There is something deeply satisfying about settling into a story created by a man of military training and insight as is the case with Tempest of Fire by Steve Wilson. Bringing back Lieutenant Michael Neill from an earlier story (Red Sky at Morning), Wilson weaves a careful tale of political intrigue and espionage on an international scale. When a Chinese submarine goes down near Hua Shan, an island about 100 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, an island shrouded in mystery according to folklore, the U.S. suspects it is the work of a rogue element of the Chinese military led by Admiral Xian Lee. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence identifies an American who has set into play events that could give Lee a decided advantage through cyber warfare. Following the leads, Lt. Neill and a specially selected crew, including Lt. Simon Chau, a gifted computer analyst who also has synesthesia, visit the island. What they discover there could have a serious impact upon international relations. Everything comes together when Lee determines it is time to take back the wayward Taiwan by opening events with the use of a torpedo dubbed the “Tempest of Fire.” Tempest of Fire comes with a setting that is unique, a fast paced story that is believable, and it is packed with easy to read and understand information about the military and its dealings with political leaders as well as private commercial interests. The characters are well drawn, each challenged in his or her own way. In Lt. Neill, Steve Wilson has created a man of integrity and faith, a man others respect. Chau was an interesting addition, with his ability to “sense” location. Sec. Lt. Nathan Crockett, a “man’s man,” adds elements of both focus and humor. Add in Ensign Kelsi Pressman, incredibly talented at breaking code, Captain Zhu Ling, Lee’s chief of staff (who comes with a few surprises of his own), and additional high ranking government and military officials, and you have a story that continually draws you in. Tempest of Fire reinforced the profound gratitude I have for the men and women who serve. It is a tribute to their sacrifice.
#mlp #mylittlepony #tempestshadow #twilightsparkle #tempestlight
Shop our wide array of art prints from our independent artists. From boho to digital to photography to abstract prints, we have it all. Shop printed wall decor today.
Shop our wide array of art prints from our independent artists. From boho to digital to photography to abstract prints, we have it all. Shop printed wall decor today.
Hi all, here my new model: Hawker Tempest Mk.V by Special Hobby in 1/32. A high detailed kit with fine decals printed by Eduard.
The Sideshow and Freakshow Central with Sword Swallowers, Fire Breathers, Freaks, Sideshow Performers, and more.
For Tsukki’s Legend of Karasuno cosplay, I decided to go with a heavy crow motif, and what better way to do that than covering myself in feather armor? I ended up crafting close to 100 in total bet…
The Gloster Meteor was the only jet fighter of Britain and the Allied forces to have ever participated in the aerial combat operations during the World War II. The development of this fighter jet heavily relied on the development of its turbojet engines that were developed by Sir Frank Whittle and his company named “Powers Jet Ltd.” The development of this aircraft started back in 1940 with the work on the engine design starting back in 1936. The very first flight taken by Gloster Meteor was back in 1943 and the commencement of its in-service operations started back in July of 1944. The aircraft was designated to the No. 616 Squadron RAF. Although Gloster Meteor was not a great aircraft as per its aerodynamic design, it was still one of the earliest competent combat fighter jets. In between 1940 to 1950 several deigns variants of the Gloster Meteor led to the advancement of the aerial technology throughout the globe. Thousand of these aircraft were developed that served not only with RAF but also with other air forces of the world for many decades. Although Gloster Meteor saw a little action during World War II it still saw considerable combat action in the Korean War under the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). In addition to RAF and RAAF, many of the following countries also used Gloster Meteor in their regional conflicts. Argentina Egypt Israel Later variants of this aircraft were manufactured to serve as night fighters. The aircraft also broke many of the aviation records with one being of speed broken back on November 7th, 1947 when the aircraft reached the speed of 606 mph. By the late 1950s, Gloster Meteor became obsolete as the rest of the world started to introduce their own jet fighters and many of them at that time had Swept Wings instead of straight wings. The Meteor was replaced in RAF by