Demise of motorbike Clubs!

 Possibility for Wales?

A revival is underway as an appeal for younger people is made to give up the computer games for the real thing of riding with the oldies on the roads of Wales and the SW-England too!

But will they come out and join the throng and keep something of a tradition going or not?

Apart from the thrill of riding, there also comes years of experience and tips on every area of the subject, if not to get to ride others bikes, cheap spare parts and supplies if not much more in chat and friendships that will last a life-time!

Wales National Air Show 2024.

 6th and 7th July What to Expect?

Apart from the red arrows and the regulars, it all depends on what will arrive on the respective days both new and vintage.

The RAF Typhoon fighter jet is a popular, but there is also much to seen on the ground from the armed forces, food stalls, other and bands with a funfair on the coast!

It is a real family event and its is for everyone, parking is plenty and many roads will be closed off, while it is generally free and one hopes that the weather will hold so it will be a good weekend!

Wales National Air Show 2022.

 Swansea Bay, it came and it went?

It was really just more of the same, hight lights for us were the Catalina flying boat and the Red Arrows, but we are sure that people who were at the appointed venue were not disappointed?

The show is a glorified recruiting ground for the armed services and with the war in the Ukraine, one has to wonder how much cannon fodder for it will be lost, if things were to escalate?

Other wise the Battle of Britain flight was impressive as usual, I think there were some disappointments of Sunday with aircraft not turning up due to either mechanical difficulties or unforseen operational problems as well as the Red Arrows being two aircraft short?

No Air shows this Year!

COVID-19 cancels large Crowds?

This new crown virus is ending social interaction for us humans, unless one is ignorant and risks catching it or just does not believe that it is really real!

Sometimes one finds that over the years here in Swansea since 2007 the Wales National Air Show has become a bit boring with nearly the same aircraft and displays showing up or not?

But then it is free and when events are free, one does not get to see the best of aviation on the ground and in the air! Making these shows more of a recruiting ground for the armed forces wither you like that or not?

Wasteful Carbon Emissions!

Moving Scrap?

Here in Wales one lives in the view of the massive sprawling TATA-Europe steel works and yet two miles away ships are taking filed down scrap metals to Northern Spain for recycling? To me this is just complete madness, despite companies making a profit from it!

Out government recently cancelled the M4 relief road or Motorway from Newport, Gwent to Cardiff in SE-Wales for some tag poles, while a plethora of new road links are popping up around the city to spoil the countryside and relieve the terrible congestion with most of this being planned for the westside, when it is really needed on the east side and connection to the new Severn crossing to and from England?

Much is claimed by the Europeans about what they want done, but when you see bottled water being moved by train and all the above you have to wonder who is telling the truth or just having a laugh with the naïve?

Night Displays WNAS 2019.

Something Different?

The fireflies were different and could be seen for many miles away, there were some disappointment's, for the younger folk who got beyond their bed time?

Again the Wales National Air show was able to pull it off with the Catalina, wing walkers, Battle of Britain flight and all the ground stands! The Red Arrows made their appearances, but the weather was not always favourable!

One has taken several films and hopes to gradually get them up in the next fortnight or so? Sorry I did not get everything, but on the You Tube you can refer to films from years past which cover nearly all the regular visitors!

Wales National Airshow 2019.

July 6th/7th. Swansea Bay, S-Wales. U.K.

One is expecting another marvellous airshow and much more as this event seems to be getting better by the year?

The Red Arrows will be one of highlights of the flying displays with that of other Jets, but there is really something here at it for everyone! Many military vehicles representing the current British armed forces and others events combined.

Hopefully all will be safe from any sick people who wish us harm and that everyone will enjoy what is on offer with stunt flying, helicopters, parachuting and this year evening lit up balloons on Saturday.

One will have to get the app to find out what aircraft might be coming in relation to Historical aviation and one hopes that the weather will hold to make it a most enjoyable event for the spectator and all us avid movie makers and photographers?

Electric Locomotion!

Lack of investment?

Electricity costs and the infrastructure needed to build and maintain is not affordable to many countries around the world, in some cases even in the U.K. money is being held back in Wales to undercut the future of business and trade for unknown reasons?

Meanwhile the Diesel engine continues to rule the roost in the haulage of freight world-wide, because it is cheap and easy to work. Locomotive engines are improving all the time and the data on pollution varies from region to region worldwide, leaving one to wonder what is the real truth to the whole global warming situation!

Perhaps the taking off the road of trucks on to rail might cut the burning of fuel and relieve road traffic in towns and cities, but it is unknown if this is viable as it would logically seem to be?

Transport for Wales!

Teething Problems?

