT Cabriolet, which, unusually, featured a Vintage-style cut-down driver's door, was snapped up by Ferrari works driver Peter Collins, who later had the car converted to disc brakes. After a handful of alternative versions had been built, series production began in July 1957, around 40 Series I Pininfarina Cabriolets being completed before the introduction of the Series II in 1959. Effectively an open-top version of the Pininfarina-built 250 GT Coupé, whose chassis and mechanicals it shared, the Cabriolet was built alongside its closed cousin until 1962. Overall design followed that of the Coupé, with short nose and long rear overhang, while a more-vertical windscreen provided greater headroom in the generously sized cockpit. As well as the aforementioned improvements to brakes and transmission, the Series II cars benefited from the latest, 240bhp V12 with outside sparkplugs, coil valve springs, and 12-port cylinder heads. The 250 GT was the most successful Ferrari of its time, production of all types exceeding 900 units, of which 200 were Series II Cabriolets like that offered here.
A number of important developments occurred during 250 GT production: the original 128C 3.0-litre engine being superseded by the twin-distributor 128D, which in turn was supplanted in 1960 by the outside-plug 128F engine which did away with its predecessor's Siamesed inlets in favour of six separate ports. On the chassis side, four-wheel disc brakes arrived late in 1959 and a four-speeds-plus-overdrive gearbox the following year, the former at last providing the 250 GT with stopping power to match its speed. More refined and practical than any previous road-going Ferrari, yet retaining the sporting heritage of its predecessors, the 250 GT is a landmark model of immense historical significance. Despite this, original survivors are relatively few, as many have been modified and converted into replicas of more exotic Ferraris such as the 250 GTO, Testarossa, etc.
According to the accompanying Massini Report, chassis number '2071' is the 66th of the 200 units built, and as a Series II car has the added advantage of disc brakes all round. Originally finished in the handsome combination of Grigio Argento with Nero interior, the Ferrari was sold new in 1960 via Jacques Swaters' Garage Francorchamps, the official Ferrari importer for Belgium, to its first owner, Jean Blaton. A wealthy Belgian industrialist, Ferrari aficionado and gentleman racing driver, who raced under the name 'Beurlys', Jean Blaton had an excellent taste and was a personal friend of Jacques Swaters, from whom he bought numerous Ferraris over the years.
Blaton is best remembered for his daring exploits in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in which he drove a succession of Ferraris over a 10-year period between 1958 and 1967, finishing on the podium on nearly every outing. On many occasions he drove his own Ferraris, including a 250 GT MM, 250 GT Testarossa, 250 GT LWB Tour de France, 250 GT SWB, 250 GTO, 250 LM, and 330 P3/P4. He secured his best result at Le Mans in 1963 when he finished 2nd overall with co-driver Langlois van Ophen at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 GTO, winning the GT Class for Swaters' racing team, Écurie Francorchamps.
Jean Blaton was also a friend of Enzo Ferrari, who was only too happy to accommodate his highly regarded customer's special requests. In the case of his 250 GT Cabriolet, Blaton specified that the car should have large side vents in the front wings, similar to those of the Series III 410 Superamerica, which were incorporated by Pinin Farina on Mr Ferrari's instruction. These vents not only make the car appear more sporting, they also serve to break up its lengthy flanks to good effect. Blaton's car, with its special features, was prominently displayed in Ferrari's 1960 yearbook.
In 1964, Blaton sold '2071' to Luigi Chinetti, another gentleman racing driver and sole importer of Ferraris into the USA. The car was then sold to a Mr Gilbertson from Vista, California. Following Mr Gilbertson's death, the Ferrari was acquired from his widow in 1978 by Mr Ken Gerber of San Diego, California, who kept it for the next 32 years. A member of the Ferrari Owners' Club, Mr Gerber enjoyed the car throughout the 1980s, attending various events.
During Mr Gerber's ownership (in 1992-1994) a fastidious restoration was carried out, the precision machining work on the engine and mechanical systems being entrusted to recognised specialist Bob Wallace of Phoenix, Arizona. Original parts were retained wherever possible and the few that were not saveable were either replaced with originals or perfect reproductions. The car was refinished in Rosso Rubino and completed in time for the 1994 International Ferrari Concours in Monterey.
Ken Gerber sold the Ferrari in 2010 and the following year the car moved to the UK having been bought by DK Engineering. The car was sold to Belgium in 2012, since when it has belonged to the current lady owner. Carrying the very suitable registration, '250 – GTS', the car has been enjoyed by its owner on numerous occasions and at prestigious events including the Zoute Rally. Now presented in excellent condition after recent cosmetic re-commissioning, it affords the prospect of comfortable open-top cruising in unparalleled style. Possessing links to Belgian and excellent provenance, this unique Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet is worthy of the closest inspection.
Week 8 – Technical - One Shot
Lion's Tail
The brief for this week was as follows;
Technical – One Shot: Imagine that it is the last frame on a roll of film, and you have to nail it. For this challenge only take one shot. No deleting, no 2nd shot. The honor system is in play.
For this week I looked close to home for a shot due to workload. After wandering around the garden for a few days I found a subject and waited until I got the late afternoon light I was after for my capture.
This succulent is known by many names including Foxtail, Swans's Neck, Elephant's trunk, Century plant, Dragon tree and many others. However it's probably most well know as Lion's Tail. It's scientific name is Agave attenuate and it's extremely hardy and loves full Sun. They flower after about 10 years or so but these are only about half that age.
I love the patterns created by the shape of the leaves and the texture on their surface. The late afternoon sun has added a really nice soft glow, especially on the backs of some of the leaves.
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Chassis n° 1625GT
Bonhams : the Zoute Sale
Estimated : € 600.000 - 800.000
Sold for € 989.000
Zoute Grand Prix 2018
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2018
By the early 1960s, road car production had ceased to be a sideline for Ferrari and was seen as vitally important to the company's future stability. Thus the 250, Ferrari's first volume-produced model, can be seen as critically important, though production of the first of the line - the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to '54 - amounted to fewer than 20. Before the advent of the Europa, Ferrari had built road-going coupés and convertibles in small numbers, usually to special customer order using a sports-racing chassis as the basis. Ghia and Vignale of Turin and Touring of Milan were responsible for bodying many of these but there was no attempt at standardisation for series production and no two cars were alike.
The introduction of the 250 Europa heralded a significant change in Ferrari's preferred coachbuilder; whereas previously Vignale had been the most popular carrozzeria among Maranello's customers, from now on Pinin Farina (later 'Pininfarina') would be Ferrari's number one choice, bodying no fewer than 48 out of the 53 Europa/Europa GTs built. Pinin Farina's experiments eventually crystallised in a new Ferrari 250 GT road car that was first displayed publicly at the Geneva Salon in March 1956. However, the Torinese carrozzeria was not yet in a position to cope with the increased workload, resulting in production being entrusted to Carrozzeria Boano after Pinin Farina had completed a handful of prototypes.
True series production began with the arrival of Pininfarina's 'notchback' Coupé on the 250 GT chassis, some 353 of which were built between 1958 and 1960 within the sequence '0841' to '2081'. However, the relatively small scale of production meant that cars could still be ordered with subtle variations according to customer's choice, as well as enabling a handful of show cars and 'specials' to be constructed on the 250 GT chassis.
A number of important developments occurred during 250 GT production: the original 128C 3.0-litre engine being superseded by the twin-distributor 128D, which in turn was supplanted in 1960 by the outside-plug 128F engine which did away with its predecessor's Siamesed inlets in favour of six separate ports. On the chassis side, four-wheel disc brakes arrived late in 1959 and a four-speeds-plus-overdrive gearbox the following year, the former at last providing the 250 GT with stopping power to match its speed. More refined and practical than any previous road-going Ferrari, yet retaining the sporting heritage of its predecessors, the 250 GT is a landmark model of immense historical significance.
The example offered here, chassis number 1625', left the factory in January 1960 destined for California, USA but was actually delivered to Jacques Swaters' Garage Francorchamps in Belgium. It is a rare 2nd Series example, the most sought after series in the 250 GT Pininfarina coupé range. first owner was Mr Theo de Montpellier, who purchased the car on 4th February 1960, subsequently passing to Mr Louis Galand. The third owner is not known.
According to a registration document on file, fourth owner Mr Jean-Marie Cap acquired the Ferrari on 24th December 1976. From 15th May 1978, the car was owned by Ferrari collector Mr Ennio Gianarolli, who kept it on display as part of his collection but did not register it. The current owner purchased '1625' on 7th February 2005.
In March 2005, the Ferrari was despatched to Carrozzeria Nova Rinascente in Vigonza, Italy to be restored by the internationally renowned Dino Cognolato and his team of specialist craftsmen. The Ferrari received an exemplary restoration of the chassis, body, and all brightwork including the bumpers, front grille, window surrounds, door plates, etc, and the multiple Ferrari and Pininfarina badges.
The mechanical side of the rebuild was entrusted to Corrado Patella's Omega Officina, another recognised specialist in the restoration of Ferrari of road and competition cars. Corrado Patella carried out a full mechanical restoration, which included the engine, carburettors, gearbox, overdrive, axle, suspension, brakes, radiator, etc. The electrical system was overhauled by Elettrauto Franco, which also restored and the refurbished all the dashboard instruments. Luppi of Modena re-trimmed the interior, while the carpets and headlining were renewed by Dino Cognolato. Equipped with new 16" Borrani wire wheels, the fully restored Ferrari left Cognolato's workshop in March 2009, since when it has won the Prix d'Élégance at the Zoute Concours (in 2014). Accompanying documentation consists of the all-important Ferrari Classiche 'Red Book', restoration invoices, and Belgian Carte Grise, and the car also comes with its tool kit and jack.
Lastly, the owner has kindly provided us with his driving impressions: 'Once the driver is comfortably installed behind the Nardi steering wheel, he or she is afforded an unobstructed view of the dashboard in a perfect combination of ergonomics and aesthetics. Once started, the engine emits an evocative yet subdued growl, and is supremely flexible on the road. The clutch is not heavy and the gearbox is a delight, its synchromesh beyond reproach, while the overdrive facilitates fast cruising without having to overtax the engine. Handling is excellent, and the four-wheel disc brakes mean that the limits of the car's performance can be explored safely.'
These many attributes and the presence of a generously sized luggage compartment simply invite one to travel; this Ferrari 250 is not designated a Gran Turismo without good reason. Possessing a rare elegance, this beautiful Pininfarina-style Ferrari will appeal to the connoisseur of aesthetics every bit as much as to the enthusiast driver.
Visibility was reduced this week, and the surge made macro shooting a challenge, but I embraced the workload and came home with some decent slug shots.
Branded for priestley college, we operate 5 services into the college, using F13 and F14 HOW and a mixture of Deckers or coaches depending on the workload for the day.
German postcard by Franz Josef Rüdel, Filmpostkartenverlag, Hamburg. Photo: Mara Eggert.
On 4 October, German actor Günter Lamprecht (1930-2022) passed away in Bonn, Germany. He played many complex character roles in theatre, film and television and had his big breakthrough as Franz Biberkopf in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's monumental television series Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980). Later he became popular as commissioner Franz Markowitz in the Krimi series Tatort (1991-1995). He also appeared in such films as Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1978), Das Boot (1981) and Comedian Harmonists (1997). Lamprecht was 92.
Günter Hans Lamprecht was born in 1930 in Berlin. He was the son of a taxi driver and a cleaning lady. His father was an alcoholic and abused his mother. At the age of 15, Günter was a medic in the final phase of the Second World War in the Battle of Berlin. After the end of the war, he first became an apprentice orthopaedic mechanic (someone who makes prosthesis's). He also trained as an amateur boxer with European Heavyweight Champion Bubi Scholz. In 1953, he began to study acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar and two years later made his debut at Berlin's Schiller Theatre. His first permanent theatre engagement then followed at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, from where he moved to the Theater Oberhausen, where he was engaged from 1959 to 1961. Lamprecht often played roles as 'the common man' in plays, such as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' 'Endstation Sehnsucht' (A Streetcar Named Desire) and John in Gerhard Hauptmann's 'Die Ratten' (The Rats). His first television roles were mostly in adaptations of plays, such as Schwank Der Meisterboxer (1968) alongside Willy and Lucy Millowitsch. He also starred in the TV series Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi (Günter Gräwert, 1973) based on the travel stories by Karl May, and Stellenweise Glatteis/Black ice in places (Wolfgang Petersen, 1975). His first film role was in Das Messer im Rücken/A Knife in the Back (Ottokar Runze, 1975). For his role in the film Das Brot des Bäckers/Baker's Bread (Erwin Keusch, 1976), he worked in a bakery for three weeks to immerse himself in his role. Lamprecht won the Ernst Lubitsch Award for his performance. In Peter Beauvais' film Ruckfalle/Relapses (1977), he played the role of an alcoholic and received a Goldene Kamera for it.
