Hot air Balloons!

 Morning and Evening?

Despite the many modern materials and power plants things can still go horribly wrong as recently seen in Brazil, but also a bit of mystery fun in the U.K.!

This form of transport was around for at least one hundred years before flight and it is the Montpellier brothers that were famous for the start of French military aviation? 

This allowed them the ability to move orders, mail, guns and ammunition in three days on a flight that took over a week, depending on the weather by horse?

Following Frances novelty balloon, Germany set about developing their own, that lead on to the Zepplin airships, while the British were late to the field, but they had great success in South-Africa with their balloons and later airships or Durables from the R101!

Mono-Rails?

Viability?

Many nations around the world today have invested in the novelty of having their own version of the Mono-Rail system based on those 19thCentury wonders of Germany?

But until recently they have not been as viable apart from an easy way to transit airports and the fad of many a Sci-Fi film! It is the development in Mumbai India that is now leading the way in the first serious points development that will now at last put the mono-rail back as a serious alternative to rail and underground?

China wants a simpler system to move people over ground and various designs have come to the fore, apart from their own mono-rails and levitating railways? The future, here and in Japan look brighter and many other nations are now copping on to the viability of the system!

Submariners. Part-One.

Submarines, and Drones.

Many nations around the world still build, buy and use the submarine, technology has moved on with computing, nuclear power and drone ability? The early vessels were cramped and many crews on board died from fumes poisoning. The U.S lead with the first Holland Class vessels, which the British and many other nations copied and adapted.

But it was Imperial Germany that made the advances in the submariner world, with their own design which remained effective into the 1920's. With the advance of National-Socialism in Germany a new improved class of boats came into effect that was well ahead of all the nations.

Britain and the U.S. did catch up quickly during the second world war (1939-45), while others lagged behind such as Italy. It was the development of Sonar from Radar that gave Britain and the U.S the advantage of knowing where the enemy was. Many other nations opted for the Midget subs along with Britain and these small boats if they survived their missions could be quite effective, but they were really very limited?

From the Cold War era (1948-1994) it was the Soviet Union and the U.S.A that have dominated the design and construction of some seriously advanced vessels, while Britain and France have not been left out of the picture with their own. Nuclear powered vessels do not need to surface to be refuelled, they can remain hidden for months at great depths.

Advancements in miniaturization has allowed for drones of various type and robotic subs to be put into service doing dangerous work, without the cost of human life and losses.

Rockwell/North-America A-10 Bronco. Part-One.

Origins of!

The appearance of the A-10 Bronco of  the Vietnam war 1967-74 was an amazing site at this years Wales National Air show in Swansea (WNAS16), but I knew that I had seen something similar in aviation books about World-War-II (1939-45).

The A-10 Bronco is one of those types that seem to come out of the blue and the United States don't normally do that type of design idealism, but rather improve and expand on what they already have.

This aircraft was used in the role of reconnaissance during the Vietnam war, but it had several other roles in transport and light or counter insurgency (COIN). West-Germany was one of its first to receive the export versions, apart from Thailand.

But this aircraft looks very similar to Nazi-German Focke-Woulf  Fw-189 deigned in 1937 as a short range tactical reconnaissance aircraft. It entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1938 and into serious production in 1940, by the end of World War-II 864 had been built by Aero in Czechoslovakia 17 by Sud-Quest in France. Fourteen of the type was supplied to Slovakia and 30 to Hungary.

After the second world war many German aircraft and other military equipment became as always the spoils of war and were returned for storage in Britain, Russia and the United States, who got what is still not known today, but it can be easily guessed upon?

Entertainment Trailers. Part-One.

Ancient times to the Present.

People have always wanted to be entertained or to see something new?

Today many trailers are designed for music systems or mobile bands, in fact a trailer can be used for many things in this area? In ancient times a long waggon was used like a caravan or stage coach for the transportation of Royalty or other military usage.

The recording of the first serious entertainment trailers was in the 16th Century when showmen appointed by various wealthy families where commissioned to display Menagerie's of animals, lions, wolves, birds, elephants, snakes and other unknown animals to the British Isles.

Similar developments also travelled across the rest of Europe, while Italy and France may have seen the first mobile plays. But the trailer did not come to the fore until the development of the steam engine and the German inspired organs, where today these fascinating machines can be seen at the many steam and vintage fairs across Britain.

Ten Day Civil Alerts.

Germany and France Issued Today.

What is one talking about?

During the years of the Cold war between NATO and the Eastern-Block Soviet pact nation regular alerts were sounded in both East and West-Germany. This morning one was issued in the unified Germany for the first time since the fall of the Berlin wall?

Within two hours supermarkets were cleared out of food. Civil alerts were issued in the event of a nuclear strike, but it has been announced in Germany that from tomorrow the alert will be in effect for a serious emergency situation over the next 10 days?

There is much one can do in a nuclear war situation, but just continue life and hope for the best. This may be more in connection with reports of heavy weapons fire reported in the Eastern-Ukraine and the possibility of the shutting down of both the gas and Oil pipe-lines from Russia?

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.

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.

Monorails.

Still viable.

Today if you want to travel on a Monorail you only have to visit a handful of countries around the world, Germany, China, Japan, Canada, India and Dubai in the U.A.E. The concept of this form of transport was developed from two projects in 19th Century Ireland, one in Fenit, County Kerry and the other in Killiney. Co. Dublin.

There was a third project in County Donegal, some of these were not totally Monorail in their operation and function. Fenit was the first ground rail project and I believe it has been partially restored. It was to Germany that the credit for the first hanging Monorail would go.

We will not look deep into the systems at this time, but since then many nations have developed successful railways on this concept worldwide. Monorail may come into its own as are cities become more crowded this century.