the fighter jets like Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. Nowadays only two of these aircraft are in working operations as they serve the ejection seatbelt test beds for the Martin-Baker company. For our readers today, we have gathered a bunch of amazing facts about the Gloster Meteor which are as follows. Only Allied Combat Jet Germans had been far ahead in the rocket technology with their development of the Messerschmitt Me262 and Heinkel He162 Salamander during the World War II. In that time Gloster Meteor was the only Allied Fighter Jet to see the action in the war. During that era, most of the aerial wars were fought on propeller-driven planes. First Operational Jet Fighter:- Although Germany had the technological advantage during the World War II and the had developed their jet fighter ME262, Britain still beat the German forces by few days as they entered Gloster Meteor in their squadron service. Creator:- The name of the creator who designed the Gloster Meteor was George Carter ho started working on this project way back in 1936. Engines:- The aircraft that had poor thrust was equipped with two engines; one on each wing to provide it enough power. At that time the engines used were W2B turbojet engines from Frank Whittle. Still, they were not enough and they were later replaced by Halford H1 engines. Later even these were replaced and the designers settled on two “Rolls Royce W2B/23 Welland Engines” that were able to produce a thrust of 1700 pounds. The Gloster Meteor took its first flight from the power o these engines and all the later models had these engines. Weapons:- The Gloster Meteor was equipped with four 20mm Hispano cannons. These cannons were mounted on the forward side of the cockpit on each side of the fuselage. Speed:- The very first Gloster Meteor model that entered in the combat action was “Mk I Meteor” and it was able to reach the speed of 410 miles per hour. By the time, the aircraft was already becoming obsolete; it still managed to break the aerial speed record back in the late 1950s. The model was Mk 8 Meteor that reached the top speed of 610 miles per hour. First Squadron:- The very first RAF unit that was equipped with Gloster Meteor was the No. 616 Squadron. The squadron received the very first Gloster Meteor fighter jet back on July 12th, 1944. First fighter jet combat:- Allies believed that it was time to send the Gloster Meteor for a fight against Germany’s jet fighters and they deployed the aircraft over Europe. However, in the end, World War II ended without any real confrontation of Jet VS Jet. Only jet fighter encounter that Gloster Meteor had was against a group of Focke-Wulf Fw190s. they were good planes but not nearly as good to be called great rivals for Gloster Meteor. Exports:- After the war, Gloster Meteor was exported to many of the Britan’s friendly countries like Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Belgium even manufactured their own Meteors after they got the manufacturing license from the British manufacturer. Korean War:- Although Gloster Meteor did not saw considerable action in the World War II, it still managed to fight in the Korean War but not under RAF. RAAF used Meteor F8s to fight against the Korean fighter jets. Heading for retirement:- By the late 1950s, the end was near for Gloster Meteor as it was becoming obsolete. Any other air forces introduced their own jet fighters with Swept Wing design, unlike Meteor straight wing design. By 1950s ended, RAF replaced Meteor 2ith Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. Serving after retirement:- Even after retiring from RAF, the RAF still used these aircraft as target tugs until 1977. Even to this day, a company named Martin-Baker has two o their own Gloster Meteor aircraft that they use for ejection seat testbeds. Conclusion:- To sum it all up, the Gloster Meteor was the earliest fighter jet that was developed by Great Britain during World War II. Unfortunately, the aircraft could not serve its purpose in the war due to it
Saint Elmo’s fire, luminosity accompanying brushlike discharges of atmospheric electricity that sometimes appears as a faint light on the extremities of pointed objects such as church towers or the masts of ships during stormy weather, or along electric power lines. It is commonly accompanied by a crackling or hissing noise. St. Elmo’s fire, or corona discharge, is commonly observed on the periphery of propellers and along the wing tips, windshield, and nose of aircraft flying in dry snow, in ice crystals, or near thunderstorms. Various flight procedures, in addition to mechanical and electrical devices designed to reduce the accumulation of
Read A Prayer for the Fire Seasons of Your Life - Your Daily Prayer - December 12 - daily prayer and be encouraged to grow in your faith through prayer.