In 1973, filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder cast Günter Lamprecht in his Science-Fiction series Welt am Draht/World on a Wire (1973). Fassbinder gave Lamprecht a leading role in the feature film Die Ehe der Maria Braun/The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979) opposite Hanna Schygulla and then another lead in the TV miniseries Berlin Alexanderplatz (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1980), an acclaimed adaptation of Alfred Döblin's 1929 novel. The latter role, as Franz Biberkopf, marked his big breakthrough as an actor. received much critical praise and international awards. Lamprecht became particularly popular in Germany for his role as the Berlin commissioner Franz Markowitz in the Krimni series Tatort/Crime Scene (1991-1995). This was followed by many roles in films and television series, such as Die große Flatter/The great flutter (Marianne Lüdcke, 1979), as the captain of the supply ship Weser in the epic war film Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981) and as director Erik Charell in Comedian Harmonists/The Harmonists (Joseph Vilsmaier, 1997) about the popular German vocal group the Comedian Harmonists of the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1999, Günter Lamprecht and his partner Claudia Amm were seriously injured after being shot at by 16-year-old Martin Peyerl after a performance in Bad Reichenhall. Four other people were killed in the shooting (three passers-by and his sister), after which the perpetrator committed suicide, bringing the death toll to five. He wrote down his experiences during Hitler's Third Reich in the book 'Und wehmütig bin ich immer noch. Eine Jugend in Berlin' (And Sadly I'm Still: A Youth in Berlin). In 2007, the second part of this autobiography was published: 'Ein höllisches Ding, das Leben' (A Hellish Thing, Life). The title is a quote from Berlin Alexanderplatz. In the constituency where he lived, he devoted himself to charity and the environmental movement. Since 1994, he was a patron of the artist project ARTCORE in Solingen. He was politically active and supported the SPD. Lamprecht worked as an actor into old age, although he limited his filming workload after the turn of the millennium. In 2016, he played the former chief detective Franz Markowitz in the 1000th Tatort episode Taxi nach Leipzig/Taxi to Leipzig (Alexander Adolph, 2016), having already starred in the pilot episode of the same name in 1970. In 2017, he played Reich President Paul von Hindenburg in the first season of the crime series Babylon Berlin (Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, Hendrik Handloegten, 2017). In 2019, he was in front of the camera for the last time for the television film Meeresleuchten/Sea Lights (Wolfgang Panzer, 2021). Günter Lamprecht died in 2022 at the age of 92 in the Bad Godesberg district of his home town of Bonn. Lamprecht was married to actress Gisela Zülch (1967-1997) and then became the partner of actress Claudia Amm, with whom he lived until his death.
Sources: Wikipedia (German, Dutch and English), and IMDb.
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Pasted from Wikipedia: Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey
• • • • •
The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey is a multi-mission, military, tiltrotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft.
The V-22 originated from the U.S. Department of Defense Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental (JVX) aircraft program started in 1981. It was developed jointly by the Bell Helicopter, and Boeing Helicopters team, known as Bell Boeing, which produce the aircraft.[4] The V-22 first flew in 1989, and began years of flight testing and design alterations.
The United States Marine Corps began crew training for the Osprey in 2000, and fielded it in 2007. The Osprey's other operator, the U.S. Air Force fielded their version of the tiltrotor in 2009. Since entering service with the U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force, the Osprey has been deployed for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Contents
•• 1.2 Flight testing and design changes
• 2 Design
• 8 Notable appearances in media
Development
Early development
The failure of the Iran hostage rescue mission in 1980 demonstrated to the United States military a need[5] for "a new type of aircraft, that could not only take off and land vertically but also could carry combat troops, and do so at speed."[6] The U.S. Department of Defense began the Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental (JVX) aircraft program in 1981, under U.S. Army leadership. Later the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps took the lead.[7][8] The JVX combined requirements from the Marine Corps, Air Force, Army and Navy.[9][10] A request for proposals (RFP) was issued in December 1982 for JVX preliminary design work. Interest in the program was expressed by Aérospatiale, Bell Helicopter, Boeing Vertol, Grumman, Lockheed, and Westland. The DoD pushed for contractors to form teams. Bell partnered with Boeing Vertol. The Bell Boeing team submitted a proposal for a enlarged version of the Bell XV-15 prototype on 17 February 1983. This was the only proposal received and a preliminary design contract was awarded on 26 April 1983.[11][12]
The JVX aircraft was designated V-22 Osprey on 15 January 1985; by March that same year the first six prototypes were being produced, and Boeing Vertol was expanded to deal with the project workload.[13][14] Work has been split evenly between Bell and Boeing. Bell Helicopter manufactures and integrates the wing, nacelles, rotors, drive system, tail surfaces, and aft ramp, as well as integrates the Rolls-Royce engines and performs final assembly. Boeing Helicopters manufactures and integrates the fuselage, cockpit, avionics, and flight controls.[4][15] The USMC variant of the Osprey received the MV-22 designation and the Air Force variant received CV-22; reversed from normal procedure to prevent Marine Ospreys from having a conflicting designation with aircraft carriers (CV).[16] Full-scale development of the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft began in 1986.[2] On 3 May 1986 the Bell-Boeing partnership was awarded a $1.714 billion contract for V-22 aircraft by the Navy, thus at this point the project had acquisition plans with all four arms of the U.S. military.[17]
The first V-22 was rolled out with significant media attention in May 1988.[18][19] However the project suffered several political blows. Firstly in the same year, the Army left the program, citing a need to focus its budget on more immediate aviation programs.[20] The project also faced considerable dialogue in the Senate, surviving two votes that both could have resulted in cancellation.[21][22] Despite the Senate's decision, the Department of Defense instructed the Navy not to spend more money on the Osprey.[23] At the same time, the Bush administration sought the cancellation of the project.[23]
Flight testing and design changes
The first of six MV-22 prototypes first flew on 19 March 1989 in the helicopter mode,[24] and on 14 September 1989 as a fixed-wing plane.[25] The third and fourth prototypes successfully completed the Osprey's first Sea Trials on the USS Wasp in December 1990.[26] However, the fourth and fifth prototypes crashed in 1991-92.[27] Flight tests were resumed in August 1993 after changes were incorporated in the prototypes.[2] From October 1992 until April 1993, Bell and Boeing redesigned the V-22 to reduce empty weight, simplify manufacture and reduce production costs. This redesigned version became the B-model.[28]
Flight testing of four full-scale development V-22s began in early 1997 when the first pre-production V-22 was delivered to the Naval Air Warfare Test Center, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The first EMD flight took place on 5 February 1997. The first of four low rate initial production aircraft, ordered on 28 April 1997, was delivered on 27 May 1999. Osprey number 10 completed the program's second Sea Trials, this time from the USS Saipan in January 1999.[2] During external load testing in April 1999, Boeing used a V-22 to lift and transport the M777 howitzer.[29] In 2000, Boeing announced that the V-22 would be fitted with a nose-mounted GAU-19 Gatling gun,[30] but the GAU-19 gun was later canceled.[31]
In 2000, there were two further fatal crashes, killing a total of 19 Marines, and the production was again halted while the cause of these crashes was investigated and various parts were redesigned.[32] The V-22 completed its final operational evaluation in June 2005. The evaluation was deemed successful; events included long range deployments, high altitude, desert and shipboard operations. The problems identified in various accidents had been addressed.[33]
Controversy
The V-22's development process has been long and controversial, partly due to its large cost increases.[34] When the development budget, first planned for $2.5 billion in 1986, increased to a projected $30 billion in 1988, then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney tried to zero out its funding. He was eventually overruled by Congress.[32] As of 2008, $27 billion have been spent on the Osprey program and another $27.2 billion will be required to complete planned production numbers by the end of the program.[2]
The V-22 squadron's former commander at Marine Corps Air Station New River, Lt. Colonel Odin Lieberman, was relieved of duty in 2001 after allegations that he instructed his unit that they needed to falsify maintenance records to make the plane appear more reliable.[2][35] Three officers were later implicated in the falsification scandal.[34]
The aircraft is incapable of autorotation, and is therefore unable to land safely in helicopter mode if both engines fail. A director of the Pentagon's testing office in 2005 said that if the Osprey loses power while flying like a helicopter below 1,600 feet (490 m), emergency landings "are not likely to be survivable". But Captain Justin (Moon) McKinney, a V-22 pilot, says that this will not be a problem, "We can turn it into a plane and glide it down, just like a C-130".[31] A complete loss of power would require the failure of both engines, as a drive shaft connects the nacelles through the wing; one engine can power both proprotors.[36] While vortex ring state (VRS) contributed to a deadly V-22 accident, the aircraft is less susceptible to the condition than conventional helicopters and recovers more quickly.[5] The Marines now train new pilots in the recognition of and recovery from VRS and have instituted operational envelope limits and instrumentation to help pilots avoid VRS conditions.[32][37]
It was planned in 2000 to equip all V-22s with a nose-mounted Gatling gun, to provide "the V-22 with a strong defensive firepower capability to greatly increase the aircraft's survivability in hostile actions."[30] The nose gun project was canceled however, leading to criticism by retired Marine Corps Commandant General James L. Jones, who is not satisfied with the current V-22 armament.[31] A belly-mounted turret was later installed on some of the first V-22s sent to the War in Afghanistan in 2009.[38]
With the first combat deployment of the MV-22 in October 2007, Time Magazine ran an article condemning the aircraft as unsafe, overpriced, and completely inadequate.[31] The Marine Corps, however, responded with the assertion that much of the article's data were dated, obsolete, inaccurate, and reflected expectations that ran too high for any new field of aircraft.[39]
Recent development
On 28 September 2005, the Pentagon formally approved full-rate production for the V-22.[40] The plan is to boost production from 11 a year to between 24 and 48 a year by 2012. Of the 458 total planned, 360 are for the Marine Corps, 48 for the Navy, and 50 for the Air Force at an average cost of $110 million per aircraft, including development costs.[2] The V-22 had an incremental flyaway cost of $70 million per aircraft in 2007,[3] but the Navy hopes to shave about $10 million off that cost after a five-year production contract starts in 2008.[41]
The Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office in Amarillo, Texas will design a new integrated avionics processor to resolve electronics obsolescence issues and add new network capabilities.[42]
Design
The Osprey is the world's first production tiltrotor aircraft, with one three-bladed proprotor, turboprop engine, and transmission nacelle mounted on each wingtip. It is classified as a powered lift aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration.[43] For takeoff and landing, it typically operates as a helicopter with the nacelles vertical (rotors horizontal). Once airborne, the nacelles rotate forward 90° in as little as 12 seconds for horizontal flight, converting the V-22 to a more fuel-efficient, higher-speed turboprop airplane. STOL rolling-takeoff and landing capability is achieved by having the nacelles tilted forward up to 45°. For compact storage and transport, the V-22's wing rotates to align, front-to-back, with the fuselage. The proprotors can also fold in a sequence taking 90 seconds.[44]
Most Osprey missions will use fixed wing flight 75 percent or more of the time, reducing wear and tear on the aircraft and reducing operational costs.[45] This fixed wing flight is higher than typical helicopter missions allowing longer range line-of-sight communications and so improved command and control.[2] Boeing has stated the V-22 design loses 10% of its vertical lift over a Tiltwing design when operating in helicopter mode because of airflow resistance due to the wings, but that the Tiltrotor design has better short takeoff and landing performance.[46]
The V-22 is equipped with a glass cockpit, which incorporates four Multi-function displays (MFDs) and one shared Central Display Unit (CDU), allowing the pilots to display a variety of images including: digimaps centered or decentered on current position, FLIR imagery, primary flight instruments, navigation (TACAN, VOR, ILS, GPS, INS), and system status. The flight director panel of the Cockpit Management System (CMS) allows for fully-coupled (aka: autopilot) functions which will take the aircraft from forward flight into a 50-foot hover with no pilot interaction other than programming the system.[47] The glass cockpit of the canceled CH-46X was derived from the V-22.[48]
The V-22 is a fly-by-wire aircraft with triple-redundant flight control systems.[49] With the nacelles pointing straight up in conversion mode at 90° the flight computers command the aircraft to fly like a helicopter, with cyclic forces being applied to a conventional swashplate at the rotor hub. With the nacelles in airplane mode (0°) the flaperons, rudder, and elevator fly the aircraft like an airplane. This is a gradual transition and occurs over the rotation range of the nacelles. The lower the nacelles, the greater effect of the airplane-mode control surfaces.[50] The nacelles can rotate past vertical to 97.5° for rearward flight.[51][52]
The Osprey can be armed with one M240 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 in caliber) or M2 .50 in caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun on the loading ramp, that can be fired rearward when the ramp is lowered. A GAU-19 three-barrel .50 in gatling gun mounted below the V-22's nose has also been studied for future upgrade.[31][53] BAE Systems developed a remotely operated turreted weapons system for the V-22,[54] which was installed on half of the first V-22s deployed to Afghanistan in 2009.[38] The 7.62 mm belly gun turret is remotely operated by a gunner inside the aircraft, who acquires targets with a separate pod using color television and forward looking infrared imagery.