The take over of the Arriva contract does not seem to have solved much for rail in Wales, and neither has the weather? Flooding and landslides with the recent and more expected heavy rains will cause more problems, on top of lack of new stocks and bad management?

Wales has always had the backend of British Rail and now into privatization little has changed!

Cheaper fares in competition with the bus services will make for a cleaner faster journeys between the big cities of the capital Cardiff and Swansea. 

But the valleys and further afield will continue to suffer from lack of stock allocation and overcrowding, much is promised by the Welsh government and one has just to wait and see and hope that not all will be disappointed again?

Management and the past removal of track to the major ports of Pembroke and Fishguard for freight was unwise, putting more of a strain on the roads? The lack of vision is another issue to do with the bottlenecks of the M4 between Cardiff and the Servern crossing?

RAF 100th and the WNAS18. One.

A bit Disappointing?

This year of all years one was expecting much more than was on offer at the now annual Wales National Air Show? But it was Llandudno in North-Wales that got the armed forces day and not us?

The promised PBY Catalina flying boat was cancelled and instead we got the Hawker Sea Fury, many of the usual's where here, but we were limited to only the Boeing-Vertol CH-47 Chinook helicopter and the gyro-copter.

Friday and Saturday was spent up at Swansea airport taking in both the arrivals of Biggles, the Chinook and then their various take-offs and some returns from the Air Show in Swansea Bay, this combined with my love of birds paid off!

Later down the Mumbles one got the see the Red Arrows in a better light as their display filled the bay!

All new British Trains?

The Price Hike!

It is claimed by the various private companies, that it is their hope by 2020 to have a modern fleet of all new trains across the mainland U.K? Meanwhile they also say that the last batch of Class 66 locomotives with many newer types will mean the mass selling off of all other existing classes either to preservation or overseas buyers?

This perhaps explains the price hike in fairs for 2018, but it also means that regional governments such as Scotland and Wales may have their last opportunity to expand or re-build lines before Brexit?

London and the south-east will benefit from Cross-rail and the extension of the Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham, which in long overdue.

The government wants to build a high speed line from London to Pembroke dock, by passing Swansea, this will be via Carmarthen for freight? Meanwhile the proposed electrification may reach Cardiff, after it was cancelled?

All of this could just be another clever way of covering up raising the prices each year?

The MULTIHOG?

Revolutionary Vehicle!

Swansea council here in South-Wales have bought into this unique vehicle, known as the MULTIHOG. One is not sure which exact type this is, but with forty applications available it is a good machine for multi-purpose work.

Designed by the Dundalk Science institute in County-Louth Republic of Ireland back in 2007, it was for the recovery of missing and strayed golf balls. But from 2010 it was marketed in the U.K. and now some one-hundred and fifty machines are in service doing a variety of roles.

The initial impression of the vehicle, is that it has a traction and movement to a former Finnish military vehicle which was on a much larger scale developed back in the 1970;s will little success beyond experimental stages because of it unusual shape?

New Aircraft Types.

Over Southern-Wales, U.K.

Aviation, shipping and train spotting remain great hobbies for the choice of designs or types to be seen. Many countries have varied types of stock still in active operation for years past their date of service?

But with aircraft there are many new types coming into service or some are already in mainstream service, but are replacing some older types in this region of operations.

When I heard that Irish airlines Aer Lingus was going to purchase two Sukhoi Super Jets, I was not sure if this was a practical joke, but now that they are in service on the Dublin-Cardiff and other routes one awaits the opportunity to film the type.

Meanwhile the Embraer 170/190-5, Airbus A350 and Bombardier 6000 (being used by Swiss Air) is over flying the region. Some older types such as the McDonnel-Douglas MD-11F, Boeing 757 and 767 remain in service.

WNAS16. Part-Two.

Ground vehicles and other Equiptment.

Unfortnutaly this year they were mostly up beyond the War Memorial and I missed quite a few Army vehicles arriving and leaving. 

One can go by what was on show last year, but I saw nothing tracked this time around. Most of the MAN trucks looked like they had to do with the RAF, Royal Engineers and Radio Communications, various Landrovers and a lone fuel tanker.

Many of the vehicles that were seen rushing by, are shown on various films that have been put up in connection to the Queens Royal Hussars Regiment.

The show is a great event for military recruiting and if the Governemnt listens to Prince Harry, we may soon see the re-introduction of compulsary military service or Conscription. Something that will help to cut youth crime across the United Kingdom?

'As many of my older relatives would say, 'It never hurt them and gave them much more than sitting around doing nothing!

Bus and Coaches. Part-One.

IRIZAR.

