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Tuesday 23 September 2014

Design that changed Aviation. Part-Two.

DH.91 Albatross.

This greatly designed aircraft only saw a short time of service with British Imperial Airways from 1937  to 1943 and no body shells survived. The aircraft helped the British wartime leader PM Winston Churchill to get about the world trying to find allies, supplies and reports to Generals in North-Africa.

On the other hand aircraft design proceeded in the United States with the DC-3/47 and onwards and the Albatross eighteen years later was the blueprint for the Comet Jet airliner. Even Nazi-Germany was influenced by seeing this aircraft and their Condor followed suit to the sleek lines.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Electric Trains. Part-One.

Europe First.

With the advent of electricity it was Europe that first cottoned on to developing electric trains. Many experiments were carried out from Trams to Monorails and then both France and Germany pioneered the field. 

The Paris Metro railway was well ahead of the London Underground by 1900, but England was to commit with Southern third rail and London-Eastern with the Electrical Multiple overhead units

Basically the U.K. was the first to develop overground electric suburban rail networks, Europe advanced with the electric locomotives and have maintained that lead ever since. TVG, Ice and many other high-speed trains are the fruits of electrification.

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Pleasure Boats.

From the Sea to Rivers.

No matter where you go around the world, you will see pleasure craft they are usually small and can navigate between rivers and the sea, lakes and some large canals.

People like to be their own Captains of the water world, but they are a relaxing form of transport. The pleasure boat industry is big business, after Yachting and Speed boats. 

These boats still can be turned into profitable money making ventures, such as line fishing at sea.

Friday 5 September 2014

Invisible Bombers. Part-One.

From the B1 to the F35.

Being invisible is a fantastic advantage over enemy radar and it would seem that the U.S has lead the way in the development of black ops and ghost radar or dark aircraft. Despite having sinister names for the types and the projects, many by know may be out of date.

The B1 strategic long-range supersonic bomber is the first line defence for the U.S, backed up by the B2. The F117 was a state of the art fighter up to the Yugoslavian war of collapse, but this has now been replaced by advanced fighters such as the F35.

Perhaps in the forthcoming war with Russia we will see how these types really operate against the TU-160 Blackjack and Sukhoi Su-50, Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-35.