U.S. Naval Air Systems Command is working on upgrades to increase the maximum speed from 250 knots (460 km/h; 290 mph) to 270 knots (500 km/h; 310 mph), increase helicopter mode altitude limit from 10,000 feet (3,000 m) to 12,000 feet (3,700 m) or 14,000 feet (4,300 m), and increase lift performance.[55]
Operational history
US Marine Corps
Marine Corps crew training on the Osprey has been conducted by VMMT-204 since March 2000. On 3 June 2005, the Marine Corps helicopter squadron Marine Medium Helicopter 263 (HMM-263), stood down to begin the process of transitioning to the MV-22 Osprey.[56] On 8 December 2005, Lieutenant General Amos, commander of the II MEF, accepted the delivery of the first fleet of MV-22s, delivered to HMM-263. The unit reactivated on 3 March 2006 as the first MV-22 squadron and was redesignated VMM-263. On 31 August 2006, VMM-162 (the former HMM-162) followed suit. On 23 March 2007, HMM-266 became Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 (VMM-266) at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina.[57]
The Osprey has been replacing existing CH-46 Sea Knight squadrons.[58] The MV-22 reached initial operational capability (IOC) with the U.S. Marine Corps on 13 June 2007.[1] On 10 July 2007 an MV-22 Osprey landed aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the first time a V-22 had landed on any non-U.S. vessel.[59]
On 13 April 2007, the U.S. Marine Corps announced that it would be sending ten V-22 aircraft to Iraq, the Osprey's first combat deployment. Marine Corps Commandant, General James Conway, indicated that over 150 Marines would accompany the Osprey set for September deployment to Al-Asad Airfield.[60][61] On 17 September 2007, ten MV-22Bs of VMM-263 left for Iraq aboard the USS Wasp. The decision to use a ship rather than use the Osprey's self-deployment capability was made because of concerns over icing during the North Atlantic portion of the trip, lack of available KC-130s for mid-air refueling, and the availability of the USS Wasp.[62]
The Osprey has provided support in Iraq, racking up some 2,000 flight hours over three months with a mission capable availability rate of 68.1% as of late-January 2008.[63] They are primarily used in Iraq's western Anbar province for routine cargo and troop movements, and also for riskier "aero-scout" missions. General David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, used one to fly around Iraq on Christmas Day 2007 to visit troops.[64] Then-presidential candidate Barack Obama also flew in Ospreys during his high profile 2008 tour of Iraq.[65]
The only major problem has been obtaining the necessary spare parts to maintain the aircraft.[66] The V-22 had flown 3,000 sorties totaling 5,200 hours in Iraq as of July 2008.[67] USMC leadership expect to deploy MV-22s to Afghanistan in 2009.[66][68] General George J. Trautman, III praised the increased range of the V-22 over the legacy helicopters in Iraq and said that "it turned his battle space from the size of Texas into the size of Rhode Island."[69]
Naval Air Systems Command has devised a temporary fix for sailors to place portable heat shields under Osprey engines to prevent damage to the decks of some of the Navy's smaller amphibious ships, but they determined that a long term solution to the problem would require these decks be redesigned with heat resistant deck coatings, passive thermal barriers and changes in ship structure in order to operate V-22s and F-35Bs.[70]
A Government Accountability Office study reported that by January 2009 the Marines had 12 MV-22s operating in Iraq and they managed to successfully complete all assigned missions. The same report found that the V-22 deployments had mission capable rates averaging 57% to 68% and an overall full mission capable rate of only 6%. It also stated that the aircraft had shown weakness in situational awareness, maintenance, shipboard operations and the ability to transport troops and external cargo.[71] That study also concluded that the "deployments confirmed that the V-22’s enhanced speed and range enable personnel and internal cargo to be transported faster and farther than is possible with the legacy helicopters it is replacing".[71]
The MV-22 saw its first offensive combat mission, Operation Cobra's Anger on 4 December 2009. Ospreys assisted in inserting 1,000 Marines and 150 Afghan troops into the Now Zad Valley of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan to disrupt communication and supply lines of the Taliban.[38] In January 2010 the MV-22 Osprey is being sent to Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response relief efforts after the earthquake there. This will be the first use the Marine V-22 in a humanitarian mission.[72]
US Air Force
The Air Force's first operational CV-22 Osprey was delivered to the 58th Special Operations Wing (58th SOW) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico on 20 March 2006. This and subsequent aircraft will become part of the 58th SOW's fleet of aircraft used for training pilots and crew members for special operations use.[73] On 16 November 2006, the Air Force officially accepted the CV-22 in a ceremony conducted at Hurlburt Field, Florida.[74]
The US Air Force's first operational deployment of the Osprey sent four CV-22s to Mali in November 2008 in support of Exercise Flintlock. The CV-22s flew nonstop from Hurlburt Field, Florida with in-flight refueling.[5] AFSOC declared that the 8th Special Operations Squadron reached Initial Operational Capability on 16 March 2009, with six of its planned nine CV-22s operational.[75]
In June 2009, CV-22s of the 8th Special Operations Squadron delivered 43,000 pounds (20,000 kg) of humanitarian supplies to remote villages in Honduras that were not accessible by conventional vehicles.[76] In November 2009, the 8th SO Squadron and its six CV-22s returned from a three-month deployment in Iraq.[77]
The first possible combat loss of an Osprey occurred on 9 April, 2010, as a CV-22 went down near Qalat, Zabul Province, Afghanistan, killing four.[78][79]
Potential operators
In 1999 the V-22 was studied for use in the United Kingdom's Royal Navy,[80] it has been raised several times as a candidate for the role of Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC).[81]
Israel had shown interest in the purchase of MV-22s, but no order was placed.[82][83] Flightglobal reported in late 2009 that Israel has decided to wait for the CH-53K instead.[84]
The V-22 Osprey is a candidate for the Norwegian All Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) that is planned to replace the Westland Sea King Mk.43B of the Royal Norwegian Air Force in 2015.[85] The other candidates for the NAWSARH contract of 10-12 helicopters are AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin, Eurocopter EC225, NHIndustries NH90 and Sikorsky S-92.[86]
Bell Boeing has made an unsolicited offer of the V-22 for US Army medical evacuation needs.[87] However the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency issued a report that said that a common helicopter design would be needed for both combat recovery and medical evacuation and that the V-22 would not be suitable for recovery missions because of the difficulty of hoist operations and lack of self-defense capabilities.[88]
The US Navy remains a potential user of the V-22, but its role and mission with the Navy remains unclear. The latest proposal is to replace the C-2 Greyhound with the V-22 in the fleet logistics role. The V-22 would have the advantage of being able to land on and support non-carriers with rapid delivery of supplies and people between the ships of a taskforce or to ships on patrol beyond helicopter range.[89] Loren B. Thompson of the Lexington Institute has suggested V-22s for use in combat search and rescue and Marine One VIP transport, which also need replacement aircraft.[90]
Variants
• V-22A
•• Pre-production full-scale development aircraft used for flight testing. These are unofficially considered A-variants after 1993 redesign.[91]
• HV-22
•• The U.S. Navy considered an HV-22 to provide combat search and rescue, delivery and retrieval of special warfare teams along with fleet logistic support transport. However, it chose the MH-60S for this role in 1992.[92]
• SV-22
•• The proposed anti-submarine warfare Navy variant. The Navy studied the SV-22 in the 1980s to replace S-3 and SH-2 aircraft.[93]
• MV-22B
•• Basic U.S. Marine Corps transport; original requirement for 552 (now 360). The Marine Corps is the lead service in the development of the V-22 Osprey. The Marine Corps variant, the MV-22B, is an assault transport for troops, equipment and supplies, capable of operating from ships or from expeditionary airfields ashore. It is replacing the Marine Corps' CH-46E[57] and CH-53D.[94]
• CV-22B
•• Air Force variant for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). It will conduct long-range, special operations missions, and is equipped with extra fuel tanks and terrain-following radar.[95][96]
Operators
•• 8th Special Operations Squadron (8 SOS) at Hurlburt Field, Florida
•• 71st Special Operations Squadron (71 SOS) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico
•• 20th Special Operations Squadron (20 SOS) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico
•• VMM-161
•• VMM-162
•• VMM-261
•• VMM-263
•• VMM-264
•• VMM-266
•• VMM-365
•• VMMT-204 - Training squadron
•• VMX-22 - Marine Tiltrotor Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron
Notable accidents
Main article: Accidents and incidents involving the V-22 Osprey
From 1991 to 2000 there were four significant crashes, and a total of 30 fatalities, during testing.[32] Since becoming operational in 2007, the V-22 has had one possible combat loss due to an unknown cause, no losses due to accidents, and seven other notable, but minor, incidents.
• On 11 June 1991, a mis-wired flight control system led to two minor injuries when the left nacelle struck the ground while the aircraft was hovering 15 feet (4.6 m) in the air, causing it to bounce and catch fire.[97]
• On 20 July 1992, a leaking gearbox led to a fire in the right nacelle, causing the aircraft to drop into the Potomac River in front of an audience of Congressmen and other government officials at Quantico, killing all seven on board and grounding the aircraft for 11 months.[98]
• On 8 April 2000, a V-22 loaded with Marines to simulate a rescue, attempted to land at Marana Northwest Regional Airport in Arizona, stalled when its right rotor entered vortex ring state, rolled over, crashed, and exploded, killing all 19 on board.[37]
• On 11 December 2000, after a catastrophic hydraulic leak and subsequent software instrument failure, a V-22 fell 1,600 feet (490 m) into a forest in Jacksonville, North Carolina, killing all four aboard. This caused the Marine Corps to ground their fleet of eight V-22s, the second grounding that year.[99][100]
Specifications (MV-22B)
Data from Boeing Integrated Defense Systems,[101] Naval Air Systems Command,[102] US Air Force CV-22 fact sheet,[95] Norton,[103] and Bell[104]
General characteristics
• Crew: Four (pilot, copilot and two flight engineers)
• Capacity: 24 troops (seated), 32 troops (floor loaded) or up to 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) of cargo (dual hook)
• Length: 57 ft 4 in (17.5 m)
• Rotor diameter: 38 ft 0 in (11.6 m)
• Wingspan: 45 ft 10 in (14 m)
• Width with rotors: 84 ft 7 in (25.8 m)
• Height: 22 ft 1 in/6.73 m; overall with nacelles vertical (17 ft 11 in/5.5 m; at top of tailfins)
• Disc area: 2,268 ft² (212 m²)
• Wing area: 301.4 ft² (28 m²)
• Empty weight: 33,140 lb (15,032 kg)
• Loaded weight: 47,500 lb (21,500 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 60,500 lb (27,400 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Allison T406/AE 1107C-Liberty turboshafts, 6,150 hp (4,590 kW) each
Performance
• Maximum speed: 250 knots (460 km/h, 290 mph) at sea level / 305 kn (565 km/h; 351 mph) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)[105]
• Cruise speed: 241 knots (277 mph, 446 km/h) at sea level
• Range: 879 nmi (1,011 mi, 1,627 km)
• Combat radius: 370 nmi (426 mi, 685 km)
• Ferry range: 1,940 nmi (with auxiliary internal fuel tanks)
• Service ceiling: 26,000 ft (7,925 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,320 ft/min (11.8 m/s)
• Disc loading: 20.9 lb/ft² at 47,500 lb GW (102.23 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.259 hp/lb (427 W/kg)
Armament
• 1× M240 machine gun on ramp, optional
Notable appearances in media
Main article: Aircraft in fiction#V-22 Osprey
See also
• Elizabeth A. Okoreeh-Baah, USMC - first female to pilot a V-22 Osprey
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
• List of military aircraft of the United States
References
Bibliography
• Markman, Steve and Bill Holder. "Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey Tilt-Engine VTOL Transport (U.S.A.)". Straight Up: A History of Vertical Flight. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7643-1204-9.
• Norton, Bill. Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, Tiltrotor Tactical Transport. Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-165-2.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: V-22 Osprey
• V-22 Osprey web, and www.history.navy.mil/planes/v-22.html
• CV-22 fact sheet on USAF site
• www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/v-22.htm
• www.airforce-technology.com/projects/osprey/
• "Flight of the Osprey", US Navy video of V-22 operations
German postcard by Franz Josef Rüdel, Filmpostkartenverlag, Hamburg. Photo: SFB / Michael Haring. Günter Lamprecht as commissioner Franz Markowitz in Tatort (1991-1995).
On 4 October, German actor Günter Lamprecht (1930-2022) passed away in Bonn, Germany. He played many complex character roles in theatre, film and television and had his big breakthrough as Franz Biberkopf in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's monumental television series Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980). Later he became popular as commissioner Franz Markowitz in the Krimi series Tatort (1991-1995). He also appeared in such films as Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1978), Das Boot (1981) and Comedian Harmonists (1997). Lamprecht was 92.