Readers' Favorite provides free book reviews for authors and hosts a respected annual book award contest.
The Brisbane Courier Friday 24 Dec 1928 The Clarence Corner Sir - In your issue of Saturday, 8th, I read with interest a letter on the above subject, over the name of Magee and Co., and would like to refer to the statement that the name "Clarence Corner" was first suggested by the members of the Harris and Co.'s drapery business some 30 years ago. I can look back over 50 years to that part of South Brisbane, when Cobb and Co.'s coaches passed by the old Clarence Hotel on their way to Southport. One driver, named Roderick, was a very popular coachman on this route, and while living at Pimpama at that period I passed the old Clarence Hotel in those coaches on several occasions. Again, less than 10 years later, our family resided at the corner of Merton-road and Peterson-street. I think I am correct in stating that at that time the name Clarence Corner was common among the residents thereabouts. The hotel was then leased by a Mr. King who had a fairly large family. Crump's butchers shop occupied the opposite corner, where the York Hotel now stands, and the Duke of Cornwall Hotel at the corner of Stanley and Allen streets was occupied by the Allen family. Well do I remember the old line of buses to the outlying South Brisbane districts, run by such proprietors as Chalk, with buses to Kangaroo Point and East Brisbane; Kluver to Wolloongabba and Logan-raod; and Sodens to Boggo and Ipswich roads. The old familiar words of the drivers as they whipped up their pair of tired horses to the call of Stanley-street, Clarence, Woolloongabba, is yet clear to one's memory. While on this subject reference may be made to the erection of the Boggo-road theatre now known as the Princess. It is just about 40 years since this theatre was erecte. The Ruthven Brothers who resided in the district, were the prime movers, and the architect was a Mr. Ibler. Quite a number of very fine concerts, theatrical performances, nigger minstrel entertainments, and balls were conducted in this building in the early years after its erection. I am sir J. R. Costello South Brisbane, December 12 Queensland State Archives Item ID 436323, Photographic material From 1897 to 1969, Brisbane's electric tram network funnelled people of all ages from one side of the city to the other. Discover more video from Queensland State Archives Watch more on YouTube The more than 199km of track covered all four corners of Queensland's capital, and the remnants can still be spotted in certain suburbs to this day. The Brisbane tramway network served the city of Brisbane, Australia, between 1885 and 1969. It ran on standard gauge track. The electric system was originally energised to 500 volts, and subsequently increased to 600 volts. All tramcars built in Brisbane up to 1938 had an open design. This proved so popular, especially on hot summer nights, that the trams were used as fundraisers and often chartered right up until the last service by social groups. Most trams operated with a two-person crew – a driver (or motorman) and a conductor, who moved about the tram collecting fares and issuing tickets. The exceptions to this arrangement were on the Gardens line (Lower Edward Street) where the short duration of the trip meant it was more effective for passengers to simply drop their fare into a fare box as they entered the tram; and the "one man cars" which operated in the early 1930s. The peak year for patronage was in 1944–45 when almost 160 million passengers were carried. The system route length reached its maximum extent of 109 kilometres (68 mi) in 1952. The total track length was 199 kilometres (124 mi), owing to many routes ending in single, rather than double, track. Single track segments of the track were protected by signalling which operated off the trolley wire. By 1959 more than 140 kilometres (87 mi) of track were laid in concrete, a method of track construction pioneered in Brisbane. The last track opened was in O'Keefe Street Woolloongabba, in May 1961. However, this track was not used in normal passenger service and was merely used to reduce dead running from Logan Road back to Ipswich Road Depot. Of the Australian capital cities which closed their networks between the 1950s and 1970s (only Melbourne and Adelaide retained trams, although Adelaide only had one line in operation), Brisbane was the last capital city to close its tram network. Despite the decision to shut down the network, the city's trams were held with great affection by locals. There have been ongoing proposals since the early 1990s to reinstate a functional tram network. History Brisbane expanded to become one of the most dispersed cities in the world by the 1870s. In the early years of Brisbane's settlement walking was the most convenient way to get around as most people choose to live close to their workplace. In 1875, the railway line to Ipswich opened up some areas in western and southern districts, however fares were expensive, as was owning a horse. By 1885 an omnibus service reached almost every part of Brisbane. Omnibuses consisted of a strongly constructed wooden wagon with seating for males on the roof and a back-door entrance to the interior. Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company (1885–1896) On 10 August 1885 the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company began official horse-drawn tramway services for the public. The 18 tramcars were built from highly polished cedar and mahogany in the United States by J G Brill and Company and John Stephenson Company. Fares were expensive, with the typical patron belonging to the middle class. Some even used the services to go home for lunch. Depression struck in 1893 and combined with 1893 Brisbane floods the horse-drawn tramway services saw large drops in patronage. Brisbane Tramways Company Limited (1896–1922) The first electric tramway ran along Stanley Street, in South Brisbane on 16 June 1897. Horse-drawn carriages were still being used in 1899. Up until the end of World War I, Brisbane's trams were the primary method used for travelling within the city. Brisbane Tramways Trust (1922–1925) Even during the Great Depression in the 1930s Brisbane's trams ran at a profit Between 1923 and 1934 tram services in Brisbane were greatly expanded. City of Brisbane (1925–1969) See also: Trolleybuses in Brisbane Brisbane's tramway system came under the control of the newly merged Brisbane City Council (BCC) in 1925. Through the 1940s and 1950s the tram system enjoyed strong political support within the council, which continued to expand the tram network and upgrade its fleet with some of the most advanced trams in Australia. Until 1934, the trams carried mail between the Brisbane General Post Office and suburban post office branches, and also acted as mobile postboxes. Trolleybuses were introduced in 1951. The last tramway to open was in March 1961. Clem Jones became Lord Mayor of Brisbane the same year, and all new route construction was cancelled. Decline of the electric street transport systems By 1948 Brisbane's trams failed to return a profit as they could not compete with the more efficient bus services. Urban development, often well away from public transport, the rise of suburban shopping centres and the relative decline in the cost of motorcars meant that as elsewhere, Brisbane's public street transport system increasingly had to compete with the private motor car and patronage slowly declined from a post war peak of 148 million passenger journeys in 1946, to approximately 64 million passenger journeys in 1968. Political support for the tram system waned in the 1960s, particularly so after the Paddington tram depot fire on 28 September 1962. 67 trams were destroyed, which represented 20% of the entire fleet. Brisbane's Lord Mayor Alderman Clem Jones was pro-freeway and private car. The Kalinga, Toowong, Rainworth and Bulimba ferry routes closed in December 1962. The closure of the tram and trolleybus systems In common with many other cities, Brisbane converted its remaining tram lines between 1968 and 1969 to all bus operation. The last trolley buses ran on 13 March 1969 and the final trams ran on 13 April 1969. The tramway closure was notable for the speed with which it was carried out. Over 300 replacement Leyland Panther buses were purchased, at the time the largest single bus purchase in the world. Most older, wooden trams were stripped of metal parts and then burnt at the City Council's yard at Cribb Street, Milton (adjacent to the tramway workshops). The bodies of later, all-metal cars were sold as sheds and playground equipment. Types of trams Unlike many other systems, Brisbane never adopted an alphabetical or numerical system for classifying its trams (cf Melbourne trams), preferring instead to use official descriptions, such as "standard centre aisle car", or "drop-centre saloon car". Horse trams single deck saloon single deck cross bench double deck - open top deck, lower saloon Electric trams Delivery of early combination cars was delayed and as a result the tramway company decided to convert many of the horse tram to electric operation, as a temporary expedient. Despite this, many of these converted cars remained in passenger service well into the 1930s. California Combination car The prototype Brisbane electric tram (No 1) was built at the Melbourne cable tram workshops from the body of a horse tram, and had 5 saloon windows instead of the usual 4 windows on the new-built Combination cars, with one fixed and one tip-over seat on each end platform. Large Combination cars These three trams were built in 1904 from three single deck horse trams, similar to the new-built California Combination trams but with 6 saloon windows as opposed to 4 on the new trams, and a single fixed cross-bench seat on each end platform instead of 2 tip-over seats each end. Withdrawn from service 1925 to 1930s. Saloon cars Each tram in this class was constructed by joining two single deck saloon horse trams together on a single motorised chassis. Their long, enclosed bodies gave rise to their nickname of "coffin cars". They were built in 1897, when delivery of new electric trams was delayed. 