This is one of the latest types of coach on the roads of the U.K and Ireland today, it is a luxury vehicle designed for comfort and speed. Built in Spain from 1979-1983 as the first generation, by 1993 the Swedish Scania K-series chassis was adopted. 

The Irizar body was introduced from 2002, but in 2005 the redesign and current body type with a 3.3 metre extention was added. The two types are the K and the S, which is sold in the U.K with a 70 seat layout.

The two main operators in the United Kingdom are Red Arrow of Trent Barton and National Express. The Wales RugbyTeam coach is also of the same type.

Bristol to Swansea Electrification.

Promised for the upgrading of the GWR.

Most people know of Wales, but they think its part of western-England. Very insulting and this may be applied to the overdue delay in the promised electrification of the Great Western Railway line from Bristol Parkway to Swansea.

Cardiff is the capital and plans are a foot to get this far and no further, in fact the railways of Britain have always been slow on modernisation. Electric trains have been around since 1890 and still by 1960 steam was the main pulling power.

It was the London underground and Southern that employed fourth and third rail conduction, from 1900. The 1950's saw the introduction of early electric locomotion between London-Birmingham and Manchester. By this time one could get an electric train from Fenchurch Street in London to Clacton in Essex, but Paddington was the only station not to have any overhead-electric trains.

Since the privatisation of the Rail Network, the first dual-electric trains served the GWR. The Class 73 have been employed from time to time on various duties, wearing the BR blue and Swallow liveries, but that has been about it. 

Hopefully pressure by big business and the Welsh assembly government will see the development to Swansea, the real capital of Cymru/Wales?

Wind Turbines.

Love or hate Them?

Me I don't like them, they have ruined Wales, but it seems they must be making money?

One has to get up close to them to see their size, a windmill is amazing but these are bland. Currently BBC Chatering ships are bringing them into Swansea to then be taken by road from the docks to various hill tops in south-Wales.

Wind farming work out at sea, where one may not always see them, but inland they are an eyesore. The Welsh government seems to be dragging their feet over the Swansea lagoon and the two elections may have excused them from dealing with the crises at Port Talbot.

Two years ago these turbines were being here in east-Wales, but now they are coming in from Denmark. It is a pity and a disappointment that when the company was in production Cardiff would not make up its mind?

FMA IA 58 Pucara

An Argentine Winner.

Argentina had until recently a well established, but limited aviation industry. It has over the years built many successful types and made various adaptions of others from light aircraft to combat jets and civil airliners. In fact in the 1950's it developed probably the best aviation jet fighter of the day and if they had developed it to today, they would of won the Falklands war.

The Pucara is one of those interesting oddities in the aviation world, developed in 1969 for counter-insurgency operations (COIN). This twin-engined Astazou turboprop aircraft looks like a Beech King Air, in its layout. But it can operate from very short rough airfields and is was known for its amazing manoeuvrability, it was used extensively during the Falklands war in 1982.

The FMA IA 58 is armed with one 20mm cannon and four other machine guns, was capable of carrying 1,500Kg bombs of three pylons. Maximum speed is 500Km/h (300Mph) and a range of 3,042 Km (1,925 miles). Size. Span 14.5m, Length 14.5m. 

One aircraft was captured by the British RAF and remains in the U.K. as a victory capture. I have filmed this aircraft seen flying over Swansea, S-Wales. U.K.

Fire Engines. Part-One.

Bonfires.

In a few days time, the emergency services will be stretched to their limit dealing with bonfire night and the madness of some people. Here in Wales the Fire Brigade has to deal with regular arsonists every dry period, lighting gorse fires.

But generally Halloween and Guy Fawkes night 31st October and the 5th November are the big nights. The need for a fire truck has been around probably ever since man could carry water on a cart? But it is really only in the last 200 years that some type of what we term 'Fire Engines have been developed to deal with house fires.

In the United States they are known as ladders, because they had to deal with tenement fires and later the early 19th Century sky scrapers. The first horse drawn tankers took full advantage of water pumping systems and were able to cope, despite being very limited. it was not until the 1920's that the first motorised trucks were designed as we see them today.

Ballooning.

First solar powered.

We tend to forget about the balloon in the age of machines, but it was the balloon (Montpelier's) that opened modern society to aviation well before the invention of the (Wright brothers) aeroplane. Today ballooning is a major sport and can be a dangerous pursuit.   

Recently Bristol University in England have been the first to develop the totally Solar powered balloon and fly it safely, this a a major breakthrough that will perhaps spread to Micro-Lights and Gliders/Hand-Gliders in the near future.

Solar scientists in Wales have been developing a flexible solar panel skin and I had wondered if this had been Incorporated into the Bristol project.