Günter Hans Lamprecht was born in 1930 in Berlin. He was the son of a taxi driver and a cleaning lady. His father was an alcoholic and abused his mother. At the age of 15, Günter was a medic in the final phase of the Second World War in the Battle of Berlin. After the end of the war, he first became an apprentice orthopaedic mechanic (someone who makes prosthesis's). He also trained as an amateur boxer with European Heavyweight Champion Bubi Scholz. In 1953, he began to study acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar and two years later made his debut at Berlin's Schiller Theatre. His first permanent theatre engagement then followed at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, from where he moved to the Theater Oberhausen, where he was engaged from 1959 to 1961. Lamprecht often played roles as 'the common man' in plays, such as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' 'Endstation Sehnsucht' (A Streetcar Named Desire) and John in Gerhard Hauptmann's 'Die Ratten' (The Rats). His first television roles were mostly in adaptations of plays, such as Schwank Der Meisterboxer (1968) alongside Willy and Lucy Millowitsch. He also starred in the TV series Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi (Günter Gräwert, 1973) based on the travel stories by Karl May, and Stellenweise Glatteis/Black ice in places (Wolfgang Petersen, 1975). His first film role was in Das Messer im Rücken/A Knife in the Back (Ottokar Runze, 1975). For his role in the film Das Brot des Bäckers/Baker's Bread (Erwin Keusch, 1976), he worked in a bakery for three weeks to immerse himself in his role. Lamprecht won the Ernst Lubitsch Award for his performance. In Peter Beauvais' film Ruckfalle/Relapses (1977), he played the role of an alcoholic and received a Goldene Kamera for it.
In 1973, filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder cast Günter Lamprecht in his Science-Fiction series Welt am Draht/World on a Wire (1973). Fassbinder gave Lamprecht a leading role in the feature film Die Ehe der Maria Braun/The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979) opposite Hanna Schygulla and then another lead in the TV miniseries Berlin Alexanderplatz (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1980), an acclaimed adaptation of Alfred Döblin's 1929 novel. The latter role, as Franz Biberkopf, marked his big breakthrough as an actor. received much critical praise and international awards. Lamprecht became particularly popular in Germany for his role of the Berlin commissioner Franz Markowitz in the Krimni series Tatort/Crime Scene (1991-1995). This was followed by many roles in films and television series, such as Die große Flatter/The great flutter (Marianne Lüdcke, 1979), as the captain of the supply ship Weser in the epic war film Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981) and as director Erik Charell in Comedian Harmonists/The Harmonists (Joseph Vilsmaier, 1997) about the popular German vocal group the Comedian Harmonists of the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1999, Günter Lamprecht and his partner Claudia Amm were seriously injured after being shot at by 16-year-old Martin Peyerl after a performance in Bad Reichenhall. Four other people were killed in the shooting (three passers-by and his sister), after which the perpetrator committed suicide, bringing the death toll to five. He wrote down his experiences during Hitler's Third Reich in the book 'Und wehmütig bin ich immer noch. Eine Jugend in Berlin' (And Sadly I'm Still: A Youth in Berlin). In 2007, the second part of this autobiography was published: 'Ein höllisches Ding, das Leben' (A Hellish Thing, Life). The title is a quote from Berlin Alexanderplatz. In the constituency where he lived, he devoted himself to charity and the environmental movement. Since 1994, he was patron of the artist project ARTCORE in Solingen. He was politically active and supported the SPD. Lamprecht worked as an actor into old age, although he limited his filming workload after the turn of the millennium. In 2016, he played the former chief detective Franz Markowitz in the 1000th Tatort episode Taxi nach Leipzig/Taxi to Leipzig (Alexander Adolph, 2016), having already starred in the pilot episode of the same name in 1970. In 2017, he played Reich President Paul von Hindenburg in the first season of the crime series Babylon Berlin (Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, Hendrik Handloegten, 2017). In 2019, he was in front of the camera for the last time for the television film Meeresleuchten/Sea Lights (Wolfgang Panzer, 2021). Günter Lamprecht died in 2022 at the age of 92 in the Bad Godesberg district of his home town of Bonn. Lamprecht was married to actress Gisela Zülch (1967-1997) and then became the partner of actress Claudia Amm, with whom he lived until his death.
Sources: Wikipedia (German, Dutch and English), and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Chassis n° 2071GT
Engine n° 2071GT
Bonhams : the Zoute Sale
Estimated : € 1.200.000 - 1.600.000
Zoute Grand Prix 2019
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2019
By the early 1960s, road car production had ceased to be a sideline for Ferrari and was seen as vitally important to the company's future stability. Thus the 250, Ferrari's first volume-produced model, can be seen as critically important, though production of the first of the line - the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to '54 - amounted to fewer than 20. Before the advent of the Europa, Ferrari had built road-going coupés and convertibles in small numbers, usually to special customer order using a sports-racing chassis as the basis. Ghia and Vignale of Turin and Touring of Milan were responsible for bodying many of these but there was no attempt at standardisation for series production and no two cars were alike.
The introduction of the 250 Europa heralded a significant change in Ferrari's preferred coachbuilder; whereas previously Vignale had been the most popular carrozzeria among Maranello's customers, from now on Pinin Farina (later 'Pininfarina') would be Ferrari's number one choice, bodying no fewer than 48 out of the 53 Europa/Europa GTs built. Pinin Farina's experiments eventually crystallised in a new Ferrari 250 GT road car that was first displayed publicly at the Geneva Salon in March 1956. However, the Torinese Carrozzeria was not yet in a position to cope with the increased workload, resulting in production being entrusted to Carrozzeria Boano after Pinin Farina had completed a handful of prototypes.
The 250 GT featured the lighter and more compact Colombo-designed 3.0-litre V12 in place of its predecessor's bulkier Lampredi unit. Power output of the single-overhead-camshaft all-aluminium engine was 220bhp at 7,000rpm. Shorter in the wheelbase (by 200mm) than that of the Europa, the 250 GT chassis followed Ferrari's established practice, being a multi-tubular frame tied together by oval main tubes, though the independent front suspension now employed coil springs instead of the previous transverse leaf type. A four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox transmitted power to the live rear axle, while braking was looked after by hydraulic drums all round.
True series production began with the arrival of Pininfarina's 'notch back' Coupé on the 250 GT chassis, some 353 of which were built between 1958 and 1960 within the sequence '0841' to '2081'. However, the relatively small scale of production meant that cars could still be ordered with subtle variations according to customer choice, as well as enabling a handful of show cars and 'specials' to be constructed on the 250 GT chassis.
A number of prominent European coachbuilders offered a variety of body styles on the 250 GT chassis, with Scaglietti and Pininfarina producing elegant open-top spyder and cabriolet models. Exhibited at the 1957 Geneva Salon, the latter's first 250 GT Cabriolet, which, unusually, featured a Vintage-style cut-down driver's door, was snapped up by Ferrari works driver Peter Collins, who later had the car converted to disc brakes. After a handful of alternative versions had been built, series production began in July 1957, around 40 Series I Pininfarina Cabriolets being completed before the introduction of the Series II in 1959. Effectively an open-top version of the Pininfarina-built 250 GT Coupé, whose chassis and mechanicals it shared, the Cabriolet was built alongside its closed cousin until 1962. Overall design followed that of the Coupé, with short nose and long rear overhang, while a more-vertical windscreen provided greater headroom in the generously sized cockpit. As well as the aforementioned improvements to brakes and transmission, the Series II cars benefited from the latest, 240bhp V12 with outside sparkplugs, coil valve springs, and 12-port cylinder heads. The 250 GT was the most successful Ferrari of its time, production of all types exceeding 900 units, of which 200 were Series II Cabriolets like that offered here.
A number of important developments occurred during 250 GT production: the original 128C 3.0-litre engine being superseded by the twin-distributor 128D, which in turn was supplanted in 1960 by the outside-plug 128F engine which did away with its predecessor's Siamesed inlets in favour of six separate ports. On the chassis side, four-wheel disc brakes arrived late in 1959 and a four-speeds-plus-overdrive gearbox the following year, the former at last providing the 250 GT with stopping power to match its speed. More refined and practical than any previous road-going Ferrari, yet retaining the sporting heritage of its predecessors, the 250 GT is a landmark model of immense historical significance. Despite this, original survivors are relatively few, as many have been modified and converted into replicas of more exotic Ferraris such as the 250 GTO, Testarossa, etc.
According to the accompanying Massini Report, chassis number '2071' is the 66th of the 200 units built, and as a Series II car has the added advantage of disc brakes all round. Originally finished in the handsome combination of Grigio Argento with Nero interior, the Ferrari was sold new in 1960 via Jacques Swaters' Garage Francorchamps, the official Ferrari importer for Belgium, to its first owner, Jean Blaton. A wealthy Belgian industrialist, Ferrari aficionado and gentleman racing driver, who raced under the name 'Beurlys', Jean Blaton had an excellent taste and was a personal friend of Jacques Swaters, from whom he bought numerous Ferraris over the years.
Blaton is best remembered for his daring exploits in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in which he drove a succession of Ferraris over a 10-year period between 1958 and 1967, finishing on the podium on nearly every outing. On many occasions he drove his own Ferraris, including a 250 GT MM, 250 GT Testarossa, 250 GT LWB Tour de France, 250 GT SWB, 250 GTO, 250 LM, and 330 P3/P4. He secured his best result at Le Mans in 1963 when he finished 2nd overall with co-driver Langlois van Ophen at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 GTO, winning the GT Class for Swaters' racing team, Écurie Francorchamps.
Jean Blaton was also a friend of Enzo Ferrari, who was only too happy to accommodate his highly regarded customer's special requests. In the case of his 250 GT Cabriolet, Blaton specified that the car should have large side vents in the front wings, similar to those of the Series III 410 Superamerica, which were incorporated by Pinin Farina on Mr Ferrari's instruction. These vents not only make the car appear more sporting, they also serve to break up its lengthy flanks to good effect. Blaton's car, with its special features, was prominently displayed in Ferrari's 1960 yearbook.
In 1964, Blaton sold '2071' to Luigi Chinetti, another gentleman racing driver and sole importer of Ferraris into the USA. The car was then sold to a Mr Gilbertson from Vista, California. Following Mr Gilbertson's death, the Ferrari was acquired from his widow in 1978 by Mr Ken Gerber of San Diego, California, who kept it for the next 32 years. A member of the Ferrari Owners' Club, Mr Gerber enjoyed the car throughout the 1980s, attending various events.
During Mr Gerber's ownership (in 1992-1994) a fastidious restoration was carried out, the precision machining work on the engine and mechanical systems being entrusted to recognised specialist Bob Wallace of Phoenix, Arizona. Original parts were retained wherever possible and the few that were not saveable were either replaced with originals or perfect reproductions. The car was refinished in Rosso Rubino and completed in time for the 1994 International Ferrari Concours in Monterey.
Ken Gerber sold the Ferrari in 2010 and the following year the car moved to the UK having been bought by DK Engineering. The car was sold to Belgium in 2012, since when it has belonged to the current lady owner. Carrying the very suitable registration, '250 – GTS', the car has been enjoyed by its owner on numerous occasions and at prestigious events including the Zoute Rally. Now presented in excellent condition after recent cosmetic re-commissioning, it affords the prospect of comfortable open-top cruising in unparalleled style. Possessing links to Belgian and excellent provenance, this unique Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet is worthy of the closest inspection.
deVries - ALBERTA
Universal Carrier with mixer workload body.
Camion Universal carrier équipé avec bétonnière.
Photo: Murray Markanen
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Latvian Air Force was first founded during the Latvian War of Independence in 1919. In 1939, the Aviation Regiment consisted of three fighter squadrons, armed with 24 Gloster Gladiator and 6 Bristol Bulldog (a fourth squadron was in organization), three reconnaissance squadrons, armed with up to 12 Letov Š-16LS, 2 Hawker Hind and 10 Stampe SV.5, and a naval reconnaissance squadron with 4 Fairey Seal and two other planes. The Soviet occupation in 1940 ended the activities of the Air Force. At that time there were almost 130 aircraft in service.
The post-Soviet Latvian Air Force was formed on 24 February 1992 at Spilve Airport. In August 1994, the air force moved to an ex-soviet Lielvārde Air Base. In the beginning of the new century two new and more heavy Mi-8MTV Hip helicopters were bought for search and rescue equipment duties, but they were also used for transportation of troops, evacuation and support of the Special Forces. In March 2004 Latvia joined NATO and the Ministry of Defense made the decision to improve the small country’s air defense with a dedicated fighter squadron. The country also bought two more Mi-8MTV's at the Russian Ulan Ude helicopter (rework) factory that year, augmenting the SAR fleet.
In 2005, soldiers of the Air Force Air Defense Wing started a training course in order to prepare an upgraded air defense. At the same time, the Latvian Air Force commenced the modernization of the surface air defense capabilities by signing a contract regarding procurement of RBS-70 manpads missiles from Sweden and negotiated the purchase or leasing of 2nd hand Saab JAS 39 Gripen. Coming from a neutral country, the Gripen was the LAF’s wish candidate for the new interceptor aircraft, but eventually Latvia could be convinced (primarily through the USA and with generous financial support thorugh the “Baltic Peace II” program) to buy eight F-5E fighters and two F-5F trainers with relatively low flying hours and in good overall condition from Switzerland. Besides the financial support, the type’s ruggedness and relatively low maintenance costs led to this choice.
The Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II itself was part of a highly successful supersonic light fighter family, initially designed in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. Being smaller and simpler than contemporaries such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, the F-5 cost less to both procure and operate, making it a popular export aircraft. The F-5 started life as a privately funded light fighter program by Northrop in the 1950s. The design team wrapped a small, highly aerodynamic fighter around two compact and high-thrust General Electric J85 engines, focusing on performance and low cost of maintenance. Though primarily designed for the day air superiority role, the aircraft was also a capable ground-attack platform.
After winning the International Fighter Aircraft competition in 1970, a program aimed at providing effective low-cost fighters to American allies, Northrop introduced the second-generation F-5E Tiger II in 1972. This upgrade included more powerful engines, higher fuel capacity, greater wing area and improved leading edge extensions for a better turn rate, optional air-to-air refueling, and improved avionics including air-to-air radar. A total of 1,400 Tiger IIs were built before production ended in 1987, and the type is still in operational use in many countries round the world.
The Swiss F-5E airframes for Latvia were overhauled and the avionics suite modernized in 2006 and 2007 by SAI in Italy. Elbit Systems from Israel became the sub-contractor responsible for systems integration. Upgrades for the fighters included an Italian FIAR Grifo-F X band multi-mode radar with BVR (beyond-visual-range) missile and Look-down/shoot-down capabilities, making the modernized F-5E capable of deploying AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, which were, together with AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs, part of the Baltic Peace II support for Latvia. The new radar necessitated an enlarged radome for its scanner antenna, resulting in a duckbill shape. The fighters’ port side M39 20 mm cannon was removed to make way for the additional avionics.
All machines received a revamped cockpit with new MIL-STD-1553R databuses, a GEC/Ferranti 4510 Head-up display/weapons delivery system, two BAE Systems MED-2067 Multi-function displays, Litton LN-93 inertial navigation system and Hands On Throttle-And-Stick controls (HOTAS) to reduce pilot workload. Reportedly, the Elisra SPS2000 radar warning receiver and countermeasure system was also installed.
The modernization process was completed by early 2007 and the machines were re-designated F-5L/M. By late 2007, the Latvian air defense had become operational and worked closely together with its Baltic neighbors and the NATO forces that were frequently deployed to the Baltic NATO countries.
The small Latvian F-5 fleet is expected to remain in service until 2024, even tough, if there is sufficient funding, the machines will certainly be replaced beforehand by more capable models. The Saab Gripen is still a favored candidate, but F-16C/Ds from USAF stocks are a potential option, too.
By end of 2009, the LAF’s Fighter Squadron moved to Lielvārde Air Base, in an attempt to ensure centralization of Air Force units and to establish an efficient command and control system, which will result in a reduction of the Air Force units’ maintenance costs. With the Fighter Squadron the Air Force carries out Latvian airspace surveillance, control and defense and provides air defense support to the Land Forces units.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 47 ft 4¾ in (14.45 m)
Wingspan: 26 ft 8 in (8.13 m)
Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4.08 m)
Wing area: 186 ft² (17.28 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 65A004.8 root, NACA 64A004.8 tip
Empty weight: 9,558 lb (4,349 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,745 lb (7,157 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 24,722 lb (11,214 kg)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.02
Drag area: 3.4 ft² (0.32 m²)
Aspect ratio: 3.82
Internal fuel: 677 U.S. gal (2,563 L)
External fuel: up to 3× 275 U.S. gal (1,040 L) drop tanks
Powerplant:
2× General Electric J85-GE-21B turbojet with 3,500 lbf (15.5 kN) dry thrust
and 5,000 lbf (22.2 kN) thrust with afterburner each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 917 kn (Mach 1.6, 1,060 mph, 1,700 km/h) at altitude
Range: 760 nmi (870 mi, 1,405 km)
Ferry range: 2,010 nmi (2,310 mi, 3,700 km)
Service ceiling: 51,800 ft (15,800 m)
Rate of climb: 34,400 ft/min (175 m/s)
Lift-to-drag ratio: 10.0
Armament:
1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M39A2 Revolver cannon in the nose with 280 rounds
7 hardpoints (2× wing-tip AAM launch rails, 4× under-wing & 1× under-fuselage pylon stations,
only pylon stations 3, 4 and 5 are wet-plumbed) with a capacity of 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg)
The kit and its assembly:
A relatively simple build, originally inspired by a Blue Rider decal sheet for Latvian Air Force aircraft that I had bought some time ago, as part of a vague plan to build a modern what-if aircraft for each of the young and small Baltic states’ air forces. The first one had been a Lithuanian MiG-21, Estonia is still pending (even though there’s a vague idea), and the Lithuanian interceptor was recently spawned when I bought an Italeri F-5E as part of a kit lot, even though it lacked box, decals and instructions and had a slight damage.
The Tiger II was built mostly OOB, the only changes I made are replaced wing tip launch rails (they were damaged beyond repair), I omitted port side cannon and created a modified “shark nose” radome, which was sculpted with putty; in real life, the enlarged radome for the upgraded radar is 33cm deeper than the original F-5E radome, even though the aircraft’s overall length remained the same, as well as the nose profile. In order to make the model look a little less static I slightly lowered the slats and the flaps – easy to realize on this model. The leftover cannon received a better barrel, made from a hollow steel needle. The pair of AIM-120s and their respective launch rails come from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set. The ventral drop tank came from the kit.
The Italeri F-5E is a simple affair and goes together well, even though the section ahead of the air intakes called for considerable PSR work – not certain if that’s my fault or an innate flaw of the kit (which comes with an upper and lower fuselage half)? The raised panel lines are another weak point – the kit cannot conceal its age, and there are certainly better options today (e .g. from Hobby Boss).
Painting and markings:
I wanted something that would neither look too Western, nor a typical Soviet-style livery. The resulting paint scheme is purely fictional and was inspired by a grey North Korean MiG-21 and USAF aggressor schemes for F-5Es – both reminiscent of the Soviet “Pumpkin” paint scheme for export MiG-21s. For the choice of colors, the complex “Norm 81” scheme from German Luftwaffe F-4Fs had an influence.
The result became a primarily grey air superiority scheme with uniform light grey undersides (FS 36495, Humbrol 147) and light Ghost Grey (FS 36375, Humbrol 127) fuselage and fin. The wings’ upper surfaces became mostly Dark Gull Grey (FS 36231, Testors 1740) and patches of the same tone were applied to the fuselage and the fin, too. On the wings’ upper surfaces, some patches in a dull, greenish grey (Humbrol 111, Uniform Grey) were finally added in order to break the aircraft’s outlines from above. The result somewhat reminds of German WWII camouflage, even though unintentionally.
The radome was painted in Revell 75 (Light Grey, with a brownish hue) to set it apart from the rest of the aircraft. Humbrol 140 was used for the cockpit interior. The landing gear became classic glossy white, while the air intake interior was painted in Humbrol 127, matching the aircraft’s flanks. Only subtle post-shading and weathering was done.
As mentioned above, the Latvian air force markings came from a Blue Rider decal sheet. The tactical codes and the matching serial number come from a Begemot MiG-21sheet. Other fictional elements are the NATO emblem on the fin and a small squadron emblem on the nose, which is a vintage Polish air force motif.
Most stencils had to be salvaged from secondary sources, since the kit came without a decal sheet. Fortunately, I had a spare F-5E sheet left over from a Hobby Boss kit. As a final step, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).
A rather simple project, but re-sculpting the nose was a tedious task. However, I am happy with the outcome and how the fictional paint scheme works. Together with the exotic Latvian roundels, this creates an interesting, if not plausible, look.
07/03/15 saw the return of EYMS summer service 120 linking Scarborough and Bridlington and the holiday camps in between. As has been the case for the past three years, the service is being covered by E400-bodied B9TLs. All five of the type owned by the company have been transferred to Scarborough from their winter base of Hull for this purpose. Until the end of the 2013 season, the workload was split with Bridlington depot, however 2014 saw Scarborough take on all four duties.
Today saw at least two Geminis on the route, one of which was YX08FXB (740), caught here at the 'top' of Reighton village on the 11:05 ex Scarborough. Though 740 and 741 retain branding for the 128, it is only a three bus requirement, and it seems that they are no longer necessarily first choice given that Scarborough were allocated the slightly newer 762 and 763 when Driffield closed.
Taking POTD has been a bit challenging this week due to workload, so I have done what I can when I can.
copyright © Mim Eisenberg/mimbrava studio. All rights reserved.
Even though this insect is apparently less aggressive than yellowjackets, with my mortal allergy to bee stings, I am glad that I found this European hornet dead on the floor of my breakfast room. The species Vespa crabro was introduced to New York in the mid-1800s.
"Well established in the Northeast, they may be expanding their range to the Northwest and South. Up to an inch long (18-25mm), they are much larger than jellowjackets. Average nests hold 200-400 workers and are built in hollow trees and other cavities. Workers are active day and night and may be attracted to lights at night. They prey on a variety of insects, sometimes raiding beehives to rob honey." Source: Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America by Eric R. Eaton and Kenn Kaufman, p. 356.
Thank you for visiting. I'll do my best to return the favor today, but a ridiculous workload is still calling me away from Flickr again. I hope you don't give up on me.
See my shots on flickriver:
www.flickrriver.com/photos/mimbrava/
Today is Lucy's (mslume's) birthday. Please drop by to wish her all the best.
Please join us on Super Eco and enter our May photo contest, “Macro May”. The contest ends May 31st.
Explore page.
Bear with me as I work my way through my workload and to the time I can visit and comment and reciprocate. Thank you for your patience with me.
Thank you, Flickr friends. This photo has hit 500+ views and 50+ faves in less than a day. Wow.
Edit: 780/65 in two days. Thanks!
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Hartlepool North Sands
In the 1930s, industrial works alongside this part of the coastline, extracted magnesia (magnesium carbonate), used in the lining of kilns and incinerators, from dolomitic lime and seawater. Today, all that remains of this industrial site are some derelict buildings, old pipes and the dangerous, magnificent remains of Steetley Pier, a long, derelict structure, which stretches out into the sea here.
Hartlepool is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area. With an estimated population of 87,995, it is the second-largest settlement (after Darlington) in County Durham.
The old town was founded in the 7th century, around the monastery of Hartlepool Abbey on a headland. As the village grew into a town in the Middle Ages, its harbour served as the County Palatine of Durham's official port. The new town of West Hartlepool was created in 1835 after a new port was built and railway links from the South Durham coal fields (to the west) and from Stockton-on-Tees (to the south) were created. A parliamentary constituency covering both the old town and West Hartlepool was created in 1867 called The Hartlepools. The two towns were formally merged into a single borough called Hartlepool in 1967. Following the merger, the name of the constituency was changed from The Hartlepools to just Hartlepool in 1974. The modern town centre and main railway station are both at what was West Hartlepool; the old town is now generally known as the Headland.
Industrialisation in northern England and the start of a shipbuilding industry in the later part of the 19th century meant it was a target for the Imperial German Navy at the beginning of the First World War. A bombardment of 1,150 shells on 16 December 1914 resulted in the death of 117 people in the town. A severe decline in heavy industries and shipbuilding following the Second World War caused periods of high unemployment until the 1990s when major investment projects and the redevelopment of the docks area into a marina saw a rise in the town's prospects. The town also has a seaside resort called Seaton Carew.
History
The place name derives from Old English heort ("hart"), referring to stags seen, and pōl (pool), a pool of drinking water which they were known to use. Records of the place-name from early sources confirm this:
649: Heretu, or Hereteu.
1017: Herterpol, or Hertelpolle.
1182: Hierdepol.
Town on the heugh
A Northumbrian settlement developed in the 7th century around an abbey founded in 640 by Saint Aidan (an Irish and Christian priest) upon a headland overlooking a natural harbour and the North Sea. The monastery became powerful under St Hilda, who served as its abbess from 649 to 657. The 8th-century Northumbrian chronicler Bede referred to the spot on which today's town is sited as "the place where deer come to drink", and in this period the Headland was named by the Angles as Heruteu (Stag Island). Archaeological evidence has been found below the current high tide mark that indicates that an ancient post-glacial forest by the sea existed in the area at the time.
The Abbey fell into decline in the early 8th century, and it was probably destroyed during a sea raid by Vikings on the settlement in the 9th century. In March 2000, the archaeological investigation television programme Time Team located the foundations of the lost monastery in the grounds of St Hilda's Church. In the early 11th century, the name had evolved into Herterpol.
Hartness
Normans and for centuries known as the Jewel of Herterpol.