6 cars in this class. They were all withdrawn from service by 1930. "Summer" cars The 6 bench horse trams were motorised and later most were lengthened to accommodate 10 cross benches. One car was to remain in service until 1958 as an advertising car. NEW-BUILT ELECTRIC TRAMS California Combination Officially referred to as "Standard Combination" trams, but more popularly referred to as "matchboxes". They had a central 4 window saloon with 2 tip-over cross-bench seats on each end platform. There were 62 trams in this class, built between 1897 and 1904, with the last one withdrawn from passenger service in 1952. Two, (nos 14 and 15), were converted into "scrubber" cars (track maintenance cars). Several were used as advertising cars, with 47 and 53 being used as one man cars on the Gardens shuttle route. Nine Bench Cars These 4 trams were constructed in 1897 and 1898 by the Brisbane Tramways Company. They were cross bench cars with no centre aisle. Two of the benches (those attached to the end bulkheads) were fixed and the other seven benches were tip-over. They could carry 45 seated passengers, plus standees. Two were withdrawn from service in 1938, the other two were probably withdrawn in 1943. Brills These 20 cars were officially "bogie open tip-over cross-bench cars". They were a standard design tram built by J G Brill and Company of Philadelphia, although two were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company, presumably under licence from the Brill Company. They each had 4 fixed back-to-back benches and 8 tip-over benches. The first 8 had clerestory roofs, the remainder had plain roofs. The first 8 were also fitted with couplings for trailers, but the trailers were eventually motorised (see "light twelve bench cars" below.) As these trams only had hand brakes, operating a coupled set was physically demanding on drivers. In later years these workhorses were very dilapidated and had diagonal cross bracing on each bulkhead to reduce body sway. One tram was involved in a bad accident in 1944 and was converted to centre aisle design (see Special Dreadnoughts). They were gradually withdrawn from service between 1937 and 1952. Light Twelve Bench Cars These eight cars were originally built as trailers between 1901 and 1903, but were motorised in 1912. They had 12 fixed back-to-back benches and could carry 66 passengers. They were all withdrawn from service between 1948 and 1951. Standard Ten Bench Cars There were 32 of these sturdy little single truck trams constructed in Brisbane. 28 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company between 1907 and 1921 and a further 4 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1923 and 1925. They had fixed, back-to-back bench seating carrying 50 seated passengers (plus standees). They were commonly called "toastracks" or "jumping jacks". In 1936 4 of these cars were converted to Baby Dreadnoughts (see below); another two were converted to this class in 1944. Apart from one car converted to an advertising car and another retained for historical purposes, they were all withdrawn from service between 1952 and 1955. Dreadnoughts Officially referred to as standard centre-aisle trams, 65 trams in this class built between 1908 and 1925. These trams could carry 90 passengers. The last 21, which were built for the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1924 and 1925, had 12 windows, remainder built with 6 windows. Originally they were built with open end platforms, but these were enclosed in the 1930s. Some received "streamlining" with oval windows and skirting around their bogies. The attached picture illustrates the differences between various members of this class. The tram in the foreground is a 12 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Trust), still with seats on its end platforms and no streamlining. The tram ahead of it is an older, 6 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Company), but with its end seats removed and streamlining around its windows and skirting below the body of the tram. "Special" Dreadnoughts Each of these four cars was unique in their own way. Two were outwardly like the Dreadnoughts. Tram 100 was built in 1903 as the Tramway Company Manager's personal "Palace" car, fitted