During the Norman Conquest, the De Brus family gained over-lordship of the land surrounding Hartlepool. William the Conqueror subsequently ordered the construction of Durham Castle, and the villages under their rule were mentioned in records in 1153 when Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale became Lord of Hartness. The town's first charter was received before 1185, for which it gained its first mayor, an annual two-week fair and a weekly market. The Norman Conquest affected the settlement's name to form the Middle English Hart-le-pool ("The Pool of the Stags").
By the Middle Ages, Hartlepool was growing into an important (though still small) market town. One of the reasons for its escalating wealth was that its harbour was serving as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. The main industry of the town at this time was fishing, and Hartlepool in this period established itself as one of the primary ports upon England's Eastern coast.
In 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland, and became the last Lord of Hartness. Angered, King Edward I confiscated the title to Hartlepool, and began to improve the town's military defences in expectation of war. In 1315, before they were completed, a Scottish army under Sir James Douglas attacked, captured and looted the town.
In the late 15th century, a pier was constructed to assist in the harbour's workload.
Garrison
Hartlepool was once again militarily occupied by a Scottish incursion, this time in alliance with the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War, which after 18 months was relieved by an English Parliamentarian garrison.
In 1795, Hartlepool artillery emplacements and defences were constructed in the town as a defensive measure against the threat of French attack from seaborne Napoleonic forces. During the Crimean War, two coastal batteries were constructed close together in the town to guard against the threat of seaborne attacks from the Imperial Russian Navy. They were entitled the Lighthouse Battery (1855) and the Heugh Battery (1859).
Hartlepool in the 18th century became known as a town with medicinal springs, particularly the Chalybeate Spa near the Westgate. The poet Thomas Gray visited the town in July 1765 to "take the waters", and wrote to his friend William Mason:
I have been for two days to taste the water, and do assure you that nothing could be salter and bitterer and nastier and better for you... I am delighted with the place; there are the finest walks and rocks and caverns.
A few weeks later, he wrote in greater detail to James Brown:
The rocks, the sea and the weather there more than made up to me the want of bread and the want of water, two capital defects, but of which I learned from the inhabitants not to be sensible. They live on the refuse of their own fish-market, with a few potatoes, and a reasonable quantity of Geneva [gin] six days in the week, and I have nowhere seen a taller, more robust or healthy race: every house full of ruddy broad-faced children. Nobody dies but of drowning or old-age: nobody poor but from drunkenness or mere laziness.
Town by the strand
By the early nineteenth century, Hartlepool was still a small town of around 900 people, with a declining port. In 1823, the council and Board of Trade decided that the town needed new industry, so the decision was made to propose a new railway to make Hartlepool a coal port, shipping out minerals from the Durham coalfield. It was in this endeavour that Isambard Kingdom Brunel visited the town in December 1831, and wrote: "A curiously isolated old fishing town – a remarkably fine race of men. Went to the top of the church tower for a view."
But the plan faced local competition from new docks. 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the north, the Marquis of Londonderry had approved the creation of the new Seaham Harbour (opened 31 July 1831), while to the south the Clarence Railway connected Stockton-on-Tees and Billingham to a new port at Port Clarence (opened 1833). Further south again, in 1831 the Stockton and Darlington Railway had extended into the new port of Middlesbrough.
The council agreed the formation of the Hartlepool Dock and Railway Company (HD&RCo) to extend the existing port by developing new docks, and link to both local collieries and the developing railway network in the south. In 1833, it was agreed that Christopher Tennant of Yarm establish the HD&RCo, having previously opened the Clarence Railway (CR). Tennant's plan was that the HD&RCo would fund the creation of a new railway, the Stockton and Hartlepool Railway, which would take over the loss-making CR and extended it north to the new dock, thereby linking to the Durham coalfield.
After Tennant died, in 1839, the running of the HD&RCo was taken over by Stockton-on-Tees solicitor, Ralph Ward Jackson. But Jackson became frustrated at the planning restrictions placed on the old Hartlepool dock and surrounding area for access, so bought land which was mainly sand dunes to the south-west, and established West Hartlepool. Because Jackson was so successful at shipping coal from West Hartlepool through his West Hartlepool Dock and Railway Company and, as technology developed, ships grew in size and scale, the new town would eventually dwarf the old town.
The 8-acre (3.2-hectare) West Hartlepool Harbour and Dock opened on 1 June 1847. On 1 June 1852, the 14-acre (5.7-hectare) Jackson Dock opened on the same day that a railway opened connecting West Hartlepool to Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. This allowed the shipping of coal and wool products eastwards, and the shipping of fresh fish and raw fleeces westwards, enabling another growth spurt in the town. This in turn resulted in the opening of the Swainson Dock on 3 June 1856, named after Ward Jackson's father-in-law. In 1878, the William Gray & Co shipyard in West Hartlepool achieved the distinction of launching the largest tonnage of any shipyard in the world, a feat to be repeated on a number of occasions. By 1881, old Hartlepool's population had grown from 993 to 12,361, but West Hartlepool had a population of 28,000.
Ward Jackson Park
Ward Jackson helped to plan the layout of West Hartlepool and was responsible for the first public buildings. He was also involved in the education and the welfare of the inhabitants. In the end, he was a victim of his own ambition to promote the town: accusations of shady financial dealings, and years of legal battles, left him in near-poverty. He spent the last few years of his life in London, far away from the town he had created.
World Wars
In Hartlepool near Heugh Battery, a plaque in Redheugh Gardens War Memorial "marks the place where the first ...(German shell) struck... (and) the first soldier was killed on British soil by enemy action in the Great War 1914–1918."
The area became heavily industrialised with an ironworks (established in 1838) and shipyards in the docks (established in the 1870s). By 1913, no fewer than 43 ship-owning companies were located in the town, with the responsibility for 236 ships. This made it a key target for Germany in the First World War. One of the first German offensives against Britain was a raid and bombardment by the Imperial German Navy on the morning of 16 December 1914,
Hartlepool was hit with a total of 1150 shells, killing 117 people. Two coastal defence batteries at Hartlepool returned fire, launching 143 shells, and damaging three German ships: SMS Seydlitz, SMS Moltke and SMS Blücher. The Hartlepool engagement lasted roughly 50 minutes, and the coastal artillery defence was supported by the Royal Navy in the form of four destroyers, two light cruisers and a submarine, none of which had any significant impact on the German attackers.
Private Theophilus Jones of the 18th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, who fell as a result of this bombardment, is sometimes described as the first military casualty on British soil by enemy fire. This event (the death of the first soldiers on British soil) is commemorated by the 1921 Redheugh Gardens War Memorial together with a plaque unveiled on the same day (seven years and one day after the East Coast Raid) at the spot on the Headland (the memorial by Philip Bennison illustrates four soldiers on one of four cartouches and the plaque, donated by a member of the public, refers to the 'first soldier' but gives no name). A living history group, the Hartlepool Military Heritage Memorial Society, portray men of that unit for educational and memorial purposes.
Hartlepudlians voluntarily subscribed more money per head to the war effort than any other town in Britain.
On 4 January 1922, a fire starting in a timber yard left 80 people homeless and caused over £1,000,000 of damage. Hartlepool suffered badly in the Great Depression of the 1930s and endured high unemployment.
Unemployment decreased during the Second World War, with shipbuilding and steel-making industries enjoying a renaissance. Most of its output for the war effort were "Empire Ships". German bombers raided the town 43 times, though, compared to the previous war, civilian losses were lighter with 26 deaths recorded by Hartlepool Municipal Borough[19] and 49 by West Hartlepool Borough. During the Second World War, RAF Greatham (also known as RAF West Hartlepool) was located on the South British Steel Corporation Works.
The merge
In 1891, the two towns had a combined population of 64,000. By 1900, the two Hartlepools were, together, one of the three busiest ports in England.
The modern town represents a joining of "Old Hartlepool", locally known as the "Headland", and West Hartlepool. As already mentioned, what was West Hartlepool became the larger town and both were formally unified in 1967. Today the term "West Hartlepool" is rarely heard outside the context of sport, but one of the town's Rugby Union teams still retains the name.
The name of the town's professional football club reflected both boroughs; when it was formed in 1908, following the success of West Hartlepool in winning the FA Amateur Cup in 1905, it was called "Hartlepools United" in the hope of attracting support from both towns. When the boroughs combined in 1967, the club renamed itself "Hartlepool" before re-renaming itself Hartlepool United in the 1970s. Many fans of the club still refer to the team as "Pools"
Fall out
After the war, industry went into a severe decline. Blanchland, the last ship to be constructed in Hartlepool, left the slips in 1961. In 1967, Betty James wrote how "if I had the luck to live anywhere in the North East [of England]...I would live near Hartlepool. If I had the luck". There was a boost to the retail sector in 1970 when Middleton Grange Shopping Centre was opened by Princess Anne, with over 130 new shops including Marks & Spencer and Woolworths.
Before the shopping centre was opened, the old town centre was located around Lynn Street, but most of the shops and the market had moved to a new shopping centre by 1974. Most of Lynn Street had by then been demolished to make way for a new housing estate. Only the north end of the street remains, now called Lynn Street North. This is where the Hartlepool Borough Council depot was based (alongside the Focus DIY store) until it moved to the marina in August 2006.
In 1977, the British Steel Corporation announced the closure of its Hartlepool steelworks with the loss of 1500 jobs. In the 1980s, the area was afflicted with extremely high levels of unemployment, at its peak consisting of 30 per cent of the town's working-age population, the highest in the United Kingdom. 630 jobs at British Steel were lost in 1983, and a total of 10,000 jobs were lost from the town in the economic de-industrialization of England's former Northern manufacturing heartlands. Between 1983 and 1999, the town lacked a cinema and areas of it became afflicted with the societal hallmarks of endemic economic poverty: urban decay, high crime levels, drug and alcohol dependency being prevalent.
Rise and the future
Docks near the centre were redeveloped and reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 as a marina with the accompanying National Museum of the Royal Navy opened in 1994, then known as the Hartlepool Historic Quay.
A development corporation is under consultation until August 2022 to organise projects, with the town's fund given to the town and other funds. Plans would be (if the corporation is formed) focused on the railway station, waterfront (including the Royal Navy Museum and a new leisure centre) and Church Street. Northern School of Art also has funds for a TV and film studios.
Governance
There is one main tier of local government covering Hartlepool, at unitary authority level: Hartlepool Borough Council. There is a civil parish covering Headland, which forms an additional tier of local government for that area; most of the rest of the urban area is an unparished area. The borough council is a constituent member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, led by the directly elected Tees Valley Mayor. The borough council is based at the Civic Centre on Victoria Road.
Hartlepool was historically a township in the ancient parish of Hart. Hartlepool was also an ancient borough, having been granted a charter by King John in 1200. The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1850. The council built Hartlepool Borough Hall to serve as its headquarters, being completed in 1866.
West Hartlepool was laid out on land outside Hartlepool's historic borough boundaries, in the neighbouring parish of Stranton. A body of improvement commissioners was established to administer the new town in 1854. The commissioners were superseded in 1887, when West Hartlepool was also incorporated as a municipal borough. The new borough council built itself a headquarters at the Municipal Buildings on Church Square, which was completed in 1889. An events venue and public hall on Raby Road called West Hartlepool Town Hall was subsequently completed in 1897. In 1902 West Hartlepool was elevated to become a county borough, making it independent from Durham County Council. The old Hartlepool Borough Council amalgamated with West Hartlepool Borough Council in 1967 to form a county borough called Hartlepool.
In 1974 the borough was enlarged to take in eight neighbouring parishes, and was transferred to the new county of Cleveland. Cleveland was abolished in 1996 following the Banham Review, which gave unitary authority status to its four districts, including Hartlepool. The borough was restored to County Durham for ceremonial purposes under the Lieutenancies Act 1997, but as a unitary authority it is independent from Durham County Council.
Emergency services
Hartlepool falls within the jurisdiction of Cleveland Fire Brigade and Cleveland Police. Before 1974, it was under the jurisdiction of the Durham Constabulary and Durham Fire Brigade. Hartlepool has two fire stations: a full-time station at Stranton and a retained station on the Headland.
Economy
Hartlepool's economy has historically been linked with the maritime industry, something which is still at the heart of local business. Hartlepool Dock is owned and run by PD Ports. Engineering related jobs employ around 1700 people. Tata Steel Europe employ around 350 people in the manufacture of steel tubes, predominantly for the oil industry. South of the town on the banks of the Tees, Able UK operates the Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre (TERRC), a large scale marine recycling facility and dry dock. Adjacent to the east of TERRC is the Hartlepool nuclear power station, an advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) type nuclear power plant opened in the 1980s. It is the single largest employer in the town, employing 1 per cent of the town's working age people.
The chemicals industry is important to the local economy. Companies include Huntsman Corporation, who produce titanium dioxide for use in paints, Omya, Baker Hughes and Frutarom.
Tourism was worth £48 million to the town in 2009; this figure excludes the impact of the Tall Ships 2010. Hartlepool's historic links to the maritime industry are centred on the Maritime Experience, and the supporting exhibits PS Wingfield Castle and HMS Trincomalee.