with carpets, plush seat covers and further interior decorations. Converted to regular passenger use in 1918 and was withdrawn from service in 1958. Tram 110 was built in 1906 as the prototype for the Dreadnoughts, but it had different trucks, which resulted in high steps. It was withdrawn from service in 1952. Tram 101 was built in 1899 originally with no solid roof, just a canvas awning suspended from a lightweight frame. It was withdrawn from service around 1935. Tram 104 was converted in 1943 from a Brill 12 bench car that had been badly damaged in an accident. In its converted form this tram had design features derived from the Four Motor, Dropcentre and Baby Dreadnought tram designs. It was withdrawn from service in 1958. Stepless Car Known as "big Lizzie", also sometimes referred to as a "New York type tram", tram 301 was intended to be the first of a fleet of inter-urban trams. It was built by J G Brill and Company in 1912 and imported in 1914. It was unusual for a Brill stepless car in that it was partially made of timber, rather than the normal all-metal construction. It was the first fully enclosed tram in Brisbane. Heavy and troubled by poor road clearance, it usually only saw service on the West End – Ascot line and was withdrawn from service in 1935. "One man" trams Between 1929 and 1930, 9 Dreadnoughts were converted to "one-man" operation, as a cost-saving measure. These trams were operated with drivers only and without conductors. They were only used on the Rainworth and Red Hill routes. Passengers were required to enter the tram from the front entrance and pay the driver as they entered. For this reason these trams had a distinctive colour scheme which included red and white diamonds on their front aprons. In May 1934 one man operation was abandoned and these trams were repainted in normal colours. Two combination trams were also converted to one man operation for use on the Gardens route. The first tram was converted in 1925, the second in 1930. "Baby" Dreadnoughts Sometimes called "small centre-aisle" or "single truck saloon" cars, the 6 trams in this class were built primarily for the hilly Spring Hill route. They were built in two batches: the first four in 1936 were converted from 10 bench trams, the last two were built in 1943 using truck from 10 bench trams, making the last two trams in this class the last single truck cars built in Australia. These trams were fitted with special sanders allowing sand to be dropped not only in front, but also behind, their wheels, in case the trams slipped backwards on the steep section of the Spring Hill line. They were withdrawn from service in 1958–1959, one car was preserved. Dropcentres The most numerous of Brisbane's trams, there were 191 trams of this class built between 1925 and 1938. Officially called "bogie drop centre combination cars", (usually shortened to "dropcentre" or "droppie") these trams' distinctive drop centre compartment was open to the elements, with only canvas blinds to provide protection for passengers in cold or wet weather. Although designed to be operated using airbrakes, most cars in this class were instead built with rheostatic brakes and hand brakes. However, the last 17 cars (Nos 370–386) were built with airbrakes. Subsequently, many of the older cars in this class were retrofitted with airbrakes and had their rheostatic braking systems removed. Early cars were built with open ends (meaning the drivers were unprotected from the elements) but later cars were built with enclosed ends (or "vestibules"). The ends of all the earlier cars of this class were enclosed by 1934. These trams were last used in regular service in December 1968. Four Motor (FM) trams Officially referred to as "drop centre saloon cars", or "four motor cars", they were popularly referred to as "400s", "FM's" or "silver bullets". They were the first class of trams built in Brisbane with airbrakes. 155 were constructed by the Brisbane City Council between 1938 and 1964, with a maximum carrying capacity of 110 passengers. Trams 400–472 were built with wide centre doors, 407 was altered to narrow centre doors and renumbered 473 (and the tram to be numbered 473 entered service as 407), trams 474–554 built with narrow centre doors. Through the 28 years during which they were built, many innovations were introduced, such as fluorescent lighting, helical gears, resilient wheels, remote controlled controllers and streamlined construction techniques. Early versions had canvas blinds in the doorways, while later versions had sliding doors. The last 8 trams were built from components salvaged from the Paddington tram depot fire and were painted light blue with phoenix emblems below the motorman's windows, to symbolise that the trams had risen from the ashes of the fire. Source: Wikipedia Trams in Brisbane