Camerons Brewery was founded in 1852 and currently employs around 145 people. It is one of the largest breweries in the UK. Following a series of take-overs, it came under the control of the Castle Eden Brewery in 2001 who merged the two breweries, closing down the Castle Eden plant. It brews a range of cask and bottled beers, including Strongarm, a 4% abv bitter. The brewery is heavily engaged in contract brewing such beers as Kronenbourg 1664, John Smith's and Foster's.
Orchid Drinks of Hartlepool were formed in 1992 after a management buy out of the soft drinks arm of Camerons. They manufactured Purdey's and Amé. Following a £67 million takeover by Britvic, the site was closed down in 2009.
Middleton Grange Shopping Centre is the main shopping location. 2800 people are employed in retail. The ten major retail companies in the town are Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Next, Argos, Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Boots and Matalan. Aside from the local sports clubs, other local entertainment venues include a VUE Cinema and Mecca Bingo.
Companies that have moved operations to the town for the offshore wind farm include Siemens and Van Oord.
Culture and community
Festivals and Fairs
Since November 2014 the Headland has hosted the annual Wintertide Festival, which is a weekend long event that starts with a community parade on the Friday and culminating in a finale performance and fireworks display on the Sunday.
Tall Ships' Races
On 28 June 2006 Hartlepool celebrated after winning its bid to host The Tall Ships' Races. The town welcomed up to 125 tall ships in 2010, after being chosen by race organiser Sail Training International to be the finishing point for the race. Hartlepool greeted the ships, which sailed from Kristiansand in Norway on the second and final leg of the race. Hartlepool also hosted the race in July 2023.
Museums, art galleries and libraries
Hartlepool Art Gallery is located in Church Square within Christ Church, a restored Victorian church, built in 1854 and designed by the architect Edward Buckton Lamb (1806–1869). The gallery's temporary exhibitions change frequently and feature works from local artists and the permanent Fine Art Collection, which was established by Sir William Gray. The gallery also houses the Hartlepool tourist information centre.
The Heugh Battery Museum is located on the Headland. It was one of three batteries erected to protect Hartlepool's port in 1860. The battery was closed in 1956 and is now in the care of the Heugh Gun Battery Trust and home to an artillery collection.
Hartlepool is home to a National Museum of the Royal Navy (more specifically the NMRN Hartlepool). Previously known simply as The Historic Quay and Hartlepool's Maritime Experience, the museum is a re-creation of an 18th-century seaport with the exhibition centre-piece being a sailing frigate, HMS Trincomalee. The complex also includes the Museum of Hartlepool.
Willows was the Hartlepool mansion of the influential Sir William Gray of William Gray & Company and he gifted it to the town in 1920, after which it was converted to be the town's first museum and art gallery. Fondly known locally as "The Gray" it was closed as a museum in 1994 and now houses the local authority's culture department.
There are six libraries in Hartlepool, the primary one being the Community Hub Central Library. Others are Throston Grange Library, Community Hub North Library, Seaton Carew Library, Owton Manor Library and Headland Branch Library.
Sea
Hartlepool has been a major seaport virtually since it was founded, and has a long fishing heritage. During the industrial revolution massive new docks were created on the southern side of the channel running below the Headland, which gave rise to the town of West Hartlepool.
Now owned by PD Ports, the docks are still in use today and still capable of handling large vessels. However, a large portion of the former dockland was converted into a marina capable of berthing 500 vessels. Hartlepool Marina is home to a wide variety of pleasure and working craft, with passage to and from the sea through a lock.
Hartlepool also has a permanent RNLI lifeboat station.
Education
Secondary
Hartlepool has five secondary schools:
Dyke House Academy
English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College
High Tunstall College of Science
Manor Community Academy
St Hild's Church of England School
The town had planned to receive funding from central government to improve school buildings and facilities as a part of the Building Schools for the Future programme, but this was cancelled because of government spending cuts.
College
Hartlepool College of Further Education is an educational establishment located in the centre of the town, and existed in various forms for over a century. Its former 1960s campus was replaced by a £52million custom-designed building, it was approved in principle in July 2008, opened in September 2011.
Hartlepool also has Hartlepool Sixth Form College. It was a former grammar and comprehensive school, the college provides a number of AS and A2 Level student courses. The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College also offers AS, A2 and other BTEC qualification to 16- to 18-year-olds from Hartlepool and beyond.
A campus of The Northern School of Art is a specialist art and design college and higher education, located adjacent to the art gallery on Church Square. The college has a further site in Middlesbrough that facilitates further education.
Territorial Army
Situated in the New Armoury Centre, Easington Road are the following units.
Royal Marines Reserve
90 (North Riding) Signal Squadron
Religion
They are multiple Church of England and Roman Catholic Churches in the town. St Hilda's Church is a notable church of the town, it was built on Hartlepool Abbey and sits upon a high point of the Headland. The churches of the Church of England's St Paul and Roman Catholic's St Joseph are next to each other on St Paul's Road. Nasir Mosque on Brougham Terrace is the sole purpose-built mosque in the town.
Sport
Football
Hartlepool United is the town's professional football club and they play at Victoria Park. The club's most notable moment was in 2005 when, with 8 minutes left in the 2005 Football League One play-off final, the team conceded a penalty, allowing Sheffield Wednesday to equalise and eventually beat Hartlepool to a place in the Championship. The club currently play in the National League.
Supporters of the club bear the nickname of Monkey Hangers. This is based upon a legend that during the Napoleonic wars a monkey, which had been a ship's mascot, was taken for a French spy and hanged. Hartlepool has also produced football presenter Jeff Stelling, who has a renowned partnership with Chris Kamara who was born in nearby Middlesbrough. Jeff Stelling is a keen supporter of Hartlepool and often refers to them when presenting Sky Sports News. It is also the birthplace and childhood home of Pete Donaldson, one of the co-hosts of the Football Ramble podcast as well as co-host of the Abroad in Japan podcast, and a prominent radio DJ.
The town also has a semi-professional football club called FC Hartlepool who play in Northern League Division Two.
Rugby union
Hartlepool is something of an anomaly in England having historically maintained a disproportionate number of clubs in a town of only c.90,000 inhabitants. These include(d) West Hartlepool, Hartlepool Rovers, Hartlepool Athletic RFC, Hartlepool Boys Brigade Old Boys RFC (BBOB), Seaton Carew RUFC (formerly Hartlepool Grammar School Old Boys), West Hartlepool Technical Day School Old Boys RUFC (TDSOB or Tech) and Hartlepool Old Boys' RFC (Hartlepool). Starting in 1904 clubs within eight miles (thirteen kilometres) of the headland were eligible to compete for the Pyman Cup which has been contested regularly since and that the Hartlepool & District Union continue to organise.
Perhaps the best known club outside the town is West Hartlepool R.F.C. who in 1992 achieved promotion to what is now the Premiership competing in 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. This success came at a price as soon after West was then hit by bankruptcy and controversially sold their Brierton Lane stadium and pitch to former sponsor Yuills Homes. There then followed a succession of relegations before the club stabilised in the Durham/Northumberland leagues. West and Rovers continue to play one another in a popular Boxing Day fixture which traditionally draws a large crowd.
Hartlepool Rovers, formed in 1879, who played at the Old Friarage in the Headland area of Hartlepool before moving to West View Road. In the 1890s Rovers supplied numerous county, divisional and international players. The club itself hosted many high-profile matches including the inaugural Barbarians F.C. match in 1890, the New Zealand Maoris in 1888 and the legendary All Blacks who played against a combined Hartlepool Club team in 1905. In the 1911–12 season, Hartlepool Rovers broke the world record for the number of points scored in a season racking up 860 points including 122 tries, 87 conversions, five penalties and eleven drop goals.
Although they ceased competing in the RFU leagues in 2008–09, West Hartlepool TDSOB (Tech) continues to support town and County rugby with several of the town's other clubs having played at Grayfields when their own pitches were unavailable. Grayfields has also hosted a number of Durham County cup finals as well as County Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20 age group games.
Olympics
Boxing
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, 21-year-old Savannah Marshall, who attended English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College in the town of Hartlepool, competed in the Women's boxing tournament of the 2012 Olympic Games. She was defeated 12–6 by Marina Volnova of Kazakhstan in her opening, quarter-final bout. Savannah Marshall is now a professional boxer, currently unbeaten as a pro and on 31 October 2020 in her 9th professional fight Marshall became the WBO female middleweight champion with a TKO victory over opponent Hannah Rankin at Wembley Arena.
Swimming
In August 2012 Jemma Lowe, a British record holder who attended High Tunstall College of Science in the town of Hartlepool, competed in the 2012 Olympic Games. She finished sixth in the 200-metre butterfly final with a time of 58.06 seconds. She was also a member of the eighth-place British team in the 400m Medley relay.
Monkeys
Hartlepool is known for allegedly executing a monkey during the Napoleonic Wars. According to legend, fishermen from Hartlepool watched a French warship founder off the coast, and the only survivor was a monkey, which was dressed in French military uniform, presumably to amuse the officers on the ship. The fishermen assumed that this must be what Frenchmen looked like and, after a brief trial, summarily executed the monkey.
Historians have pointed to the prior existence of a Scottish folk song called "And the Boddamers hung the Monkey-O". It describes how a monkey survived a shipwreck off the village of Boddam near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. Because the villagers could only claim salvage rights if there were no survivors from the wreck, they allegedly hanged the monkey. There is also an English folk song detailing the later event called, appropriately enough, "The Hartlepool Monkey". In the English version the monkey is hanged as a French spy.
"Monkey hanger" and Chimp Choker are common terms of (semi-friendly) abuse aimed at "Poolies", often from footballing rivals Darlington. The mascot of Hartlepool United F.C. is H'Angus the monkey. The man in the monkey costume, Stuart Drummond, stood for the post of mayor in 2002 as H'angus the monkey, and campaigned on a platform which included free bananas for schoolchildren. To widespread surprise, he won, becoming the first directly elected mayor of Hartlepool, winning 7,400 votes with a 52% share of the vote and a turnout of 30%. He was re-elected by a landslide in 2005, winning 16,912 on a turnout of 51% – 10,000 votes more than his nearest rival, the Labour Party candidate.
The monkey legend is also linked with two of the town's sports clubs, Hartlepool Rovers RFC, which uses the hanging monkey as the club logo. Hartlepool (Old Boys) RFC use a hanging monkey kicking a rugby ball as their tie crest.
Notable residents
Michael Brown, former Premier League footballer
Edward Clarke, artist
Brian Clough, football manager who lived in the Fens estate in town while manager of Hartlepools United
John Darwin, convicted fraudster who faked his own death
Pete Donaldson, London radio DJ and podcast host
Janick Gers, guitarist from British heavy metal band Iron Maiden
Courtney Hadwin, singer
Jack Howe, former England international footballer
Liam Howe, music producer and songwriter for several artists and member of the band Sneaker Pimps
Saxon Huxley, WWE NXT UK wrestler
Andy Linighan, former Arsenal footballer who scored the winning goal in the 1993 FA Cup Final
Savannah Marshall, professional boxer
Stephanie Aird, comedian and television personality
Jim Parker, composer
Guy Pearce, film actor who lived in the town when he was younger as his mother was from the town
Narbi Price, artist
Jack Rowell, coached the England international rugby team and led them to the semi-final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup
Wayne Sleep, dancer and actor who spent his childhood in the town.
Reg Smythe, cartoonist who created Andy Capp
Jeremy Spencer, guitarist who was in the original Fleetwood Mac line-up
Jeff Stelling, TV presenter, famous for hosting Gillette Soccer Saturday
David Eagle, Folk singer and stand-up comedian,
Local media
Hartlepool Life - local free newspaper
Hartlepool Mail – local newspaper
BBC Radio Tees – BBC local radio station
Radio Hartlepool – Community radio station serving the town
Hartlepool Post – on-line publication
Local television news programmes are BBC Look North and ITV News Tyne Tees.
Town twinning
Hartlepool is twinned with:
France Sète, France
Germany Hückelhoven, Germany (since 1973)
United States Muskegon, Michigan
Malta Sliema, Malta
This is a hoverfly, not a bee. Note the stubby antennae and the single pair of wings. Too bad about the brightness of the petals. It was taken at high noon as I was outside in the garden before returning to work. I actually was shooting the flower when the hoverfly paid a welcome visit. I'm posting this to cheer myself up with the happy yellow color because it's so rainy, gray and dreary outside, and will be for the next four or five days.
I wish I could go visiting and commenting as much as I would like to, but I can't because of workload demands. Please bear with me. Thanks.
Reminder: Please do not post notes on my photo or any images in your comments unless they are germane to my shot and of thumbnail size. If you do, I will delete the comment without notification. I welcome your input, but please express yourself in text only, or provide a link to your image. Thank you.
© All rights reserved. No usage allowed in any form without the written consent of Mim Eisenberg.
Hungarian postcard. Photo: Radius. Victor Varconi in A kuruszló (Mihály Kertész aka Michael Curtiz, 1917).
Handsome Victor Varconi (1891–1976) was a highly successful matinee idol of the Hungarian-Austrian and German silent cinema in the 1910s and early 1920s. Later he was the first Hungarian actor to become a Hollywood star until the sound film completely altered the course of his career.
Victor Varconi was born Mihály Várkonyi in Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary) in 1891. He was born into a farming family on the Hungarian/Romanian border. He attended classes at Budapest's commercial college and at the dramatic school. The young good-looking actor thrived for a time on the Transylvanian stage, where he played leads in such productions as Liliom at the Hungarian National Theatre in Budapest. His rising popularity as a matinee idol led to film roles, and he made his debut in Sárga csikó/Son of the Pusta (Félix Vanyl, 1913). Other of his silent Hungarian films were Bánk Bán (Mihály Kertész aka Michael Curtiz, 1914) based on the play by József Katona, Mágia/Magic (Sándor Korda aka Alexander Korda, 1917), Szent Péter esernyöje/St. Peter's Umbrella (Alexander Korda, 1917) and Fehér rózsa/White Rose (Alexander Korda, 1919) starring Maria Corda, the director’s wife. Unfortunately nearly all these early films got lost. After World War I, under the Horthy regime, Korda and many other film makers fled to Vienna, and Varconi followed them. He changed his marquee name to the more internationally friendly Michael Várkonyi and branched out into German and Austrian films. He showed impressive performances in Aus den Tiefen der Großstadt/ From the depths of the big city (Fred Sauer, 1920) and Nachtbesuch in der Northernbank/Night visit in the Northernbank (Karl Grune, 1921). Then followed such films as Arme Violetta/Camille (Paul H. Stein, 1921) a silent version of La Traviata starring Pola Negri, Herren der Meere/Masters of the Sea (Alexander Korda, 1922), Versunkene Welten/Sunk worlds (Siegfried Philippi, 1922) with Ria Jende, and Namenlos/Nameless (Michael Curtiz, 1923) with Mary Kid. A huge success was the biblical epic Sodom und Gomorrha/Queen of Sin (Michael Curtiz, 1922) with Lucy Doraine. IMDb reviewer Nora Nettlerash writes about his performance in this film: “with his devilish good looks he doesn't really need to act here, and with his commanding presence he makes a great angel of the Lord”.
In 1924, because of the ever-shifting political climate of Europe, Michael Várkonyi moved to America to try his luck in Hollywood. First he played a supporting part in Poisoned Paradise (Louis J. Gasnier, 1924) starring It-girl Clara Bow. Then he was signed by Cecil B. DeMille's company on his exceptional performance in Sodom und Gomorrha (1922). DeMille cast him as a wealthy American tin factory manager in Triumph (Cecil B. DeMille, 1924) opposite established star Leatrice Joy. He was billed now as Victor Varconi. For DeMille's company, the smoothly handsome Varconi then played in the comedy Changing Husbands (Frank Urson, 1924) again opposite Leatrice Joy, had a character role as a bookkeeper in the afterworld in Feet of Clay (Cecil B. DeMille, 1924), later he was a Russian prince in The Volga Boatman (Cecil B. DeMille, 1926) starring William Boyd, and finally, a disgruntled Pontius Pilate in the biblical epic The King of Kings (Cecil B. DeMille, 1929). Temporarily he returned to Europe. In Germany he reunited with director Alexander Korda and his wife Maria Corda for the comedy-drama Der Tänzer meiner Frau/Dance Fever (Alexander Korda, 1925). With Corda he also acted in the two Italian productions L'uomo piu allegro di Vienna/The happiest man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1926) and the lavish spectacle Gli ultimi giorni di Pompeii/The Last Days of Pompeii (Carmine Gallone, Amleto Palermi, 1926) starring Italian diva Rina De Liguoro. Back in Hollywood, the elegant and impeccably mannered Varconi went on to share the screen with some of the loveliest and talented ladies of silent Hollywood, including Agnes Ayres, Marie Prevost, and Jetta Goudal. Notable is his portrayal of cuckolded husband Amos opposite Phyllis Haver's wild jazz-loving and boozing Roxie Hart in the silent Chicago (Frank Urson, 1927). His last major silent role was that of Lord Horatio Nelson in The Divine Lady (Frank Lloyd, 1929) co-starring Oscar-nominated Corinne Griffith as Lady Emma Hamilton.
At the peak of his career as a romantic leading man, Victor Varconi had to face transition from the silent movies to the talkies. It completely altered the course of his career. He had a nice decent voice for sound film but his accent was noticeably thick. He no longer did become offers for leading parts. Temporarily he worked in European silent films, such as the Polish Kult ciala/The Cult of the Body (Michal Waszynski, 1930) and the German Mein Herz gehört Dir.../My heart belongs to you (Max Reichmann, 1930) with Camilla Horn. Back in Hollywood, he regressed slightly to suave ethnic character roles, such as in the Charlie Chan mystery The Black Camel (Hamilton MacFadden, 1931) starring Warner Oland. He often played foreign or royal dignitaries, European adventurers or roguish gigolos. He also starred in English-language versions of Anglo-German co-productions, such as Der Rebell/The Rebel (Luis Trenker, Edwin H. Knopf, 1933) starring Luis Trenker. The forced move to character roles probably added years to his Hollywood life. During World War II Hollywood utilised his talents playing nefarious Axis commanders in spy intrigue and war dramas. In The Hitler Gang (John Farrow, 1944), he was quite skillful portraying Nazi Deputy Rudolf Hess. Varconi also appeared in many of his old boss Cecil DeMille's sound epics such as The Plainsman (Cecil B. DeMille, 1936) (as Indian chief Painted Horse), Reap the Wild Wind (Cecil B. DeMille, 1942) starring Ray Milland, Unconquered (1947, Cecil B. DeMille) with Gary Cooper, and Samson and Delilah (Cecil B. DeMille, 1949) starring Hedy Lamarr. After 1949 Varconi scaled down his workload. He also worked on the New York City stage and wrote for radio. Among his Shakespearean theatre endeavours were roles in Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra and Richard III. He also moved occasionally into TV in the 1950s. Varconi did another film part in the Sci-Fi movie The Man Who Turned to Stone (László Kardos, 1957) starring Victor Jory. The plot was about a group of 18th-century scientists, who have remained young after all these centuries by using electricity to suck the life out of young women. After a supporting part in another Sci-Fi thriller, The Atomic Submarine (Spencer Gordon Bennet, 1960), he retired. Victor Varconi had appeared in 120 films. He published his memoirs It's Not Enough to Be Hungarian, just before his death. In 1976, Victor Varconi died from a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 85. He was married twice. His second wife was stage actress Anna Aranyosy.
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.
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Great title I came up with right?! :P
Anyway. I'm SOOO SORRY FOR NOT BEING ON HERE FOR SO LONG.....
It really sucks. I finally get a pro from an amazing person and I've sort of abandoned my flickr because of school workload...I don't want my pro to be wasted so I'm trying to be online as often as I can :)
I went to the easter show yesterday!! Once I saw the ferris wheel, I can't help but take TONS of photos with it, because the colours and the wheel..I dunno, it makes me think of taking a photo of this and show it to you lovely flickr friends<3
I actually took more than this, I'll upload the rest of the ferris wheel series in the next few days! Hope you won't be bored of ferris wheels :))
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PS. I sort of ditched my dailybooth.
Maybe you have noticed that I haven't been around much lately on Flickr. Next to the computer crash which took me off-line for nearly two weeks, at work, we had been working on a transaction that caused an extreme workload for the past year or so. Especially the last two months were exhausting and stressful. It not only affected me, but of course also Hans. So, Friday a week ago, when all signatures were finally placed, immediately after getting home, Hans and I packed our bags, started up the "Tembo" and were off for the Biesbosch; my favorite Dutch Nature area.
The Biesbosch is like a natural tranquilizer. Took me 3 whole days to de-stress (and the pictures I took in those days were not much to look at) but finally I could shake off work.
We saw the most beautiful things. An Osprey with fish (really rare in Holland), Purple herons (equally rare), a row-deer buck swimming and dozens of Kingfishers. But with those, being in a wobbly rubber boat with the water swept up by quite some wind doesn’t help to capture these beautiful but tiny and shy little birds. It took a lot of shots and even more patience (normally not one of my virtues :-)) but finally I managed to get a few shots right.
This one was taken with the last possible light, with the 100-400 handheld at 1/40sec. Guess luck had a lot to do with it :-)
YJ15 AXZ on service X6 this morning.Haven't seen this one before.Could be transferred to help with the expanded workload at Morriston from Monday.
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Chassis n° 1583GT
Estimated : CHF 600.000 - 700.000
Unsold
The Bonmont Sale
Collectors' Motor Cars - Bonhams
Golf & Country Club de Bonmont
Chéserex
Switzerland - Suisse - Schweiz
September 2019
By the early 1960s, road car production had ceased to be a sideline for Ferrari and was seen as vitally important to the company's future stability. Thus the 250, Ferrari's first volume-produced model, can be seen as critically important, though production of the first of the line - the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to '54 - amounted to fewer than 20. Before the advent of the Europa, Ferrari had built road-going coupés and convertibles in small numbers, usually to special customer order using a sports-racing chassis as the basis. Ghia and Vignale of Turin and Touring of Milan were responsible for bodying many of these but there was no attempt at standardisation for series production and no two cars were alike.
The introduction of the 250 Europa heralded a significant change in Ferrari's preferred coachbuilder; whereas previously Vignale had been the most popular carrozzeria among Maranello's customers, from now on Pinin Farina (later 'Pininfarina') would be Ferrari's number one choice, bodying no fewer than 48 out of the 53 Europa/Europa GTs built. Pinin Farina's experiments eventually crystallised in a new Ferrari 250 GT road car that was first displayed publicly at the Geneva Salon in March 1956. However, the Torinese carrozzeria was not yet in a position to cope with the increased workload, resulting in production being entrusted to Carrozzeria Boano after Pinin Farina had completed a handful of prototypes.
True series production began with the arrival of Pininfarina's 'notchback' Coupé on the 250 GT chassis, some 353 of which were built between 1958 and 1960 within the sequence '0841' to '2081'. However, the relatively small scale of production meant that cars could still be ordered with subtle variations according to customer choice, as well as enabling a handful of show cars and 'specials' to be constructed on the 250 GT chassis.
A number of important developments occurred during 250 GT production: the original 128C 3.0-litre engine being superseded by the twin-distributor 128D, which in turn was supplanted in 1960 by the outside-plug 128F engine which did away with its predecessor's Siamesed inlets in favour of six separate ports. On the chassis side, four-wheel disc brakes arrived late in 1959 and a four-speeds-plus-overdrive gearbox the following year, the former at last providing the 250 GT with stopping power to match its speed. More refined and practical than any previous road-going Ferrari, yet retaining the sporting heritage of its predecessors, the 250 GT is a landmark model of immense historical significance. Despite this, original survivors are relatively few, as many have been modified and converted into replicas of more exotic Ferraris such as the 250 GTO, Testarossa, etc.
According to the accompanying Massini Report, chassis number '1583' is the 228th of the 353 units built and as a 'Series II' car has the added advantage of disc brakes all round. The chassis entered Carrozzeria Pinin Farina's plant in Turin on 25th November 1959 was finally completed back at the Ferrari factory in March 1960. That same month the car was sold to its first owner, Filature A Brambilla di Verres SA, a textile manufacturer founded in 1940 and located in Milan, Italy. The original colour combination was the rather fetching combination of Grigio Fumo with a turquoise interior.
When purchased by the current owner in 1992 from Ferrari importers IFS in Nyon, Switzerland, the Ferrari had already been refinished in its present colour combination of red with a tan leather interior. The odometer reading at that time was recorded as circa 51,000 kilometres. The custodian embarked upon a comprehensive restoration, which commenced in 1993 when the interior was re-upholstered with tan Connolly leather and the headlining renewed. This was done by Ferrari restorers Sportgarage Leirer of Stein, Switzerland at a cost of CHF 17,470 (invoice on file).
The next step in the car's restoration was the replacement of the windscreen and rear window rubber seals, which was done at IFS in October 1993 for CHF 2,360 (invoice on file). A comprehensive engine overhaul followed in December 1996, this time undertaken by Ferrari and Rolls-Royce main agents Garage Beau Rivage of Lausanne, which cost no less than CHF 78,650 (detailed invoice on file). To finish the restoration, the car was treated to a bare-metal re-spray in Rosso Corsa at Ferrari bodywork specialists Carrosserie S. Di Dio in Crissier, Switzerland costing CHF 29,000.
The odometer at the time of cataloguing was 59,138 kilometres, showing that the car has only covered some 8,000 kilometres since its acquisition in 1992 and subsequent restoration. Not surprisingly, the vendor describes the car as in very good cosmetic condition. However, when driving the car and after a Ferrari dealership inspection, we noticed that the clutch will need to be replaced quote on file. This beautiful matching-numbers Ferrari 250 GT comes with Swiss registration documents and a FIVA Identity Card issued in July 2019.